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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
Rating: N/A
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)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 130
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
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)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 129
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
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)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 128
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
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 receiv | |
