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Fishing Reports
From Capt. Rick Grassett 2004
www.snookfin-addict.com or www.flyfishingflorida.net
SW
Florida Fishing Report for 12/26/2004 through 1/2/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action with reds in Sarasota
Bay, lower Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor during the past week. The action was
slow at the beginning of the week due to extremely cold water, but picked up
later in the week as the water warmed slightly.
Fly angler, Tom Pokornik from Chicago, IL, and his dad, Rich Pokornik
from Venice, FL, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Monday morning. It was
cold! With the air temperature in the 40’s and the water only in the mid
50’s, fishing was challenging. The only place we could find fish was in the
ICW channel, where Tom and Rich caught and released large ladyfish on Clouser
flies and jigs. Tom also caught and released an almost legal gag grouper on a
fly in the ICW channel!
Conditions were almost the same on Tuesday morning as Denis Clohisy and
his young son, Deny, both from Hudson, WI, fished with me. The water was still
in the mid 50’s and we found large ladyfish schooled in the ICW channel of
Roberts Bay. We had to go to a class 5 sink tip fly line to get the fly down to
the bottom of the channel. Once we went to the faster sinking tip, the action
picked up. Denis and Deny caught and released numerous large ladyfish on Clouser
flies and jigs.
That
afternoon, Keith McClintock from Lake Forest, IL, his son-in-law Rick Anderson,
also from IL, and his son, Steve McClintock, from Pittsburgh, PA joined me for a
trip. We headed north and fished the east side of Sarasota Bay, which offered
some protection from the wind. The sun had warmed the shallows enough that reds
were hungry. They had a great day catching 6 nice reds to 24” and several nice
trout on weedless-rigged CAL shad tails.
Bill
Beauchamp, from Bradenton, FL, and a guest fished the Terra Ceia Bay area with
me on Wednesday. We found reds and trout concentrated in potholes on the
negative low tide that we had in the morning. They caught 4 or 5 reds to 24”
and more than 40 trout to 18” on weedless-rigged CAL shad tails. Although it
warmed up nicely in the afternoon, the action was slow later in the day.
Keith
McClintock and Barry Slee, also from Lake Forest, IL, fished Charlotte Harbor
with me on Thursday. They had a banner day fishing shallow grass flats, sand
bars and potholes in Gasparilla Sound. They caught and released a dozen big reds
to 26”, 10 trout to 22” and a snook on weedless-rigged CAL jigs. Keith and
Barry fish Charlotte Harbor with me often in the winter and this is one of their
best trips ever with reds!
The
action came to a screeching halt on Friday. The forecast was partly cloudy, 78
degrees with east winds at 5 to 10 mph by afternoon. Wrong! It was overcast,
windy, and rained several times during the day. Fly anglers, Phil Rever from
Sarasota, FL, and Eric Dobkin, from New York City, fished with me and it was
tough. We didn’t catch the reds we hoped we would, but did catch and release
several trout on crab colored (olive, tan and white) Clousers.
Next
week’s tides are favorable for flats fishing, particularly toward the end of
the week as we get back into negative low tides. Catch and release fly fishing
for snook at night should also be a good option as long the water temperature
remains at 60 degrees or higher.
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
Sarasota,
FL Fishing Report for 12/19 through 12/26/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict caught and released snook, trout,
ladyfish and bluefish during the past week. The best action was fly fishing for
snook at night. Deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay produced mostly large ladyfish
with scattered bluefish and trout. Conditions were challenging most of the week
with water temperatures hovering around 60 degrees and breezy towards the end of
the week.
Tom Lamb and Lee Williams, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay
with me on Monday. Danny and Carey Broughton, from the UK, fished with me on
Wednesday and fly anglers, Bill Hitchcock from Sarasota, FL, and Bill DeHaven,
from Sewickley, PA, fished the same area with me on Friday. The best action was
on the deep grass flats just inside of Big Pass, where they caught and released
large ladyfish and several bluefish and trout.
Brian and Joann Shenstone, from Gross Point Woods, MI, snook fished with
me on Tuesday evening. We fished “snook alley” in the ICW near Venice, FL.
They had great action catching and releasing more than 25 snook to 25” on an
epoxy shrimp fly and DOA Tiny TerrorEyz.
The following evening fly anglers, Keith McClintock from Lake Forest, IL,
and his son-in-law, Rick Anderson, also from IL, fished the same area with me.
The tide slowed about the middle of our trip and the action slowed, too. Despite
the fact that the last ½ of the trip didn’t produce many fish, they still
caught and released about 15 snook to 23” on Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies.
Next week’s negative low tides should concentrate reds and trout in
potholes and along drop-offs. In addition, there should be some tailing activity
with reds on the flats of Charlotte Harbor.
Tight
Lines,
Capt.
Rick Grassett
Snook
Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941)
923-7799
E-mail
snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net
and www.snookfin-addict.com
Sarasota,
FL Fishing Report for 12/12 through 12/18/2004
A strong front pushed through our area on Monday evening forcing the
postponement of Tuesday’s flats and night snook trips. Strong winds and lows
in the low 40’s dropped water temperatures from 70 degrees to the high 50’s,
so fishing shut down for a couple of days. By the end of the week, temperatures
moderated to a normal range of lows in the 50’s and a high around 70 degrees.
I got out for the only trip of the week on Friday in Sarasota Bay with
Erich Zeh, from Sarasota, FL. With the water temperature at 57 degrees, we found
the action slow to start. We caught and released a couple of ladyfish and trout
on deep grass flats near the passes and a flounder in Big Pass, all on Cotee
Jigs with grubs.
With
a -.2 tide at noon, we headed for the east side of the bay where we found reds
along the drop-off of a sandbar. Erich landed 3 reds and a trout on a CAL jig
with a shad tail. The sun that was forecast never materialized, so the water
temperature struggled to make 59 degrees.
Another
front is forecast for our area late Sunday, so fishing will continue to be
challenging for a couple of days beyond that. We have quickly moved into a
winter fishing pattern, however if you are able to choose when to fish you can
still be successful. Immediately following a front fishing may be better in the
afternoon as the sun warms the shallow flats. Negative low tides will
concentrate reds and trout in potholes, which are still in their comfort zone in
60-degree water. It is the drastic changes in water temperature that cause fish
to become inactive until they acclimate to the lower temperature. Next week’s
tides will improve toward the end of the week as we head toward a full moon next
weekend.
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
Sarasota
& Charlotte Harbor, FL Fishing Report for 12/5 through 12/11/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action during the past week on
deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with bluefish and catch and release trout. The
shallow grass flats of Charlotte Harbor also provided lots of catch and release
action with reds and trout later in the week.
Last Sunday, I fished with my friends Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key,
FL, and Capt. Bryon Chamberlin, from Land 'O Lakes, FL, in upper Tampa Bay.
Cobia on a fly was our target and although we had a couple of shots, we didn’t
connect. Conditions were ideal but the fish just didn’t think so. We ran into
a bonus in the form of a school of large crevalle jacks in the 10-pound class on
our way in and we each got to bend a fly rod with the big bruisers. We connected
with the jacks on Clousers and poppers. The school of a couple hundred fish was
fining on the surface with their sickle tails sticking out of the water. What a
sight!
Les and Kim Beery and their friend, outdoor writer Paul Downing, all from
Estes Park, CO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. They had steady action
with trout to 18”, ladyfish, bluefish and a Spanish mackerel on jigs and DOA
Deadly Combos at the Middleground flat. They also caught and released a redfish
and a couple of flounder near Long Bar. Kim caught a couple of ladyfish with a
fly before the day was done-her first saltwater fish on the long rod!
970 WFLA radio and “Your Guide to Fishing” TV host, Capt. Mel Berman,
joined me for a Sarasota Bay trip on Tuesday to film a segment of his popular TV
show. We had fast catch and release action with bluefish and trout at the
Middleground flat and near Bishop Point on Clouser flies and jigs. We also
caught and released a nice red on a CAL jig with a shad tail on the east side of
the bay.
I
spent the rest of the week fishing Gasparilla Sound and Bull and Turtle Bays in
Charlotte Harbor. Larry Ford, from Longboat Key, FL and his friend, Pete
Molinari from Sarasota, FL, piloted Larry’s 40’ cabin cruiser, the “Silver
Whisper”, from Longboat Key to Uncle Henry’s Marina on Gasparilla Island,
which became our home away from home from Wednesday through Friday.
We
fished the backcountry out of my Action Craft flats skiff where Larry and Pete
caught and released a total of 9 reds to 23” and numerous trout to 18” on
CAL jigs with shad tails and Clouser and Flats Minnow flies. We found reds
scattered on shallow flats and nice trout in potholes. We also had shots at
several reds that were tailing and cruising on shallow grass flats. The best day
for reds was on Thursday when they caught and released 5 reds, including one on
a fly. Friday was hot for trout with Larry and Pete catching and releasing about
25 trout to 18” on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.
Next
week’s tides should be good for reds in potholes on the negative low tides
that we’ll have. In addition, night snook fishing should be good on the strong
incoming tides early in the 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
Sarasota,
FL Fishing Report for 11/28 through 12/4/2004
Fly anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict caught and released snook, redfish,
trout, bluefish and ladyfish during the past week. Anglers using spinning tackle
had a great day with bluefish and pompano later in the week. Although negative
low tides concentrated reds and snook in clear water they were tough to catch,
particularly with flies. The fastest action was on the deep grass flats of
Sarasota Bay.
Fly angler Phil Berenger, from Avon Lake, OH, fished Sarasota Bay with me
on Tuesday. Phil caught and released several trout to 18”, ladyfish and a
bluefish on Clouser flies near Stephens Point and Whale Key.
I spent a couple of days scouting from north Sarasota Bay to lower Tampa
Bay. I covered a lot of water and found some reds and snook, but didn’t get a
lot of them to bite. I scored a nice red on my Flats Minnow fly on Monday. I
fished with Rusty Chinnis on Wednesday and he caught and released a nice snook
on a bendback fly. All of our efforts were directed towards either poling or
wading shallow flats and sight fishing for reds and snook.
Mark Huber, from Longboat Key, FL and his son, Mark, who is shipping out
this weekend for Navy Seal training, joined me for a trip in Sarasota Bay on
Thursday. The action was fast all morning at the Middleground flat as they
caught a dozen bluefish to 3-pounds, 6 pompano to 2 ½-pounds and numerous large
ladyfish on Cotee jigs with grubs. We moved to shallow water in the afternoon
where they caught a pair of reds, a snook and several trout on DOA Deadly Combos
and weedless-rigged CAL shad tails. The younger Mark had a slam, which included
a multi spotted red with 7 or 8 spots on each side.
Fly angler Bill King, from Osprey, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on
Friday. We were on a mission to catch a redfish with a fly, so we waded the
flats and sandbars of north Sarasota Bay. Bill fished hard and caught and
released several ladyfish and a couple of trout, including a 3-pound
“gator”, on my Flats Minnow fly. We found that the effects of the previous
days front and the full moon had cooled the action.
Next week’s tides are favorable for reds and trout on the flats,
particularly on the negative low tides at the end of the week. The water
temperature has dropped into the upper 60’s on the flats, which should move
snook up rivers and creeks. However, there should still be snook on the flats
particularly on sunny afternoons as the tide rises.
Tight
Lines,
Capt.
Rick Grassett
Snook
Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941)
923-7799
E-mail
snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net
and www.snookfin-addict.com
Southwest
FL Fishing Report for 11/15 through 11/27/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had steady action on deep grass flats of
Sarasota Bay during the past couple of weeks. Fly anglers scored with Clouser
flies and spin anglers connected with jigs and DOA Deadly combos on trout,
ladyfish, bluefish and Spanish mackerel. Fly anglers also connected with reds,
snook and trout on Grassett’s Flats Minnow flies in skinny water.
Sarasota Herald-Tribune outdoor writer and SNN 6 “Fishing Paradise”
TV host, Steve Gibson, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Nov. 15. We were also
joined by Phil Rever, from Sarasota, FL, who was the successful bidder for a
spot on the TV show at last year’s Sarasota CCA banquet. Our plan was to wade
the shallow flats of north Sarasota Bay and fly fish for reds and snook. On the
way there we ran across breaking fish at Stevens Point in Sarasota Bay, which
turned out to be Spanish mackerel, bluefish, trout and ladyfish. We caught and
released several on DT Special flies and jigs.
We
then headed north where we waded the east side of Sarasota Bay on a negative low
tide. Although the action wasn’t fast, we finished the day with snook of 28”
and 27”, a pair of small reds and about 18 trout to 2-pounds Clousers and my
Flats Minnow fly.
Later
in the week, fly and spin anglers fished deep grass flats in Sarasota Bay where
we caught trout, ladyfish, bluefish and Spanish mackerel on jigs and Ultra Hair
Clouser flies. My brother, Kirk Grassett, from Bear, DE, and a friend, Capt.
Scott Hopkins from West Grove, PA, joined me for a few days of fishing at the
end of the week.
We
were the guests of my friend, Capt. Rick DePaiva from Ft. Myers, FL, to fly fish
for tailing reds near Pine Island on Thursday. They tailed good near the bottom
of the tide and again as the tide rose before sunset.
Four anglers caught and released 6 reds to 28” on my Flats Minnow fly.
Kirk had the hot rod, landing 4 of the fish! If you are interested in fishing
that area, Capt. Rick is one of the best and can be reached at 239-246-8726.
Kirk, Scott and I also fished Sarasota Bay and the coastal gulf waters last
Saturday where we caught and released several Spanish mackerel, ladyfish and
bluefish on Clouser flies.
Fly
angler Jim Schwarzbach, from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on
Monday. Jim was in search of his first saltwater fish on a fly and he was
successful! He caught and released several ladyfish, trout and a bluefish on a
Clouser fly at the Middleground flat before moving to the shallow flats to hunt
for reds and snook. Jim did a great job covering the shallow water where he
caught a couple of more trout but reds and snook remain on his list of fish to
be caught with a fly!
Fly
anglers, Mike Penny from Duluth, GA, and his son, Jared, snook fished with me
near Venice on Tuesday evening. Jared was in search of his first saltwater fish
with a fly and he was successful! They caught and released a dozen snook off of
one light before a dolphin moved in to end our action. Jared caught and released
the largest fish, a chunky 24” snook.
Charlie
Alexander, from Osprey, FL, and his grandson, Max Helmetag from New York City,
fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday morning. With the wind blowing
15 to 20-mph as a front approached, fishing was challenging. The good news is
that fish went on a binge and they had non-stop action with big ladyfish on
Cotee jigs with grubs. Max also caught a nice bluefish and a trout.
Fly
angler, Ray Hutchinson from Chelsea, MI, and his brother-in-law, Craig, from
Bradenton, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday morning. Following
Thanksgiving Day’s front, the water temperature plummeted from 73 degrees to
65 degrees, which slowed fishing. They caught and released several trout and
ladyfish at Stevens Point on Cotee jigs with grubs and Clouser flies. Craig also
caught and released a small red on a weedless-rigged CAL shad tail on the edge
of a sand bar.
Next
week’s negative low tides should concentrate reds and snook in potholes. Flats
fishing should turn on after fish have acclimated to the cooler water for a few
days. Maybe the coastal gulf blitz of little tunny that many fly anglers have
been anxiously awaiting will also get started with the drop in water
temperature?
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
Sarasota
& Charlotte Harbor, FL Fishing Report for 11/7 through 11/14/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action with reds, snook and
trout during the past week, particularly early in the week. Fly anglers scored
with reds and snook on the flats of Charlotte Harbor. Reds and snook were also
caught on Sarasota Bay flats early in the week. A couple of anglers had slams on
flies and lures.
Fly angler, Charlie Alexander from Osprey, FL, fished Charlotte Harbor
with me on Monday. We found reds cruising and tailing on a shallow flat near
Placida and Charlie caught a nice pair of reds in the 4 to 5-pound class on a
white Grassett’s Flats Minnow fly. Another red was caught and released on a
weedless-rigged CAL jerk worm.
Tom Meyers and David Fields, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay
with me on Tuesday. The action was slow to start, but we finished strong. They
caught 3 reds to 24”, a couple of snook to 25”, trout to 17”, flounder and
sheepshead on CAL plastic tails fished either on a 1/16 oz CAL jig head or
rigged weedless near Buttonwood Harbor.
Mac and Sandy McGee, from Gloucester, VA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on
Wednesday and Friday morning. They caught and released trout to 17”, ladyfish,
bluefish and a Spanish mackerel at the Middleground flat, Stevens Point and near
Buttonwood Harbor. John Klopp, from Winterhaven, FL, and his young son, Michael
joined me for a trip in Sarasota Bay on Wednesday afternoon. Michael was
celebrating his 8th birthday and he did it in style, catching and
releasing trout, ladyfish, big sailcats and a bluefish on Cotee jigs with grubs
near Big Pass.
Fly angler, Nick Reding from Longboat Key, FL, fished Charlotte Harbor
with me on Thursday. We waded and sight-fished to tailing and cruising reds in
the same area that I fished on Monday. They were tough, but Nick slammed with a
small red, 4 snook to 24” and a few trout on white and brown Grassett’s
Flats Minnow flies. The tide was high in the afternoon, so we fished from the
boat where we had numerous shots at cruising reds on a sand bar, but no takers.
The action slowed at the end of the week. Friday afternoon’s trip
produced only a few trout caught and released on jigs near Buttonwood Harbor.
Fly angler, Jeff Barnum from Stratham, NH, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on
Saturday. We fished hard all day with not much action. The reds that had been
working well earlier in the week were not as plentiful or aggressive. Jeff had a
couple of follows from reds but no takers. He caught and released several trout
to 18”, including one that was cut in ½ by a large bluefish on a silverside
fly near Sandfly Key.
Next week’s negative low tides will be favorable for reds in potholes
or tailing on shallow grass flats. Coastal gulf action with breaking Spanish
mackerel and little tunny has been disappointing so far, probably due to warm
water. That could take off at any time when the water temperature drops a few
degrees.
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
Sarasota,
FL Fishing Report for 11/1 through 11/6/2004
Anglers on the Snook
Fin-Addict had good action during the past week with a variety of fish. Redfish,
bluefish, Spanish mackerel, catch and release trout, pompano and sheepshead were
all caught in Sarasota Bay. Fly anglers also scored with trout, Spanish mackerel
and ladyfish on deep grass flats. The best fish of the week was a 4 ½-pound
trout caught and released on a fly.
“Ladies, Let’s Go Fishing” member, Jeanne Olkosky and her husband,
Tom, both from Bradenton, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. They caught
and released trout, ladyfish and bluefish on CAL jigs, DOA Deadly Combos and
MirrOlure She Dogs near the Ringling Museum and Buttonwood Harbor. In addition,
Jeanne caught and released 3 reds to 24” on weedless-rigged CAL shad tails and
grubs.
Fly
angler, Norm Boardman, and his wife Francie, both from Sarasota, FL, fished
Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. The best action was on the deep grass flats
where they caught and released trout and ladyfish on flies and jigs. Norm caught
and released the 4 ½-pound trout on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly out of a mud
created by feeding manatees near Bishop Point.
Fly
anglers, Charlie Alexander, from Osprey, FL, and his son, Jamie Alexander, from
Venice, FL, fished the same area with me on Wednesday where they caught and
released trout to 18”, Spanish mackerel, and ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser
flies.
Jeff
Henson, from Zephyrhills, FL, and his 8-year old son, Andrew, fished Sarasota
Bay with me on Thursday. The action wasn’t fast, but was steady. Variety was
the name of the game for Jeff and Andrew. They caught 3 pompano, numerous trout
and ladyfish and a bluefish on jigs at the Middleground flat. They also caught a
nice sheepshead and a small red on a weedless-rigged CAL shad tail near
Buttonwood Harbor.
Friday
mornings pre dawn snook/flats fly trip was cancelled when I awoke to 20 mph
northwest wind as a front pushed through our area. Although we might have found
a place to fish, I think we would’ve violated the fun rule, “if it’s not
fun, don’t do it!”
Next
week’s tides are favorable for fishing the flats and snook at night as we head
toward a new moon at the end of the week. Friday’s front should drop the water
temperature and fire up the coastal gulf fishing for Spanish mackerel and little
tunny.
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
Sarasota,
FL Fishing Report for 10/18 through 10/31/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict have had good action on the flats of Sarasota
Bay during the past couple of weeks. Both fly and spin anglers have scored with
reds and snook on the shallow flats while the deep flats have yielded Spanish
mackerel, bluefish, trout and ladyfish. We've also caught several nice flounder
in potholes and along sandbars on jigs and flies.
Jerry and Cindy Mangum, from Bradenton, FL, collected on the tarpon trip that I
donated to Manatee-Sarasota Fish and Game Club on Monday, October 18th. Jerry
was the successful bidder on my trip at the club's annual banquet last spring.
We had to reschedule the trip, which is in the Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda area,
following the devastation of Hurricane Charley. Although tarpon have started to
move back into their normal areas for this time of the year, I have found the
fishing to still be off due to the effects of the hurricanes that we had during
August and September. Jerry and Cindy jumped a pair of tarpon on a DOA TerrorEyz
and a CAL jig with a nightglow grub.
Mote Marine laboratory scientist, Carole Neidig, from Bradenton, FL, her dad,
Walt, and brother, Walter, both from Arizona, joined me for a trip on Tuesday,
October 19th. We fished Sarasota Bay and had a great day. The group caught about
20 trout to 18", which included about 50% slot size fish near Stephens
Point. The deep grass flats also produced Spanish mackerel and bluefish. We
moved to the shallow flats of north Sarasota Bay as the tide fell, where they
caught several nice reds and snook on CAL jigs with plastic tails. Bill Roth and
his guest, Jeff Porterfield, both from Longboat Key, FL joined me for a trip on
Wednesday. We fished the deep grass flats where they had fast action with trout,
bluefish Spanish mackerel and ladyfish.
George Hambos and his son, Charlie, both from Valrico, FL, fished Sarasota Bay
with me on Oct. 21. Conditions were near perfect for reds and snook on the flats
with a very low tide late in the afternoon. We began the day with numerous
Spanish mackerel and bluefish on deep grass flats and shifted to the shallow
flats as the tide fell. They caught 7 or 8 reds, several snook and a flounder on
CAL jigs with grubs, shad tails and jerk worms. Fly anglers, Kyle Ruffing and
Jon Yenari, both from Sarasota, fished Sarasota Bay with me the following day.
The best action was on the deep grass flats where they caught Spanish mackerel,
ladyfish and trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies.
Last week, the Florida Outdoor Writers Association (FOWA) had their annual
meeting in Venice. I was part of a group of guides that fished outdoor writers
in Sarasota Bay on Wednesday. I had fly anglers, Phil and Debbie Chapman, from
Lakeland, FL on my boat. Phil is an excellent tarpon fly fishing guide,
professional fishery biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and
an International Fishing Hall of Fame member. Debbie is also an excellent fly
caster. They caught and released a pair of reds, a couple of snook and several
trout on Clouser and Grassett's Flats Minnow flies.
The following day, Mark Nichols, owner of DOA Fishing Lures, and outdoor writer
Tommy Thompson, from Gainesville, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me. We worked
hard for our fish, probably due to the effects of the full moon, but had a good
day. We caught and released about 15 snook to 25", several reds to
24", trout and flounder on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails and DOA
shrimp.
Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers members, Joe Polidoro and Erwin Edelman, both from
Sarasota, FL, fished the same areas with me on Friday. It proved to be a much
tougher day. After fishing hard in shallow water and not catching much, we
retreated to the deep grass flats where we caught numerous trout to 19" and
ladyfish on olive over white Clouser flies. We had several hook ups and
subsequent cut offs from Spanish mackerel and bluefish. Outdoor writer, John
Kumiski, from Chuluota, FL, snook fished with me near Venice before daylight on
Saturday morning. We caught and released 15 or more snook to 23" on my
Grassett's Grass Minnow and John's "Cousin It" flies.
Next week's tides are favorable for reds and snook on the flats, particularly at
the bottom of the tide, which should concentrate fish in potholes. In addition
the deep grass flats should have lots of action with trout, Spanish mackerel,
bluefish and ladyfish. Remember that trout season is closed during November and
December in our area; so all trout must be released. Handle them gently and
pinch down your barbs to help insure their survival. If the coastal gulf waters
will cool a few degrees, action should really take off for little tunny.
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
Southwest
FL Fishing Report for 10/4 through 10/17/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action with reds, snook, trout, Spanish
mackerel and bluefish during the past couple of weeks. In addition, a couple of
tarpon were jumped. The coastal gulf waters were very active the week of 10/3
with lots of breaking Spanish mackerel, bluefish and ladyfish. Blacktip sharks
also moved into the frenzy. The mackerel and bluefish moved into the bay the
following week and action heated up on the flats with reds, snook and trout.
My sister, Michelle Mumford, and my nephew and niece, Eli and Hannah Mumford,
all from Dagsboro, DE, visited for a few days the week of 10/3. We fished the
coastal gulf waters off New Pass on Monday and had non-stop action with large
Spanish mackerel, bluefish and ladyfish on jigs. The highlight of the day was
when a 60-pound blacktip shark ate a bluefish next to the boat and was landed by
Michelle after a 20-minute battle.
Fly angler, Bill King from Osprey, FL, got in on the action on Wednesday with
large ladyfish and bluefish on Crease flies off Lido Key. Nick Milburn, from
Sarasota, FL, and Dave Pietrangelo, from Firestone, CO, fished a couple of days
with me and had good action on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with trout.
John Leverage, from Seaford, DE and J.C. Leverage, from Curry Beach, NC, fished
a couple of days with me last weekend. We tarpon fished in the canal system of
Port Charlotte, where John jumped a pair of tarpon in the 15 to 20-pound class
on a DOA TerrorEyz. The following day, we fished Sarasota Bay where J.C. had a
slam. They finished the day with 3 reds, a snook and several trout caught on CAL
jigs. Doug McMillin, from Emory, TX, and a friend fished in a group along with
us with Capt. Ed Hurst. They had a great day with 6 or 7 reds and several snook.
Outdoor writer, Keith Kaufman, and his 2 sons, Cody and Ross, all from Willow
Street, PA, also fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday and Tuesday last week. We
had fast action on Monday catching and releasing 7 or 8 reds, 3 or 4 snook and
numerous trout on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails in north Sarasota
Bay. On Tuesday, we focused on deep grass flats where they caught and released
numerous Spanish mackerel, bluefish, trout and ladyfish on jigs and flies. Cody
caught and released several nice mackerel and bluefish on flies-his first
saltwater fish on a fly rod!
Sarasota Sportfishing Anglers Club president, Terry Argue, from Bradenton, FL
and club vice president, Jim Gillespie, from Sarasota, FL, fished north Sarasota
Bay with me on Wednesday. They had a great day catching 3 reds, a snook and
several trout on CAL jigs with shad tails. Terry had a huge snook on near the
end of our trip that made a couple of nice runs and jumped several times before
the hook pulled close to the boat. Terry was the successful bidder on my trip at
the club's annual awards banquet this year.
Fly anglers, Brice Belyea, from Canada and a couple of friends, Dave and Bill,
joined me to fish Sarasota Bay on Thursday and Friday. It was their first time
fly fishing in saltwater and they did well. We caught and released numerous
trout, ladyfish and bluefish on Clouser flies on Thursday. Some of the blues
were as large as 4-pounds, which is a big bluefish for our waters. On Friday,
the wind cranked up to 15 to 20-mph as a front approached. They caught and
released numerous trout and ladyfish on jigs before a squall line ahead of the
front chased us off the water.
The Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers hosted the Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club on Saturday
to fish Sarasota Bay. We had a great outing with perfect weather, good fishing
and a nice BBQ meal at the end of the day. Capt. Frank Rhoades and Capt. Bryon
Chamberlin, both members of the Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club, joined Capt. Andy
Cotton, from Sarasota, FL and me on my boat to fish north Sarasota Bay. It was
slow to start, but got good before we were done. We waded a flat and cast
bendbacks and Clousers into potholes and worked mullet schools. Frank had a pair
of reds to 27" and several trout, Bryon had several trout and a pair of
snook, Andy had a 24" snook, a nice flounder and several trout and I had a
pair of reds, 3 trout and a nice flounder. A total of about 40 fly anglers from
both clubs participated in the outing. There were some other noteworthy catches,
including one angler catching and releasing 6 reds to 30". A great day!
The weather is perfect now and the coastal gulf waters should explode with
action over the next several weeks. Next weeks tides will be good for reds and
snook on the flats at midday and snook at night.
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
Sarasota
& Venice, FL Fishing Report for 9/26 through 10/3/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had decent action with reds and trout in
Sarasota Bay. The best action was with snook at night on an incoming tide in the
ICW near Venice. The water quality in Sarasota Bay is not bad considering all
the rain and wind that we've had. It is dark in color but fairly clear, which is
often the case this time of the year anyway. Sarasota Bay had lots of baitfish
and mullet with a water temperature around 80 degrees.
Dan Kennedy, from Punta Gorda, FL, fished
Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. Dan went through Hurricane Charley in Punta
Gorda and had to delay his vacation in Sarasota to let Jeanne pass by. Enough
already! We had good action with trout and redfish on DOA Deadly Combos and
MirrOlure She Dogs. Dan caught several trout including a couple in the slot at
the Middleground flat and near Buttonwood Harbor. He also caught a nice pair of
reds and a jack on a MirrOlure She Dog also near Buttonwood Harbor.
J.C. Leverage, from Curry Beach, NC and Doug McMillin, from Emory, TX, fished
Sarasota Bay near Buttonwood Harbor with me on Saturday morning. J.C. and Doug
are State Farm Insurance employees that respond to catastrophes. They are
currently stationed in southwest Florida helping victims of Hurricane Charley in
Charlotte County. You can only do so much of that and then you've got to go
fish! The action was slow but J.C. managed to catch a slam, which included reds
and snook of about 23" and trout to 18" on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL
jigs with a variety of plastic tails.
Fly anglers, Bernie Feinberg, from Sarasota, FL, and David Schofield, from
Elmira, NY, snook fished with me in the ICW near Venice that evening. The bite
was slow to start due a slow outgoing tide. However, when the tide started to
pour in the fish began to eat. They caught and released 18 snook to 23" on
a variety of small white flies. Shrimp patterns were the most productive,
followed by Grassett's Grass Minnow and Enrico Puglisi's Bay Anchovy.
We are in a good weather pattern, so I expect fishing to improve next week.
Tides are not great, but the water should continue to clear and flats fishing
should get better.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and
www.snookfin-addict.com
Southwest
FL & Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report for 9/13 through 9/26/2004
Here we go again! Hurricane Jeanne is bearing down on Sarasota as I write this
report. I spent Saturday through Thursday of the past week visiting family in
Delaware and was able to squeeze in a couple of days of fishing on the
Chesapeake Bay on Tuesday and Wednesday. The plan was to fish on Monday also,
but the wind was still up from the remnants of Hurricane Ivan.
My brother, Kirk Grassett, my dad, Dave
Grassett and I fished Eastern Bay on Tuesday. Eastern Bay is a side bay off the
Chesapeake Bay that is sandwiched between Kent Island and Tilghman Island. We
found numerous schools of small stripers breaking on the surface and had good
action with Crease flies, crab colored Clousers and jigs.
The following day Kirk and I fished Tangier
Sound near Crisfield, MD with our friend Capt. Matt Tawes of Chesapeake Angling
in his new 21' Parker. We caught and released more than 30 stripers in the
3-pound class on Clouser flies fished on fast sinking fly lines. These fish give
an excellent fight on 7 or 8-weight fly tackle and remind me a lot of the snook
that we catch around lighted docks and bridges in southwest Florida. The action
started slow and got hot in the afternoon. We fished points, marsh banks and
stump fields as Capt. Matt expertly put us on fish all afternoon. You can see
some photos from this trip in the photo gallery of my web site,
www.flyfishingflorida.net.
If you are interested in a quality fly fishing experience on the Chesapeake Bay,
Capt Matt can be reached at 410-968-3286 or
www.chesapeakeangling.com.
Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL and I
fished the Terra Ceia Bay area on Friday in preparation for the Tampa CCA Photo
All-Release Challenge fishing tournament on Saturday. We had a good day catching
and releasing numerous trout to 18", including 6 or 8 slot-size fish, on
Clouser and glass minnow fly patterns fished on sink tip and intermediate fly
lines. I also caught and released a legal-size gag grouper on a Clouser fly over
hard bottom at the edge of a flat! If we could have repeated this on Saturday
for the tournament, we would have made a good showing.
My wife, Karen, joined Rusty and I on
Rusty's Hell's Bay flats skiff to fish the tournament on Saturday. We caught and
released numerous short trout and Karen had a couple of trout on a DOA Deadly
Combo that measured, but didn't win anything. I try to never say "you
should've been here yesterday" but that's the way it was. Just like a
couple of weeks earlier at the Islamorada-Sarasota Shootout, we once again had
to leave early to return to Sarasota and prepare for the arrival of Hurricane
Jeanne.
I fished a couple of days during the week
of Sept. 13 in Charlotte Harbor and Sarasota Bay and found conditions to be
poor. I scouted the Peace River one day and found no tarpon in the area that
normally hold lots of them at this time of the year. Flood conditions on the
Peace and Myakka Rivers apparently pushed all of the baitfish further down the
harbor and probably the tarpon went with the bait. Sarasota Bay had an extreme
high tide the day that I fished it as Hurricane Ivan passed by. There were
breaking ladyfish with trout and bluefish mixed in, but the shallow flats were
dirty and next to impossible to find fish in due to the flood tide.
Next week's tides are good as we head
toward a full moon on Tuesday. I would expect fly fishing for snook at night to
be one of the better options. Flats fishing will depend on the water quality
after Hurricane Jeanne passes. Hopefully we will once again weather the storm.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and
www.snookfin-addict.com
Blame it on Ivan! Lost days of fishing that is. Even though he's
not even here yet, Ivan has already caused me to lose a day of fishing. We've
all got our fingers crossed that he'll stay away.
I spent a couple of days fishing in the Florida Keys last week before we were
thrown out of the Keys by a mandatory evacuation on Friday. I traveled down to
Islamorada with my wife, Karen, on Tuesday to fish the Islamorada-Sarasota
Shootout, an informal, family fun, fishing tournament organized by anglers from
Islamorada and the Sarasota Sportfishing Anglers Club.
I fly fished with Capt. Duane Baker on the ocean side flats of the upper Keys on
Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday was a tough day with several shots at bonefish
in the morning and only one hook up. I lost that fish due to a knot in my fly
line that didn't clear all the guides of the rod and caused the hook to pull.
Thursday was a better day, with lots of
shots and more aggressive fish. I caught and released 3 bonefish, the largest a
7-pounder, that day on a crab pattern. That fish was large enough to win 2nd
place in the bonefish category of the tournament. We also had a shot at a permit
each day. Capt. Duane is an experienced Keys flats guide and he did a great job
putting me on fish repeatedly. If you are in the upper Keys and want to catch
bonefish, permit or tarpon with a fly, I would strongly recommend fishing with
Capt. Duane. He can be reached at 305-852-0102 or
www.keysflatsguide.com.
When we returned to the dock on Thursday,
we could see the panic as people were starting to pull their boats from the
water to flee from Ivan. We learned that there was a mandatory evacuation, so
the tournament had to be cut short by a day. Final score: Islamorada 20,
Sarasota 8. Sarasota had fewer anglers this year than in past years due to the
threat of Hurricane Ivan, which affected the outcome of the tournament. Lookout
for Sarasota next year- Islamorada!
I made the trip back to Sarasota on Friday
morning with my neighbor and friend, Capt. Rob Roberts, in his 31' Tiara
Sportfishing boat. It was an 11-hour trip across Florida Bay and up the west
coast. We saw the destruction caused by Hurricane Charley on Sanibel and Captiva
Islands as we passed by them. In some place it looked like a giant weed eater
had passed through the area chewing up trees and stripping them of their
vegetation.
Fly angler, Pat Bennett from Ft.
Lauderdale, FL, sneaked in an evening snook trip ahead of Ivan with me on
Saturday. The action was slow to start due to a turning tide, but once the
incoming tide built up some speed the bite began. Pat caught and released about
10 snook to 23" and a 22" redfish on Grassett's Grass Minnow, a larger
profile baitfish fly and several shrimp patterns. We fished lighted docks in the
ICW near Venice.
Next week's tides are favorable for fishing
the flats, snook at night and juvenile tarpon as we head toward a new moon.
Hopefully, Hurricane Ivan will leave Florida alone. After Charley and Frances,
we don't need any more.
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
Sarasota
& Charlotte Harbor, FL Fishing Report for 8/29 through 9/4/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action during the past week with trout
and bluefish on deep grass flats, snook around lighted docks and tarpon on the
beach. Fly anglers connected with snook, tarpon and trout while the best action
for spin anglers was with tarpon, trout and bluefish.
Gary Witkin, from Nashville, TN, and Tom Lind, from Dallas, TX, fished Sarasota
Bay with me on Monday morning. We found good action with trout to 17" and
ladyfish on DOA Deadly Combos at the Middleground flat and near Buttonwood
Harbor.
Fly angler, Bill King from Osprey, FL, fished a pre dawn snook/flats trip with
me in Sarasota Bay on Tuesday morning. Bill is new to fly fishing and is taking
the sport seriously. He fished with me a couple of weeks ago and caught his
first fish with a fly. His casting has improved tremendously since our last
trip. He caught and released 4 or 5 snook to 24" on Grassett's Grass Minnow
flies near Big Pass and several trout and ladyfish on an olive Clouser at the
Middleground flat and near Bishop Point.
Fly angler, Harry Davis from Dalton. GA, fished with me on Wednesday. Our
original plan was to fish upper Charlotte Harbor for tarpon, but with reports
still sketchy from that area we made a change in plans. Harry had fished the
beach on Tuesday and spotted some tarpon, so we headed in that direction. We
found a broad area of tarpon feeding on glass minnows and ladyfish near
Gasparilla Pass. Harry connected with 4 tarpon, landing two of them. Two of the
fish were on an orange and brown Enrico Puglisi fly and 2 were on DOA
Baitbusters on spinning tackle. Both fish were in the 80 to 90-pound class.
The following day, Ed O'Hair from Glen Burnie, MD, and his dad, Brian O'Hair
from Tampa, FL, fished the same area with me. We found more boats and less
tarpon and they weren't on the bite that they'd been on the day before.
Eventually most of the other boats left and we opted to stick with it. With not
many tarpon showing, we worked diving birds and found a few tarpon feeding on
the baitfish. Ed and Brian each connected with a tarpon and Ed landed one of
them, an 80-pounder. Both fish were on DOA Baitbusters.
Lance Miller, from Wheeling, WV, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday just
ahead of Hurricane Frances. With a northeast wind gusting 15 mph, we fished the
east side of the bay. We found fast action with breaking bluefish to 3-pounds,
ladyfish, trout and crevalle jacks on deep grass flats. CAL jigs with shad
tails and jerk worms and MirrOlure She Dogs accounted for most of the fish. We
also caught numerous trout and a snook on DOA Deadly Combos.
Hurricane Frances is bearing down on the east coast of Florida as I write this
report. It seems to have weakened, but it is slow moving, which is likely to
cause flooding. Fishing will more than likely be impacted here due to the
expected rainfall. However, Sarasota Bay usually rebounds quicker than Tampa Bay
and Charlotte Harbor due to better flushing by its 3 passes and no rivers
emptying into it. Next week's fishing should be good toward the end of the week
as tides and the water quality improve.
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
Crane
Meadow Lodge, MT Fishing Report for 8/21 through 8/28/2004
The temperature was 39 degrees on Friday morning. Southwest Florida? Not hardly!
We were beginning a float on the Beaverhead River at the base of the Clark
Canyon Reservoir Dam. With long johns, waders, winter jackets, gloves and
stocking hats it didn't seem like an August morning, but it felt good. A sign
along the road above us said "You are at the 45th parallel-Halfway between
the equator and the north pole". It was cool for August. We had some rain
during the week and the mountains surrounding the Ruby Valley were capped with
snow!
I traveled to Crane Meadow Lodge in
Southwest Montana last week and met up with a group of 9 other fly anglers from
across the country. It was the third trip that I had arranged to this location
and like the other trips-a wonderful mix of good fishing, breath taking scenery,
wildlife and mountain air!
We fished the Beaverhead, Ruby, Jefferson,
Madison and Big Hole rivers. We also fished several spring creeks and sloughs
that connect to the Ruby River on the Kennedy Ranch, where Crane Meadow Lodge,
an Orvis-Endorsed operation, is located. Nick Reding, Bob Harness and Bob
Reynolds made the trip from St. Louis, Dick and Rich Walden flew Dick's new twin
engine Cessna airplane from Arizona, Jim Breckenridge came from Connecticut,
John Hayes from Boulder, CO and Mike Perez from Richmond, IN. Young Nick Reding,
from New York City, spent the previous week fishing other areas of Montana with
a couple of friends and rendezvoused with us at the lodge.
We caught mostly brown and rainbow trout on
streamers, nymphs and a few dry flies. Popular flies were Zonkers, Muddlers,
Wooly Buggers and Pepperoni streamers with a bead head or Copper John nymph as a
trailer. We did some nymphing with a pair of nymphs or a streamer and a nymph
under a strike indicator. There was also some fishing with hoppers or ants with
a nymph dropper. There were a few good days and a couple of slower days for most
of the anglers.
Mike Perez and I were fishing partners for
the week. We had a great day on Thursday fishing sloughs of the Ruby River on
the Kennedy Ranch. We caught and released more than 25 trout. All were rainbows
except for two big browns, a 21" fish that I caught and a 27" pig that
Mike caught, which was the largest fish of the trip. Probably ½ the fish were
between 18" and 23".
Other anglers in the group also caught
trout to 21" or 22" on various rivers. These fish might not sound big
to seasoned saltwater anglers, but on a 4 or 5-weight fly rod in fast water,
they are great fun! As in previous years, the Ruby River fished the best. Bob
Reynolds and Bob Harness spent a day on the upper Big Hole River catching
brookies on 2 and 3-weight fly rods. They also fished the upper Ruby with Nick
Reding one day and they all caught grayling.
I look forward to this trip every year. The
wildlife that we see on this trip is incredible-whitetail and mule deer, moose,
coyotes, sandhill cranes, Canadian geese eagles and hawks. Ever wonder where the
white pelicans that winter in Florida come from? They were there, too. Good
friends, good fishing, good food and cool mountain air-it doesn't get any
better!
Next week's tides are favorable for reds
and snook on the flats and snook at night. Snook season will reopen on Wednesday
Sept. 1st. Tarpon continue to be an option in Sarasota Bay and upper Charlotte
Harbor. Hopefully, Hurricane Frances will stay away.
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
Sarasota,
FL Fishing Report for 8/13 through 8/19/2004
We dodged a big bullet in Sarasota last Friday as Hurricane Charley took a last
minute jog to the east and came ashore at Charlotte Harbor rather than Sarasota.
The storm, which was originally forecast to make landfall somewhere between
Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay, appeared to be headed further north. It
increased in intensity from a category 1 to a category 4 storm in a matter of a
few hours. I walked my dogs, Bailey and Shelby, around my neighborhood at 1 PM
on Friday afternoon and people were busy picking up items that might become
flying projectiles and taping or boarding windows. It was the calm before the
storm.
The area where I had hot tarpon fishing
last week was ground zero for Charley as it turned east and went right up
Charlotte Harbor, devastating Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte before cutting
diagonally across the state leaving a swath of major destruction in its wake. I
know many people that were affected by Charley ranging from minor damage and no
power to losing everything they had. After seeing the destruction that Charley
caused, I have a new respect for hurricanes. The next time that a hurricane
threatens, I think I'll be leaving town.
I fished Sarasota Bay on Sunday with my
son, Bryan, and future son-in-law, Andy Cotton, on Sunday. I wanted to do some
scouting since I hadn't been on the water for a few days. We located scattered
reds in several areas, mainly near Buttonwood Harbor, and caught and released 5
reds to 26" on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms. One red was caught
on a MirrOlure She Dog.
The following day, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
outdoor editor Steve Gibson, fished Sarasota Bay with me. Our plan was to try to
catch a super slam (tarpon, snook, redfish and trout). Easier said than done! We
started before daylight and fly fished around lighted docks and bridge fenders
near Big Pass for snook. After losing a couple of slot-size snook, we landed a
fat 26" fish on a Grassett's Grass Minnow fly. I checked out an area for
tarpon at dawn, but they weren't home. We moved on to redfish and the areas I
had found fish the day before had plenty of activity with baitfish and mullet,
but no reds. We easily caught a dozen or so trout to 18" on DOA Deadly
Combos near Long Bar before focusing on reds again. We finally found a few reds
and hooked 2 but lost both of them before calling it a day.
Bill King, from Osprey, FL, fished Sarasota
Bay on a pre dawn snook/flats instructional fly fishing trip on Tuesday. We
fished lighted docks near Big Pass where Bill landed his first snook on a fly.
After daylight, we fished breaking fish (ladyfish, jacks, trout and Spanish
mackerel) where Bill connected with a couple more fish on Clouser and Enrico
Puglisi flies. Following our trip, I took a lookout along the beach to see if
there were any tarpon around. Guess what! I got 3 shots at tarpon with a fly and
saw a couple more fish. Not bad for late August!
Next weeks tides will improve toward the
end of the week as we head toward a full moon. Hopefully, any more tropical
weather will stay away for a while as many southwest Florida residents start to
rebuild their lives.
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
Southwest
Florida Fishing Report for 8/1 through 8/12/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action with tarpon, trout and bluefish
during the past week and a half. In addition, several snook, redfish and a cobia
were also caught and released. The best action was with tarpon in the Peace
River and trout in Sarasota Bay on both spin and fly tackle.
970 WFLA's Capt. Mel Berman fished a couple of days with me to shoot video for
an upcoming TV show that he will be hosting. We fished Sarasota Bay and did very
well with trout to 22" on the deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. DOA Deadly
Combos accounted for most of the fish, which were caught at the Middleground
flat and near Buttonwood Harbor and Long Bar.
Fly angler, Carlos Ramirez from Ocala, FL, fished the same areas with me last
Thursday and caught several trout and ladyfish on Enrico Puglisi flies. The
weather was questionable and we dodged rain showers most of the morning. This
has been the case for the last couple of weeks.
Scott Heidler, from Hudson, OH and his young son, Scottie, tarpon fished in the
Peace River with me last week. We got off to a fast start with Scott jumping and
landing a 29-pound tarpon with a DOA TerrorEyz on his second cast of the day.
The rest of the day was tough. Tarpon were plentiful but finicky, often striking
baits by swiping at them. They had another tarpon on and several other bites but
that was it for the day.
Rusty Chinnis and I fished with our friend, Capt. Rick DePaiva, in the Ft. Myers
area last Friday. We caught and released several snook to 26" and hooked a
couple of big snook that we didn't land on fly and spin tackle. If you ever want
to fish that area, Capt. Rick is an excellent guide with quality equipment.
John Rettig, from Tampa, FL and his brother Dave Rettig, from St. Petersburg,
FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me last Saturday morning. We fished lighted docks
near Big Pass before daylight where they caught and released several snook and
mangrove snapper on DOA Tiny TerrorEyz. We moved to the flats at dawn where they
caught and released several trout on DOA Deadly Combos. My son, Bryan Gibson and
grandson, Caleb Gibson, joined me for a few hours later that morning for Caleb's
fist fishing trip in a boat. They caught and released 12 or 15 trout to 18"
on DOA Deadly Combos at the Middleground flat and near Buttonwood Harbor. Caleb
caught his first fish ever- a trout!
I participated in the Ladies Let's Go Fishing seminar in Sarasota last weekend.
On Saturday afternoon, I manned a skill station teaching the ladies how to cast
with spinning tackle. On Sunday morning, Vicky Cochran and Susie Musser, both
from Lakeland, FL, joined me for a 6-hour trip in Sarasota Bay. It was slow to
start but they finished strong with a redfish, numerous trout, bluefish and
ladyfish. The red was caught on a gold Huddle Spoon and the other fish were
caught on DOA Deadly Combos. At one point we had a feeding frenzy of breaking
fish, which consisted of trout, bluefish, ladyfish and tarpon. Bluefish were
biting trout and ladyfish in half and tarpon were eating the ladyfish. It was
pouring rain, but they didn't care!
Fly angler, Ed Kilgore from New Castle, Northern Ireland, tarpon fished with me
on Monday. Ed had fished with me several years ago and caught a huge snook
(36") in Sarasota Bay. He jumped 4 tarpon from 10 to 90-pounds in the Peace
River. The smaller tarpon was on an Enrico Puglisi finger mullet pattern fished
on a sink tip fly line. The bigger fish, from 75 to 90-pounds were all jumped
with DOA Baitbusters near the mouth of the river. Ed also caught and released a
26" cobia on a DOA Baitbuster.
Joe Dutmers and his son Mark, both from Sarasota, FL, tarpon fished in the same
area with me on Wednesday before Mark returns to school at Georgetown
University, where he is a pitcher on the baseball team. Mark fly fished for
quite a while, but the tarpon were too widely scattered to be able to connect
with one on a fly. We moved to the mouth of the Peace River where tarpon had
been plentiful a couple of days before but nothing was showing. We made a cast
at a nervous bait school with a DOA Baitbuster and immediately jumped a 75-pound
tarpon. We worked the area hard mostly blind casting or casting to an occasional
bait school and rolling tarpon. We jumped 2 more tarpon on DOA Swimming Mullet,
landing one of them, an estimated 70-pounder.
We are battening down the hatches anticipating the arrival of Hurricane Charlie.
Following the storm, I expect good action with tarpon, snook, redfish and trout.
Next week's tides will be favorable for tarpon, snook and flats fishing as we
come off the new moon.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and
www.snookfin-addict.com
Southwest Florida
Fishing Report for 7/24 through 7/31/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had a
variety of action during the past week with tarpon, snook and trout. Fly and
spin anglers "kept 'em flyin'" as they connected with 3 tarpon and
landed 1 on the beach and in upper Charlotte Harbor. Trout and ladyfish were
found on the deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay where they ate flies and snook
were targeted on the outgoing full moon tide at the end of the week. Despite a
strong outgoing tide, they were finicky at best.
Andy Cotton, from Sarasota, FL, joined me
to hunt big tarpon on the beach last Sunday. We found them plentiful and giving
us plenty of shots with flies. One fish ate a black and rust bunny fly 15 feet
from the boat, but broke off before we got her in the air. Tarpon thinned on the
beach over the next couple of days.
I was the guest of Nick Reding, from Longboat Key, FL, and his son Nick on their
new Maverick Mirage HPX flats skiff on Tuesday. Conditions were poor with a big
tide and overcast conditions. We covered a lot of water and didn't find any
tarpon. Young Nick had a shot at a shark that put its nose right on the
fly and followed, but didn't eat.
The action picked up on Wednesday as Joey
Schwab, from Sarasota, FL, joined me for a tarpon trip in upper Charlotte
Harbor. We found tarpon in the 20 to 40-pound class fairly plentiful. These fish
are never easy, but I've found if we've got fish to cast to we can usually hook
up. We jumped a 40-pound tarpon that wore through the leader after several jumps
and landed an 18-pounder on DOA TerrorEyz. We also had several other bites on
DOA's and flies.
Fly anglers, Steve Rieker from Wexford, PA
and his son, Mike, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. Although they are
experienced freshwater fly anglers, they had never fished the salt before. They
caught and released several trout and ladyfish on Clouser and Enrico Puglisi
flies. That afternoon, Lee Ibsen from Sarasota, FL and Bill Owen, from
Purcellville, VA, fished the ICW in Venice for snook with me. We had a
"blue moon" tide, which is the 2nd full moon in a month. I thought the
snook would feed heavily, but they didn't. We drifted channels and fished
points, cuts and docks with a variety of DOA's. They caught and released only 4
snook to 22".
Next week's tides improve toward the end of
the week as we move back to 4 tide days. I look for good action with tarpon in
Charlotte Harbor and trout on the deeper grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Reds
should begin schooling at any time now and will be easier to locate at the
bottom of the tide.
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
Southwest
FL Fishing Report for 7/18 through 7/24/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict caught and released a variety of fish during the
past week. Snook, trout, ladyfish, crevalle jack and bluefish were caught and
released with DOA Deadly Combos, Tiny TerrorEyz and flies. In addition, spin and
fly anglers connected with tarpon, jumping one with spinning tackle and two on
flies.
Ed O'Carroll, his son, Aidin and brother-in-law, Craig Amos, all from Tampa, FL
attempted to fish Sarasota Bay with me on Monday morning. We dodged rain first
to the south and then to the north until finally there was no running away from
it. They caught and released several trout at the Middleground flat and near
Bishop Point on DOA Deadly Combos before we called it an early day due to rain
and lightning.
The next morning, John Priede from Lake Mary, FL, and Anthony Coppola, from
Longwood, FL, fished the same area with me. We started at 4 AM to target snook
around lighted docks and found them finicky. John caught and released one on a
Grassett's Grass Minnow fly and then we moved to the flats. They had good action
at the Middleground flat and near Bishop Point with trout and ladyfish on
Clouser flies and DOA Deadly Combos. Anthony also caught and released a nice
bluefish on a MirrOlure She Dog at the Radio Tower flat and John had a nice
crevalle jack on a DOA shrimp in the ICW near Phillippi Creek.
Tim Hastings, from Corpus Christi, TX, fished the Peace River and canal systems
of Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte for juvenile tarpon with me on Wednesday. Tim
was in search of sight-fishing opportunities since that is all he does for big
trout back in Texas. We had shots at tarpon all day long, had several bites and
jumped one, about 20-pounds, on a DOA TerrorEyz. A couple of the bites also came
on a DOA shrimp.
The wind dropped on Thursday and I couldn't help thinking about giant tarpon on
the beach. I scouted it and was pleasantly surprised to not only find them
plentiful, but eating. I had 7 or 8 shots at singles, doubles and schools of up
to 20 fish. I jumped 2, a big female of 120-pounds or more and an estimated
80-pounder on black and rust and black and purple flies! As Saltwater Angler
editor Jon West says, "Keep 'em flying!" which is what I intend to do
for as long as I can.
I did the same thing on Friday with fly angler, Frank Lanzisera from Bradenton,
FL. Despite good conditions to begin with, we only had a couple of shots and
didn't see more than 7 or 8 fish all afternoon. This time of the year it can
change from day to day, but the only way to know if it's going on is to go
fishing. "You don't know 'til you go!"
Next weeks tides should be favorable for fishing the flats, particularly toward
the end of the week. In addition, juvenile tarpon and large tarpon on the beach
should be an option as we head toward a full moon next weekend.
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
Sarasota
& Venice, FL Fishing Report for 7/10 through 7/18/2004
Fly and spin anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action during the past
week with snook, trout and tarpon. Some of the best action was on deep grass
flats of Sarasota Bay where anglers caught and released numerous trout to
20", bluefish to 18" and ladyfish on DOA Deadly Combos and Clouser
flies.
Tarpon continue to be an option in the
coastal gulf although a persistent west wind caused conditions to deteriorate
toward the end of the week. Three tarpon were jumped on Tuesday and Wednesday on
a black and rust tarpon fly with one of them, a 60 to 70-pounder, landed. We
also spent a couple of other afternoons fly fishing for tarpon and had a few
shots, but rough water made it challenging.
Night snook fishing with flies and DOA Tiny
TerrorEyz was challenging. Snook were plentiful but very selective about what
they would eat. Dave Brugh, from Akron, OH, fished the ICW in Venice with me on
Monday evening. He caught and released 7 snook to 23", ladyfish, jack
crevalle and a whiting on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Tiny TerrorEyz.
Longboat Key residents, Arnold and Bette Hoffman and their grandson, Henry
Hoffman from VA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday afternoon. They caught
and released trout and ladyfish on DOA Deadly Combos at the Middleground flat
and Bishop's Point.
Bill and Penny Hall, from Georgetown, DE, fished the same area with me on
Thursday morning. They caught and released some quality trout to 20" with
most of them in the 16" to 18" class. We also spent some time hunting
reds and snook along mangrove shorelines but they must have been buried in the
mangroves due to an extreme high tide. Bill was my high school marine biology
teacher back in Seaford, DE more than 30 years ago. We hunted together back then
so it was good to see him and Penny again and reminisce about old times.
Stuart Smith and his father-in-law, Bob Beaudry, both from Riverview, FL, joined
me for a pre dawn snook/flats trip on Friday morning. We fished from Big Pass in
Sarasota Bay to Bishop's Point. We found the action slow but steady. They caught
and released a couple of snook, ladyfish, trout and a mangrove snapper on DOA
Tiny TerrorEyz and Grassett's Grass Minnow flies before daylight. We took a shot
at some juvenile tarpon with flies and DOA TerrorEyz but they didn't eat. We
moved to the flats where they got some more action with trout and ladyfish on
Clouser flies and DOA Deadly Combos.
Next week's tides will improve toward the end of the week as we return to 4 tide
days. I look for good action on the flats with trout, snook at night, juvenile
tarpon and tarpon on the beach. Hopefully, the wind will switch back to the east
to calm the gulf waters and make sight fishing for tarpon a good option for fly
anglers.
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
Southwest Florida
Fishing Report for 7/3 through 7/10/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action during the past week on deep
grass flats of Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor with trout, bluefish and
ladyfish on flies and DOA Deadly Combos. In addition, tarpon fishing continues
to be an option from Anna Maria Island to Sarasota. Fly anglers had multiple
shots at tarpon and jumped one on a black and purple bunny fly.
Al and Rich Lavacca, from Long Island, NY, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on
Wednesday. They caught and released 40 or more trout on DOA Deadly Combos on
the deep grass flats of Gasparilla Sound. In addition, they had numerous shots
at skinny water reds but they weren't in an eating mood.
Fly anglers, Jules Clement from Sarasota, FL and Dave Hutchinson, from Punta
Gorda, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. The action was slow to
start, but after a short while we got dialed into the fish. The best action
was on deep grass flats at the Middleground flat and near Bishop's Point.
Jules and Dave caught and released trout, bluefish and ladyfish on Clouser and
Grassett's Flats Minnow flies.
Conditions were near perfect for tarpon on Thursday afternoon, so I couldn't
resist checking the beach for tarpon after my trip with Jules and Dave. I
found singles, doubles and several small schools of tarpon traveling north and
south. After several good shots, I jumped an estimated 120-pound fish on a
black and purple bunny fly. The fish was too hot for me to handle by myself! I
was fighting the fish while also running the boat. I got a half dozen or more
jumps and a couple of smoking runs before losing her after about a 15-minute
battle. It was fun while it lasted!
In addition, fly anglers had quality
shots at tarpon on 2 other trips. We had a couple of follows, but no other
bites. Like the late Del Brown once told me, "the quality of the trip is
gauged not by the number of fish caught, but by the number of shots you
get." If you are getting enough shots at fish (permit, tarpon, bonefish,
etc.) you will catch your share. Some of the fish will ignore you, some will
refuse you and some will eat!
Cliff and Kim Langenbach, from Port
Charlotte, FL, joined me for an instructional fly fishing trip on Friday.
Recently retired, they had traveled the U.S. and done some freshwater fly
fishing for trout in the west and Vermont and were anxious to try it in
saltwater. They made great progress and are well on their way to enjoying the
world of saltwater fly fishing. Kim caught and released a hardhead catfish on
a Clouser fly. Her first saltwater fish with a fly!
I look for fishing to be good next week
on the deep grass flats for trout, bluefish and a variety of other fish. Catch
and release snook fishing should be good in the surf and at night. Tarpon
should school again as we head toward the new moon next weekend. Although I
don't expect to have the amount of tarpon that we have had in May and June, it
should 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
Sarasota,
FL Fishing Report for 6/27 through 7/3/2004
Tarpon action continued to hold up for anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict during
the past week. Fly anglers got into the action connecting with 5 tarpon on flies
and landing 2 of them. Overall, anglers landed 4 out of 12 tarpon jumped during
the week. Tarpon schools thinned toward the end of the week as we approached the
full moon but there were still plenty of fish. Anglers worked at least 4 or 5
schools each day from Anna Maria Island to Siesta Key. In addition, fly anglers
cast to singles, doubles and schools of tarpon in 3 feet of water over white
sand. Awesome!
Jay Alvis, from Columbus, IN, and Joe Ayrault, from Sarasota, FL, fished with me
last Sunday. They each connected with a tarpon, but Jay's wore through the
80-pound fluorocarbon leader after 15 or 20-minutes. Joe landed his tarpon, an
85-pounder, which was his first tarpon ever. Skip Walton, from Sarasota, FL, and
Ken Astor, from Falmouth, ME, joined me for a trip on Tuesday. The action was
fast as tarpon attacked their crabs, but nothing would stay hooked. They jumped
4 tarpon and had several more bites out of multiple schools of tarpon.
Fly angler, Rick Happle from Tampa, FL, joined me for a trip on Tuesday. Rick
caught his first tarpon on a fly with me last season so his level of enthusiasm
was high. He connected with 2 tarpon on black and purple bunny flies out of a
southbound and a northbound school of tarpon, but they both came unhooked.
Rusty Chinnis and I fished with Capt. Tom Shubat on Wednesday and I joined Rusty
on his boat on Thursday to fly fish for tarpon. Rusty and I each landed tarpon
of about 75-pounds and Rusty connected with another one. Tarpon ate black,
purple and chartreuse flies. Rusty connected with tarpon on purple and then a
short while later on chartreuse, so presentation was more important than color.
Tom Minnick, from Cincinnati, OH and Brian Smith, from Cape Coral, FL, tarpon
fished with me on the full moon on Friday. The action was slow to start with
only a couple of singles popping up during the morning. However, by late morning
tarpon schools started to move. Brian connected with a stubborn 100-pound fish
that he landed with a live crab on spinning tackle. His first tarpon ever!
Tarpon fishing has been great so far this season! The combination of a good
weather pattern, lack of red tide, plentiful fish and only moderate fishing
pressure has made it memorable. As we come off the full moon, tarpon should
continue to school as we head toward the new moon. Tarpon fishing should still
be a good option during July although fishing techniques may change.
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
Sarasota,
FL Fishing Report for 6/20 through 6/26/2004
Spin and fly anglers continued to have good
tarpon action during the past week. Southwest wind was a problem for a couple of
days early in the week, but by Wednesday we were back into a normal pattern of
an east breeze in the morning and an afternoon sea breeze. Although we didn't
connect with the numbers of tarpon that we have in previous weeks, it wasn't due
to the lack of fish. Anglers caught 4 out of 8 tarpon jumped, including one on a
fly and in addition, we caught a cobia with a fly on Friday.
Ken Trotter, from Sarasota, FL, tarpon
fished with me on Monday. It was rough due to a steady southwest breeze and we
almost opted to fish the bay, but decided to tough it out. It paid off as we
found several hungry schools of tarpon that were eating everything in their
path. We had five bites on live crabs, connected with two and landed one. Many
times when conditions are rough, tarpon are more aggressive although they are
harder to fish.
Bill Roth, from Longboat Key, FL, was
joined by his son-in-law, Mike Paton from Columbus, OH, to tarpon fish with me
for a couple of days. Tuesday was rough and we only had one bite, which we
missed. The weatherman was wrong on Wednesday. With a forecast for 10 to 15-mph
southwest winds, we awoke to a gentle east breeze and calm conditions. They had
a great day, jumping 4 tarpon and fighting 2 to the boat.
Terry Notari, from Longboat Key, FL, and
his son, Craig Notari from Winnetka, IL, fished with me on Thursday and Friday.
The goal was for Craig to catch his first tarpon with a fly. We worked hard on
Thursday for only a few shots. We had a tarpon follow the fly but didn't eat.
Terry jumped a hot one with a live crab on spinning tackle. The tarpon jumped
off on about its 6th jump but it was fun while it lasted!
Friday was the day for Craig. We had
numerous shots during the first couple of hours and had a bite on the fly but
didn't hook up. The action slowed after a couple of hours and we moved to try
and locate some of the schools that had passed us going south. While working a
school of tarpon, a pair of cobia popped up following a pair of large spotted
eagle rays. Craig made a nice cast and connected with the largest cobia on a
black and purple bunny tarpon fly. The cobia, a 14-pounder, was his first ever
with a fly.
We continued our quest for a tarpon on a
fly and had several shots at singles and small groups before locating a nice
school over a 6-foot deep sand bar. We had several shots before we finally got
right with them. Craig made a good cast and connected with a hot 75-pounder. The
fish blasted off numerous jumps and streaking runs before Craig had her at the
side of the boat. His first tarpon with a fly!
I look for tarpon action to continue as we head toward the full moon on July
2nd. As long as the weather pattern is good, we should have good tarpon fishing
along the beaches. Hopefully, this action will continue into July as we come off
the full moon.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and
www.snookfin-addict.com
Sarasota,
FL Fishing Report for 6/13 through 6/20/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had great action in the coastal gulf waters off
Sarasota with tarpon during the past week. The week started off hotter than a
firecracker and the bite slowed somewhat toward the end of the week due to
crystal clear water and calm conditions. However, there were plenty of schools
of tarpon throughout the week. Most mornings we had a push of fast moving
schools of tarpon first thing in the morning followed by a mid morning lull in
the action. From late morning through midday, tarpon schools were slow moving
and tightly schooled but finicky. Crystal clear water caused them to stop, move
back in the opposite direction and go around the boat.
Cliff Ondercin, from Sarasota, FL, was joined by his dad, Dennis Ondercin from
Middleburg Heights, OH, for a week of tarpon fishing with me. The action was
fast and furious on Monday when the landed 3 out of 6 tarpon jumped to 90-pounds
and had 3 more bites with live crabs on spinning tackle. Dennis caught and
released the big fish of the week, a 110-pounder on Tuesday as they went 1 for
4.
With several tarpon under their belt, Cliff
changed his focus to catching a tarpon with a fly. He has landed tarpon on a fly
with me for the past several seasons and this one would be no different.
Wednesday was the toughest day of the week with 4 bites and only one tarpon in
the air. Cliff scored with the fly on Thursday, landing a feisty adolescent
tarpon on a black and rust bunny fly. Dennis was also 1 for 1 landing a tarpon
with a crab that day.
Tarpon were getting much warier toward the
end of the week due to the increasingly clear, calm water. Friday was a tough
day with lots of shots and lots of refusals with the fly and live bait. Although
bites were getting fewer, the ratio of jumped to landed fish was getting better,
as they landed 2 out of 2 tarpon jumped on Friday with live crabs on spinning
tackle. They finished the week with a total of 8 tarpon landed out of 15 jumped,
including a 110-pounder on spinning tackle and one on a fly. A great week!
My wife, Karen, my son, Bryan and my
daughter's boyfriend, Andy Cotton, tarpon fished with me on Saturday. We had
numerous shots at fast moving fish early in the day but no takers. We found a
happy school of tarpon around 11:00 AM on the Big Pass bar and after working
them for a while, Karen connected with a hot one!
The fish first tried to stay in the school but we finally popped her out. Her
next move was to cross the bar and drop into the 25-foot deep waters of Big
Pass, which is not a good place to be at midday on Saturday. After dodging
pleasure boats and jet skis for a while, the fish headed east for downtown
Sarasota. She swam more than a couple of miles with the incoming tide, drawing a
crowd of spectator boats along the way. I successfully thwarted her attempts to
swim into a canal once and then through the north bridge to Siesta Key before
she turned and headed north. At one point she was in 1 ½ feet of water near ICW
markers 5 and 7 before she swam into the middle of the ICW causing yet another
traffic jam. We finally landed her in the middle of the ICW to cheers from
passing boats and sent her on her way. Although she only weighed 90-pounds she
fought like a 180-pounder. You never know what may happen when tarpon fishing!
Our total for the week was 9 tarpon landed
out of 16 jumped. A great week of fishing especially since the landed to jumped
fish ratio was better than 50%. The action should continue next week as we head
toward the full moon in early July. As long as the weather pattern will hold, I
look for tarpon fishing to remain hot!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and
www.snookfin-addict.com
Sarasota,
FL Fishing Report for 5/31 through 6/13/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict have had great action off Sarasota area beaches
with tarpon during the past couple of weeks. So far, this has been one of the
better tarpon seasons that we've had for the past couple of years. A good
weather pattern, plentiful fish and not a lot of fishing pressure are the
factors that have made it so good. Even on days when there were a lot of anglers
fishing the beach, they have mostly been courteous and observed the rules of
etiquette for tarpon fishing.
Coming off the full moon of June 4, tarpon schooled nicely and were happy.
"Happy fish" move slowly, stay high in the water column and feed
aggressively. Over the past 10 days, anglers have landed 10 out of 23 tarpon
jumped. More than half of the tarpon caught and released were 100-pounds or
more, with the larger ones going 115, 120, 130 and 140-pounds. Almost all of the
anglers have fished with live crabs on spinning tackle although many of the
schools would have been perfect to toss a fly at.
Craig Purse, from Green Oaks, IL, fly
fished for tarpon on one of the days last weekend. Most fish were moving fast
that day and not giving us good shots. We did have a few good shots but not at
the right school of tarpon. Fly anglers, Dave Wahl from Sterling, IL, and his
son Robert Wahl, from Bradenton, FL, also tried their hand at it one day but we
were chased into the bay by thunderstorms. Making the best of the situation,
Dave and Robert had good action catching and releasing numerous trout to
17" near Buttonwood Harbor on Clouser flies.
Ken Trotter, from Sarasota, FL and his
mother, Diane Trotter, from Tampa, FL, also fished a day with me. It was rough
on the beach and tarpon were not showing but we hung in there until about 10 AM.
Since it was too rough to run back in the gulf, we ducked into the bay where Ken
and his mom caught and released trout, ladyfish, jacks and a whiting on CAL jigs
with shad tails and DOA Deadly combos.
Larry Ford and Pete Molinari, both from
Sarasota, FL, fished a couple of days, jumping several tarpon and landing on
with live crabs on spinning tackle. Chris Likens and Paul Nevins, both from
Sarasota, FL, also jumped several tarpon and landed one with live crabs on
spinning tackle.
David Smith, from Bishops Stortford,
Hertfordshire, UK, and Mark Worbey, from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, UK, crossed the
big pond to fish 5 days with me last week. Months in the planning, the trip
finally
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