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Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 10/29 through 11/12/2006 Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout during the past couple of weeks. In addition, anglers caught and released Spanish mackerel, reds, snook and flounder on lures and flies in Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay.
Fly angler, Mike Perez from Richmond, IN, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Tuesday, Oct. 31st. Although the fish weren’t large, Mike scored a slam with a fly, a snook, redfish and several trout. Also, included in the catch for the day was a nice flounder and Spanish mackerel. The next day, fly anglers Jim Martin, from Sarasota, FL and his son, Randall Martin from NM, fished the same area with me. We waded a sand bar where Jim caught and released a pair of nice trout, both better than 20”. Although we were hoping for reds and snook, it wasn’t in the cards that day. They had plenty of action on deep grass flats with trout and lost a nice mackerel that bit through the leader before we could land it. I spent the next several days visiting family in Delaware and squeezed in a day of fishing in the Chesapeake Bay out of Crisfield, MD with my friend Capt. Matt Tawes of Chesapeake Angling and my brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE. We had fast action with stripers to 24” caught on Clousers, Half and Half’s and Enrico Puglisi’s Mullet flies fished on 225 to 325 grain fly lines. We probably caught and released about 70 fish that were all nice, fat fish. Although the season is almost over, Capt. Matt can be reached at www.chesapeakeangling.com if you want to try to squeeze a trip in. I attended the Orvis Southeastern Guide Rendezvous in Ft. Myers on Friday. We spent the morning reviewing new products and cast the new Zero Gravity fly rods before heading for the water for an informal tournament in the afternoon. These rods are the best casting fly rods that Orvis has ever produced. We fished Pine Island Sound starting at a low tide, which was a good condition for tailing redfish. Capt. Duane Baker, from Tavernier, FL and CB’s Saltwater Outfitters manager, Doug Forde from Sarasota, FL, fished with me. We found tailing reds pretty quickly near Regla Island. Doug caught and released a nice 28” redfish with my Flats Minnow fly. I entered my fly in their fly contest and won it. Capt. Ed Hurst’s boat won the tournament with a pair of reds and a snook. Yesterday fly anglers Darrell Doane, his son Josh Doane and Nick Pesce, all from Memphis, TN fished lower Tampa Bay with me. We fished from the mouth of the Manatee River all the way to Bishop Harbor. They caught and released more than 25 trout to 18”, a couple of flounder and a bluefish on my Flat’s Minnow fly, Clousers, jigs and DOA Deadly Combos. Most of the trout were caught and released in potholes near Joe Island. We also cast to several tailing reds in the same area, but they didn’t eat. Reds and snook on shallow flats should be good options next week, particularly in Charlotte Harbor and lower Tampa Bay. There are reports of Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf off Sarasota. With a little cooler weather, the surface action for mackerel, bluefish and little tunny should take off. Tight Lines, Boca Grande, Fl. Fishing Report - 29 Oct.2006 - Captain Pete Greenan Oct. 27, 2006 Fishing report by Captain Steve Gibson Fishing has been very good over the past couple of weeks. In fact, I caught my largest redfish to date, a 15-pound, 37-incher.
I caught the monster in almost the exact spot of my previous best — a 14-pounder that I landed two years ago. I took Rick Grassett to The Everglades for a day of fly fishing for exotics. At our first stop in the Picayune Strand State Forest, the bite was not on. We did manage three hefty oscars and a bluegill on No. 10 popping bugs. After a shore lunch, we loaded our Heritage kayaks up and drove to the Tamiami Trail. We found plenty of hungry fish. In two hours, we caught and released 50 oscars, Mayan cichlids and bluegill. In addition, we caught several cichlids that I’ve never seen before and haven’t
been able to identify via the Internet.
All of the afternoon fish fell victim to my Myakka Minnow, a sinking baitfish On a solo trip to Lake Manatee, I did a little better. I caught a total of 42 bluegill, seven bass to 4 pounds and a decent speckled perch. I used a 4-weight
fly rod, floating line, 5-pound leader and No. 10 chartreuse bluegill poppers. I caught the speckled perch on a pattern I call the Speckulator.
In saltwater, snook will begin moving up creeks and rivers. We predict good action on the Myakka River and the Manatee River. We plan to fish both rivers
as the weather cools. Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 10/16 through 10/28/2006 My friend, kayak fishing guide Steve Gibson of Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing, invited me on my first kayak fishing trip on Monday, October 16. Many of you also know Steve as the outdoor editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Steve took me to Picayune Strand State Forest, south of Naples to fish freshwater canals for Oscars and Mayan cichlids. We saw something out of the ordinary as we drove into the state forest, which we both agreed was probably a black bear. After getting accustomed to fishing out of the kayak, we paddled several of the canals and caught a few Oscars, but Steve opted to move further south to fish canals along Tamiami Trail where the action might be faster. It was a good move, as we spent the rest of the afternoon catching and releasing numerous Oscars and Mayan cichlids on 4 and 5-weight fly rods with poppers and Steve’s Myakka Minnow. I took one of his Myakka Minnows to Montana recently and caught a nice brown trout on the Madison River with it. That’s a versatile fly! Steve can be reached at www.kayakfishingsarasota.com to book a saltwater or freshwater guided kayak fishing trip. Phil Scott, from Richmond, IN, and his brother, Brian, from OH, fished Sarasota Bay with me the next day. The action was slow to start, but we got on a good trout bite in Roberts Bay where we caught and released more than 15 trout to 18” on DOA Deadly Combos. Fly angler, Eric Adamson from Lakeland, FL and a guest snook fished with me that evening. The action was slow but steady, despite a strong incoming tide. They caught and released 5 or 6 snook to 23” and lost a few others on a variety of flies. Suzy Nolan and Jessie Smith, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday, Oct. 19th. We worked around oyster bars from Point Crisp to Blackburn Point with DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. They caught and released a pair of reds, several snook and a couple of jacks. Fly anglers, Kyle Ruffing and Jon Yenari, both from Sarasota, FL, had a banner day with reds in Charlotte Harbor on Friday. We waded a sand bar near Bull Bay where they caught and released 5 reds to 24” on a black crab fly pattern. They also caught a couple of trout to 18” and a bluefish on Clouser and Jiggy flies. Great day! My son-in-law, Andy Cotton and I fished the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers/Coastal Conservation Association’s “Fall Fly fishing Challenge” on Saturday, October 21st. Since I had been on a good bite the day before, we headed back to the same area. Although there weren’t as many fish there on Saturday, there were still enough for us to be winners. Andy won the redfish division with 38” and I was 2nd with 29.75”. We had a great turnout for the tournament with 40 of the top fly anglers on the west coast of Florida participating. Hal Lutz, from Parish, FL and Shannon Ward, from Atlanta, GA, tarpon fished with me in Port Charlotte the next day. We checked several of the canals that normally hold fish and found a few that wouldn’t bite. However, we did find large tarpon feeding on ladyfish in the Peace River from the 41 bridges all the way to the mouth of the river. Hal jumped a tarpon of about 130-pounds or more on a black and purple Enrico Puglisi Mullet fly. He had 5 spectacular jumps before the fish landed on the leader breaking it. We hit a couple of other canals and then poled a shoreline along the west wall of Charlotte Harbor where Shannon caught and released a redfish on a bendback. We were headed in for the day when we found another tarpon feeding frenzy. This time the tarpon didn’t want the black and purple fly, but when I changed to an Enrico Puglisi pinfish pattern, Hal had an immediate hook up. He landed the fish, an estimated 120-pounder after a long battle. The fish slugged it out below the surface conserving her energy, but in the end Hal had her along side the boat. Congratulations Hal! Stan and Mary Order, from Owings Mills, MD, fished Charlotte harbor with me on Monday and Wednesday of this week. They caught a redfish and several trout each day on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. A front came through on Monday evening, forcing the cancellation of our trip on Tuesday. Stan is a retired physician and professor at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore who was instrumental in perfecting the radiation process used for bone marrow transplants. Ken Kolinski and Jim Essig, both from Toledo, OH, tarpon fished with me in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda canals on Thursday. The large tarpon that were feeding on ladyfish in the Peace River were gone following Monday’s front, but there were some smaller fish in canals. They jumped a pair of tarpon to 10 or 12-pounds and caught and released a 24” snook on DOA TerrorEyz. We are coming into one of my favorite times of the year. Reds on the flats, snook at night or false albacore, Spanish mackerel, cobia and tripletail along the beach will all be good options in the coming days and weeks. Wade for reds and look for tailers on low tides, choose a strong tide for snook at night or head for the beach when the wind is out of the east. If you’re looking for something else to do related to fishing, CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, 1249 Stickney Point Rd. on Siesta Key will be celebrating their 30-year anniversary on the weekend of Nov. 18 and 19. Tight Lines, After lunch, we loaded the kayaks up and headed south. We fished canals along the Tamiami Trail. It obviously was an afternoon bite. We caught all of the afternoon fish on my Myakka Minnow, a sinking baitfish imitation. We used 4-weight fly rods with floating lines and light tippets. Fall is prime time for Everglades exotics. In addition, bass, tarpon, snook and other species are possible. Steve Gibson -
Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing
Orvis rep Robert Bryant, from Greensboro, NC, snook fished with me before daylight on Thursday, Oct. 5. We caught and released more than 15 snook to 25” on my Grass Minnow snook fly between Blackburn Pt. and the Venice Inlet. Orvis has kindly donated a new Zero Gravity 8 wt. fly rod, which will be the top prize in the “Fall Fly Fishing Challenge” next weekend. Fishing was tough on the weekend of Oct. 7 & 8. With a full moon on Oct. 6th, fish didn’t feed very well on shallow flats during daylight. Large tarpon were busting bait schools one day near the mouth of the Peace and Myakka Rivers but mostly ignored us. We did get a couple of bites, one on a DOA Baitbuster and another on a CAL jig with a jerk worm, but didn’t hook up. We did, however, catch and release trout, jacks and ladyfish with flies and jigs on deep grass flats of the Terra Ceia area and in Gasparilla Sound. 970 WFLA’s, Capt. Mel Berman, joined me for a trip in Sarasota Bay on Thursday, Oct. 12th. The water looked good from New Pass all the way to Long Bar, but nothing was happening. The good news is that there was no sign of red tide, the water was clear and baitfish plentiful, so it’s only a matter of time before fishing will return to normal in that area. We caught and released a few ladyfish with flies and jigs in Sarasota’s Big Pass just to bend a rod on something. Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL and I went on a scouting mission on Friday. We covered the water from the mouth of the Manatee River to Joe Bay. We caught and released some nice jacks, bluefish and trout on Crease flies and Ultra Hair Clousers in Terra Ceia Bay and at the mouth of the river. Steve Meyer, from Sarasota, FL and a guest fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday morning. The action started off good with Steve catching a pair of snook not far from the Turtle Beach boat ramp on CAL jigs with shad tails. They added a red and a couple of trout on DOA Deadly Combos to complete their slam. A nice jack slammed Steve’s jig fooling us that it was a snook until it started to circle the boat. It was still a good tug! Next week’s tides get better toward the end of the week as we head toward a new moon next weekend. The weather has been beautiful and the water temperature is dropping, so it’s just a matter of time before fall fishing busts loose. With stone crab traps in the water now, a trip down the beach looking for tripletail, cobia, Spanish mackerel and little tunny might be a good option. There is still time to enter the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers/Coastal Conservation Association’s “Fall Fly Fishing Challenge” to be held in Sarasota next Saturday, Oct. 21st. Anglers will fish for snook, reds and trout with flies only in a catch-photo-release format. The friendly competition features lots of nice awards, a raffle and a BBQ after the event. Contact me for more info. Tight Lines, Monday 10/9 - Freshwater Fly Fishing Tiger Lake is a 2,200-acre body of water. It's a circular lake that has Kissimmee grass as its main vegetation. It also has lily pads and buggy whips. We used 4-weight fly rods, floating lines and No. 10 chartreuse
bluegill poppers and foam flies. Also, we caught a few fish
subsurface on my Myakka Minnow. Most of the action was around the
thickest rows of Kissimmee grass. Not much happening around the Typical catch on Tiger Lake is 100 big bluegill and 10 bass on fly rod. The action was slow for us. We blamed it on wind, high pressure and full moon. But 100 bluegill and 15 bass between the three of us really didn't make us sad. Steve Gibson
Nice Red Preston! Keeps those pictures coming!
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action on a couple of trips this week with snook and reds. The best action was with snook around lighted docks and bridge fenders before daylight. In addition, we found some very nice reds while working mullet schools in Little Sarasota Bay. Jim Festa, from Sarasota, FL, and his son, Gerry Festa from San Jose, CA, snook fished with me before daylight on Tuesday morning near Venice. We had steady action for a couple of hours before daylight catching and releasing about 8 snook to 23” and losing a few more. We cast gold glitter DOA shrimp, Night Glow TerrorEyz and CAL jigs with Arkansas Glow Shiner shad tails and scored with all of them. Anglers should remember that the slot for snook is now from 27” to 34” using a pinched tail method of measuring. Arnold Muhlbach, from Venice, FL, and his grandson, Peter Muhlbach from Jacksonville, FL, fished Little Sarasota Bay from Stickney Point to Turtle Beach with me on Friday morning. They caught and released a pair of reds to 32”, jacks and trout on CAL jigs with glow curly tails and DOA Deadly Combos. We worked mullet schools to catch the reds that were feeding aggressively. Despite patchy red tide in areas of north Sarasota Bay, particularly around New Pass, there are good reports for reds, snook and tarpon coming from that area. Red tide may push fish out of one area and concentrate them in another area. You should remember that red tide usually does not blanket an entire area, so there may still be good fishing even when red tide is around. Next weeks strong outgoing tides in the afternoon and evening should be good for snook in the ICW and snook and reds on the flats. Also, tarpon are still a good option in areas of Charlotte Harbor and Peace River canals. Tight Lines, Boca Grande Report from Capt. Pete Greenan - Sept. 4th, 2006 Steve Gibson and I fished Tuesday in a spot where I had rallied the reds the day before, but the fish were not as cooperative. We did get some nice
redfish to 31 inches on a Gibson pattern. Gibby also caught a couple of smallish snook around Gasparilla Pass and a seatrout of 24 inches in Whiddens
Creek. Nice Fish!
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 8/14 through 8/27/2006 Tight Lines, Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 7/30/06 through 8/13/2006
Bill Walsh and his sons, Andrew and Matt, fished with me 3 days during the week of 7/31. We fished north Sarasota Bay on Monday from the Middleground flat to north of Long Bar. The action wasn’t fast in any one spot, but it was steady. They caught and released trout, ladyfish, bluefish and lots of small gag grouper on DOA Deadly combos and CAL jigs. They also caught a pair of reds to 20”. On Wednesday, we fished Little Sarasota Bay where they caught and released 6 snook to 25” and about a dozen trout, including several in the slot, and a 5-pound Goliath Grouper on DOA shrimp and TerrorEyz. Friday’s trip was in the same area with an earlier start, but despite a better tide, it wasn’t as fast as Wednesday. They caught and released 3 or 4 snook, a black drum and several trout. Fly angler, Mark Torkos from Columbus, OH, fished with me on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. We fished the Terra Ceia Bay area on Tuesday with his father-in-law, Cooney. Except for getting a shot at a few tarpon, the action was slow. We fished Sarasota Bay on Thursday and Saturday. A coworker of Mark’s, Srini, fished with us on Thursday and we caught small gag grouper, trout, ladyfish and bluefish on CAL jigs and an Enrico Puglisi Bronze Mullet fly. We fished a couple of buoys and got a shot at a couple of tripletail, but they didn’t eat. Mark’s son, Evan, fished with us on Saturday and the action was similar. We had some action at the Middleground flat first thing and then it got slow. Evan hooked a good red and a big cobia; the hooked pulled on the red and the cobia broke us off on a buoy anchor line. We finished the day by getting 3 or 4 good shots at tarpon in shallow water off Lido Key with flies and DOA shrimp. Monday’s trip with Curt Williams and his sons, Nick and Zach, from Kansas City, MO, was similar to the previous week’s trips. Steady action on little gag grouper, ladyfish, trout, bluefish and catfish on DOA Deadly Combos. Brad Cox, from Sarasota, FL, and several guests fished Sarasota Bay with Capt. Kelly Stilwell and me on Wednesday. Brad and Ryan Lockman, from St. Petersburg, FL, fished on my boat and had good action with redfish. Although most were small, they caught and released 5 reds to 27” in Sarasota’s Roberts Bay and near Bishops Point on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA TerrorEyz. Fly anglers, Tony Johnson from Venice, FL, and Mark Bonnett, from Portland, OR, snook fished with me before daylight on Thursday morning. They caught and released 6 or 8 snook to 26” on my Grass Minnow night snook fly and a small red on an Enrico Puglisi bronze Mullet. Fly anglers, Ron Bizick from Sarasota, FL and his guest, Graeme Souness, from the UK, fished with me on Friday morning with similar results. The snook fishing was about the same and they caught and released several trout on a Clouser fly and a DOA Deadly Combo. Ken Trotter, from Sarasota, FL, tarpon fished with me in upper Charlotte Harbor and Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda canals on Saturday morning. There weren’t a lot of tarpon, but they were eating. Ken jumped 4 tarpon and landed 2. The canal fish were smaller than the usual 15 or 20-pounds, only averaging 7 or 8-pounds, but one of the tarpon jumped in the open waters of Charlotte Harbor was 70 or 80-pounds. The smaller fish ate rootbeer DOA TerrorEyz and the larger fish ate a DOA Baitbuster. Next weeks tides should be good for pre dawn snook fishing and tarpon in Charlotte Harbor. Fishing the deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay for a variety of fish will also be good action. Whatever you do, get it done early, before heat becomes an issue. Tight Lines, Capt. Rick Grassett Boca Grande Fishing Report - from Captain Pete Greenan -
5 Aug. 2006 Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 7/23 through 7/29/2006 Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action during the past week with tarpon, trout and bluefish. Jason Miller, from Wheeling, WV, and his girlfriend, Erica, fished the canal systems of Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda for juvenile tarpon on Wednesday. We found plenty of fish and had some action. They jumped a pair of tarpon, an estimated 20-pounder and a 40-pounder, on DOA TerrorEyz. Color didn’t make a difference, since one was on rootbeer and the other on nightglow. Most times with tarpon, it is a matter of having your fly or lure in the right place. Make it easy for them to eat! The best action was in Sarasota Bay early in the day, when schools of bluefish, trout and ladyfish fed in glass minnow schools at the Marina Jack and Middleground flats, Bishops Point and near Long Bar. Dave Lincul and his daughter, Elena, both from Sewell, NJ, fished with me on Thursday. They caught and released more than 15 trout to 17” and jumped a large tarpon near Long Bar on a DOA Deadly Combo. The following day, my friend Randy Inscoe and his new bride, Cathy, both from Lubbock, TX, caught several bluefish and jumped another tarpon, also on DOA Deadly Combos. We watched a food chain develop as bluefish and ladyfish drove glass minnows to the surface, pelicans and terns got in on the action and then tarpon showed up to get their share. Although we didn’t land either tarpon, Randy had his close to the boat after 30-minutes with medium spinning tackle, before she gained her freedom. Juvenile tarpon will continue to be a good option until early November. We should have some decent action with large tarpon in Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor, as well as the coastal gulf for at least a few more weeks. Fish lighted docks and bridge fenders for catch and release snook action and then hit the flats at dawn. Whatever you do, do it early before it gets too hot! Tight Lines, Capt. Rick Grassett Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 7/17 through 7/23/2006 Bill Crelin, from Milwaukee, WI and his brother-in-law and nephew, Tom and Tommy, joined me for a pre dawn snook/flats trip in Little Sarasota and Blackburn Bays on Monday morning. Despite plenty of snook in and around lighted docks and bridge fenders, they didn’t want to bite. We offered them a variety of flies and DOA baits, but there were no takers. However, when the sun popped up we worked bait schools and caught about 6 trout to 16” on DOA Deadly Combos, CAL jigs with shad tails and fly poppers near Blackburn Point. Florida Sportsman magazine Projects Editor and Tampa Tribune Outdoor Editor, Frank Sargeant, joined me for a trip on Tuesday morning. We started at 3 AM and fished different docks than I had the morning before. It wasn’t on fire, but we managed to catch and release 6 or 8 snook to 25” on String Bean and my Grass Minnow flies near the Venice Inlet. A couple of snook ate nightglow DOA Shrimp. Snook will feed on a variety of baits this time of the year, so it can be more challenging to “match the hatch”. Jim Eliason, owner of Discount Tackle in Bradenton, and Morgan Christian, from Lakeland, FL, joined me for a tarpon trip on Thursday morning. Jim purchased my trip, which was donated to Manatee-Sarasota Fish and Game Club’s annual fundraising dinner, “A Taste of Florida”. The event, which features wild game and “Florida Cracker” cuisine, is one of my favorites. We fished the Peace River and canal systems of Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda. There wasn’t much happening in the river, but we found them busting baits in the canals. Jim and Morgan jumped a total of 4 tarpon, landing one of them, a feisty 15-pounder, with rootbeer and nightglow DOA TerrorEyz. I spent a couple of days scouting tarpon and found that while there are still tarpon on the beach, they are also moving into the inside waters where they are feeding aggressively. We should have some great tarpon fishing in the coming weeks. In addition to tarpon, snook in the surf or under dock lights and a variety of fish on the flats at dawn should all be good options next week. Watch out for thunderstorms, which could pop up at any time, particularly later in the day. Lightning has stuck a couple of people, a construction worker and a lawn care worker, in southwest Florida recently. Remember that lightning can strike as far as 10 miles away from a storm. Tight Lines, Capt. Rick Grassett Wow, click on this link submitted by Ron Whiteley from YouTube.com...amazing 3 minutes video of a shark chasing and catching a tarpon. Ron Whiteley July 13 Ron Whiteley July 11 Boca Grande, Fl. - from Captain Pete Greenan -
8 July 2006 Ron Whiteley July 7-8 Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 6/19 through 7/1/2006 Fly angler, Cliff Ondercin from Sarasota, FL, fished with me on Monday, June 19th and landed a 70-pounder on a black and purple Enrico Puglisi mullet fly. Tarpon schools were moving fast, but high in the water column, along Siesta Key that morning. It wasn’t the best fly fishing situation, but they would bite if you got a fly in front of them. Fly angler, Bill King from Osprey, FL and his family group of 3 other anglers fished with Capt. Kelly Stilwell and me on Wednesday. Dave and Ken Sutton, from MI, landed tarpon of 70 and 90-pounds with live crabs while fishing with me along Casey Key. Capt. Kelly’s anglers also connected a couple of time with live crabs. John and Deb LaManna, from Lakewood Ranch, FL, fished with me on Friday of that week. Tarpon were behaving the same way all week long, moving fast both north and south. John had a fly in front of several tarpon, but they didn’t bite. However, a couple of them ate a live crab. John and Deb double teamed a feisty 100-pounder and had her close to the boat after about 45-minutes when she wore through the leader. Close enough! My brother, Kirk Grassett from Bear, DE, fished with me on Saturday. We had lots of shots with flies. He got a bite on an Enrico Puglisi black mullet, but the fish was coming at us so fast it was hard to get the hook stuck. Kirk fished with my friend Rusty Chinnis on Friday, had a couple of bites on flies and unintentionally broke a fish off on the hook set. A couple of other fly trips had lots of shots and a couple of bites, but no hook ups. I spent a couple of days over in Stuart, FL at the annual DOA Guide/Outdoor Writer Get Together on Monday and Tuesday. We caught snook, trout and flounder on a variety of DOA Lures in the Indian River near Ft. Pierce and in the St. Lucie inlet. There were numerous snook in the 15 to 20-pound class caught and released as well as a few over 20-pounds. Anglers also scored with trout to more than 8-pounds, tarpon and tripletail. Jay Alvis, from IN, and his nephew, Kyle Hehe from Sarasota, FL tarpon fished with me along Casey Key on Wednesday. We had a push of fish early, had 3 bites and missed them all and then it got quiet. Fortunately, we had another flurry of activity about 11 AM. First Jay hooked up and landed a feisty 70-pounder that jumped numerous times all around the boat and was landed quickly.
17-year old, Kyle, hooked up next with one of the most noteworthy tarpon ever caught and released on my boat. The 100-pound tarpon ate a live crab about a mile north of the Venice Inlet and then proceeded to clear the beach of swimmers all the way to the Venice Jetty, as it swam south only a few feet from the beach. When it reached the jetty, with a strong incoming tide, the fish headed east through the jetty toward the ICW with a cheering crowd of people following along the shore. The fish then headed north in the ICW, as we continued to tighten the drag down. The fish was finally landed north of the Albee Rd. bridge about 3 miles from where it had been hooked to cheers from a crowd of boats and people along the shoreline. When I landed the fish, I discovered that about 1/3 of the hook had broken off just above the bend, but there was still enough left to hold the fish. When I pulled against the drag with a scale later, I discovered that we had 14-pounds of drag on the fish and she was still pulling line off the reel. What a ride! Fly angler, Bob Harness from St. Louis, MO, fished with me on Thursday and Friday. Bob’s guest on Thursday was Nick Reding, from New York City. Nick jumped a pair of tarpon on black bunny flies, getting several nice jumps and runs from each fish before they came unbuttoned. We had numerous shots later that day, but no bites. The action was slower on Friday, with a few good shots but no bites. Tarpon fishing should remain strong until at least the full moon in July on the 11th. Hopefully, we’ll get some more action beyond that also, as fish school ahead of the new moon toward the end of July. Fishing upper Charlotte Harbor for tarpon of all sizes should also be an option. Tight Lines, Capt. Rick Grassett, Snook Fin-Addict guide Service, Inc. - (941) 923-7799 ~~~~~~~~~~ PHOTO at left: Roger Williams with a 2 1/2 kilo rainbow from the River Möll, Hotel Glocknerhof 06-June-06, Heiligenblut, Austria. Temperature about 11 degrees Celsius. The guide was Mark Kaaser, Seeboden, Austria, FFF Europe. Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 6/5 through 6/18/2006 Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good tarpon fishing during the past couple of weeks. Tarpon schooled heavily as we headed towards the full moon on June 11th. Tropical Storm Alberto threw us a curve for a few days, but other than not being able to fish the gulf for a few days, no harm was done. Anglers scored with both flies and live crabs. Larry Ford, from Longboat Key, FL and Pete Molinari, from Sarasota, FL, fished with me on Monday and Wednesday. It was rough on Monday morning as we headed out of the Venice Inlet and we almost turned around, but decided to stick it out for a while. That proved to be a good decision as conditions improved to near perfect. A brief shower passed through and tarpon schools popped up everywhere following the rain. They had several bites on live crabs, jumped 3 tarpon and had two of them to the boat, a 60 and a 70-pounder. Wednesday was a much different day. Although conditions were great, tarpon schools were moving fast and not giving us many decent shots. That changed late in the morning when we got on a school that was not showing real well, but moving slowly. We fished them for more than an hour, pitching live crabs to the “black spot” of the school, which was mostly staying deep. After several bites, Larry jumped and landed a 95-pound tarpon to end the day. Fly angler, Bill King from Osprey, FL, fished with me on Tuesday and Friday. Bill connected with a pair of tarpon on black and purple bunny flies on Tuesday. The second fish stayed on and he successfully fought the fish through numerous jumps and runs for about 45 minutes, then Murphy’s Law struck. The tarpon, after showing signs of surrender, blasted off one more run and a backlash in the backing popped off the spool, wrapped around the reel handle and broke the backing at the reel. Not only did Bill lose what would have been his first tarpon landed on a fly, but he also lost his fly line. We evened the score on Friday. We got on a happy school, first thing in the morning and connected 3 times in a row with an Enrico Puglisi Black Mullet (black and purple). The first fish broke us off on the hook set, the second bite was a missed hook up, but the third time was a charm. Bill hooked up firmly and fought the tarpon through numerous jumps and runs until the estimated 90-pounder was alongside the boat. Congratulations Bill! Dana Weinkle, from Bradenton, FL, and his guest, Skip from Louisville, KY, fished off Siesta Key with me on Saturday morning. We didn’t see much early and then tarpon started popping up, moving fast and acting like “full moon” fish. We persisted and got on a nice school that was moving slower around 11 AM. Skip connected with an estimated 130 or 140-pound brute with a live crab, obviously a big female and one of the lead fish in the school. We followed the school south in an attempt to keep from being spooled. We finally popped the fish out of the school and she headed offshore. Unfortunately, on her way there she found her way to freedom by swimming the line around an abandoned crab trap breaking the line. We got on another school after that and had another bite, but that was it for the day. Tropical Storm Alberto moved through on Sunday and Monday dumping about 6 inches of much-needed rain, although it would have been better if it weren’t in the form of a tropical storm. The coastal gulf was like a washing machine through Thursday. I fished with fly anglers Craig Purse and Guy Schiller, both from IL, beginning Thursday through Saturday. Since the coastal gulf waters were still too rough to fish on Thursday, we headed south to fish the Peace River and canal systems of Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte for juvenile tarpon. We found plenty of tarpon up to about 40-pounds in the river and one canal, but they wanted nothing to do with the variety of flies that we cast to them. However, we did catch and release numerous spotted and silver sea trout and a couple of Spanish mackerel on a 2/0 size Enrico Puglisi flies in the Peace River. The following day we headed into the coastal gulf waters out of Venice. Although conditions were much better, there wasn’t much happening. We found that tarpon had moved offshore into 20 or 25-feet of water due to murky water along the beach. We had a couple of shots and caught and released a tripletail on a 2/0 black and purple Enrico Puglisi mullet. Conditions got even better for Saturday, but most of the tarpon remained far offshore. Guy jumped a pig of a fish, which ate the fly on the surface about 15 feet off the bow. After several exhilarating jumps, she shook the fly loose and landed with a hollow splash! That was our best shot of the day. We fished numerous tarpon schools in deep water, but it was a tough situation with a fly rod. Tarpon should return to a normal pattern this week. As the water clears closer to the beach, they should move in closer. We are having a great season so far, so hopefully that trend will continue. Tight Lines, Capt. Rick Grassett Keith McClintock and Barry Slee, both from Lake Forest, IL, Dave Kinnamon, from Milwaukee, WI and Wayne Little, from St. Louis, MO fished four days with Capt. Kelly Stilwell and me during the week of May 21st. We had plenty of action during the week, although every day wasn’t good. The group jumped more than a dozen tarpon and landed 4 or 5 up to 100-pounds on live crabs. Barry also had a couple of takes on a fly. There were a couple of good days and a couple of slower days during the week. Keith and Dave finished strong on the last day fishing with me. They had 6 or 7 bites, jumping 3 tarpon and Dave landed a 90-pound fish to end the day. I had 3 days of fly fishing the next week and although we didn’t land any tarpon with a fly we jumped a couple on black/purple and chartreuse bunny flies. We fished from Longboat Key to Sarasota’s Big Pass on those days. Fly angler Shawn Borgeson, from Tampa, FL, also connected with a cobia on a black and purple bunny fly. Of course, the smallest of a pair of cobia, including one about 50-pounds or more, beat the big one to the fly! Aledia Tush, owner of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, and Doug Forde, a manager at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, tarpon fished with me along Casey Key last Tuesday. Tarpon were happy and biting that day. They had 5 or 6 bites on live crabs, jumping several of them. Including one that Aledia had on for about 20 minutes before the hook pulled with the fish close to the boat. Doug also hooked one on a black and purple tarpon bunny fly. My friend Russell Johnson, from Clovis, NM, his sons Pat, Kyle, Justin and their friend Stormy fished the same area with me and Capt. Clark Wright on Friday and Saturday. Although conditions were good on Friday, tarpon didn’t bite that well. Clark had a couple of bites and one tarpon to the boat on Friday, while we had a couple of bites but no hook ups. The action heated up on Saturday. We landed a pair of tarpon, a 70 and a 90-pounder. The guys on Clark’s boat landed a 120-pound brute, which dragged them more than a mile offshore. The biggest excitement of the day was when a 10-foot hammerhead shark began stalking our second tarpon and our boat. It circled our boat numerous times with its tall dorsal fin slicing through the water and headed toward our hooked tarpon several times. The tarpon went all the way to the beach and slugged it out in the surf to stay away from the hammerhead. Fortunately, we successfully landed the tarpon as the shark for some reason lost interest and moved on. A good day! We are in the heart of our tarpon season now and as long as the weather holds up, fishing should be good through June and into July. Tarpon are in a normal pattern, traveling in a lane usually within a couple of hundred yards of the beach. The best bite has been from first light in the morning until 9 or 10 AM. Tight Lines,
Fly anglers, John Freeman from Nokomis, FL, and his son, John, fished with me on May 8th. We hunted tarpon in the coastal gulf waters off Gasparilla Island and were about to head inside after a few hours when we found a big, happy school. We stuck with them for a couple of hours and got bit a couple of times on an Enrico Puglisi Black Mullet and a black and yellow bunny fly before a hammerhead shark showed up and ruined their appetite. They caught and released numerous trout to 19” on glass minnow fly patterns near Sandfly Key to finish the day. Steve Collard, from Valrico, FL and John Napolitano, from Lakewood Ranch, FL fished the same area with me the next day. We were doing well with trout on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos when a strong front pushed through ending our day early. The best day in the last couple of weeks was with Bill Crowley, from Nokomis, FL and Joe Scotti, from Sarasota, FL. Conditions were near perfect and tarpon were plentiful and happy off Siesta Key that day. Practically everything that we cast a live crab to that day ate. They brought 3 out of 6 fish hooked to the boat, including an estimated 130-pounder. Just like the old days! Fly angler, Patrice Camillieri from near Paris, France, fished the same area with me the next day. A big, happy school showed up first thing in the morning and after a few casts, Patrice put one in the air with a black and purple Enrico Puglisi Mullet fly. We had a few more shots, but no more bites as the wind came up quickly that day ending our trip early. Patrice also fished with me the following Sunday and although conditions were good, tarpon weren’t showing very well that day. Conditions in the gulf weren’t great this week, although a couple of days earlier in the week were fishable. We had a couple of bites on flies and spent the rest of the time fishing either Sarasota Bay or Gasparilla Sound. Paul Nevins, from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. The action was slow most of the morning, but we found some reds near Bishop Point on the west side of Sarasota Bay later in the morning. Paul caught and released 4 reds to 30” on CAL jigs with shad tails. Three of them were very small, but the big fish made up for them. Next week should be a peak week, as we head toward the new moon on Saturday. Occasionally our winds will shift to the west for several days following a late season front. Hopefully, we’ve got that behind us for a while. There seems to be plenty of tarpon so far this season and they are behaving normally due to no red tide (Shhh!). Fly anglers should score with dark fly patterns fished on intermediate fly lines early in the day while those using conventional tackle should hook up with DOA Baitbusters, DOA Swimming Mullet, live crabs and a variety of baitfish. Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 5/1 through 5/7/2006
Tuesdays fly fishing trip in the Terra Ceia Bay area was very slow. We saw quite a few reds and snook, but couldn’t catch them with a fly that day. The next day, Marty Guice from Lakewood Ranch and his guest, Lyn, from NJ fished Sarasota Bay with me. They caught 4 bluefish near the Hart Reef and a large Spanish mackerel at the Marina Jack flat on CAL jigs with shad tails and Diamond Jigs. That evening, fly anglers Larry Ford and Arnold Hoffman, both from Longboat Key, FL, snook fished with me near Venice. The action was much slower than on Monday evening. Although snook were obviously feeding, they were being very selective of what they would eat. They caught a few on a variety of flies, including Arnold’s first snook with a fly. We ran into some large Spanish mackerel on Thursday near Whale Key and caught a couple of 4-pounders on CAL jigs with shad tails. A stop at the Marina Jack flat produced a few small trout, bluefish and cut-offs by large Spanish mackerel. Reports of tarpon being seen or caught are increasing daily. Next week, I’ll begin tarpon fishing and I am hopeful that we’ll have a good season this year. Everything seems to be right, with plenty of baitfish and water temperatures at near 80 degrees, there should be significant schooling activity in the coastal gulf as we approach a full moon next Saturday. For those preferring not to tangle with a giant tarpon, there are still some Spanish mackerel, bluefish and little tunny available. Fishing deeper water for these species has been more productive than fishing skinny water recently. Due to no significant rainfall for a couple of months, the water is very clear on the flats and in the gulf. I’m sure this has contributed to reds and snook being spooky and may be a factor with tarpon, too. Tight Lines, Ron Whiteley Report - April 20th Ron Whiteley Report - April 15th Ron Whiteley Report - April 4th Best Fish of the day was this 33 inch snook on an 8 weight with no bite tippet. Captain Rick Grassett, Charlotte Harbor, FL Fishing Report for 4/3 through 4/10/2006 Firman Schlabaugh and Junior Miller, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Gasparilla Pass and Gasparilla Sound with me on Monday. We started off with a blitz in the pass that included bluefish, ladyfish and Spanish mackerel that had bait corralled into a “bait ball”. After catching numerous fish on jigs, we headed for the backcountry. They caught more than 15 trout to 18”, several flounder and a redfish on CAL jigs with shad tails near Sandfly Key and in Turtle Bay. The next day Bob and Diane Harness, from St. Louis, MO, fished the same area with me. The action was slower with not much happening in the pass, so we headed for skinny water. They caught and released a few trout and ladyfish on Clouser flies, but the reds that I was on the week before were gone.
Fly anglers Jake How and his son, Charlie, from Whitefish, MT, fished with me on Friday. We started in Gasparilla Pass and had a few fish breaking on the surface. We got cut off immediately by a couple of Spanish mackerel and then the action subsided. We headed south looking for breaking fish and found a big mud about half way down Gasparilla Island. I was marking bait to within 6 feet of the surface in 25’ of water. We blind cast with Ultra Hair Clousers on intermediate fly lines and caught a nice Spanish mackerel and a 10-pound king mackerel. Although there seemed to lots going on there, that’s all we caught, so we headed for the backcountry. Jake and Charlie caught numerous trout to 18” and ladyfish on Clouser flies in various spots in Gasparilla Sound and in Turtle Bay. Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, and I were the instructors for a CB’s Saltwater Outfitter’s Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Saturday. Six students participated in the school and are hopefully on their way to a lifetime of fishing fun. The nice thing about fly fishing is that you can enjoy it if you’re 8-yrs. old or 80-years old. This week’s tides are favorable for reds, snook and trout on the flats. As long as the weather is nice, take advantage of the opportunity to fish the coastal gulf waters for Spanish mackerel, bluefish, kings and false albacore. We are having one of the best runs of those species in years. Tight Lines,
Report from Joe Polidoro - "Notes from Matlacha 3/29"
Fished north of the bridge on mainland side. Fish were warming up a bit just off the mangroves, not tight up against shore. Plenty of trout in deeper water about 50 yards offshore and reds, snook closer in. Toward noon I started getting follows and hits in the mangroves and lost what must have been my biggest snook yet—pulled me into the mangroves, where he broke my leader. All fish caught on foam-green and white Puglisis, floating line. Afternoon at Ernie’s cut, first cut south of bridge on mainland… no action. Plenty of life—stingrays, dolphins. My son saw a tarpon porpoise under the bridge, heading north against tide at good speed. Joe Polidoro ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fishing Report 3/28-29 - by Ron Whiteley PETE GREENAN's Fishing Report -
Boca Grande, Fl. -
20 March 2006
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PHOTO: Doug Forde, from Sarasota, FL, caught and released this 28" red on a Grassett's Flats Minnow fly while fishing near Regla Island in Pine Island sound with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Anglers enjoyed beautiful mornings and breezy, comfortable afternoons this week in Boca Grande. The action was excellent with a variety of species available. 
PHOTO: This Lake Manatee largemouth bass fell for a No. 10 chartreuse bluegill popper on a 4-weight fly rod.
Freshwater action should continue to heat up, with bass, bluegill and speckled perch the targets.
Everglades exotics
This is a Red Fish caught by me in Indian River Lagoon (Titusville), Sunday 9/24/06.
PHOTO: Peter Muhlback, from Jacksonville, FL, caught and released this 32" red on a CAL jig with a glow curly tail while fishing Little Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
PHOTO: Ryan Cockman, from St. Petersburg, FL, caught and released this 27" red on a DOA TerrorEyz while fishing Sarasota's Roberts Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
PHOTO: Jim Eliason, owner of Discount Tackle in Bradenton, FL, caught and released this 15-pound tarpon, on a DOA TerrorEyz while fishing a Peace River canal with Capt. Rick Grassett.
PHOTO: Kyle Hehe, from Sarasota, FL, caught and released this 100-pound tarpon on a live crab while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett. Kyle hooked the fish in the gulf near Nokomis Beach and landed it in the ICW north of the Albee Road bridge more than 3 miles away.
Photo caption-Guy Schiller, fom IL, caught and released this tripletail in 30 feet of water off Siesta Key on a size 2/0 Enrico Puglisi black mullet fly while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.
PHOTO: Paul Nevins, from Sarasota, FL, caught and released this 30" red on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
PHOTO: Jack Rever, from Fairfax, VA, caught and released this nice snook on a Skitterbug fly while fishing the ICW near Venice with Capt. Rick Grassett
Chris Leu, from Ft. Worth, TX and his father-in-law, Dick Hume from MN, fished the same area with me on Thursday. We started in Gasparilla Pass and found a few fish scattering baitfish on the surface. Chris immediately hooked up with an 8 or 9-pound false albacore on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly fished on an intermediate fly line with a 7-weight rod. What a fight! The fish went deep into the backing before coming back to the boat. They also caught and released more than 20 trout to 4-pounds near Sandfly Key, including several in the slot on Clouser flies, CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.
High tide at 2:30PM. On the water at 10AM. Wind about 10-15 knots out of SE, quieted to nothing midday, picked up again somewhat in afternoon from W.
I had the pleasure of fishing with a legend in fly fishing, Peter VanGytenbeek. Van is the Executive Director of the Federation of Fly Fishers and the former director of Trout Unlimited. Van and Robert Ramsey, president of the American Fly Fishing Trade Association, were in town for talks with Paul Hinds and Charles McKinney of Family Tyes. Ron Whiteley joined me in guiding the group. (See Ron's redfish at left) 