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PRIOR Fishing Reports from Club Members and Area Guides
Merrill Zinder, from Longboat Key, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Sept. 25th. We had fast action with trout to 18”, bluefish and a redfish on CAL jigs with curly tails and DOA Deadly Combos near Buttonwood Harbor. I spent the next week from Sept. 27th through Oct. 3rd visiting family in Delaware and fishing a couple of days in the Chesapeake Bay. My brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, and I fished with our friend, Capt. Matt Tawes of Chesapeake Angling out of Crisfield, MD on Monday, Oct. 1st. We fished shorelines south of Crisfield and caught and released about 10 or 12 stripers and bluefish on Clouser flies fished on fast sinking fly lines. Capt. Matt is a pleasure to fish with and his equipment is always in good condition. He can be reached at www.chesapeakeangling.com for a trip out of Crisfield, MD. The next day Kirk and I launched his boat in Taylor’s Island, MD and fished the middle Chesapeake Bay. We found a school of breaking stripers right out of the boat tramp and each caught a nice one. Although it was a good way to start, that was it as far as breaking fish for the rest of the day. We covered a lot of water and caught a few more stripers and blues at the power plant discharge on the western shore. After returning to Sarasota, Mary Fetzko from Dallas, TX, fished with me on Thursday. We had good action near Buttonwood Harbor with trout to 22” and a nice bluefish on DOA Deadly combos. The next day, I was the guest of my friend, Capt. Bryon Chamberlin of Land O’ Lakes, FL, on his flats skiff. We fished the Ft. Desoto Park area where we caught and released numerous trout with Clouser and Estaz Marabou flies. Capt. Bryon, an excellent fly and light tackle guide, can be reached at www.barbedsteel.com for a trip in that area.
I look for this action to continue and even get better as the bay and coastal gulf cools down this month. Reds are still schooling in Sarasota and Charlotte Harbor and should start to break out of schools soon. Tight Lines, Capt. Rick Grassett Boca Grande, Fl. -
26 Sept., 2007 - Captain Pete Greenan
Fish Hard, Week of Sept. 24th - Fishing report from Ron Whiteley... Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 9/17 through 9/22/2007 Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers secretary, Melissa Littlewood, fished the same area with me on Wednesday. Melissa will be participating in a tournament in the Keys in October and wanted to sharpen her skills with both spin and fly tackle. She hooked several snook and landed one on my Grass (Snook) Minnow fly before daylight along Little Gasparilla Island. We didn’t find and school reds that day, but found plenty of them scattered on various flats and sand bars. She landed a pair of reds on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails and then spent a couple of hours wading and sight casting to reds on a sand bar. We had plenty of good shots with a fly but no takers.
The next day, I was the guest of Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers member, Ron Whitely, on his Maverick Mirage flats skiff. We started before dawn and caught a couple of snook before switching to the flats. With rain bearing down on us, we drifted a couple of deep grass flats in Gasparilla Sound where we caught and released several trout and ladyfish on Ron’s Estaz Marabou and Clouser flies before the rain chased us off the water. The action should continue next week with reds in Charlotte Harbor and Sarasota Bay. Snook before dawn and trout, bluefish and more on deep grass in the same areas should also be an option. Tight Lines, Capt. Rick Grassett ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aledia won the bonefish division with a 7 1/2-pound bonefish caught with a live shrimp and I was second with a 6-pound bonefish caught on a fly. I caught a total of 3 bonefish on flies and Aledia caught 2 with bait. Sarasota anglers placed in several other offshore divisions, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough for Sarasota to win the tournament. With a point system that scores 3 points for a win, 2 points for 2nd place and 1 point for 3rd place in each division, the final tally was Islamorada 23 and Sarasota 9. When I got back on the water at home this week, I found the fishing even better than I left it. The action was still strong on the deep grass flats and we found large schools of reds in Sarasota and Gasparilla Sound. Harold and Bill Johnson, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. They had good action with bluefish, trout, ladyfish and jacks at Stephens Point and along the west side of Sarasota Bay with flies, CAL jigs, DOA Deadly Combos and MirrOlure She Dog and Top Dog, Jr’s. We encountered a large school of reds in 8’ of water near Long Bar with 4 and 5-pound bluefish mixed with them. The bad news was that you couldn’t land a redfish due to bluefish either getting to the lures and flies first or cutting off our hooked redfish. The blues averaged about 4-pounds. So it was still great action. Brad Sodowick, from Washington Crossing, PA, fished a couple of days with me on Thursday and Friday. He jumped a pair of tarpon and landed one of them, a 10-pounder, with a root beer DOA TerrorEyz in a Port Charlotte canal on Thursday. We fished Sarasota Bay on Friday where he caught trout, ladyfish and bluefish on DOA Deadly combos, CAL jigs and MirrOLure Top Dog, Jrs.
The action should continue next week on the deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay and in skinny water for reds in Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound. I also look for tarpon fishing to improve in upper Charlote Harbor and Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda canals. Tight Lines, Capt. Rick Grassett ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scott Swango and his 11-year old son, Seth, both from Springfield, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. They caught and released 4 snook to 26” on Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies and Cal jigs with shad tails while fishing Siesta Key docks before dawn. We fished deep grass flats along Longboat Key on the west side of Sarasota Bay and caught and released a variety of fish including trout and bluefish. John Hall, from IL, and his guest Jim, from Sarasota, fished the same area with me on Wednesday. They connected with several snook before dawn on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Tiny TerrorEyz and caught and released a mixed bag of trout, bluefish and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.
The next day Steve Stallard and his fiancée, Elizabeth Parrish, both from MI, and Fred Parrish, from Land O’Lakes, FL, also fished the same area with me. We found the snook plentiful but finicky. Steve caught and released a snook on my Grass Minnow fly before we moved to Big Pass at dawn where tarpon were rolling. Fred hooked a 70-pound tarpon on a DOA Baitbuster and after numerous jumps and a 45 minute battle landed the fish. We moved to deep grass flats near Bishops Point where they ended the day with a mix of trout, bluefish and ladyfish on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails. On Friday, Harry Davis from Dalton, GA, and Fen Sartorius, from NM, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me. We started off strong, catching and releasing more than a dozen snook to 24” on my Grass Minnow snook fly while fishing docks along Little Gasparilla Island. We found a few tarpon in Gasparilla Sound but they were too widely scattered for us to have a chance at them with a fly so we moved on. We also found reds to be elusive that day but caught a few trout along the way with Clouser and my Flats Minnow flies. Tarpon fishing should improve as they move into Charlotte Harbor and other bays to feed. Look for diving birds and schools of ladyfish to locate them. You might also find them rolling in deep bays when it is calm. Reds will begin schooling on shallow flats from lower Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor. One of the best options will continue to be fly fishing for snook before dawn. Tight Lines, Capt. Rick Grassett Capt. Rick Grassett’s Crane Meadow Lodge, Twin Bridges, MT Fishing Report for 8/18 through 8/24/2007. I traveled to Crane Meadow Lodge in Twin Bridges, MT this week for our annual fly fishing trip there. Nick Reding, Bob Harness, Bob Reynolds, Jim Ewoldt and Dick Callaway, all from St. Louis, MO and Bob Maddocks, from NM, all met up with Bill King and me, from Sarasota, in Bozeman on Saturday morning. After gathering our gear and an hour and a half drive to the lodge, we settled in for 5 days of fishing.
Except for one very windy day, the weather was beautiful with temperatures ranging from the high 30’s to the mid 70’s and almost no humidity. After spending several months tarpon fishing in Florida’s heat, it was a welcome relief! We fished the Madison, Beaverhead, Ruby and Big Hole Rivers and a several lakes including a high mountain lake near Dillon packed with cutthroats. We spent most of our time fishing the Beaverhead and Madison rivers and Stone Creek, a Beaverhead tributary on private water. We found the Ruby to be high and cloudy, although a couple of spring creeks, Mill and Leonard’s, that flow to the Ruby fished fine. The best action was on the Beaverhead and Stone Creek with browns to 24” and numerous fish over 20”. The Madison also fished well with rainbows to 18” caught and released. Nick Reding and I had a good day on the Madison nymphing for rainbows from Valley Garden to Ennis Lake. Nick also had a good day fishing dry flies on the Madison. Bill King and Bob Reynolds had a good day fishing for brookies with 3 and 4-weight fly rods on the upper Big Hole. Another group had good action with cutthroats while fishing a high mountain lake on Crane Meadow Lodge proprietor Cody Meine’s family ranch near Dillon. Bill King and I had a couple of great days on the Beaverhead and Stone Creek with numerous browns over 20”. I caught my personal best trout this year, a 24” brown that went over 5-pounds while hopper fishing on Stone Creek. On Thursday, Bob Harness and I caught and released 8 browns from 18’ to 23” on hoppers while fishing a different section of Stone Creek. Dick Callaway also caught a 23” brown out of Stone Creek one day. Watching those big browns “blast” a hopper and then trying to hang on with a 5-weight is exciting. It is very challenging fishing, casting upstream in a narrow creek with tall grass on either side. Once you hook a fish the real fun begins as they take off either upstream or sometimes back at you and between your legs! If you are looking for a quality western trout fishing experience then you should check out Crane Meadow Lodge. Located in Twin Bridges, close to Ennis and Dillon in southwestern Montana, they fish the Beaverhead, Ruby, Jefferson, Madison and Big Hole rivers, several spring creeks and lakes. The best things about Crane Meadow are the variety and the amount of private water that they fish. They can be reached at (406) 684-5773 or www.cranemeadow.com. I’ll be doing a slide presentation of this trip at the monthly meeting of the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers on Tuesday evening, August 28, at Twin Lakes Park (just east of I-75 at Exit 205, which is Clark Road or Rt. 72). The meeting begins at 7 PM, although there will be fly casting and fly tying before the actual meeting begins.
Tight Lines, Capt. Rick Grassett
Fly anglers Stuart and Dave Sprouse, from Knoxville, TN, fished Gasparilla Sound with me on Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 1 and 2. They had fast action with snook before dawn on my Grass Minnow snook fly. One morning we released 6 or 7 snook to 24” and had shots at tailing reds and laid up tarpon. The next morning we released about a dozen snook to 27”. We also fished deep grass flats in Gasparilla Sound where they caught and released trout and ladyfish with Clouser flies. I spent a couple of days that week fishing in Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, the Peace River and Charlotte Harbor for tarpon. Anglers jumped 3 tarpon to 20-pounds with DOA TerrorEyz and had several other bites on Estaz Marabou flies and DOA shrimp in canals. We didn’t find any large tarpon at all in the open waters of the Peace River or Charlotte Harbor, which made me wonder if they were still on the beach. Ken Schumacher, from IL, fished with me on Tuesday morning and caught and released his first snook with a fly. I went out along the beach to hunt for tarpon after the trip and found them, although not in large numbers. I had 6 or 7 shots with flies in 2-hours, enough to make it worthwhile. I went back on Thursday, found the numbers similar and caught one, a 70-pounder, with Shubat’s Mr. Blackie. It was a perfect fish- 6 or 7 jumps, one good run, back on the fly line and landed in about 15 minutes! On Friday morning, a fly angler fishing with me worked some tarpon in Sarasota Bay near Bishop Point, but we couldn’t get close enough for a good shot. Another angler fishing close to us caught a 100-pound fish with a top water plug on baitcasting tackle. We went out along the beach at mid morning when the sun was right and didn’t see a single tarpon. What a difference a day can make! On Saturday morning, I went back to the spot in Sarasota Bay where we saw tarpon the day before with Joe Larosa, from North Port, FL. It took a while for the fish to show, but as soon as ladyfish schools started breaking on the surface, tarpon started busting them. Joe hooked up with an estimated 110-pound fish with a live crab under a float and had her alongside the boat in about 30-minutes. He finished the morning off with a 26” redfish caught with a CAL jig with a rootbeer/gold grub. A nice morning! Best options in the next few weeks should be large tarpon in Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor. Juvenile tarpon in the 15 to 20-pound class should also be a good option in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda canals. Catch and release snook fishing before dawn around lighted docks and bridge fenders and reds, trout and more on the flats after daylight should be another good plan. Tight Lines, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ David Dyer, from Dallas, TX and sons, Doak and Matthew, fished Sarasota Bay with me on July 17. They caught a couple of snook before dawn in Big Pass on CAL jigs with jerk worms. We stopped in the pass to take a shot at some tarpon and a big school of jacks popped up. They caught several on CAL jigs with jerk worms before moving to the flats at Stephens and Bishops Point to catch trout, ladyfish and bluefish. I even caught a tarpon on a fly myself on July 18th. I had about a 2-hour window between errands that day, so I went out to scout and take a quick shot at tarpon. I had a dozen shots at tarpon and caught one on a chartreuse Toad fly. We fly fished for tarpon 2 other days that week and had 20 or more shots per day which resulted in a couple of bites and several follows. The post spawn tarpon that we are encountering now are more aggressive and most fish showed interest in our flies. If you’ve ever done this before, you know that everything has to be just right to result in a tarpon in the air or alongside the boat. It is not always a long cast, but usually a quick accurate cast to the right fish. Wayne Dedyne, from MI, and his son Matthew, from Clearwater, FL fished with me on Friday, July 20th. We had one of the best days of the season. With very few fish showing, we drifted live crabs under floats off Siesta Key. We jumped 6 tarpon and landed 2 of them, a 70 and a 90-pounder. Great day! I spent several days the week of July 22nd in Stuart at the annual DOA Guide/Outdoor Writer get together. As always, there were some quality fish caught. Anglers caught snook to 25-pounds, trout to 9-pounds, tarpon to 100-pounds and a variety of other fish including little tunny. I had the pleasure of having Vic Dunaway of Florida Sportsman magazine on my boat one of the days. The day after the event, Capt. John Meskauskas, took Rusty Chinnis and I out for a day of fly fishing. We had shots at tarpon in the surf and caught numerous little tunny on Gummy Minnow flies just outside St. Lucie Inlet. Steve Sutter, from Sarasota, FL, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Friday, July 27th. He caught and released snook, trout, and ladyfish with Estaz Marabou and Clouser flies in Gasparilla Sound and Turtle Bay. Howard Rosenberg and his son, Jason, both from Bradenton, FL fished Sarasota Bay with me the next day. They had steady action with trout, ladyfish and bluefish on DOA Deadly Combos near Bishops Point. Coming off Sunday’s full moon, action slowed on the flats. As is sometimes the case, fish will feed under the light of the full moon at night rather than during the day. As tarpon thin out along the beaches they will move up into Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay to feed. The flats of Gasparilla Sound and Charlotte Harbor should provide good action with trout, snook, reds and a variety of other fish including tarpon. Juvenile tarpon in the canal systems of Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda and snook under dock and bridge fender lights from Sarasota to Bradenton should also be good options. Tight Lines, Capt. Rick Grassett ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota, FL Fishing Report for 7/9-15/2007 Eric Adamson and his daughter, Raene, both from Lakeland, FL, fished with me on Monday. They had an exceptional trip last year, landing a pair of tarpon on a fly and live bait, but this year they had to work harder. They jumped a pair of tarpon and Raene landed one of them, a feisty 85 or 90-pounder with a live crab on spinning tackle. We got to see the “take” as the big fish gobbled a live crab under a float in 6’ of gin clear water. The next day Sarasota Herald-Tribune Outdoors Editor, Steve Gibson, fished with me. We had a few shots early in the day in deep water along Siesta Key and had one bite on a live crab. We moved to shallower water as visibility improved and before long tarpon began giving us the shots we needed to be successful with a fly. Almost every fish Gibby cast to with a big black Deceiver (Shubat’s Mr. Blackie) showed interest in the fly, followed or tried to eat it. He had two bites on the fly and hooked and landed the 2nd fish, a strong, young male estimated at about 80-pounds. Gibby fought the fish hard, rolling him over 10 or 12 times close to the boat, but each time the fish recovered and stayed just out of my reach. I finally got my hands on the fish and he gave me a face full of water as he surrendered! We didn’t see many tarpon at all on Wednesday, but on Thursday they were back in their normal pattern. I started Thursday’s fly trip later in the morning and fished shallow water the entire trip. We had more than a dozen shots at tarpon but didn’t hook up. If you’ve ever tried to catch a tarpon on a fly, you know that the fly must not only be in the right place, but moving in the right direction. With several variables, it usually takes multiple shots before everything is just right. It is challenging but worth every bit of the effort! Friday the 13th wasn’t unlucky at all for Matt Harris and Patrick Hogan, from Atlanta, GA, and Chris Buchanan, from Hilton Head, SC. They had 3 tarpon between 70 and 90-pounds, to the boat, all caught with a live crab. The first 2 were caught by drifting live crabs under a float in 15’ of water off Siesta Key and the last one was caught in 4’ of water with a live crab under a float. Lucky 13! We didn’t see many tarpon in deep water early off Siesta Key on Saturday, but had a dozen or more shots with a fly and live bait in shallow water later in the morning. The 2.9’ extreme high tide, due to the new moon, allowed tarpon to be all over the place instead of tracking along a more predictable route. When tarpon fishing in skinny water, there are several factors necessary to be successful. You must make a delicate presentation with a fly or a lightweight lure to avoid spooking them. Live baits are fished best under a float, so that they can be cast well ahead of tarpon. Large live baits or a heavy lure that lands close to tarpon in skinny water is like throwing a rock at them! Lastly, you must be quiet. No slamming hatches and stomping feet and use electric trolling motors sparingly, if at all. I prefer to anchor on the route they are traveling and take my shots from a “dead” boat if possible. If I can’t get a fly or bait in front of moving tarpon from an anchored boat, I’ll use a combination of my push pole and trolling motors to get in front of them. Using an outboard in shallow water will usually spook them for sure. Tarpon fishing should hold up good for the rest of July, although they will thin out more toward the end of the month. As tarpon thin out along the beaches, they will move into bays from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor and gorge themselves on a variety of baits. Tight Lines, Capt. Rick Grassett ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ron Whitley's Report - July 11 Launched at Placida 6:30 with Capt. Pete Greenan in my boat. Southeast wind at about 10 kts, temp 74 going to 93. Ron Whitley's Report - July 6th Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL, and his mother, Andrea, from Atlanta, GA, fished with me on June 24th. Tarpon weren’t showing well on the surface that day, so we positioned ourselves in the “lane” that tarpon were traveling in off Casey Key and drifted a live crab out behind the boat on a float. Although it’s not the most exciting way to fish, it will work when tarpon are present but not showing on the surface. It wasn’t long before the drag was singing and Andrea was hooked up to her 1st tarpon. After numerous jumps and runs, she had the fish alongside the boat. Fly anglers fishing with me that week had lots of shots at tarpon. If you’ve ever targeted tarpon with a fly, you know it’s not easy. An accurate cast is required to even have a chance. The fly should be in about a 2 foot square area in front of the tarpon’s nose. However the fly can’t land in that zone or it will spook the fish, so you must lead the fish. Not only does the fly have to be in the right spot when the tarpon gets to it, but it must be moving in the right direction. Moving straight away, quartering away or perpendicular to the fish will all work, but if the fly moves toward the fish, it will spook. A good way to measure the success of a day of fly fishing for tarpon is in the number of shots that we get. Of course we want to catch them, but it usually requires numerous shots, to get everything just right. My daughter and son-in-law, Andy and Dawn Cotton, and my wife Karen joined me for one of our annual family tarpon trips on June 30th. The action was early that day as Andy hooked up at first light using a live crab for bait and got a ½ dozen jumps out of a nice tarpon before the fish jumped off. Fly angler Dennis Desmond, from NJ, fished with me last Monday. Dennis had done his home work and preparation well. He tarpon fished with me last season and had some nice shots, but no hook ups. This year he practiced casting with his 12-weight before arriving. Just to make sure he was ready, we did a fly casting lesson on Sunday morning before our trip on Monday. Not only did we practice casting, but we reviewed various scenarios, hook setting and fish fighting techniques. It all paid off for him on Monday morning when he hooked and landed an estimated 90-pound tarpon with his first cast off Siesta Key on Monday morning. Mission accomplished!
The following day 15-year old James carried on the tradition. Tarpon were showing less on the surface on Friday so we set up on the line they were traveling with a live crab under a float and cast to the few tarpon that were showing on the surface. Both techniques produced a hook up with James landing an 85-pound tarpon to finish the day. Congratulations James! Although tarpon have thinned out a little on the beach, there are still plenty of fish left. Some tarpon have moved to the inside waters of Sarasota Bay, but there should be good action along the beaches this week as we head toward a new moon next weekend. July is one of my favorite months to fly fish for tarpon along the beaches. There is less fishing pressure and I think the smaller schools, doubles and singles that are more prevalent during July bite better. Tight Lines, Capt. Rick Grassett June 27, 2007 by Steve Gibson
They caught trout and snook on topwater plugs at dawn on the shallow flats. When the sun came up, they switched to the deep grass in southern Tampa Bay about 200 yards north of Joe Island. Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 6/11 through 6/23/2007
Fly angler, Dave Overby from Minneapolis, MN, fished with me Monday through Wednesday last week. Again we had lots of good shots. Dave had a couple of bites on a black and purple Toad on Monday morning, jumping one of the fish. We had more than 20 shots at singles, doubles and small schools on Wednesday and one bite on a black and purple Toad but didn’t hook up. The wind switched to the west on Thursday blowing us out of tarpon fishing in the gulf that day. Friday was a little better, but conditions were still poor in the gulf, so we chose to fish more protected water in Tampa Bay. Fly anglers Rick Happle and Shawn Borgeson, both from the Tampa area, fished with me on Friday. We had shots at singles, doubles and small schools either milling in an area about 6’ to 10’ deep or traveling. Rick hooked up near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge with an estimated 110-pound fish on a black and purple Toad and had her alongside the boat in about an hour. She was a hot fish, making a long run with several jumps before settling down and slugging it out around the boat. We also got numerous jumps close to the boat before landing the fish. Tarpon are definitely cooperating better since the water temperature has warmed into the 80’s. I expect the action to be good as we head toward a full moon next weekend. Tight Lines, Ron Whiteley FIshing Report - June 10-15
New MCFF member Pat Beckwith and her first trout on a fly:
Fly angler, Bob Harness from St. Louis, MO, fished with me on Monday and Tuesday. The plan was tarpon, but it wasn’t in the cards. We headed for Port Charlotte on Monday to hunt for juvenile tarpon in the canals of Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda, but didn’t find any. We fished the west wall of Charlotte Harbor as an alternative plan and had some action with snook. Bob connected with 5 or 6 snook and a redfish on a chartreuse Clouser fly. The next day we fished Sarasota Bay where Bob caught and released several ladyfish and a trout also on a Clouser fly. I was optimistic as we headed into the gulf out of Longboat Pass on Thursday morning. The wind had switched back to the east on Wednesday, but we were greeted with 4 to 6 foot seas so we headed inside. We located a few tarpon in Tampa Bay and had some shots with a fly but no takers. Fly angler, Hal Lutz from Parrish, FL, fished with me on Friday and Saturday. Conditions were near perfect on Friday morning and we had numerous shots at a couple of schools that looked very happy off Siesta Key but they ignored our flies. It all came together later in the morning when Hal caught a 70-pound tarpon with a Clemson Toad (orange and purple). The fish ate in shallow water only 20 feet from the bow. This why we fly fish for tarpon! The next day was a bust, very few shots and the sea breeze came up early making it difficult. Next week should be good for tarpon. With the water temperature at 83 degrees today at the Venice Pier and a new moon on Thursday, it should be a peak week of the season. Tight Lines, June 9, 2007 - Steve Gibson's Fishing Report Strong east winds plagued anglers for more than two weeks. And wind is always a determining factor when kayak fishing. So, we opted to fish the east side of Little Sarasota Bay out of Vamo. On an exploratory outing a few days prior, I caught a slam: redfish, snook and spotted seatrout. I found reds and snook around the mangroves and caught them on Rapala Skitter Walks and the new MirrOlure MirrOdine. Trout fell for 3-inch Gulp Shrimp on 1/8-ounce jig heads. Lyman and his dad caught spotted seatrout to 25 inches, ladyfish and jack crevalle. “This sure beats riding jet skis,” Lyman said after reeling in a 19-inch trout. “I want to do this the next time I visit my dad.” We fished the Intracoastal Waterway on June 8, launching at Phillippi Estate Park. The launch is good, but you have to drag kayaks and canoes at least 200 feet from the parking lot to the water. I think this will be an excellent fall and winter destination for snook. On our outing, we managed six snook, a 25-inch spotted seatrout, a mangrove snapper and a sheepshead. We caught one snook, a 24-incher, on a Skitter Walk. The rest hit the MirrOlure MirrOdine. The trout, snapper and sheepshead were caught on a Gulp Shrimp and jig.
We caught at least 100 Mayan cichlids, 20 bass to nearly 4 pounds, plenty of hand-sized bluegill and a number of stumpknocker. Shugol is a financial advisor and vice-president of the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers. Canal action is extremely hot now, with low water concentrating the fish. Often, savvy fly-fishers will catch fish or get hits on 20 casts in a row. Everglades trips are all-day affairs because of the distance. But it’s worth it because of the fast and consistent action. We provide sandwiches, drinks and transportation. Cost is $300. Anglers need a valid Florida freshwater fishing license. Redfish and snook action is expected to pick up in the backcountry. In addition, we should start catching doormat flounder in southern Tampa Bay. Join us for a day on the water. Kayak fishing is fun and very productive. Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 5/14 through 5/20/2007 Fly anglers fishing with me this week have had some quality shots at tarpon and had a few bites on Enrico Puglisi’s Black Mullet and tarpon bunny flies. We worked 2 or 3 schools a day early in the week along Siesta and Casey Keys and by the weekend we were working 6 or 8 schools a day. Brett Yantis, from Kansas City, fished a couple of days with me early in the week and had a take on an Enrico Puglisi Black Mullet one day. Tim Dunagan drove down from Mexico Beach, FL to fish a day with me and Rick Happle and Shawn Borgeson, both from Tampa, also fished a day. Rick got bit a couple of times on a black and purple tarpon bunny. Bill and Sandy King, from Osprey, FL, fished with me on Saturday, which was a windy day. With wind out of the east at 15 to 20-mph, we anchored tight to the beach and took shots at tarpon schools moving past us going fast to the south. Sandy jumped her first tarpon with a live crab and Bill got bit on a black and purple bunny. Next week should be good as the moon phase waxes toward a quarter phase coming off last Wednesday’s new moon. As the water temperature warms to 80 degrees and higher, tarpon will bite more aggressively. The best bite should be at first light in the morning, but I also like fishing shallow water from mid morning until the sea breeze comes up. South Andros, Bahamas Fishing Report for 5/5 through 5/12/2007 After arriving at the lodge in the middle of the afternoon, we all assembled our tackle and got settled into our assigned rooms. We gathered at the Slack Tide Tiki Bar, right on the beach, to enjoy a cold drink and some hot conch fritters. What a beautiful place! We rotated guides and angler pairings during the week to give everyone an opportunity to sample the different fishing areas and types of fishing, which included wading and fishing from the deck of a flats skiff. We fished the south end of the island, which includes Deep Creek, Little Creek, Grassy Creek, Curly Cut Cays and the Water Cays. The vast flats seem endless with mostly white sand, sparse grass and short mangroves. Most of the creeks open up on the inside of the island to large flats and smaller creeks. Half way across the island you’ll cross Devil’s Backbone, a shallow rocky area that is the gateway to the flats on the west side of the island. Most days you never see another boat or at most another boat or two. Fishing was good most days. Like anywhere else, there is usually a slow day or two in any given week. Most anglers averaged 6 or 7 bonefish per day (about 40 for the 6 days of fishing). Robert Fisher and I fished the west side with Charlie one day and caught and released about 12 or 15 bones each. Anglers also caught ‘cudas, mangrove and mutton snapper. Top flies were Gotchas, Crazy Charlies, Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp and a variety of other shrimp type flies. I only fished about 6 or 8 flies (mostly a #4 Gotcha with bead chain eyes) the whole week, not 6 or 8 patterns, but 6 or 8 flies! The guide staff consists of Josie, Torrie, Harlan, Norman, Charlie and Fredlon. They all do a good job and each has their specialties. Torrie likes to wade cross country exploring many different salt ponds. I fished with Norman and we did a lot of wading on the west side. Any of the guides will wade or fish from the boat depending on your preference. On my last day of fishing, Rusty and I fished with Fredlon, and had great fishing from the boat. Three bonefish took me into the mangroves the entire length of my fly line and about 50 feet of backing. Following Fredlon’s directions, I bailed out of the boat, stripped off some extra backing, laid my fly rod on top of a mangrove bush and followed my fly line more than 100 feet into the mangroves and landed all 3 bonefish! Most fish averaged 2 or 3-pounds with the larger ones going to 5 or 6-pounds. The largest fish of the trip were 8 or 9-pounds. Smoot caught a legitimate 9-pound bonefish one day (weighed on a scale) and jumped a 130-pound tarpon another day. Double digit fish proved to be elusive, although most anglers had shots at some. Cudas would smash poppers, but were difficult to hook. Traditional cuda flies trolled on channel edges were more productive. Several anglers went offshore one day to sample the blue water fishing. They caught about 20 dolphin to 20-pounds and hooked several silky sharks. Most fish offshore were caught with conventional tackle, but several dolphin were caught with flies. Kyle Ruffing caught an estimated 12-pound mutton snapper that was tailing in Little Creek. A great catch with a fly! If you are looking for a quality fishing experience, I suggest you check out Andros South (www.androssouth.com). This was my second trip to the lodge and I’ve already reserved for next year. The food is good, fishing is great and it is easy to get to. A 1-hour flight from Ft Lauderdale and a 15-minute ride to the lodge and you are in a tropical paradise! Tight Lines, Capt. Rick Grassett
Jared W. Hermann
Steve Gibson
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 4/22 through 5/4/2007 Sarasota Herald-Tribune outdoors editor, Steve Gibson, and I traveled to central Florida, near St. Cloud, to fly fish for barramundi with Osceola Outback Adventures on Monday, April 23rd. Byron Hennecy, along with his partner, Tony Burraston of Australia, operate Eco Barramundi, which raises and sells barramundi as a seafood product under licensing from the Florida Dept. of Agriculture. They also sell the opportunity to fish for the hard fighting fish. Steve and I were his guests for a morning of fishing that was a great experience. For 4-hours we caught and released barramundi in the 6 to 8-pound class with 8-weight fly tackle and floating lines. The barramundi ate a variety of flies including DT specials, Myakka Minnows, Estaz Marabou and MirrOlure flies. The deep bodied fish, cousins of our snook, slugged it out and jumped like tarpon. We caught and released 40 or 50 fish in 4-hours. Mike Carducci, from NY, fished Terra Ceia Bay with me the next day. Mike caught and released a pair of reds and several trout with CAL jigs and shad tails. On Wednesday, I was the guest of my friend, Capt. Rick DePaiva, to do some scouting in Pine Island Sound. We checked a couple of spots for tarpon and saw one roll, but opted to hunt for reds and snook instead. Rick connected with a nice red that was sight-fished and we cast to some monster snook. A nice day! Fly anglers, Kent Beveridge and Rob Oldham, from Vancouver, British Columbia, fished Gasparilla Sound with me on Thursday. Our best action was on deep grass flats with trout, ladyfish, Spanish mackerel and bluefish. My friend, Mark Nichols, of DOA Fishing Lures fished with me on Friday and Saturday for the 12th annual Sarasota CCA Photo All-Release Challenge. We fished the Terra Ceia area and caught and released snook and trout with night glow and holographic DOA shrimp. We had a good time fishing the event, which raises money for conservation in a low key, fun filled catch, photo and release format. The highlight of our fishing was when Mark bailed out of the boat to try and land a monster snook (and save his DOA shrimp) which had weaved it’s way around a series of pilings. Since anglers in the tournament are limited to fishing with lures provided to them by donors, it was as important to save the lure as land the fish. The snook won! Bernie Blanche, from TN and his dad, Bernie from PA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. We spent a couple of hours hunting tarpon off Sarasota without seeing any. Bernie connected with a false albacore with a Clouser fly, but there wasn’t anything else going on. We came back into Sarasota Bay where they had good catch and release action with ladyfish, Spanish mackerel and bluefish on flies and jigs. Fly angler, John Colwell from Seattle, WA, fished the same area with me the next day. The action picked up as John caught and released large ladyfish, Spanish mackerel, bluefish and a pair of 8-pound tripletail with Clouser flies. Long time friends and customers, Norm and Francie Boardman from Sarasota, tarpon fished with me on Thursday in the Boca Grande area. We were pleasantly surprised to find a school of about 100 tarpon just leaving Gasparilla Pass as we headed out the pass. We stayed with the school for several hours, jumping one and hooking another on Enrico Puglisi flies (Black Mullet and Mullet). After a while the school of fish quit showing and stayed deep. We tossed a live crab at them, which was immediately eaten, putting another fish in the air. The first tarpon of the season! I look for tarpon action to pick up next week as we get further away from Tuesday’s full moon. In addition, reds and catch and release snook should be a good option in skinny water. However, you will probably have faster action on deep grass flats in bays with trout, Spanish mackerel, bluefish or tripletail.
Tight Lines, Capt. Rick Grassett
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PHOTO:
Carl Bettinger and Steve Leibel, both from Albuquerque, NM, with Steve's little tunny caught and released on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly while fishing the coastal gulf off Siesta Key with Capt. Rick Grassett. They hooked a double and Steve's fish had already been released.
PHOTO: A picture of an average red from a school near Boca Grande.
PHOTO: Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers secretary, Melissa Littlewood, with a snook caught and released with a Grassett's Grass (Snook) Minnow fly while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.
PHOTO: Aledia Tush, owner of CB's Saltwater Outfittters in Sarasota, caught and released this 7 1/2 lb. bonefish while fishing with Capt. Duane Baker, from Tavernier, FL, to win the bonefish division of the Islamorada-Sarasota shootout.
PHOTO: Joe Larosa, from North Port, FL, caught and released this 32" red on a MirrOlure Top Dog, Jr. while fishing Gasparilla Sound with Capt. Rick Grassett.
PHOTO: Scott and Seth Swango, from Springfield, MO, with a nice snook caught and released while fishing a Siesta Key dock with Capt. Rick Grassett.
PHOTO: Fred Parrish, from Land O' Lakes, FL, caught and released this estimated 70-pound tarpon on a DOA Baitbuster while fishing Sarasota's Big Pass with Capt. Rick Grassett.
PHOTO: Capt. Rick Grassett with a Stone Creek brown caught on a Fat Albert (hopper) fly while fishing with guide Bob Flynn out of Crane Meadow Lodge, MT
PHOTO: Joe Larosa, from North Port, FL, caught and released this estimated 110-pound tarpon on a live crab while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
PHOTO:
Sarasota Herald-Tribune Outdoors Editor, Steve Gibson, with a tarpon caught and released with a black Deceiver fly while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Josh Notari, from IL, caught and released this estimated 70-pound tarpon with a live crab while fishing off Siesta Key with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Photo info: Dave Biber, left, and Will Huibregste, both of Zionsville, Ind., show off fish they caught with Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing in Pine Island Sound. Both anglers caught slams. In all, they totaled 30 snook to 25 inches, 10 redfish to 30 and a dozen spotted seatrout to 18.
Photo caption- Fly angler Rick Happle, from Tampa, FL, caught and released this estimated 110-pound tarpon on a black and purple Toad fly while fishing Tampa Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett. Rusty Chinnis photo
PHOTO:
Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL, caught and released this 70-pound tarpon with a Clemson Toad (orange and purple) while fishing off Sarasota with Capt. Rick Grassett.
PHOTO: Photo No.1: Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers' vice president David Shugol with a beefy largemouth bass that was caught on a No. 10 popping bug on a 3-weight fly rod in an Everglades canal.
The best action has been taking place in South Florida where we’ve been targeting oscars, Mayan cichlids, bass, bluegill, stumpknocker and shellcracker.
Members Greg Huffman and Bill Hopper enjoyed a great tuna/dophin trip on the East coast on Saturday, May 5th, aboard Deland-based member Dana Fogle's boat the Legal Eagle. Lots of Tuna up to 69 pounds were caught 70-90 miles off of Daytona, but Greg enjoyed a nice battle with a close to 20 pound dophin on an 8-wt fly rod. Sorry guys, but this wasn't a catch and release trip. 
PHOTO: Fly angler, John Colwell from Seatle, WA, caught a pair of nice tripletail on a pink Clouser fly while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
May 1 - First Tarpon of the year
