Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fly Fishing Forecast for April 2008
This is one of my favorite months of the year for fishing the flats and coastal gulf waters of southwest Florida. With water temperatures in the 70’s, longer days and more plentiful baitfish, predator fish will feed heav-ily. Snook will make their move towards passes, reds and trout will spend more time feeding on flats and the first tarpon of the season should make an appearance. Cobia, Spanish and king mackerel, bluefish and tripletail should all be options in the coastal gulf.

Snook fishing should be good on the flats and in the ICW at night. Look for snook on mangrove points, in “cuts” between mangrove islands and around bridges and docks in the ICW. They will feed on shrimp and pil-chards so shrimp fly patterns and wide profile flies such as Deceivers and Enrico Puglisi flies will work well. Snook will aggressively attack poppers and sliders on the flats this month.

Small white flies, like my Grass (Snook) Minnow (shown at left), shrimp patterns and Skitterbugs will work well around lighted docks and bridge fenders at night. I usu-ally find snook feeding on shrimp and baitfish of various sizes at night during April. You may need to use larger flies than you used in the winter months. A Skitterbug fly, which is similar to a Gartside Gurgler but tied to look like a shrimp, works well when snook are chasing shrimp on the surface.

Reds should also feed more during April due to more plentiful baitfish and higher tides allowing them to spend longer periods of time on the flats. Search man-grove shorelines, points and cuts when the tide is high and fish potholes and the edges of flats and sand bars when the tide is low. Fly anglers should score with Clousers, bend backs like my Flats Minnow and wide profile flies like Deceivers and Enrico Puglisi flies.

Big trout will be found in the same water as reds and snook and are usually loners. Look for them in pot-holes, along sand bars and around spoil islands. Dawn and dusk are prime times for catching “gator” trout in these areas. A couple of the largest trout that I have seen were caught along a sand bar with a Gartside Gurgler fly with barely enough light to see and around a spoil island. This is a prime time of the year to throw fly poppers for big trout.

Keep in mind that these big trout are almost al-ways females and will probably be full of roe. I have been releasing all trout in Sarasota Bay since the red tides of 2005 and 2006 and they are now rebounding nicely. I also release trout over 20” since they are usually females that will be full of roe at this time of the year.

Smaller trout will tend to be on deeper grass flats and will all be the same size. However, since big trout will eat small ones, you may find a “gator” lurking around the edges of schools of smaller trout. A few of my fa-vorite areas for snook, reds and trout are the flats in the Terra Ceia Bay area, north Sarasota Bay and in Gaspa-rilla Sound. The area known as “snook alley” from Blackburn Bay to south of the Venice Inlet is a prime night snook fishing area due to the good tidal flow in that area.

Tarpon will also start to show in different areas particularly toward the end of the month. Some of these fish are residents that are coming out of rivers and some are probably migratory fish that are arriving early. They tend to frequent deep bays with protected water and you may see them rolling early in the morn-ing or “laid up” if it is calm. Since these fish are usu-ally in shallow water they will be spookier than tarpon in deeper water. You can make a delicate presentation to a “laid up” fish with a fly. Tarpon bunnies, toads and Enrico Puglisi flies fished on an intermediate sink-tip fly line will work well when targeting “laid up” tarpon. Areas that tarpon will frequent early in the season are near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, north Sarasota Bay and in Gasparilla Sound.

Deep grass flats and passes should have a good mix of Spanish mackerel, bluefish and pompano. You may need to use wire or heavy fluorocarbon when blues and mackerel are around. You may also find these species in the coastal gulf. Intermediate or inter-mediate sink-tip fly lines with an Ultra Hair Clouser fly will work well on deep grass flats. You may need to use a faster sinking fly line, such as an Orvis 300 or 350-grain Depth Charge line, in the passes. Cast ahead of the drift on grass flats and across the current in passes to get you fly down in the water column.

You may also find cobia, tripletail, Spanish and king mackerel and little tunny in the coastal gulf. Look for diving terns, breaking fish or bait to in-dicate the presence of Spanish mackerel or little tunny. If there is no activity on the surface, check out one of the many artificial reefs off Sarasota. A 9-weight fly rod with a large arbor reel and at least 200-yards of backing will get the job done for fly anglers. This tackle will also work for cobia and tripletail. You may find tripletail or cobia around crab trap floats or buoys and cobia may be cruising on the surface as they mi-grate to the north. A full range of fly lines from float-ing to fast sinking will allow you to cover the entire water column depending on where fish are located.

April is one of the best months of the year for fishing the flats and coastal gulf waters. Our fronts should be mostly done until fall and the weather is usu-ally perfect. It is a good idea to have tarpon tackle on board, particularly toward the end of the month, since you could run into them in bays or the coastal gulf. I like to fish skinny water this month and check out the gulf when conditions are good for that.

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fly Fishing Forecast for May 2008

This is the month that I wait for all year long, the beginning of tarpon fishing season along our beaches. While tarpon are gathering along our beaches, snook will be doing the same thing in passes and in the surf. Reds will be actively feeding along mangrove shorelines, in potholes and along sandbars in bays and backcountry areas. Deep grass flats should also have lots of variety with trout, bluefish, pompano and more.

PHOTO: Look for tarpon along the beaches this month. Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL, caught and released this one on a Toad fly while fishing the coastal gulf off Sarasota with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Tarpon fishing along our beaches will kick off early in the month and come on strong by the middle of the month. You might also find them in bays early in the month as resident tarpon and early arriving migratory fish gather in bays and backcountry areas. Look for them rolling or “laid up”, sitting just below the surface, when it is calm. Migratory fish will be traveling in a lane just off our beaches. In the Sarasota area, many tarpon schools are heading south towards Boca Grande Pass, but some will be northbound towards Tampa Bay. Look for tarpon schools at first light along areas of rocky bottom. The area from Point of Rocks on Siesta Key south to Grassy Point on Casey Key is one of my favorite areas.

Most tarpon will follow the same route, so once you’ve spotted a school, set up in that area and another school may be traveling the same route. To be successful at tarpon fishing you have to be patient. Use trolling motors sparingly and don’t run your outboard within a couple hundred yards of tarpon schools. Set up in front of schools of tarpon and take a shot at them as they pass you. After they have passed you, let them get a couple hundred yards past you and then you can leapfrog around them and get another shot further down the beach. I prefer to run offshore of tarpon schools when setting up for a second shot at them. I use a 12-weight fly rod with an intermediate line for fishing deep water (10’ to 20’) and a floating line with an intermediate sink tip for fishing shallow water from 3’ to 7’ or 8’. I use a 20 or 25-pound tippet of mono or fluorocarbon with an 80-pound fluorocarbon bit tippet. Top producing flies are Enrico Puglisi baitfish patterns, bunny flies, Toads and Deceivers. Black or dark flies work best, although chartreuse may work well in the middle of the day.

PHOTO: Keep your eyes open for cobia and tripletail while tarpon fishing. Brian Shenstone, from MI, caught and released this one on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly in the coastal gulf off Siesta Key while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Keep your eyes open for tripletail and cobia while fishing the coastal gulf for tarpon. Cobia may be cruising on the surface, following rays or hanging around crab trap floats and buoys. Tripletail may be hanging around crab trap floats, buoys or floating debris. Tarpon tackle with is perfect for cobia, but you might want to carry an 8 or 9-weight fly rod for tripletail. A floating line with a crab pattern, shrimp pattern or a bendback, like my Flats Minnow, will work well for tripletail.

Snook season closes this month so any snook caught must be quickly released. The closure from May through August protects snook when they are congregated in passes to spawn. You’ll find snook in passes, in the surf and around docks and bridges close to passes this month. Snook spawn during the strong tides surrounding the full and new moons when their fertilized eggs are carried by the tide. Flies fished on intermediate sink tip lines work well in the surf and around docks and bridges. Small white flies work best at night and those flies may also work in the surf. Clousers, Deceivers and Enrico Puglisi baitfish patterns will also work at night around docks and bridges and in the surf.

Reds and big trout will be found in skinny water feeding along mangrove shorelines and around sand and oyster bars. Due to more water on flats and more plentiful baitfish, reds will spend more time feeding on the flats. With more water on flats, reds may be harder to find. In the winter when tides are very low, you may only need to fish 30% or 40% of the water to find fish but when there is a lot of water on the flats you’ll need to fish 100% of the water to locate fish. A Clouser fly, which fishes like a small jig, can be used to cover water to find fish. A spoon fly is another good fly to cover water to find reds. When fly fishing, start with shorter casts and lengthen your casts to cover water rather than make long casts first. Although you may be blind casting to locate fish, you should always have a target when you cast. Focus on nervous baitfish, mullet schools, seams where grass and sand meet and shadow lines along mangrove shorelines. You might be able to sight fish for reds over light colored bottom, such as sandbars and potholes.

You’ll find trout, ladyfish, bluefish, pompano and Spanish mackerel on deep grass flats close to passes. Cast flies on intermediate or intermediate sink tip fly lines ahead of your drift to locate fish. Once you’ve located them, you can shorten your drift to the area where fish are concentrated. You may also find bluefish, pompano or Spanish mackerel in passes. Cast with flies on intermediate lines or drift with the tide and use faster sinking lines in deeper portions of passes to find fish. Bluefish and mackerel will also strike fly poppers. I use Clouser flies tied with Ultra Hair when targeting toothy fish or fish with rough mouths. You might also need to use heavy fluorocarbon (60-pound) or tieable wire to prevent being cut off by toothy fish.

There are plenty of options this month. If battling a big tarpon isn’t your cup of tea, then there are lots of fish to be caught on the flats. I’ll be tarpon fishing this month unless conditions won’t allow it. 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.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail: snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Editor's Note: Capt. Rick Grassett, a Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers board member, is a full time fishing guide based at CB‚s Saltwater Outfitters in Sarasota, an Orvis-Endorsed Outfitter. He has been involved with fishery conservation for more than 15 years and is a Federation of Fly Fishers certified fly casting instructor.