Capt

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Forecast for July 2007

The early bird gets the worm in July. I often start my trips before daylight this time of the year, catch and release snook fishing before daylight around lighted docks and bridge fenders before moving to the flats for reds, trout and more at dawn. It’s the best of all worlds, fishing at the coolest and most productive time of the day.

Tarpon will still be a good option this month. Although schools will thin out during July, fishing pressure usually drops off and they bite better. I find them in smaller schools, usually on the move, during July. Singles, doubles and small schools will usually be high in the water column when traveling, but they’ll eat a variety of live baits, lures or flies, if you get it in front of them. In deeper water, line up on the fish and if they don’t show when you think they should, make a cast anyway. In shallow water, you’ll be able to see them even if they don’t roll, so set up on their route and make a delicate presentation to avoid spooking them.

The normal beach areas from Longboat Key to south of Venice should all still be good, although some fish will start to move up into Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor. When they make the move to the inside, their focus changes from spawning to eating. Look for diving birds or rolling fish to find them and cast lures, flies or live baits to them. Drifting live baits in the area is another productive technique.

Juvenile tarpon will be another good option. I target them in the Peace River, upper Charlotte Harbor and in canals and creeks in that area. You can also find them in Tampa Bay and other areas in between. They prefer deep, usually 10 feet or more, creeks and canals and will sometimes gather at the end of canals or in turning basins. My “go to” bait is a DOA TerrorEyz in Pearl, Nightglow or rootbeer. When fly fishing, I use a fast sinking line (300 or 350 grains) and downsized tarpon bunnies or Enrico Puglisi flies. Although you’ll find tarpon rolling at the surface, they are usually feeding near the bottom.

Snook season remains closed during July, so all fishing is catch and release only. Handle them gently and be sure to use line or a leader heavy enough so they can be landed quickly. If you use live bait, I recommend using a circle hook to minimize hooking them deeply. I target snook with flies and plastic baits, such as DOA shrimp, DOA TerrorEyz and CAL jigs with shad tails around bridge fenders and lighted docks from Sarasota to Venice. Try to fish when you have a good tide for the best action. I also find that there is sometimes a flurry of activity at dawn and there may be juvenile tarpon mixed with snook around bridges, so be sure your tackle and line can handle a 20 or 30-pound tarpon.

You’ll also find snook cruising in the surf where you can sight-fish them with jigs, small plugs or flies. This can be just like fishing a crystal clear Keys or Bahamian flat for bonefish. I like to walk the beach from about 8:30 AM until noon when visibility is best. Turtle Beach and Nokomis Beach are two of my favorite areas for snook in the surf.

At dawn, a magic time of day, move to skinny water where you may find reds, snook and big trout feeding in the coolest water of the day. Top water plugs, plastic baits and a variety of baitfish fly patterns, poppers or Gurglers may all work in this situation. As it gets brighter and the water warms, skinny water action will usually slow down. Trout will drop into deeper water, where you can catch them with a jig, a live or plastic shrimp under a popping cork or clacker float or a Clouser fly fished on an intermediate or sink tip fly line. Reds should continue to feed along mangrove shorelines especially in the afternoon, when you will have high tides, all month long. You may see them cruising along mangrove edges or you may need to cast as far into the mangroves as you can. Weedless-rigged plastic baits, jigs on spinning tackle or Clouser and crab fly patterns will work in this situation. Terra Ceia Bay, north Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound are some of my favorite areas for reds and trout on the flats in July.

On deeper grass flats, you may also find a mixture of pompano, bluefish, ladyfish and jacks which can be great fun with light spinning tackle and a 6 or 7-weight fly rod. I would use jigs with spinning tackle and a Clouser fly on an intermediate or sink-tip fly line. You may also find any of these species in passes where you’ll need a heavier jig or fly fished on a faster sinking fly line.

Tripletail is another fish that you may find on crab trap floats and buoys in bays and the coastal gulf waters. A live or plastic shrimp on spinning tackle or a variety of flies fished on a floating or intermediate sink tip fly line will work for them. Make a good first presentation. They are much harder to catch once they know you are there. You could also run into a stray cobia while doing this, which will require heavier tackle. I usually carry a rod rigged for them, since there usually isn’t time to rig up after you’ve spotted them.

There are plenty of options during July. I’ll usually stick with large or juvenile tarpon as long as I can, but reds, snook, trout and more may also be a good option if you’ve had enough of the big boys and girls. Whatever you choose to do, remember to always limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!

Tight Lines,

Capt. Rick Grassett

Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.

FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor

(941) 923-7799

E-mail snookfin@aol.com