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"I went out the 17th to try a little tarpon fishing on fly and planned on taking the boat but wasn't able to get new batteries for my trolling motor so I decided to get some friends together and give it a shot in the kayaks. Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 6/7 through 6/21/2009 George and Laura Kommick, from Palmetto, FL, fished off Siesta Key with me on Monday, June 8th. We dodged a few thunderstorms that morning, but it was worth it. Although tarpon weren’t showing very well on the surface that day, they were plentiful. They jumped 4 tarpon and got two of them to the boat on live pinfish drifted under a float.
A fly trip on Longboat Key on Wednesday had 3 hookups and one fish to the boat. The fish that was landed was only 75-pounds but was ornery. It ate a black and red Toad while the other two fish ate chartreuse and yellow Toads. Fly angler, Hal Lutz from Parish, FL, fished a couple of days with me at the end of that week and had plenty of shots at fish from Longboat Key to Anna Maria Island. Jon Yenari, from Sarasota, FL, joined Hal on Friday. Jon was up first and jumped a tarpon on a black and purple Toad at first light. Although tarpon were plentiful that day, they got smart after that. Jon also had another eat on Candy Corn Toad (yellow and orange) in shallow water. A couple of fly trips earlier this week had lots of shots but no bites. That changed on Wednesday when Aledia Tush, owner of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, and her son, Mason Tush, fished Longboat Key with me. The fish were plentiful but challenging that day. We worked several beautiful schools of tarpon with live crabs, pinfish and DOA 4” shrimp and Baitbusters for hours with no bites. Finally we gave them up to search for some new fish. With only 15 minutes of time left and Mason with a flight to catch, we returned to one of the original schools and Mason immediately hooked up on a live crab. Go figure. He landed the fish, a 75 or 80-pounder, in 10 or 15 minutes and made his flight on time! Fly angler, Dennis Desmond from New Jersey, fished the same area with me on Thursday and Friday. We plenty of shots at fish on Thursday, but no takers. Dennis persisted and hooked up early on Friday morning on an Enrico Puglisi Black Mullet fly (black and purple). He fought the fish close to the boat for almost an hour and a half before the fish wore through his 80-pound bite tippet with the sink tip in his tip top rod guide. Close enough! Hal Lutz was back on the boat on Saturday morning with a little luck from his sister, Lyndi Lutz, from Dallas, Texas. They also fished Longboat Key with me and had lots of shots. Hal jumped and landed a 90-pound tarpon (31” girth X 69” length) on an Enrico Puglisi Black Mullet fly. It was a single, swimming down the edge of a bar and Hal’s fast, accurate cast resulted in an eat and an aerial display right next to the boat. He kicked the fish’s butt in less than 15 minutes as a crowd cheered him on from the beach! Lyndi wasn’t about to be left out of the action, getting 3 bites or hookups including one jumped tarpon on a pinfish under a float. When fly fishing for tarpon, it must be the right presentation to the right fish. The beauty about fly fishing for tarpon in shallow water is that you can see the body language of the fish as it reacts to your fly. Most times you’ll get a little wiggle right before the bite. Although many people think tarpon fishing will be winding down soon, we are in the best part of the season. July is a great month! With many tarpon finished spawning, schools will be smaller but hungrier providing great shallow water action with a fly. I look for tarpon action to continue as long as the weather cooperates, i.e. predominantly east wind and good sunlight. West winds make it rough and difficult to fish the coastal gulf waters. Also, fish don’t show well on the surface in those conditions. Tight Lines, Fishing Report - Ron Whiteley - June 11th However, anglers fishing with me the last couple of weeks had good action. Larry Ford, from Longboat Key, FL, fished a couple of days with me during the week of 5/25. Pete Molinari, from Sarasota, FL, joined Larry on Tuesday. They had several hook ups with live bait and jumped one. Tom Creel, from Sarasota, FL, joined Larry on Thursday, had several bites and jumped 2 tarpon, one on a pinfish and another on a threadfin. Rough conditions in the gulf on Thursday kept us in the bay for most of the morning, where one of the tarpon was jumped around a bridge. A tarpon fly trip that week had lots of shots and several follows, but no takers. West winds forced the cancellation or rescheduling of a couple of tarpon trips towards the end of that week. Fly angler Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL, fished with me on Sunday, May 31st. We had lots of shots at tarpon, a couple of bites and one in the air with a black and chartreuse Deceiver type tarpon fly. Cliff Ondercin, from Sarasota, FL, and his dad, Dennis Ondercin, from Middleburg Heights, OH, fished with me Monday through Friday of last week. They had lots of action fishing the coastal gulf from Siesta Key to Lido Key. They had a total of 15 bites or hook ups with a variety of live baits, DOA baits and a fly. They jumped 7 tarpon and landed one, a 95-pounder, on a live pinfish under a float. Tarpon ate live crabs, pinfish, threadfins, DOA baits and a fly. They ate DOA shrimp and Baitbusters almost as often as live baits. We spent only a couple of hours one afternoon fly fishing for tarpon, had 7 or 8 shots and one bite on a black and chartreuse tarpon bunny fly. The wind switched to the west again on Friday, roughing up the gulf. We were able to fish for a few hours in the gulf, but it was very tough handling the boat in those conditions. Tarpon will probably be less plentiful early next week due to tomorrow’s full moon. Many tarpon will be offshore spawning, however as we get further away from the full moon they will return to normal patterns along the beaches. With a front passing through this weekend, by the time winds switch back to the east we should be returning to a normal pattern with tarpon. Tight Lines,
Last week Keith McClintock and Barry Slee, from Lake Forest, IL, Barry’s nephew Paul, from England, Dave Kinnamon from Milwaukee, WI and John Freeman, Jr., from Venice, FL, fished with Capt. Kelly Stilwell, Capt. Jack Hartman and me. A front moved through and stalled for most of the week with rain, clouds and windy conditions. Fortunately the wind was out of the east, so we were able to tarpon fish in the gulf all but one day. We found fish moving fast and not showing very well most of the time, although we did have shots at several “happy” schools. The group had numerous bites on live crabs and pinfish, several jumped fish and 2 fish, a 90 and a 120-pounder, landed by Paul while fishing with Capt. Jack. Conditions were much rougher in the gulf on Thursday, so we opted to fish Sarasota Bay. We caught and released trout on CAL jigs with shad tails and surface walking top water plugs at Stephens Point and near Bayshore Gardens. An extreme high tide made targeting reds and snook tough. Fly angler, Toby Newkirk from Atlanta, GA, fished with me on Saturday. We had shots at 3 or 4 schools and had one bite on a fly off Siesta Key and the action slowed. With a 4’-6’ swell due to thunderstorms churning in the gulf all week, tarpon just weren’t showing well. I expect tarpon fishing to improve when sea conditions settle and we head towards the first quarter phase of the moon later in the week. Be ready at first light in the morning as there is usually a push of fish for the first hour or so and then it will slow down. Sunlight later in the morning or early afternoon may allow you to see tarpon schools below the surface. So far, they’ve been eating baitfish better than crabs so make sure you have a variety of baits, lures and fly patterns.
Took a while before I spotted my first snook, but when I did there were plenty. I caught 19 snook and 19 spotted seatrout – all on the D.T. Special. On May 12, I took Ken Taylor of North Port. The snook bite was off a little (we blamed it on the full moon), but we still managed six snook and 25 trout. Ken caught his fish on D.O.A. Shrimp and Sebile plugs. We both had shots at a couple of hefty snook. Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers president Bob Parker and I fished the beach recently and combined for three snook and six spotted seatrout. There were plenty of fish, but they weren’t actively feeding. Still, it was an enjoyable morning. Beach snook season will run through summer and is a great way to catch snook. It’s all sight-fishing. On a typical day, anglers will get shots at 100 snook. Average fish is about 22 inches, but we’ve caught them up to 32 inches. And there are some along the beach a lot larger. This is a walking trip. It’s best to fish from the beach because the sun is behind you. We usually get started at about 7:30 a.m. and fish to noon (give or take). In addition to tackle, required equipment includes a cap or hat, sunscreen, water and polarized sunglasses. You can’t see the fish without the glasses.
PHOTOS Redfish photo: Jerry Pazar of Colorado shows off a fine Sarasota Bay redfish that he caught along the east side of the bay. Last summer started out very hot, but the action subsided when the west wind started blowing. West winds stir up the surf and make it virtually impossible to see fish. We like east wind in the morning. That calms the surf and makes for great sight-fishing. I pioneered beach snook fishing in the area and have developed a good reputations. I have been guiding anglers on beach trips for nearly 20 years. Bay fishing has been fair. Jerry Pazar of Colorado fished with my in late April and landed spotted seatrout and a hefty, oversized redfish. He also battled a large jack crevalle for 20 minutes before losing it. Jeff O’Keefe and 17-year-old son, Paul, joined me for a six-hour session on May 10. They are new Sarasota residents and wanted to get a little “inside information.” They said they caught more fish with me than they’d caught in their life. They caught a load of spotted seatrout, ladyfish, jack crevalle and bluefish. Most of the fish were caught on jigs. A D.O.A. Shrimp also produced. At end of the day, we spotted a manatee at the launch. Spotted seatrout, bluefish, ladyfish and jack crevalle should be plentiful over the next few weeks. I’ve been sight-fishing redfish around the mangroves, but they aren’t in abundance. If you can see the fish, make a good cast, then you might have a chance at a big red.
PHOTO:
Pat Campbell, from Toronto, OH, caught and released this nice snook on a Grassett's Snook Minnow fly while fishing Blackburn Bay at night with Capt. Rick Grassett. Renno Peterson and Jay Crouse, both from Sarasota, FL, fished the same area with me on Wednesday with similar results. Renno fly fished while Jay threw CAL jigs and they caught and released trout on deep grass flats along the east side of the bay. We were on a “pile” of reds in north Sarasota Bay, had several follows on my Grassett’s Flats Minnow fly and Jay finally caught one on a CAL jig with a shad tail. One of the best trips of the week was when Pat Campbell, from Toronto, OH, fished Blackburn Bay with me on a night snook trip on Thursday evening. We fished my Grassett’s Snook Minnow and epoxy shrimp fly patterns on intermediate sink tip fly lines with 6-weight rods. The light fly rods and small flies allowed us to make delicate presentations around docks. We caught and released more than a dozen snook to 26”, including a couple that weighed 6-pounds. Even though tarpon are beginning to show up and many anglers will start to target them, fishing on deep and shallow grass flats will continue to be good for quite a while until afternoon heat starts to become an issue. Capt. Rick Grassett’s Andros South Report for 5/2 through 5/9/2009
PHOTO: Andros South guide, Fredlon, with a big 'cuda caught by Capt. Rick Grassett. I hated to come back to the real world, but the good thing is that tarpon fishing is getting ready to take off back at home in Sarasota. I have already received several reports of tarpon being jumped and landed from Tampa Bay to Sarasota. I’ll be on the water this week hunting tarpon, which should get even better as we get further away from last week’s full moon.
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 4/13 through 4/26/2009 Fly angler Paul Dixon, from MI, and Todd Banner, from Bradenton, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 4/13. They had steady action with trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies, CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos along the west side of the bay near Buttonwood Harbor. The next day fly angler Terry Rychlik, from CT, fished the same area with me. He caught and released several trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on an intermediate fly line. A front was bearing down on us and forced us off the water by 10 AM. My new Garmin 545s GPS/Sounder combo unit with XM weather is great! We monitored the approaching front on the radar screen on my boat and were safely on the trailer as the front punched through. What a valuable tool! The next day’s trip was blown out as a strong northwest wind churned the area of the bay we had planned to fish. I was back on the water on Thursday with Marc Chiapperino and his son, Marc, from NJ. They had steady action with trout and a bluefish on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. Marc caught and released a big red on my Grassett’s Flats Minnow fly along a mangrove shoreline north of Long Bar. Howard and Jason Rosenbecker, from Bradenton, FL, fished with me on Friday morning. Wind was an issue as it has been most of this spring, but they still had some action. They caught and released several trout on CAL jigs with shad tails and Clouser flies along the east side of the bay from Stephens Point to Bayshore Gardens. Jason used his new Orvis TLS fly rod and Battenkill Mid Arbor reel and christened it by catching a few fish. Detlev and Stephen Korff, from Germany, fished the same area with me that afternoon. The wind dropped a little and the action picked up. They caught and released numerous trout to 21” and a pompano on CAL jigs and Clouser flies. Longtime friend and customer Pat Campbell, from Toronto, OH, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday. The action was slow to start but it finally picked up when the wind shifted to the west and allowed us to fish the west side of the bay. We caught and released several trout on CAL jigs and Clouser flies near Buttonwood Harbor. We found reds and snook on the flats to be very challenging last week. Fly angler Jim Strouth, from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. We caught a few trout on Clouser flies near Buttonwood Harbor, but couldn’t get reds and snook to bite. Fly angler Denis Clohisy, from WI, and his friend, Brian McInnis, from Sarasota, FL, fished with me for the next 3 days. We fished Little Sarasota Bay on Tuesday afternoon and evening. They caught and released trout, jacks and ladyfish before dusk on flies and jigs and 6 or 8 snook after dark on my Grassett’s Snook Minnow fly. We fished hard for reds and snook the next couple of days, but just couldn’t get it going. They caught and released mostly trout with a few other species (jacks, ladyfish and blues) along the way. My friends Mark Nichols, owner of DOA Fishing Lures, and his wife, Jenny, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday and Saturday. On Saturday, we participated in the 14th annual Sarasota “All Release Challenge” fishing tournament. This is a fun, low stress tournament that also raises money for conservation. DOA has been a sponsor or donor, since the beginning of this event. You couldn’t fish any harder for reds and snook than we did, but they didn’t cooperate. We caught and released trout to 21 ½”, jacks, ladyfish and bluefish on CAL jigs with grubs, jerk worms and shad tails. Next week’s two tide days are strong early next week and will get weaker by the end of the week. Trout fishing has been strong and reds and snook will have to begin eating sometime. Keep your eyes open for the first tarpon of the season, which should start showing around Sarasota Bay any time now. Tight Lines, Boca Grande, Fl Report - Capt. Pete Greenan -
15 April 2009 Bill Moore, from Libertyville, IL, and his step-grandson, Shane, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, March 30th. They had steady action on the east side of the bay with trout and jacks. The following day Sarasota winter residents, Harry Beaty and Tom Schalk, fished the same areas with me. They caught more than 20 trout, including 7 or 8 in the slot, and a bluefish. Best areas were at Stephens Point, Bayshore Gardens and near Long Bar. Fly angler Nick Reding, from Longboat Key, FL, fished with me on Wednesday, April 1st. It was a windy day, but we found some protection from it. We waded a mangrove shoreline north of Long Bar and had lots of shots at reds and snook. Nick caught and released a snook on a Clouser fly. Late in the day we made a couple of drifts near Buttonwood Harbor and caught several trout to 4-pounds and a Spanish mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. Bruce Kulp and his wife, Ronna Romney, from Longboat Key, fished the west side of Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. They did well on trout, catching and releasing more than 15 trout to 21”, including 6 or 7 in the slot, on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos near Buttonwood Harbor. Friday’s fly trip was blown out and we had our last Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school of the season at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Saturday. We should have the schedule for next year’s schools completed by late summer or early fall. Info will be posted on my web sites as soon as it is available. Wind and another front passed through early in the week causing a couple of more cancellations. Perry Greene and his son Dirk, from MI, fished Sarasota Bay with me a couple of days later in the week. The action was steady with trout and Spanish mackerel. They caught and released about 15 trout, a Spanish mackerel and a nice red on Thursday. It was Perry’s first red on a fly. Congratulations! On Saturday, the action was similar except no reds. Dirk caught the big fish that day, an over-slot trout. All fish were caught on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails along the west side of Sarasota Bay. The best areas were near Buttonwood Harbor and Long Bar. We are at a prime time for reds, snook and trout on shallow flats. In addition, resident tarpon should begin showing up on deep grass flats. Deep grass flats will have the most variety and action with trout, Spanish mackerel and pompano. If you’re looking for bigger fish, fish shallow water for reds and snook.
Sarasota winter resident Frank Watson and his grandson, Eric Watson, from St. Petersburg, FL, fished with me on Sunday morning, 3/22. They had fast action in Big Pass with large Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with shad tails. Dick Egan, from Chicago, fished with me that afternoon. He had steady action with trout to more than 20” on Ultra Hair Clouser flies at Stephens Point, Bayshore Gardens and near Long Bar. Bob Harness and Nick Reding, both from St. Louis, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 3/23. It was an overcast, windy day and we almost quit at noon when it started sprinkling rain. Then the sun popped out and we had some good shots at reds with flies in the afternoon, but none of them wanted to eat. We caught and released a few trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies at Stephens Point and near Long Bar. Sarasota winter residents, Norm and Francie Boardman, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. The action wasn’t fast, but they caught Spanish mackerel and a few trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. The last trout of the day was a 4-pound, 23” trout caught and released on a CAL jig with a shad tail near Long Bar. Dave Macomber and his guest, Dave, both from MN, fished Blackburn Bay with me on Wednesday afternoon and evening. The action was slow to start, but they caught a few ladyfish on flies before dark. After dark, they caught and released about 6 snook to 24” on my Grassett’s Snook Minnow and Enrico Puglisi’s Micro Minnows. The biggest fish of the night couldn’t be turned as it made a long run and pulled the hook as it got up against a bridge fender. Dave Laubisch, from NY, and his son Scott Laubisch, from Oldsmar, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. They had steady action with trout to more than 20” and Spanish mackerel on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. Wind was an issue as an approaching front caused the wind to blow hard from the south. It was more of an issue on Saturday morning when fly angler Bill Hettrick, from CT, fished the same area with me. By 11:00 AM the wind was above 20 mph, so we invoked the “fun rule”, if it’s not any fun, don’t do it! Action should get even better as we head into April. Look for reds and snook feeding on shallow flats and trout, pompano Spanish mackerel and more on deep grass flats. Keep your eyes open and be prepared for early season tarpon, which will start to gather on deep grass flats and around bridges close to passes. Tight Lines, PHOTO:
Chris Leu, from Stephenville, TX, caught and released this big trout on a fly while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett. I was a seminar speaker at the Sarasota Florida Sportsman Show the weekend of March 7th and 8th. I did a Power Point presentation, incorporating Google Earth satellite photos, on “How to Find Fish in Sarasota Bay”. The focus of the presentation was on why fish are in certain areas and how to fish those areas, so that anglers can find their own hot spots. The weather got even better the next week and the Spanish mackerel came on strong! Marty and Christine Enger, from Sarasota, FL, fished with me on Monday. They had steady action with trout, blues, and Spanish mackerel in Big Pass and on deep grass flats from the Middleground flat to Buttonwood Harbor. Sarasota winter resident, Harry Beaty, and a guest fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday morning. They had fast action with Spanish mackerel in Big Pass and trout at Stephens Point on CAL jigs with shad tails. Doug Boardman, and his young daughter, Ashley, fished Big Pass and the west side of the bay in the afternoon. They caught trout and pompano on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. Mike Sprague, from NJ, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. The action was a little slower, but we finished the day strong with some very nice trout caught on CAL jigs with shad tails near Long Bar. Dick Hume, from MN, and his son-in-law, Chris Leu from TX, fished Big Pass, the coastal gulf, the Radio Tower and Middleground flats and near Buttonwood Harbor with me on Thursday.. They had steady action with Spanish mackerel, trout and pompano on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. My brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, came in for a few days on Thursday. He fished on his own and with our friend, Rusty Chinnis from Longboat Key, for a couple of days in Sarasota Bay and had great action with trout to 25”, pompano and Spanish mackerel on flies. We all fished together on Friday after noon and had a good bite with trout and pompano near Buttonwood Harbor. Kirk finished the day with a nice red on a Crab Clouser fly (olive, tan and white with gold flash) near Long Bar. I was the instructor for another CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly casting school on Saturday. It’s a lot of fun for me when the students “get it” and start having success with their casting. There is one more school left for the season on Saturday, April 4th. Cost for the school, which runs from 9 AM to 3 PM, is $150 and includes an instructional video, a textbook, the use of premium Orvis fly tackle and lunch. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up. Next week’s tides are not the best (2 tide days with one high and one low) but fishing should still be good. Fishing is exploding as we head into spring. Look for more Spanish mackerel and little tunny to move into our area, fishing for reds and snook should get better as snook stage on shallow flats and reds get hungrier. Deep grass flats should be hot with trout, pompano, Spanish mackerel and more. Also, keep your eyes open for tarpon as the first fish of the season should begin to show up. Tight Lines,
Alternative fishing report, 3/9, By Joe Polidoro Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 2/15 through 3/1/2009 Dick Reece from Dayton, OH and Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, fished with me a couple of days in Sarasota Bay. They had good action with trout and blues on CAL jigs with shad tails on a trip on Tues, Feb. 17th. They caught and released lots of trout and 5 reds to 24” around oyster bars along a mangrove shoreline in north Sarasota Bay the following week. Sarasota winter residents, Norm and Francie Boardman, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Weds, Feb. 18th. They had steady action with trout to 19” on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails along the west side of the bay near Buttonwood Harbor. I fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor on Thurs, Feb. 19th with Ismo Uosukainen, from Helsinki, Finland and his two sons. They caught and released trout and ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. We spent some time working mangrove shorelines and potholes for reds and snook but a strong wind made it tough. Bob Harness, from St. Louis, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, Feb. 20th. We caught and released more than 15 trout to 18” on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. Sarasota winter resident, Phil Rever, and his guest, Eric Dobkin from NY, snook fished with me in the ICW near Venice on Sunday evening, Feb. 22nd. They caught and released about a dozen snook to 24”, a couple of blues and several ladyfish on my Grassett’s Snook Minnow fly. Dan Lynch, from Alburg, VT, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. He had good action with more than 20 trout to 19” and a pair of reds to 28” on CAL jigs with shad tails near Long Bar. Jordan Hecktman, from Longboat Key, FL and his grandson Joey, from Chicago, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. They had good action with trout to 18” and a few blues along the east side of Sarasota Bay on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos I was on the casting pond at the Frank Sargeant Outdoors Expo on Friday afternoon giving a seminar and casting demonstration on “Saltwater Fly Rodding”. It is one of the best outdoor shows in the state. It’s always good to see old friends and new products. DOA Lures (www.doalures.com) will soon have available a 5 ½” BFL (Big Fish Lure), which is a jointed, soft plastic mullet that swims like the real thing. New from Wang Anchor (www.wanganchor.com) is a quick release surface mounted bracket that will allow their stake out pole to be deployed from anywhere on the boat. The Wang Anchor on my new Action Craft 1720 flats skiff is sweet! It’ll quietly stop my boat on a dime in up to 5’ of water and weighs almost nothing. We had another successful Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Saturday. The course is for beginners and intermediate casters and covers basic casting, shooting line, roll casting and more. Students also learned leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. Dates for the two remaining schools for 2009 are March 14 and April 4th. Cost for the school, which runs from 9 AM to 3 PM, is $150 and includes an instructional video, a textbook, the use of premium Orvis fly tackle and lunch. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up. Snook season reopened today after being closed for 3 months and next week’s tides will be favorable for fishing the ICW for snook at night. As the water warms, we should also find more snook on shallow flats, particularly on warm, sunny days. Trout, blues and pompano on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay or reds and trout in skinny water should also be good options. Tight Lines,
A strong cold front pushed through early in the week of Feb. 1st. We had a couple of near freezes in our area, but no damage was done to the fishery. It was 34 degrees on Thursday morning, so Orvis Regional Business Manager Robert Bryant and I decided to wait until about 10 AM to start our trip. Due to a strong north wind, we fished Little Sarasota Bay, which offered some protection from the elements. Despite tough conditions we caught and released numerous ladyfish and 3 or 4 trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on intermediate and Depth Charge fly lines. We found the fish right in the ICW channel near old Midnight Pass. The next day Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and his cousin, Jack McCulloch from Englewood, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me. We caught some very nice trout, including a couple over the slot, around spoil islands and sand bars in Gasparilla Sound on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms. Keith also fished Sarasota Bay with me and his guest, Bill Garrett from Naples, FL, on Wednesday, Feb. 11th. They had steady action with trout and a few blues on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms near Buttonwood Harbor. Sarasota winter residents, Harry Beaty and Tom Schalk, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. The action was a little slow in the morning with a few trout and blues on CAL jigs. The action picked up in the afternoon when Carter Fox, from VA and his 3 guests fished with Capt. Roy String and me. The group caught numerous trout, including 8 slot-size trout, bluefish and a pompano on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos near Buttonwood Harbor. Fly anglers, Marshall Dinerman from Atlanta, GA, Josh Fine from CT, and Brian Green and Keith Lindberg, from Canada, fished with me on three different trips on Thursday and Friday. They caught trout, blues, pompano and big Spanish mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on intermediate and intermediate sink tip fly lines. Marshall caught a pompano and several trout on Thursday morning. Josh had an excellent trip with numerous nice trout, Spanish mackerel and blues near Buttonwood Harbor and Long Bar on Thursday afternoon. We were surprised when big Spanish mackerel showed up in a heavy sea fog (less than 100’ visibility) that stayed with us all day. We caught a couple and got cut off once and at one point were catching a trout on every cast. Brian and Keith had good action with trout on Friday. They also caught a pair of big Spanish mackerel first thing in the morning at Stephens Point. Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week when we’ll have negative lows early in the morning. Reds, trout and snook in potholes should be a good option as well as tailing reds on shallow grass flats of Gasparilla Sound. Trout, blues, pompano and Spanish mackerel on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay should also be a good option and has been providing the fastest action. Also, look for mackerel in the coastal gulf when conditions are good. There is still space available in CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Feb. 28th. I will be the instructor for the course, but you’ll need to contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up. Cost for the school, which runs from 9 AM to 3 PM, is $150 and includes the use of premium Orvis fly tackle, a textbook, an instructional DVD and lunch. Tight Lines,
Boca Grande Report Fishing Report - 2 Feb., 2009 - Capt. Pete Greenan
Rick Stoneman, from Toronto, Ontario, and a couple of friends fished a cool, windy afternoon on Weds, Jan 21. Despite poor conditions they had good action with mostly ladyfish and trout at the Radio Tower and Marina Jack flats. Keith McClintock and Hal D’Orazio, both from Lake Forest, IL, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Thursday. The action was slow to start, but they finished the day with 4 reds to 24 and a few nice trout on CAL jigs with shad tails. Carter Fox, from VA, and a guest fished a ½ day in Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. We were still feeling the effects of cool water, but they managed trout and blues on several deep grass flats in north Sarasota Bay with CAL jigs. I was the instructor at a CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Saturday, Jan 24th. The next class, which includes a textbook, instructional DVD, the use of premium Orvis fly tackle and lunch is scheduled for Feb. 28. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up. My sister, Michelle Mumford, and her friend, Bill Walterhoefer, both from Dagsboro, DE, visited me the following week. We fished Sarasota Bay, Little Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound on several trips. My wife, Karen Grassett, joined us on one of the trips in Sarasota Bay. We caught more than 15 trout to 17” and a dozen bluefish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos at the Middleground flat. A trip in Little Sarasota Bay produced trout and ladyfish. Another trip in Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor was a little slow in the morning but got better in the afternoon. Bill caught and released a 34” snook that weighed 11 ½-pounds on a CAL jig with a jerk worm in Turtle Bay. Nice fish! Harry Beaty and Paul Rotz, both from Toronto, Ontario, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. The morning was slow with short trout and blues, but the afternoon got better. After lunch we moved into skinny water, where we sight fished trout in potholes. They landed about ten trout from 17” to 20” on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms near Long Bar. This time of the year when the water is cool, fishing is often better in the afternoon when the water warms a few degrees. Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week as we head towards a full moon on Feb. 9th. A cold front this weekend and a reinforcing front early in the week will probably cool the water again and slow fishing for a few days. Fish protected water in the afternoon for the best action. Tight Lines, Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 1/4 through 1/18/2009 Fly angler Nick Reding, a Sarasota winter resident, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Jan. 5th. We had fast action at Stephens Point with trout, pompano and blues on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. We also waded a sand bar on the west side of the bay near Bishops Point and caught and released 7 or 8 nice trout to more than 20” on Grassett’s Flats Minnow flies. Later in the week, Keith McClintock and his son-in-law, Rick Anderson, from Lake Forest, IL and Victor Feldman from Champagne, IL, fished the same areas with me. They had fast action with pompano, blues and trout on CAL jigs and DOA Deadly Combos. On Friday, Mac Arnold and Paul Moore, both from Henderson, KY, fished Sarasota Bay with me. They had good action on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with trout and blues. Fly angler, Bob Harness from St. Louis, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, Jan. 12. Since it was overcast, we stuck to deeper water where Bob had steady action with trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. The best action was at Stephens Point on the east side of Sarasota Bay. Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Victor Feldman, from Champagne, IL, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Tuesday. They had fast action with trout to more than 20”, 5 reds to 32” and a pair of snook on CAL jigs with shad tails. A front pushed through late in the day, dropping temperatures into the 40’s at night. Pete Makowski, from Sarasota, FL, and Frank Vener, from Westport, CT, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. They had steady action with trout to more than 20” and a pair of pompano on DOA Deadly combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. I gave a presentation on “Winter Fishing with Lures and Flies” at the Florida Fishing College in Manatee County on Friday and Saturday. Bad fishing weather is great for fishing shows and I was pleasantly surprised when there were more than 200 people at my presentation at 1 PM on Friday afternoon. It has been cool for the last several days, dropping water temperatures in shallow water into the 50’s. Deep grass flats in Sarasota Bay should continue to produce trout and blues. However, pompano are questionable with the water this cool. Trout and reds in potholes of Sarasota Bay and in Gasparilla Sound should also be good options. Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week as we head towards a new moon on Jan. 26th. Negative low tides will concentrate reds and trout in potholes and reds may tail on shallow grass flats of Gasparilla Sound. Deep grass flats should hold trout, blues and possibly pompano depending on water temperature. If you are interested in learning to fly fish in saltwater. I will be the instructor at a CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Saturday, Jan. 24th. Cost is $150 for the course, which runs from 9 AM to 4 PM, and will cover basic casting, shooting line, roll casting, leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. Students will be provided with a text book, an instructional DVD, lunch and the use of premium Orvis fly tackle. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up. Tight Lines, Tony Ryan Fishing Report - January 13th. Capt. Pete Greenan's Boca Grande, Florida Fishing Report - Jan. 13th
Ron Whiteley Fishing Report - January 9th Fishery for lunch at noon....Big bowl of gumbo and oysters rockefeller with a gin and tonic. Made for some "civilized fishing". Over to Bull Bay after lunch tryed several areas and saw some reds and snook, but they were zip lipped. Headed out Gasparilla Pass and the Gulf waters were still silted up from the last cold front. No birds or fish activity. Back to Placida Harbor. Water had warmed up and fish were more cooperative. We caught more large ladies, some 19 - 20 inch trout and 2 nice pompano. Got cut of by some bluefish. Home by 3:30....Gin and Tonic by the pool. Great day on the water. Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 12/21/08 through 1/3/09 I fished 3 days in Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor during the week of Dec. 22nd with Rick Happle and his family, from Tampa, FL, Damon Dunn, from IL and Harry Davis, from Dalton, GA and Fen Sartorius, from NM. We found the reds to be challenging. Fen connected with a red that was tailing on a bead chain Clouser fly on one trip and we had plenty of other shots. We caught a few trout and bluefish on deep grass flats with flies and jigs. Scott and Scotty Heidler, from Hudson, OH, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday of that week. They had good action with trout, blues and a redfish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos at Stephens Point and along the east side of Sarasota Bay Kevin Bonasera, from Bozeman, MT, his dad Tom, from OH and guest, Tim from Sarasota fished lower Tampa Bay with Reid Zoller, of Loop Fly Tackle and me on Saturday, Dec. 27th. Kevin is with Turneffe Flats Lodge and works for them in Bozeman. We had a brief window in the morning for tailing reds and Kevin and Reid had a few shots but no takers. Tom, Tim and I had some action with trout and ladyfish on jigs and flies in the Terra Ceia Bay area. We had lots of action with trout, blues and a few pompano in Sarasota Bay last week. Brian and Joanne Shenstone, from MI, fished with me on Monday. Brian caught and released trout, ladyfish and a pompano on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly. Ray Hutchinson and his brother-in-law, Craig Kinzer, both from OH fished with me on Tuesday. They caught and released lots of trout, bluefish and a red on CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Deadly Combos and Ultra Hair Clouser flies. Sarasota winter resident, Nick Reding, fished with me on Wednesday. We waded a flat near Long Bar where Nick caught and released a big trout on a black Grassett’s Flats Minnow fly. In the afternoon, we picked up his two grandsons, Nicholas and Andrew, and they had fast action with trout, blues and ladyfish on DOA Deadly Combos at Stephens Point. On Friday, Jim Essig, his grandson, Chris and Ken Kolinski, from OH, had fast action with trout to 18”, blues and pompano on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos at Stephens Point. Next week’s tides are favorable towards the end of the week for reds in potholes or tailing on shallow grass flats of Charlotte Harbor. Deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay should have plenty of action with trout, blues and pompano. Tight Lines, Ron Whiteley - Dec. 30 Fishing Report 31 Dec. 2008 - Boca Grande, Florida Fishing Report
Ron Whiteley's 12/18 Fishing Report Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 12/7 through 12/20/2008
Several trips in Sarasota Bay during the week of Dec. 8th had good action on deep grass flats. Nick Reding, from St. Louis, MO, caught trout and bluefish with me at Stephens Point on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and Crease flies. Walt Poxon, from MN, and his brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Sue Poxon, from Sarasota, also fished the same area with me that week. They had fast action with trout, blues and a pompano on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. Mark and Olivia Fisher, from Houston, TX, fished a couple of instructional fly fishing trips in Sarasota Bay with me and became proficient enough to catch a few trout with Ultra Hair Clouser flies. The following week Glen Urban, from MA, Mike Perez from IN, Jeff Hanna from Englewood, FL and Clark Keator, from Orlando, FL fished several days with me in Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor. Although we spent lots of time targeting reds and had plenty of shots, they didn’t eat for us. We targeted reds in potholes in Sarasota Bay and tailing on shallow grass flats in Gasparilla Sound with flies. We caught and released trout, blues and ladyfish on deep grass flats with Clouser flies. On Friday, Dec. 19, Sarasota Herald-Tribune Outdoors Editor, Steve Gibson, fished with me. Little tunny and tripletail on flies was our goal and we were successful. We covered a lot of water to find a few fish but it paid off. We found a large area of bait, deep in the water column, with birds rafted up sitting on the bait off Casey Key. We waited them out and eventually small schools of little tunny began to blitz through the area giving us a few shots. We hooked 3 fish on Gibby’s Myakka Minnow and my Snook Minnow fly fished on intermediate and intermediate sink tip fly lines and landed one, about 10-pounds. We also found and hooked a 10 to 12-pound tripletail on a crab trap float in about 30’ of water off Siesta Key. The fish was hooked on a chartreuse Clouser fly but managed to pull the hook loose when the leader snagged the crab trap float line. It was a nice one! Tides will improve next week as we head towards a new moon on Dec. 27th. Reds should be tailing in shallow grass flats of Gasparilla sound and should be in potholes of Sarasota Bay. The fastest action should be with trout, blues and ladyfish on deep grass flats. I’d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Tight Lines, Ron whiteley Fishing Report 12/09 Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 11/24 through 12/6/2008 Parker Platt, from Brevard, NC, and Bernard Matthey, from Switzerland, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, Nov. 24th. They caught and released trout and bluefish on deep grass flats and a redfish on CAL jigs with shad tails on the east side of Sarasota Bay. Paul and Petra Schultz, from PA, fish the same areas with me on Tuesday. Since reds and snook were our goal, we fished skinny water along the east side of the bay. They caught a redfish and a couple of nice trout on CAL jigs with shad tails. Mike Penny and his daughter’s boyfriend, David, both from Atlanta, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Wednesday. They caught a pair of reds and a few trout on CAL jigs with shad tails fishing sand bars near Bull and Turtle Bays. One of the reds was sight fished out of a small school of reds cruising on white sand on top of a sand bar. Bill Beauchamp and his daughter Noelle, both from Bradenton, FL and Noelle’s boyfriend Richard, from Arizona, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. They caught and released trout, bluefish and a pair of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails. We fished deep grass flats at Stephens Point and Bishops Point for the trout and blues and skinny water near Long Bar for the reds. Sarasota winter residents, Harry Beaty and Tom Schalk, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday, Dec. 2nd. They had action with trout and blues at Stephens Point and one red along the east side of the bay. The best trip of the week was with Charlie Rutherford, from Blacksburg, VA. We spent most of our time in shallow water along the east side of the bay hunting for reds and we found lots of them. Charlie caught and released 4 reds to 30”, a pair of trout to more than 20” and a small snook to complete his slam. With reds and trout under our belt, I ventured into a creek where we found several snook along a sunny, protected mangrove shoreline. We are at a great time of the year for fishing reds and trout in skinny water. Negative low tides concentrates them in potholes providing sight casting opportunities. Tides will improve next week as we head towards a full moon on Dec. 12th. Reds may tail on shallow grass flats in Gasparilla Sound and will be concentrated in potholes in the same area and also in Sarasota Bay.
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"We saw are first pod at about 6:30 and cast on them for an hour or so when I hear my buddy 100 yards away "Woo"! I look over and see a fish in the air and leave the school.
"So I positioned myself in front of them casting on them for about a half hour when all the sudden I feel a thump and set the hook real good, clear the line and the fish is airborne and peals line for what felt like 10 minutes when I see him jump one more time about 150 yards away. Finally he slows and I start trying to regain my line but seemed like every 10 ft I would take in he would take 12 back out. about an hour into the fight putting a lot of pressure on him I’m finally to my fly line when I see my knot and it looks to be coming undone, fortunately my friends were there to help and Justin grabs the fly line wrap it around his hands and I try to fix the knot when it comes completely untied. 
"Now he’s holding onto the fly line and I quickly retie the lines together and get it back on the reel to complete the fight and land the fish. 
PHOTO: Capt. Rick Grassett handles a tarpon caught and released on an Enrico Puglisi Black mullet fly by Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL.
PHOTO: Capt. Rick 
Ron Whiteley Fishing Report - May 20
Still catching lots of trout everywhere. Few reds around but not feeding well, managed a few around Bird Key in Gasparilla Pass. Snook are all over the lights at night, doing real well. Schools of large jacks are in the back country and little tunny have been off the beaches near Stump Pass.
I fish beaches from Anna Maria Island to Boca Grande and I’m always aware of what beach is holding the most fish. 
Snook photo: Kirk Klingensmith of New York holds a nice snook that he caught just north of Bowles Creek in Sarasota Bay.
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 4/27 through 5/1/2009
PHOTO: Jon Yenari, from Sarasota, FL, with an Andros South bonefish.
Ron Whiteley
Brian Karem of Buffalo fished the Nokomis area taking several seatrout and lady fish just north of the Albe Road bridge on the east side of the ICW. The trout were taken on a Clouser minnow. He also caught a nice snook and missed two large redfish just south of the Blackburn Point bridge on the west side. At that time he was using a grey/sand Puglisi pattern.
PHOTO: Dick Egan, from IL, with a slot-size Sarasota Bay trout that he caught on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly fished on a sink-tip fly line while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
The best action continues to be on deep grass flats for trout, Spanish mackerel and pompano. We also caught Spanish mackerel, blues and pompano in Big Pass and Spanish mackerel on the Silvertooth Reef in the coastal gulf off Lido Key. Reds are becoming more active in skinny water and snook are staging on shallow flats.
Fred Ward and his daughter Heather fished early last week taking just a few seatrout and ladyfish on a slow day. On Saturday, Ray Schwable from upstate New York caught several seatrout and a nice redfish on a Puglisi pattern in Whiddens Creek. See attached pic. Monday saw John Prince and family spin fishing in the back country. They had good success on flounder and seatrout fishing jigs near Turtle Bay. Brian Petrie caught seatrout, ladyfish and bluefish in Placida Harbor. 
Ron Whiteley's report - 3/11
Cindy Stanley and her Texas Belle sister fished Sarasota with me and caught bluefish, seatrout, ladyfish and pompano on jigs and flies. Pete Smith and his friend Klaus caught redfish, seatrout and pompano in Bull Bay later in the week. 
PHOTO: Brian Green, from Fenwick, Ontario, with a nice Sarsota Bay trout caught and released on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Ron Whiteley's Fishing Report - Jan. 26th.
Fished Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m., 1/13/09 just as the cold front was moving in with former MCFF President John Freeman (the young one). Weather called for wind from the North/ North West at 10 miles an hour and an incoming tide. Of course once we got to the Venice Yacht Club we realized that the wind was blowing steady at 20-25 miles an hour and the tide was still going out. Luckily our determination prevailed and we braved the weather (a light breeze by Andros South standards). 
Once we got a hang of the wind and boat our all white snook flies did the rest. We would cast as near as possible to the fender and if it didn't quite make it we just paid line out with the tide to get it nice and close before beginning the retrieve. We both had 8 weight floating line with tapered leaders and 30 pound bite tippet. I used a 1 1/2 inch all white craft fur streamer with a fairly big profile, stick on eyes and some pearl crystal flash. I used short 10 inch strips with a pause in between to allow the fly to flutter with the wind aided outgoing tide. John was using a slightly smaller all white fly. 
PHOTO: Brian and Joanne Shenstone, from MI, with a pompano caught and released with an Ultra Hair Clouser fly while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Redfish have been the target species due to the super low tides we've been experiencing. Seatrout are beginning to get more active and there is a plethora of ladyfish and small jacks around. Most redfish came on the beginning of the incoming tide, but for a couple of days the fish were tailing as late as 4:00PM. 
The fish fed from about 8:00 AM to noon after which they disappeared. The warm weather we are currently experiencing may enhance the numbers of fish and the amount of bait available. These are very exciting fish well worth the effort to fish them. I suggest an 8 wt. or 9 wt.fly rod with 40 lb. Fluorocarbon leaders. If there is a lot of small bait around use a two inch brown backed minnow imitation that sinks well. If bait is scarce and the fish are still breaking, try a longer, brighter imitation closer to the surface. 
Headed out Gasparilla Pass and south in search of little tunny. Went down to Boca Granda light and saw none. Headed back north checking the crab trap lines for tripletail. Saw none. Very few birds or bait. We continued north to Stump Pass, where we finally found some birds working and little tunny of all sizes breaking. They wouldn't stay up long and we only got a few shots at them. Finally we found some that were staying up near the boat. Pete hooked up on an 8 weight with a crease fly. Then, a little later I got one on the 8 wt with the estaz marabou. 
The Sarasota Fly Tyers waded the back-country of Bull Bay on Saturday. Eight intrepid anglers caught nearly 100 seatrout and 8 redfish on various flies in the deeper holes between the mangroves. All fish were released. The warmer weather predicted for this week will help fishing improve. False albacore have been reported off Little Gasparilla Island and snook, redfish and seatrout will be easily available in the whole area. 
Photo: (Steve Gibson photo)-Capt. Rick Grassett with a little tunny caught and released in the coastal gulf off Casey Key on a Grassett's Snook Minnow fly. 
P.S. I write this week’s report with a heavy heart. We lost one of our “kids” on Friday night. Daisy, a.k.a. Miss Daisy, our senior Brittany had to be euthanized due to heart failure. She was my constant companion early in the morning when I was preparing for fishing trips. She would get out of bed with me at 4:30 or 5:00 AM for an ice cube or a tiny piece of cheese. There will be one less face in the window when I return each day. One of the hardest trips to make, but also the most loving, is the final trip to the vet. We’ll miss her terribly but we’ll see Miss Daisy on the other side of the “Rainbow Bridge” along with her brothers, Duke and Bear.