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Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 145
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, July 31, 2007 - 9:03 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota, FL Fishing Report for 7/16 through 7/31/2007
Anglers fishing with me the past couple of weeks continued to have action with tarpon in the coastal gulf along Sarasota beaches. Tarpon schools have thinned and aren’t showing well on the surface, so the best technique to catch them in deep water (15’-20’) has been drifting live crabs under a float. We’re also still getting shots at tarpon in shallow water with flies, which is one of my favorite things to do. In addition, we’ve had decent action in Charlotte Harbor and Sarasota Bay with reds, snook, trout, bluefish, crevalle jacks and ladyfish. Another good option has been to snook fish before daylight around lighted docks and bridges and then hit the flats at dawn.
David Dyer, from Dallas, TX and sons, Doak and Matthew, fished Sarasota Bay with me on July 17. They caught a couple of snook before dawn in Big Pass on CAL jigs with jerk worms. We stopped in the pass to take a shot at some tarpon and a big school of jacks popped up. They caught several on CAL jigs with jerk worms before moving to the flats at Stephens and Bishops Point to catch trout, ladyfish and bluefish.
I even caught a tarpon on a fly myself on July 18th. I had about a 2-hour window between errands that day, so I went out to scout and take a quick shot at tarpon. I had a dozen shots at tarpon and caught one on a chartreuse Toad fly. We fly fished for tarpon 2 other days that week and had 20 or more shots per day which resulted in a couple of bites and several follows. The post spawn tarpon that we are encountering now are more aggressive and most fish showed interest in our flies. If you’ve ever done this before, you know that everything has to be just right to result in a tarpon in the air or alongside the boat. It is not always a long cast, but usually a quick accurate cast to the right fish.
Wayne Dedyne, from MI, and his son Matthew, from Clearwater, FL fished with me on Friday, July 20th. We had one of the best days of the season. With very few fish showing, we drifted live crabs under floats off Siesta Key. We jumped 6 tarpon and landed 2 of them, a 70 and a 90-pounder. Great day!
I spent several days the week of July 22nd in Stuart at the annual DOA Guide/Outdoor Writer get together. As always, there were some quality fish caught. Anglers caught snook to 25-pounds, trout to 9-pounds, tarpon to 100-pounds and a variety of other fish including little tunny. I had the pleasure of having Vic Dunaway of Florida Sportsman magazine on my boat one of the days. The day after the event, Capt. John Meskauskas, took Rusty Chinnis and I out for a day of fly fishing. We had shots at tarpon in the surf and caught numerous little tunny on Gummy Minnow flies just outside St. Lucie Inlet.
Steve Sutter, from Sarasota, FL, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Friday, July 27th. He caught and released snook, trout, and ladyfish with Estaz Marabou and Clouser flies in Gasparilla Sound and Turtle Bay. Howard Rosenberg and his son, Jason, both from Bradenton, FL fished Sarasota Bay with me the next day. They had steady action with trout, ladyfish and bluefish on DOA Deadly Combos near Bishops Point. Coming off Sunday’s full moon, action slowed on the flats. As is sometimes the case, fish will feed under the light of the full moon at night rather than during the day.
As tarpon thin out along the beaches they will move up into Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay to feed. The flats of Gasparilla Sound and Charlotte Harbor should provide good action with trout, snook, reds and a variety of other fish including tarpon. Juvenile tarpon in the canal systems of Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda and snook under dock and bridge fender lights from Sarasota to Bradenton should also be good options.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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Post Number: 11
Registered: 10-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 29, 2007 - 1:44 pm: | |
July 29, 2007
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
The Spotted Seatrout has been the top action on the open bay and on most of the grass-flats! The Redfish and Snook action around the docks and channels has been spotty but fish are being caught.
Last week we caught trout up to 23.5”, Bluefish over 3 pounds and an occasional Spanish mackerel, not to mention lots of Ladyfish. Using only the 3” DOA shrimp for bait, we seemed to be able to catch more keeper trout than the live bait fishermen. The shrimp are poor now and the white-bait is iffy for trout. Small pigfish (grunts) fished with a float is a killer for big trout but pigfish are hard to find at this time. Some of the bigger trout tried to take the small snapper as we were bringing them in.
One of the hotspots on the bay has been Whale Key. Watch for the birds feeding along the shoal and you will find all kinds of fish feeding below them. It is unusual to see a lot of different species chasing the baitfish at the same time during midday.
Snook and tarpon can still be caught along the beach. First and last light is best.
Offshore in about fifty feet of water, there have been plenty of barracuda hanging around the artificial reefs. A few nice mangrove snapper and permit have also been caught in the same areas.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 144
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 15, 2007 - 10:50 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota, FL Fishing Report for 7/9 through 7/15/2007
Anglers fishing with me this week had decent tarpon action with flies and live bait. Although tarpon have thinned out, there are still plenty of fish available. The pattern has been to have singles, doubles and smaller schools moving both north and south. Tarpon have not been showing well on the surface, so drifting baits early in the day in deeper water has been an effective technique. Later in the day, tarpon in shallow water have been providing sight-fishing opportunities with flies and live baits.
Eric Adamson and his daughter, Raene, both from Lakeland, FL, fished with me on Monday. They had an exceptional trip last year, landing a pair of tarpon on a fly and live bait, but this year they had to work harder. They jumped a pair of tarpon and Raene landed one of them, a feisty 85 or 90-pounder with a live crab on spinning tackle. We got to see the “take” as the big fish gobbled a live crab under a float in 6’ of gin clear water.
The next day Sarasota Herald-Tribune Outdoors Editor, Steve Gibson, fished with me. We had a few shots early in the day in deep water along Siesta Key and had one bite on a live crab. We moved to shallower water as visibility improved and before long tarpon began giving us the shots we needed to be successful with a fly. Almost every fish Gibby cast to with a big black Deceiver (Shubat’s Mr. Blackie) showed interest in the fly, followed or tried to eat it. He had two bites on the fly and hooked and landed the 2nd fish, a strong, young male estimated at about 80-pounds. Gibby fought the fish hard, rolling him over 10 or 12 times close to the boat, but each time the fish recovered and stayed just out of my reach. I finally got my hands on the fish and he gave me a face full of water as he surrendered!
We didn’t see many tarpon at all on Wednesday, but on Thursday they were back in their normal pattern. I started Thursday’s fly trip later in the morning and fished shallow water the entire trip. We had more than a dozen shots at tarpon but didn’t hook up. If you’ve ever tried to catch a tarpon on a fly, you know that the fly must not only be in the right place, but moving in the right direction. With several variables, it usually takes multiple shots before everything is just right. It is challenging but worth every bit of the effort!
Friday the 13th wasn’t unlucky at all for Matt Harris and Patrick Hogan, from Atlanta, GA, and Chris Buchanan, from Hilton Head, SC. They had 3 tarpon between 70 and 90-pounds, to the boat, all caught with a live crab. The first 2 were caught by drifting live crabs under a float in 15’ of water off Siesta Key and the last one was caught in 4’ of water with a live crab under a float. Lucky 13!
We didn’t see many tarpon in deep water early off Siesta Key on Saturday, but had a dozen or more shots with a fly and live bait in shallow water later in the morning. The 2.9’ extreme high tide, due to the new moon, allowed tarpon to be all over the place instead of tracking along a more predictable route.
When tarpon fishing in skinny water, there are several factors necessary to be successful. You must make a delicate presentation with a fly or a lightweight lure to avoid spooking them. Live baits are fished best under a float, so that they can be cast well ahead of tarpon. Large live baits or a heavy lure that lands close to tarpon in skinny water is like throwing a rock at them! Lastly, you must be quiet. No slamming hatches and stomping feet and use electric trolling motors sparingly, if at all. I prefer to anchor on the route they are traveling and take my shots from a “dead” boat if possible. If I can’t get a fly or bait in front of moving tarpon from an anchored boat, I’ll use a combination of my push pole and trolling motors to get in front of them. Using an outboard in shallow water will usually spook them for sure.
Tarpon fishing should hold up good for the rest of July, although they will thin out more toward the end of the month. As tarpon thin out along the beaches, they will move into bays from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor and gorge themselves on a variety of baits.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 143
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 08, 2007 - 10:11 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 6/24 through 7/8/07
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, continued to have decent action with tarpon during the past couple of weeks. Fly anglers had lots of shots, several bites and one tarpon landed while anglers using spinning tackle jumped and landed several fish.
Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL, and his mother, Andrea, from Atlanta, GA, fished with me on June 24th. Tarpon weren’t showing well on the surface that day, so we positioned ourselves in the “lane” that tarpon were traveling in off Casey Key and drifted a live crab out behind the boat on a float. Although it’s not the most exciting way to fish, it will work when tarpon are present but not showing on the surface. It wasn’t long before the drag was singing and Andrea was hooked up to her 1st tarpon. After numerous jumps and runs, she had the fish alongside the boat.
Fly anglers fishing with me that week had lots of shots at tarpon. If you’ve ever targeted tarpon with a fly, you know it’s not easy. An accurate cast is required to even have a chance. The fly should be in about a 2 foot square area in front of the tarpon’s nose. However the fly can’t land in that zone or it will spook the fish, so you must lead the fish. Not only does the fly have to be in the right spot when the tarpon gets to it, but it must be moving in the right direction. Moving straight away, quartering away or perpendicular to the fish will all work, but if the fly moves toward the fish, it will spook. A good way to measure the success of a day of fly fishing for tarpon is in the number of shots that we get. Of course we want to catch them, but it usually requires numerous shots, to get everything just right.
My daughter and son-in-law, Andy and Dawn Cotton, and my wife Karen joined me for one of our annual family tarpon trips on June 30th. The action was early that day as Andy hooked up at first light using a live crab for bait and got a ½ dozen jumps out of a nice tarpon before the fish jumped off.
Fly angler Dennis Desmond, from NJ, fished with me last Monday. Dennis had done his home work and preparation well. He tarpon fished with me last season and had some nice shots, but no hook ups. This year he practiced casting with his 12-weight before arriving. Just to make sure he was ready, we did a fly casting lesson on Sunday morning before our trip on Monday. Not only did we practice casting, but we reviewed various scenarios, hook setting and fish fighting techniques. It all paid off for him on Monday morning when he hooked and landed an estimated 90-pound tarpon with his first cast off Siesta Key on Monday morning. Mission accomplished!
Terry Notari from Longboat Key, son Craig and grandsons, Josh and James from IL fished with me on Thursday and Friday. Josh went with his dad and grandfather on Thursday and we had lots of action. We jumped 3 tarpon and 12-year old Josh landed one of the 3, a feisty 70-pounder. It was his first tarpon! Josh cast his own bait, hooked the fish and landed it on his own. We had 3 other bites that day including 2 bites on a black Deceiver fly.
The following day 15-year old James carried on the tradition. Tarpon were showing less on the surface on Friday so we set up on the line they were traveling with a live crab under a float and cast to the few tarpon that were showing on the surface. Both techniques produced a hook up with James landing an 85-pound tarpon to finish the day. Congratulations James!
Although tarpon have thinned out a little on the beach, there are still plenty of fish left. Some tarpon have moved to the inside waters of Sarasota Bay, but there should be good action along the beaches this week as we head toward a new moon next weekend. July is one of my favorite months to fly fish for tarpon along the beaches. There is less fishing pressure and I think the smaller schools, doubles and singles that are more prevalent during July bite better.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 142
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 12:21 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 6/11 through 6/23/2007
Anglers fishing with me for the past couple of weeks had plenty of action with tarpon. With the water temperature in the low 80’s now, tarpon have been cooperating better. The pattern has been to have shots at a few nice schools of tarpon in deeper water at first light and then they quit showing. By fishing shallow water later in the morning, we are getting shots at fish that are moving north and south but not showing well on the surface.
Anglers fishing with me all week long during the week of June 11th had lots of action. We had a total of 14 bites (i.e. line got tight and scratched drag off the reel). We jumped 8 of those fish and landed one, a feisty 75-pounder. Most fish were on live crabs either free lined or under floats. Although the percentage of fish landed is below average (usually about 1 out of 3) it is not uncommon. Some fish jumped off, hook pulled, broke off, wore through the leader and even had a hook break. We hooked fish every day except one with the best day on Monday when we had 7 bites, jumped 5 of them and brought one to the boat. We had a few good shots with a fly that week but no takers.
Fly angler, Dave Overby from Minneapolis, MN, fished with me Monday through Wednesday last week. Again we had lots of good shots. Dave had a couple of bites on a black and purple Toad on Monday morning, jumping one of the fish. We had more than 20 shots at singles, doubles and small schools on Wednesday and one bite on a black and purple Toad but didn’t hook up.
The wind switched to the west on Thursday blowing us out of tarpon fishing in the gulf that day. Friday was a little better, but conditions were still poor in the gulf, so we chose to fish more protected water in Tampa Bay. Fly anglers Rick Happle and Shawn Borgeson, both from the Tampa area, fished with me on Friday. We had shots at singles, doubles and small schools either milling in an area about 6’ to 10’ deep or traveling. Rick hooked up near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge with an estimated 110-pound fish on a black and purple Toad and had her alongside the boat in about an hour. She was a hot fish, making a long run with several jumps before settling down and slugging it out around the boat. We also got numerous jumps close to the boat before landing the fish.
Tarpon are definitely cooperating better since the water temperature has warmed into the 80’s. I expect the action to be good as we head toward a full moon next weekend.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 141
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 10, 2007 - 3:33 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 6/3 through 6/10/2007
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict caught and released snook, trout and tarpon during the past week. It was a tough week for tarpon with wind out of the west early in the week and rough seas all the way through Thursday. Following last Saturdays Tropical Storm Barry, the coastal gulf was very rough and silted up. However, with a switch of wind direction to the west our water has finally warmed to above 80 degrees.
Fly angler, Bob Harness from St. Louis, MO, fished with me on Monday and Tuesday. The plan was tarpon, but it wasn’t in the cards. We headed for Port Charlotte on Monday to hunt for juvenile tarpon in the canals of Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda, but didn’t find any. We fished the west wall of Charlotte Harbor as an alternative plan and had some action with snook. Bob connected with 5 or 6 snook and a redfish on a chartreuse Clouser fly. The next day we fished Sarasota Bay where Bob caught and released several ladyfish and a trout also on a Clouser fly.
I was optimistic as we headed into the gulf out of Longboat Pass on Thursday morning. The wind had switched back to the east on Wednesday, but we were greeted with 4 to 6 foot seas so we headed inside. We located a few tarpon in Tampa Bay and had some shots with a fly but no takers.
Fly angler, Hal Lutz from Parrish, FL, fished with me on Friday and Saturday. Conditions were near perfect on Friday morning and we had numerous shots at a couple of schools that looked very happy off Siesta Key but they ignored our flies. It all came together later in the morning when Hal caught a 70-pound tarpon with a Clemson Toad (orange and purple). The fish ate in shallow water only 20 feet from the bow. This why we fly fish for tarpon! The next day was a bust, very few shots and the sea breeze came up early making it difficult.
Next week should be good for tarpon. With the water temperature at 83 degrees today at the Venice Pier and a new moon on Thursday, it should be a peak week of the season.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 140
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2007 - 12:46 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 5/20 through 6/2/2007
Anglers’ fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, jumped 6 tarpon and landed 3 of them during the past couple of weeks. Fishing has been below average due to cool water. We’ve found fewer schools of tarpon than is to be expected this time of the year and very few happy schools. Many tarpon schools are moving fast and not showing well on the surface and not giving us many good shots. However, the happy schools we’ve found have eaten a crab, lure or a fly readily.
Keith McClintock, Barry Slee and Hal D’Orazio, all from Lake Forest, IL, and Dave Kinnamon, from Milwaukee, WI, fished with me the week of May 21st. Capt. Jack Hartman fished with us as the 2nd boat. We fished from north Casey Key to Longboat Key and jumped 3 tarpon, one each on a black and purple Toad fly, DOA Baitbuster and a live crab.
My friends, Russell and Annette Johnson from Clovis, NM, and sons Justin, Kyle and Pat fished a couple of days with me the week of May 28th. We rotated anglers each day, so they all had a chance to fish a day. Justin and Kyle each had tarpon of about 90-pounds to the boat caught with live crabs near Midnight Pass. A fly angler landed another tarpon of about 60-pounds later in the week fishing Longboat Key with a brown shrimp fly. Larry Ford and Pete Molinari, both from Sarasota, FL, finished out the week. Pete connected with a tarpon with a live crab near Turtle Beach, but the fish broke off. We got off the water that day just ahead of Tropical Storm Barry, which pounded us on Friday evening and early Saturday, but gave us some much needed rain.
Maybe after the weather clears early next week, we’ll get back into a normal pattern? We’ve still been having cool weather (jackets in the morning) and water temperatures have struggled to make the high 70’s, still a few degrees below the ideal temperature of 80 degrees.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com
  |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 139
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 20, 2007 - 9:47 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 5/14 through 5/20/2007
Tarpon time! One of my favorite times of the year, when we are fishing for giant tarpon along our beaches, has arrived. Although the time of the year is right, water temperatures are still on the cool side for the action to get hot. Due to a couple of fronts, smoke on the water from wildfires to our north (not the Deep Purple song!) and an upwelling, the water temperature was just 76 degrees on Saturday. An upwelling occurs when surface water is blown offshore by a persistent east wind and is replaced by the cooler water below it. We began the week fishing off Sarasota with the water temperature at 72 degrees. It has warmed a degree or two each day, but action should get faster when it reaches the magic temperature of 80 degrees.
Fly anglers fishing with me this week have had some quality shots at tarpon and had a few bites on Enrico Puglisi’s Black Mullet and tarpon bunny flies. We worked 2 or 3 schools a day early in the week along Siesta and Casey Keys and by the weekend we were working 6 or 8 schools a day. Brett Yantis, from Kansas City fished a couple of days with me early in the week and had a take on an Enrico Puglisi Black Mullet one day. Tim Dunagan drove down from Mexico Beach, FL to fish a day with me and Rick Happle and Shawn Borgeson, both from Tampa, also fished a day. Rick got bit a couple of times on a black and purple tarpon bunny.
Bill and Sandy king, from Osprey, FL, fished with me on Saturday, which was a windy day. With wind out of the east at 15 to 20-mph, we anchored tight to the beach and took shots at tarpon schools moving past us going fast to the south. Sandy jumped her first tarpon with a live crab and Bill got bit on a black and purple bunny.
Next week should be good as the moon phase waxes toward a quarter phase coming off last Wednesday’s new moon. As the water temperature warms to 80 degrees and higher, tarpon will bite more aggressively. The best bite should be at first light in the morning, but I also like fishing shallow water from mid morning until the sea breeze comes up.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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Username: Capt_bob_smith
Post Number: 10
Registered: 10-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 15, 2007 - 4:51 pm: | |
May 14, 2007
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
Redfish have been cooperating around some of the docks on the bay and as many have been over the slot as under the slot. We also caught large and small sheepshead in the same areas. Live shrimp with a stout 3/0 hook and 40 pound test mono leader with a small split-shot just above the hook has worked well. I use at least 12 pound test line and a very tight drag. Letting the fish take line under the docks is not an option. Cast to all the pylons and just under the docks. Make sure you don’t have a pylon between you and your bait that a large fish can drag you around. Keep the line loose. Let the bait sink to the bottom and sit until you see the line start to move.
Haig, Mike, and Ani Sarajian did well on reds last week, up to 31.5” and limits in the slot. We found our reds west of the ski ramp.
On the grass flats and in the passes, we caught lots of ladyfish but also some Spanish mackerel, bluefish and pompano all on live shrimp.
So far, the tarpon and cobia have been spotty along the coast and it sounded like LTs were hot well offshore. Mackerel have also been good at times and there were still a few kings around.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 138
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 04, 2007 - 4:04 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 4/22 through 5/4/2007
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, reds, snook, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, tripletail and barramundi during the past couple of weeks. That’s right, barramundi! We also jumped the first tarpon of the season with flies and a live crab. The best action continued to be on deep grass flats of Terra Ceia Bay, Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound.
Sarasota Herald-Tribune outdoors editor, Steve Gibson, and I traveled to central Florida, near St. Cloud, to fly fish for barramundi with Osceola Outback Adventures on Monday, April 23rd. Byron Hennecy, along with his partner, Tony Burraston of Australia, operate Eco Barramundi, which raises and sells barramundi as a seafood product under licensing from the Florida Dept. of Agriculture. They also sell the opportunity to fish for the hard fighting fish. Steve and I were his guests for a morning of fishing that was a great experience. For 4-hours we caught and released barramundi in the 6 to 8-pound class with 8-weight fly tackle and floating lines. The barramundi ate a variety of flies including DT specials, Myakka Minnows, Estaz Marabou and MirrOlure flies. The deep bodied fish, cousins of our snook, slugged it out and jumped like tarpon. We caught and released 40 or 50 fish in 4-hours.
Mike Carducci, from NY, fished Terra Ceia Bay with me the next day. Mike caught and released a pair of reds and several trout with CAL jigs and shad tails. On Wednesday, I was the guest of my friend, Capt. Rick DePaiva, to do some scouting in Pine Island Sound. We checked a couple of spots for tarpon and saw one roll, but opted to hunt for reds and snook instead. Rick connected with a nice red that was sight-fished and we cast to some monster snook. A nice day!
Fly anglers, Kent Beveridge and Rob Oldham, from Vancouver, British Columbia, fished Gasparilla Sound with me on Thursday. Our best action was on deep grass flats with trout, ladyfish, Spanish mackerel and bluefish. My friend, Mark Nichols, of DOA Fishing Lures fished with me on Friday and Saturday for the 12th annual Sarasota CCA Photo All-Release Challenge. We fished the Terra Ceia area and caught and released snook and trout with night glow and holographic DOA shrimp. We had a good time fishing the event, which raises money for conservation in a low key, fun filled catch, photo and release format. The highlight of our fishing was when Mark bailed out of the boat to try and land a monster snook (and save his DOA shrimp) which had weaved it’s way around a series of pilings. Since anglers in the tournament are limited to fishing with lures provided to them by donors, it was as important to save the lure as land the fish. The snook won!
Bernie Blanche, from TN and his dad, Bernie from PA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. We spent a couple of hours hunting tarpon off Sarasota without seeing any. Bernie connected with a false albacore with a Clouser fly, but there wasn’t anything else going on. We came back into Sarasota Bay where they had good catch and release action with ladyfish, Spanish mackerel and bluefish on flies and jigs.
Fly angler, John Colwell from Seattle, WA, fished the same area with me the next day. The action picked up as John caught and released large ladyfish, Spanish mackerel, bluefish and a pair of 8-pound tripletail with Clouser flies.
Long time friends and customers, Norm and Francie Boardman from Sarasota, tarpon fished with me on Thursday in the Boca Grande area. We were pleasantly surprised to find a school of about 100 tarpon just leaving Gasparilla Pass as we headed out the pass. We stayed with the school for several hours, jumping one and hooking another on Enrico Puglisi flies (Black Mullet and Mullet). After a while the school of fish quit showing and stayed deep. We tossed a live crab at them, which was immediately eaten, putting another fish in the air. The first tarpon of the season!
I look for tarpon action to pick up next week as we get further away from Tuesday’s full moon. In addition, reds and catch and release snook should be a good option in skinny water. However, you will probably have faster action on deep grass flats in bays with trout, Spanish mackerel, bluefish or tripletail.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 137
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 21, 2007 - 7:12 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report 4/8 through 4/21/2007
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, snook and redfish during the past couple of weeks with flies and jigs. Action slowed in Sarasota Bay following a couple of later season fronts. Although we continued to catch scattered Spanish mackerel, bluefish and trout, the frenzy that was going on before the fronts ended.
Fly anglers caught and released tout and ladyfish with Ultra Hair Clouser flies on a couple of trips in Sarasota Bay during the week of April 9th. Perry Greene and his son, Dirk, both from MI, had a good trip with lots of trout and ladyfish caught and released with flies and CAL jigs with shad tails on Tuesday, April 10th. Other family members fished Capt. Kelly Stilwell and had similar action.
Firman Schlabach and Junior Miller, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday, April 12th. The best action was at Bishop’s Point where they caught Spanish mackerel, bluefish and trout on CAL jigs with shad tails. Friday’s trip in Charlotte Harbor with Bill Beauchamp and Phil Bellmore, both from Bradenton, FL, produced trout and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails and flies.
Rusty Chinnis and I instructed a group of fly anglers on Saturday at a CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing School. It’s good to see growing interest in fly fishing. We had students from 14-years old to senior citizens in our class, which demonstrates that this sport is for all ages.
Fly anglers fished with me every day last week. Carl Borromeo, from MA, fished the Terra Ceia area with me on Tuesday and Dick Miekka, from St. Petersburg, FL and Walt Durkin, from Tampa, FL fished the same area with me on Wednesday. They caught and released several snook and trout with a variety of flies. Sarasota winter resident, Chris Patrick and his guests from the UK, Chris and Gelly Sandford, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. They caught ladyfish on flies and jigs from the Radio Tower flat to Roberts Bay. Chris Sandford is a well known outdoor writer and broadcaster in the UK.
Greg Swanson, from WI and his friend Greg Higgins, from the Chicago area, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Friday. They caught and released a variety of fish, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, trout and a redfish with flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.
Next week should be good for reds, snook and trout on the flats of Gasparilla Sound or the Terra Ceia area. We should also get some more action with Spanish and king mackerel once the gulf settles down some. Tarpon were showing up in lots of places in Charlotte Harbor and south prior to the fronts we’ve had and they should continue to become more plentiful. If you’re looking for a fun day of fishing, the Sarasota CCA Photo All-Release Challenge will be held on Saturday, April 28th out of the Sarasota Cay Club in Sarasota. Anglers will target snook, reds and trout in a catch, photo and release format with identical boxes of lures or flies provided to anglers. Entry forms are available at area fishing tackle and fly shops or on line at www.mangrovecoastflyfishers.com on the tournaments page.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 136
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 07, 2007 - 2:57 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 3/26 through 4/7/2007
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action the past couple of weeks with Spanish mackerel, bluefish, trout, pompano and reds. The best action was on the deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay and the inshore artificial reefs off Lido Key.
We caught Spanish mackerel, bluefish, pompano, trout and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails and flies on several trips during the week of 3/27. The best trip of the week was on Wednesday, 3/28 with Sarasota winter residents, Harry Beaty and Tom Schalk. They caught more than 40 fish including Spanish mackerel, bluefish, pompano and trout on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails at the Middleground flat, Stephens Point and near Buttonwood Harbor. They caught and released about 10 trout and ½ of them were between 18” and 20”
Fly anglers, Dave Macomber from MN, and his brother, Scott Macomber from MA, fished with me on Monday evening. They had good action with ladyfish and a pompano before dark and a couple of snook after dark. Mark Bonnett from Portland, OR and Dick Badman, from PA, caught and released ladyfish, trout, Spanish mackerel and bluefish on Clouser flies in Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. Stephen Lewis and his young son Danny, both from NYC, and a guest fished with me that Friday. They had fast action with trout and ladyfish on flies and jigs.
Mike Perez, from Richmond, IN, his daughter Kelsey and a friend fished Sarasota Bay with me on Sunday, April 1st. They had steady action with ladyfish, trout, bluefish and a Spanish mackerel on flies and jigs. Fly angler, Bruce Maguire from MI, fished a couple of days with me during the week of April 1st. Bruce is a serious fly angler who enjoys sight-fishing whenever possible, so that was our focus. Bruce caught and released a red with a chartreuse Clouser in the Terra Ceia area on Monday. A front pushed through on Thursday evening and forced us to cut our full day trip on Friday to a ½ day.
John Wolfstaetter, from NYC, fished the same area with me on Tuesday. He had a couple of takes by reds on his Clouser flies, but neither fish stayed hooked. Fly angler Nick Reding and I waded and fly fished along the east side of Sarasota Bay on Wednesday. We had good action in the morning, catching and releasing 4 reds and a pompano on chartreuse and pink Clousers.
The best trip of the week was with fly angler Marc Chiaperrino and his 12-year old son Marc, both from Marlboro, NJ on Thursday. I heard some “dock talk” about plentiful Spanish and king mackerel at the Lido Reef, 3 miles off of Lido Key. We headed out to check it out and found fast action. Marc and his son, Marc, caught more than 25 Spanish mackerel to 24” and an estimated 15-pound king mackerel on flies and jigs. The king ate a Puglisi style bunker fly fished on a 300 grain Orvis Depth charge fly line. Another king of about 30-pounds chased the fly to the boat, but saw the boat just before it ate the fly. We came back in to Sarasota Bay in the afternoon where they caught more Spanish mackerel, bluefish, ladyfish and trout on jigs and flies.
Following this weekend’s front, next week should be good for reds, snook and trout on the flats or Spanish and king mackerel in the coastal gulf. I will be instructing a fly fishing school next weekend, April 14, at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, 1249 Stickney Point Rd. on Siesta Key in Sarasota. Cost is $150 per person and includes the user of premium Orvis fly tackle, a textbook and an instructional video. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 340-4400 to sign up.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net or www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 135
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 25, 2007 - 5:59 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 3/12 through 3/25/2007
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with Spanish mackerel and bluefish during the past couple of weeks. In addition, we scored with snook, reds and trout in Charlotte Harbor, Sarasota and Terra Ceia Bays. The fastest action was with Spanish mackerel and bluefish in Sarasota Bay. Fishing is also improving in Sarasota for trout and reds.
Several trips in Sarasota Bay during the week of 3/12 had fast action with Spanish mackerel and bluefish. Frank Watson, from Youngstown, OH, got in on the action in New Pass on Monday. Longtime friends and customers, Norm and Francie Boardman caught them on flies and jigs the next day. Justin Suarez, from NJ, and his cousin, Jason Puckett from Sarasota, kept the streak going on Wednesday. In addition, we caught and released Spanish mackerel, bluefish, and ladyfish at the Middleground flat and trout at Stephens Point.
Jason and Justin also fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Friday where they had good action with trout to 18” and a red caught with CAL jigs and a variety of shad tails. Dennis Stehlik, from Wheaton, IL, and Ron Mosetich, from Tiverton, RI, fished the same area with me on Thursday with similar results.
I participated in the Florida Sportsman Fishing show in Sarasota last weekend as a seminar speaker and was back on the water again on Monday morning. Rick Peregord, from Southgate, MI, fished 3 days with me last week. We fished Terra Ceia Bay on Monday where Rick had a slam consisting of 3 snook, a red and several trout caught and released with CAL jigs and shad tails. We fished Sarasota Bay on Tuesday and the action was fast with Spanish mackerel and blues in New Pass and one of the artificial reefs off Lido Key. Rick probably caught more than 25 mackerel and blues before we shifted gears to fishing for reds in skinny water. He caught and released a pair of reds to 24” on CAL jigs with shad tails along the east side of Sarasota Bay.
Thursday’s trip with Rick resulted in lots of bluefish, a couple of Spanish mackerel, several trout and a red. We didn’t catch the red fair though. Rick spotted a float moving ahead of the boat as I poled along a sand bar and snagged it with an accurate cast. It had a feisty red attached, which we unhooked from its rig and released. I’m sure the red was glad to be rid of the hook and float that it was towing around!
Stuart Reeve and his son Teddy, from Nashville, TN, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. Teddy is a devoted flyrodder and his Dad used spinning tackle. They caught and released ladyfish, trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel on jigs and flies. Fly angler Kirk Norris, from Des Moines, IA fished Gasparilla Sound and the backcountry of Bull and Turtle Bays on Friday. He caught and released trout and ladyfish with Clouser flies. He had shots at numerous reds and snook, but they wanted nothing to do with us. I think the persistent high pressure that’s affected us all week was the biggest factor.
I instructed several students on Saturday at a CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school. There is still space in the next school on April 14th. You can contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up. Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers had their annual banquet last night with Keys fly tier and artist Tim Borski as the speaker. He gave a great fly tying presentation, which had lots of good stuff that will work for our reds and tarpon.
Fishing should be favorable for Spanish mackerel and blues in and around the passes in Sarasota and trout, reds and snook on the flats. Tides will improve toward the end of the week. Also, look for cobia and little tunny along the beaches.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
Email snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 11, 2007 - 6:12 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 2/19 through 3/11/2007
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, have had good action during the past several weeks with trout. We also caught reds, snook, bluefish, pompano and Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails and flies. The best action has been with trout in Gasparilla Sound and the backcountry of Bull and Turtle Bays.
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, fished a couple of days with me the week of 2/18. Tom Frahm, from MN, joined him on one of the trips and Bill Garrett, from Naples, FL fished with us the other day. They had fast action with trout to more than 20” and several reds on CAL jigs with shad and curly tails. Dick Reece, from Dayton, OH, and his grandson, Daniel Rheinhart, from MA, also fished with me that week. They caught more than 40 trout to 18” and a pair of reds, also with CAL jigs.
Fly angler John Cronley, from Long Island, NY and his daughters Jenny and Kelly, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me that week and had fast catch and release action with large ladyfish and trout on CAL jigs and Clouser flies.
Fly angler Marshall Dinerman and his son, Mike, both from Atlanta, GA, fished the same area with me the week of 2/25. They caught and released ladyfish, trout and a pompano on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails and Clouser flies. Bill Moore, from the Chicago area, fished Terra Ceia Bay with me the same week and had fast action with trout to 20”, ladyfish, bluefish and a snook. Fly angler Herb Ramerman, from Cleveland, OH, also fished that area with me. The trout action slowed but he made up for it with lots large ladyfish caught and released with Clouser flies fished on a sink-tip fly line.
Fly anglers Nick Reding and Jim Ewoldt, both from St. Louis, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday of the week of 3/4. We were on a redfish mission and we found some along the east side of Sarasota Bay. We waded after we’d located some reds and Nick connected with one on a Clouser fly in a pothole. Bernard Caussignac traveled all the way from Paris, France to visit friends in Sarasota and try his hand at saltwater fly fishing. We fished Gasparilla Sound where he did very well with trout to 22” on an Estaz Marabou fly. Sarasota winter residents, Harry Beaty and Tom Schalk, fished the same area with me later that week and caught more than 40 trout to over 20” on CAL jigs with shad tails.
My brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, visited for a few days at the end of the week. We fished Charlotte Harbor a couple of days and Terra Ceia Bay another day. We had great action with large trout to 21” caught with crab Clouser flies (olive, tan and white with gold flash). The fly, which has the colors of a blue crab, was popularized in the Chesapeake Bay for striped bass. We also caught and released bluefish, Spanish mackerel, pompano, ladyfish and a red. The best action was in Gasparilla Sound and the backcountry of Bull and Turtle Bays, but Terra Ceia Bay also fished well for trout.
Next week should be favorable for trout on the flats of Gasparilla Sound and Terra Ceia Bay as we continue in a mild weather pattern. Reds have been tough with jigs and flies, although we’re catching a few. In addition, Spanish mackerel, cobia and little tunny may also show up in force at any time. In case you’re wondering why you haven’t seen my fishing report lately, I’ve had some computer problems but I’m getting back on track now. I’ll be speaking at noon next Saturday and Sunday, March 17 and 18, at the Florida Sportsman show in Sarasota at the Sarasota Convention Center (old Sam’s club). I’ll be speaking on tarpon fishing and what’s currently happening with our flats fishing. I will also be instructing an Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on March 24th. You can contact me at snookfin@aol.com for more info on either event. Hope to see you there.
Sincerely,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 27, 2007 - 7:54 am: | |
February 26, 2007
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
I have had very little to report this month. Fishing has been very slow for most of us! The “I” reef just off the beach in 25 to 30 feet of water has been the most consistent with large sheepshead and small bluefish.
Sheepshead feed on crustaceans and mollusks, dead or alive but not on fish. Small live shrimp, crabs or sea worms as well as barnacles and oysters are good bait. Some anglers will use a shovel to scrape the barnacles off the bridge pylons to start the fish feeding.
It is not uncommon to catch a six pound sheepshead on the “I” reefs, but they can be hard to hook. The saying goes “You need to set the hook before they bite” and that has a lot of truth in it. The sheepshead has a mouth full of big teeth, similar to a sheep but biting very gently, crushing the bait rather than pulling and jerking. You need to raise the pole up and down very slowly and when you feel any resistance, set the hook very hard. Sometimes it will be just a snag but when the fish are biting well, it will be just a matter of timing. A very sharp and stout hook is needed because they have a very hard mouth. I use a Lazer Sharp, O’Shaughnessy L253 3/0 hook that I can only find in this size at BassPro.
This hook will penetrate the sheepshead jaw and can be hard to get out. When the fish are biting fast, I close the barb so that I can get the hook out faster. I also use about 3’ of 30lb mono leader with only a splitshot to get it down.
The bluefish are no problem! They eat everything any time, any place.
On the bay, it has been very slow! There have been the occasional pompano, snook, redfish, and seatrout but seldom a second fish. That would be a good day. When the water starts to warm up, I would expect the fishing to pickup. We have plenty of baitfish and crabs on the bay to hold some nice fish.
I am having a new boat built and it should be finished by March 15th. The boat is a Panga 22’ and you can see what it will look like on my website.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 17, 2007 - 8:02 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 2/9 through 2/17/2007
Anglers fishing with me during the past week had good action with little tunny and trout. We also caught and released several reds in Charlotte Harbor and scattered bluefish and trout in Sarasota Bay. The best action was with little tunny out of Venice and trout in Charlotte Harbor.
Fly angler Marshall Dinnerman, his son Eric Dinnerman and son-in-law, Alex Medeiros, all from the Atlanta, GA area fished the coastal gulf out of Venice, FL and Little Sarasota Bay with me on Feb. 9th. After receiving a report of little tunny in the coastal gulf, we decided to check it out on Friday morning. The report was accurate, as we found them plentiful along Casey Key within a couple of hundred yards of the beach. Although they weren’t breaking on the surface, I located rafts of birds sitting on the water and diving on baitfish with the little tunny feeding underneath them. The guys had non stop action for about 3 hours catching and releasing more than a dozen little tunnies to 12-pounds on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on an intermediate fly line and CAL jigs with shad tails fished on spinning tackle. They had 3 doubles and a triple. Great action!
The following day fly anglers Bernie Feinberg, from Sarasota, FL and Fred Weeman, from Elmira, NY, fished the same area with me. The action had slowed a little but they still managed to hook 5 little tunny, landing 3 of them, with olive over white Ultra Hair Clousers. There was more surface activity with large schools of little tunny traveling just under the surface with their backs out of the water. Blind casting the areas they had just passed through caught a couple of fish. If you’ve never caught one of these speedsters, you’ve got to do it. They are one of my favorite fish to catch with a fly!
An afternoon/evening trip the next day was very slow. We caught ladyfish and trout before dark in Little Sarasota Bay with CAL jigs and shad tails. We found very few snook in the lights and the ones we found would not eat. It has been a strange winter for snook that normally are very aggressive on flies and jigs through the winter. Monday’s trip was cancelled due to a steady rain all morning long.
Dave Crawford, from Sarasota, FL, and his guest John Danneker, from Maiden Rock, WI, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me last Tuesday. They had good action with trout and reds. They caught 15 or 20 trout, including 3 over 20”, and 3 reds on CAL jigs with shad tails. Most fish were caught out of potholes in the backcountry of Bull Bay. The following day Sarasota winter residents, Harry Beaty and Tom Schalk, fished the same area with me. Reds were finicky that day and refused us, but they caught about 40 trout to 18” on CAL jigs with shad tails including 7 fish in the slot. Nice action!
Marshall Dinnerman was joined by another longtime friend and customer, Dick Reece, from Dayton, OH, on Thursday. The action was a little slow in Sarasota and Roberts Bays, but they managed to catch a pair of bluefish, several trout and ladyfish with Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.
A strong cold front moved through on Friday, dropping the air temperature below 40 degrees on Saturday morning. I think fishing will be slow for a couple of days, as the water temperature will probably fall below 60 degrees. Fishing potholes and deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor in the afternoon will probably be the best option for the next several days.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 2:17 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 1/29 through 2/8/2007
Anglers fishing with me during the past couple of weeks had good action with trout and reds in Charlotte Harbor and ladyfish, scattered trout, reds and pompano in Little Sarasota Bay. There has been plenty of action in Little Sarasota Bay, but Charlotte Harbor has had the most options and variety.
I spent a couple of days fishing Pine Island Sound on Jan. 29 and 30. A front blew through the day before and we were greeted with the coldest weather of the season. The first day was cold and windy with water temperatures in the high 50’s. The 2nd day had less wind, but was even colder (I had ice on my boat that morning). We found a few reds in potholes, but nothing tailing on the negative low tides.
Keith McClintock and Hal D’Orazio, both from Lake Forest, IL, fished the other side of Charlotte Harbor in Gasparilla Sound and Bull and Turtle Bays with me on Wednesday. Fish had adjusted to the cold water by then and became more active. They caught and released numerous trout, including about 6 in the slot, a pair of reds and a pair of snook to each complete their slams. Not bad for water that started in the 50’s and barely made 60 degrees.
Fly anglers, John Freeman, Jr. from Venice, FL, and his son-in-law, Tony Ryan, from Sarasota, FL, fished the same areas with me on Saturday. We had a few shots at tailing fish, but no takers. They caught and released about a dozen trout and one red with Clouser flies.
The next several days were spent fishing Little Sarasota Bay with flies and jigs. Ladyfish were plentiful, but had dropped into the ICW channel due to water temperatures in the high 50’s on the flats. By the end of the week, the water had warmed into the low 60’s. We also caught and released trout to 18”, a couple of reds and a pompano. Most fish were caught with CAL jigs and shad or grub tails. Fly anglers scored with ladyfish and trout on Clouser flies fished on intermediate and sink-tip fly lines.
Tides are favorable for tailing reds and reds and trout in potholes reds in Gasparilla Sound as we head towards a new moon on Feb. 17th. There are also reports of little tunny and Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf off Sarasota and Venice, so that might also be a good option when conditions are right.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 14, 2007 - 3:58 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 1/2 through 1/14/2007
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released reds, snook, trout and bluefish during the past 2 weeks. Action was fast in Little Sarasota Bay prior to a front last Monday. There was plenty of action with trout, reds and ladyfish with the water temperature at 72 degrees. Pompano were plentiful and skipping all over the flats, but not biting well. Behind the front, the water temperature dipped to 60 degrees and the action slowed.
Fly anglers Randy Sengel, from Alexandria, VA, and Terry Reideler, from MA, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Jan. 2nd. They had numerous shots at tailing reds near Whidden Creek, but we didn’t connect. However, we found trout in Bull Bay willing to eat later in the day. Randy and Terry switched from 8-weight fly rods to 5-weights and we caught about 15 trout with Clouser flies. Randy caught and released a 24” trout and a 23” snook. Nice trout!
Randy Sengel, from Alexandria, VA, caught and released this 24" trout with a Clouser fly on a 5-wt. fly rod while fishing Bull Bay in Charlotte harbor with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Bob Harness and Nick Reding, both from St. Louis, MO, fished the same area with me on Jan. 4th. We found reds tailing, but in fewer numbers than the previous trip, and not giving us many good shots. They caught and released a few trout and a bluefish on Clouser flies near Catfish Creek.
Keith McClintock, from Lake forest, IL, Victor Feldman, from Champagne, IL and Jack Lyons, from Chicago, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, Jan. 5th. They had a great day catching 15 or 20 trout, several reds, a nice pompano and bluefish on CAL jigs with shad tails from Stickney Pt. to Midnight Pass. A couple of other trips in the same area resulted in trout, ladyfish and bluefish on jigs and flies.
A front pushed through last Monday and the water temperature dropped more than 10 degrees slowing the action. Keith McClintock and Victor Feldman fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Tuesday under tough conditions. We started off with a few trout and a nice bluefish near Catfish Creek on CAL jigs with shad tails. Then the wind cranked up to 20-mph and blew all the water out of the backcountry and kept it out forcing us to fish deep grass flats and sand bars around the outside of Bull and Turtle Bays. The wind dropped at the end of the day and we fished docks along Gasparilla Island where they finished the day with several snook including a couple estimated at more than 30”. The larger snook bullied their way back under the docks where they were hooked giving us a glimpse of them before they said goodbye.
Nick Walter, the new outdoors writer for the Bradenton Herald, fished with me on Thursday. We were scheduled to fish on Wednesday but the wind was howling at 20-mph so we bumped it back a day. With the water temperature at 60-degrees compared to 72-degrees on Saturday, we found fishing to be tough. Ladyfish were plentiful on deep grass flats, but trout had disappeared. Fishing got better as the day went by and we finished with a snook and a few trout. Friday’s trip was similar with a red and several short trout. It is inevitable that you’ll catch lots of ladyfish this time of the year while probing deep grass flats in search of trout, blues and pompano.
Next week’s negative low tides will have reds and trout concentrated in potholes of Gasparilla Sound. Reds should tail on shallow grass flats as the tide starts to rise. I look for trout fishing to improve on the flats of Sarasota Bay as the water warms.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.snookfin-addict.com and www.flyfishingflorida.net |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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Post Number: 8
Registered: 10-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 05, 2007 - 5:22 am: | |
January 4, 2007
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
Pompano have been showing up in the back-water on the bay. Drop-offs along the grass-flats and docks have been the hot spots, but they don’t stay long in one spot. Live shrimp or tipped jigs have been working best. Use DOA shrimp or small live shrimp if you can find them or just cut the big ones up and tip your jigs. Bluefish have been in and around the passes, the artificial “I” reefs and grass flats. A few Spanish mackerel have been mixed in with the bluefish.
Sheepshead fishing is picking up. You can find some on any structure, inshore or the coastal reefs. They only like crustaceans or mollusks. They don’t eat fish, so shrimp will make good bait.
Snook and redfish are possible but not plentiful around the bay.
Cobia is just beginning to show along the coast but have been mostly less than 33” long. Checking the crab trap floats for tripletail is still a good idea. You want to free-line a live shrimp for tripletail.
Further offshore at the “M” reefs, kingfish have been picking up the action. Live fish or trolling is working. This should be the last of the kings as the Gulf cools down. The Spanish should stick around.
This is the first time that the bait shrimp have been too large for regular fishing. They are just right for large snook, redfish, grouper and Capt. Bob’s dinner.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 130
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 01, 2007 - 10:07 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 12/18 through 1/1/07
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, during the past couple of weeks had a variety of action. Tarpon, little tunny, bluefish, redfish and trout were all caught and released with jigs and flies.
Only one other time have I encountered tarpon either on the flats or in the coastal gulf in December, but it happened again on Dec. 20th. Fly anglers Todd Spivey, from Saratoga, WY, and Jim McKiney, from Bradenton, FL, fished the coastal gulf along Gasparilla Island and we found blitz of little tunny, sharks and tarpon all feeding on several large schools of threadfins. Since the baits were big, we used large white flies, “Illegal Flies” to be exact. No funny business here. The “illegal fly” is fly that my friend, Capt. Scott Hopkins of Fly’s Down Guide Service from PA, uses to target large stripers with his clients on the Susquehanna Flats in the spring in upper Chesapeake Bay. It is a large white (2/0 or 3/0) Bozo Hair Clouser fly with a rattle tied into the body of the fly. It matched the bait perfectly as Todd and Jim hooked up 6 or 7 times with little tunny, only to have ½ of them eaten by several species of sharks (blacktips, lemons and more) from 4’ to 8’ long.
Todd hooked and landed about an 80-pound tarpon with a 9-weight rod and an Orvis 350-grain depth charge fly line on one of his first casts of the day. With tired arms from battling tarpon and little tunny to 10-pounds, we headed for the backcountry to hunt for tailing reds. Even though the tide was getting too high and the wind had whipped up to 15 to 20-mph, we found reds tailing in Placida Harbor. We waded the flat to better deal with the wind and to allow both fly anglers to fish. Jim landed a pair of reds with a crab pattern. A great day!
Fly angler Nelson Alcaraz and his son, Lucas, from NY, fished the Terra Ceia Bay area with me on Dec. 23. They caught and released several trout and ladyfish with Clouser flies and jigs. I fished the same area the following Wednesday, Dec. 27 with Bill Beauchamp, from Bradenton, FL and daughters Noelle and Michelle. They had a great day catching and releasing about 30 trout to 18” and 7 or 8 reds to 26” with CAL jigs and shad tails. Fly angler Stan Miller, from the Baltimore, MD area fished there with me on Friday, Dec. 29 and caught and released 7 or 8 trout to 18” and a bluefish with Ultra Hair Clouser flies.
Fly angler Vince Georges and his girlfriend, Kristen Mickey, both from the San Francisco Bay area fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Dec. 26. A front had just passed through on Christmas Day and there were a few rain showers and some wind lingering behind the front. Despite challenging conditions, they caught and released numerous large ladyfish and trout with Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.
Fly anglers Mike Delaney, from WA, and his brother Bob Delaney, from NY, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Thursday, Dec. 28. The morning was slow probably due to cold water but the action picked up in the afternoon. They caught and released a pair of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails and numerous large ladyfish on flies and jigs to finish the day up. Fly angler, Bryan Beebe from Sarasota, FL, fished the same area with me on Saturday, Dec. 30. We had a few shots at tailing reds and Bryan briefly hooked one with a crab pattern, but then they quit tailing. We checked the coastal gulf out of Gasparilla Pass and found birds diving just outside the pass. Although I was hoping it would be little tunny or more, it was bluefish. Bryan caught and released several small blues with a pink over white Ultra Hair Clouser fly.
Next week’s negative low tides tides should be good for tailing redfish in Charlotte Harbor. Trout season reopened today in the south region and they should be concentrated in potholes along with reds when the tide is low.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook fin-Addict guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 129
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, December 17, 2006 - 8:15 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 12/9 through 12/17/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released reds, trout, little tunny, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, crevalle jacks and ladyfish on a variety of lures and flies this week. The best action was with little tunny on flies in the coastal gulf and bluefish on flies and jigs in New Pass.
Milt Liming, from Venice, FL, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. We fished around oyster bars and docks targeting reds and snook. Milt caught and released a small red, a jack and a couple of trout on CAL: jigs with shad tails. The next day, Sarasota winter resident, Tom Lamb, his daughter Diane and Tim Cole, both also from Sarasota, fished with me. We found bluefish schooled in New Pass where they readily took CAL jigs with shad tails. They caught about 15 blues to 4-pounds before the action slowed.
Fly angler Frank Mariano, from CT, fished the coastal gulf out of Venice with me on Wednesday. We found plentiful little tunny and a few Spanish mackerel. The LT’s were being very selective, but the Spanish mackerel were less picky. Frank caught and released a couple of mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies before we headed for Blackburn Bay, where he caught and released a pompano, also with an Ultra Hair Clouser fly. A steady drizzle made us decide to head for the dock.
The next morning, I couldn’t sleep because of thinking about a feeding frenzy of little tunnies, so I headed out to do some scouting. I ran into fellow Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers members Capt. Mark Phelps, Ron Whitely, Dusty Sprague and Dave Hutchinson, all on a little tunny mission. The action was good while it lasted, until about 10:30 or 11:00 AM.
I caught and released a couple of Spanish mackerel and 3 little tunny. One was more than 12-pounds and took me well into my backing as it pulled me offshore. Capt. Mark and Ron caught and released 6 and Dusty and Dave caught and released 4. They took olive and white Ultra Hair Clousers, Estaz Marabou and a wide profile pilchard pattern. Capt. Mark, Ron and I caught several blind casting in the trough just a few feet from the beach as the little tunny raced back and forth blowing up on baitfish. We all met at Pop’s Tropigrill and swapped stories over lunch. A great morning of fishing!
Fly anglers, Eric Dobkin from NYC and Don Kirson, from MD, fished with me on Saturday morning. They were in town to celebrate the birthday of our friend, Phil Rever from Sarasota. We fished New Pass with 200 and 300-grain sinking lines to get our flies down in the fast current and deep water. They caught and released a bluefish and a Spanish mackerel and had several other fish on with olive and white Ultra Hair Clousers before we headed into the gulf to hunt for little tunny. We found only a couple of schools and didn’t get a good shot at any of them, so we headed for the bay. Eric and Don finished the day with several trout, ladyfish and a redfish. The red was caught and released with a CAL jig with a shad tail in Roberts Bay and all the other fish were caught and released with olive and white Ultra Hair Clouser flies.
Next week’s tides are favorable for reds and trout in potholes or tailing reds in the morning, particularly in Gasparilla Sound, and catch and release snook at night. Snook season closed on Dec. 15, so all snook must be released. Trout season also remains closed in the south region, so handle any trout and snook gently and release them quickly. Merry Christmas to all!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 128
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, December 10, 2006 - 7:12 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 11/26 through 12/8/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with reds, trout, snook, large jacks and little tunny during the past couple of weeks. Fly and spin anglers scored with little tunny in the coastal gulf out of the Venice Inlet, reds in Little Sarasota Bay and Pine Island Sound and snook at night near Venice.
After receiving a couple of reports of little tunny and Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf out of Venice on Saturday, Nov. 25th, I took my son, Bryan Gibson and son-in-law Andy Cotton, both from Sarasota, FL, to check it out on Sunday. We found a few schools but they were hard to get on. Bryan caught and released his first little tunny with a Diamond jig on spinning tackle. It was a windy day and Andy and I couldn’t get them to eat a fly.
Mike Sprague, from Hillsborough, NJ, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Nov. 27. He had steady action with several trout, a nice red and lots of ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. Sarasota winter residents, Harry Beatty and Tom Schalk, fished the same area with me 2 days later. We started our day in the coastal gulf out of Venice, where little tunny ambushed schools of bait everywhere. They had baitfish balled up so tight you could “cut them with a knife” and repeatedly slashed through them. They landed 3 or 4 little tunny on CAL jigs, Diamond jigs and small MirrOlure plugs before we headed into Blackburn and Little Sarasota Bays, where they scored with a nice pair of reds, some large jacks and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails.
My brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, fished with me for the next several days. We hit the LT’s out of Venice Inlet on Thursday morning where we caught and released 4 on olive and white Clouser flies. We were guests of my friend, Capt. Rick DePaiva from Ft. Myers, FL, on Saturday. We fished Pine Island Sound for tailing reds and landed 6 nice reds on Capt. Rick’s Merkwan fly and my Flats Minnow. It was a beautiful sight to see those crimson tails, tipped with blue waving at us. We ran across a school of large (10-pound plus) jacks on the way in to put the icing on the cake. We landed 3 or 4 of the big brutes on 8-weight fly rods. What a battle!
We rested a little and then headed out again on Saturday evening to fly fish for snook in the ICW near Venice. Despite a good tide and plenty of fish, they weren’t very aggressive. We caught and released about 6 snook to 24” on a variety of small white flies.
I had a couple of fly night snook trips on Monday and Tuesday evening, which were both slow. However, Scott Williams from Sarasota, FL, did have some action with me on Tuesday evening. We hit a light near the Venice Inlet where he scored with 6 or 7 snook and a pair of nice bluefish on my Grass Minnow fly.
Gene Armentrout, from St. Pete, FL, his son, Mike and a friend Bo, both from Kansas City, MO, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday afternoon. The action was steady with about 10 trout to 18”, a snook and several large ladyfish caught and released with CAL jigs with shad tails.
I had one of the best fishing trips ever on Thursday when Capt. Rick DePaiva invited Rusty Chinnis and I to fly fish for tailing reds near Pine Island. Conditions were near perfect for tailing redfish with a tide falling to -.58, an overcast sky and calm conditions. The first flat we hit yielded 4 reds before the tide bottomed out. We moved to a different flat and were greeted with tails waving everywhere.
To maximize our opportunities, I donned a pair of waders and slipped over the side of Capt. Rick’s Maverick Mirage to stalk the fish on foot. It was non-stop action for a couple of hours or more with several doubles as Capt. Rick, Rusty and I hooked up at the same time. We cast to pods of 7 or 8 reds tailing together as they dug crabs out of the bottom. The wind picked up as a front approached and we called it a day. The final tally was 16 tailing redfish caught and released with Capt. Rick’s Merkwan flies. Capt. Rick can be reached at (239) 246-8726 or www.saltwaterflyfishing.org.
A front swept through southwest Florida on Thursday evening dropping the air temperature into the 50’s with the wind gusting more than 20-mph. Saturday will be even colder. Next week’s tides will be favorable for reds and catch and release trout on the flats of Little Sarasota Bay, Gasparilla and Pine Island Sounds and snook at night in the ICW from Sarasota to Venice. Check out the coastal gulf for little tunny, Spanish mackerel, tripletail and cobia after the wind lays down following the front.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 127
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 25, 2006 - 7:30 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 11/13 through 11/25/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released a variety of fish during the past couple of weeks. Snook, reds, trout and Spanish mackerel were caught on a variety of lures and flies in Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor.
Sarasota winter resident, Tom Lamb and Jack Miller, also from Sarasota, fished with me on Nov. 13th in Sarasota Bay. We looked for Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf around a couple of the inshore artificial reefs, but it wasn’t going on. They caught and released several trout, a Spanish mackerel and numerous ladyfish. We fished Sarasota’s Big Pass and deep grass flats close to the pass with CAL jigs and DOA Deadly Combos.
Fly anglers Bob and Diane Harness, from St. Louis, MO, fished Charlotte Harbor with me the next day. Our best action was on the deep grass flats of Gasparilla Sound where they caught and released trout on Clouser flies. We had several shots at tailing reds but they were tough to approach. The next day, I fished in Tampa Bay with Rusty Chinnis and Capt. Bryon Chamberlin. We were looking for cobia. We only found one cobia, a nice 25 or 30-pound fish. I was up and had a good shot with a fly, but the fish ignored me. We also had several shots a blacktip sharks. I fooled one with an Enrico Puglisi black and purple Peanut Butter. The 10-pound shark took mew into my backing and put up a very nice fight.
Bill Travers, from Baldwin, MD and his son, Sean, from Gainesville, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me last Saturday. The action was slow to start due to cool water. We found some warmer water in Roberts Bay in the afternoon where they caught and released caught a nice trout and several reds and snook on CAL jigs with shad tails to complete their slam.
A front blew in the first of this week and we had several days of cool windy weather, dropping the water temperature to 60 degrees. Fly anglers, Tim Koehler from San Francisco, CA and his brother, Rich Koehler, from Reno, NV, fished Charlotte harbor with me on Friday. The action was slow but steady. The caught and released 3 snook, 4 reds, a jack and a grouper on my Flats Minnow, Estaz Marabou and Clouser flies. We caught the reds and snook on deep mangrove shorelines of Bull Bay and Gasparilla Sound.
Next week’s tides are favorable for reds on the flats and snook in the ICW or backcountry creeks and canals. There may be some opportunities for tailing reds early in the week and again next weekend in Gasparilla Sound.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc. (941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 126
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 3:13 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 10/29 through 11/12/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout during the past couple of weeks. In addition, anglers caught and released Spanish mackerel, reds, snook and flounder on lures and flies in Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay.
Fly angler, Mike Perez from Richmond, IN, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Tuesday, Oct. 31st. Although the fish weren’t large, Mike scored a slam with a fly, a snook, redfish and several trout. Also, included in the catch for the day was a nice flounder and Spanish mackerel.
The next day, fly anglers Jim Martin, from Sarasota, FL and his son, Randall Martin from NM, fished the same area with me. We waded a sand bar where Jim caught and released a pair of nice trout, both better than 20”. Although we were hoping for reds and snook, it wasn’t in the cards that day. They had plenty of action on deep grass flats with trout and lost a nice mackerel that bit through the leader before we could land it.
Jim Martin, from Sarasota, FL, caught and released this nice trout with a fly while wading a Charlotte Harbor sand bar with Capt. Rick Grassett.
I spent the next several days visiting family in Delaware and squeezed in a day of fishing in the Chesapeake Bay out of Crisfield, MD with my friend Capt. Matt Tawes of Chesapeake Angling and my brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE. We had fast action with stripers to 24” caught on Clousers, Half and Half’s and Enrico Puglisi’s Mullet flies fished on 225 to 325 grain fly lines. We probably caught and released about 70 fish that were all nice, fat fish. Although the season is almost over, Capt. Matt can be reached at www.chesapeakeangling.com if you want to try to squeeze a trip in.
I attended the Orvis Southeastern Guide Rendezvous in Ft. Myers on Friday. We spent the morning reviewing new products and cast the new Zero Gravity fly rods before heading for the water for an informal tournament in the afternoon. These rods are the best casting fly rods that Orvis has ever produced. We fished Pine Island Sound starting at a low tide, which was a good condition for tailing redfish. Capt. Duane Baker, from Tavernier, FL and CB’s Saltwater Outfitters manager, Doug Forde from Sarasota, FL, fished with me. We found tailing reds pretty quickly near Regla Island. Doug caught and released a nice 28” redfish with my Flats Minnow fly. I entered my fly in their fly contest and won it. Capt. Ed Hurst’s boat won the tournament with a pair of reds and a snook.
Yesterday fly anglers Darrell Doane, his son Josh Doane and Nick Pesce, all from Memphis, TN fished lower Tampa Bay with me. We fished from the mouth of the Manatee River all the way to Bishop Harbor. They caught and released more than 25 trout to 18”, a couple of flounder and a bluefish on my Flat’s Minnow fly, Clousers, jigs and DOA Deadly Combos. Most of the trout were caught and released in potholes near Joe Island. We also cast to several tailing reds in the same area, but they didn’t eat.
Reds and snook on shallow flats should be good options next week, particularly in Charlotte Harbor and lower Tampa Bay. There are reports of Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf off Sarasota. With a little cooler weather, the surface action for mackerel, bluefish and little tunny should take off.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 125
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 28, 2006 - 2:55 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 10/16 through 10/28/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with reds, snook, trout and tarpon during the past couple of weeks. The best action was with reds caught on a fly in Charlotte Harbor. We also had a bonus of large late season tarpon, also on a fly.
My friend, kayak fishing guide Steve Gibson of Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing, invited me on my first kayak fishing trip on Monday, October 16. Many of you also know Steve as the outdoor editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Steve took me to Picayune Strand State Forest, south of Naples to fish freshwater canals for Oscars and Mayan cichlids. We saw something out of the ordinary as we drove into the state forest, which we both agreed was probably a black bear.
After getting accustomed to fishing out of the kayak, we paddled several of the canals and caught a few Oscars, but Steve opted to move further south to fish canals along Tamiami Trail where the action might be faster. It was a good move, as we spent the rest of the afternoon catching and releasing numerous Oscars and Mayan cichlids on 4 and 5-weight fly rods with poppers and Steve’s Myakka Minnow. I took one of his Myakka Minnows to Montana recently and caught a nice brown trout on the Madison River with it. That’s a versatile fly! Steve can be reached at www.kayakfishingsarasota.com to book a saltwater or freshwater guided kayak fishing trip.
Phil Scott, from Richmond, IN, and his brother, Brian, from OH, fished Sarasota Bay with me the next day. The action was slow to start, but we got on a good trout bite in Roberts Bay where we caught and released more than 15 trout to 18” on DOA Deadly Combos. Fly angler, Eric Adamson from Lakeland, FL and a guest snook fished with me that evening. The action was slow but steady, despite a strong incoming tide. They caught and released 5 or 6 snook to 23” and lost a few others on a variety of flies.
Suzy Nolan and Jessie Smith, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday, Oct. 19th. We worked around oyster bars from Point Crisp to Blackburn Point with DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. They caught and released a pair of reds, several snook and a couple of jacks.
Fly anglers, Kyle Ruffing and Jon Yenari, both from Sarasota, FL, had a banner day with reds in Charlotte Harbor on Friday. We waded a sand bar near Bull Bay where they caught and released 5 reds to 24” on a black crab fly pattern. They also caught a couple of trout to 18” and a bluefish on Clouser and Jiggy flies. Great day!
My son-in-law, Andy Cotton and I fished the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers/Coastal Conservation Association’s “Fall Fly fishing Challenge” on Saturday, October 21st. Since I had been on a good bite the day before, we headed back to the same area. Although there weren’t as many fish there on Saturday, there were still enough for us to be winners. Andy won the redfish division with 38” and I was 2nd with 29.75”. We had a great turnout for the tournament with 40 of the top fly anglers on the west coast of Florida participating.
Hal Lutz, from Parish, FL and Shannon Ward, from Atlanta, GA, tarpon fished with me in Port Charlotte the next day. We checked several of the canals that normally hold fish and found a few that wouldn’t bite. However, we did find large tarpon feeding on ladyfish in the Peace River from the 41 bridges all the way to the mouth of the river. Hal jumped a tarpon of about 130-pounds or more on a black and purple Enrico Puglisi Mullet fly. He had 5 spectacular jumps before the fish landed on the leader breaking it. We hit a couple of other canals and then poled a shoreline along the west wall of Charlotte Harbor where Shannon caught and released a redfish on a bendback. We were headed in for the day when we found another tarpon feeding frenzy. This time the tarpon didn’t want the black and purple fly, but when I changed to an Enrico Puglisi pinfish pattern, Hal had an immediate hook up. He landed the fish, an estimated 120-pounder after a long battle. The fish slugged it out below the surface conserving her energy, but in the end Hal had her along side the boat. Congratulations Hal!
Stan and Mary Order, from Owings Mills, MD, fished Charlotte harbor with me on Monday and Wednesday of this week. They caught a redfish and several trout each day on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. A front came through on Monday evening, forcing the cancellation of our trip on Tuesday. Stan is a retired physician and professor at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore who was instrumental in perfecting the radiation process used for bone marrow transplants.
Ken Kolinski and Jim Essig, both from Toledo, OH, tarpon fished with me in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda canals on Thursday. The large tarpon that were feeding on ladyfish in the Peace River were gone following Monday’s front, but there were some smaller fish in canals. They jumped a pair of tarpon to 10 or 12-pounds and caught and released a 24” snook on DOA TerrorEyz.
We are coming into one of my favorite times of the year. Reds on the flats, snook at night or false albacore, Spanish mackerel, cobia and tripletail along the beach will all be good options in the coming days and weeks. Wade for reds and look for tailers on low tides, choose a strong tide for snook at night or head for the beach when the wind is out of the east.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 124
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 15, 2006 - 4:46 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 10/1 through 10/15/06
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, trout, reds, crevalle jacks and bluefish during the past couple of weeks. The best action was snook fishing around lighted docks and bridge fenders before daylight with a fly. Also, jacks and bluefish are schooling, providing fast action on deep grass flats.
Orvis rep Robert Bryant, from Greensboro, NC, snook fished with me before daylight on Thursday, Oct. 5. We caught and released more than 15 snook to 25” on my Grass Minnow snook fly between Blackburn Pt. and the Venice Inlet. Orvis has kindly donated a new Zero Gravity 8 wt. fly rod, which will be the top prize in the “Fall Fly Fishing Challenge” next weekend.
Fishing was tough on the weekend of Oct. 7 & 8. With a full moon on Oct. 6th, fish didn’t feed very well on shallow flats during daylight. Large tarpon were busting bait schools one day near the mouth of the Peace and Myakka Rivers but mostly ignored us. We did get a couple of bites, one on a DOA Baitbuster and another on a CAL jig with a jerk worm, but didn’t hook up. We did, however, catch and release trout, jacks and ladyfish with flies and jigs on deep grass flats of the Terra Ceia area and in Gasparilla Sound.
970 WFLA’s, Capt. Mel Berman, joined me for a trip in Sarasota Bay on Thursday, Oct. 12th. The water looked good from New Pass all the way to Long Bar, but nothing was happening. The good news is that there was no sign of red tide, the water was clear and baitfish plentiful, so it’s only a matter of time before fishing will return to normal in that area. We caught and released a few ladyfish with flies and jigs in Sarasota’s Big Pass just to bend a rod on something.
Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL and I went on a scouting mission on Friday. We covered the water from the mouth of the Manatee River to Joe Bay. We caught and released some nice jacks, bluefish and trout on Crease flies and Ultra Hair Clousers in Terra Ceia Bay and at the mouth of the river. Steve Meyer, from Sarasota, FL and a guest fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday morning. The action started off good with Steve catching a pair of snook not far from the Turtle Beach boat ramp on CAL jigs with shad tails. They added a red and a couple of trout on DOA Deadly Combos to complete their slam. A nice jack slammed Steve’s jig fooling us that it was a snook until it started to circle the boat. It was still a good tug!
Next week’s tides get better toward the end of the week as we head toward a new moon next weekend. The weather has been beautiful and the water temperature is dropping, so it’s just a matter of time before fall fishing busts loose. With stone crab traps in the water now, a trip down the beach looking for tripletail, cobia, Spanish mackerel and little tunny might be a good option. There is still time to enter the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers/Coastal Conservation Association’s “Fall Fly Fishing Challenge” to be held in Sarasota next Saturday, Oct. 21st. Anglers will fish for snook, reds and trout with flies only in a catch-photo-release format. The friendly competition features lots of nice awards, a raffle and a BBQ after the event. Contact me for more info.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 9/24 through 9/30/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action on a couple of trips this week with snook and reds. The best action was with snook around lighted docks and bridge fenders before daylight. In addition, we found some very nice reds while working mullet schools in Little Sarasota Bay.
Jim Festa, from Sarasota, FL, and his son, Gerry Festa from San Jose, CA, snook fished with me before daylight on Tuesday morning near Venice. We had steady action for a couple of hours before daylight catching and releasing about 8 snook to 23” and losing a few more. We cast gold glitter DOA shrimp, Night Glow TerrorEyz and CAL jigs with Arkansas Glow Shiner shad tails and scored with all of them. Anglers should remember that the slot for snook is now from 27” to 34” using a pinched tail method of measuring.
Arnold Muhlbach, from Venice, FL, and his grandson, Peter Muhlbach from Jacksonville, FL, fished Little Sarasota Bay from Stickney Point to Turtle Beach with me on Friday morning. They caught and released a pair of reds to 32”, jacks and trout on CAL jigs with glow curly tails and DOA Deadly Combos. We worked mullet schools to catch the reds that were feeding aggressively.
Peter Muhlbach, from Jacksonville, FL, caught and released this 32" red on a CAL jig with a glow curly tail while fishing Little Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Despite patchy red tide in areas of north Sarasota Bay, particularly around New Pass, there are good reports for reds, snook and tarpon coming from that area. Red tide may push fish out of one area and concentrate them in another area. You should remember that red tide usually does not blanket an entire area, so there may still be good fishing even when red tide is around. Next weeks strong outgoing tides in the afternoon and evening should be good for snook in the ICW and snook and reds on the flats. Also, tarpon are still a good option in areas of Charlotte Harbor and Peace River canals.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, September 24, 2006 - 7:32 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for Crane Meadow Lodge, MT
Sept. 11-22, 2006
I spent the last 10 days at Crane Meadow Lodge in Twin Bridges, MT. There is nothing like cool, mountain air at the end of a long, hot summer in Florida and cool mountain air is what we had. We experienced a variety of weather conditions from frost, rain, snow, hail and even a thunderstorm. My wife, Karen, joined me for the first week and the weather started off great; crisp mornings and warm, sunny afternoons. Our timing was perfect, as we had planned to fish the first two days and then do a couple of days of sightseeing.
Karen is an experienced angler, although not with a fly rod, but she did great. We fished the Ruby River and several ponds on the Kennedy Ranch, an 8,000-acre ranch where the lodge is located. Although we weren’t counting, we probably caught 30 or 40 trout on nymphs and streamers with several in the 18” class. The next day we floated the Beaverhead River and also had good action. The fish weren’t as big, but in the fast current, the fight was good.
We spent the next day in Yellowstone National Park viewing some spectacular scenery. We took in most of the geysers, including Old Faithful, thermals, hot springs and the “Grand Canyon” of Yellowstone. We also saw lots of deer, elk and buffalo. The next day we took a scenic drive on the Pioneer Mountain Scenic Byway, parts of it a gravel road, through the Beaverhead National Forest. As we climbed to about 10,000 feet, it snowed hard for about 3 hours, a treat for Florida folks.
I took Karen to the airport in Bozeman last Saturday and picked up Mike Perez and Jeff Hanna, from Richmond, IN, Dennis Kinley, from NJ and Bill King, from Sarasota. Nick Reding, Sr., Bob Harness and Bob Reynolds, all from St. Louis, MO,
flew into Butte and we all rendezvoused back at the lodge.
We had great action from Sunday through Thursday fishing the Ruby, Beaverhead, Madison and Jefferson Rivers. Of course, some days were better than others, but the beauty of this place is the variety that they have. In any given day you may choose to float or wade and you could fish different water every day. Anglers in the group caught brown trout as big as 25” weighing more than 6-pounds.
Dennis Kinley and Bob Reynolds each caught browns of 24”, Mike Perez and Jeff Hanna had several good days on the Jefferson and Beaverhead catching and releasing several trout in the 5 to 6-pound class. Just like most fishing there were smaller fish, too, but most everyone in the group caught and released browns and a few rainbows in the 16” to 18” class along with the larger ones mentioned. The largest fish were caught with large streamers, Yuks, Pepperonis and similar flies, but we also had some action with hoppers and dry flies. We sometimes drifted a hopper with a nymph under it and caught fish both ways. The Big Hole was closed due to low water flow, but was due to reopen this weekend.
Guide Tyler Barrus with Capt. Rick Grassett's Beaverhead brown trout.
The scenery and wildlife there is phenomenal. On a daily basis we saw deer, ducks, geese, sandhill cranes and eagles. We also saw elk, antelope and moose. The stars at night are so bright (the lodge is at about 4200 feet) that it’s like being in a planetarium. If you are looking for a western trout destination that has it all, Crane Meadow Lodge may be the place for you. They can be reached at www.cranemeadow.com or at (406) 684-5773.
Next week’s tides in the Sarasota should be favorable for snook before dawn or reds, snook and trout on the flats. There are reports of reds schooling from north Sarasota Bay to lower Tampa Bay and in Gasparilla sound in Charlotte Harbor. In addition, you may still find some large tarpon in upper Charlotte Harbor and tarpon from 15 to 30-pounds in canals.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, September 24, 2006 - 7:24 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 8/28 through 9/10/2006
Anglers fishing with me from August 28th through Sept. 10th had good action with a variety of fish. Fly and spin anglers caught and released reds, snook and trout and jumped several tarpon in Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor. I also fished the Keys and caught several bonefish.
Bill Roth, from Longboat Key, FL, and Chuck Finlon, from Bradenton, FL, tarpon fished with me in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda canals and the Peace River on Aug. 28th. They jumped a pair of tarpon to 20-pounds and had several other bites on DOA TerrorEyz.
Bill also fished with me on Sept. 3rd in Sarasota Bay with his wife, Ann, and daughter, Kerry, from Columbus, OH. They had decent action with trout, ladyfish, jacks, small gag grouper and redfish on DOA Deadly Combos from Stephens Point to Long Bar. Another day that week in Sarasota Bay was similar.
Jon Grimes, from TN and Ernie Varvoutis, from Lighthouse Point, FL, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Saturday, Sept. 2nd. The best action was early when we found a nice school of reds in Placida Harbor and Ernie and Jon doubled. They caught and released reds of 26” and 28” on a MirrOlure She Pup and a MirrOlure fly. The MirrOlure fly has a red and white head of spun deer hair with large eyes and a long hackle tail that mimics the action of a 52M MirrOlure.
Ernie Varvoutis, from Lighthouse Point, FL, caught and released this nice red on a MorrOlure fly while fishing Charlotte Harbor with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Fly angler, Tim Dunagan and his girlfriend, Brooke Redmond, both from Valdosta, GA. fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Labor Day, Sept. 4th. Tim scored a slam with the fly rod with a Clouser and my Flats Minnow fly in Gasparilla Sound near Sandfly and Devilfish Keys. Way to go Tim!
The following week, I traveled to Islamorada, in the Florida Keys, to participate in the Islamorada-Sarasota Shootout a “for fun” fishing tournament that pits Sarasota anglers against anglers from Islamorada in flats, reef and offshore divisions. Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, and I fished with Capt. Duane Baker on Wednesday, Sept. 6th. Rusty jumped a tarpon and I lost a big bonefish when the hook pulled.
The next two days, Aledia Tush, owner of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, and I fished with Capt. Duane. Thursday was a banner day with 5 bonefish and a permit landed. I caught and released 3 bones to 25” on flies while Aledia caught a pair of bonefish and a nice permit with live shrimp and crabs on spinning tackle. Despite all our efforts, Islamorada won the event 21 to 13, based on a point system. The event, which has been going on for 11 years, is as much a social event as a fishing tournament so a good time was had by all.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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September 15, 2006
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
The grass flats off of Stephens Pt. and north of the Ringling home are still hot! Today at first light, we found Tarpon all over the flats in small pods feeding on the larger bait fish, like ladyfish. The average size looked to be about fifty pounds. I have never seen so many tarpon in one place on Sarasota Bay. The tarpon were cruising the flats all morning.
We have also been catching blacktip sharks to 36” on DOA 3” shrimp and large live shrimp. Most of the steady action has been jacks, ladyfish and small gag grouper. If you have the time and the bait, you may hook-up with a nice size pompano, sea trout, Mangrove snapper, and Spanish mackerel. Schools of small redfish have also visited us from time to time.
Redfish have been caught on a regular basis along the Rim Canal and Buttonwood Harbor.
Offshore fishing has had a problem with the Redtide. Finding and keeping baitfish alive while passing through patches of red tide has been the problem. Using an aerator system instead of an intake system may work better.
Although we have dead fish floating through the passes, most of the north east side of the bay has been clear of the R-tide.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 13, 2006 - 3:04 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 7/30/06 through 8/13/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released a variety of fish during the past couple of weeks. Tarpon, snook, reds, trout, bluefish, black drum, ladyfish and juvenile gag grouper and goliath grouper were caught and released on a variety of lures and flies. The fastest action was on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with CAL jigs, DOA Deadly Combos and a variety of baitfish fly patterns. Although most fish were small, the action was steady. The best quality fish were snook caught and released before daylight around lighted bridge fenders and tarpon in upper Charlotte Harbor.
Bill Walsh and his sons, Andrew and Matt, fished with me 3 days during the week of 7/31. We fished north Sarasota Bay on Monday from the Middleground flat to north of Long Bar. The action wasn’t fast in any one spot, but it was steady. They caught and released trout, ladyfish, bluefish and lots of small gag grouper on DOA Deadly combos and CAL jigs. They also caught a pair of reds to 20”. On Wednesday, we fished Little Sarasota Bay where they caught and released 6 snook to 25” and about a dozen trout, including several in the slot, and a 5-pound Goliath Grouper on DOA shrimp and TerrorEyz. Friday’s trip was in the same area with an earlier start, but despite a better tide, it wasn’t as fast as Wednesday. They caught and released 3 or 4 snook, a black drum and several trout.
Fly angler, Mark Torkos from Columbus, OH, fished with me on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. We fished the Terra Ceia Bay area on Tuesday with his father-in-law, Cooney. Except for getting a shot at a few tarpon, the action was slow. We fished Sarasota Bay on Thursday and Saturday. A coworker of Mark’s, Srini, fished with us on Thursday and we caught small gag grouper, trout, ladyfish and bluefish on CAL jigs and an Enrico Puglisi Bronze Mullet fly. We fished a couple of buoys and got a shot at a couple of tripletail, but they didn’t eat. Mark’s son, Evan, fished with us on Saturday and the action was similar. We had some action at the Middleground flat first thing and then it got slow. Evan hooked a good red and a big cobia; the hooked pulled on the red and the cobia broke us off on a buoy anchor line. We finished the day by getting 3 or 4 good shots at tarpon in shallow water off Lido Key with flies and DOA shrimp.
Monday’s trip with Curt Williams and his sons, Nick and Zach, from Kansas City, MO, was similar to the previous week’s trips. Steady action on little gag grouper, ladyfish, trout, bluefish and catfish on DOA Deadly Combos. Brad Cox, from Sarasota, FL, and several guests fished Sarasota Bay with Capt. Kelly Stilwell and me on Wednesday. Brad and Ryan Cockman, from St. Petersburg, FL, fished on my boat and had good action with redfish. Although most were small, they caught and released 5 reds to 27” in Sarasota’s Roberts Bay and near Bishops Point on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA TerrorEyz.
Fly anglers, Tony Johnson from Venice, FL, and Mark Bonnett, from Portland, OR, snook fished with me before daylight on Thursday morning. They caught and released 6 or 8 snook to 26” on my Grass Minnow night snook fly and a small red on an Enrico Puglisi bronze Mullet. Fly anglers, Ron Bizick from Sarasota, FL and his guest, Graeme Souness, from the UK, fished with me on Friday morning with similar results. The snook fishing was about the same and they caught and released several trout on a Clouser fly and a DOA Deadly Combo.
Ken Trotter, from Sarasota, FL, tarpon fished with me in upper Charlotte Harbor and Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda canals on Saturday morning. There weren’t a lot of tarpon, but they were eating. Ken jumped 4 tarpon and landed 2. The canal fish were smaller than the usual 15 or 20-pounds, only averaging 7 or 8-pounds, but one of the tarpon jumped in the open waters of Charlotte Harbor was 70 or 80-pounds. The smaller fish ate rootbeer DOA TerrorEyz and the larger fish ate a DOA Baitbuster.
Ken Trotter, from Sarasota, FL, jumped this 70 or 80-pound tarpon on a DOA Baitbuster while fishing Charlotte Harbor with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Next weeks tides should be good for pre dawn snook fishing and tarpon in Charlotte Harbor. Fishing the deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay for a variety of fish will also be good action. Whatever you do, get it done early, before heat becomes an issue.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 30, 2006 - 6:50 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 7/23 through 7/29/2006
Just like when football season ends, I hate it when tarpon season starts to wind down. Although the big schools of tarpon that we see during May and June are gone, there are still plenty of singles, doubles and small schools moving up and down our beaches. This is an ideal time of the year to target tarpon in skinny water with flies or in the inside waters with a variety of lures and flies. When tarpon move into bays, their priorities change from spawning to feeding. They will sometimes feed very aggressively, as they get ready for the fall migration to wherever they go. It’s tough for me to go from catching giant tarpon to smaller fish, but you can do both, if you are prepared.
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action during the past week with tarpon, trout and bluefish. Jason Miller, from Wheeling, WV, and his girlfriend, Erica, fished the canal systems of Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda for juvenile tarpon on Wednesday. We found plenty of fish and had some action. They jumped a pair of tarpon, an estimated 20-pounder and a 40-pounder, on DOA TerrorEyz. Color didn’t make a difference, since one was on rootbeer and the other on nightglow. Most times with tarpon, it is a matter of having your fly or lure in the right place. Make it easy for them to eat!
The best action was in Sarasota Bay early in the day, when schools of bluefish, trout and ladyfish fed in glass minnow schools at the Marina Jack and Middleground flats, Bishops Point and near Long Bar. Dave Lincul and his daughter, Elena, both from Sewell, NJ, fished with me on Thursday. They caught and released more than 15 trout to 17” and jumped a large tarpon near Long Bar on a DOA Deadly Combo. The following day, my friend Randy Inscoe and his new bride, Cathy, both from Lubbock, TX, caught several bluefish and jumped another tarpon, also on DOA Deadly Combos. We watched a food chain develop as bluefish and ladyfish drove glass minnows to the surface, pelicans and terns got in on the action and then tarpon showed up to get their share. Although we didn’t land either tarpon, Randy had his close to the boat after 30-minutes with medium spinning tackle, before she gained her freedom.
Juvenile tarpon will continue to be a good option until early November. We should have some decent action with large tarpon in Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor, as well as the coastal gulf for at least a few more weeks. Fish lighted docks and bridge fenders for catch and release snook action and then hit the flats at dawn. Whatever you do, do it early before it gets too hot!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 23, 2006 - 11:30 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 7/17 through 7/23/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict caught and released snook, tarpon and trout during the past week. Snook were finicky around lighted docks and bridges before dawn, but tarpon were aggressive. Tarpon in the 15 to 20-pound class busted baits and fed heavily for several hours one morning in Peace River canals.
Bill Crelin, from Milwaukee, WI and his brother-in-law and nephew, Tom and Tommy, joined me for a pre dawn snook/flats trip in Little Sarasota and Blackburn Bays on Monday morning. Despite plenty of snook in and around lighted docks and bridge fenders, they didn’t want to bite. We offered them a variety of flies and DOA baits, but there were no takers. However, when the sun popped up we worked bait schools and caught about 6 trout to 16” on DOA Deadly Combos, CAL jigs with shad tails and fly poppers near Blackburn Point.
Florida Sportsman magazine Projects Editor and Tampa Tribune Outdoor Editor, Frank Sargeant, joined me for a trip on Tuesday morning. We started at 3 AM and fished different docks than I had the morning before. It wasn’t on fire, but we managed to catch and release 6 or 8 snook to 25” on String Bean and my Grass Minnow flies near the Venice Inlet. A couple of snook ate nightglow DOA Shrimp. Snook will feed on a variety of baits this time of the year, so it can be more challenging to “match the hatch”.
Jim Eliason, owner of Discount Tackle in Bradenton, and Morgan Christian, from Lakeland, FL, joined me for a tarpon trip on Thursday morning. Jim purchased my trip, which was donated to Manatee-Sarasota Fish and Game Club’s annual fundraising dinner, “A Taste of Florida”. The event, which features wild game and “Florida Cracker” cuisine, is one of my favorites. We fished the Peace River and canal systems of Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda. There wasn’t much happening in the river, but we found them busting baits in the canals. Jim and Morgan jumped a total of 4 tarpon, landing one of them, a feisty 15-pounder, with rootbeer and nightglow DOA TerrorEyz.
Jim Eliason, owner of Discount Tackle in Bradenton, FL, caught and released this estimated 15-pound tarpon in a Peace River canal on a DOA TerrorEyz. It was his first tarpon caught on an artifical bait.
I spent a couple of days scouting tarpon and found that while there are still tarpon on the beach, they are also moving into the inside waters where they are feeding aggressively. We should have some great tarpon fishing in the coming weeks.
In addition to tarpon, snook in the surf or under dock lights and a variety of fish on the flats at dawn should all be good options next week. Watch out for thunderstorms, which could pop up at any time, particularly later in the day. Lightning has stuck a couple of people, a construction worker and a lawn care worker, in southwest Florida recently. Remember that lightning can strike as far as 10 miles away from a storm.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 16, 2006 - 11:24 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 7/2 through 7/16/2006
Anglers fishing with me during the past couple of weeks had great action with tarpon in the coastal gulf waters off Sarasota. Following the full moon on July 11th, the tarpon thinned out considerably. However, the remaining fish are aggressive and hungry. Fly anglers have done particularly well, as they usually do this time of the year. Schools of fish are smaller and more loosely schooled, but more aggressive due to the decrease in fishing pressure.
Fly angler, Randy Smith from CO, and his guest fished with me on Monday, July 3rd. I expected to find a mob of anglers, since it was a 4-day holiday weekend, but everyone else must have expected the same thing and stayed home. We were practically by ourselves off Siesta Key, when Randy hooked up with an Enrico Puglisi black mullet on his 2nd or 3rd cast. After a long battle that took us a couple of miles offshore, Randy had his fish alongside the boat. As we were being dragged offshore, I spotted a tripletail on an abandoned stone crab trap float and marked it with my GPS. After landing the tarpon, we went back and caught the tripletail on a DOA shrimp. A very nice day!
This tripletail was caught and released on a DOA shrimp off Siesta Key while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Fly angler, John Arnold from Lakewood Ranch, FL, fished with me on Wednesday. John has been a fly casting student of mine over the past couple of months. He takes the sport seriously and it shows in the progress he’s made. John was preparing for a weeklong trip to Maine with his son, which was successful. Our last two hours of instruction were spent working with a 12-weight fly rod in preparation for a tarpon trip. John jumped his 1st tarpon in about 3-feet of water on a tan and olive bunny fly. The coolest thing was that the fish stuck his head out of the water to eat the fly only 20 feet from our bow before putting on aerial display. Way to go John!
The next couple of days were tough. We had a few shots in shallow water on Thursday, but no takers. Friday’s trip was blown out in the gulf, so we opted to fish for juvenile tarpon in the Peace River. We cast to rolling fish in a canal with flies and DOA baits for a couple of hours and then the bottom fell out. It must have rained 2 or 3-inches ending our trip early.
Fly angler, Hal Lutz from Parrish, FL, fished with me last weekend. He hooked up on an Enrico Puglisi black mullet on one of his 1st casts off Siesta Key. After a long fight, he had the fish alongside the boat a couple of miles offshore. Only 2 problems, we had a pair of waterspouts bearing down on us and then mother nature started to throw lightning bolts all around us. I had to make a safety call and we intentionally broke the fish off alongside the boat. Hal hooked up briefly on Sunday morning in the same spot, but a knot in the fly line caused the fish to come unbuttoned before we could clear the line to the reel. We finished the day with 7 or 8 quality shots at tarpon in skinny water, but no bites.
On Monday morning, another fly casting student of mine, Eric Adamson and his 15-year old daughter, Raene, both from Lakeland, FL, tarpon fished with me. Eric has also been taking fly casting instruction with me for the past couple of months to prepare for a bonefishing trip in the Acklins, which was successful, and for the tarpon trip. Eric has practiced religiously and made good progress. Fly fishing is like any other skill sport, the rewards will equal the effort that you make. It is a lot more fun when you can get the job done. Eric got the job done all right, hooking and landing his first tarpon, an estimated 120-pounder, on about the 2nd cast of the day. Raene followed him up catching and releasing a feisty 55-pound fish with a live crab. I know that Eric and Raene will remember the trip forever. Eric said the only thing better than catching his tarpon with a fly was having his daughter catch her first tarpon. That’s what memories are made of!
The streak continued on Wednesday as another tarpon was jumped with a fly. This one ate a brown Toad in about 4-feet of water. The 100-pound plus fish made a spectacular leap before gaining her freedom. Conditions deteriorated on Thursday and tarpon didn’t show very well as a result. We were faced with a big swell out of the south due to afternoon and evening thunderstorms in the gulf, which made spotting tarpon tougher. We saw only a few fish in deep water early. Bill King, from Osprey, FL, fished with me that day. Although we had some good shots with a fly in shallow water later in the day, we didn’t get a bite.
Art Lyons, from the Chicago area and Don Shutello, from Longboat Key, FL fished with me on Friday. Don hooked up briefly with a live crab on spinning tackle. As luck (or the lack of it) would have it, when he cast, his line looped over an abandoned crab trap float, which immediately cut his line on the barnacle encrusted crab trap line as the line got tight. By Saturday, four days after the full moon, we were feeling the full effects of it. Fly angler, Hal Lutz from Parrish, FL, was with me and had only a few shots at tarpon in shallow water with a fly, but no takers.
Next week’s tides are favorable for pre dawn snook fishing around lighted docks and bridge fenders. Early morning flats fishing for reds and snook should also be a good option. Tarpon action should pick back up in the coastal gulf as we get further away from the full moon. In addition, look for tarpon to move up into Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor, where they’ll feed more aggressively than they do on the beach.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
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Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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July 15, 2006
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
For the last few weeks, we have been enjoying some good action along the beach and on the bay. The artificial (I) reefs in 25 to 30 feet of water have been holding plenty of nice size Spanish mackerel. We are also catching barracuda, bluefish and sharks both large and small. Live pilchards or sardines have been the best bait for the macks and the mackerel are good bait for the cuda and sharks. We have been finding plenty of live bait both inshore and offshore.
On the bay, the Ringling home grass flats have been hopping at first light. The flats are covered with baitfish most of the day, but at first light, 6:30AM, the birds and fish are tearing them up. Most of the fish are ladyfish but in with them you will find bluefish, mackerel, trout, small grouper, jack and snapper. Live shrimp or pilchards have been working well. D.O.A. shrimp is doing the job for me and with all of the pinfish returning to the bay, it is hard to keep live bait on the hook. Redfish and snook are also being found around the bay by more patient anglers.
The bay is now loaded with baby gag grouper, snapper and hordes of pinfish. This is a very good for the bay but may coast you more bait. It is well worth it seeing the bay come back. Only the sea trout and flounder seem to be scarce at this time.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 07, 2006 - 11:13 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 6/19 through 7/1/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, continued to have good action with tarpon during the past couple of weeks. The best action has been early in the day, although fly anglers have had some great shots at tarpon in shallow water later in the morning when visibility gets better.
Fly angler, Cliff Ondercin from Sarasota, FL, fished with me on Monday, June 19th and landed a 70-pounder on a black and purple Enrico Puglisi mullet fly. Tarpon schools were moving fast, but high in the water column, along Siesta Key that morning. It wasn’t the best fly fishing situation, but they would bite if you got a fly in front of them.
Fly angler, Bill King from Osprey, FL and his family group of 3 other anglers fished with Capt. Kelly Stilwell and me on Wednesday. Dave and Ken Sutton, from MI, landed tarpon of 70 and 90-pounds with live crabs while fishing with me along Casey Key. Capt. Kelly’s anglers also connected a couple of time with live crabs.
John and Deb LaManna, from Lakewood Ranch, FL, fished with me on Friday of that week. Tarpon were behaving the same way all week long, moving fast both north and south. John had a fly in front of several tarpon, but they didn’t bite. However, a couple of them ate a live crab. John and Deb double teamed a feisty 100-pounder and had her close to the boat after about 45-minutes when she wore through the leader. Close enough!
My brother, Kirk Grassett from Bear, DE, fished with me on Saturday. We had lots of shots with flies. He got a bite on an Enrico Puglisi black mullet, but the fish was coming at us so fast it was hard to get the hook stuck. Kirk fished with my friend Rusty Chinnis on Friday, had a couple of bites on flies and unintentionally broke a fish off on the hook set. A couple of other fly trips had lots of shots and a couple of bites, but no hook ups.
I spent a couple of days over in Stuart, FL at the annual DOA Guide/Outdoor Writer Get Together on Monday and Tuesday. We caught snook, trout and flounder on a variety of DOA Lures in the Indian River near Ft. Pierce and in the St. Lucie inlet. There were numerous snook in the 15 to 20-pound class caught and released as well as a few over 20-pounds. Anglers also scored with trout to more than 8-pounds, tarpon and tripletail.
Jay Alvis, from IN, and his nephew, Kyle Hehe from Sarasota, FL tarpon fished with me along Casey Key on Wednesday. We had a push of fish early, had 3 bites and missed them all and then it got quiet. Fortunately, we had another flurry of activity about 11 AM. First Jay hooked up and landed a feisty 70-pounder that jumped numerous times all around the boat and was landed quickly.
17-year old, Kyle, hooked up next with one of the most noteworthy tarpon ever caught and released on my boat. The 100-pound tarpon ate a live crab about a mile north of the Venice Inlet and then proceeded to clear the beach of swimmers all the way to the Venice Jetty, as it swam south only a few feet from the beach. When it reached the jetty, with a strong incoming tide, the fish headed east through the jetty toward the ICW with a cheering crowd of people following along the shore. The fish then headed north in the ICW, as we continued to tighten the drag down. The fish was finally landed north of the Albee Rd. bridge about 3 miles from where it had been hooked to cheers from a crowd of boats and people along the shoreline. When I landed the fish, I discovered that about 1/3 of the hook had broken off just above the bend, but there was still enough left to hold the fish. When I pulled against the drag with a scale later, I discovered that we had 14-pounds of drag on the fish and she was still pulling line off the reel. What a ride!
Kyle Hehe, fom Sarasota, FL, hooked this 100-pound tarpon in the coastal gulf, north of the Venice Inlet and landed it in the ICW, more than 3 miles away, while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Fly angler, Bob Harness from St. Louis, MO, fished with me on Thursday and Friday. Bob’s guest on Thursday was Nick Reding, from New York City. Nick jumped a pair of tarpon on black bunny flies, getting several nice jumps and runs from each fish before they came unbuttoned. We had numerous shots later that day, but no bites. The action was slower on Friday, with a few good shots but no bites.
Tarpon fishing should remain strong until at least the full moon in July on the 11th. Hopefully, we’ll get some more action beyond that also, as fish school ahead of the new moon toward the end of July. Fishing upper Charlotte Harbor for tarpon of all sizes should also be an option.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 18, 2006 - 7:35 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 6/5 through 6/18/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good tarpon fishing during the past couple of weeks. Tarpon schooled heavily as we headed towards the full moon on June 11th. Tropical Storm Alberto threw us a curve for a few days, but other than not being able to fish the gulf for a few days, no harm was done. Anglers scored with both flies and live crabs.
Larry Ford, from Longboat Key, FL and Pete Molinari, from Sarasota, FL, fished with me on Monday and Wednesday. It was rough on Monday morning as we headed out of the Venice Inlet and we almost turned around, but decided to stick it out for a while. That proved to be a good decision as conditions improved to near perfect. A brief shower passed through and tarpon schools popped up everywhere following the rain. They had several bites on live crabs, jumped 3 tarpon and had two of them to the boat, a 60 and a 70-pounder.
Wednesday was a much different day. Although conditions were great, tarpon schools were moving fast and not giving us many decent shots. That changed late in the morning when we got on a school that was not showing real well, but moving slowly. We fished them for more than an hour, pitching live crabs to the “black spot” of the school, which was mostly staying deep. After several bites, Larry jumped and landed a 95-pound tarpon to end the day.
Capt. Rick Grassett with a 95-pound tarpon that Larry Ford, from Longboat Key , FL, landed on a live crab along Casey Key.
Fly angler, Bill King from Osprey, FL, fished with me on Tuesday and Friday. Bill connected with a pair of tarpon on black and purple bunny flies on Tuesday. The second fish stayed on and he successfully fought the fish through numerous jumps and runs for about 45 minutes, then Murphy’s Law struck. The tarpon, after showing signs of surrender, blasted off one more run and a backlash in the backing popped off the spool, wrapped around the reel handle and broke the backing at the reel. Not only did Bill lose what would have been his first tarpon landed on a fly, but he also lost his fly line.
We evened the score on Friday. We got on a happy school, first thing in the morning and connected 3 times in a row with an Enrico Puglisi Black Mullet (black and purple). The first fish broke us off on the hook set, the second bite was a missed hook up, but the third time was a charm. Bill hooked up firmly and fought the tarpon through numerous jumps and runs until the estimated 90-pounder was alongside the boat. Congratulations Bill!
Dana Weinkle, from Bradenton, FL, and his guest, Skip from Louisville, KY, fished off Siesta Key with me on Saturday morning. We didn’t see much early and then tarpon started popping up, moving fast and acting like “full moon” fish. We persisted and got on a nice school that was moving slower around 11 AM. Skip connected with an estimated 130 or 140-pound brute with a live crab, obviously a big female and one of the lead fish in the school. We followed the school south in an attempt to keep from being spooled. We finally popped the fish out of the school and she headed offshore. Unfortunately, on her way there she found her way to freedom by swimming the line around an abandoned crab trap breaking the line. We got on another school after that and had another bite, but that was it for the day.
Tropical Storm Alberto moved through on Sunday and Monday dumping about 6 inches of much-needed rain, although it would have been better if it weren’t in the form of a tropical storm. The coastal gulf was like a washing machine through Thursday. I fished with fly anglers Craig Purse and Guy Schiller, both from IL, beginning Thursday through Saturday. Since the coastal gulf waters were still too rough to fish on Thursday, we headed south to fish the Peace River and canal systems of Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte for juvenile tarpon. We found plenty of tarpon up to about 40-pounds in the river and one canal, but they wanted nothing to do with the variety of flies that we cast to them. However, we did catch and release numerous spotted and silver sea trout and a couple of Spanish mackerel on a 2/0 size Enrico Puglisi flies in the Peace River.
The following day we headed into the coastal gulf waters out of Venice. Although conditions were much better, there wasn’t much happening. We found that tarpon had moved offshore into 20 or 25-feet of water due to murky water along the beach. We had a couple of shots and caught and released a tripletail on a 2/0 black and purple Enrico Puglisi mullet. Conditions got even better for Saturday, but most of the tarpon remained far offshore. Guy jumped a pig of a fish, which ate the fly on the surface about 15 feet off the bow. After several exhilarating jumps, she shook the fly loose and landed with a hollow splash! That was our best shot of the day. We fished numerous tarpon schools in deep water, but it was a tough situation with a fly rod.
Tarpon should return to a normal pattern this week. As the water clears closer to the beach, they should move in closer. We are having a great season so far, so hopefully that trend will continue.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 04, 2006 - 6:17 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 5/21 through 6/4/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, during the past couple of weeks have had good action with tarpon. Although the bite hasn’t been hot every day, the action has been steady. Tarpon are behaving in a normal pattern and are plentiful. When conditions have been good, tarpon schools have been showing well and giving us good shots at them. There have been a few days when it was overcast and breezy when they didn’t bite very well. The best action has been from south Siesta Key to north Casey Key.
Keith McClintock and Barry Slee, both from Lake Forest, IL, Dave Kinamon, from Milwaukee, WI and Wayne Little, from St. Louis, MO fished four days with Capt. Kelly Stilwell and me during the week of May 21st. We had plenty of action during the week, although every day wasn’t good. The group jumped more than a dozen tarpon and landed 4 or 5 up to 100-pounds on live crabs. Barry also had a couple of takes on a fly. There were a couple of good days and a couple of slower days during the week. Keith and Dave finished strong on the last day fishing with me. They had 6 or 7 bites, jumping 3 tarpon and Dave landed a 90-pound fish to end the day.
I had 3 days of fly fishing the next week and although we didn’t land any tarpon with a fly we jumped a couple on black/purple and chartreuse bunny flies. We fished from Longboat Key to Sarasota’s Big Pass on those days. Fly angler Shawn Borgeson, from Tampa, FL, also connected with a cobia on a black and purple bunny fly. Of course, the smallest of a pair of cobia, including one about 50-pounds or more, beat the big one to the fly!
Aledia Tush, owner of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, and Doug Forde, a manager at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, tarpon fished with me along Casey Key last Tuesday. Tarpon were happy and biting that day. They had 5 or 6 bites on live crabs, jumping several of them. Including one that Aledia had on for about 20 minutes before the hook pulled with the fish close to the boat. Doug also hooked one on a black and purple tarpon bunny fly.
My friend Russell Johnson, from Clovis, NM, his sons Pat, Kyle, Justin and their friend Stormy fished the same area with me and Capt. Clark Wright on Friday and Saturday. Although conditions were good on Friday, tarpon didn’t bite that well. Clark had a couple of bites and one tarpon to the boat on Friday, while we had a couple of bites but no hook ups. The action heated up on Saturday. We landed a pair of tarpon, a 70 and a 90-pounder. The guys on Clark’s boat landed a 120-pound brute, which dragged them more than a mile offshore. The biggest excitement of the day was when a 10-foot hammerhead shark began stalking our second tarpon and our boat. It circled our boat numerous times with its tall dorsal fin slicing through the water and headed toward our hooked tarpon several times. The tarpon went all the way to the beach and slugged it out in the surf to stay away from the hammerhead. Fortunately, we successfully landed the tarpon as the shark for some reason lost interest and moved on. A good day!
Russell Johnson, from Clovis, NM, caught this tarpon on a few feet from the beach after it was stalked by a 10-foot hammerhead during the fight.
We are in the heart of our tarpon season now and as long as the weather holds up, fishing should be good through June and into July. Tarpon are in a normal pattern, traveling in a lane usually within a couple of hundred yards of the beach. The best bite has been from first light in the morning until 9 or 10 AM.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 20, 2006 - 9:55 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 5/8 through 5/20/2006
Tarpon showed up in a big way along the beaches from Longboat Key to Boca Grande during the past couple of weeks. Fly and spin anglers fishing with me jumped and landed several tarpon from Siesta Key to Casey Key during the week of May 7th. A couple of late season fronts pushed through and caused a west wind pattern forcing us to fish the flats for several days. Anglers caught and released trout, reds and snook on lures and flies on those days.
Fly anglers, John Freeman from Nokomis, FL, and his son, John, fished with me on May 8th. We hunted tarpon in the coastal gulf waters off Gasparilla Island and were about to head inside after a few hours when we found a big, happy school. We stuck with them for a couple of hours and got bit a couple of times on an Enrico Puglisi Black Mullet and a black and yellow bunny fly before a hammerhead shark showed up and ruined their appetite. They caught and released numerous trout to 19” on glass minnow fly patterns near Sandfly Key to finish the day.
Steve Collard, from Valrico, FL and John Napolitano, from Lakewood Ranch, FL fished the same area with me the next day. We were doing well with trout on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos when a strong front pushed through ending our day early. The best day in the last couple of weeks was with Bill Crowley, from Nokomis, FL and Joe Scotti, from Sarasota, FL. Conditions were near perfect and tarpon were plentiful and happy off Siesta Key that day. Practically everything that we cast a live crab to that day ate. They brought 3 out of 6 fish hooked to the boat, including an estimated 130-pounder. Just like the old days!
Fly angler, Patrice Camillieri from near Paris, France, fished the same area with me the next day. A big, happy school showed up first thing in the morning and after a few casts, Patrice put one in the air with a black and purple Enrico Puglisi Mullet fly. We had a few more shots, but no more bites as the wind came up quickly that day ending our trip early. Patrice also fished with me the following Sunday and although conditions were good, tarpon weren’t showing very well that day.
John Leutner, from Herndon, VA, fished Gasparilla Sound with me on Friday. Our plan was to tarpon fish, but rough conditions persisted so we retreated to the backcountry. Although the action wasn’t fast, we did have a slam on the boat and also a few jacks all caught with CAL jigs with shad tails and a MirrOlure She Dog.
Conditions in the gulf weren’t great this week, although a couple of days earlier in the week were fishable. We had a couple of bites on flies and spent the rest of the time fishing either Sarasota Bay or Gasparilla Sound. Paul Nevins, from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. The action was slow most of the morning, but we found some reds near Bishop Point on the west side of Sarasota Bay later in the morning. Paul caught and released 4 reds to 30” on CAL jigs with shad tails. Three of them were very small, but the big fish made up for them.
Paul Nevins, from Sarasota, FL, caught and released this 30" red on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Next week should be a peak week, as we head toward the new moon on Saturday. Occasionally our winds will shift to the west for several days following a late season front. Hopefully, we’ve got that behind us for a while. There seems to be plenty of tarpon so far this season and they are behaving normally due to no red tide (Shhh!). Fly anglers should score with dark fly patterns fished on intermediate fly lines early in the day while those using conventional tackle should hook up with DOA Baitbusters, DOA Swimming Mullet, live crabs and a variety of baitfish.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 07, 2006 - 7:02 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 5/1 through 5/7/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, Spanish mackerel, bluefish and ladyfish during the past week. The fastest action was on deep grass flats with bluefish, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish and fly fishing for snook at night.
Capt. Mel Berman, host of the “Capt. Mel Show” radio program, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday morning. We caught and released lots of ladyfish and one nice bluefish on jigs and Clouser flies. I poled a bar on the east side of Sarasota Bay and we saw a few nice reds, but they didn’t bite. That evening, fly anglers Phil Rever from Sarasota, FL, and his brother, Jack Rever from Fairfax, VA, fished with me in Blackburn Bay. They caught and released about a dozen snook to 25”, mostly on Skitterbug flies. Snook were feeding on a variety of baitfish and shrimp. When shrimp were hopping on the surface to avoid being eaten, a Skitterbug dropped on top of the fray would get hammered.
Jack Rever, from Fairfax, VA, caught and released this 25" snook on a Skitterbug fly while fishing at night with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Tuesdays fly fishing trip in the Terra Ceia Bay area was very slow. We saw quite a few reds and snook, but couldn’t catch them with a fly that day. The next day, Marty Guice from Lakewood Ranch and his guest, Lyn, from NJ fished Sarasota Bay with me. They caught 4 bluefish near the Hart Reef and a large Spanish mackerel at the Marina Jack flat on CAL jigs with shad tails and Diamond Jigs. That evening, fly anglers Larry Ford and Arnold Hoffman, both from Longboat Key, FL, snook fished with me near Venice. The action was much slower than on Monday evening. Although snook were obviously feeding, they were being very selective of what they would eat. They caught a few on a variety of flies, including Arnold’s first snook with a fly.
We ran into some large Spanish mackerel on Thursday near Whale Key and caught a couple of 4-pounders on CAL jigs with shad tails. A stop at the Marina Jack flat produced a few small trout, bluefish and cut-offs by large Spanish mackerel.
Reports of tarpon being seen or caught are increasing daily. Next week, I’ll begin tarpon fishing and I am hopeful that we’ll have a good season this year. Everything seems to be right, with plenty of baitfish and water temperatures at near 80 degrees, there should be significant schooling activity in the coastal gulf as we approach a full moon next Saturday.
For those preferring not to tangle with a giant tarpon, there are still some Spanish mackerel, bluefish and little tunny available. Fishing deeper water for these species has been more productive than fishing skinny water recently. Due to no significant rainfall for a couple of months, the water is very clear on the flats and in the gulf. I’m sure this has contributed to reds and snook being tough to fool and may be a factor with tarpon, too.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 30, 2006 - 11:34 am: | |
Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 4/23 through 4/30/2006
Fly anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released a variety of fish during the past week in the Manatee River and in Charlotte Harbor. Spanish mackerel, trout, snook and ladyfish were caught and released on Clouser flies. In addition, a couple of snook and several trout were caught and released on DOA shrimp on Saturday.
Jim Williams, from Big Bend, WI, and Art Garcia, from Cedarburg, WI, fly fished with me from Monday through Thursday this week. We fished the Terra Ceia Bay area on Monday and found a blitz of nice Spanish mackerel in the 18” to 20” class and large ladyfish in the Manatee River only a ¼ mile after leaving the boat ramp. We spent a couple of hours catching and releasing them on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. There was a good bite of Spanish mackerel and little tunny in Tampa Bay last week, but by the time we got there on Monday it wasn’t going on.
The skinny water fishing in the Terra Ceia Bay area wasn’t going on either, so we headed south to Charlotte Harbor on Tuesday. We had a good day with trout caught and released on Clouser flies on deep grass flats near Sandfly Key and on the outside of Bull and Turtle Bays. They caught and released more than a dozen trout with about ½ of them between 17” and 19”.
We fished hard for reds and snook on Wednesday and Thursday and found the fishing to be very tough. The highlight was when Art caught and released a 26” snook with a chartreuse and white Clouser fly while wading a sand bar near the Gallagher Keys. He was able to sight-cast to the snook, which was the lead fish in a group of 3 fish. The remaining two snook followed the hooked fish in, still looking for the fly that the other fish had gobbled up. We cast to lots of reds and snook that either followed, spooked or ignored us.
Art Garcia, from Cedarburg, WI, caught and released this 26" snook on a chartreuse and white Clouser fly while wading a sandbar near the Gallagher Keys with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Mark Nichols, of DOA Fishing Lures in Stuart, FL, and I fished the Sarasota CCA Photo All-Release Challenge on Saturday. The goal of the tournament is to catch and release a slam (snook, redfish and trout) so I chose to fish in Gasparilla Sound, since the chances for catching trout have been best there. Ironically, trout have become one of the hardest species to catch due to last year’s extended red tide. We caught a couple of short snook, several short trout and an estimated 22” or 23” trout that spit the hook before she could be photographed, all on the DOA shrimp in night glow and fire tiger colors provided for us by DOA in the tournament tackle box.
The good news is that the best catches of reds and snook in the tournament came from the east side of Sarasota Bay and the mouth of the Manatee River on flies, DOA shrimp, Cotee jigs with grubs and Exude slugs. Snook to more than 36” and reds to almost 30” were caught by winners of the tournament. The trout winners caught their fish in the Terra Ceia Bay area.
Next week’s tides, although only two-tides per day, have more than 2 ½ feet of water between high and low tides. Fishing the flats for reds along the east side of Sarasota Bay and trout in the Terra Ceia Bay area should be good options. Snook season will close on May 1st, so any snook caught must be released. Handle them gently and release them quickly so that they can successfully spawn during the closed season.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 22, 2006 - 8:22 am: | |
Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 4/11 through 4/22/2006
Hey, Hey, Hey, Fat Albert! We’ve been enjoying one of the best runs of little tunny (a.k.a. false albacore or bonito) that I have ever seen in the spring. We’ve found them not only off the beaches of Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties, but also in Tampa Bay around the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Mixed with the little tunny and feeding in the giant bait balls of glass minnows have been Spanish mackerel, bluefish, blue runners, large ladyfish and even giant tarpon (in Tampa Bay). Although the little tunny have been extremely selective, we’ve connected with glass minnow and Crease fly patterns, jigs and top water plugs.
Fly angler, Louis Klein from Valrico, FL and his guest, Matt, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on April 11th. We didn’t catch a lot of fish that day, but we caught some quality fish. We caught trout on Clouser flies and DOA Deadly Combos in Gasparilla Sound and then waded a sand bar near Bull Bay. Louis caught and released a red, flounder and a decent trout on an olive over white Clouser fly fished on a floating line. Matt had the fish of the day, a 30” snook, caught and released with a CAL jig with a shad tail.
Louis Klein, from Valrico, FL and his guest, Matt, who caught this 30"snook on a CAL jig with a shad tail while wading a Charlotte Harbor sand bar with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Pat Campbell, from Toronto, OH, and Dick Leverone, from York, ME, fished the coastal gulf off Lido and Siesta Keys the next day. They caught and released lots of bluefish and large ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. Although there were acres of little tunny, we didn’t get them to bite any of our flies or jigs. Very frustrating! However, the next day, they did eat. We caught and released 3 little tunnies on a Crease fly, an Enrico Puglisi epoxy glass minnow and an olive over white Clouser on a #4 hook. We also caught lots of large ladyfish and bluefish that day as well.
Lynn Platt, from North Port, FL, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Friday. We found the action a little on the slow side, but we connected with several trout to over 4-pounds, a snook and a red on CAL jigs with shad tails. Fly angler, Andrew Stiles from Richmond, VA, fished the coastal gulf off Sarasota on Saturday morning. Although the little tunny were thick, they were still tough to fool with a fly. Andrew was in them repeatedly, but either came up empty or with a blue runner. Go figure!
Fly angler, Perry Greene from Bloomfield Hills, MI, and his family group fished with Capt. Kelly Stilwell and me on Monday. The action wasn’t fast, but we caught and released ladyfish and bluefish on jigs and flies at the Middleground flat and near Whale Key in Sarasota Bay. Tuesday’s fly trip was slow. Everywhere there were fish on Monday had nothing on Tuesday. The action got hot again on Wednesday as Nelson Alcarez, from Manhasset, NY, his young son Lucas, and his dad Pete, from Uruguay fished Tampa Bay with me. Little tunny, Spanish mackerel and tarpon were busting glass minnow bait balls in the shipping channel near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Our plan was to fish deep water for a while and then fish the backcountry, but the action was so hot that we never left deep water. They landed 2 out of 3 little tunnies and numerous Spanish mackerel to 3-pounds on flies and jigs. Nelson caught his first LT on a fly, an olive and white Ultra Hair Clouser tied on a #4 hook.
The next day, David Jasik from Sarasota, FL and his guest, Bud, fished the same area with me. We hit the ship channel and caught a few Spanish mackerel on Diamond Jigs, but the little tunny were not there like they had been on Wednesday. We retreated to skinny water where they connected with trout to 18” and snook on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails.
The action got hot again on Friday, as Phil and Brenda Rever, from Sarasota, FL, fished the same area with me. We spent the first 3-hours fishing the ship channel near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, where they caught and released 2 out of 3 little tunny and several Spanish mackerel hooked on an Enrico Puglisi epoxy glass minnow fly and a top water plug. Fishing in skinny water was slow for us. They connected with a snook and a red on a brown over white Clouser fly, but it seemed like fish were starting to bite as our day ended.
Next week’s 4-tide days will be favorable for reds, snook and trout on the flats. Hopefully, the coastal gulf action for little tunny and Spanish mackerel will continue, as well. Tarpon fishing is about to take off. On Friday, we saw tarpon busting balls of glass minnows like I’ve never seen before!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 10, 2006 - 11:30 am: | |
Charlotte Harbor, FL Fishing Report for 4/3 through 4/10/2006
Fly and spin anglers fishing Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me last week had good action with trout. We also caught and released Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, false albacore, bluefish, redfish and ladyfish. There was fast action with Spanish mackerel, bluefish, false albacore and king mackerel in Gasparilla Pass and just off the beach of Gasparilla Island most days, although there were sometimes hard to get on.
Firman Schlabaugh and Junior Miller, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Gasparilla Pass and Gasparilla Sound with me on Monday. We started off with a blitz in the pass that included bluefish, ladyfish and Spanish mackerel that had bait corralled into a “bait ball”. After catching numerous fish on jigs, we headed for the backcountry. They caught more than 15 trout to 18”, several flounder and a redfish on CAL jigs with shad tails near Sandfly Key and in Turtle Bay.
The next day Bob and Diane Harness, from St. Louis, MO, fished the same area with me. The action was slower with not much happening in the pass, so we headed for skinny water. They caught and released a few trout and ladyfish on Clouser flies, but the reds that I was on the week before were gone.
Chris Leu, from Ft. Worth, TX and his father-in-law, Dick Hume from MN, fished the same area with me on Thursday. We started in Gasparilla Pass and found a few fish scattering baitfish on the surface. Chris immediately hooked up with an 8 or 9-pound false albacore on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly fished on an intermediate fly line with a 7-weight rod. What a fight! The fish went deep into the backing before coming back to the boat. They also caught and released more than 20 trout to 4-pounds near Sandfly Key, including several in the slot on Clouser flies, CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.
Chris Leu, from Ft. worth, TX, caught and released this nice false albacore on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly while fishig just outside Gasparilla Pass with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Fly anglers Jake How and his son, Charlie, from Whitefish, MT, fished with me on Friday. We started in Gasparilla Pass and had a few fish breaking on the surface. We got cut off immediately by a couple of Spanish mackerel and then the action subsided. We headed south looking for breaking fish and found a big mud about half way down Gasparilla Island. I was marking bait to within 6 feet of the surface in 25’ of water. We blind cast with Ultra Hair Clousers on intermediate fly lines and caught a nice Spanish mackerel and a 10-pound king mackerel. Although there seemed to lots going on there, that’s all we caught, so we headed for the backcountry. Jake and Charlie caught numerous trout to 18” and ladyfish on Clouser flies in various spots in Gasparilla Sound and in Turtle Bay.
Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, and I were the instructors for a CB’s Saltwater Outfitter’s Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Saturday. Six students participated in the school and are hopefully on their way to a lifetime of fishing fun. The nice thing about fly fishing is that you can enjoy it if you’re 8-yrs. old or 80-years old.
This week’s tides are favorable for reds, snook and trout on the flats. As long as the weather is nice, take advantage of the opportunity to fish the coastal gulf waters for Spanish mackerel, bluefish, kings and false albacore. We are having one of the best runs of those species in years.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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April 9, 2006
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
For the past couple of weeks, the magic numbers for King and Spanish mackerel have been 12 to 33 foot depths and a water temperature of 72 degrees. Large schools of anchovies have been holding the fish close to the coast line. Trolling small spoons and jigs on flat-line or with planers have worked for the Spanish mackerel. The kings want larger spoons, plugs and live bluerunners. Both on flat-line and planers have worked. White bait is not working well at this time. Sardines and threadfin have been hard to find. Some cobia and LTs are also in the mix with the mackerel. LTs are hard to catch when feeding on anchovies. Tripletail is also being caught around the crab-pot floats with live shrimp and small crabs.
The anchovies have been moving into the bay bringing some Spanish mackerel and bluefish with them. The ladyfish have been thick along Country Club Shores and the Middle Ground grass flats. The water will boil with feeding fish but it has been hard to pick a mackerel out of it so far. Jigs and live shrimp have been working well on the bay.
There have been some nice catches of pompano and permit, but they won’t stay in one place long and may be found on the flats or the passes at any time. Some nice snook are being caught but mostly by chumming with whitebait. This method is very productive but I won’t use it on snook and I do not call it Sportfishing. Snook are primarily nocturnal and feed best one hour before and after a change of tide. They also like first and last light. If fishing in a lit area at night, the snook will feed in the darker surrounding areas, like shadows from the bridge.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 02, 2006 - 9:34 am: | |
Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 3/20 through 4/2/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released a variety of fish during the past couple of weeks. Fly and spin anglers connected with snook, reds and trout. Trout fishing is improving in the Sarasota area and reds are eating better, too. The best action was fly fishing for snook at night and reds in Charlotte Harbor.
Rick Peregord, from Southgate, MI, fished 3 days with me during the week of March 19. We had great action in the Terra Ceia Bay area on a couple of the days. Rick Caught and released 8 snook to 24” on Monday and a pair of reds, several snook and trout on Thursday, all on weedless-rigged CAL shad tails.
Stephen Lewis and his young son, Danny, from Brooklyn, NY fished with me on Wednesday. They caught and released lots of big ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails in Sarasota’s Robert’s Bay. We did some scouting for reds in north Sarasota Bay and found beautiful water but only a few mullet.
A front blew through on Friday canceling that days fly fishing trip. However, it provided great conditions for attending the Florida Sportsman Fishing Show in Sarasota last weekend. I gave seminars on fishing Sarasota Bay on Saturday and Sunday and spent time with DOA Fishing Lures and the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers in their booths.
Fishing got even better on Monday when Pat Campbell, from Toronto, OH, joined me for an afternoon/evening trip. We caught several trout and ladyfish late in the afternoon on Ultra Hair Clouser flies, but as soon as the sun set snook turned on. Pat and I caught and released a dozen snook to 24” on my “Grass Minnow” night snook fly from Blackburn Pt. to the Venice Inlet.
Bob Harness, from St. Louis, MO, fished the Terra Ceia Bay area with me on Tuesday. We waded a sandbar that was loaded with reds and Bob caught his first redfish with a fly. The redfish ate a tri-color Clouser that was tan, chartreuse and olive. Way to go, Bob! I fished the same area with spin anglers the next day and the reds were so spooky we could hardly approach them in the boat, much less catch one. We did manage several nice trout to 19” on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Pat Campbell, from Toronto, OH and Gene Leverone, from Lynnfield, MA, fished with me on Thursday. After hearing several reports of Spanish mackerel, little tunny and tripletail on the beach, we went on a scouting mission. We ran from New Pass to Grassy Point, off Casey Key, and although we only saw a couple of schools of mackerel, we had shots at 3 tripletail. They wouldn’t bite after several fly changes and working them from all angles, so we kept moving. We retreated to the bay, where Gene and Pat caught and released 6 or 8 trout and a few ladyfish on Clouser flies near Big Pass.
Because the public boat ramp in Placida was choked with FLW Redfish Tournament anglers we had to leave at 5:30 AM just to park there on Friday morning. Although all fish are being released alive, it creates a tremendous impact when you dump 150 or 200 boats into an area for several days prior to a tournament.
Stu Robinson, from Longboat Key, FL and his son-in-law and daughter, Doug and Indy Bacon, from Heartland, MI, fished with me that day and we had a banner day with reds on flies. We waded outside sand bars near Bull and Turtle Bays and found some aggressive reds that hadn’t been harassed. Reds were cruising the edge of a sand bar and wandering up onto the bar to feed. Doug and Indy landed 5 out of 6 reds hooked on Clouser flies fished on floating lines. Indy caught a nice red that had 22 spots and Doug landed one that was almost 30” and weighed about 12-pounds. The big red had several other reds that stayed with it while it was hooked and continued to hunt for food. I’ve only seen this happen one other time and it’s a sure sign they are turned on!
Indy Bacon, from Heartland, MI, and Capt. Rick Grassett with a nice Charlotte Harbor redfish that Indy caught on a Clouser fly while wading a sand bar with Capt. Rick.
We are in a great weather pattern, so fishing should remain hot during the next week. Look for reds, snook and trout on the flats and Spanish mackerel, little tunny and tripletail along the beaches.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 19, 2006 - 7:17 am: | |
Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 3/11 through 3/19/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released a variety of fish from the Terra Ceia Bay area to Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor during the past week. Fly anglers scored with trout, pompano, redfish and ladyfish while those using spinning tackle caught trout, ladyfish, reds and a Spanish mackerel. The best action was in Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with trout and reds.
I fished the Terra Ceia Bay area last weekend on Saturday and Sunday with a fly angler one day and spin anglers the other day. We found lots of reds that wouldn’t eat anything. Fly angler, Gary Corson from New Sharon, ME connected with a red on my Flats Minnow fly, but that was the only bite we had from reds. Gary is an experienced angler and a fly fishing guide in the deep, woods of northern Maine, so he knew what he was doing. Anglers using spinning tackle caught and released several trout and ladyfish.
I fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with long time customers, Dick Reece from Dayton, OH, and Pat Campbell, from Toronto, OH, on Monday. We had a good trout bite, catching more than 25 trout, with about 1/3 of them in the slot including one over 4-pounds on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. I fished Little Sarasota Bay and Blackburn Bay on Tuesday with fly and spinning tackle. It was slow, with a few ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails and Ultra Hair Clouser flies. The highlight was a pompano caught and released with an Ultra Hair Clouser fly by Rob Smith, from Osprey, FL.
Pat Campbell, from Toronto, OH, caught this 4-lb. trout on a DOA Deadly Combo while fishing Gasparilla Sound with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Wednesday’s trip with Bill Moore, from IL, in Charlotte Harbor had some quality fish. A front had pushed through the afternoon before and the wind was up, gusting over 20-mph on Wednesday morning, but by noon the wind was down and it was beautiful. Bill caught and released about 6 trout, all about 18”, a nice Spanish mackerel and a pair of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails. We found the reds on outside sand bars of Gasparilla Sound and the trout in potholes in Placida Harbor.
Fly angler, Jim Ewoldt from St. Louis, MO, fished the same area with me on Thursday. Although conditions were near perfect, fishing was slower. Jim caught and released about a dozen trout, including one in the slot and a redfish on Clousers and my Flats Minnow fly. We waded a sand bar, where Jim had a half dozen or more good shots at reds cruising the bar. After numerous refusals, follows and them even putting their nose right on the fly, Jim caught and released a red on a tri-color, tan, chartreuse and olive Clouser.
We had another successful Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Saturday. Capt. Ed Hurst and I instructed 6 students from ages 16 to 80 and all made good progress by the end of the day. With fly fishing, as in a lot of other skill sports, a little practice goes a long way.
Next week’s two tide days are good ones with over 2 ½ feet of water moving. Fishing for reds and trout should be good on the flats of lower Tampa Bay and Gasparilla Sound. There are reports of Spanish mackerel and cobia showing up just off our beaches from Longboat Key to Casey Key. With water temperatures in the low 70’s, I think spring has sprung. Baitfish are becoming plentiful and fishing should get hot over the next few weeks.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 10, 2006 - 1:12 pm: | |
Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 2/26 through 3/10/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, for the past couple of weeks caught a variety of fish on the flats of Charlotte Harbor, Little Sarasota Bay and in the ICW near Venice at night. Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor is still the best place to catch trout and fly fishing for snook at night is one of the best options for numbers of quality fish, although it has slowed in the past several weeks.
Keith McClintock, from Lake forest, IL, and Dick Reece, from Dayton, OH, fished Charlotte Harbor with early in the week of Feb. 27th. The action wasn’t fast but it was steady. They caught more than 15 trout to 21”, with ½ of them in the slot, and a redfish on CAL jigs with shad tails. The best action was around sand bars in Gasparilla Sound and in Bull Bay.
Larry Ford, from Longboat Key, FL, and Pete Molinari fly fished for snook in the ICW near Venice on an evening trip. We found the fish feeding very selectively and had to go down to a #6 hook with my Grass Minnow fly to catch 7 or 8 snook. The rest of the week was with fly and spin anglers in Sarasota’s Robert’s Bay and in Little Sarasota Bay where we caught and released lots of ladyfish and an occasional trout.
I was the instructor at an Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key last Saturday. Five students, ranging from beginners to experienced casters, participated in the school, which is offered several times during the spring. The dates of the next schools are March 18th and April 8th. If you are interested in becoming a fly angler or you just need a tune up, you can contact me for more info. The next day, I gave a seminar on Saltwater Fly Fishing at the Frank Sargeant Show in Tampa and spent some time on the casting pond giving instruction.
Dick Reece and Jim Van Tassel, both from Dayton, OH, snook fished with me on Monday evening. We found the action similar to what it was the previous week. They caught and released 8 snook and several ladyfish on my Grass Minnow snook fly tied on a #6 hook. Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, and I spent a day scouting north Sarasota Bay and didn’t find much, but we did find some large crevalle jacks marauding baitfish on the deep edge of a flat near Tidy Island. We connected with 3 of them on Crease flies and Rusty landed one of them, a feisty 8-pounder. The wind was blowing 20 to 25 mph making fly fishing very tough.
The rest of the week was similar to the previous week with lots of ladyfish and an occasional trout caught and released on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails in Roberts and Little Sarasota Bays.
Next week’s tides are favorable for reds, snook and trout on the flats of Charlotte Harbor or the Terra Ceia Bay area. Although we sometimes get some negative effects from a full moon, which will be on Tuesday, the water is warming up and baitfish are becoming more plentiful on the flats so fishing should get better.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 26, 2006 - 11:17 am: | |
Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 2/20 through 2/26/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released a variety of fish during the past week. Bluefish, pompano, trout and large ladyfish on the flats and snook at night were caught and released with flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.
Gary Bartell, from Rome, NY, and Sandy Lawrence, from Sarasota, FL, joined me for their annual trip on Monday afternoon. We fished they flats of Blackburn Bay in the afternoon where they caught and released a pair of pompano, trout and large ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. We shifted to lighted docks at dusk and found snook feeding very selectively on tiny glass minnows. They caught and released about a dozen snook to 23” on my Grass Minnow snook fly.
Gary Bartell, from Rome, NY, caught and released this nice pompano on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly while fishing Blackburn Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Bill Walsh and sons, Mathew and Andrew, from Winchester, MA, fished near Blackburn Point with me on Tuesday afternoon. The action was steady with large ladyfish. They also caught and released 5 trout to 17” on CAL jigs with shad tails. Fly anglers, Dick Reece from Dayton, OH, and his grandson, Daniel Rinehart from Lennox, MA, snook fished with me on Tuesday evening. They caught and released several large ladyfish and a bluefish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on intermediate and sink-tip fly lines at dusk. We found the snook even more finicky than they were on Monday evening. They caught and released 7 or 8 snook, which is much slower than a normal evening trip with fly anglers. I went down to a #6 hook for my Grass Minnow fly but the snook were still hard to fool. An increase in fishing pressure at night, which happens as it warms in the spring, is part of the reason for snook feeding very selectively.
The next day I headed for Everglades City to meet up with Capt. Pete Greenan, president of the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers. Capt. Pete and I teamed up to donate a couple of days of fly fishing for the club’s banquet last spring. Roger Williams, from Bradenton, FL, his son, Robert Williams, from Oveida, FL, Dave Hutchinson, from Punta Gorda, FL, and Bink Webster, from Naples, FL joined us on Wednesday evening to fish the backcountry of the 10,000 Island area on Thursday and Friday.
We each had several shots at “laid up” and rolling tarpon on Thursday morning, but no takers. We spent the afternoon fishing mangrove shorelines and the action was slow. Each boat connected with a snook, but that was it. The following day, we fished Gaskin Bay where Robert hooked a nice fish on an Estaz Marabou fly, but the fish won the fight, breaking him off on a mangrove shoot. Robert and Roger fished hard for a few more fish the rest of the day. We fished as far south as Pavilion Key before heading home for the day.
Fly angler, Marshall Dinerman from Atlanta, GA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday. We fished Robert’s Bay, south of the Siesta Drive Bridge, where Marshall had several shots at reds but they wanted no part of us. He caught and released several large ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies between shots at reds.
A front blew through on Sunday morning, which will make fishing challenging for the next couple of days. Negative low tides next week, as we come off a new moon on Monday, should concentrate reds and trout in potholes. Night snook fishing will also be a good option.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 19, 2006 - 10:15 am: | |
Charlotte Harbor, FL Fishing Report for 2/13 through 2/19/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action during the past week. We fished with jigs and flies to connect with trout to 20”, reds to 24” and bluefish to 3-pounds. After a chilly and windy start early in the week, temperatures soared to the mid 70’s and warmed the shallows back up to the mid 60’s.
A forecast for15 to 20 mph northwest wind caused me to cancel Monday’s fly fishing trip. However, the wind was less than 10-mph until about noon and then it lived up to it’s forecast. Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Ron Skweres, from Bradenton, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound and the backcountry of Bull and Turtle Bays with me on Wednesday. They had steady action with trout to 20” and a couple of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails. We found trout along the outside sand bars near Catfish Creek, Turtle Bay and Cape Haze. The trout action is still steady, but the percentage of slot-size fish dropped this week maybe due to fishing pressure?
Fly angler, Bob Harness from St. Louis, MO, fished the same areas with me on Wednesday. The weather was beautiful, but the action was slow. Part of the problem was dead calm conditions making spooky fish even spookier. Bob caught and released about 10 trout outside of the Gallagher Keys on an Ultra Hair Clouser fished on an intermediate fly line. We had pompano skipping all around the boat first thing in the morning in a large pothole in Placida Harbor, but couldn’t get them to eat 3 different flies. We finally left them, opting to return later in the tide when the water was warmer. We returned to the spot at the end of the day and they had moved out of the area.
The action picked up the next day, but it still wasn’t fast. Don Millar, from Webster Groves, MO, and his son, Dan Millar from Holland, MI, fished the same waters with me on Friday. They caught and released about 20 trout, a pair of bluefish to 3-pounds, ladyfish and a pair of reds to 24” on CAL jigs with shad tails. We found reds so spooky that you could hardly get close enough to them with spinning tackle to catch them. However, later in the day when the light was getting lower and the tide getting higher, they managed to fool a pair of reds, one in Turtle Bay and another near Whidden Creek.
Dan Millar, from Holland, MI, caught this nice red on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing with near Whidden Creek with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Next week’s tide should be favorable for snook at night and reds and trout on the flats. I’ve done some scouting closer to home and I’m seeing signs of improvement. Reds are starting to show up, but trout are still scarce. As we head into spring and the water warms to the low 70’s, I’m hopeful that the flats of Sarasota Bay will return to normal.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 103
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 12, 2006 - 6:01 am: | |
Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 1/29 through 2/12/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action during the past couple of weeks with trout in Gasparilla Sound and snook at night. In addition to trout, several reds and snook were caught and released in the backcountry of Charlotte Harbor.
Fly angler, Cody Meine from Dillon, MT, fished a couple of days with me early in the week of Jan. 29th. Cody is the proprietor of Crane Meadow Lodge in Twin Bridges, MT, where I travel each summer or fall with a group of fly anglers. We fished the flats of Blackburn Bay one afternoon, where we caught and released numerous large ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. At dusk, we switched gears and fished lighted docks with small white flies where we caught and released 15 or 20 snook to 23” and a couple of blues.
The next morning we headed south to Gasparilla Sound to hunt reds. We spotted a pair of cobia swimming on top of an oyster bar near Catfish Creek. Cody’s cast was right on the money as he connected with one of them with a Clouser fly. We caught and released more than 15 trout on Clouser flies near Sandfly Key and in Bull Bay. He had several good shots at reds cruising a sand bar, but they wanted no part of us. Anyone who’s ever targeted reds with a fly rod knows that they are one of the most challenging fish to target in Florida’s clear water, especially during the winter. Another trip to Charlotte Harbor later in the week was slow. Fly anglers caught only a few trout on flies due to tough conditions.
A front blew through on Friday and wiped out the next couple of days of fishing. I was back down in Charlotte Harbor this past week where fishing for trout and reds has been the most consistent. Mike Sprague and Kep Phillips, both from NJ, fished Bull and Turtle Bays with me on Monday. We caught and released about 15 trout and a couple of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails. The next day, Joe Scottie from Sarasota, and Bill Crowley, from Casey Key, fished the same area with me. They caught more than 20 trout, including 5 trout from 16” to 20”, and a snook using the same baits.
Sarasota winter residents, Harry Beaty and Tom Schalk, fished with me on Wednesday. They caught more than 20 trout to 20” and a couple of reds in Bull and Turtle Bays on CAL jigs with shad tails. The colors that have been working best are Night Glow and Arkansas Glow Shiner, fished on a 1/16 oz. CAL jig head.
Sarasota winter resident, Tom Schalk, caught this 20" trout on a CAL jig with a Night Glow shad tail while fishing Bull Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
On Thursday, I participated in Snook Symposium V, held at the headquarters of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission in St. Petersburg. Ron Taylor and his talented staff of scientists and biologists hosted the 2-day event that covered the current stock assessment and mapped out where to go with snook in the future. Biologists, recreational anglers, professional guides and many members of the media attended and gave their input. We are fortunate to have such a group in our state.
Friday’s fly trip in Gasparilla Sound came up empty. Although I had hoped reds would tail on the negative low tide on Friday morning, they didn’t do it. We had several good shots at reds cruising a sand bar in the afternoon, but they ignored us.
Another front blew through on Saturday afternoon, bringing some of the coolest air of the season with it. Fishing will be challenging early in the week due to cold water and wind. It should improve toward the end of the week as the water warms back up and we move further away from today’s full moon.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 7:14 am: | |
Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 1/15 through 1/29/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout, bluefish and reds in Charlotte Harbor and with snook at night during the past couple of weeks.
Early in the week of Jan. 15, I fished a day in the Terra Ceia Bay area. The action was slow despite a good tide. The following two days, I headed south to Charlotte Harbor, where the action has been steady. Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Victor Feldman, from Champagne, IL, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Tuesday. They caught more than 40 trout, with a majority of them from 17”-19”, including several over 20”. They also caught several reds to 27” and a snook, all on CAL jigs with shad tails. Sarasota winter resident, Tom Schalk, and Paul Rotz, from St. Catherines, Ontario fished the same area with me on Wednesday with similar results. We found reds and trout in potholes in the backcountry of Bull Bay, where they pounced on our CAL jigs with shad tails.
Tom Lamb, from Geneva Switzerland, and his daughter, Diane Muhlfeld, from Sarasota, FL, fished Charlotte harbor with me on Tuesday. The action slowed a little, but they still managed about 25 trout to 18”, including 3 slot-size fish. Although we saw lots of reds, they weren’t in an eating mood.
Sarasota Herald-Tribune outdoor editor, Steve Gibson, and I snook fished on Wednesday evening in the ICW near Venice. The tide stalled on us due to wind and tide moving in opposite directions, but we still managed to catch and release 18 snook and a bluefish on my Grass Minnow and shrimp fly patterns.
The following evening, Rob Smith from Sarasota, FL fished the same area with me. Rob, a beginning fly fisher in saltwater, participated in one of our Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Schools at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters last spring and was ready to put his skills to work on the water. We fished a flat in Blackburn Bay at dusk, where Rob connected with a couple of large ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. Although pompano were skipping all over the flat, it got dark before we could get one to bite. We shifted gears to fishing lighted docks after dark and found snook feeding very selectively on tiny baits. Rob managed to finesse a few of them including a fat 25” snook. Even though the average size isn’t big, they make up for it in the way they fight after dark. This is a consistent option for fly anglers during the winter as long as it doesn’t get too cold.
Fly angler, Rob Smith from Sarasota, FL, caught and released this 25" snook on a Grassett's Grass Minnow fly while fishing at night near Venice with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Naples winter resident, Bill Garrett, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Saturday. The trout action was steady, but reds were tough in the clear, cool water. Keith and Bill caught more than 20 trout, including 7 slot-size fish to 19”, several bluefish and a redfish. With a negative 1’ low tide that morning, the flats were dry. Most fish were caught along the edges of flats and sandbars on CAL jigs with shad tails near Catfish Creek and Turtle Bay.
Next week’s negative low tides in the morning should be good for reds and trout in potholes and the edges of flats and sandbars of Gasparilla Sound. Fly fishing for snook at night will also be one of the best things you can do.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addicct.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 25, 2006 - 7:29 am: | |
January 25, 2006
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
Fishing has been a very quiet for the past three weeks! Moving around the bay would produce at best only a stray bluefish or ladyfish for most of the guide-boats in radio contact with me. The “I” reefs just offshore were dead and the water was very silty. We couldn’t lose bait. The weather has been perfect for the last week and we started to get some nice sheepshead on Harts reef, in the middle of the bay.
The water is very clear on the reef and you can see all the piles of structure on the bottom in six to ten feet of water. Drop your anchor in a sandy spot and let the boat drop back to the structure. You can fish straight down with a split shot or use a float and let your line drop back to the structure. Casting a weighted line into the structure will get hung-up. Sheepshead don’t eat fish, so I use live shrimp. The live shrimp are very large now, so you will need to break them up. A very sharp 2/0-3/0 hook on 30-40 pound mono leader works well. The fish have been running 2-4 pounds with a few shorts under 12”. Don’t confuse this fish with the freshwater sheepshead in the north. This fish is good to eat and not related.
Offshore, the snapper have been good at about 18 miles out. A few grouper have been found in the same area. The bad news is that the area is overrun with Tomtate grunts. They will eat a lot of your snapper bait, live shrimp and I don’t like to use them for grouper bait either.
The silty coastal water is due to the high winds we have had this month. I feel that as it clears, the fish will move back closer to the coast and into the bay.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 101
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 07, 2006 - 7:20 am: | |
Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 1/2 through 1/6/2006
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict caught and released snook, trout, bluefish and ladyfish during the past week. Fly and spin anglers fishing Little Sarasota Bay caught and released mostly ladyfish on CAL jigs with grubs and Clouser flies on a couple of trips. Charlotte Harbor remained strong for trout, but reds were finicky. The best trip of the week was fly fishing for snook and bluefish at night near Venice.
Ken Kolinski, Jim Essig and Jim’s 9-year old grandson, all from OH, fished Little Sarasota Bay near Turtle Beach with me on Monday morning. The action was steady with numerous ladyfish and a nice bluefish caught and released on CAL jigs. That evening fly anglers, Phil Rever from Sarasota, FL and Eric Dobkin, from New York City snook fished with me from Blackburn Pt. to the Venice Inlet. They caught and released more than 20 snook to 23” and about 6 bluefish to 3-pounds on my Grass Minnow snook fly.
The next day fly anglers, Mike Witsil from Sarasota, FL and his friend, Liz, from NJ, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me. It was a repeat of Monday morning with lots of ladyfish and one trout caught and released on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on intermediate fly lines. The ladyfish population hasn’t been affected by the red tides of last year, but trout have been noticeably absent in the Sarasota area.
That’s not the case in Charlotte Harbor, where the population of reds and trout is healthy. Fly anglers, Paul and Donna Pezza from RI, fished there with me on Thursday. We had a very low tide at 11 AM and I figured that reds should be tailing if the wind stayed down. I was pleasantly surprised when they were already tailing by 8 AM. Paul and Donna cast repeatedly to tailing reds and later in the tide, when they dropped into potholes, they sight cast to cruising fish to no avail. The reds either ignored us or usually spooked after several casts to them. We moved to Bull Bay where they caught and released more than 20 trout on Clouser flies fished on intermediate fly lines. They also managed several trout and ladyfish in potholes near Sandfly Key. Sometimes you’ve got to go with what’s working!
A strong cold front this weekend will drop temperatures into the low 40’s along the coast. Next week’s 2-tide days will get better towards the end of the week as we head toward a full moon on Jan. 14th. Reds and trout in potholes of Charlotte Harbor and night snook fishing after the warm up should both be good options.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 02, 2006 - 3:20 pm: | |
January 2, 2006
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
Happy New Year to you all!
The fishing on the bay has started to stabilize with snook, redfish, bluefish, and sheepshead being the top contenders. Some pompano in the passes and even a few seatrout have been caught. Fishing the docks south of the Siesta key bridge has been the most productive for snook and redfish. I like to drift along the docks casting to and just a little under the dock but never behind a pylon. That could be instant death if you hook-up. When using live shrimp, I like to leave plenty of slack in the line and let it sink to the bottom. Sometimes I use a split-shot to help it sink. When I think it is on the bottom, I will take just enough slack so that I can tell if something moves or taps the shrimp. If nothing happens, I retrieve the shrimp slowly, stopping every few feet. When we do get a pickup, I stop the drift and work that area. Redfish and snook will often feed at only one dock or pylon in the immediate area. Snook sometimes prefer a free-lined swimming shrimp over a shrimp on the bottom. Blackdrum and sheepshead are quick to eat if you get your shrimp close to a pylon. Nothing is carved in stone when fishing but the basics are the place to start.
When fishing under docks and around pylons, letting the fish take line when he first picks up the bait is not an option. You need to pull the fish away from the structure and see that he is moving away before you can let him take line. You can just lock down your drag down to start with and then loosen it if needed when you get him out of the structure. For myself, I prefer a method I call cupping the spool. I set a firm but giving drag. Before setting the hook on a pickup, I keep my rod tip pointed at the fish and take out all the slack line. Then I cup the spool with my left hand and hold it tight when setting the hook while pulling the fish away from the structure. Often just holding the fish back will cause him to take the path of least resistance and come straight at you. When the fish is out of the structure, you only need to open your hand to let him take drag, if needed. Remember not to cast too far under the docks or behind a pylon or nothing will work on a big fish. Your line may break, but it will break a lot faster if it touches any structure.
I use 12# test line with 30#-40# mono leader, 3/0 hook and sometimes a #1 split-shot. If you find some big guys, you’re going to need to beef it up.
Offshore the snapper and grouper have been chewing from the “M” reefs out. Take live shrimp for the snapper. It has been a bit too bumpy for me, but if you can handle the ride you will probably catch some nice fish.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 100
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 01, 2006 - 1:34 pm: | |
Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 12/18/05 through 1/1/06
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action during the past couple of weeks with trout, bluefish, snook and reds. The best action was in Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with trout and bluefish. Anglers using conventional tackle scored with trout to 24”, reds to 27” and bluefish as large as 4-pounds. Fly anglers connected with snook at night near Venice and large ladyfish on deep grass flats of Little Sarasota Bay.
Dick Reece, from Dayton, OH, and Tom Lamb, from Geneva, Switzerland, fished Charlotte Harbor with me early the week of Dec. 18th. They had fast action with more than 30 trout to 22” and 6 bluefish to 4-pounds. We worked potholes near Whidden Creek with CAL jigs with shad tails for the trout and found the bluefish in Placida Harbor. Later that week, Andy Ezzell from Sarasota, FL, and a couple of family members fished Little Sarasota Bay with me where they had fast action with large ladyfish on CAL jigs with grubs.
Christmas week was very busy, as most holiday weeks are. Tom Lamb fished with me again, this time in Little Sarasota Bay, with his daughter, Diane and granddaughter, Catherine. They had steady action with large ladyfish on CAL jigs with grubs. That evening, Brian Shenstone, from Gross Point Woods, MI, joined Dick Reece for an evening snook trip in the Venice area. The action started slow, but picked up as the tide turned to flow out. They caught and released more than 20 snook and several bluefish on my Grass Minnow fly.
The next day, fly angler Damon Dunn, from Wilmette, IL, fished the Little Sarasota Bay from Stickney Point to near Turtle Beach with me and had plenty of action with large ladyfish on Clouser flies. Although there has been plenty of action in Little Sarasota Bay, it has been mostly with ladyfish and the occasional trout, bluefish, red or snook.
I spent most of the rest of the week fishing Charlotte Harbor, where we had plenty of action with nice trout, blues and a few reds. Keith McClintock and his son-in-law, Rick Anderson, both from Lake Forest, IL and his son, Steve McClintock, from Pittsburgh, PA, fished there with me on Wednesday. They had a great day of fishing with more than 30 trout to 22”, several bluefish, a pompano and 3 reds to 27”. Most fish were caught in potholes of Gasparilla Sound near Whidden Creek. The next day, Bill Beauchamp and his daughter, Noel, both from Bradenton, FL, fished the same area with me. They had a similar day with trout and bluefish and one small red. The best fish of the day was an estimated 5-pound trout that Noel connected with on a jig with a shad tail in Bull Bay.
Steve McClintock, from Pittsburgh, PA, caught and released this nice bluefish on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing in Charlotte Harbor with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Tom and Jamie Minnick, from Cincinnati, OH, came down for their annual Christmas trip and fished the Terra Ceia Bay area with me on Friday. They caught and released a dozen or more trout and had numerous shots at reds, but due to the crystal clear water where we found them, they wouldn’t eat our jigs.
Fly anglers, Mark Torkos, from Dublin, OH and his 13-year old son, Ross, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on New Years Eve day. We were fogged in close to the boat ramp until almost noon before a heavy fog finally lifted. It was a tough day of fishing due to the conditions. They caught and released several trout and ladyfish on olive and white Clouser flies. Ross caught his first fish on a fly, a trout, while on a guided trip with his Dad.
Next week’s tides are favorable for reds and trout in potholes of Gasparilla Sound. Reds may also tail on shallow grass flats as the tide floods the flats. Trout season reopens in the south region while snook remain catch and release only until the end of January.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 99
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 17, 2005 - 9:11 am: | |
Sarasota & Charlotte Harbor, FL Fishing Report for 12/11 through 12/18/2005
Fly anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released bluefish, trout, snook and large ladyfish while anglers using conventional tackle caught all those species and redfish. Action improved toward the end of the week as a front approached. Good news! Trout showed up strong in Little Sarasota Bay on Friday!
Sarasota Herald-Tribune outdoor editor, Steve Gibson, and I were the guests of our friend, Capt. Rick De Paiva, in Pine Island Sound on Monday. Conditions were right for reds to be tailing on the negative low tide at dawn. Reds were tailing everywhere for about the first hour of the day giving us lots of shots with a fly but no bites. A strong northeast wind came up and they abruptly disappeared. We worked potholes with CAL jigs after that and caught and released reds, snook, trout and flounder.
Fly angler, Bill King from Osprey, FL, fished the other side of Charlotte Harbor with me on Tuesday. We fished potholes in Gasparilla Sound near Sandfly Key where Bill caught and released trout and ladyfish on Clousers and my Flats Minnow fly. Fly angler, Nick Reding from Longboat Key, FL, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me the next day. We fished docks and oyster bars looking for reds and snook but it wasn’t happening. Nick caught and released plenty of large ladyfish on deep grass flats near Midnight Pass along the way.
Fly angler, Bill King from Osprey, FL, caught and released this nice trout on a Grassett's Flats Minnow fly while fishing potholes in Gasparilla sound with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Harry Davis and his guest, Stuart Lewis, both from El Jobean, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Thursday. With an approaching front, the wind blew 15 to 20-mph most of the day. What should have been a very low tide most of the day, changed to a fast incoming tide as the wind pushed the tide in. Fish responded by chewing on CAL jigs and flies. Stuart used a fly rod to catch numerous trout to 18”, snook, bluefish and ladyfish. Harry backed him up with spinning tackle to catch 3 reds to 27”, snook, trout and bluefish. The bluefish bite was exceptionally good in Placida Harbor and trout were piled in potholes in Gasparilla Sound near Whidden Creek.
Brad Cox, from Sarasota, FL, Ryan Lockman from St. Petersburg, FL, and a couple of their colleagues fished Little Sarasota Bay with Capt. Kelly Stillwell and me on Friday. Conditions were much better than the forecast. It was clear and cool with only about 10 mph of wind out of the north. Brad and Ryan slammed with several reds, snook and lots of trout. The trout bite was very good with them catching and releasing about 15 trout, most of them from 16” to 18”.
Next weeks negative low tides in the morning should be good for reds and trout in potholes of Gasparilla Sound. If there isn’t much wind, reds may tail on shallow grass as the tide rises.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 98
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 17, 2005 - 9:11 am: | |
Sarasota & Charlotte Harbor, FL Fishing Report for 12/11 through 12/18/2005
Fly anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released bluefish, trout, snook and large ladyfish while anglers using conventional tackle caught all those species and redfish. Action improved toward the end of the week as a front approached. Good news! Trout showed up strong in Little Sarasota Bay on Friday!
Sarasota Herald-Tribune outdoor editor, Steve Gibson, and I were the guests of our friend, Capt. Rick De Paiva, in Pine Island Sound on Monday. Conditions were right for reds to be tailing on the negative low tide at dawn. Reds were tailing everywhere for about the first hour of the day giving us lots of shots with a fly but no bites. A strong northeast wind came up and they abruptly disappeared. We worked potholes with CAL jigs after that and caught and released reds, snook, trout and flounder.
Fly angler, Bill King from Osprey, FL, fished the other side of Charlotte Harbor with me on Tuesday. We fished potholes in Gasparilla Sound near Sandfly Key where Bill caught and released trout and ladyfish on Clousers and my Flats Minnow fly. Fly angler, Nick Reding from Longboat Key, FL, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me the next day. We fished docks and oyster bars looking for reds and snook but it wasn’t happening. Nick caught and released plenty of large ladyfish on deep grass flats near Midnight Pass along the way.
Fly angler, Bill King from Osprey, FL, caught and released this nice trout on a Grassett's Flats Minnow fly while fishing potholes in Gasparilla sound with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Harry Davis and his guest, Stuart Lewis, both from El Jobean, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Thursday. With an approaching front, the wind blew 15 to 20-mph most of the day. What should have been a very low tide most of the day, changed to a fast incoming tide as the wind pushed the tide in. Fish responded by chewing on CAL jigs and flies. Stuart used a fly rod to catch numerous trout to 18”, snook, bluefish and ladyfish. Harry backed him up with spinning tackle to catch 3 reds to 27”, snook, trout and bluefish. The bluefish bite was exceptionally good in Placida Harbor and trout were piled in potholes in Gasparilla Sound near Whidden Creek.
Brad Cox, from Sarasota, FL, Ryan Lockman from St. Petersburg, FL, and a couple of their colleagues fished Little Sarasota Bay with Capt. Kelly Stillwell and me on Friday. Conditions were much better than the forecast. It was clear and cool with only about 10 mph of wind out of the north. Brad and Ryan slammed with several reds, snook and lots of trout. The trout bite was very good with them catching and releasing about 15 trout, most of them from 16” to 18”.
Next weeks negative low tides in the morning should be good for reds and trout in potholes of Gasparilla Sound. If there isn’t much wind, reds may tail on shallow grass as the tide rises.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
BobSmith (Unregistered Guest)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 12, 2005 - 12:08 pm: | |
December 11, 2005
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
The redfish slammed us Friday morning. Around 8:00am Friday, I slid into the Sands Point lagoon at New Pass and picked one of the new docks to start at. The dock was about halfway in and by pure luck, it was the only hot spot in the lagoon all morning. The average size was about 25” with a few over the slot and only one under. It was fish after fish until about 10:30am. It was also the start of an outgoing tide when we started fishing.
We caught a few bluefish, black drum, and sheepshead in the mix using the large live shrimp that seem to be the only size the bait shops have at this time. I have never seen so many large shrimp being caught on the bay. I used a 3/0 hook with 40lb mono leader and one large split-shot. Cast as close to the pylon as you can letting it sink to the bottom with plenty of slack in your line. When you think it is on the bottom, take out most of the slack so that you can see if a fish moves your line. Then sometimes you will need to move it slowly across the bottom. Regardless of how they chew, the one thing you can never do is let them get back to the pylons ounce you have them hooked.
We finished off the day with bluefish in New Pass. The blues were thick on the south side at the end of the old docks, going out. I used the same rig as for the redfish but broke the shrimp into smaller pieces. We drifted with the out going tide and let the large split-shot take the bait to the bottom. Small jigs work as well but all must get to the bottom. The bluefish were running two to three pounds. They are the right size and just in time to pickle for New Years. The recipe for pickled bluefish is on my website.
On Saturday, the redfish did not return but the bluefish did.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 10, 2005 - 5:14 am: | |
Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 11/29 through 12/10/2005
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released reds, snook, trout, jacks, bluefish and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails and a variety of flies during the past couple of weeks. Reds, snook and trout ate jigs in the Terra Ceia area while snook, trout, ladyfish, jacks and bluefish ate flies in the same area and in Little Sarasota Bay.
My friends, Rusty Chinnis from Longboat Key, FL and Steve Gibson, from Sarasota, FL, fished the Terra Ceia area with me on Thursday, Dec. 1st. We had fast action with reds and snook to 23” and trout to 18” on CAL jigs with shad tails. A negative low tide had fish piled up in deeper water.
The following day, fly angler Nick Reding from Longboat Key, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me. He connected with a pair of reds and a mystery fish that ran well into the backing before the hook pulled. We used my Flats Minnow fly and Clousers while fishing outside sand bars and potholes in Gasparilla Sound. We also saw a couple of reds tailing, but they weren’t tailing hard and didn’t give us good shots.
Fly angler Dave Wahl, from Sterling, IL, fished with me on Sunday and Monday of the past week. We fished Little Sarasota Bay on Sunday morning where Dave had fast action with large ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on an intermediate fly line. The following morning, we headed for the Terra Ceia area to see if we could find the reds, snook and trout that I had been dialed into a few days before. A warming trend must have scattered the fish because all we could manage was a bluefish and a jack where reds and snook were plentiful several days before. We worked deep grass flats on the south side of Terra Ceia Bay looking for trout, but big ladyfish beat them to the fly every time. Not such a bad problem!
My friend, Dusty Sprague from North Port, FL, joined me for a morning of fishing in Little Sarasota Bay on Friday morning. We caught and released trout, snook and large ladyfish on Clouser and baitfish flies. We worked the ICW channel edges near Midnight Pass searching for pompano or bluefish, but they weren’t there that day. An ominous day, a heavy sea fog rolled in on us around noon.
Next week’s tides are favorable for reds to tail on shallow grass flats of Gasparilla and Pine Island Sound. Pothole fishing on the extreme low tides, as we head toward a full moon on Thursday, may also be a good option. Although the best tides are close to the new and full moons, fish will sometimes feed at night on clear nights during a full moon.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 96
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 28, 2005 - 4:57 pm: | |
Sarasota & Charlotte Harbor, FL Fishing Report for 11/7 through 11/28/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict caught and released a variety of fish during the past several weeks. Fly and spin anglers caught and released, trout, bluefish, pompano and snook on a variety of jigs and flies. Large ladyfish have been plentiful on deep grass flats of Little Sarasota Bay and in Sarasota Bay along the east side.
A couple of trips to Charlotte Harbor during the week of Nov. 6th produced trout, bluefish, ladyfish and snook on CAL jigs and Clouser flies. Several small reds were also caught and released with CAL jigs.
I traveled to Dania Beach, FL, near Ft. Lauderdale to attend an organizational meeting for a Florida Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers on Nov. 12th. The new council, which will be formed by at least 10 FFF affiliated clubs around the state, will address problems and concerns of Florida fly fishers. Since we were only an hour or so away from the upper Keys, my friend Rusty Chinnis and I snuck in a day of bonefishing on Sunday with Capt. Duane Baker, out of Tavernier, FL. We caught and released a pair of bones on Merkin crab patterns, including one of my biggest ever on a fly, an estimated 9 to 10-pound fish. Rusty caught and released a 6-pounder, also a very nice bonefish.
I was out of town for most of the following week due to a death in the family. I returned to Florida just in time for last Monday’s front. We fished Little Sarasota Bay the following 2 days where we caught and released snook, jacks and ladyfish on jigs and flies. Bob Sawtelle, from Corydon, IN, and John Maxwell, from Indianapolis, IN, fished with me on a windy afternoon last Tuesday. Although the wind was gusting in the 30’s, they braved the conditions and caught and released ladyfish on CAL jigs in Blackburn Bay.
Russell Moore, from Sarasota, FL, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday afternoon. He caught and released several snook to 24” and numerous large ladyfish on CAL jigs with grubs and shad tails. We pitched jigs under docks along the west side of the bay to catch the snook while the ladyfish were plentiful on deep flats near Spanish Point. Fly anglers, Dave Smid and Wendell Scott, both from Springfield, MO, snook fished with me on Wednesday evening. The action was low to start but picked up as the evening went on. They caught and released more than a dozen snook on Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies. The best action was near Venice, where the water was slightly off color.
Mike Penny, from Duluth, GA, and his daughter, Claudia, fished Charlotte Harbor near Boca Grande with me on Friday. The action wasn’t fast, but it was steady. They caught and released numerous trout, four reds and a snook on CAL jigs with shad tails to complete their slam. The reds were caught on the outside sandbars of Bull and Turtle Bays and the trout and snook were caught in Gasparilla Sound near Whidden Creek.
Mike Penny, from Duluth, GA, and his daughter, Claudia, caught and released this snook on a CAL jig near Whidden Creek in Gasparilla Sound.
Mike Bowles, from Palo Alto, CA, and his family group fished Sarasota Bay with me, Capt. Kelly Stillwell and Capt. Ryan Kaney on Saturday morning. The group had fast action at the Middleground flat in Sarasota Bay with 9 pompano, several bluefish and numerous ladyfish. Most of the group fished flies including Mike and his daughter, Kaleigh, who fished with me. Fly angler, Andrew Stiles from Richmond, VA, fished the same area with me on Sunday morning. He caught and released numerous large ladyfish on Clouser flies while we searched for pompano. Although we skipped several pompano, they wouldn’t eat our flies that day.
Fly anglers, Charlie Alexander from Osprey, FL, and his fourteen-year old grandson, Kyle Henderson, from CT fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Monday morning. Since it was a windy day, we were seeking some protection from the wind. They had fast action with large ladyfish caught and released with Clouser flies near Blackburn Point. Although there have been some pompano and bluefish in that part of the bay recently, the ladyfish beat them to the fly every time.
Negative low tides later this week as we head toward a new moon on Thursday should be good for reds in Charlotte Harbor and lower Tampa Bay. Night snook fishing is also one of the better fly fishing options now.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
BobSmith (Unregistered Guest)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 14, 2005 - 1:11 pm: | |
November 14, 2005
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
The fish are in and the Redtide is out! The cobia are thick along the beach and the artificial ¡§I¡¨ reefs. Cobias up to thirty pounds have been caught and fifteen to twenty pounds is average size. Live shrimp is doing the job but cobia will eat everything it sees, including top water plugs or diving jigs.
On the bay, the pompano are starting to show in Big Pass and on the flats. It has not been a hard run but some nice size fish. Jigs tipped with pieces of shrimp or whole sand fleas are working. Small snook have been plentiful for the anglers chumming with whitebait. Sheepshead is also on the chew for shrimp or crabs. They can be caught both inshore and offshore and found on any structure.
Offshore around the Cudahole and any of the (M) reefs have all turned on. Everything seemed to come back in a day. Nice snapper and grouper are on the bottom with plenty of Spanish and LTs on top with just a hint of Kingfishļ.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 06, 2005 - 5:01 am: | |
Sarasota & Charlotte Harbor, FL Fishing Report for 10/31 through 11/6/2005
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action during the past week with trout, bluefish, snook and ladyfish. The coastal gulf exploded with action at the end of the week as schools of ladyfish, bluefish and Spanish mackerel blasted glass minnows at the surface.
Fly angler, Mike Perez from Richmond, IN, fished Charlotte Harbor near Boca Grande with me on Tuesday. Mike caught and released a 3-pound bluefish, numerous trout to 18” and large ladyfish on a variety of flies. Most fish were found along the edges of outside sandbars. Wednesdays trip in the coastal gulf and Little Sarasota Bay was slow. We spent most of the morning looking for breaking fish in the coastal gulf waters, but it wasn’t happening. We came back inside where we caught a few jacks, ladyfish, a bluefish and a trout on jigs and flies.
Fly angler, Ray Kelley from Ann Arbor, MI, came down on Thursday and Friday to collect on the trip that I donated to the Ann Arbor Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Since he was traveling so far, he fished an extra day with me while he was here. The best day was Friday when we started before daylight and snook fished in Little Sarasota Bay around lighted docks and bridge fenders. Ray started the day off with about 6 snook to 23”, several big ladyfish and a bluefish on my Grass Minnow snook fly. We then headed for the gulf where we found several schools of breaking fish, which were a mixture of large ladyfish, bluefish and Spanish mackerel. Ray caught and released several nice fish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies out of the frenzy.
Ray Kelley, from Ann Arbor, MI, caught and released this nice bluefish on a fly while fishing at night in Little Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Yesterday, the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers had a casting clinic for its members at Phillipi Shores Park in Sarasota. Federation of Fly Fishers Board of Governors member, Dusty Sprague, led the event. Master certified casting instructor and club prsident, Capt. Pete Greenan and certified casting instructors Dave Hutchinson, Bob Beanblossom and myself were the instructors. The event was well attended with about 25 members of the club participating. A series of topics were covered in the morning with casting instruction in the afternoon following grilled hamburgers and hot dogs at lunch prepared by club member, Ron Whitely and his wife.
Next week’s tides are favorable for reds and trout on the flats of Charlotte Harbor. Night snook fishing is heating up as snook move toward their wintertime haunts. Hopefully, some of the best action is yet to come with Spanish mackerel, bluefish and little tunny in the coastal gulf waters.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 30, 2005 - 8:11 am: | |
Sarasota, FL Fishing Report for 10/23 through 10/30/2005
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook and ladyfish on a couple of trips this week. We dodged another bullet last Monday with Hurricane Wilma doing exactly as predicted making landfall more than 100 miles south of Sarasota. We had sustained winds in the mid 40’s and gust to the mid 50’s, but the area had minimal damage. Following Wilma last Monday, a blast of cool air blew through our area dropping the water temperature 15 degrees.
Wednesday’s trip in north Sarasota Bay was very slow with the water temperature at 64 degrees. We fished the east side of the bay from the downtown area all the way to Long Bar. The good news is that there are no signs of red tide and the water is very clear.
I headed south to Little Sarasota Bay on Thursday with fly angler Patrice Camilliari, from Paris, France. Patrice is an experienced fly angler, but is new to Florida saltwater fly fishing. He fished hard and was rewarded with his first snook caught with a fly.
On Saturday, I fished the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers/Coastal Conservation Association Inaugural “Fall Fly Fishing Challenge” with Rusty Chinnis and Bill King, both from the Sarasota area. The tournament drew more than 40 of the top fly anglers on the Suncoast. The event has no high-stakes, which makes for a relaxed atmosphere. Fly anglers competed for handsome plaques, prizes from sponsors and bragging rights to be one of best fly anglers in the area.
The best catches were in Little Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor. CB’s Saltwater Outfitters manager, Doug Forde from Sarasota, FL, won the snook division with 148.75” of snook caught and released. Sarasota Herald-Tribune outdoor editor and tournament co-chairman Steve Gibson, from Sarasota, FL, won the trout division with 152.5” and MCFF president, Capt. Pete Greenan, also from Sarasota, FL, won the tournament with a slam totaling 60.75”.
Next week’s tides are favorable for tailing reds in the morning in the Charlotte Harbor area. Also, look for reds and trout in potholes or snook around docks or natural structure. Night snook fishing should improve drastically as soon as snook acclimate to the cooler water.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 23, 2005 - 6:50 am: | |
Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 10/16 through 10/23/2005
Willl-maa! No, that’s not Fred Flintstone yelling for his wife, it’s Hurricane Wilma racing toward Southwest Florida. All eyes are on the storm as we try to figure just where she’ll make landfall. Hopefully, she’ll avoid the most populated areas and not cause too much damage.
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released bluefish, Spanish mackerel, snook, trout, ladyfish and jacks during the past week. Action was slow early in the week, probably due to the effects of the full moon on Monday but things picked up toward the end of the week. Fall action is about to explode, as bluefish and Spanish mackerel seem to be moving into our area.
Tuesday’s trip in the Terra Ceia area with fly anglers was very slow. The action picked up a little on Wednesday as Dan Miller and Dave Buchert, both from Cincinnati, OH, fished with me near Sarasota’s Big Pass and Roberts Bay. They caught and released several snook and a jack on DOA Deadly Combos, CAL jigs and a MirrOlure She Dog, Jr.
Fly anglers, Kyle Ruffing and Jon Yenari, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Charlotte Harbor near Boca Grande with me on Thursday. They caught and released several trout and ladyfish in Gasparilla Sound on Clouser flies. The bonus was a 4-½ -pound Spanish mackerel and a nice bluefish also caught in the same area. Kyle and Jon also caught several nice trout and a jack near Turtle Bay and had several shots at reds cruising on a sandbar, but no takers.
Fly angler, Kyle Ruffing from Sarasota, FL, caught this 4 1/2-pound Spanish mackerel on a Clouser fly on a Gasparilla Sound flat while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Fly angler, Jim Davis from Rumson, NJ, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me early Friday morning on a pre dawn snook/flats trip. There were plenty of snook around the lighted docks and bridge fenders, but despite a strong outgoing tide they weren’t on a bite. Jim managed to catch and release several snook and a jack on a variety of flies. A front or two will give snook fishing the shot in the arm that it needs.
John and Barbara Freeman, from Edina, MN, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday morning. We headed north out of City Island and found good conditions in north Sarasota Bay. As far north as the Ringling Mansion on the east side of the bay and Buttonwood Harbor on the west side, we found clear water and plentiful baitfish. They caught and released 6 or 8 bluefish and numerous ladyfish on CAL jigs, DOA Deadly Combos and top water plugs.
After Wilma passes through our area early Monday morning, we are supposed to get the first real front of the fall season. Action should get hot on the flats, in bays and the coastal gulf waters as the water temperature drops into the low 70’s. There is still time to sign up for the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers & Coastal Conservation Association-Florida “Fall Fly Fishing Challenge” to be held next Saturday, October, 29th, out of the City Island boat ramp at Sarasota’s Ken Thompson Park. Anglers will target snook, redfish and trout with flies only in a catch-photo-release format. For more info or to sign up, fly anglers can contact me.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 10:28 am: | |
Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 10/9 through 10/16/2005
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitter’s on Siesta Key, had good action with a variety of species during the past week. Anglers using conventional tackle scored with tarpon, redfish, snook, trout, crevalle jacks, bluefish and pompano. Fly anglers caught and released snook, mangrove snapper and a sheepshead.
Keith McClintock and Barry Slee, both from Lake Forest, IL, fished with me on Monday and Wednesday. We fished the Peace River and canal systems of Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte on Monday. They caught and released a 30-pound tarpon, one of 4 tarpon jumped. All of the tarpon ate a DOA TerrorEyz crawled slowly along the bottom.
Barry Slee, from Lake Forest, IL, caught and released this estimated 30-pound tarpon on a DOA TerrorEyz while fishing a Peace River canal with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Keith and Barry also fish the Charlotte Harbor area near Boca Grande with me frequently, but since lower Tampa Bay has been fishing well, they opted to fish that area on Wednesday. It proved to be a good choice, since we had fast action most of the day.
We fished the Terra Ceia area where they caught and released about 15 snook to 23”on CAL jigs. The highlight of the day was when we found a school of about 200 redfish with large jacks and bluefish mixed with them. With all the red tide that has been around north Sarasota Bay this fall, this was the 1st school of reds that I’d found this season. Keith and Barry doubled twice as we approached the school and one time I couldn’t resist throwing a MirrOlure She Dog, Jr. into the school and we tripled. Along with 5 big reds to 30”, we also caught a 5-pound jack and a 5-pound bluefish out of the school. We finished the day with a few more snook, another redfish and several trout. Most fish were caught on CAL jigs with shad tails.
George Brown, from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, and his guest, Jason Trochessett from Naples, FL, fished Charlotte Harbor near Boca Grande with me on Friday. George was the successful bidder on a 2-day fishing package in the Sarasota area at the Jacksonville, FL CCA banquet. Included in the package was a day of fishing with me, a day with Capt. Kelly Stillwell and lodging at Siesta Suites on Siesta Key. We had good action with snook, although fishing got slow in the middle of the day at the top of the tide. They caught more than a dozen snook to 26”, a small redfish, several mangrove snapper and a sheepshead. Most fish were on a bendback fly and the rest were on CAL jigs with shad tails and a gold spoon. Many of the snook were small, but they still smacked the fly or lure like the big boys!
On Saturday afternoon, Capt. Ray Markham and I fished a group of 4 anglers in the Terra Ceia area. Fly anglers, Michael and Laura Ekwall from NV, fished with me and Emory and Roy Jewell, from Tampa, FL, fished with Capt. Ray. We caught and released a few fish on a variety of flies, including snook, trout and mangrove snapper. Capt. Ray’s boat, with spin anglers, had good action with snook, trout, grouper and a nice redfish on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Next week’s strong outgoing tides in the morning should be good for snook and redfish on the flats. Reds may tail on shallow grass flats of Gasparilla and Pine Island Sound. In addition, juvenile tarpon action is reaching a peak in upper Charlotte Harbor.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 08, 2005 - 9:05 am: | |
Southwest FL Fishing Report for 9/26 through 10/8/2005
Spin anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key caught and released mainly snook along with scattered trout, jacks, sheepshead and a red in Little Sarasota Bay during the past couple of weeks. Fly anglers scored with juvenile tarpon in the 15 to 25-pound class in the Peace River and canal systems of Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte.
Jason Puckett, from Sarasota, Fl and his cousin, Justin Suarez from NJ, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me early in the week of Sept. 26. We fished a couple of hours before daylight for snook and then moved to the flats. The action wasn’t fast, but Justin not only caught his first snook but had a slam as well. We pitched DOA shrimp, Tiny TerrorEyz and Deadly Combos around docks, bridges and on the flats.
Fly anglers John Alvarez and Jeff Solis, both from southern CA, fished a couple of days for juvenile tarpon in the Peace River with me later in the week. They caught and released 2 out of 3 tarpon jumped on Enrico Puglisi Finger Mullet and bunny flies fished on fast sinking fly lies and stripped slowly along the bottom.
John and Jeff, a fly fishing guide in the Baja region of Mexico, were in the area as exhibitors at the Shallow Water Fishing Show in Sarasota on Oct. 1st and 2nd. John’s company, Fly Tubez, sells a fly line management system that incorporates tubes into a mat that holds your fly line loops on the deck of your boat. We tested it on my boat and it does a nice job.
Mark Castlow, of Castlow Productions, assembled an impressive line up of vendors and seminar speakers for his Shallow Water Fishing Show headlined by Lefty Kreh and Flip Pallot. Many major manufacturers and retailers of fly and conventional fishing tackle and everything that goes along with it were present. The highlight of my weekend was when I got to sit in on an interview with Lefty and Flip as they discussed and reminisced about the early days of saltwater fly fishing.
Earle “Roo” Wood, III, from Easton, MD and his family group including his Dad and a couple of cousins fished with Capt. Ed Hurst and I in Little Sarasota Bay on Tuesday morning. Several snook, a jack and a sheepshead were caught and released on my boat on DOA shrimp, Tiny TerrorEyz, CAL jigs and Deadly Combos. Anglers on Capt. Ed’s boat caught and released snook, redfish and ladyfish.
Earle Wood, III and his family group fished Little Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett and caught this snook on a DOA Tiny TerrorEyz.
Thursday’s trip in the same area with a fly angler came up empty. The tide was good, the water looked good and the angler did a great job covering mangrove shorelines, sand and oyster bars with a variety of flies, but it just wasn’t happening. I spent Friday up in the Terra Ceia Bay area as a camera boat for The Outdoor Channel TV show “Shallow Water Angler”. My friend, Capt. Ray Markham and host Jeff Weakly fished from one boat while I followed along with the cameraman/director. They had fast action with numerous snook and a pair of pompano on a variety of jigs and soft plastic baits.
Next week’s tides should be favorable for reds and snook on the flats, particularly toward the end of the week. Juvenile tarpon in upper Charlotte Harbor should also be a good option.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, September 25, 2005 - 3:30 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 9/5 through 9/25/2005
Anglers fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had a variety of action during the past several weeks. Spin and fly anglers caught snook around lighted docks and bridge fenders before daylight and reds on the flats. I usually take some time off during September and this year was no different. I spent several days in the Keys catching bonefish with a fly and a couple of days in the Chesapeake Bay catching stripers with a fly.
Brian and Joanne Shenstone, from Gross Point Woods, MI fished a pre dawn snook trip with me early in the month before I headed for the Keys. The snook bite was not as good as it was in August, but Brian caught and released about 6 snook to 24” on a variety of flies in Little Sarasota Bay. They were feeding very selectively, so it was a challenge to make the right presentation and get a bite.
My wife, Karen, and I spent several days in Islamorada from Sept. 6th-11th where I fished the Islamorada/Sarasota shootout with other members of the Sarasota Sportfishing Anglers Club. Aledia Tush, owner of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, shared several trips with me with good results. We fished with Orvis-Endorsed guides Duane Baker and Albert Ponzoa on two days. We also spent a day with Capt. Rusty Albury. I caught and released 3 bonefish, including a 28 ½” fish, on a Merkin Crab fly while Aledia caught and released a pair of bonefish and a pair of tarpon on spinning tackle.
Aledia gets an assist on two of my bonefish. One of them ran the fly line through an “I” bolt on a mooring anchor and she bailed out of the boat in waist deep water to free my fly line. On the other fish, which was the 28 ½” fish, I had knot in the fly line, which cleared the guides going out the rod tip, but couldn’t be reeled back in. She picked the knot out while Capt. Duane drove the boat to keep the line tight so the fish could be landed. Thanks Aledia!
We spent a portion of one of our days targeting permit and although we had several shots, I’m still looking for my first permit on a fly. I finished 1st in the bonefish division with the 28 ½” fish and Aledia finished 3rd with a 20 ½” fish. A good showing in that division but Islamorada won the tournament 18 to 12 based on a point system.
I was home for a few days of fishing in Sarasota from Sept.12th-15th and found the snook to be very finicky. Fly angler, John Evans from the UK, caught and released about 6 snook with me on Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies with me in Little Sarasota Bay one morning. Another pre dawn fly trip in the same area that week with Norm Worthington, from Sarasota, FL, produced only one snook and a jack. Snook were feeding under the lights, but didn’t want to eat what we were offering. We also had a couple of shots at reds cruising on a sand bar, but they didn’t want to bite either.
Scott Miller, from Wheeling, WV fished Robert’s Bay with me one day that week and caught a 25” snook on a DOA Tiny TerrorEyz before daylight and a couple of nice reds to 24” on a MirrOlure She Dog, Jr.
I was on the road again from Sept. 16th –21st visiting family in Delaware. Of course, I also fished a couple of days in the Chesapeake Bay while I was there with my brother and a couple of guide friends. Last Sunday, we were the guests of my friend Capt. Matt Tawes, from Crisfield, MD, aboard his 21’ Parker. We fished Tangier Sound where we caught several schoolie stripers on flies and jigs. The following day we fished Eastern Bay, near Kent Island, with Capt. Scott Hopkins aboard his 20’ Jones Brothers boat. We caught and released about 40 stripers, which were breaking on the surface that day, mostly on Clouser flies.
I got back to Sarasota just in time to fish the 21st annual Tampa CCA Photo All-Release Challenge, which my wife, Karen, and I have fished for about the last 15 years. This year, Aledia Tush, also fished the tournament with us. We had a great day of practice fishing on Friday from the Manatee River to near Bishop Harbor, catching and releasing snook to 34” and several nice reds. Although they weren’t tournament species, we also had good action with bluefish to 3-pounds.
Karen Grassett and Aledia Tush with a 34" snook caught and released by Capt. Rick Grassett on a CAL jig with a shad tail on 10-lb. test Power Pro line.
Friday was so good it was almost a bad omen. Friday was overcast and although it made sight fishing impossible, fish bit well all day long. Saturday was sunny with a little more wind and the bite was not quite as good. I started the day with a nice red on a fly in the Manatee River and then things got slow. We headed north of the Skyway Bridge where we got it going again. Aledia and Karen caught and released several short snook on a variety of jigs, MirrOlure Top Dogs and DOA Deadly Combos and I had another short snook on my Flats Minnow fly. I finally caught a barely legal trout, also on my Flats Minnow fly and Aledia caught a 19 ¾” trout on a weedless-rigged CAL jerkworm. It was a tough day of fishing, but our efforts paid off. Aledia won the Ladies Division for trout and I finished as the runner up in the Fly Fishing Division with 36 ½” of fish. Scott Dalton, from Bradenton, FL, was the winner of the Fly fishing Division with 53” of fish.
Next week’s tides are favorable for snook fishing before dawn and early in the day or reds on the flats. In addition, juvenile tarpon should also be an option in Little Sarasota Bay and the Peace River.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, September 04, 2005 - 11:12 am: | |
Sarasota and Boca Grande, FL Fishing Report for 8/ 27 through 9/4/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict continued to have good action with snook before dawn. In addition, crevalle jacks and ladyfish attacked schools of glass minnows on the surface providing fast action with flies, jigs and top water plugs.
Fly anglers, Andrew Stiles from Richmond, VA and his brother, Herb Stiles from Pinehurst, NC, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday morning. The tide was not great but they still managed to catch and release several snook on flies. Both avid fly anglers, Andrew and Herb can now add another species to the list of fish they’ve caught on flies!
I was the guest of Dusty Sprague, from Rotonda, FL, to fish with him on his new Dolphin flats skiff in the Boca Grande area. His boat poles like a dream and the Evinrude E-Tech engine ran and shifted as smooth as a car. Dusty is a Master Certified Casting Instructor and a member of the Board of Governor’s of the Federation of Fly Fishers. It was a pleasure to share his boat and spend a day casting with someone of his caliber. We spent about ½ the morning dodging a couple of thunderstorms that threatened us with lightning. Dusty caught and released a redfish on my Flats Minnow fly before we headed for the safety of the Fishery Restaurant and a big bowl of their famous gumbo.
Pete Richardson and his son, Harry, both from the UK, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Friday morning. The tide was better and the action faster than it was on Wednesday’s trip. They caught and released about 10 snook to 25” on my Grass Minnow and String Bean flies, DOA shrimp and DOA Tiny TerrorEyz. Harry hooked a big fish right at dawn that couldn’t be turned before it reached some structure. After daylight they caught and released numerous jacks, ladyfish and a trout on MirrOlure She Dogs. The fish were “breaking” on glass minnows on the edge of the ICW.
The next morning, John Chaney from Sarasota, FL, and his guest, Dennis Clark from Worcester, MA, did the same thing with me. John is an experienced fresh water trout angler but had never fly fished in the salt before. They caught about 10 snook to 25” on flies and DOA Tiny TerrorEyz. Being a holiday weekend, we headed for the dock just after dawn with a successful fishing trip under our belt!
John Chaney, from Sarasota, FL, caught his 1st snook on a fly while fishing Little Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Next week’s 4-tide days will be favorable for fishing the flats early or late in the day, snook around lighted docks and bridge fenders or juvenile tarpon in the Peace River and upper Charlotte Harbor.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook fin-Addict guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 88
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 27, 2005 - 8:35 am: | |
Sarasota & Charlotte Harbor, FL Fishing Report for 8/22 through 8/27/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action with snook and tarpon during the past week. Snook before daylight continued to be one of the best options. Juvenile tarpon in the Peace River also provided fast action.
Fly angler, Bob Harness from St. Louis, MO, fished 3 days with me last week. We spent one of the days in Charlotte Harbor hunting for tarpon and fishing a flat for redfish. We found a few tarpon, but the bite wasn’t on. Likewise with the reds we found, only a few were tailing at the bottom of the tide but didn’t let us get within casting range.
The best action was when we snook fished in Little Sarasota Bay before daylight on 2 of the days. Bob caught and released several snook each morning on Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies. In addition, we had shots at tarpon at first light but they didn’t bite.
Paul Nevins, from Sarasota, FL, hit it just right with the tarpon when we fished the Peace River on Wednesday. We found tarpon in the 15 to 25-pound class feeding on baitfish in the river. Paul jumped 4 tarpon and landed one, a 25-pounder, on DOA TerrorEyz. In addition, he had several other strikes and had another of the 4 tarpon that he connected with at the side of the boat when the hook pulled.
Paul Nevins, from Sarasota, FL, caught and released this 25-pound tarpon on a DOA TerrorEyz while fishing the Peace River with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Hurricane Katrina threatened us on Friday, but by the time Saturday morning rolled around she had made other plans. The hurricane, which was forecast to be just off the Sarasota coast on Saturday took a jog to the west-southwest and is no longer a threat to us. Next week’s tides will improve toward the end of the week as we head toward a new moon on Sept. 3rd. Snook before dawn and juvenile tarpon will continues to be a couple of good options.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 87
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 21, 2005 - 7:31 am: | |
Sarasota, FL Fishing Report for 8/15 through 8/21/2005
The early bird gets the worm! Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had fast action with snook before daylight while fishing lighted areas. In addition, juvenile tarpon in the 10-pound class have been making a brief showing for only about 10 or 15 minutes at dawn each day. Redfish, mangrove snapper, crevalle jacks and ladyfish rounded out the catch. Anglers scored with DOA shrimp, CAL jigs, MirrOlure She Pups and Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies.
Carey and Danny Broughton, from the UK, fished with me on Monday and Wednesday. We fished from Big Pass north to the Long Bar area on Monday since I had located some reds there several days before. We began our trips before dawn, which is a normal routine for me this time of the year. We fished lighted docks near Big Pass on Monday morning and although there were plenty of snook under the lights they weren’t biting. They did manage 3 fat mangrove snapper to 14” on DOA shrimp. The reds I had found several days before were nowhere to be found.
We shifted our efforts to the south on Wednesday morning and fished Little Sarasota Bay, which has been the most dependable. We caught and released more than 10 snook to 25” on DOA shrimp before dawn and then worked mangrove shorelines and sand bars before the sauna got too hot. Danny connected with a 26” red that blew up on a MirrOlure She Pup to end the day!
Danny Broughton, from the UK, fished Little Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett where he caught this nice red on a MirrOlure She Pup.
Jason Miller, from Wheeling, WV, and his girlfriend, Erika, fished the same area with me on Tuesday morning. Jason first fished with me almost 15 years ago as a youngster with his Dad. The snook action was slower that morning due to a tide that wasn’t moving much, but they managed a few. However, the tide picked up speed at about dawn and they were rewarded with a pair of reds to 26” and a nice jack caught on CAL jigs with shad tails. One of the reds was caught on a MirrOlure She Pup.
Joe Dutmers and his son, Mark, squeezed in a trip on Thursday morning before Mark heads back to school at Georgetown University. They fished with me the same time last year and had a banner day with tarpon in Charlotte Harbor 2 days before Hurricane Charley blew through. They opted for some snook and flats action on this trip and we fished Little Sarasota Bay. They caught and released 6 or 8 snook including a nice 29” fish. The mangroves and docks didn’t produce for us after daylight but we did bump into some breaking jacks that entertained us for a while.
Fellow Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers member, Tony Johnson from Venice, FL and his guest, Mark Bonnett from Portland, OR, fished the same area with me on Friday morning. They caught and released about 10 snook to 24” on my Grass Minnow fly before daylight. I had tied some of the same pattern on 1/0 Owner AKI hooks so that if the tarpon showed we’d be ready for them. My night snook fly is normally tied on a #4 Mustad 34007 hook, which is fine for most snook but too small to hold a tarpon. The tarpon showed a little early and the guys each jumped one on the smaller hook flies before I had a chance to switch flies. Tony had his tarpon next to the boat when the hook pulled but they each got a couple of spectacular jumps! They finished the morning off catching and releasing jacks and ladyfish that were breaking on the surface in the ICW channel.
Next week’s tides are favorable for tailing redfish in Charlotte Harbor, which I’ll probably be targeting. We don’t get many tailing redfish in the Sarasota area due to the type of bottom we have here, but Gasparilla and Pine Island Sounds have plenty of tailing reds when the tide is right. A tide that is less than 1.0 will allow their tails to stick out of the water if you’re in the right spot. In addition, tarpon of all sizes should be available in upper Charlotte Harbor.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 86
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 13, 2005 - 11:35 am: | |
Sarasota, FL Fishing Report for 7/31 through 8/14/2005
Fly and spin anglers had fast action with snook around lighted docks in Little Sarasota and Blackburn Bays during the past couple of weeks. Snook attacked shrimp and glass minnows along shadow lines before daylight and went on surface feeding frenzies at dawn. In addition, several juvenile tarpon in the 10-pound class were jumped on flies and one landed on a DOA shrimp. The occasional jack in the 5-pound class also kept things interesting.
Jon and Jake Wyman, from Bradenton, FL, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me during the first week of August. The action wasn’t fast, but was steady. We worked docks and sand bars bore dusk with CAL jigs and DOA Deadly combos. After dark we fished lighted docks with CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA shrimp. They caught and released a dozen snook to 23” and a couple of jacks.
Fly anglers Jim and Scott Hutchins, both from Sarasota, FL, fished the same area with me on a pre dawn snook trip later in the week. The action was similar although there wasn’t anything happening on the flats after daylight. They caught and released 6 or 8 snook on Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies.
One of the best trips of the week was with Denise Bruner, from Tampa, FL. Denise, an accomplished fly angler and a member of the Tampa Bay Fly Fishers, had purchased a trip with me at her fly fishing club’s annual fund raising banquet. We went with the same game plan, a pre dawn start, and it paid off. The tide was getting better as the week passed and the fishing got better, too. Denise caught and released about 20 snook to 24”, a nice jack and some mangrove snapper. We used my Grass Minnow fly and String Beans before daylight and poppers at dawn. The action was equally split between sub surface action in the dark and top water action at dawn. In addition, juvenile tarpon aggressively busted shrimp and glass minnows at dawn, but they ignored our flies. They fed for about 15 minutes and abruptly quit.
Denise Bruner, from Tampa, FL caught and released this nice snook on a popper when a feeding frenzy erupted at dawn.
Tim McNamee, Matt Coulter and Zack Adkins, all from Winter Haven, FL, fished the same area with me on Monday. The guys, who will all be freshmen college football players reporting to classes and practice in a week or so, were out for some fun before they get down to the grind. They caught and released 7 or 8 snook to 27” and a 28” tarpon on DOA shrimp and CAL jigs with shad tails.
Capt. Bill Miller, from Tampa, FL joined me on Tuesday morning to film a segment of his successful TV show, “Hooked On Fishing”, on the Brighthouse cable network. It’s nice when the fish bite with cameras and outdoor writers on board-and they did! We caught and released about 20 snook and jumped 3 tarpon, mostly on my Grass Minnow fly. We also filmed a couple of segments on fly line stripping baskets and the basic fly cast. The segment aired on Brighthouse Channel 47 on Thursday evening.
Carey and Danny Broughton crossed the big pond from the U.K. and fished with me on Thursday morning. When I pitched the idea to them to start at 3 AM they said-perfect, we’re still on U.K. time which is 6-hours ahead of you! The action started slow and finished strong. They caught and released a dozen snook to 24” and a 5-pound jack. They used CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA shrimp before daylight. Several of the fish were caught on a MirrOlure She Pup while fishing seawalls and a mangrove shoreline at dawn.
I fished Sarasota Bay on Saturday morning with Andy Cotton, from Sarasota, FL, and his dad, Jim Cotton, from Bradenton, FL. We found crystal clear water and lots of baitfish from Big Pass all the way to Long Bar. We caught and released a pair of snook to 25”, several jacks and a nice mangrove snapper on DOA Deadly Combos and DOA shrimp near Big Pass. We also found several schools of reds in north Sarasota Bay but couldn’t get them to eat anything.
Next week’s tides will improve toward the end of the week as we head toward a full moon on the 19th. Snook fishing before daylight will be one of the best options and reds should come on strong, since we are at the time of the year when they are schooling. Tarpon in upper Charlotte Harbor should also be good.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 85
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 31, 2005 - 7:00 am: | |
Charlotte Harbor, FL & Crane Meadow Lodge, MT Fishing Report for 7/17 through 7/30/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict caught and released a few quality fish during the week of 7/17. We fished Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound and scouted some new water for tarpon, reds, snook and trout.
Capt. Clark Wright, from Venice, FL, invited me to fish with him in upper Charlotte Harbor on Monday. I caught and released an estimated 40-pound tarpon on DOA Swimming Mullet while casting to single rolling fish and following it up with a blind cast or two. The tarpon were not showing well and weren’t real plentiful, but they were hungry.
The following day, fly angler Bill King from Osprey, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound with me. We tried to launch the boat in Sarasota that morning, but dead fish at the boat ramp made us reconsider and head south. With only a 2-tide day peaking out at 3.1’ in the middle of the morning, I knew it would be tough. Bill managed a couple of snook while fishing lighted docks along Little Gasparilla Island before daylight and trout on deep grass flats later in the morning. We pounded mangrove shorelines with a variety of flies, but the fish were probably buried in the bushes.
Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, and I fished Pine Island Sound on Thursday with good results. We were mainly on a scouting mission and we found some snook and reds along the west side of Pine Island near Mason and Regla Islands. We managed a slam, consisting of several snook and trout and a redfish. Most fish were caught on my Flat’s Minnow fly. With a big tide all we could do was throw as deep into the mangroves as possible and try to get the fish to come out. We fished one area where we had several sight-fishing opportunities at reds, but no takers. Although we didn’t catch a lot of fish, any day that you can slam, particularly with a fly, is a good day!
Capt. Rick Grassett caught and released this red, part of a slam, on his Flat's Minnow fly while fishing Pine Island Sound with Rusty Chinnis.
Last Saturday, I headed for one of the most beautiful places that I fish, Crane Meadow Lodge, MT, to spend the week fly fishing with a group of friends, many of whom are also clients. Several members of the group, Dick Walden, his son, Rich Walden, and son-in-law, Dave Ralls, all came from Arizona in Dick’s airplane. The rest of the group, Nick Reding, Bob Reynolds and Bob Harness came from St. Louis, Dennis Kinley from New Jersey, Mike Perez from Richmond, IN, Pat Campbell from Toronto, OH and I met in Minneapolis for the final leg of the flight into Bozeman.
The trip got off to a rough start when we had an 8-hour delay in Minneapolis due to mechanical problems with 2 airplanes. The following day, Bob Reynolds from St. Louis, MO, broke his leg while walking on uneven ground in tall grass. An x-ray confirmed the break, but that didn’t keep Bob from fishing several of the ponds on the Kennedy Ranch for the next couple of days. I’ve heard that bad things come in three’s-well, the last thing was an earthquake of 5.6 magnitude that rumbled through on Tuesday evening. Having never experienced an earthquake, I didn’t know what the sound was that preceded the quake but then everything began to shake. Several items fell off the wall at the lodge, but at the home of a couple of the guides, which was very close to the epicenter about 10 miles from the lodge, they had lots of things falling off the walls and an entertainment center almost toppled over.
Given all those things, we had a great trip. The weather was delightful with lows in the 40’s, highs in the 80’s and low humidity. The biggest fish of the trip were brown and rainbow trout to about 24” with many other fish in the 18”-20” class. Of course, there were lots of smaller fish too, but on a 4 or 5-wt. fly rod in fast water, they’re all fun. Most of the anglers in the group caught several quality fish in addition to numerous smaller trout each day.
Mike Perez had a brown trout estimated at 27” right to the net one day when the hook pulled. My biggest fish of the trip was a 23” brown caught in the sloughs on the Kennedy Ranch. We fished the Big Hole, Beaverhead, Madison, Ruby and Jefferson Rivers, Mill Creek and Stone Creek (spring creeks that flow to the Ruby and Beaverhead rivers respectively). There was more water in many of the rivers than in previous years, which made floating the rivers easier. I had good float trips on the Big Hole and Beaverhead Rivers and I also had a good day wading Mill Creek.
One of the best things about this trip is the variety of fishing that is available there. On any given day you may wade, float or do a combination of each. If you are looking for a western trout fishing trip that has it all, you should check out Crane Meadow Lodge. Their website, www.cranemeadow.com, has all the info about the lodge. To view photos from the trip, you can go to the Destination Fishing Trips page of either of my websites, www.snookfin-addict.com and www.flyfishingflorida.net.
Although it was nice to have cool mountain air for a week, I’m looking forward to getting back on the water here at home. Snook fishing before daylight in the morning, reds on the flats or juvenile tarpon should all be good options during August. One of the keys to success will be to beat the heat. Red tide seems to be easing up in the Sarasota area and even when red tide is present, there are usually areas where you can find fish.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
scott (Ctfisher)
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Username: Ctfisher
Post Number: 2
Registered: 7-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 29, 2005 - 11:31 am: | |
what is the best baits to use now in charlotte harbor? and what fish are there? |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 84
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 09, 2005 - 12:39 pm: | |
Charlotte Harbor, FL Fishing Report for 7/2 through 7/9/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action during the past week with Spanish mackerel, trout and snook in Gasparilla Sound. Anglers using spinning tackle caught and released Spanish mackerel, snook, trout and a redfish while fly anglers scored on snook, trout, ladyfish and crevalle jacks. The best action was early in the week on deep grass flats near Sandfly Key.
Dave Brugh, from Akron, OH, fished the coastal gulf waters off Gasparilla Island with me on Tuesday. We found Spanish mackerel gorging themselves on glass minnows in 20’ of water. He caught and released more than 15 Spanish mackerel on Diamond Jigs before the frenzy subsided. We moved to the inside waters of Gasparilla Sound where we caught and released about 15 trout on DOA Deadly Combos. With plenty of trout under our belts, we moved to skinny water where Dave caught and released 4 snook to 25” and a redfish on CAL jigs with shad tails to complete his slam.
The next day, fellow Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers board member, John LaManna, and his wife, Deb, fished the same area with me. The mackerel weren’t there, although there were plenty of birds in the air searching for baitfish. We moved into Gasparilla Sound where we found trout, ladyfish and jacks busting glass minnow just like the mackerel had been doing in the gulf the day before. John and Deb caught and released numerous trout, ladyfish and jacks on Clouser flies and DOA Deadly Combos. We spent some time pounding the mangroves with flies and jigs. Although they did a great job of covering the shorelines, we only came up with one mangrove snapper, caught on a Clouser fly, for our efforts.
Fly angler, Bob Harness from St. Louis, MO, fished the same area again with me on Friday. We started before daylight where Bob worked lighted docks along Little Gasparilla Island. The tide was slow and daylight came quickly, but he managed a 25” snook, caught and released on a Grassett’s Grass Minnow fly before we moved on. We worked some deep grass flats near Sandfly Key where Bob caught and released several trout and jacks on Clouser and DT Special flies. The action that I had been on earlier in the week with Spanish mackerel, trout, snook and reds just wasn’t happening.
Bob Harness, from St. Louis, MO caught and released this 25" snook on a Grassett's Grass Minnow fly while fishing a dock near Gasparilla Pass.
Hurricane Dennis gave us a glancing blow as it passed offshore on Saturday and threatens to give us more of the same, heavy rain and potential tropical storm force winds, for Sunday. With Saturday’s trip cancelled and Sunday’s forecast not much better, my customer headed for home. Hopefully, Dennis will spare residents in its path from too much damage. One potential side effect from the storm is that maybe it will break up some of the red tide that lingers in our area. The good news is that Sarasota Bay is improving and reports of reds, snook and bluefish caught during the past several days have been coming in.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 83
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 02, 2005 - 8:37 am: | |
Southwest FL Fishing Report for 6/27 through 7/2/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict caught and released tarpon, snook and trout during the past week. Numbers of tarpon in the coastal gulf waters near Boca Grande dwindled as the week went by. We also fished the backcountry of Gasparilla Sound and Sarasota Bay as alternatives to tarpon.
Terry Notari, from Longboat Key, FL, his son, Craig Notari, and grandson, James Notari, both from Winnetka, IL, tarpon fished with me near Gasparilla Pass on Monday and Tuesday. James, at 13-years old, was finally old enough to join his Dad and Granddad on a tarpon trip. He was up to the challenge! James successfully cast his bait, set the hook and fought his tarpon, an estimated 110-pound fish, to the boat on Monday.
The interesting part of the battle came at the end, when the reel snapped off of the rod with the fish at the side of the boat. Fortunately, I was still able to land the fish since it was already whipped at that point. On Tuesday, there were fewer fish and no bites.
Jay Alvis, from Columbus, IN, fished the same area with me on Wednesday. We never saw a tarpon for 4-hours, so we retreated to the backcountry of Gasparilla Sound, where Jay caught and released more than a dozen trout on a DOA Deadly Combo.The weather pattern switched on Thursday to a southwest wind flow, which brings morning showers. Thursdays trip was cancelled due to rain in the morning.
Fly angler, Bill Clary from Franklin, NC, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. Bill is an avid trout angler and fellow Federation of Fly Fishers member back in North Carolina. We snook fished around lighted docks near Big Pass before daylight, where Bill caught and released 4 or 5 snook on Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies. We moved to the flats of Little Sarasota Bay after daylight where he caught and released several ladyfish on a variety of flies and a popper.
Tarpon should still be available next week as we head towards the new moon. Although tarpon thinned out last week, it is too early in the season for them to disappear. However, there are options other than tarpon on the beach with snook around lighted docks, reds and trout on the flats and juvenile tarpon in upper Charlotte Harbor. Red tide seems to be easing a little in Sarasota Bay, so hopefully fishing there will return to normal soon. Even though red tide may be present in an area, there are patches of “clean” water around where fishing can be good. The key is to find those areas.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
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