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Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 82
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 02, 2005 - 8:34 am: | |
Southwest FL Fishing Report for 6/12 through 6/26/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict connected with several tarpon during the past couple of weeks. A persistent red tide bloom in the coastal gulf and inshore waters of Sarasota and Longboat Key has had me fishing further south to find clean water. I’ve been fishing primarily out of Placida (near Boca Grande), where the water quality is great. I’ve also fished a couple of days south of Venice and in the Peace River. We’ve had plentiful tarpon in these areas, even though they haven’t been very aggressive.
J.C. Leverage, from Kure Beach, NC, fished a couple of days with me during the week of June 12th. We opted to fish the backcountry of Gasparilla Sound one day and the Peace River at Punta Gorda on another day. He connected with snook and a 15-pound tarpon on CAL jigs and DOA TerrorEyz. Anglers during the rest of the week had shots with flies and live bait, but no hook-ups. We did have a couple of bites, but with limited opportunities it is tougher to convert that into jumped and landed fish.
Dennis Ondercin from Middleburg Heights, OH, and his son, Cliff Ondercin from Sarasota, FL, tarpon fished with me near Gasparilla Pass the following week. They had lots of shots, a couple of bites and landed an estimated 110-pound tarpon on Thursday. Thursday was the best day with tarpon daisy chaining in the trough next to the beach only 20 feet from the sand in some instances. Cliff had a fly in several schools, but they didn’t bite. He finally hooked up by suspending a live crab under a float next to a daisy chaining school. Even then, it took a while to get a bite.
Cliff Ondercin, from Sarasota, FL, caught and released this estimated 110-pound tarpon on a live crab near Gasparilla Pass.
One other tarpon was jumped on Saturday, also on a live crab suspended under a float. Although this isn’t a technique that I use a lot, it’s made a difference by keeping bait in front of tarpon for a longer period of time.
Tarpon seem to be behaving a little more normally for the last several days. As we head toward the first quarter of the moon next week, hopefully we’ll get a good bite. We are still in a prime part of the season and things could turn on at any time.
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 Sunday, June 12, 2005 - 6:06 am: | |
June 11, 2005
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
Mangrove snapper and barracuda have been hot this past week on the “M” reefs. We were able to limit out on the snapper using live shrimp on the bottom. The cuda are taking live fish on a free-line or by skipping fresh caught mackerel on the top. Chris Bengele from Indiana caught a nice barracuda on light tackle while fishing for snapper. Mark Zisser from Missouri with friend limited out and released plenty of snapper plus some nice mackerel.
On Wednesday, we found plenty of Spanish mackerel and bluefish on and around the (I) reefs just offshore. D.O.A. shrimp and live shrimp worked very well. We would find schools of nice fish and then schools of very small fish. We saw sharks feeding in the schools of fish and bait early in the morning, but we didn’t hook any. Now is a good time to get that First-light bite at 6:30 in the morning.
Bay fishing has been slow but workable. Redfish, Snook, Mackerel, and Seatrout are all being caught, but you need to move around and find Redtide free water.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 81
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 11, 2005 - 5:12 am: | |
Sarasota & Charlotte Harbor, FL Fishing Report for 5/30 through 6/11/2005
Rain, rain, go away! We’ve been plagued with rain for the last couple of weeks in southwest Florida, first with a persistent upper level low that dumped rain for 5 straight days beginning on May 31st. Most recently, the passing of Tropical Storm Arlene on Friday dumped another several inches. Rain combined with varying degrees of red tide, from Siesta Key to Venice, has made tarpon fishing tough. We’ve found them far offshore in the Sarasota/Venice area and not giving us many opportunities.
John Leverage, from Seaford, DE, and his son, J.C. Leverage from Kure Beach, NC, fished with me for 5 days this past week. We fished near Siesta and Casey Keys on Monday, where they had a couple of bites and jumped one tarpon on live crabs. The following day we headed south where we fished the rest of the week. They jumped a pair of fish on Tuesday, landing an estimated 110-pounder, both with live crabs. The rest of the week was a bust. We had lots of tarpon schools that were behaving how we hope they do, except for the not biting part. We tried a variety of live baits, DOA Baitbusters, DOA Swimming Mullet and MirrOlure Top Dogs, but had no takers.
Although tarpon are known to act like this occasionally, it is usually only temporary. They’ve got to eat sometime! With the late spring that we had this year, maybe July tarpon fishing is going to be strong this season? If weather and red tide will give us a break, hopefully they’ll bite better as we head toward the quarter phase of the moon next week.
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: 80
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 29, 2005 - 8:30 am: | |
Sarasota, FL Fishing Report for 5/22 through 5/29/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had a great start early last week with tarpon and then as the wind shifted to the west, we had good action with trout, redfish and snook on the flats. When the wind finally shifted back to the east on Thursday, we found tarpon had moved out to 25 feet of water, were staying deep and moving fast. Whether it was the effects of Monday’s full moon, the wind or a hint of red tide that also showed up following the front, tarpon didn’t give us many shots and didn’t bite very well toward the end of the week.
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and his group consisting of 5 other anglers made their annual trek to Sarasota to tarpon fish. Keith and Bill Graham, also from Lake Forest, IL and Dave Kinnamon, from Milwaukee, WI fished with me over the course of 4 days from Monday through Thursday. Other anglers in the group, Frank Priebe, Barry Slee and Hal D’Orazio, all from Lake Forest, IL, fished on 2 other guide boats to round out the group.
Monday was hot! Keith and Bill landed 3 fish from 70 to 100-pounds with live crabs on spinning tackle while fishing the coastal gulf waters off Sarasota with me. The rest of the group did equally well. The totals for Monday were 7 fish landed out of 11 jumped including one jumped on a fly. A late season front pushed through on Monday night and the wind shifted to the west at about 15 mph wrecking our tarpon fishing for the next 2 days.
Bill Graham, from Lake Forest, IL, with one of a pair of tarpon he caught and released while fishing the coastal gulf waters off Sarasota with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Not to worry, although everyone was dreaming of giant tarpon, there were plenty of other fish to be caught. Over the course of the next 2 days the group caught snook, redfish, trout, bluefish and ladyfish on lures and flies. Anglers fishing with me caught snook to 26” and trout on flies before daylight and then shifted to the flats where they caught trout to 2-pounds, redfish to 5-pounds and a 4-pound bluefish on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails and DOA Deadly Combos. Other anglers in the group did equally well catching snook, reds and trout while fishing docks and the flats.
My friend, Russell Johnson and his sons, Kyle and Patrick, all from Clovis, NM, joined me to tarpon fish on Friday and Saturday. Conditions improved in the gulf, but tarpon were not cooperating. Although they have done well with me in past years, it wasn’t in the cards this time. There is a low to moderate level of red tide present in the gulf off Manatee and Sarasota counties but I don’t think it is affecting tarpon fishing. Baitfish are plentiful and the fish are there, but just not biting very well. They have been exhibiting the type of behavior that they sometimes do following a full or new moon, which is moving fast and not staying up very well. In addition they have moved out to deep water, which makes fishing for them more difficult.
Next week’s weather forecast is good, so tarpon should return to their normal patterns. I look for fishing to improve as we head into the week and away from the full moon. Hopefully we’ll have some east winds to push the red tide away from our coast.
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. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 79
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 22, 2005 - 9:43 am: | |
Sarasota & Charlotte Harbor, FL Fishing Report for 5/9 through 5/22/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action during the past couple of weeks with trout and reds on the flats and tarpon in the coastal gulf waters. We scored on trout, reds and snook in skinny water with flies, CAL jigs, MirrOlure She Dogs and DOA Deadly Combos. Tarpon were slow to start due to cool water in the gulf but have shown up strong within the last week. Tarpon anglers connected with tarpon on flies and live crabs. Several cobia and tripletail were also encountered and gave anglers shots with flies and DOA Deadly combos.
Roger and Joanna Williams, from Bradenton, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, May 9th. We spent a couple of hours in the coastal gulf waters hunting tarpon and Roger got a shot at a school with a fly, but they didn’t bite. They only showed briefly and we couldn’t locate them again, so we came back into the bay to fish the flats. Roger caught and released several trout, ladyfish and a bluefish near Big Pass and Bishop Point on Clouser flies. He also had a couple of shots at reds in skinny water, but they didn’t bite either.
Mike Carducci, from Putnam Valley, NY, fished Sarasota Bay the next day with me. We had the same game plan to hunt tarpon early and then fish the bay. We saw one school of tarpon briefly and never got a shot at them. The bay was slow at first, but we got on a good trout bite near Buttonwood Harbor around noon. Mike caught and released more than 15 trout to 21” on MirrOlure She Dogs and DOA Deadly Combos. About ½ of the fish were 18” or larger.
John Leutner, from Herndon, VBA, fished the Terra Ceia Bay area with me on Wednesday, May 11th. We focused on reds and snook in skinny water and it was a slow day, however John did catch and release a pair of reds to 28” on CAL jigs with shad tails. The following day, I fished Sarasota Bay with Dave Lincul and Rick Fletcher, both from NJ. We hunted for tarpon in the coastal gulf early and didn’t see anything, but the bay fishing was good. They caught and released numerous trout to 21”, bluefish, ladyfish, a Spanish mackerel and a redfish on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails, DOA Deadly Combos and MirrOlure She Dogs. The fastest action was at the Middleground flat and near Buttonwood Harbor.
John Leutner, from Herndon, VA, caught and released this oversized red on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing Tampa Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Dave Lincul and Rick Fletcher, both from NJ, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. The action was slow to start we finished the day with numerous trout, ladyfish, and a redfish. The best action was in the middle of the day on a flood tide with DOA Deadly Combos and MirrOlure She Dogs near Buttonwood Harbor. Many of the trout were in the 18” to 20” class.
Pat Bennett, from the Ft. Lauderdale, FL area and Cathy Allchin, from MI, fished with me last Saturday and Sunday. Our goal was tarpon, but it just wasn’t going on yet. We fished the coastal gulf waters off Gasparilla and Cayo Costa Islands on Saturday, May 14th, with hopes of finding more fish than I had been seeing in the Sarasota area, but only saw one school of tarpon.
On Sunday, we fished off Sarasota and had a beautiful school of tarpon pop up first thing. Pat and Cathy each jumped one with a live crab and then the action abruptly stopped. We moved to the bay just to bend a rod with trout, reds or snook. They had plenty of action with mostly small trout on CAL jigs, DOA Deadly Combos, MirrOlure She Dogs and flies. They also caught a nice snook. The best action was near Buttonwood Harbor.
Tarpon action picked up this past week as numbers of schools increased. Sarasota Herald-Tribune Outdoor Editor, Steve Gibson and I traveled to Pine Island on Monday to fish with John Kumiski. Tarpon reports were good in that area, but we saw almost nothing from Blind Pass to Boca Grande Pass. We did get some shots at tripletail and connected with a pair of them on flies. Aledia Tush, from Sarasota, FL and her son, Mason, tarpon fished with me on Tuesday. We saw several schools of tarpon and Mason jumped about a 90-pounder with a live crab. We also spotted a cobia swimming on a sandbar as we headed in and hooked it with a DOA Deadly Combo.
Fly anglers fished with me Wednesday through Friday and although we got some shots with a fly on all days, Thursday was the day that they we were successful. We jumped a pair of tarpon on flies, landing a 90-pounder on a black and rust fly and jumped a big female estimated at 130-pounds on a chartreuse fly. We also had another bite on the chartreuse fly. On Saturday we saw very few tarpon until almost noon, when we had a few fish moving north. We got one bite on a crab, but didn’t hook up.
Early season tarpon fishing can be inconsistent. The water temperature has been unseasonably cool and is just now approaching 80 degrees, a key temperature for successful tarpon fishing. As we head away from the full moon this week and the water continues to warm, I expect tarpon fishing to really turn on.
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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Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 22, 2005 - 8:32 am: | |
May 21, 2005
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
King mackerel are still hot on the artificial “M” reefs. King, Spanish, and barracuda have been plentiful using live bait. We have also been able to find plenty of sardines around New Pass and on the reefs. In the same area, a few nice grouper and snapper have been caught on the bottom with live shrimp and pilchards.
The bay has also been producing although the runs have been cold and hot throughout the day. Large trout, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, and some pompano are being caught on the grass flats but you need to move around. The DOA shrimp and large live shrimp have both worked well. You can find small snapper, black seabass and small grouper around most of the under water structures. Snook and redfish will be getting thick around the docks and boats. You can net plenty of whitebait at first-light just south of the New Pass sailboats, halfway between the sailboats and Bird Key Park.
Tarpon have started to chew and are being jumped but it could be better. Live crabs are good bait and can be found at most of the bait shops.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 78
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 08, 2005 - 10:32 am: | |
Sarasota, FL & South Andros, Bahamas Fishing Report for 4/25 through 5/9/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action with bluefish, trout and ladyfish on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay during the last week of April. Sarasota Herald-Tribune outdoor editor, Steve Gibson, and “Guide To Fishing” TV host, Capt. Mel Berman, joined me for a trip in Sarasota Bay on Monday, April 25th. We had fast action with bluefish at the Middleground flat and trout near Buttonwood Harbor on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.
The following day, Pat Campbell from Toronto, OH, and Aledia Tush, from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on a windy day. We fished the Middleground flat and deep grass flats near Big Pass where they caught numerous bluefish and trout to 22” on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Later in the week, John Wolfstaetter from New York City, and Norm Worthington, from Siesta Key, FL, fly fished the shallow flats of north Sarasota Bay with me on two separate trips. Although we had many opportunities to sight cast to reds in shallow water with a fly, we weren’t able to catch any. John had a couple of strikes on Clousers and my Flats Minnow fly near Buttonwood Harbor, but didn’t hook either fish. We did catch a few trout, bluefish and ladyfish on Clouser flies fished on an intermediate fly line, just to bend the rod with something.
On Saturday morning, April 30th, Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, Ed Chiles, from Anna Maria Island, FL, Jim Knowles, from Bradenton, FL, Bill King, from Osprey, FL, Pat Campbell, from Toronto, OH and I traveled to Bonefish Bay Club at South Andros Island, Bahamas for a week of fly fishing for bonefish.
We had a great week catching numerous bonefish, which averaged 2 to 3-pounds. Jim and Ed had a particularly good day fishing the west side of the island one day when Ed caught and released a 9-pound bonefish. Some anglers caught as many as 7 or 8 bonefish per day with 3 or 4 fish per person being about average. I caught and released 5 one day and 3 or 4 on several other days. A #4 Gotcha was, by far, the most popular fly. A couple of cudas were also caught or hooked during the week on fly and spinning tackle.
Pat Campbell, from Toronto, OH, caught and released this bonefish on a Gotcha fly while fishing South Andros with Bonefish Bay Club guide, Norman.
We had a great time swapping stories at the end of the day over a cold Kalik while we dined on fresh Bahamian seafood. We were treated to snapper, grouper, lobster and conch prepared several different ways. Even more interesting than our own stories, were some of the stories our guides told during the week.
Several other anglers at the lodge, mostly from the Lakeland and Orlando, FL area also had good action during the week. A couple of them caught more than 20 fish per angler on a couple of days.
If you are looking for a quality bonefishing experience with good numbers of fish and the chance to catch a double digit bonefish, I recommend that you check out Bonefish Bay Club. Their location on South Andros gives them easy access to the south and west coasts of Andros Island where the fishing pressure is lighter than other areas of the island. They can be reached at www.bonefishbayclub.com or 1-800-766-9137.
Next week’s tides are favorable for reds, snook and trout on the flats, particularly early in the week. Tarpon should become plentiful any day now. The water temperature is still a little on the cool side, but with a few warm days it will warm quickly.
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: 77
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 24, 2005 - 11:51 am: | |
Sarasota and Venice, FL Fishing Report for 4/17 through 4/24/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action during the past week. The best action was on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay where fly and spin anglers had fast action with bluefish and ladyfish. Trout, reds, Spanish mackerel and pompano rounded out the catch.
Judy Bronstein and Beryl Chaby, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday morning. The action was not fast, but was steady, with ladyfish and trout. We fished deep grass flats inside Big Pass and near New Pass with CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.
Fly angler, Carl Borromeo from Needham, MA, fished a couple of trips with me last week. We fished Sarasota Bay on Tuesday morning, where he caught and released numerous bluefish to 2-pounds, large ladyfish, trout to 17”, a nice Spanish mackerel and a pompano on Clouser flies. The best action was at the Middleground flat. Carl also had several sight-fishing opportunities at reds cruising a sandbar.
The following evening Carl fished Blackburn Bay with me for trout and snook. We drifted deep grass flats near Blackburn Point before dark, where he caught and released several ladyfish and trout on Clouser flies. After dark we switched flies to my Grass Minnow fly and fished lighted docks where Carl caught and released several snook and ladyfish.
Mark Hannah, from Old Forge, NY, his 10-year old daughter, Jessica and 11-year old son, Ben, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday morning. Jessica and Ben are fly fishers and they both caught and released trout and ladyfish on Clouser flies. Ben also caught several bluefish. They switched to spinning tackle toward the end of the trip and continued to catch ladyfish, bluefish and trout on CAL jigs with shad tails. The best action was at the Middleground flat.
11-year old fly fisher, Ben Hannah from Old Forge, NY, caught and released this nice bluefish on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly while fishing the Middleground flat in Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Fly fishers, John Kirk from ME, and Brian Harrington, from CO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday afternoon. We were scheduled to fish an afternoon/evening snook trip, but since the action has been slower than normal at night we opted to fish the flats on a day trip. They had a fast action with bluefish, ladyfish and trout. A nice Spanish mackerel and a pompano, all caught with Ultra Hair Clouser flies at the Middleground flat, rounded out the catch.
Friday was spent preparing for our 10th annual CCA Photo All-Release Challenge Fishing Tournament. We had our most successful tournament ever with 150 anglers competing. Keith Pratt, from Bradenton, FL, won the top prize in the angler division of the tournament, the Grand Slam, for the 2nd year in a row. The Fly Fishing Division champion, also for the 2nd year in a row was Frank Lanzisera, from Bradenton, FL. My wife, Karen Grassett, won the ladies division for redfish. Complete tournament results will be available in the near future on www.fishorshutup.com.
Next week’s tides are favorable for reds, snook and trout on the flats. Afternoon and evening tides are also favorable for snook on the flats and around lighted docks and bridge fenders.
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 |
Bob Smith (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, April 14, 2005 - 3:33 am: | |
April 13, 2005
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
This past week it was Kings on the right! As you head out into the gulf via New Pass, turn right at the last green marker and start fishing. King mackerel have been plentiful and twenty pounds a common size. Live herring has been the best bait and easily caught in the same area using Sabiki or any gold hook bait rigs.
The best method has been to free-line live herring while drifting and slow troll it back to your starting point up wind. Use a short light wire leader and a 4/0 or 5/0 hook. Number 3 or 5 coffee mono leader no more six inches long and black swivel is all you need. Some anglers do add a stinger hook for more hook-ups.
I like to make plenty of leaders up before hand. To save time and possibly fingers, I like to leave the leader with a hot fish and retie a new leader on the line. You can retrieve the good un-kinked leaders later when the fish is dead. It is very important to have a straight leader.
Plenty of twelve to twenty pound test line is a good match for the kings. Kings like to make about three long runs when using a fee-line with live bait. We found Spanish mackerel, an occasional shark and sometimes a grouper in with the kings. It is also a good time to keep an eye open for cobia.
The fishing along the beach was good enough on some days to bring the bigger charter boats back in from offshore.
Bay action has been fast and with a good variety of fish. Keeper fish for the table has been harder to find although some good catches have been made. Trout, reds, snook, mackerel, ladyfish, jacks and flounder are just some of the species being caught on the bay.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com
|
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 76
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 09, 2005 - 6:35 am: | |
Sarasota & Terra Ceia Bay, FL Fishing Report for 4/3 through 4/9/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action during the past week with snook, trout and ladyfish with most fish caught on flies. Fly anglers also scored on Spanish mackerel and redfish. The best action was on deep grass flats with trout to 3-pound caught on Clouser flies fished on intermediate and intermediate sink-tip fly lines.
Bruce Maguire, from East Lansing, MI, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. He caught and released trout, ladyfish and a nice Spanish mackerel on Unique Hair Clouser flies on the deep grass flats near the Ringling Mansion and near Long Bar. We spent some time casting to reds in skinny water on the west side of the bay but didn’t get them to bite. We found them to be extremely spooky in the crystal clear water.
Mike Perez, from Richmond, IN, fished a couple of days with me. We fished Sarasota Bay on Tuesday where he did well with trout to 3-pounds on Clouser flies. Mike also connected with a red with the long stick while casting to potholes. Mike’s daughter, Kelsey, joined her Dad during the afternoon along with her friend, Alisha McPherson, for some more trout action with CAL jigs.
Mike Perez, from Richmond, IN, caught and released this nice trout on a Clouser fly while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Paulino Gutierrez, from Sarasota, FL, joined me for a Sarasota Bay trip on Wednesday morning. Paulino recently participated in one of CB’s Saltwater Outfitter’s Fly fishing Schools with me as the instructor and has been honing his casting skills since then. We fished deep grass flats at the Radio Tower, Middleground and Stephen’s Point where he caught and released ladyfish and trout on Unique Hair Clouser flies.
That afternoon, Jim Stawniak from Atlanta, GA, fished skinny water with me in Sarasota Bay in search of his first redfish on a fly. Jim has fly fishing experience on western rivers and some saltwater experience, but was still trying to conquer a redfish with a fly. We spent our time probing potholes and the edges of sandbars as I showed Jim the proper techniques for fishing skinny water with a fly. It all paid off as Jim spotted and cast to a red in a pothole with a chartreuse Clouser and caught his first redfish with a fly!
Pat Campbell, from Toronto, OH, joined Mike Perez on Thursday for a trip with me in the Terra Ceia Bay area. A strong front was approaching which caused winds to whip into the 25 mph range with stronger gusts. I chose to fish where we did since it offered some protection from the wind. It was a tough day of fishing, but I had tough anglers on board. Mike and Pat caught and released 5 snook, a red and several trout and ladyfish on flies and jigs. Most fish were caught with flies on a day when most anglers wouldn’t have left the dock fishing with any type of tackle!
Charlie Alexander, from Osprey, FL, and his friend, Linda, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. Since the faster action and most variety had been on deep grass flats, we chose to focus our efforts there. Charlie and Linda caught more than 20 trout to 18”, including 3 slot-size fish, on rootbeer DOA shrimp, DOA Deadly combos and Clouser flies. A productive day!
Next week’s tides are favorable for reds, snook and trout in skinny water and snook at night around lighted docks and bridge fenders. With the water temperature in the mid 70’s flats fishing will continue to improve during April. Anglers should also keep their eyes peeled for cobia cruising deep grass flats or sand bars and Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf waters, passes and deep grass flats close to passes.
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: 75
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 03, 2005 - 12:48 pm: | |
Sarasota, FL Fishing Report for 3/27 through 4/2/2005
Fly and spin anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action with trout to 4-pounds, with many fish in the slot, in Sarasota Bay during the past week. Snook, reds, flounder and Spanish mackerel rounded out the catch.
Sarasota Herald-Tribune Outdoor Editor, Steve Gibson, joined me for a Sarasota Bay trip on Monday. As has been the case the last several times we fished, the weather was not in our favor. With a northwest wind at 15 to 25-mph, there weren’t many places to fish. Because we had a very high tide, wading was not a good option, so we chose to stay in the boat and fish docks and protected flats around Lido Key and Siesta Key with spinning tackle. Steve caught and released a 28” redfish, several trout from 18” to 22” and a pair of jacks. Both jacks were caught at the same time on a Rapala suspending plug, as were the other fish.
Fly fisher, Bill Crelin from Waukesh, WI, and his dad, Bill Crelin from Venice, FL, snook fished with me near Venice on Tuesday evening. The bite was good and they caught and released more than 20 snook to 26” and a 24” redfish on Grassett’s Grass Minnow and Skitterbug flies. The redfish and some of the snook were caught with live shrimp.
Several other trips during the week with fly and spinning tackle produced numerous trout to 4-pounds, ladyfish and scattered Spanish mackerel and flounder. Fly anglers, Josh and Heather Kochin, from Vineyard Haven, MA caught ladyfish and trout to 20” near the Ringling Mansion and Buttonwood Harbor with me on Wednesday. The largest trout, a 20” fish, was sight fished out of a pothole with a Grassett’s Flats Minnow fly.
Josh Kochin, from Vineyard Haven, MA, sight-fished this nice trout in a pothole with a Grassett's Flats Minnow fly while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Sarasota winter residents, Harry Beaty and Tom Schalk, had a great day on Thursday. They caught more than 25 trout, including a 23”, 4-pound trout, which was released. We fished near the Ringling Mansion on the east side of Sarasota Bay and near Buttonwood Harbor on the west side.
Fly fisher, Perry Greene from Bloomfield Hills, MI, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday along with his 3 sons from 9 to 18-years old. Capt. Ed Hurst and I teamed up to fish the group. They had more than 2-hours of non-stop action with breaking fish near the Ringling mansion first thing in the morning. The action included mostly trout and ladyfish, but Spanish mackerel and bluefish also joined the frenzy. We fished Ultra Hair Clousers on intermediate fly lines.
Andrew Stiles, from Richmond, VA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on a “redfish mission” on Friday afternoon. With a very high tide, not much visibility and windy conditions, our only option was to fish the mangroves. Andrew dropped a Clouser fly into pockets and in shadow lines along mangrove shorelines to try to get a hungry red to chase his fly out from under the bushes. He connected with a red and a jack and had another red chase his fly. Not bad given the conditions we had to work with.
Springtime action is getting ready to bust loose. With the water temperature finally reaching the low 70’s, Spanish mackerel and cobia should show up in good numbers very soon. Next week’s low tides in the morning are favorable for reds, trout and snook on the flats as we head toward a new moon next Friday.
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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Bob Smith (Unregistered Guest)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 03, 2005 - 6:29 am: | |
April 2, 2005
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
The magic numbers are here! As the Gulf’s temperature rises to over seventy degrees, the fishing is starting to percolate. King mackerel are starting to be caught in thirty to seventy feet of water by trolling or live bait. They are not in thick schools yet, but are being caught frequently. Large schools of blacktip sharks seemed to be everywhere on Thursday. Spanish mackerel have been hot along the beaches and the artificial (I) reefs in twenty to thirty feet of water. The Spanish mackerel have also been spotty on the bay. Large schools of baitfish started moving into the bay and the action started to pick up on Friday.
Also on Friday, some boats found large grouper and snapper chewing very good in eighty feet of water. They also stopped at the “M” reefs on the way out for some kings. Take plenty of live pinfish and shrimp and don’t forget the Sabiki rigs.
Cobias are also in the mix along the beaches but they are just starting. Sheepshead, grouper, snapper, flounder and sharks are some of the others hanging out around the (I) reefs in 20 to 30 feet of water.
We had plenty of light tackle action on the bay. Most of the action has been ladyfish but some anglers have been able to limit out on 18” plus trout. Pompano, mackerel, redfish, snook, snapper, sheepshead, bluefish and even a few keeper size grouper have been part of the mix.
It all sounds good but it is no free lunch, you still need to work at it to get the keeper fish. DOA shrimp and live shrimp have been working will for me.
The high winds have been a problem but the Red tide seems to be gone, for now.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com
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Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 27, 2005 - 5:52 am: | |
Sarasota & Venice, FL Fishing Report for 3/14 through 3/27/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action with snook and trout during the past couple of weeks. The best action was fly fishing for snook at night near Venice with trout and ladyfish on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay close behind.
Fly fishers, Bill and Gerrie Gramm from Bozeman, MT, fished several trips with me last week. A pair of night snook trips in the ICW near Venice yielded more than 50 snook to 25”. All fish were caught on my Grass Minnow night snook fly fished on an intermediate fly line.
Fly angler, Bill Gramm from Bozeman, MT, caught and released this nice snook, one of more than 50 caught over two evenings, on a Grassett's Grass Minnow fly while fishing the ICW near Venice, FL with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Bill and Gerrie also spent a day on the flats of Sarasota Bay in search of redfish with a fly. We fished sandbars and shallow flats on the west side of the bay to get some protection from a strong southwest wind. Gerrie connected with a red in a pothole on a Clouser but the hook pulled before she could get a good hook set. However, they did catch and release a sheepshead and a couple of trout also on Clouser flies before our day was done. It was a tough day of fishing due to the conditions, but like I always say “you don’t know until you go”.
I had several other ½ day trips in Sarasota Bay that week with spin and fly anglers. Some days were better than others but we mostly caught and released trout and ladyfish. The larger trout were between 18” and 22”. Fly anglers, Greg Baumeyer, from Chicago, IL and brothers, Sandy and Pack Lawrence from Sarasota, FL and Stevensville, MD had a couple of good trips last Sunday catching and releasing numerous trout to 20” and ladyfish.
This past week was similar to the previous week with most of the action coming from deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. A couple of the best trips were with Pat Campbell, from Toronto, OH and Gene Leverone, from Lynnfield, MA and Paulino and Jose Gutierrez, from Sarasota, FL. Pat and Gene caught numerous trout, including several in the 18” class on Clouser flies. Gene also scored with a pompano caught on a chartreuse/white Clouser. Paulino and Jose also did well on trout with the largest being a 22”, 3-pound trout caught and released with a DOA Deadly Combo.
I was the instructor for an Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school held out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters last Saturday. The students now have a solid foundation on which to build and hopefully will enjoy a lifetime of fly fishing. The next school is scheduled for April 9th. Anyone interested in participating can contact either me directly or CB’s Saltwater Outfitters to sign up. If you just need a tune up or are working on correcting a fault or improving your casting, I also offer private fly casting instruction.
Next week’s tides are favorable for fly fishing for snook at night. Flats fishing for reds and snook should improve as the water continues to warm and baitfish become more plentiful. The water temperature on the flats is now at 72 degrees, which is an ideal temperature for many species. In addition to improving flats action, Spanish mackerel and pompano should also turn on as the water continues to warm.
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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Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 73
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 13, 2005 - 7:26 am: | |
Sarasota, FL Fishing Report for 3/4 through 3/13/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action during the past week with big trout and reds in skinny water. There was faster action on deeper grass flats for mostly small trout and ladyfish, but “gator” trout moved onto shallow flats along with reds and snook toward the end of the week.
I was off the water last weekend, speaking at the Frank Sargeant Outdoor Expo in Tampa on Friday and conducting an Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Saturday. It was a good couple of days top be off the water as hundreds of redfish tournament anglers swarmed Sarasota Bay. I fished Sarasota Bay with a couple of fly anglers last Sunday and found almost no reds in shallow water where they were plentiful only a few days before. We caught and released trout and ladyfish on Clouser flies fished on intermediate fly lines on deep grass flats of north Sarasota Bay.
The following day fly angler, Herb Ramerman from Cleveland, OH, fished Sarasota Bay with me. Again we covered lots of skinny water in search of reds and found only a few. Herb caught and released several trout and ladyfish on deep grass flats with a Clouser fly fished on an intermediate fly line.
I lost Tuesday and Wednesday as a front pushed through the area and then lingered an extra day. When we hit the water on Thursday, the couple of days rest had done wonders for the shallow water fishing. Fly anglers Nick Reding and Jim Ewoldt, both from St. Louis, MO, fished north Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. Conditions were ideal for sight-fishing, with crystal clear water and sun most of the day. We waded and fished my Flats Minnow fly early and then switched to the old standby, a chartreuse Clouser, as the tide rose. Nick and Jim caught and released 4 reds and 15 or 20 trout from 18” to 23”. A great day with a fly!
Jim Ewoldt, from St. Louis, MO, waded a Sarasota Bay sand bar with Capt. Rick Grassett and caught and released this "gator" trout on a Grassett Flats Minnow fly.
Trent Robinson and his son-in-law, Paul, both from the Toronto, Canada area fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. They were more concerned with quantity rather than quality, so we fished the deep grass flats where they had plenty of action with trout to 18” and ladyfish on CAL jigs. I fished the new CAL Chug Head, which is a concave plastic head that fits over the end of their (and many other) plastic tails and turns them into top water bait. The larger trout were all caught on this combo. What a great addition this is going to be!
Gary Lasky and his friend, Tom, both from Milwaukee, WI, fished with me on Saturday. The action slowed somewhat, probably due to a high pressure that settled in on us after a reinforcing front came through on Friday. However, the big trout and reds were still in the skinny water and although they were finicky, they managed a few quality fish. Although the action wasn’t fast, they caught and released trout to 21”. They connected with the biggest trout and a red in shallow water. Again the largest trout was caught and released on a CAL Chug Head with a 5 ½” jerk worm tail combo.
Next week’s tides are favorable for night snook fishing, particularly for fly fishers. Flats action should continue to improve as the water warms and fronts become less frequent. There are still a few spots available for the Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school to be held next Saturday on Longboat Key in conjunction with CB’s Saltwater Outfitters. Federation of Fly Fishers certified casting instructors, Rusty Chinnis and I will be the instructors for the course. Cost is $150, which includes an instructional video, a textbook and the use of premium Orvis fly tackle. Contact me to sign up.
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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Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 6:24 pm: | |
Sarasota & Venice, FL Fishing Report for 2/20 through 3/3/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action during the past couple of weeks with snook at night in the Venice area, reds in skinny water and trout on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Anglers scored with reds to 27” on flies and CAL jigs with plastic tails. The biggest trout were also found in skinny water. Snook are making their move from creeks, rivers and canals toward the flats and are staging along sand bars.
Fly anglers Gary Bartell, from Westernville, NY and Sarasota winter resident, Sandy Lawrence, fished a night snook trip near Venice with me at the beginning of last week. Although there was a hint of red tide in the air and in isolated pockets, they caught and released more than 15 snook to 24” on Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies.
The following day fly angler, Bob Mincarelli from Glastonbury, CT, fished Sarasota Bay with me. Bob is a good fly caster with experience in New England and the Florida Keys. Bob caught and released a pair of reds to 24”, a 25” snook and numerous trout to complete his flats slam with a fly. Congratulations Bob!
Fly fisher, Bob Mincarelli from Glastonbury, CT, caught and released this nice red on a Clouser fly (part of a Slam) while fishing a Sarasota Bay sand bar with Capt. Rick Grassett.
On Tuesday, Dick Reece from Dayton, OH, and his grandson Daniel Rhinehart, from Lennox, MA, fished Sarasota Bay with me. Daniel had caught his first redfish with me last year and was hoping to up the number this year. They were successful- catching 5 reds to 26” and more than 20 trout to 17” on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms. The best action was along the east side of Sarasota Bay and near Buttonwood Harbor.
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Jack Walker, from Madison, WI, fished the same areas with me the next day. The action got hotter as they connected with 6 reds to 27” and about 15 trout, including a 4-pound “gator”, caught and released on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Fly fishers Nick Reding and Bob Harness, both from St. Louis, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. The action was slower, but conditions were worse with an overcast sky and wind, which made fly fishing challenging. They caught and released a small red, a flounder and about a dozen trout on Clouser flies.
A big front blew through last Sunday, dumping 5” of rain. When fly angler Steve Marsden, from Waunakee, WI, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday, I think the fish were still feeling the effects of the front. We covered a lot of water, but reds and snook refused to eat a fly. Steve caught and released several trout and ladyfish on a Clouser fly fished on an intermediate fly line near Long Bar.
Dick Reece, from Dayton, OH, and Nat Saltonstall, from Scarborough, ME, also fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. They caught and released a 26” snook, a 2-pound pompano and a few trout to 17” on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms. We saw lots of reds and snook, but most refused to eat.
Next week’s negative low tides are favorable for reds, trout and snook on the flats. Snook are becoming plentiful on the flats and are staging along sand and oyster bars. Unless the water temperature drops drastically, their numbers should continue to increase.
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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Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 71
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 20, 2005 - 8:12 am: | |
Sarasota & Venice, FL Fishing Report for 2/11 through 2/20/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action during the past week with reds and trout on the flats and snook at night. While the fastest action was with trout on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay, the larger fish have been in skinny water along with redfish. Fly and spin anglers scored with reds to 27” and trout to 22” in potholes and fly fishing for snook at night was steady.
Sarasota Herald-Tribune Outdoor Editor, Steve Gibson, and Yong Choe, both from Sarasota, FL, waded a shallow flat in north Sarasota Bay with me last Friday. The wind was howling out of the north at 20 mph following a front and it was cold! With the water at 58 degrees and wind chills in the 40’s, wading was really the only way to handle the wind while fly fishing. Yong had the hot stick that day, catching and releasing a pair of nice reds and a quality trout on a bendback fly.
Yong Choe, from Sarasota, FL, waded a Sarasota Bay flat with Capt. Rick Grassett and caught and released this nice trout and a pair of reds on a bendback fly.
The following evening fly fishers, Dick Reece from Dayton, OH, and Gene Leverone from Gloucester, MA, fished the ICW near Venice with me. The action was slow to start, but ended strong. Dick and Gene finished the evening with about 15 snook to 23” and a pair of bluefish on my Grass Minnow flies.
On Tuesday fellow Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers members, Erwin Edelman and Joe Polidoro, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on a quest for their first redfish with a fly. Although reds on a fly are probably one of the most challenging species in our area, they both succeeded in catching their first reds with a fly! In addition, Joe caught and released a nice trout. All fish were caught out of potholes near Buttonwood Harbor on Crab Clousers (olive, tan and white).
The following day, Sarasota winter residents Harry Beaty and Tom Schalk, fished the same area with me on a full day trip. Harry had been snake bitten lately with reds, but they turned it around this trip. After a slow start they finished the day with more than 30 trout to 20”, including 10 slot-size fish, and 8 reds to 27”. Most fish were caught on CAL jigs with shad tails, although some of the trout ate the DOA Deadly Combo.
Sarasota winter residents, Norm and Francie Boardman, were joined by their son, Doug from Richmond, VA, for an afternoon trip on Sarasota Bay on Thursday. We hunted reds for an hour or so and they had disappeared from the flat where they were plentiful the day before. We dropped out to deeper water where father and son scored with a number of trout to 18” on CAL jigs with shad tails and Clouser flies. That evening, fly anglers Nick Reding and Bob Harness, both from St. Louis, MO, joined me for a night snook trip. The action was slower than it was on Monday evening, but they still managed to catch and release 8 snook and a bluefish.
Fly angler, Marshall Dinerman from Atlanta, GA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday afternoon. Marshall is an old friend of Islamorada’s Sandy Moret and has fly fished in many places but a stiff northeast breeze made fishing the shallow flats tough from my Action Craft flats skiff. We dropped out to deeper water, deployed my Wave Tamer drift bag and proceeded to catch trout and ladyfish on Clouser flies fished on an intermediate fly line. The drift bag saved the day and made what would have been a frustrating trip a successful one!
Rusty Chinnis and I were the instructors at a CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Longboat Key on Saturday. All of the students did great and with some practice are well on their way to enjoying a lifetime of saltwater fly fishing. The dates for the next several schools are March 5th, 19th and April 9th. Anyone interested in participating can contact me for more info or to sign up.
Next week’s negative low tides are favorable for reds and trout on the flats. In addition, we are starting to find a few snook on the flats particularly on sunny afternoons.
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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Bob Smith (Unregistered Guest)
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February 18, 2005
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
The Red Tide has backed off some in the last few days and the fishing has picked up. The artificial “I” reefs off Lido beach in 25 to 30 feet of water are packed with large sheepshead and small schools of bluefish. You may also hook an occasional keeper size gag grouper, snapper or flounder. Large live shrimp fished on the bottom has been working well.
Longer offshore trips have been finding plenty of snapper and a mixed bag of reef fish in 50’ plus depths on natural and artificial bottom. Live shrimp is still the bait to have if you want a lot of action. I would still take some pinfish along.
We found the action on the bay very good in some spots and null in others. Fishing the grass flats at Country Club Shores and using the DOA ¼ ounce shrimp, we had trout on every cast for most of the trip. We used both the float and the free line method. Most all of the trout were under size but an occasional a keeper was caught along with some bluefish and flounder. Some nice trout and redfish were also taken north of Longbar and the Buttonwood Harbor area.
We have not had a major fish kill on the bay due to the red tide this year, but I do feel it is causing the fish to move around to avoid the bad spots. You may need to do the same to find the fish this weekend.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com
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Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 10, 2005 - 6:35 pm: | |
Sarasota, Fl Fishing Report for 2/3 through 2/10/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had plenty of action during the past week. Fly fishing for snook at night was one of the best options, while anglers fishing the flats had good action with trout. Reds on shallow flats also cooperated, but as always, they were tougher to catch but worth the effort.
Fly angler, Al Rudnickas from Millbury, MA, snook fished with me last Thursday evening. Without a doubt, Al has to be the most experienced angler that has fished with me. He has been fly fishing and tying flies for 75 years! We fished “snook alley” in Venice where Al caught and released 8 or 10 snook to 23” and a 26” redfish on Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies.
The following day, fly fisher Gerry Davis, from Williston, VT, and Pat Campbell, from Toronto, OH, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me. The action wasn’t fast but was steady with ladyfish and trout. They caught and released numerous trout and ladyfish on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.
We had another successful Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing School on Saturday at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters. Eight students received instruction on the basic fly cast, shooting line and roll casting. We focus on the basics but work with each student at their own level. Some students also received instruction in double hauling and wind casting techniques. Leader construction, fly selection and terminology were also a part of the course. The next school is scheduled for February 19th.
Longtime customers, Mike Sprague from Hillsborough, NJ and Kep Phillips, from Harrison, NJ, fished north Sarasota Bay with me on Super Bowl Sunday. We targeted reds on shallow flats and sand bars. They caught and released 3 quality reds in the 26” to 28” class on CAL jigs with shad tails and lost a couple of others.
MIke Sprague, from Hillsborough, NJ, caught and released this nice red on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing a Sarasota Bay flat with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Norm and Francie Boardman, from Sarasota, FL, who have also been fishing with me for many years, snook fished with me on Monday evening. We ran into the unexpected in the form of red tide in and around the Venice Inlet. The lighted docks in that immediate area, which are normally packed with snook, were barren. We headed north into Blackburn Bay where we found snook that were feeding. They caught and released 12 or 15 snook to 24” on Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies and DOA Tiny TerrorEyz.
Kevin and Amy McCann, from Taunton, MA, fished Sarasota Bay with me the next day. Kevin is fairly new to the sport of fly fishing and wanted to try his hand at saltwater fly fishing for the first time. He did great, catching and releasing numerous trout and a ladyfish on Clouser flies fished on an intermediate fly line.
On Wednesday morning, my high school cross country coach from back in Seaford, DE, Joe Neilson and his wife, Marge, fished Sarasota Bay with me. Marge was the school nurse when I was in junior high school. It was great reminiscing about old times. They had plenty of action with trout, although all were small, and a bluefish caught on CAL jigs with shad tails. That afternoon, Keith Ashmus and Steve Millard, both from Cleveland, OH, fished the same area with me. They came straight from their flight to my boat, leaving freezing conditions and ice behind them. It was a welcome relief to them to be in their shirt sleeves and soaking up sun the same day. They had good action with trout, including two that went 20” and 21”, a pair of flounder and a redfish. Most fish were caught on CAL jigs with shad tails although Keith caught several trout and a flounder on Clouser flies, his first saltwater fish caught with a fly!
A front blew through on Thursday morning and the wind cranked up to 25 mph and gusting higher by early afternoon forcing the cancellation of my afternoon fly fishing trip. It looked as if it wasn’t going to be any fun even if we could find a place to fish.
Next week’s tides will be favorable for fly fishing for snook at night and reds and trout on the flats. Red tide has been present just offshore from St. Petersburg to Englewood for several weeks, but hasn’t caused any problems with fishing in Sarasota Bay or Charlotte Harbor. The closest it has come is right around the passes but is not affecting fishing in any of these areas.
Friday and Saturday are forecast to be cool, windy days, so it might be a good opportunity to visit Steve Gibson’s 2005 Go Fish! Fishing Extravaganza at Robarts Arena, 3000 Ringling Blvd. in Sarasota. There will be seminars on a variety of fishing topics both days, including one by me on Fly Fishing Southwest Florida at 3:30 PM on Saturday. There will also be lots of fishing and boating vendors, including CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, DOA Fishing Lures, Keith’s Marine (Action Craft dealer), Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers and Coastal Conservation Association. I’ll be there all day on Saturday, so stop by and say hello. We still have a few spots left in the Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Schools on Feb. 19th, Mar. 5th, Mar. 19th and April 9th. Contact me for details or to sign up.
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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Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 69
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 03, 2005 - 12:47 pm: | |
Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 1/23 through 2/3/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict have had good action with reds and trout on the flats and snook at night despite a couple of fronts within the past 10 days. The fastest action has been on deep grass flats with trout, ladyfish and the occasional bluefish.
Tom Lamb, from Geneva, Switzerland, fished north Sarasota Bay with me early last week. Despite water in the mid 50’s, Tom caught a pair of reds and several trout on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Fly fishers Dan Lagace and Dennis Aust, both from Tampa, FL, fished Charlotte Harbor with me last Wednesday. Dan and Dennis, members of the Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club, are both accomplished casters. Dan is a fly casting instructor known nationally for teaching anglers to cast with their non-dominant hand. The action was not fast, but they caught and released several trout and a redfish on a variety of flies in Gasparilla Sound.
The following day, Keith McClintock and Larry Stillman, both from Lake Forest, IL, fished the same area with me. We saw more reds and the action was faster that day. They caught and released 6 reds to 26” and about 20 trout to 19” on weedless-rigged CAL shad tails.
I was back down there again on Monday with Scott Heidler, from Hudson, OH, and Joel DeMarais, from Minneapolis, MN and the action heated up even more. We started the day in a heavy fog and Scott and Larry caught several reds and nice snook right away on CAL jigs with shad tails. We moved to a flat in Gasparilla Sound, where they caught 15 or more trout in the 18’’ class and Joel already had a slam by 10 AM. They finished the day with 7 or 8 reds to 27”, a 24” snook and more than 25 trout to18”. Nice day!
Joel DeMarais, from Minneapolis, MN, caught and released this nice snook on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing a Charlotte Harbor flat with Capt. Rick Grassett.
A trip the next morning in north Sarasota Bay was slow. Despite the water warming to the mid 60’s, we only caught a few trout, ladyfish and a bluefish.
Fly fishers, Don and Barbara Ecker from Ft. Lee, NJ, fished the ICW in Venice for snook with me that evening. The action was steady and we had a good evening. They caught and released more than 15 snook to 23” and a fat bluefish on Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies.
Since north Sarasota Bay was slow on Tuesday morning, longtime friends and customers, Norm and Francie Boardman from Sarasota, FL, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday afternoon. We had plenty of action with trout in the 16’-17’ class and big ladyfish on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.
Next week’s negative low tides in the morning are favorable for reds and trout. Fly fishing for snook at night also remains 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
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Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 68
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 22, 2005 - 2:43 pm: | |
Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 1/17 through 1/22/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action during the past week with snook, trout and bluefish. Reds, jacks and ladyfish rounded out the catch. The best action was fly fishing for snook and bluefish at night and trout on the flats of Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor.
My friend, Capt. Rick De Paiva from Ft. Myers, FL, joined me for an afternoon/evening trip on Monday. Yes, even fishing guides go fishing for fun. That’s why we’re in this business! We caught a few ladyfish and a trout or two on Clouser flies in Little Sarasota Bay just before dusk and then stopped by the Casey Key Fish House Restaurant for a “shore lunch” of fresh grouper sandwiches and seafood gumbo.
By the time we finished dinner, the tide was moving out good and snook were “popping” under the lights. We had non-stop catch and release action with snook and bluefish on a variety of flies for the next 3 hours. We weren’t counting, but I would guess we caught and released more than 30 fish including snook to 24” and a dozen bluefish to 3-pounds. DOA Fly Shrimp and Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies were the most productive.
The next afternoon, Steve Demarsh from Nokomis, FL, and Howard Davis, from Newton, MA, joined me for a trip in Little Sarasota Bay. They caught and released numerous ladyfish and a 19” trout on CAL jigs with shad tails. We also happened upon a big school of 4-pound jacks and caught and released several on jigs and a MirrOlure Top Dog, Jr. plug. Great action!
Sarasota winter resident, Harry Beaty, and his friend from back in Ontario, Canada, Paul Rotz, fished north Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. The water was cold at 55 degrees to start, but finally warmed to a toasty 57 degrees. Needless to say, the action was slow to start, too. They caught and released ladyfish, trout and a bluefish on CAL jigs with shad tails. Included in their catch were 3 slot-size trout from 17”- 20”. The best action was on the flats near Big Pass and Bishop’s Point.
Sarasota winter resident, Harry Beaty, caught this 20" trout on a weedless-rigged CAL shad tail while fishing a Sarasota Bay flat with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Dave Kinnamon, from Milwaukee, WI, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Friday. The weather and water conditions were absolutely beautiful, although the water was still cold early in the day. They caught and released more than 20 trout to 23”, with 1/3 of the fish in the slot. They also connected with 3 reds to 24’ and a shark in skinny water. All fish were caught on weedless-rigged CAL shad tails with the best action being outside of Bull and Turtle Bays on trout and in Gasparilla Sound on the reds.
Fishing is largely dependent on weather this time of the year and we are expecting another front on Sunday. Fishing afternoons may be a better option following a front. Next week’s tides are favorable for reds and trout on the flats and snook at night.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grasset
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: 67
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 16, 2005 - 6:01 am: | |
SW Florida Fishing Report for 1/9 through 1/16/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict caught and released a variety of fish during the past week. Fly anglers scored with snook and a bluefish while spin anglers connected with trout and ladyfish.
Fly anglers, David Schofield from Elmira, NY, and Rob Klein, from Boca Raton, FL, snook fished in the ICW near Venice, FL on Saturday evening. There were plenty of snook around the dock lights, but they were very finicky. They caught and released 3 snook to 22” and a 3-pound bluefish on my Grass Minnow fly. Rob scored with his first fish ever, a snook, on a fly!
Longboat Key, FL residents Merrill Zinder and Irwin Pastor fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday morning. We had fast action with trout to 19” and big ladyfish on CAL jigs with grubs and shad tails. The best action was at the Marina Jack flat and near Bishop Point.
Capt. Ed Hurst and I, along with Aledia Tush, owner of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, and several other CB’s staff members traveled to Crystal River on Tuesday afternoon for the annual Orvis Southeastern Guide Rendezvous and dealer meeting. We were treated to a Cuban Pork Roast on Tuesday evening where Orvis-Endorsed guides from Florida, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama swapped fishing stories over a cold beer. We reviewed new products for the current year and received pointers on fly casting instruction and guiding techniques.
Orvis Southeastern Regional Business Manager, Robert Bryant, and the Western Director of ELOG (Endorsed Lodges, Outfitters and Guides), Tom Evanson, joined me for a fly fishing trip in Sarasota Bay on Thursday. We were faced with 15 to 20-mph winds as a front approached but their casting skills were up to the challenge. They caught and released a pair of snook to 24” on my Flats Minnow fly near Buttonwood Harbor.
Orvis Western Elog Director, Tom Evenson, caught and released this snook on a Flats Minnow fly while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Friday morning was a wash out. I awoke to a downpour and 20 mph winds as the front pushed through our area. We rescheduled our trip planned for Charlotte Harbor until Saturday morning. Tom Lamb, from Sarasota, FL, fished Charlotte Harbor with me and although it wasn’t raining, we were faced with 15 mph + north winds and an overcast sky. The wind blew the water off the flats making it difficult to get to potholes or find a protected place to fish. Despite that, Tom did very well on trout near Cape Haze, catching more than 15 trout to 23” on CAL jigs with shad tails. The catch included 6 slot size fish with the biggest trout weighing in at more than 4-pounds.
Next week’s tides will be more favorable toward the end of the week as they become lower in the morning. Night snook fishing around lighted docks and bridge fenders 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
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Bob Smith (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 16, 2005 - 1:34 am: | |
January 15, 2005
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
It looks like this coming week will be a blowout! A few days ago, I was able to get on to some keeper gags just three miles off of Lido Key. I had not been out for a few days and the captains that had, told me that the gags had gotten hard to find.
We left the dock a little late that day but we passed the other boats by the bell buoy still catching bait for a long run offshore. We had plenty of large live shrimp on board and I had planned to fish closer in with light tackle. I went to a small two foot high ledge in about thirty feet of water that I call the grunt hole. The ledge runs about 200 feet parallel with the beach and then dog legs towards the beach at the north end. Close to the dog leg is my favorite spot.
I was glad I had my old X-16 paper recorder on board. My color sonar was in for repairs. Lowrance stopped making the X-16 paper recorder, so I baby it. My first pass over the ledge was one digit off of my GPS and the bottom was clear. I came back over on zero and saw the beautiful sharp inverted “V’s”. By their size, they tell me that we have a few large fish on the bottom with plenty of small dashes all around for the smaller grunts, etc.
I threw a marker buoy on the spot and started with a drift. The drift was slow and the water calm. I put two ¼ ounce split-shots on, just above the 3/0 hook. This was enough to take the twelve pound test lines with the live shrimp down to the bottom. You also need to lock the drags down when fishing grouper. We did not catch a keeper gag on the drift but found the fish hitting only close to the marker. I anchored the boat and fished that small spot. We soon had our first keeper gag. We spent the morning catching plenty of husky short grouper, numerous reef fish and one more keeper gag. We also lost some good ones. I checked via VHF with the boats fishing the “M” reefs further offshore and found that no keeper grouper had been caught that morning. I did see one six pound flounder come from that area. It wasn’t a gre | |
