Fishing Reports from Club Members & Area Guides

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 1/8/2012
A strong front passed through our area early last week dropping air temperatures below freezing and plummeting water temperatures by almost 10 degrees. However, after a few days of sun, water temperatures climbed back into the 60’s and action resumed. Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, pompano, flounder, Spanish mackerel and reds on jigs and flies during the past week.

Keith McClintock and his grandson, Garrett Anderson, from IL, got out with me on Monday morning just as the front passed through. Due to a strong wind forecast, we fished Little Sarasota Bay from Point Crisp to Spanish Point. They caught and released trout to 17” and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails. Longboat Key winter resident, Nick Reding, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. We waded a sand bar in north Sarasota Bay and Nick caught and released 5 reds to 24” on my Flats Minnow fly. A great trip!

Tom Lamb, from Geneva, Switzerland, his daughter Diane Mulfeld, from Sarasota, and Roy Glah, from CT, fished the Middleground flat in Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday morning. They caught some quality fish-3 pompano, 2 flounder, a Spanish mackerel and several trout on CAL jigs with grubs.

Next week’s negative low tides in the morning should concentrate reds and trout in potholes of north Sarasota Bay. With Spanish mackerel still present in Sarasota Bay, it may be worth checking the coastal gulf for Spanish mackerel, fales albacore (little tunny) and tripletail when conditions are good.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 12/31/2011
Action continued in the coastal gulf early last week due to the unseasonable warm weather we’ve had during December. However a front pushed through on Tuesday, dropping water temperatures by several degrees. Action slowed for a couple of days, but by Thursday the water warmed back up a couple of degrees and fish responded favorably. Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released false albacore (little tunny), Spanish mackerel, tripletail, snook, trout, pompano, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and a small shark during the past week.

Denis Clohisy, from WI, and Vic Heckler, from IL, fished the coastal gulf with me on Monday. I had to cover a lot of water to locate the false albacore, but once I found them we stayed on them for several hours. They caught and released 7 or 8 “albies” to 8-pounds and Spanish mackerel to 1 ½-pounds on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. We ran some crab trap lines on the way back, had numerous shots at a couple of tripletail and Denis caught a 5 ½-pounder on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly. A great fish!

Chris Shuff, his 14-year old son, Devin and friend, John, all from OH, stopped off in Sarasota to fish with me on Tuesday on their way to the Keys. They caught and released a few trout and ladyfish on the west side of Sarasota Bay from the Middleground flat to Whale Key on CAL jigs with shad tails. We had an approaching front, so we got off the water just ahead of it. Dave Wahl, from IL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. Since it was cool that morning, we started at 9 AM and fished into the middle of the afternoon. He caught and released a few trout on a Clouser fly, but the action was slow.

Sarasota winter resident, Phil Rever, and Eric Dobkin, from NY, fished the ICW near Venice with me on Thursday evening. The tide wasn’t great, but action was steady with most spots giving up several fish. They caught and released more than 15 snook and a trout on my Snook Minnow fly. The last fish of the night was a 30”, 7 ½-pound snook that Eric caught and released. It got wrapped in the trolling motor shaft twice, but due to using a heavy tippet we successfully got the fish out each time. A nice fish!

Kent Boulware and son-in-law, Eric Notestine, from IN, and son, Jon Boulware, from NC, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday afternoon. They had steady action catching and releasing trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, a couple of pompano and a small shark on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails at Stephens Point and near Whale Key.

Nest week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week as we approach a full moon. Look for reds and trout in potholes on negative low tides. Fish deep grass flats for trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and pompano or the ICW at night for catch and release snook. I use tackle heavy enough to land snook quickly and avoid catching them at all during cold snaps. It’s worth checking the coastal gulf for false albacore (little tunny), Spanish mackerel, tripletail and cobia when conditions are good.

Happy New Year and a special thanks to all of my customers that fished with me during the past year! After almost 22 years in business, many of you have become good friends and I’ve gotten to know your families as well. I appreciate your business and look forward to fishing with you again soon.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 12/24/2011
Catch and release night snook fishing was on fire early last week! Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, reds, trout and bluefish during the past week. The best action was fly fishing for snook at night in the ICW near Venice. Snook gorged themselves on glass minnows around lighted docks and ate my Snook Minnow fly just as well. In addition, we also caught trout and reds around docks on the same fly.

Bruce McLean, from Sarasota and his son, Gray McLean, from Charlottesville, VA, fished the ICW near Venice with me on Monday evening. They caught and released more than 15 snook to 23”, 6 trout to 18” and 4 reds to 22” on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. Not only did Gray catch his first snook on a fly, he also caught and released several slams!

The action got even better on Wednesday evening when Bill Rhodes from Hernando Beach, FL, fished the same area with me. The bite was so good at quitting time that we decided to turn it into a 6-hour trip. Bill also had a fly rod slam catching and releasing more than 40 snook to 23”, 6 trout to 19” and a 22” red on my Snook Minnow fly! Exercise caution when snook fishing this time of year. I always use tackle and leaders heavy enough to land them quickly with minimal handling. If water temperatures plummet following a strong front, I won’t fish for them at all until conditions stabilize.

Bill fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday morning. The action was slow, but he managed to catch and release a couple of trout and a bluefish on a Hansen Glass Minnow fly near Whale Key. He fished a tandem fly rig with a smaller fly about 24” ahead of a larger fly on an intermediate shooting head fly line creating the illusion of schooling bait fish.

Jerry Roth, from Longwood, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday morning. Despite beautiful conditions it was slow to start. We had a negative low tide with good sunlight and mullet so thick you could walk on them, but we covered a lot of water before we scored. Jerry finished the day with 4 reds to 24” caught and released on a CAL jig with a shad tail near Buttonwood Harbor.

Negative low tides early next week as we head away from a new moon should concentrate reds and trout in potholes. Fish deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay for trout, blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano and flounder. As long as it stays mild, we should also have action with false albacore, Spanish mackerel and tripletail in the coastal gulf when conditions are good. Have a Merry Christmas!

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 12/17/2011
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel, pompano, flounder, tripletail and albies (little tunny) during the past week. We have had great fall weather this year, causing water temperature to fall slowly keeping migratory species around longer.

I spent a couple of days in the coastal gulf fly fishing for albies and tripletail. Steve Gibson, of Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing, and I went on a scouting mission on Monday. Since I had a trip later in the week, I wanted to check conditions and see if the albies were still there. The water was still a little dirty from last week’s front, but the bait and predators were there. We found lots of Spanish mackerel and they were easily caught with a fly. We only found one school of albies and Gibby caught one on his Albie Duster fly. We ran some crab trap lines hunting tripletail, found a couple and he caught one on the same fly.

Conditions were even better on Friday when Doug Suddaby, from Sarasota, FL and Cary Ward, from Bradenton, FL, fished the coastal gulf with me. There were fewer mackerel and a lot more albies. They were being picky, as they sometimes can be, but we were on fish most of the time. They caught and released 3 albies to 10-pounds on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly and they had a shot at a tripletail on the way back. Tripletail are a good option this time of year. It’s a great sight fishing opportunity, but it will require covering some water to locate them. They are usually aggressive, pull hard and jump too!

Larry and Maritta Levenberg and their grandson Nati, from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. They caught and released pompano, flounder, ladyfish and trout on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos at Stephens Point.

Tides will improve towards the end of next week as we approach a new moon on Dec. 24th. Negative low tides will concentrate reds, flounder and trout in potholes. Look for pompano on deep grass flats and in the passes. Action should continue in the coastal gulf for albies, Spanish mackerel and tripletail until there is a significant change in conditions.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 12/10/2011
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and flounder on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay during the past week. Tom Lamb, from Geneva, Switzerland, and Roy Glah, from CT, fished Stephens Point, Long Bar and near Whale Key with me on Tuesday. They had steady action with trout and a flounder on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails.

Walt Poxon, from MN, and Bill and Sue Poxon, from Sarasota, fished the west side of the bay from the Middleground flat to Whale Key with me on Wednesday. They caught and released numerous trout, flounder and Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. A front came through on Wednesday evening and the wind was blowing more than 20 mph on Thursday morning, so we rescheduled that trip.

Conditions were good when John Damico and Bryan Beebe, both from Sarasota, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. They had good action with trout and Spanish mackerel to 2-1/2 lbs and blues to 3 -1/2 lbs on CAL jigs with shad tails and Ultra Hair Clouser flies at Stephens Point and near Whale Key.

Next week’s negative low tides are good at the beginning of the week should be good for reds, trout and flounder in potholes in shallow water. Look for trout, blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Action with Spanish mackerel and albies (little tunny) in the coastal gulf should resume when sea conditions improve.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 12/3/2011
It was cool and breezy following a front early last week, dropping water temperatures in Sarasota Bay about 5 degrees. My Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, was in the shop for several days last week for scheduled maintenance and waiting for parts to correct a problem with the outboard’s lower unit. However, I was able to get out on Thursday to do some scouting with a friend and we had a few shots at reds and trout in north Sarasota Bay. We cast lightly weighted flies on sink tip fly lines to get our flies down to fish that were along an edge where a shallow flat dropped off to deeper water.

Many species of fish are starting to get into a winter pattern. Fish DOA shrimp and CAL jigs slow and close to the bottom in channels, creeks, canals and along drop offs when it is cool. Fly anglers may score with sink tip fly lines and weighted flies. Afternoons may fish better than mornings as fish move onto shallow grass flats that have been warmed by the sun. Fish ahead of approaching fronts or in windows of good weather between fronts for the best action.

Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week as we approach a full moon on Dec. 10th. Look for reds, trout and flounder in shallow water and trout, blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano and more on deep grass flats. Action with Spanish mackerel and albies (little tunny) in the coastal gulf should resume when sea conditions improve.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 11/26/2011
Fly anglers had great action with albies (little tunny) in the coastal gulf during the past week. In addition, anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, flounder, blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano and a red on CAL jigs, DOA Deadly Combos and flies.

Albies were picky at first on Monday, but as the day went by they stayed up longer and got more aggressive. We hooked 7 or 8 and landed 5 or 6 up to 10-lbs on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. Norm and Francie Boardman, from Sarasota, fished with me on Tuesday. Macks and albies churned the water to a froth yet were very picky due to the size of the bait (glass minnows) they were feeding on. They hooked a couple and landed an albie and several Spanish mackerel on my Snook Minnow fly, Diamond jigs and CAL jigs with shad tails.

Everything came together on Weds when Everette Howell, from Nashville, TN and his son, Kirk Howell from NYC, fished the coastal gulf with me. An approaching front had the macks and albies on a feeding binge and they ate our flies almost as well as the glass minnows they were feeding on. They hooked 14 or 15 albies and landed 10 or 11 up to 12-pounds, including a couple of doubles, on my Snook Minnow fly. A great day!

Bill Beauchamp, from Bradenton, FL, his son-in-law Brian Earnest, from TX, and Dakota Tracy, from Bradenton, FL fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. Conditions were good although the wind came up in the afternoon. We fished the east side of the bay and near Buttonwood Harbor where they caught and released numerous trout to 4-lbs, several flounder, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, pompano and a red on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails and DOA Deadly Combos.

Next week’s negative low tides in the morning should concentrate reds and trout in potholes of Sarasota Bay. Fishing the coastal gulf should continue to be hot until there are significant changes in conditions.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 11/20/2011
Action was good in Sarasota Bay and in the coastal gulf during the past week. Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, reds, flounder, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and albies (little tunny) on DOA and CAL lures and flies.

“What is an albie?” a couple of people have asked recently. They are little tunny, known as false albacore or albies to anglers from the Carolinas to New England and called bonito in Florida. There is a pilgrimage of fly anglers every fall to Harker’s Island, NC (Cape Lookout) where hundreds of anglers gather to fly fish for false albacore or albies, which is where I was introduced to fly fishing for them. They are one of my favorite fish to catch on a fly and we also have a great fishery for them here in the fall and spring. Unlike some other areas, we also have good options for bay and flats fishing if sea conditions in the coastal gulf are rough.

Tony Ryan, from Osprey, FL, and Rich Carroll, from North Port, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me last Saturday (11/12). Following a front the day before, it was cool to start but it warmed up quickly. They caught and released trout, blues, flounder and a nice red on CAL jig with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos at Stephens Point and near Buttonwood Harbor. Bill Moore and his son Mark Moore, from the Chicago area, fished the same areas with me on Sunday. They had good action with trout, blues and Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs and DOA Deadly Combos.

Wes Demmon, also from the Chicago area, fished Sarasota Bay with me on a foggy morning early in the week. We caught and released trout on CAL: jigs with shad tails near Bird Key while we waited for heavy fog to lift enough so we could go into the coastal gulf. He caught and released a few mackerel on flies and Diamond jigs and had some shots at albies. Wes also had a shot at a big tripletail as we ran a crab trap line on our way back.

Denis Clohisy, from WI, and Pat DeCastro, from OH, fished several days with me from Thursday through Saturday. With an approaching front, we were still able to get out into the coastal gulf on Thursday. They had good action with Spanish mackerel and ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies in Big Pass and then we went and hunted albies in the coastal gulf. We located some feeding fish but they were still being picky like they were earlier in the week. We stuck with them and they had 3 hookups, one on a Clouser, one on a Crease fly and one on my Snook Minnow fly and landed one that day. The action ended that day with 2 or 3 big bait balls being crashed by mackerel, albies and sharks. An awesome sight!

Friday was very windy and we weren’t able to fish the gulf that day so we fished the east side of Sarasota Bay. Despite winds gusting more than 20 mph they still had decent action. They caught and released numerous trout, 4 reds and a couple of flounder on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad and grub tails. Conditions improved on Saturday and we were able to get back into the coastal gulf. Albies were plentiful and in a better mood that day, staying up longer and giving us a chance to get a fly in front of them. They hooked 6 fish and landed 4, all on a tan Grassett Snook Minnow. The fish were mostly in the 10-lb class and went deep into their backing. A good day!

Conditions should be good next week for more of the same. Tides will improve towards the end of the week as we approach a new moon on Nov. 25th, so deep and shallow flats of Sarasota Bay should also fish well.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 11/11/2011
Action slowed in shallow water as we approached a full moon this week. Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel, pompano and sheepshead on flies during the past week.

Dean Hannemann, from Sarasota, FL, fished the coastal gulf with me on Monday. There were plenty of Spanish mackerel, but we only saw a couple of schools of albies and they were up and down very briefly. He caught and released several mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies.

Nick Reding, from Sarasota, fished a couple of days with me in Sarasota Bay. We waded and fly fished several bars and flats on both sides of the bay. He caught and released trout, a pompano and a sheepshead on my Grassett Flats Minnow and crab fly patterns. We sight fished reds on a bar one afternoon, had several eats and Nick connected with one on my Flats Minnow fly.

Next week’s negative low tides in the morning should concentrate reds and trout in potholes. Action with Spanish mackerel and albies in the coastal gulf should be good once the gulf settles down.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 11/6/2011
There was good action on both shallow and deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay during the past week. Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout to 4-pounds, reds to 9-pounds, flounder to 3-pounds, blues, Spanish mackerel, sheepshead and a pompano on jigs and flies. The weather turned towards the end of the week as a front pushed through on Friday morning and slowed the action a little.

Fly angler Patrice Camillieri, from France, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday morning. It was rainy for a couple of hours in the morning and then windy, but we hung in there and caught several quality fish. We waded a sandbar on the east side of the bay where Patrice caught and released several trout, including a couple in the 2 ½ to 3-pound class, on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly. His last fish of the day was a 9-lb, over slot red that he caught and released on a Clouser fly!

Bonita Springs, FL winter resident, Jay Sandza and his friend Ed, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. They caught and released trout, a couple of reds and a Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with shad tails at Stephens Point and near Bayshore Gardens. Nick Reding, from Longboat Key, FL, and Mike Perez, from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. We waded and fly fished all day and caught a variety of species including a few quality fish. They caught and released trout to 4-pounds, a pompano, a sheepshead and a nice flounder on weighted flies.

Bill and Scott Moore came down from Chicago to fish with me on Friday. It was rainy and windy as a front pushed through that morning and we were limited as to where we could fish. I used a drift anchor, which is invaluable when fishing in the conditions we had that day, to slow our drift to a manageable speed. With a strong northwest wind we fished the west side of the bay near Bishop Point where they caught and released trout on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs.

It was cool on Saturday morning and the wind wasn’t too bad when John Freeman, from Venice, FL and his daughter Chris Ryan, from Osprey, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me. They caught and released trout, bluefish and a couple of flounder along the east side of the bay on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails and DOA Deadly Combos. Jon Grimes, from Longboat Key, and his dad, Jim Grimes from VA, fished the same areas with me in the afternoon. They caught and released trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies, CAL jigs and DOA Deadly Combos.

Tides will be good next week as we approach a full moon on Nov. 10th. Look for reds in potholes and deep edges of flats on negative low tides in the morning. Action with Spanish mackerel and false albacore (little tunny) should explode in the coastal gulf when sea conditions calm down.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 10/30/2011
There was good action on both shallow and deep flats in Sarasota Bay and in the coastal gulf during the past week. Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released reds, trout, snook and blues in shallow water and trout, blues and Spanish mackerel on deep flats and false albacore and Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf.

Mark Eddy and his son-in-law, Andy Sherman, both from CO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. They had good action on deep grass flats near Buttonwood Harbor with trout and blues on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. Jon Yenari and Kyle Ruffing, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. We had planned to fish Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor, but due to spotty reports of red tide along the coast in that area, we opted to fish Sarasota Bay instead. We spent some time in skinny water sight casting to reds, but they didn’t cooperate. We fished a couple of deep grass flats along the east side of the bay in the afternoon and caught and released trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies.

Jerry Roth, from Longwood, FL, fished a couple of days in Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday and Friday. We fished the west side of the bay near Buttonwood Harbor where he had good action both days with a slam on Wednesday, including a couple of snook to 27”, several reds and nice trout on CAL jigs with grub tails. On Friday he caught and released several 2 ½ to 3-pound trout and a red on CAL jigs with grubs. His best fish that day was a 5-pound blue caught on a top water plug in 2’ of water. What an explosion!

Patrice Camillieri, from France, fished the coastal gulf with me on Thursday. False albacore returned after disappearing for a week or so following the first strong front of the season about 10 days ago. He caught and released 7 albies to 10-pounds on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. They were very tough at first, not staying up long and moving fast, but as the day went by they got more aggressive. What a great fish to catch on a fly!

I fished the 7th annual MCFF/CCA “Fall Fly Fishing Challenge” with my son-in-law, Capt. Andy Cotton and Jeremiah Acevedo, both from Sarasota on Saturday. It was a good event with 36 anglers targeting reds, trout, snook and more in a CPR format (catch, photo, release). Since we had 3 anglers and it was a windy day, we waded a couple of spots to best deal with the conditions. We had a great day, although not good enough to win any awards. Andy and I each had a pair of reds and several nice trout to 23” on my Flats Minnow and Clouser flies. I also caught and released a 4-lb bluefish while wading in 2’ of water. Jeremiah had a good day with several nice trout on Clouser flies.

Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week. Action should be good in skinny water in Sarasota Bay for reds, trout and snook and for Spanish mackerel and albies in the coastal gulf.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Busting Albies by Preston Jones
Had one of those truly great fishing trips this past Thursday (11/3/11)

Left the dock at 10:00 AM, pointed the bow at the north end of Egmont Key. The weather forecast from all sources was light winds and excellent conditions. However, when crossing the bay there was a noticeable chop from the north but I had "Albie" fever and not to be deterred.

After a twenty-five minute crossing I arrived at the Lower Tampa Bay ship channel, east- north-east of Egmont to find LTs (Little Tunny/another name for Albie) busting in all directions. Quickly, I grabbed my 10-wgt with a floating #11 line and a Grassets flats minnow, maneuvered into position and let with a cast. Perhaps not perfect cast but plenty good enough to snag one - strip, strip, strip - nothing. Additional casts - nothing. The fish moved on. I moved into position on another pod, more casts - nothing. At times the fish were within 10 feet of the boat but still nothing. Tried Clousers various colors and sizes, DTs, Deceivers, Nite Deceivers, even tried a popper but still nothing. This went on for three hours. I was getting a serious dose of humility.

Clearly the fish were feeding on very small flashy bait. Probably Glass Minnows so I decided it best to go very small. Dug in the fly box and found four that I tied several years ago to imitate Glass Minnows (the length of the fly is less than the diameter of a dime). VOILA, second cast success!!!!! Several more casts, another hit. Another pod, several casts, a hookup. Move to another group, another one on, lost near the boat, then another to the boat. On it went for the rest of the day. When I finally headed Greenie (my flats boat) in the direction of home it was 5:45 PM: the fish were still busting as voraciously as when I arrived in the morning. I have no idea when they stopped.

If you go after these great game fish, be aware of the following:

(1) They are extremely strong, tearing off on searing runs that would make a Bonefish envious. It is not wise to use anything less than an 8-rod with 10 preferred. Make sure you have a stout reel (with an excellent drag) and at least 150 yards of backing. The first run is breathtaking!!! And so are the rest. If you love the sound of line tearing off of a reel, then albies are for you.

(2) Generally small white flies are the ticket. Of course there are always exceptions. Grassets grass minnows are an excellent choice, Jay Tinsky ties a small white Puglisi that can be dyno- mite. Small lightly weighted Clousers are also good. However, these fish are “fussy”. If they won?t take your fly, don?t give up, try something else. They can be frustrating and agonizing but when it finally comes the hook-up is “ Oh so wonderful”

(3) When you do connect be prepared for a major battle. These are not Trout and do not give up easily. Pound for pound they rank right up there with the strongest fish in the sea. You will need to use all of your best fish fighting skills to prevail. But oh it is so rewarding when you do. Now if the wind will just lie down so I can pursue them again I'll be a happy angler.

preston jones

ADDENDUM
One week to the day after the above described trip I went back to the same area but this time in the company of friend and fellow club member Jay Tinsky. After a two and one-half hour fruitless search we finally found the Albies. As is frequently the case they were in the same area as the previous week. Using different flies and a slightly altered technique we were able to bring six to the boat and had the pleasure of doing battle with at least another eight. A fabulous day!!!! All fish were in the 6 to 9 pound range.

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 10/24/2011
Action in the coastal gulf shut down due to dirty and rough water following last week’s wind and rain. However Sarasota Bay action turned on after conditions settled, particularly in shallow water. Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel and redfish on lures and flies during the past week.

John Evans, from the UK, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. It was breezy and the action wasn’t fast, but he caught and released trout on Clouser flies along the east side of the bay and near Long Bar. We had windy and rainy conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday, so those trips had to be rescheduled. I attended a continuing education seminar for fly casting instructors at the annual FFF-Florida Council Conclave in Kissimmee, FL on Thursday. It was time well spent covering various topics related to teaching fly casting.

After weather conditions settled a little, Tim Graham, from Nokomis, FL, and Dale Vollrath, from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. They had a great day catching and releasing trout and more than 10 reds on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails. They sight fished some of the reds in potholes in north Sarasota Bay at the bottom of the tide. A great day!

Fly angler Richard Gilliam, from CA, fished the same areas with me on Saturday. He was weathered out on Tuesday and this was our only chance to make the trip up. He caught and released numerous trout, several Spanish mackerel and connected with a red. He used an Ultra Hair Clouser fly on deep grass flats for the trout and mackerel and my Grassett Flats Minnow fly for the red. Orvis representative Robert Bryant, from Greensboro, NC, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Sunday. We caught a few trout and a Spanish mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on sink tip fly lines along the east side of the bay before heading for shallow water. Robert had several eats, connected with a couple of reds and landed one on my Flat Minnow fly. The reds got more aggressive as the water warmed and the tide rose. He had numerous sight fishing opportunities and we worked hard to get the bites, but it was very rewarding!

Next week’s tides should be good for fishing both deep and shallow flats of Sarasota Bay as we approach a new moon on 10/26. Action with albies and Spanish mackerel should return in the coastal gulf as soon as the water clears and seas calm down. There is still time to enter the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers/Coastal Conservation Association’s Sarasota “Fall Fly Fishing Challenge” to be held next Saturday, 10/29. Contact me for more info or to sign up.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 10/16/2011
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and albies during the past week. We had good action in Sarasota Bay with trout, blues and Spanish mackerel and with albies in the coastal gulf.

Jon Grimes and Tony Rich, both from Longboat Key, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. They caught and released numerous trout to 18”, blues to 4-lbs and Spanish mackerel on DOA Deadly Combos and Ultra Hair Clouser flies near Whale Key.

Fly anglers Dave Macomber, from MN, and his brother Scott Macomber, from MA, fished with me on Friday and Saturday. They had a good day on Friday catching and releasing 6 or 7 albies to 8 ½ lbs in the coastal gulf off Sarasota on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. We snook fished in the ICW near Venice before dawn on Saturday morning where they caught and released 4 or 5 snook on the same fly. We fished the coastal gulf out of Venice after dawn and found Spanish mackerel, but no albies. We came upon an awesome scene as Spanish mackerel crashed a bait ball and 25 or 30 sharks cruised the bait ball with dorsal fins out of the water eating mackerel!

Next week’s outgoing tides in the morning should be good for fishing the coastal gulf or the flats. Look for reds along sand bars and in potholes at the bottom of the tide.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 10/9/2011
Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released albies (little tunny), reds, trout, snook, blues and Spanish mackerel during the past week. Some of the best action was with albies on flies in the coastal gulf although there was also good action in skinny water with reds, trout and a nice snook. Visibility was good enough in shallow water that we were able to sight cast to some of the reds with jigs and flies.

Steve Gibson and I fished the coastal gulf off Siesta Key on Tuesday and had a good day with albies. We caught and released7 or 8 in the 8 to 10-pound class on small white flies. I threw my Snook Minnow fly and Gibby was using a small white fly that he tied. We had to work to stay on the fish, but they would eat when you got a fly into them. We caught and released a couple of trout and had some shots at reds with a fly on Wednesday’s trip in north Sarasota Bay, but the reds didn’t eat that day.

Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers member, Gene Mayberry from Bradenton, FL, went into the gulf with me on Thursday. He had a good day catching and releasing 8 or 10 albies on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. Chad McCoy, from Bardstown, KY, his son Hunter and Hunter’s friend, Clay, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. Chad fly fished while the boys threw CAL jigs, DOA Deadly Combos and plugs. They caught and released a few trout, bluefish and a Spanish mackerel near Bird Key. It was great to see everyone’s enthusiasm!

Randy Powell and Ben Hatcher, both from Sarasota, FL, had a good day fishing skinny water in north Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday. We had a terrible weather forecast for high winds and rain, but it never got that bad. We hugged the east shore of Sarasota Bay where they caught and released several trout, 3 reds and a nice snook on CAL jigs with plastic grubs. Ben landed the snook, a 28”, 7-pound plus fish to complete his slam for the day! The forecast was even worse for Sunday, but based on Saturday’s trip we decided to give it a shot. Tim Graham, from Nokomis, FL, and his guest, Aaron Way from Okeechobee, FL, fished the same areas with me and caught and released numerous trout, a 4-pound blue and a red that was sight-fished in skinny water on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with plastic grubs.

Tides will be good next week as we approach a full moon. Albies on the beach or reds and snook in skinny water should be good options depending on conditions.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 9/30/2011
Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and redfish during the past week. The best action was on deep grass flats where blues and trout fed in glass minnow schools. Reds in the low 20” range were scattered on shallow grass flats and along bars.

We were met with lightning and sloppy sea conditions on Monday morning, so we rescheduled our trip into the coastal gulf for little tunny and Spanish mackerel. Aledia Tush, owner of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, and Melissa Littlewood, both from Sarasota, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. They caught and released trout to 18” and blues to 3-pounds on CAL jigs with shad tails at Stephens Point. Melissa connected with a nice red in skinny water on a weedless rigged CAL shad tail near Buttonwood Harbor.

Steve Partain, from Atlanta, and his son Chris Partain, from OK, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. The action was slow to start due to a slack tide but as the water started to move the action got hot! They caught and released numerous trout to 19”, blues to 4-pounds and a Spanish mackerel at Stephens Point and near Whale Key on top water plugs, DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. Chris also caught a red on a weedless-rigged CAL shad tail along a bar on the east side of the bay.

Ray Miles, from NY, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday morning. He caught and released trout and ladyfish at Stephens Point and near Whale Key on CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Deadly Combos and top water plugs. He also caught a red in skinny water on a weedless rigged CAL shad tail.

Outgoing tides in the morning this weekend should be good! Action should continue to get better in both shallow water and in the coastal gulf as water cools. Mornings are still fishing better than afternoons due to afternoon heat.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 9/24/2011
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action in Sarasota Bay and the coastal gulf during the past week. Spin anglers scored on reds, snook, trout, flounder, blues and Spanish mackerel. Fly anglers had great action with little tunny (false albacore).

Tom and Mary Howard, from Bradenton, Fl, fished north Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. We focused on skinny water and the action wasn’t fast, but they caught and released a slam including a red, a couple of snook and several trout and flounder on CAL jigs with shad tails.

Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, and I scouted the coastal gulf off Siesta and Casey Keys and had great action with little tunny and Spanish mackerel on Tuesday. Little tunny were “surfing”, eating tiny baits with their heads and backs out of the water, which made for some exciting top water strikes! We landed 7 or 8 little tunny to 10-lbs and about 6 Spanish mackerel to 2 ½-lbs on my Grassett Snook Minnow, Clouser and Bubblehead fly poppers.

Jerry Roth, from Longwood, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. He also had a slam including 3 reds, a snook and several trout on a Zara Spook, Jr. and CAL jigs with shad tails. Greg and Patty Pratt, from Cincinnati, OH, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. They had good action with trout, blues and Spanish mackerel on DOA Deadly Combos and Ultra Hair Clouser flies.

Next week’s tides are good as we approach a new moon on Sept. 27th. Bay water is still warm enough that mornings are fishing better. Snook are moving onto shallow flats and staging around sand bars in Sarasota Bay. Coastal gulf action should only get better as water cools and bait becomes more plentiful in the coastal gulf.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 9/18/2011
I was out of town last week and do not have a Sarasota fishing report. I spent some time in Deleware visiting family and had a chance to fish Chesapeake Bay one day with my brothers Kirk and Joey Grassett.

We fished out of Hooper’s Island, MD in Kirk's Jones Brothers boat to get below dirty water and debris in the upper bay coming out of the Susquehanna River. We didn’t find any breaking fish but Kirk caught a striper and a blue on a Clouser fly fished on a fast sinking fly line in a deep cut between two islands. Very low salinity, due to the recent flooding in that area, probably pushed fish further down the bay.

Back in Sarasota, tides will improve towards the end of next week as we head towards a new moon. We’ll have very high tides in the morning, so look for reds along mangrove shorelines or the top of bars. There are already reports of albies (little tunny) and Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf so that should also be a good option.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 9/11/2011
Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout to 19" and reds to 22" on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos during the past week. Bill and Sally Wester, from Cincinnati, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday, 9/7. They caught and released trout to 19" on DOA Deadly Combos at Stephens Point, Marina Jack flats and near ICW markers 5 and 7.

Keith McClintock, from Lake forest, IL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday, 9/8. We fished skinny water along the east side of the bay from the Ringling flats to Long Bar. Keith caught and released a pair of reds to 22" and several trout on a MirrOlure Top Dog, Jr.and a CAL jig with a shad tail.

Tides are good next week and action should be good as we head away from Monday's full moon. Action may be better early or late in the day since fish may feed more at night under clear skies close to the full moon.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 9/4/2011
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, reds, blues and sheepshead in Sarasota Bay and jumped several tarpon in the Peace River during the past week. The best action was with trout on deep grass flats and juvenile tarpon in the Peace River.

Steve Gibson, of Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing, fished the Peace River and residential canals of Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda with me on Tuesday. We found plenty of tarpon in the 15 to 30-pound class and jumped 3 tarpon to 20-pounds on rootbeer DOA TerrorEyz. These mini torpedoes are great fun, jumping higher and more frequently than larger fish. They should continue to be a good option for the next couple of months.

Jerry Roth, from the Orlando, FL area, fished north Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. He connected with a pair of over slot reds, one on a surface walking top water plug and the other, a 9½ lb fish, on a weedless-rigged CAL shad tail. Ken Alexander and Steve Johns, from Sarasota, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. The action wasn’t fast but was steady. They caught and released trout to 17” and a bluefish on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. The best action was near Whale Key.

Fly angler Mark Torkos, from St. Augustine, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday. We checked the coastal gulf for little tunny (false albacore) and Spanish mackerel but didn’t find anything. With plentiful baitfish in the coastal gulf, it is only a matter of time before the albie fishing takes off. We caught a few trout on Clouser flies at the Middleground flat and Stephens Point before moving to shallow water where Mark caught and released a sheepshead on a Clouser fly near Long Bar. Sheepshead are very challenging with flies and lures, since they feed mainly with their nose, and this was the first sheepshead on a fly for Mark.

Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week as we approach a full moon on Sept. 12th. Trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay, little tunny and Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf or juvenile tarpon in the Peace River should all be good options depending on conditions.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 8/27/2011
I hosted a group of fly anglers at Crane Meadow Lodge in Twin Bridges, MT last week.

The group consists of clients, who have all become good friends over the past 10 years that we’ve been going to the lodge. Nick Reding, Bob Reynolds, Howard Curtis, Jay Sandza and Bob Virgil, all from the St. Louis, MO area, Mike Perez and Dennis Kinley, from IN and I all met up at the lodge last Saturday and Sunday. We fished the Beaverhead, upper Big Hole and Ruby Rivers, a spring creek and a high mountain lake.

We caught and released brown trout, rainbows, cutthroats and brookies on a variety of dry and wet flies. Some of the best dry fly action was with hoppers and caddis imitations. We also caught fish stripping streamers and nymphing. The Beaverhead River was fishing so well it was hard to do anything else, but we fished various sections of the river from Clark Canyon Reservoir to Barrett’s and on private water north of Dillon. We also waded the river in a few sections. Mike Perez and I each caught and released big browns to 24” (4-lbs) on hoppers in a spring creek. Bob Reynolds and I floated the Beaverhead on Thursday and had good dry fly action with browns to 22” drifting hoppers along grass banks and on current seams.

One of my favorite days was when Dennis Kinley, Jay Sandza and I waded the upper Big Hole River and had great action with brookies on small hoppers. They aren’t large but they are aggressive. They would sometimes launch themselves out of the water to blast our hoppers, providing a great fight on 2 and 4-weight fly rods. We ate lunch at a turn of the century one room log school house where students from the early 1900’s had carved and written their names and the date on the logs inside the building. Nick Reding, Bob Virgil, Howard Curtis and Jay Sandza had great action with cutthroats on a high mountain lake on Thursday.

Weather was great, lows in the high 40’s and highs in the low 80’s with very low humidity, except for a morning and an afternoon of thunderstorms, although the thunderstorms were strong with hail, wind and lightning. The variety is one of the things that bring us back to Crane Meadow Lodge every year. There are usually several different options for any given day from floating a river, wading a smaller tributary or spring creek to fishing dries and hoppers. The food and the accommodations are great and their guides are usually dialed in to the best action. The scenery is outstanding with lots of snow capped mountain peaks around. We saw whitetail and mule deer, elk, and antelope and numerous waterfowl, including the namesake of the lodge, Sandhill Cranes.

Flats action should be good next week in Sarasota Bay early in the day. Look for tarpon rolling on deep grass flats or around bridges. Outgoing tides in the morning will get stronger as we head towards the end of next week, which should mean good flats fishing. Check the coastal gulf for tarpon, albies and tripletail when conditions are good.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 8/5/2011
Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, a couple of days during the past week caught and released trout to 17”on DOA Deadly Combos and Grassett Deep Flats Bunny flies. We focused on glass minnow schools at Stephens Point and near Whale Key and Bishop Point to find feeding fish. Due to very warm water in the bay, the best action was early in the day.

Tarpon action slowed during the past week as tides weakened coming off last week’s new moon. Fly anglers fishing the coastal gulf off Sarasota with me still averaged 5 or 6 shots at tarpon per trip. Fish were a little deeper in the water column, requiring quick casts to get the fly deep enough in the water column. We had several follows, a couple of bites and one brief hook up.

Tarpon are thinning out in the coastal gulf as they move to inside waters where you may also catch them around bridges or find them feeding in bait schools in deeper areas. Action should also be good for trout and blues on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay and around lighted docks and bridges close to passes and in the ICW for catch and release snook.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 7/31/2011
Late season tarpon action continues to be good. Although we had a couple of slow days, tarpon got aggressive as we approached the new moon of July 30th. Fly anglers fishing the coastal gulf off Sarasota with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, jumped 5 tarpon and landed 2 during the past couple of days.

We had quite a few shots at tarpon and several follows on Monday and Tuesday. My brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, and friend Nick Delle Donne, from Lancaster, PA, fished with me from Thursday through Saturday. Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, joined us to fish in his Hells Bay skiff on Thursday (2 boats). We were left with a big swell and tough conditions from a tropical wave that passed through on Wednesday, but despite that Nick jumped and landed a 90-lb tarpon on a fly with Rusty that day.

We fished Sarasota Bay in the morning on Friday and Saturday and caught and released trout to 17”, a bluefish and a pompano on Clouser and Nick’s Motion Minnow flies. Tarpon action heated up those days as the numbers of fish bumped up and they got aggressive. Kirk and Nick each jumped a tarpon on Friday and Nick fought his fish for about 40 minutes before the hook pulled close to the boat. The action reached a peak on Saturday as we jumped 3 fish and landed 2 of them, each about 75-lbs. We battled tough conditions late in the day as a stiff sea breeze blew against a strong outgoing tide and made it very rough. Kirk jumped and landed a fish late in the day that almost broke us off while he cleared his fly line. The fly line grabbed a zinger pinned to his shirt, almost ripping his shirt off and then wrapped around his foot. After making it past those hurdles, he battled the fish in rough seas. Despite all that, the fish was alongside the boat and DNA sampled within about 30 minutes. A memorable fish!

Although tarpon numbers are dwindling, they are aggressive. We averaged a dozen or more shots a day at the end of the week and if you got the fly in the right spot they ate it! Tarpon will thin in the coastal gulf as we head into August, but they’ll move to inside waters where you may catch them around bridges or find them feeding in bait schools in deeper areas. Action should also be good on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay for trout, blues and more.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 7/24/2011
Tarpon action was hot during the past week. Tarpon are happy and moving both north and south along our beaches. Fly anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had lots of shots sight casting to singles, doubles and small schools in the coastal gulf off Sarasota and had numerous bites and jumped fish during the past week. One of the most exciting scenarios was when tarpon corralled glass minnows into a bait ball and almost devoured the whole thing over a period of time as they repeatedly crashed through it gorging themselves on the fry. We had a couple of bites and jumped one tarpon out of the fray.

Sarasota winter resident, Mike Perez, fished a couple of days with me earlier in the week and was joined by Dean Hanneman, from Sarasota, on Wednesday. They had 3 bites and jumped 2 tarpon on flies. Dean fought one of the fish for more than 30 minutes and had the fish close to the boat before a knot in the fly line caused a break off.

Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key fished with me on Thursday and the action continued. We had 6 bites and jumped 3 fish. Tarpon were very aggressive that day, feeding on glass minnows and porpoising out of the water to eat our flies. Light conditions were poor and fish were deeper in the water column as we approached the end of the week and the action slowed on Friday and Saturday. We saw very few fish those days and didn’t have many decent shots.

Tarpon action should continue next week as we approach the new moon on July 30th. Strong out going tides in the afternoon should be best. Although tarpon numbers in the coastal gulf are thinning as some fish move to inside waters, they are aggressive.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 7/16/2011
Tarpon fishing in the coastal gulf along Sarasota beaches is still good. Fly anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with tarpon during the past week. Conditions were better early in the week when we had better sunlight and sea conditions. Although tarpon have already spawned by this time of the season and large schools have made way for singles doubles and small schools, they are aggressive. We have been seeing 50 to 100 fish per day and averaging 20 or more shots per day at tarpon.

Fly anglers fishing with me 4 days last week had 9 bites and hooked or jumped 4 tarpon. Accuracy is very important when sight fishing for tarpon. The fly must be in the right place for the right fish for it to work. Happy fish are high in the water column and meandering as they travel. Fish that are deep in the water column or moving fast are tougher, but it may work if you get the fly down to them fast enough.

Palmetto, FL winter resident, Jerry Poslusny, and Jay Peck, a fly fishing guide from Spencerport, NY, tarpon fished with me on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. They had 8 bites and hooked or jumped 4 of them. Jon Yenari, from Sarasota, FL, fished with me on Friday. Sea conditions were rough that day, but the fish were there. He had more than 20 shots at tarpon and had one eat. There are many variables when it comes to fly fishing for tarpon. Even when everything else is right if the fly is in a boney part of the fish’s mouth, it may jump off. The most fun is the bite and the fight!

Tarpon action should continue through July. As the number of fish in the coastal gulf declines they will move to inside waters of Sarasota Bay, Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor where you may find them around bridges, on deep grass flats or in deep holes. Action should also be good in Sarasota Bay on shallow and deep grass flats for trout, reds, Spanish mackerel, bluefish and more. The best action on the flats will be early in the day before heat affects the action.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 7/9/2011
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, continued to have action with tarpon in the coastal gulf off Sarasota this week. The Notari family, from Longboat Key, FL and IL, tarpon fished with me on Wednesday and Thursday. Josh Notari, from IL, battled a large tarpon, estimated at 130-lbs, to the boat after a long fight on Thursday. The big fish ate a pinfish and dragged us more than 5 miles into the gulf and 7 or 8 miles from where we hooked the fish. They also jumped a tarpon on a DOA Baitbuster and had a couple of other bites on pinfish. Friday was blown out with the passing of a tropical wave that brought heavy rains and high winds to southwest Florida.

Tarpon preferred pinfish over crabs when using spinning tackle this week but they were also aggressive on flies, tracking many of the presentations we made to them. Poor visibility made it necessary to make quick presentations to tarpon that we couldn’t see until they were very close. Dark flies have accounted for most of the tarpon jumped and caught by fly anglers this season. We are in my favorite part of the season to fly fish for tarpon, lots of singles, doubles and small schools that have already spawned and are excited about feeding!

Tarpon fishing in the coastal gulf should continue to be good as we approach a full moon next week. Action has been best on afternoon outgoing tides.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 7/2/2011
Tarpon fishing remains good off Sarasota beaches, although conditions this week made it challenging. Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, jumped several tarpon on flies and landed one. I also spent a couple of days over in Stuart, FL at the annual DOA Guide/Outdoor Writer Festival, where we caught and released snook, trout, flounder, black drum and jacks.

The DOA event is held out of River Palm Cottages and Fish Camp, “A Cool Place to Stay”, on the banks of the Indian River in Jensen Beach, FL. It is the perfect spot for a weekend getaway. Not only is it right on the Indian River, it has a Florida Keys atmosphere with a nice Tiki Hut, dockage for boats and they’re pet friendly, too. Outdoor writers, sponsors and guides were matched up daily to fish the fertile waters of the Indian and St. Lucie Rivers. Tarpon to 100-lbs, snook to 30-lbs, trout to more than 10-lbs, reds and permit were caught and released on DOA baits by anglers participating in the event.

Capt. John Irwin, from Charleston, SC, fished the Indian and St. Lucie Rivers with me on Monday. The action wasn’t fast, but we caught a variety of species including snook, trout, flounder and black drum on DOA TerrorEyz, DOA shrimp and CAL jigs with shad tails. Capt. Dave Lear, from Tallahassee, FL and Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, fished with me on Tuesday. We caught and released a couple of snook on DOA shrimp in the St. Lucie Inlet and a couple of nice trout on a sandbar in the Indian River near River Palm Cottages.

Back in Sarasota conditions weren’t great for tarpon fishing, although fish were aggressive; free jumping, tail slapping and eating baits off the surface. Overcast skies, thunderstorms and rough water caused fish to be deep in the water column requiring quick presentations. Despite poor conditions, we had numerous shots at tarpon each day. The issue was seeing a fish soon enough to make a presentation and get your fly deep enough in the water column. An angler on my boat on Wednesday jumped 3 tarpon on Deceiver and Tarpon Rat flies and landed one of about 70-pounds. Two tarpon were hooked with only 20’ of line outside the rod tip.

Tarpon action should be good next week as we head away from the new moon. The best action has been on afternoon outgoing tides. Flats action in Sarasota Bay for trout, Spanish mackerel, blues and more should also be a good option although the best action is usually in the morning before heat becomes an issue. Catch and release snook fishing around lighted docks and bridge fenders close to passes should also be a good option and is a great way to beat the heat.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 6/25/2011
Tarpon action has been very good in the coastal gulf off Sarasota beaches!

Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had great action with tarpon during the past week. Early in the week, as we headed away from the full moon of June 15th, large schools of tarpon were plentiful. Later in the week we still had lots of action, although it was with singles, doubles and smaller schools.

Fly anglers on my boat on Monday and Tuesday had numerous shots at tarpon and several bites. They jumped 2 and landed one of them, a 120-lb fish, on a Deceiver fly. Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL and Trent and Lindy DeWald, from Dallas, TX, fished with me on Thursday. They had a great day with several bites on live crabs and 2 tarpon to the boat, including a 130-lb fish.

Fly angler Vic Cook, from Columbus, OH, fished with me on Friday, 6/24. It was slow to start but tarpon flowed in the afternoon near the bottom of an outgoing tide. He had numerous shots at tarpon and several follows. With tarpon fishing, a big part of the equation is having lots of shots at fish.

Tarpon fishing should be good next week as we approach a new moon on July 1st. Fish the outgoing tides in the afternoon for the best action. Deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay should have good action with trout, Spanish mackerel and more. Sight fishing for snook in the surf or around lighted docks and bridges in the ICW should also be good options.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 6/19/2011
Tarpon action continues to be good in the coastal gulf off Sarasota beaches; however west wind prevented us from tarpon fishing a couple of days this week. Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, jumped several tarpon and brought one to the boat. We also caught and released trout and bluefish in Sarasota Bay.

An angler fishing the coastal gulf on my boat on Monday jumped a pair of tarpon on flies. Although there are still plenty of large schools of tarpon; singles, doubles and small schools have responded best to the fly.

Jennifer Brady, from Sarasota, and her guests, Sheila and Connie, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. They caught and released more than 15 trout and a bluefish on DOA Deadly Combos along the west side of the bay near Bishop’s Point.

Virl Mullins, from Lakewood Ranch, FL, and Al Coke, from Smithfield, VA, tarpon fished in the coastal gulf off Sarasota with me on Friday and Saturday. They had good action on Friday, jumping 3 tarpon and bringing 1 of them to the boat. One of the fish was on a live crab, one on a DOA Baitbuster and one on a fly. The DOA Baitbuster has been very dependable this season, accounting for numerous hook ups.

Al’s goal was to catch a tarpon on a fly and he was successful. He hooked and jumped the first tarpon that he cast to and successfully fought the fish to the boat after an hour long battle. Virl jumped a pair of tarpon, fought one for quite a while and had it close to the boat before the hook pulled. With big game fish like tarpon, some fish will jump off or break off, hooks will pull loose or there may be missed bites, but it’s all a thrill! When all goes well we will bring them all the way to the boat. Saturday was a much different day with fewer fish and no hook ups.

Tarpon action should be good as we head away from last Wednesday’s full moon. Deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay should also be a good option for trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and more.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 6/11/2011
Tarpon action continues to be hot off Sarasota beaches! Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with tarpon during the past week. Of course, some days are better than others depending on conditions and the attitude of fish. We had faster action earlier in the week and slower action towards the end of the week, but overall it was a great week.

Dennis Ondercin, from OH, and his son, Cliff Ondercin from Sarasota, fished all week long with me. They jumped 13 tarpon and landed 3 of them. We cast live crabs, either free-lined or under floats, and a DOA Baitbuster in the travel lane of the fish. We DNA sampled and measured the 3 fish that we landed. Dennis landed the largest of the fish which taped out at an estimated 120-pounds (36” girth X 68” length).

Cliff is a good artificial and fly angler and he jumped 3 tarpon on DOA Baitbusters during the week. He also had some good shots with a fly, which was all sight casting to fish in shallow water, on a couple of days. It is exciting to watch a giant tarpon track your fly even when it doesn’t eat!

Tarpon fishing should be strong next week as we approach a full moon on June 15th. The best action for spin anglers should be at first light in the morning while fly anglers will do better with some sunlight for visibility to sight fish.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 6/5/2011
Anglers fishing the coastal gulf along Sarasota beaches with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with tarpon during the past week. The best action was during the middle of the week when we averaged 4 or 5 bites per day, jumping 7 or 8 tarpon and bringing several to the boat. We had only a few shots with a fly on Memorial Day Monday, probably due to increased recreational activity in shallow water. Action also slowed a little towards the end of the week as we experienced some negative effects coming off of Wednesday’s new moon.

Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and his group of 6 other anglers fished with Capt. Kelly Stilwell, Capt. Jack Hartman and me from Tuesday through Friday of last week. The rest of the group consisted of Dave Kinnamon, from Milwaukee, Dan Kinnamon, from Miami, Steve Liska, Sean Moore and Ray Van Hoorebecke, all from NJ, and Greg Short, from OH. All boats had similar action, jumping numerous fish throughout the week and landing several. Greg had a few shots with a fly and had at least one take and Steve hooked up on a DOA Baitbuster one day, although most of the action was with live crabs. Tarpon got happy for a couple of days, working slowly and giving us good shots, however some days they were on a “mission”, moving fast and not showing well on the surface. There are many parts of the equation including tide, moon phase and angler experience, which is what makes tarpon fishing both challenging and rewarding.

Tides are favorable for tarpon fishing next week as we approach the quarter phase of the moon heading towards the next full moon. My experience with moon phases are that negative effects are sometimes experienced several days after the full and new moons as tarpon head offshore to spawn. However, the days preceding these moon phases usually have good action.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 5/28/2011
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had lots of shots at tarpon with both fly and spin tackle during the past week. Tarpon are plentiful and many are in large schools along Sarasota beaches. As is sometimes the case, they become finicky and focused on migrating and spawning rather than eating, especially early in the season. We worked everything from singles, doubles and small schools to a couple of massive schools of hundreds of fish.

Clark Keator and his son, Clark, from Orlando, FL, fished a couple of days with me last week. Young Clark, jumped and landed a 90-lb tarpon on a live crab on Monday. We measured both length and girth to get an accurate weight estimate and took a DNA sample of the fish for Mote Marine Laboratory’s tarpon research program. I had a couple of experienced tarpon anglers who have caught and released numerous tarpon with me in the past, on Wednesday and Thursday. We had lots of good shots at tarpon with both fly and spin tackle but they ignored us.

Conditions were great for sight fishing on Friday and tarpon got in a better mood. We jumped a tarpon on a fly and had a couple of hard follows. We also had a tarpon try to eat a CAL shad tail fished at the surface on a weedless hook. A very exciting strike!

Next week’s tides are great, particularly the outgoing tides in the afternoon, as we approach the new moon on June 1st. Fishing tarpon along the beaches, trout, reds and more on both shallow and deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay and snook in the surf or in the ICW at night should all be good options next week.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 5/22/2011
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, bluefish, redfish, a Spanish mackerel and jumped a tarpon during the past week. Last week’s west winds continued into the early part of this week forcing us to fish Sarasota Bay rather than tarpon in the coastal gulf, although action was good in Sarasota Bay.

My friends Russell and Annette Johnson, from Clovis, NM, and son Kyle and fiancée, Becky from Oklahoma City, visited Sarasota last week and fished with me on Tuesday and Wednesday. West winds kept us from tarpon fishing in the coastal gulf but Russell and Kyle had steady action with trout to 3-pounds on CAL jigs with shad tails in Sarasota Bay on Tuesday. The best action was on deep grass flats on the west side of the bay. Russell and Annette fished with me on Wednesday and caught and released trout, bluefish, a Spanish mackerel and a red on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. West winds eased up and allowed us to fish the east side of the bay where they had good action at Stephens Point. Later in the week they tarpon fished with my son-in-law, Capt. Andy Cotton. They had a great day, jumping 4 tarpon and leadering 2 of them on live crabs off Siesta Key.

Bill Moore, from Libertyville, IL and his brother, Chris Moore from Coos Bay, OR, tarpon fished with me later in the week. Schools of little tunny (false albacore) blitzed the beach one day off of Longboat Key. Chris connected with one on a CAL jig with a shad tail and the fish made a smoking run! We found tarpon very finicky coming off the full moon and they repeatedly swam through our baits and refused them. They were in a better mood by Saturday when Chris jumped an 80-pounder and fought it to the boat after numerous jumps and an hour long battle. A hammerhead shark stalked our fish right at the boat but never attacked, so the fish swam off unharmed.

Tarpon should be in a better mood as we get further away from the full moon. Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week and fishing Sarasota Bay for trout, blues, redfish and more should also be a good option.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Andros South Bonefish Lodge Report for 5/15/2011
I hosted a group of friends and customers at Andros South bonefish lodge on South Andros, Bahamas for my annual trip last week. Norm and Francie Boardman, Joe Bursel, Norm Worthington and Marlowe Bowman, all from Sarasota, Les Fulcher from Longboat Key and Tony Johnson from Venice all were along on the trip. Most of us traveled together to Ft. Lauderdale and had an easy, 1-hour plus flight over to Congotown.

Except for windy conditions one afternoon and thunderstorms the following day, weather conditions were very good. We had sunny conditions most of the time which made good conditions for sight fishing. We spent most of our time fishing protected creeks, inside waters and the west side of the island.

Some anglers headed south a few days and Les Fulcher and I had great action with big barracudas and sharks in that area one day. We landed a pair of big ‘cudas to 23-lbs. I caught one on a fly popper with an Orvis Clearwater III 9-weight fly rod that I am field testing, which casts very nice and has a lot of backbone. Les caught another one almost as big on a plug. We also caught several smaller ‘cudas and Les hooked up some sharks in the 40 to 50-lb class on flies. It was a nice change to do something different and the action was great!

Les and I fished together most days and had good action with bonefish. He caught and released a 7-pound fish on his first day! There was a slow day or two, but we averaged about 12 bones per day. We also had a shot at an estimated 12-pound bonefish later in the week. Tony Johnson and I fished together one day and caught about a dozen fish. Tony also fished with Joe Bursel for a couple of days and they had good action. They both caught and released numerous bonefish up to about 5-lbs. Norm and Francie Boardman also had good action with flies and jigs. Francie used a spinning rod and cast a light jig that I had tied a shrimp pattern on, which worked well. Fishing became a little more challenging towards the end of the week as tides got higher as we approach a full moon.

We fin clipped more than 15 bonefish for a DNA study for the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, Bonefish Fin Clip Program. Marine biologists will perform DNA analysis on the tiny fin clip samples to establish a data base to study bonefish migration patterns. The tiny sample removed from the fish doesn’t harm them and will grow back. Most fish averaged 2 to 3-lbs and several in the 4 to 5-lb class. Top producing flies were Mantis Shrimp, Peterson Spawning Shrimp and Gotchas.

This was my 5th trip to Andros South. The staff and guides do a great job and the food and fishing are great! One of the best things about the lodge is that it is only just over an hour flight from Ft. Lauderdale, but it seems like you are a world away. Watermakers Air out of Ft. Lauderdale executive airport makes it easy, you park right at the hanger for the easy flight over on a Cessna Caravan. A small customs office at the airport makes the return trip just as easy as the whole group is in and out in about 15-minutes. This is an annual trip for me, usually the first week of May, so if you are interested contact me for more information or look for info on future trips on my website.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 5/6/2011
With water temperatures in the low 80’s, tarpon are plentiful in the coastal gulf off Sarasota. Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, jumped several tarpon and brought one to the boat on flies this week. Although bay fishing was slow, tarpon more than made up for it.

Andy and Drew Hemmert, from Maitland, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Sunday. Andy and Drew are experienced fly casters, but we found the action slow that day. We fished both sides of the bay and caught a few trout on flies and CAL jigs. We had some shots at reds in skinny water, but no takes. We also spent about 1 ½-hours in the coastal gulf where Drew had a couple of shots at tarpon.

Carl Bettinger, from Albuquerque, NM, tarpon fished with me in Sarasota on Monday and Tuesday. We had good action, getting numerous shots at fish each day. Carl jumped a pair of fish, both about 80-pounds, on a black Deceiver fly on Monday. We got numerous jumps and runs from the first fish, which jumped off after we had the fish back on the fly line and close to the boat. Another fish broke off when the fly line wrapped around the butt of the rod as he cleared the fly line.

It all came together for Carl on Tuesday. We saw fewer fish and they were deeper in the water column, but he landed his first tarpon. After seeing fish in slightly deeper water, I repositioned the boat, added some lead wire to his fly and he connected on his first cast. After about a 40-minute battle which included dodging several obstacles, I leadered the fish. We hooked up in the coastal gulf and landed the fish in Sarasota Bay about a mile away!

Next week’s tides are favorable towards the end of the week as we approach the next full moon on May 17. Also, expect significant tarpon schooling activity as we approach the full moon. Fishing should also be good in Sarasota Bay for trout, Spanish mackerel and more on deep grass flats and reds, trout and snook in skinny water.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 4/30/2011
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, tarpon, trout, Spanish mackerel and reds on jigs and flies during the past week. The best action continues to be catch and release night snook fishing and tarpon are becoming plentiful in the coastal gulf.

Kurt Tenenbaum and his father-in-law, Don McGovern, both from NY, fished Sarasota Bay with me last Saturday, 4/23. We fished deep grass flats at Stephens Point and on the west side of the bay where they caught and released trout on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. Bill Morrison, from Anna Maria Island, and Gary Marple from Sarasota, snook fished with me on Monday evening in the ICW near Venice. They caught and released more than a dozen snook to 22” on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.

I scouted the coastal gulf for tarpon on Tuesday and was pleasantly surprised. We saw numerous tarpon, mostly singles, doubles and small schools, moving both north and south. Anglers on my boat had 8 or 10 shots at fish and landed an 80-pounder on a black Deceiver fly.

First fish of the season!

Ed and Louise Martin, from Ontario, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Wednesday. With a south wind gusting to 20-mph, the water in Gasparilla Sound and most of the backcountry was very dirty. It was tough to find a place to fish, but Ed caught and released a couple of trout and jacks on a Clouser fly Keith Mcclintock, from Lake Forest, IL and a guest fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday morning. It continued to be very windy, but they caught several trout to 18”, a Spanish mackerel and a red on CAL jigs with shad tails on the west side of the bay. Seth Koch, from MD, and Bill Miller, from MS, snook fished with me in the ICW near Venice that evening. The wind dropped a little and with the approaching front, snook fed aggressively. They caught and released more than 20 snook to 23” on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.

We were met by rain and wind at the boat ramp the next morning, so after waiting it out for about an hour we cancelled the trip.

Tides will be good early next week, particularly the outgoing tide in the evening, as we approach a new moon on May 3rd. Night snook fishing, tarpon in the coastal gulf and trout and Spanish mackerel on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay should all be good options.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 4/22/2011
Night snook action continued to be one of the best options this week.

Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel, snook, flounder and jacks during the past week.

Alain Dumouchel and Cindy McPherson, both from Montreal, Quebec, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. They caught and released trout to 2 ½-pounds and a couple of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails and Clouser flies. The biggest trout and the reds were in skinny water on the west side of the bay.

Pete Walacko, from MI, fished deep grass flats near Bird Key and at Stephens Point with me on Tuesday morning. He caught and released several trout and a Spanish mackerel on Clouser flies fished on an intermediate sink tip fly line.

One of the best trips of the week was when Norm Boardman, from Sarasota, fished the ICW on Tuesday night near Venice with me. He caught and released more than 15 snook to 24” and a couple of trout on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. George Aylesworth, from Englewood, FL, and his brother-in-law, Mike from IN, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday afternoon. The action wasn’ t fast, but they caught and released trout to 17” and a small red on CAL jigs with grubs and shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos along the west side of the bay.

John Wolfstaetter and his dad, Paul Wolfstaetter, both from NY, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. John is an accomplished fly angler and sight fishing reds was our game plan. He had some shots at fish in potholes and on top of sandbars throughout the day. Even though we showed them numerous flies, he had a few follows but no takes. They caught and released a few trout along the way and Paul caught an 18” flounder on a CAL jig with grub.

Congratulations to CB’s Saltwater Outfitters who was named Orvis Outfitter of the Year at the 25th annual guide & dealer rendezvous in Casper, Wyoming this week. This is a very prestigious award that is earned by providing the high level of quality and service that Orvis is known for. CB’s has been an Orvis dealer and outfitter on Siesta Key in Sarasota for more than 15 years. The winner is chosen from among numerous Orvis-Endorsed Outfitters in destinations around the US.

Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week as we approach a new moon o May 3rd. Trout, Spanish mackerel and more should be a good option on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Although there are plenty of reds, trout, some large snook, baitfish, etc. in skinny water, fly fishing has been challenging there. Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW should continue to be a good option.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 4/17/2011
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, reds, trout and Spanish mackerel during the past week.

Alain Dumouchel and Cindy McPherson, from Montreal, Quebec, fished 3 days with me last week. They were students of mine in a CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school last Saturday and they put their skills to test on the water with me during the past week. We fished Sarasota Bay on Monday, Little Sarasota Bay and the ICW near Venice on Wednesday and the Terra Ceia Bay area on Friday. They caught and released small trout on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails on Monday, snook to 24” and trout to 18” on my Grassett Snook Minnow flies and CAL jigs with shad tails around lighted docks in the ICW near Venice on Wednesday and trout and 3 reds to 5 1/2 -pounds on CAL jigs with grub and shad tails and Clouser flies in the Terra Ceia area on Friday.

Andrew Stiles, from Richmond, VA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday afternoon and caught and released trout on Clouser flies along the west side of the bay. Lewis Hanan and Al Katz, both from Sarasota, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday morning. They caught and released numerous trout to 17” and a Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos at Stephens Point and near Bird Key. The wind came up out of the southwest that afternoon and Wes Demmon, from Chicago, IL, fished the west side of Sarasota Bay with me. We focused on skinny water where Wes caught and released a pair of reds to 8 ½-pounds and several trout to 3 ½-pounds on CAL jigs with shad tails. Despite challenging conditions the largest red was sight fished on top of a bar!

Next week’s tides are good early in the week as we come off a full moon on Monday. There should be good action on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with trout and Spanish mackerel, with reds and trout in skinny water and in the ICW near Venice for snook at night.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 4/10/2011
Catch and release night snook action has been hot! Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, trout and Spanish mackerel during the past week. Fly anglers fishing the ICW at night near Venice averaged more than 20 snook to 27” per trip. Action slowed a little on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay following recent rains and wind. Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay with me caught and released trout and Spanish mackerel on Clouser flies, CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.

Tom Allen, from Sarasota, and Jim Madson, from Phoenix, AZ and Bozeman, MT, fished Sarasota Bay with me last Sunday. They caught and released numerous trout to 18” and a couple of Spanish mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies along the east side of Sarasota Bay. Anna Maria Island winter resident, Dick Stevens, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. He also caught and released trout to 18” on Ultra Hair Clouser flies along the east side of the bay. Pierre Fortier and his friend, Alex, both from Quebec, snook fished with me that evening. They caught and released more than 20 snook to 24” on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly in the ICW near Venice.

Denis Clohisy, from Hudson, WI, and Brian McInnis, from Sarasota, also fished a couple of night snook trips with me last week. They caught and released more than 20 snook per trip to 27” on my Grassett Snook Minnow and Gurgler flies. They also fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday where they caught and released numerous trout to 18” on Clouser flies, CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.

Everette and Sherry Howell, from Nashville, TN, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday afternoon. The action wasn’t fast, but they caught some quality trout to 2 ½-pounds in skinny water on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly and CAL jigs with shad tails along the west side of the bay. I was the instructor for a CB’s Saltwater Outfitter’s Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Saturday. Due to the busy season ahead of us, this was the last school until fall. If you are interested in learning to fly fish or honing your skills you can contact me for private instruction or info on future schools.

Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week as we head towards a full moon. Fishing the flats for trout, reds and more or snook at night should be good options.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 4/2/2011
The best action last week was with trout on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout to 19” and a couple of reds on jigs and flies.
Sarasota winter residents, Nick Reding and Mike Perez, waded Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. They caught and released a few trout and a pair of reds on Clouser flies on the west side of the bay. Sarasota winter residents, Tom Schalk and Harry Beaty, fished the same area, only in deeper water, with me on Tuesday. They caught and released trout, including 5 or 6 in the slot to 18”, and ladyfish on CAL jigs with grub and shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.
A strong front with high winds and heavy rain pushed through on Thursday.
Fly anglers Bill Morrison, from Holmes Beach, FL and Gary Marple, from Sarasota, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday morning. It was breezy out of the northwest in the morning due to Thursday’s front, but fish were feeding.
They caught and released about 20 trout to 18” on Ultra Hair Clouser flies near Bird Key. Fly angler George Fitzwater and his wife, Cookie, from Manasota Key, fished with me that afternoon. George was a recent student of mine in a CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school. He caught and released his first saltwater fish, a nice trout, on a fly!
If you are interested in learning to fly fish or improving your skills, I will be the instructor for a CB’s Saltwater Outfitter’s Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on April 9, 2011. This will be the last school until fall.
Located at 1249 Stickney Point Rd., on Siesta Key in Sarasota, FL the school will cover fly casting basics, line control, shooting line and the roll cast. I will also cover leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. The course, designed for beginning and intermediate fly casters, will focus on basics but also work with intermediate casters on correcting faults and improving casting skills. Cost for the school, which will run from 9 AM to 3 PM, is $150 per person and includes the use of premium Orvis fly tackle, a text book and lunch. Contact me or CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 or _info@cbsoutfitters.com_
(mailto:info@cbsoutfitters.com) to make reservations.
Next week’s tides are good early in the week for fishing the flats and in the evening later in the week for night snook fishing, as we head away from a new moon on April 3rd. Fish flies and jigs on deep grass flats for trout, Spanish mackerel and more or in skinny water for reds and big trout.
Small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow and Gurglers, CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA shrimp should work well for snook at night.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799 - E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 3/25/2011
Action exploded in skinny water this week. Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had great action with reds and trout on shallow grass flats during the past week. In addition, we also caught and released Spanish
mackerel, blues, trout and pompano on deep grass flats.
Sarasota winter resident, Mike Perez, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Monday and had a great day! He caught trout on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails in a few spots in the morning. We waded a flat and fished potholes in the afternoon and caught and released 4 reds to 28” on an olive Enrico Puglisi crab pattern and my Grassett Flats Minnow fly.
Bill Moore, from Libertyville, IL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday.
He had steady action with trout, Spanish mackerel, blues and a pompano on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails. We fished the west side of the bay from the Middleground flat to Buttonwood Harbor.
Scotty Heidler, from Hudson, OH, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday and had a banner day. Scotty is an accomplished angler who has been fishing with me for 11 years-since he was 5-years old! We fished skinny water all day long where he caught and released more than 50 trout to 5 1⁄2-pounds, 15 reds and a 4-pound pompano. The action heated up in the afternoon when he caught numerous trout and reds on CAL jigs with grubs, shad tails and jerk worms. Although the reds weren’t big, some of the trout were huge. About a dozen of the trout were more than 3-pounds with several in the 4 to 6-pound class. A great day!
Betsy and Julian Miraglia, from Bryn Mawr, PA, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Thursday. They caught and released a few trout and ladyfish on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with grub tails. We fished potholes in the afternoon and had some shots at reds, but no bites.
Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week as we approach a new moon next weekend. Look for reds, trout and snook in skinny water or Spanish mackerel, trout, blues, pompano and more on deep grass flats. Night snook fishing should also be a good option.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799 - E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 3/20/2011
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with snook, trout and Spanish mackerel during the past week. In addition, we also caught a few pompano and reds.
Mike Sprague and Ralph Primavera, both from NJ, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. They had good action with trout, ladyfish and bluefish on CAL jigs at Stephens Point and near Buttonwood Harbor. Fly angler Matt Tilley, from ME, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. We started the day at the Middleground flat with about an acre of breaking fish. He caught and released numerous ladyfish and Spanish mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. Matt also caught and released trout, ladyfish, blues and Spanish mackerel along the west side of the bay.
Dick Reece, from Dayton, OH, and John Freeman, Jr., from Venice, FL, fished the same areas with me on Wednesday. They had steady action with trout to 18”, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and a pompano on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails and DOA Deadly Combos. Flats action slowed a little towards the end of the week as we approached the full moon. Ernie Gray and sons, Bob and Doug, all from Canada, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday morning. They caught and released trout, ladyfish, bluefish and Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with grub and shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos at Stephens Point and the Middleground and Marina Jack flats.
One of the best trips of the week was when Martin Marlowe, from NY, fished the ICW near Venice for snook with me on Thursday evening. He had fast action, catching and releasing more than 25 snook to 26” on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. He also fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday where he caught and released trout to 3-lbs and 3 reds on CAL jigs with shad tails along the west side of the bay.
Tides are good early next week as we had away from Saturday’s full moon.
Look for action to continue with trout, Spanish mackerel, blues and pompano in Sarasota Bay. Catch and release fishing for snook at night in the ICW near Venice should also be a good option. Check the beaches when conditions are good for Spanish mackerel, little tunny, tripletail, cobia and more.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799 - E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 3/12/2011
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel, flounder, redfish and snook during the past week.
Dave Reinhart, from Richmond, VA and his son, Daniel, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. The morning was slow and windy, but the wind laid down in the afternoon and they had good action with trout and Spanish mackerel to 2-pounds and an 18” flounder at Stephens Point. Daniel ended the day with an 8-pound red near Buttonwood Harbor. All fish were caught on CAL jigs with shad tails.
My clients fished skinny water for reds and trout with flies and jigs in both Sarasota and the Terra Ceia Bay areas on a couple of other trips. We had some shots at reds, had some follows on a fly and caught one on a CAL jig with a shad tail. We also caught a few trout along the way. A front pushed through on Thursday with rain and wind, forcing the cancellation of Thursday ’s trip. Ron Hagemeyer and Gary Paulson, both from MN, fished Gasparilla Sound with me on Friday. It was a very windy, especially in the afternoon, but they had good action in the morning with trout to 18” on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.
My brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, came down for a short visit on the weekend. We fished deep grass flats on the east and west sides of Sarasota Bay on Saturday and had steady action with trout, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish on Grassett Flats Bunny and Clouser flies. We also fished the ICW that evening near Venice and found snook feeding aggressively, despite cooler water. We caught and released more than 25 snook to 24” and 10 trout to 18” on my Grassett Snook Minnow and Gurgler flies.
Next week’s tides are good, particularly towards the end of the week, as we approach a full moon on the 19th. Action should be good on deep grass flats for trout and Spanish mackerel. Look for reds and big trout in potholes and edges of flats and bars when the tide is low and on shallow grass when the tide is high. Fish peak tidal flows in the ICW at night for catch and release snook action. Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799 - E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.comCapt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 3/5/2011
Action has been good with small reds, trout and Spanish mackerel on the flats of Sarasota Bay during the past week. An angler fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released reds and trout on flies and jigs last week.
Martin Marlowe, from NY, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. We fished an area that held big trout recently, but the big girls had moved on.
However, he caught and released several small trout on a Clouser fly. We also fished a shallow flat on the west side of the bay where he caught and released
3 reds on a CAL jig with a shad tail.
I spent another day scouting from Longboat Pass to the mouth of the Manatee River. We found a few Spanish mackerel in Longboat Pass and got them to eat a fly popper. We also found a few reds and trout in skinny water mixed with mullet schools. Wind cranked up to the mid 20 mph range on Thursday forcing the cancellation of an afternoon fly fishing trip.
I was at the Tampa Tribune Outdoors Expo at the Florida State Fairgrounds on Friday speaking on “Saltwater Fly Fishing” at 4:30 PM on the casting pond. I will also be speaking on “Fly Fishing for Tarpon” on the “Wear It Florida” Safe Boating stage on Sunday at 1:30 PM.
Action with trout, Spanish mackerel, blues and pompano on deep grass flats and reds, trout and snook in skinny water should continue to improve as days get longer and water continues to warm. Also, check the coastal gulf when conditions are good for Spanish mackerel, little tunny, tripletail and more. Tides will still be good early next week as head away from last week’s new moon.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799 - E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 2/26/2011
Action continues to improve in Sarasota Bay as water temperatures have warmed to the high 60’s. Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released big trout, redfish, Spanish mackerel, blues and pompano during the past week.
The best action was with big “gator” trout in skinny water early in the week.
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and his son, Steve McClintock from Pittsburgh, PA, fished Sarasota Bay with me last Sunday. They had good action at Stephens Point and on the west side of the bay near Buttonwood Harbor with trout, Spanish mackerel and a couple of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails. Fly anglers Reagan Whitlock, mom Amy Whitlock and Reagan’s friend Lewis Steele, all from GA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. They had good action with trout, including a 26”, almost 6-lb “gator” that Louie caught and released, and Spanish mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad and grub tails.
One of the best trips of the week was when Longboat Key winter resident, Nick Reding and I, waded a couple of sand bars in Sarasota Bay on Tuesday. He caught and released a redfish and about 20 trout, most over the slot, including several in the 4 to 6-pound class on a crab Clouser fly (olive, tan and white). It is some of the best fly fishing action for “gator” trout that I have seen in quite a while!
Tides shifted to 2 tides towards the end of the week and action slowed a little. Sarasota winter resident, Harry Beaty, and his grandson Ryan, from Ontario, Canada, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. They had steady action with trout and Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with shad tails on deep grass flats on both sides of the bay.
Bill Cody and sons, Will and Ned, from Syracuse, NY, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. They caught trout to 18”, Spanish mackerel, and pompano on CAL jigs with shad tails fishing deep grass flats on both sides of Sarasota Bay. Fly anglers John and Linda Baker, from Anchorage, AK, fished the Terra Ceia area with me on Friday. We were on a redfish mission and although we saw a few, we didn’t get them to eat our flies. They caught and released trout and ladyfish on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly and a CAL jig with a shad tail.
Tides improve next week as head towards a new moon on March 4th. Fish shallow grass flats of Sarasota Bay for “gator” trout and reds or snook at night in the ICW for the best action. Also, check the coastal gulf when conditions are good for Spanish mackerel, little tunny, tripletail and more.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799 - E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota & Gasparilla Sound, FL Fishing Report for 2/20/2011
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, trout, pompano, blues and Spanish mackerel on jigs and flies during the past week. Action was good early in the week as water temperatures rose to the mid 60’s and then slowed a little towards the end of the week as we approached a full moon.
One of the best trips of the week was last Sunday evening when Sarasota winter resident, Mike Perez, fished with me. We fished the ICW at night near Venice and snook went on a binge! He caught and released more than 40 snook to 29”, including several in the 24”-27” class on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. Fish were deep in the water column due to water that is still cool, but they fed aggressively. Martin Marlowe, from NY, fished the west side of Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday afternoon. We spent most of our time on shallow flats. Action wasn’t fast but he caught and released 6 or 8 trout on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly including an over slot trout that was about 3-pounds.
Keith McClintock and Hal D’Orazio, both from IL, fished Gasparilla Sound with me on Wednesday. They caught and released trout to 18” on CAL jigs with shad tails. Action picked up in Sarasota Bay on Thursday when Bill Moore, from Libertyville, IL, fished with me. He caught numerous trout, several Spanish mackerel, blues and a 3-pound pompano on CAL jigs with a gold grub from Stephens Point to Long Bar. Bob Harness, from St. Louis, MO, fished Little Sarasota Bay and Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. We found the action slow in Little Sarasota Bay so we headed north to near Big Pass where he caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish on my Grassett Deep Flats bunny fly.
Action with Spanish mackerel, blues and pompano on deep grass flats and reds and snook in skinny water should continue to improve as days get longer and water continues to warm. Tides will be better early next week, although two tide days towards the end of next week are still strong.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799 - E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota, FL Fishing Report for 2/12/2011
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout during the past week. In addition, we also caught and released flounder, redfish and large ladyfish.
Carter Fox and his guest Gary, both from VA, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday morning. They caught more than a dozen trout, including several in the slot up to 18”, a flounder and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails near Spanish Point. Fly angler Everette Howell, from Nashville, TN, fished the same area with me that afternoon. He had good action catching and releasing large ladyfish on my Grassett Deep Flats Bunny fly.
Fly angler Tom Newman, from VA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday morning. He caught and released numerous trout along the east side of Sarasota Bay on the same fly fished on an intermediate sink tip fly line. Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Mike Plaia, from Bradenton, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me that afternoon. With the wind down a little, we fished both sides of the bay where they caught and released numerous trout, including several in the slot, and a red on CAL jigs with shad tails. Keith caught and released a 25”, 5-lb trout, one of the larger trout that we’ve caught lately, on a CAL jig with a shad tail near Buttonwood Harbor.
Next week’s negative low tides in the morning should concentrate trout and reds in potholes and deep areas. There should be good action on deep grass flats with trout, ladyfish and more. Look for reds and big trout in skinny water on sunny afternoons.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799 - E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.co

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 2/5/2011
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, reds and ladyfish during the past week. Sarasota winter resident, Harry Beaty and his guest, Paul Rotz from Canada, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me to start things off on Monday. They caught and released trout to 17”, a couple of reds to 23” and numerous large ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails.

Fly angler Dave Kremer, from Louisville, KY, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. We fished deep and shallow grass where he caught and released a few trout on my Grassett Flats Bunny fly. Despite a good tide and warmer water, fish weren’t that aggressive that day. Longboat Key winter resident, Nick Reding, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday and we found similar action. We waded bars on both sides of the bay and Nick caught and released several trout, including one over the slot, on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly.

If you are interested in learning to fly fish or improving your skills, I will be the instructor for a CB’s Saltwater Outfitter’s Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Feb. 19, 2011. Located at 1249 Stickney Point Rd., on Siesta Key in Sarasota, FL the school will cover fly casting basics, line control, shooting line and the roll cast. I will also cover leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. The course, designed for beginning and intermediate fly casters, will focus on basics but also work with intermediate casters on correcting faults and improving casting skills. Cost for the school, which will run from 9 AM to 3 PM, is $150 per person and includes the use of premium Orvis fly tackle, a text book and lunch. Contact me or CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 or cbsoutfitters@verizon.net to make reservations.

Next week’s four tide days are favorable early in the week. Since we have had some warm, sunny days recently which has warmed bay waters into the mid 60’s, there should be good action with trout, blues, ladyfish and more on deep grass flats. Look for reds and big trout in skinny water on sunny afternoons.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799 - E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com


Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota & Gasparilla Sound, Report for 1/29/2011
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout during the past week. In addition to trout, we also caught and released reds on one trip. A front moved through early in the week forcing the cancellation of a couple of days due to winds in the mid 20 mph range.

Tom Wright, from Sarasota, FL, and his brother, Frank Wright, from Columbus, OH, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Monday afternoon. They had steady action with trout, catching and releasing more than 30 trout to 17” on CAL jigs with shad tails. We fished a trough along a spoil bar to catch most of the fish. The next couple of days were blown out as 20 to 25-mph winds whipped the water. On Thursday the water looked like coffee with cream in Gasparilla Sound when Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and his cousin, Jack McCulloch from Englewood, FL fished with me. Although the water was churned up in open areas, it was very clear in the backcountry. They caught and released more than 20 trout to 18”, with about half of them in the slot, and five small reds on CAL jigs with shad tails.

Sarasota winter residents Nick Reding and Mike Perez fished north Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. We waded all day, fishing potholes and drop offs and it was slow due to cold water. However, they did catch and release a few quality trout on my Grassett Flats Minnow and Clouser flies.

Next week’s negative low tides as we approach a new moon on Feb. 3rd should concentrate reds and trout in potholes and deep areas. However, afternoons may fish better due to warmer water.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799 - E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com


Ron Whitely and Al White, report for 1/28/2011
Capt. Al White and I hit some local ponds for about an hour Thursday afternoon. We found lots of Bass. Caught some on a 4 wt . Temps in the low 70's, cool NW breeze @ 10-15
Ron Whiteley

Dick Tremblay, report for 1/28/2011
I woke up to a beautiful sunrise this morning and headed north up I-75 to the Boca Grande/Placida area to meet up with club member and Florida resident Ron Whiteley. We launched his Maverick HPX and headed for the north end flats of Placida Harbor to try and find some redfish soaking up some of the warming sun. Find them we did. We spooked a half dozen before I got a cast into one before he saw us coming. I was using my new TFO Axiom saltwater 6 wt. for the first time. What a baptism for a new rod; shallow water sight fishing on the 28th of January with a char/wt Marabou Estez and this fine specimen finds its way to my line. Life is good. The next few hours found us up and down the back country around Turtle Bay catching a few dozen speckle trout and some ladyfish. We found a couple of BIG snook lying under a fish camp on stilts but they only laughed in our faces and swam off. It stayed flat calm until after noon time. What a gift for a saltwater fly fisherman and his fishing partner. Lunch was a great Cuban sandwich with black beans and rice with a cold Stella to wash it all down. By 3:00 we were back at Ron’s Hacienda for a tall gin and tonic and a fine cigar. Thanks for another great experience Ron.

Dick Tremblay
AKA "Mr. Slugo"

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota & Gasparilla Sound, Report for 1/1/2011
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout on jigs and flies during the past week. A strong front with high winds came roaring through last Sunday morning, dropping water temperatures back into the low 50’s and forcing the cancellation of a couple of trips. Cold water kept fish concentrated in channels, creeks and deep edges of flats. By the end of the week, conditions improved and water warmed back to the mid to high 50’s.

PHOTO: Brian Glock, from the Portland, Oregon area, caught and released this trout on a Clouser fly while fishing Gasparilla Sound with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Brian Glock, from Portland, OR, and his dad, Tim Glock from Cincinnati, OH, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Wednesday. We fished the edges of bars, creeks and potholes and they caught and released more than 15 trout to 18” on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. Everette Howell, from Nashville, TN, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday morning. Action was slow to start, but he caught and released about 6 trout on Clouser flies near Long Bar. Action improved that afternoon when Greg Smith and his son, Alex, from MI, fished the same areas with me and caught and released about 15 trout on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.

Andy Rotherham, from Alexandria, VA, caught and released about 15 trout to 18” near Cortez with me on Friday. He fished a channel with a 300-grain Orvis Depth Charge fly line and a heavily weighted olive Clouser fly to stay in the strike zone.

Trout season reopens today in the south region after a 2-month closure. Next week’s negative low tides should concentrate trout and reds in channels, creeks and potholes. Look for big trout and reds on shallow flats on sunny afternoons. Happy New Year and special thanks to all of my customers that fished with me during the past year!

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799 - E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota, FL Fishing Report for 12/19/2010
A blast of cold air settled in on southwest Florida earlier in the week, dropping water temperatures into the low 50’s. Afternoon water temperatures were in the mid 50’s later in the week as night time lows moderated. Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, flounder and redfish on flies and jigs on a couple of trips this week.

Gary Reed, from WV, and his son, Jonathon Reed from Bradenton, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. The trip was originally scheduled for Monday, but due to strong winds and cold temperatures we bumped it back to later in the week. Action was slow, but they caught and released a couple of flounder to 18” and a small red near Long Bar on Clouser flies and a CAL jig with a grub. Vic Cook, from Columbus, OH, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday afternoon. He caught and released 10 or 12 trout to 18” on Grassett Flats Bunny and Ultra Hair Clouser flies along the east side of the bay from Stephens Point to Long Bar.

Action should improve as water temperatures rise back into the 60’s. Fish jigs and flies slow, close to the bottom and focus on potholes, channel edges and drop offs for reds and trout on negative low tides next week for the best action. Until the water warms back up, afternoons may fish better.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Dec. 17th Fishing Report - Craig Smothers
Went fishing with Capt. Pete on Friday. 5 reds, 6 trout (2 decent), 2 sheephead and a flounder. Blew shots on several decent reds. Great day any way… It’s good to fish again.

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota & Charlotte Harbor, FL
Fishing Report for 12/12/10
An early season strong front swept through our area early last week plummeting water temperatures into the high 50’s and limiting daytime temperatures to 50’ and 60’s early in the week. However, by later in the week the sun was shining and things began to warm up. Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, bluefish, redfish and flounder on CAL jigs with shad tails and flies.

PHOTO: Carl Bettinger, from Albuquerque, NM, caught and released this trout on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly while fishing a sand bar in Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Joe Brinkmeyer, from Cincinnati, OH, and his friend, Bob, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday afternoon. They caught and released a blue, redfish, flounder and a few trout on CAL jigs with shad tails and grubs along the east side of the bay and at the Middleground flat. Fly angler Carl Bettinger, from Albuquerque, NM, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Friday. He caught and released about 10 trout, all of which were in the 2 to 2 ½-lb class on Clouser flies fished on an intermediate fly line. He caught the trout in deep, dark bottom areas of the ICW and in Bull Bay by fishing slow, near the bottom.

Sarasota winter resident, Jim Strouth, claimed his ½ day trip that I donated to the Sarasota Sportfishing Anglers Club on Saturday morning. We fished deep grass flats along the east side of Sarasota Bay and caught and released several trout and a bluefish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies.

I was on the air waves recently with Allen Wyatt, of Andy Thornal Co. in Winterhaven, FL, and Capt. Keiland Smith on their “Awesome Fishing” radio program. You can hear the segment, “Nearshore and More with Capt. Rick Grassett”, where we discuss rigging and fishing DOA baits, Rat-L-Trap plugs, fly fishing and view photos at www.AwesomeFishingRadio.com.

Until the water warms back up, afternoons may fish better due to warmer water. Fish jigs and flies slow, close to the bottom and focus on potholes, channel edges and drop offs for the best action.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 11/28/2010
Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released little tunny, Spanish mackerel, trout and blues during the past week. The best bite was with little tunny in the coastal gulf.

PHOTO: Pete Walocko, from MI, caught and released this little tunny on a Grassett Snook Minnow fly while fishing the coastal gulf off Sarasota with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Don and Linda Tase, from NH, fished the coastal gulf off Siesta and Casey Keys with me on Monday. They caught and released 7 or 8 little tunny on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly and a CAL jig with a shad tail. Pete Walocko, from MI, got in on the action on Tuesday as he landed several on flies. Everette Howell, Jr. from Nashville, TN also had a great day, landing 7 or 8 little tunny on my snook fly. Most fish averaged about 7-pounds but several weighed more than 10-pounds. The action was awesome as schools of little tunny turned the surface into white water as they fed on glass minnows.

A front pushed through on Friday afternoon slowing action in Sarasota Bay and making it too rough to fish the coastal gulf. Bill Beauchamp, from Bradenton, FL, and his friend Mark, from Sarasota, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. A strong south breeze made fishing tough but they caught and released trout to 18” and bluefish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos at Stepehens Point and along the west side of the bay. Norm Worthington and his son, Addison, from Siesta Key, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday. The action was slow as another round of rain pushed through that morning. They caught a few trout, a blue and some large ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos in Big Pass and at Stephens Point.

Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week as we head towards a new moon on Dec. 5th. Negative low tides in the morning should concentrate reds, snook and trout in potholes in skinny water. Action in the coastal gulf should also continue until water temperature drops significantly.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 11/13/2010
Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with reds, blues, trout, little tunny and Spanish mackerel on DOA baits and flies last week.

Longboat Key winter resident, Nick Reding, wade fished in north Sarasota Bay with me a couple of days last week. He caught and released several reds and a sheepshead on one trip and a couple of blues and a snook on another trip on a baitfish fly pattern. Jon Yenari and Kyle Ruffing, both from Sarasota, FL, fished with me in the coastal gulf off Siesta Key on Tuesday, 11/9 caught and released 6 little tunny to 12-pounds on glass minnow fly patterns. Later in the day, they caught and released a nice trout and a 4-lb bluefish on Clouser flies at Stephens Point. Bill Moore and his son, Mark, both from Libertyville, IL fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, 11/12. They caught and released numerous trout to 22”, a couple of reds, several blues and a Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos along the east side of Sarasota Bay.

Action should continue to be good in both Sarasota Bay and the coastal gulf. Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week as we head towards a full moon.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 10/31/2010
Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released little tunny, trout, small gag grouper and a red on flies last week. The fastest action continues to be in the coastal gulf with little tunny. Spanish mackerel are also plentiful but we actually avoided mackerel schools in lieu of their much stronger cousins.

PHOTO: Capt. John Hand, from Ruskin, FL, and Dr. Ben Estes, from Augusta, Ga, with an albie that Ben caught and released on a fly in the coastal gulf off Siesta Key while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Capt. John Hand, of Redfish Landing Guide Service in Ruskin, FL, and Dr. Ben Estes, from Augusta, GA, fished the coastal gulf off Siesta Key with me on Monday. John was the successful bidder on the trip, which was donated to the Florida Council of Federation of Fly Fishers. They caught and released 4 little tunny in the 8 to 10-pound class and had a couple of other hook ups on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. We fished the west side of Sarasota Bay in the afternoon and caught and released a few trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies.

David and Linda Kornreich, from Orlando, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday and Thursday. David caught and released numerous trout to 18” and small gag grouper on Ultra Hair Clouser flies at Stephens Point. He also connected with a nice red on a spoon fly and after a couple of short, head shaking runs had the fish alongside the boat.

Good tides as we approach a new moon and this weekend’s front should make fishing good next week. Fish the coastal gulf for little tunny and Spanish mackerel when conditions allow it or fish Sarasota Bay for trout, reds, snook and more for the best action.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 10/17/2010
Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel and albies on flies last week. John Evans and his son-in-law, Charlie, from the UK, fished deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay at Stephens Point and near Buttonwood Harbor on Monday and caught and released a few trout to 17” and a couple of Spanish mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. John Lacy, from Kentucky, also fly fished the same areas with me on Tuesday with similar results.

PHOTO: Kirk Grassett, from Middletown, DE, caught and released this albie off Longboat Key on a fly while fishing with his brother, Capt. Rick Grassett.-Rusty Chinnis photo.

My brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, came down for a visit and we fished Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, joined us on Thursday as we fished the coastal gulf near Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island. We caught and released more than a dozen albies to 10-lbs on small white flies. Sharks and kings also joined the fray, skyrocketing on baits and cutting one of our albies in ½. A front pushed through that evening and on Friday it was much rougher. The rough water scattered bait schools and predators, but they were still actively feeding over a much broader area. Kirk and I caught and released 4 or 5 albies on Friday and almost landed a 25 to 30-pound king mackerel. We found a few tarpon rolling in bait schools so Kirk tied on a big, black Deceiver with a heavy fluorocarbon bite tippet. After only a few casts, the big king skyrocketed on his fly, almost jumping into the boat and screamed off more than 100 yards of backing. We got the fish alongside the boat, only to have it chomp through the leader. An exciting battle!

PHOTO: Kirk Grassett, from Middletown, DE, caught and released this big red on a fly while fishing Pine Island Sound with Capt. Rick DePaiva (www.saltwaterflyfishing.org) .

On Saturday, we fished with Capt. Rick DePaiva of Flynutt Charters in Ft. Myers, FL. He expertly put us on lots of cruising reds and snook and a few “tailers”. Kirk caught and released a big red and we hooked and lost a couple of others on flies. Capt. Rick is an excellent spin and fly fishing guide in the Pine Island Sound area and can be reached at www.saltwaterflyfishing.org .

Next week’s tides are favorable as we approach a full moon next weekend. With water temperatures now in the mid 70’s, fishing should continue to heat up especially in the coastal gulf waters.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Oct. 1 Fishing Report by Ron Whiteley
Launched at Placida at 7:15 with Capt. Al White in my boat. West wind at 10 and the gulf was too rough. Inside waters were smooth. Temp. 71 going to 88.

Picked up a few ladyfish right away just inside Gasparilla Pass.

We found a school of about 30 large reds inside of Bird Key, but visibility sucked and we failed to hook up.

Headed over to Turtle Bay and found birds over breaking fish. We had our way with the ladyfish, trout and jacks for a while. Then we spotted some Large fish breaking. Headed over to the area and had a tarpon roll up right in front of us. I tossed the 1/0 barbless estaz maribou with a 20 lb leader right to the fish and he hit and missed it and then chased and caught it and the fish was on solid to my TFO 8 wt rod. Got a total of 6 jumps in 15 minutes and had the fish at the boat when it finally cut through the 20 lb leader.

Home by 1:00, usual recovery activities.

120 Tarpon on an 8 wt rod:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBFee9EyXA4

Ron Whiteley

Capt. Rick Grassett's Fishing Report for 9/20 through 10/3/2010
Hey! Hey! Hey! Fat Albert! It’s the time of year when little tunny, a.k.a. bonito, false albacore, LT’s, albies or fat alberts, are beginning their fall inshore blitz. In addition to little tunny, Spanish mackerel are also plentiful in the coastal gulf. Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, little tunny and snook during the past couple of weeks.

Marty Cyr, from Orlando, FL, and his brother-in-law, Rob, from Tampa, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 9/20. They caught and released numerous trout to 18" and a couple of blues to 4-pounds near Long Bar on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. We had numerous shots at reds but they ignored our lures. Steve Cohn, from Castlecrag, New South Wales, Australia, snook fished with me in the ICW near Venice that evening. He caught and released about 6 snook to 24" on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.

I was in Delaware visiting family from 9/21 through 9/28 and had a chance to fish a day in Chesapeake Bay for stripers and blues while I was there. My brothers, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE , Joey Grassett, from Seaford, DE and I fished the middle Chesapeake near Tilghman Island, MD out of Kirk’s Jones Brothers 20’ Light Tackle boat. We had fast action with stripers to 24” and blues to 4-lbs on Clouser and Crease flies and fly poppers.

Back at home, Greg Stepanski from Tampa, FL, claimed the trip that he purchased at the Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club banquet with me on Friday, 10/1. We fished near the mouth of Tampa Bay and had fast action with little tunny and Spanish mackerel. The action was a little slow to start, but as the sun got higher in the sky, bait schools worked their way to the surface where predators made an easy meal of them. Greg scored with Clouser and Grassett Snook Minnow flies, CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms and Mirrodine plugs. We caught and released 8 or 10 little tunny to 8-lbs and about a dozen or more mackerel to 2-lbs. The action peaked just before the bottom of the tide as predators grabbed a meal before the water stopped moving. A great trip!

I was a guest at Mosquito Creek Outdoors (www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com) in Apopka, FL on Saturday, 10/2. Their “Discover Fly Fishing” event was very well planned and organized as vendors, fly tiers and fly anglers from around the state displayed their wares and shared their knowledge of fly fishing and fly tying to introduce new anglers to the sport. I was there to help promote a donated fishing trip with me and legendary fly angler and author, Chico Fernandez, which will benefit the Snook Foundation. Look for more info on this trip, which will be offered in a silent auction at a future event at www.snookfoundation.org or contact me if you are interested in bidding.

We are at one of my favorite times of the year. The coastal gulf is coming alive with little tunny, Spanish mackerel and more. Flats fishing is also heating up as the water cools down. Reds and snook should be feeding in skinny water and trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and pompano should be plentiful on deep grass flats.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Fishing Report 9/23 by Ron Whiteley
Launched at 7:00 a.m. at El Jobean with Capt. Al White in his boat. Caught some ladyfish for bait and headed into Charlotte Harbor for some tarpon. We put 4 in the air but didn't land any. Going back tomorrow with heavier gear. Hundreds of tarpon were rolling in the harbor. Caught some big catfish while fishing for the ladyfish.
--------------><> Ron

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 9/4 through 9/19/2010
Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, blues and redfish in Sarasota Bay on jigs and flies during the past couple of weeks. Very high tides towards the end of last week, as we approach a full moon on Sept. 23rd, made sight fishing for reds tough.

Scott Miller, from Wheeling, WV, fished a pre dawn snook/flats trip in Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday, 9/7. He caught and released numerous trout, including a 4 ½-pound, 25” fish caught and released near Long Bar on a DOA Deadly Combo. Snook didn’t cooperate that morning but he caught and released numerous trout and a couple of small reds on CAL jigs around lighted docks on Siesta Key. Everette and Sherry Howell, from Nashville, TN, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, 9/10. They caught and released numerous trout and a bluefish on CAL jigs with shad tails and Clouser flies at Stephens and Bishop Points in Sarasota Bay.

Steve Cohn, from Castlecrag, New South Wales, Australia, fished a pre dawn snook/flats trip in Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, 9/17. The action was slow but he caught and released a snook on Siesta Key docks on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly and several trout on Clousers and a popper/Grassett Flats Bunny combo on deep grass flats on the east side of the bay.

The action picked up the next day when Vic Cook, from Columbus, OH, fished the same areas with me. He caught and released 4 or 5 snook to 23” on my Grassett Snook Minnow and a Gurgler fly. We also fished deep grass flats on the west side of the bay where he caught and released several trout on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly. Both anglers had shots at reds and had a couple of follows but no bites.

There is a hint of fall in the air. Mornings have been cool for the first few hours of the day which means fast action is just around the corner. Look for increased activity with snook around docks, trout and more on deep grass flats and reds and snook in skinny water. Spanish mackerel and little tunny should be good options in the coastal gulf. Tarpon in upper Charlotte Harbor may also be a good option when conditions are right.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Alaska Report from Club Members
Les Fulcher, John LaManna, and Steve White of Seminole (not a club member) had a 5-night float trip, camping on the Little Susitna. We made MANY casts with relatively few fish taking, but most were close to the size of this nice male (see photo). Though we got several fish on spinning gear, this was the only fish we landed on fly. Les and I both had several nice fish take flies after running the flies past their nose NUMEROUS times, but they broke off or we missed the set.

PHOTO: Les Fulcher with a nice fly-caught Silver (Coho) Salmon from the Little Susitna River in Alaska.

All-in-all the trip was a good learning experience. We would do it differently next time to fish in more different locations ... and get out of the rain once in a while - we had one day of sunshine with more rain each day through the end of the trip. At the end of the trip we tried halibut fishing, and Les was prepared to try the fly rod. But water over 200' deep and strong current made it impossible in the location we fished.
John LaManna

Sept 10th Fishing Report by Ron Whiteley
Launched at Placida With friends Scott Simmons from England and Maureen Brunton from Scotland at 7:30 to go put some bends in the rods. Headed over to Turtle Bay and found the birds working schools of feeding fish. Spent a few hours of non-stop action with ladyfish, trout, lizardfish, etc..

When the action slowed, we headed out Gasparilla Pass and found lots of birds over large feeding fish. We had schoolss of mackerel, large jacks, lemon sharks and big reds all around the boat. We found a school of hundreds of large reds covering over and acre. Scott got a nice red, see pic below.

We had to jerk a couple of mackerel out of the water to keep the sharks from grabbing them at the boat.

Lunch at the Waterside Grill and back out to the Gulf, but the feeding was over. Saw some snook on the beach when the rain started to get close.

Back to the house, in the pool, gin and tonic by 3:00. Joined by Capts Pete Greenan and Jamie Allen. Went to dinner at Trattoria 13 on Placida Rd at 5:30 with Scott and Maureen, Capts Pete Greenan, Al White and Susan, and Judy and I. Had a fantastic dinner lots of drinks, dancing and singing and general rowdiness. A proper send off for Scott and Maureen who are returning to England in the morning.

Sept 9th Tarpon Fishing Report by Ron Whiteley
Launched at 7:00 a.m. at the El Jobean Launch with Capt. Pete Greenan in his boat. We were there to assist Dr. Aaron Adams of the Bonefish, Tarpon Trust to place satellite tracking tags on some large tarpon in Charlotte Harbor. We lost one fish about 90 lbs on the first jump early in the morning.

The second fish hit after lunch and Pete and I took turns getting to the boat. Dr. Adams and his assistant came aboard and gaffed the fish, Measured it and inserted the Satellite tag. The fish checked in at 120 lbs.

We used spinning gear with live ladyfish to boat it. The rod broke when we got the fish alongside, but we managed to bring it in anyway.

Great day on the water! The harbor slicked off enough to see a lot of feeding tarpon.

Back to the house, cleaned the boat, in the pool, gin and tonic by 4:00. Joined by Capt Jamie Allen , Capt Al White and Scott Simmons from England. Recent rain made to pool nice and cool.

-----------------><> Ron Whiteley

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 8/17 through 8/26/2010
Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, trout and Spanish mackerel on flies recently. Jerry Poslusny, from Rochester, NY and his son, Jerry, from NJ, fished a couple of days with me in upper Charlotte Harbor for tarpon. Although we found plenty of tarpon, they were widely scattered and tough to work with a fly. They caught and released Spanish mackerel and ladyfish on a variety of flies while casting to breaking fish feeding in glass minnow schools. Tarpon also occasionally joined the fray blasting a ladyfish!

Paul Haines, from PA, fished a pre dawn flats trip in Sarasota Bay with me on another trip. He caught and released several trout and a snook around Siesta Key docks before dawn on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. We moved to deep grass flats near Bishop Point after dawn and caught and released trout and ladyfish on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly fished on a sink tip fly line.

Snook around lighted docks before dawn and reds, trout and more in Sarasota Bay should be good options in September. This time of year predators will “ball” glass minnows into very tight schools. The action usually starts with ladyfish and then other species including trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and tarpon may join the fray. Tarpon of all sizes in upper Charlotte Harbor should also be a good option.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Ron Whiteley Fishing Report 7/29
Bjorn Straub came to the house at 4:00 a.m. and we headed out for some snook under the lights.

Launched at Placida and headed over to Boca Grande. Found hundreds and hundreds of snook under some dock lights and had our way with them until it got light. Spotted some tarpon rolling in Gasparilla Pass and had some shots, but no takes.

Headed over to Turtle Bay and found some laid up tarpon that were also not cooperative. Hooked a big ladyfish on the tarpon fly and Bjorn got a large catfish. Picked up some more trout and ladyfish in Bull Bay.

Back to Placida for the red needed to slam. Not to be... the reds were spooky and we could not connect. We did get a LOT of trout.

Back home by 1:30, in the pool, food and drink. Beautiful day, No wind until 11:00 a.m..
----------------><> Ron Whiteley

A NICE SURPRISE !!
Report by Capt. John Hand of the Redfish Landing Guide Service
Father‘s day I had the pleasure of Paul Caldwell, an Orvis employee out of Redfish Landing. We hit the water shortly after 6am and headed for the south shore flats of Tampa Bay, enjoying a beautiful sunrise along the way.

Upon arrival we had the flats to ourselves, and a myriad of fish and bait. The flat was alive with bait being hammered by Speckled Trout and Spanish Mackeral, it didn‘t take long at the action was on. On the first 2 drifts Paul had a strike on almost every other cast on a mylar popper.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, the fish moved deeper and the bite slowed down. We moved to the inside to search for reds, missed a few as they were hard to spot. After which we decided to try a different area and deeper water.

The remainder of the day was slow but enjoyable and to our sur-prise, Paul even got a shot at a couple of backwater tarpon. Even though he didn‘t get a hook-up, it was great to see them rolling and active. It was a great introduction for Paul to the Tampa Bay area. I believe he will mark Tampa Bay on his map as an overlooked fishing destination.

I thoroughly enjoyed having Paul on the front deck of my skiff. His demeanor , knowledge, fly fishing skill and professionalism is what I have learned to expect from Orvis employees and is one of the main reasons I am associated with them. Thank you, Paul, for allowing me to share a little piece of my world with you.
Get on the water--- Bend a rod !!!
Capt. John

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 7/4 through 7/17/2010
Fishing continues to be good in the coastal gulf for tarpon and in Sarasota Bay for trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and more. Fly anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action towards the end of the week of 7/4. Conditions were poor early that week with rain and overcast skies, however they improved to near perfect at the end of the week and tarpon responded favorably.

PHOTO: Fly angler Jerry Poslusny from Rochester, NY, battles a tarpon off Siesta Key caught and released on a black Deceiver while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Jerry Poslusny, from Rochester, NY and Jay Peck, from Spencerport, NY, tarpon fished with me on Thursday and Friday, 7/8 and 9. Jay is a fly fishing guide for trout, salmon and steelhead in upstate NY and couldn’t wait to pull on a big tarpon! They jumped 3 tarpon off Longboat and Lido Keys and got a couple of them to the boat, including one that Jerry caught and released that was 100-pounds or more. Another fly angler fished the same areas with me on Saturday. We had more than 20 shots at fish and a couple of bites but didn’t hook up.

Gary and Tyler Mintz, from CO, fished several days with me this past week. Tarpon on a fly was our goal, but we fished Sarasota Bay on Monday due to rough conditions in the coastal gulf. They caught and released trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel near Bishop Point on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on sink tip fly lines and a popper/dropper combo consisting of a Bubblehead popper and a Clouser fished on a floating line.

With a similar forecast for Tuesday, we headed for more protected waters of the Peace River where we had a few shots at tarpon in the 20 to 30-pound class. However, conditions improved so much by 9 AM that we headed back to Sarasota to fish the coastal gulf. We had numerous shots at tarpon in the coastal gulf off Sarasota over the next couple of days and several hard follows, but no bites.

It all came together for them on Thursday when Tyler made “the right cast to the right fish”. He hooked up with an estimated 75-pound tarpon on a black Deceiver and fought the fish for about 45-minutes. The fish broke off on a jump close to the boat, but we’d already had our fun! Another fly angler jumped and landed a similar size fish, also on a black Deceiver, in the same area on Friday.

Although tarpon schools have thinned to more singles, doubles and small schools of fish rather than large schools, they are aggressive now. This should hold up through July or into early August. Tarpon are also beginning to move to inside waters where you may find them on deep grass flats or around bridges. DOA baits on spinning tackle, especially those that land gently such as the DOA shrimp and CAL shad tails, will also work well for tarpon during July. Fish the flats for trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and reds early in the day for the best action.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Evan does battle with a very large snook
A buddy of mine called me last weekend, telling me that the Pass Crabs were starting to show up, and some big snook were starting to take notice. He lives right on the pass and had already landed a couple 30"+ fish on live bait right there in his backyard, so I got the invite to come over and check it out. Even though I knew it would be futile, I decided to tie up a couple of floating crab patterns and bring my 10wt flyrod. Who knows right? Stranger things have happened.

When I got there, everybody had a good chuckle at the flyrod, though they did admit that the fly looked pretty similar to the real thing: the abyss, letting the outgoing current "swing" my fly Steelhead style. This continued for a couple hours until almost midnight without so much as a nudge. As my friends started to pack up, I made just a few more casts. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what happened next.

I heard a big POP, my fingers felt hot (line burn) and then I was staggering back and trying not to fall off the seawall. It wasn't until my reel started screaming drag that I must have a fish. What followed was the most intense fight I've ever experienced on fly tackle (granted I've never caught a big tarpon). For a few minutes, it was all I could do to hold onto the rod. Still can't believe I didn't get broken off on all the rocks below, or chewed through, or bend/break the hook, or whatever else. I didn't have a tape measure but I put the fish against my rod and it was past the first stripping guide, which is 33" from the fighting butt. I know it weighed over 10 pounds, but not sure by how much. And yes, that's an incredibly stupid look on my face, but I just couldn't help it I was so freakn' shocked.
Evan (MCFF Club President)

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 6/20 through 7/3/2010
Tarpon continue to be plentiful along Sarasota beaches. Despite tough conditions, anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, jumped and landed several tarpon during the past couple of weeks. Fly anglers also scored on tarpon, snook, trout, blues and jacks.

Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL and his mom, Andrea Lutz from Atlanta, GA, tarpon fished a couple of days with me on 6/23 and 24. Andrea jumped a pair of tarpon on live crabs off Lido and fought one of about 75-pounds to the boat. Hal fly fished and had a bite on a black Deceiver.

Dave Macomber and Ted Kottom, both from MN, tarpon fished several days with me from 6/25-6/27. We fished lighted docks on Siesta Key a couple of mornings before dawn where they caught and released several snook to 24” and numerous trout to 18” on Grassett Snook Minnow flies. Dave jumped his first tarpon on a fly, a 75-pound fish, on a black Deceiver off Lido on Saturday. Despite having a knot come up in his fly line, he successfully cleared the line, got the knot back onto the reel and fought the fish to the boat in about 20-minutes. Ted landed a pair of tarpon, a 70-pounder on Saturday and a huge, 140-pound fish on Sunday on live crabs off Lido and Longboat Keys.

Conditions were not good during the week of 6/28. Fish weren’t showing on the surface due to a big swell and overcast conditions made it tough to see them below the surface. Terry Notari, from Longboat Key, his son Craig Notari, from the Chicago area, and grandsons, Josh and James, fished a couple of days with me on 6/30 and 7/1. We had a small window of improved conditions each day at about noon when we had some visibility and swells laid down a little. They had a great day on Thurs, 7/1, landing 2 out of 4 fish including one on a fly. Both fish, about 75-pounds, were caught on Longboat Key-James got one to the boat on a crab and his dad, Craig, landed the other fish on a fly. His fish ate a black Deceiver only about 15 feet from the boat in one of the coolest bites of the season! Accuracy is often more important than distance when fly fishing. Craig’s fish was caught with only about a 20’ cast.

Fly angler Jon Yenari, from Sarasota, FL, fished with me on Friday, 7/2. Our plan was to tarpon fish and we were surprised that conditions had deteriorated even further due to swells from Hurricane Alex finally reaching us. After spending a couple of hours in the gulf hunting tarpon, we headed into Sarasota Bay where we caught and released trout to 18”, blues to 2-pounds and jacks on Grassett Flats Bunny and Clouser flies. We fished the west side of Sarasota Bay near Bishop Point where we encountered several feeding frenzies of breaking blues and jacks. Jon caught a pair of 2-pound blues at the same time out of one of the frenzies on a popper/dropper combo!

Tarpon should feed more aggressively as we head into July, which is my favorite month to fly fish for tarpon in shallow water. DOA baits on spinning tackle also work well this time of the year. Since many fish have already spawned, tarpon schools will be smaller and more willing to eat.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799 - E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Boca Grande Fishing Report - Capt. Pete Greenan - 20 June 2010
Again, no oil! Great weather, beautiful water and lots of fish are making this summer one of the best we've had in years. Tarpon are the main target. The 'Poons are migrating along the beaches in good numbers and feeding a bit on the outgoing tides. Many tarpon have moved up in to Charlotte Harbour and are foraging the deeper waters for food. A few fish are still hanging in the numerous basins of the back country. Early morning often finds us fishing for smaller tarpon in Pine Island Sound.

PHOTO: Chris Cucchiara, 12 years old. 32 inch redfish on a 6wt. TFO -TiCR-X.

Redfish are still prowling the flats in certain areas near the passes. Snook are gaining numbers very close to the beaches where ever there is structure. Seatrout are numerous with an occasional large trout mixed with the average. Spanish mackerel are also numerous in the gulf adn open areas of the harbour.

All can be taken on fly easily. Those seeking tarpon should be sure to hone their casting skills. The cast required is a short, quick cast that is very accurate with a 12 wt. rod. A good presentation will often result in a solid hook-up. Diligent attention to the water is essential, but an accomplished angler will have many great opportunities to catch these huge fish. Tarpon are the finest fly rod fish in Florida and the most exciting to catch.

As the summer progresses, many tarpon will return from spawning offshore. They'll be hungry. After all, what do you do after sex! We seek these fish over the clear water sand bars along the coast. Single fish, doubles and small strings are found in water only three or four feet deep. If you don't panic, you'll have a ton of fun. July and August are the best months for sight fishing the 'poons. After the fourth of July holiday there are few anglers, light winds, a lot of sunshine and a lot of fish. Come see me then for some outstanding fishing.
Fish Hard,
Capt. Pete
http://www.floridaflyfishing.com/

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 6/7 through 6/20/2010
Tarpon fishing continues to be good along Sarasota beaches. Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action the last couple of weeks along Siesta and Longboat Keys. The DOA Baitbuster has been a hot bait!

PHOTO: Capt. Rick Grassett with a 115-lb tarpon caught and released by Rob Brady, from Sarasota, FL, in Tampa Bay.

Dickie Herbst, from Bradenton, FL, fished a couple of days with me during the week of 6/7. Wind was out of the west on Monday, so we chose to fish more protected water in Tampa Bay near Terra Ceia. Rob Brady, from Sarasota, joined Dickie that day and caught and released a 115-pound tarpon on a live crab. Dickie also fished with me on Thursday, 6/10 with a guest. They jumped a pair of fish, one on a DOA Baitbuster and another on a live crab. One fish was fought to the boat after 20 to 30-minutes only to have a hook break.

John Isard and his son, Jesse, from Osprey, FL, tarpon fished with me on Tuesday, 6/8. They fought an estimated 90-pound fish to the boat along Longboat Key after about 45 minutes on a DOA Baitbuster. It was a hot fish, almost spooling us on its initial run! Fly anglers had lots of shots and several hard follows on a couple of trips, but no eats. When fly fishing for tarpon it is a matter of the right presentation to the right fish.

Don Moberg and sons, Dave and Doug, from MN, fished with me on Monday and Tuesday, 6/14 and 15. They had a great day casting live crabs on Monday along Siesta Key. They had 4 bites, jumping and bringing 3 fish to 110-pounds to the boat. The next day had plenty of shots but no bites. Newlyweds Kyle and Sarah Maddox, from Mobile, AL, fished Longboat Key with me on Wednesday, 6/16. They had 3 bites, jumped 2 of them and brought one about 90-pounds to the boat.

Tarpon stayed in deep water towards the end of the week making it tougher for fly anglers to get a fly in front of fish. Action should continue to be good next week as we head towards a full moon on June 26th.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 5/24 through 6/6/2010
Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with tarpon off Sarasota beaches during the past couple of weeks. We jumped more than 15 fish and fought 4 or 5 to the boat. Anglers scored with live crabs, DOA Baitbusters and baitfish fly patterns along Lido and Longboat Key.

Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL, and Andrea Lutz, from Atlanta, GA, fished several days with me during the week of 5/24. One of the best trips of the week was with them on Thursday. Andrea had the hot hand jumping several tarpon on live crabs that day. Hal jumped a pair of fish on Enrico Puglisi Bronze Mullet flies and fought another fish that ate a live crab to the boat. Another angler jumped a tarpon on an Enrico Puglisi Black Mullet fly on Tuesday 5/25.

David Sugar and his son, Max, from Sarasota, FL, had a great trip on Saturday, 5/29. He jumped 4 tarpon on live crabs and had numerous shots on his first ever tarpon trip! Tarpon were schooled tightly and “happy” that day even though it was a holiday weekend.

A group of 6 anglers fished several days with Capt. Kelly Stilwell, Capt. Jack Hartman and me last week. Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, Steve Liska, from NJ, Dave Kinnamon, from Milwaukee, WI and Paul Browring, from the UK, fished various days on my boat. They jumped a total of 7 tarpon and landed 2, to 90-pounds, on live crabs and DOA Baitbusters. Other anglers in the group had similar action, jumping and landing several tarpon to 140-pounds, with a variety of live baits and flies. West wind forced us to fish inside waters of Sarasota Bay with the group on Friday. We had a great trip catching and releasing trout and bluefish to 2 ½-pounds on DOA Deadly Combos near Bishop Point.

Nick Misischia, from Bend, OR, and his dad, Bill Misischia, from Sarasota, fished with me on Saturday. Nick caught and released about 6 trout on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly on a Siesta Key dock before dawn. We tried to fish the gulf for tarpon but Friday’s blow had the water too stirred up to spot fish. Bill caught and released a few trout on a DOA Deadly Combo at the Middleground flat and near Bishop Point in Sarasota Bay.

Tarpon schools have been moving slowly and high in the water column giving us good shots at them. If conditions are rough in the coastal gulf, fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay should produce lots of variety and action. Bay fishing should be best early in the day before heat affects the bite later in the day. Tarpon fishing should continue to be strong as we approach the new moon on June 12th.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett - Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799 - E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Ron Whiteley June 3rd - Slam Report
Launched at Placida @7:00. Temp 77 going to 90. SE wind 5-10. Light rain and some thunderstorms building in the area. Checked Gasparilla Pass, Nada

Headed to Bull Bay to check for tarpon. Cast the 6 wt around while scanning the waters. Caught some slot sized trout. Hooked into a huge trout that went 34 -36 inchs, got to the boat and the barbless hook came out. Soon after, 2 tarpon rolled up within casting range. I grabbed the 12 wt, made the cast, 4 strips and got hit. Brought a tarpon 70-80 lbs to the boat and released.

Thunder got closer, so I moved to the keys around Turtle Bay. Worked a Mangrove shore and picked up a red about 24 inches.

Storm kept following me and I moved across Turtle Bay to the east shore. picked up some more trout and a 34 inch snook on the 6 wt. Snook had it deep, but I managed to land him with the 20 lb flourocarbon leader. He had almost worn through it. (See pic above)

Had leave again to avoid the storm. Went back to Placida via Charlotte Harbor. Saw some frigates working about a mile out in the Gulf, checked it out and found lotsa bait, but no cobia like last week.

Wind shifted to SW and kicked up, so I headed back in to catch and release a load of slot trout.

Back Home by 1:30. In the pool, cold watermellon. Capts Pete Greenan and Al White, and Dennis Kowal came over after fishing for the same and a gin & tonic. We discussed our July trip for bonefish on Long Island in the Bahamas.

Great Day!! Life is Good :>) ----------------><> Ron Whiteley

PHOTO: Club member Jay Tinsky fishing from his kayak on 5/28/10.







Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 5/9 through5/23/2010
Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel, bluefish and tarpon during the past couple of weeks. After warming up quickly, more than 10 degrees in a week or so, bay fishing slowed. However, tarpon showed up in force along our beaches.

Fly anglers Lynn Skipper, from Brandon, FL and Robert Fischer, from Tampa, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on 2 different days during the week of 5/10. We spent some time tarpon fishing early both days, but they weren’t showing well enough to give us any decent shots at them. Sarasota winter residents, Norm and Francie Boardman, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday. Action in the bay was slow with a few trout and scattered blues and Spanish mackerel on a variety of flies and DOA Deadly Combos.

PHOTO: Jamie Grow, from Washington, DC, caught and released this nice trout in Sarasota Bay on a Grassett Flats Bunny fly while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett

I turned my attention to tarpon last week and conditions were great. The pattern has been for a push of tarpon schools at first light in the morning, although they haven’t been showing that well on the surface. Jim Festa and Bob Benson, both from Sarasota, FL, fished with me on Monday. We jumped a pair of tarpon off Siesta Key on live crabs and Jim landed the first tarpon of the season on my boat, an estimated 60-pounder. A couple of other fly tarpon trips had numerous shots at fish but no bites. Accuracy is very important when fly fishing for tarpon. The fly must be in the right place at the right time to be successful.

Fly angler Jamie Grow, from Washington, DC, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday. We had some action for the first couple of hours of the day at Stephens Point, catching and releasing several trout to 18” and getting cut off by a blue or mackerel. Due to the success we’ve been having with the DOA Deadly Combo, we opted for a popper/dropper fly combo with my Grassett Flats Bunny fished behind a Bubblehead popper. Jamie caught the largest trout using this technique as well as had several exciting strikes. All fish were attracted by the popper in the off color water, but ate the bunny fly.

Tarpon should be plentiful next week as we approach a full moon on May 27th. Drift live baits in their travel lane along beaches and cast live baits or DOA Baitbusters, Swimming Mullet and BFL’s to tarpon schools passing by. Fly anglers should do best later in the day when visibility is best. It is usually a matter of the right presentation to the right fish.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Ron Whiteley May 10th Fishing Report
Launched @ Placida @ 6:45 a.m. with Dick Phinny. Temp 70 going to 85. Wind E @15-20, slowing to 5-10 by mid afternoon.

Tough day fighting/hiding from the wind. Caught a few fish here and there, mostly there. Only eyed a few tarpon in the rough water.

Lunch at the Waterside Cafe. Good Cuban Sandwich w/ black beans and rice.

Cruised the beaches when the wind died, Nada........Best fish was a 34 inch snook on the 6 wt. see pic. Home by 3:00, pool, gin & tonic cigar. Another tough day (sigh)

---------------><> Ron Whiteley

Capt. Pete Greenan - Boca Grande, Fl. - 5 May 2010
Warm water and a strong moon brought many more tarpon into the bays and estuaries this week. Snook have been consistent at night, but daytime catches were tough. Redfish still prowl the flats and seatrout have been excellent. Now the bad news; too much wind. However, the wind is letting off now and we should be in a more calm environment this week.

PHOTO: Redfish - Mike Arledge, Charlottesville, VA. - 27 inches

Mike Arledge, from Charlottesville, VA., fished the Bull Bay area several days and caught seatrout and redfish on Puglisi patterns. His father fished top-water one day with us and had an enjoyable time making the fish crash the lure. Robert Fischer, from St. Petersburg, caught seatrout to 23 inches near Turtle Bay on a similar Puglisi pattern.

Prognostication: Tarpon will be the target fish for the next several months. The Pine Island Sound area holds tarpon of all sizes right now. So, if you don't want to fight a 100 lb.+ fish on a 12 wt., you can still fish an 8 wt. for 40lb. fish. Snook are showing in several places along the beaches and they will be a great diversion from hunting tarpon all day. Keep an eye out for permit in the passes. Several have been taken already.

Fish Hard,
Capt. Pete Greenan
http://www.floridaflyfishing.com/

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 4/26 through 5/1/2010
Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout to 22” and scattered bluefish to 3-pounds on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay and catch and release snook to 24” in the ICW at night near Venice during the week of 4/26.

Jack Sinton and Dave Duerson, from Bend OR, caught and released more than 15 snook to 24” in the ICW at night near Venice on Monday night. They caught their fish on Grassett Snook Minnow flies fished on sink tip fly lines.

PHOTO: Randy Ruskey, from Peoria, IL, with a nice bluefish caught and released on a fly while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Randy Ruskey, from Peoria, IL, had steady action with trout to more than 2-pounds and bluefish to 3-pounds on Grassett Flats Bunny and Ultra Hair Clouser flies on Tuesday. We fished deep grass flats on the west side of the bay near Bishop Point. Ed Martin, from Shanty Bay, ON, Canada, and his son Mike, also from Canada, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. They had good action with trout to more than 3-pounds, bluefish and a nice flounder on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.

Kirk Grassett, from Middletown, DE, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. We caught and released trout, jacks and ladyfish on Clouser and Flats Bunny flies at Stephens and Bishops Point.

Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of next week as we get further away from the full moon. Fishing deep grass flats for trout and the ICW for snook at night should continue to be good options. Tarpon should start to show up along our beaches any day now.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassetts Andros South, Bahamas Fishing Report for 5/1-5/8
A group of 4 other anglers and I traveled to Andros South bonefish lodge on south Andros in the Bahamas on Saturday, May 1st for my annual trip. I have been planning, organizing and hosting groups of anglers on trips to various destinations for about 12 years and this was my 5th trip to Andros South lodge. We hit it just right this time as the weather was near perfect and the fishing was hot!

PHOTO: Jon Yenari, from Sarasota, FL, with a bonefish caught and released on a fly while fishing out of Andros South bonefish lodge.

Norm and Francie Boardman and Jon Yenari, all from Sarasota, FL, and my brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, all joined me for the trip. We had a great charter flight over and back on Watermakers Air out of Ft. Lauderdale. The Cessna Caravan left early and returned on time with no hassle at all. Once at the lodge, we settled in with hot hors’doerves and cold beverages. We anxiously rigged our tackle for our first day of bonefishing. There was another group of 4 anglers from Atlanta and New York at the lodge the first half of the week. Another solo angler, Craig Black from Jacksonville, FL, paired up with anglers in my group since we were an odd number. Kirk, Jon and I rotated fishing with each other and Craig during the week. John and Paul Gaynor, from the UK, arrived at the lodge on Wednesday. The camaraderie was great!

We caught and released lots of bonefish to more than 7-pounds with many fish in the 2 to 3-pound class. Hot flies were Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp and a Mantis Shrimp pattern. I also caught several bonefish on a bonefish version of my Grassett’s Flats Minnow (white Estaz body, tan fly fur wing and pink thread on a #4 hook). Eric Peterson, creator of the Peterson Spawning Shrimp, was also fishing on south Andros and stopped by the lodge to say hello and leave us with a few “originals”. Eric’s fly has become one of the top flies at Andros South. I can’t wait to try the new tarpon and redfish shrimp patterns that he gave me.

PHOTO: Capt. Rick Grassett with a bonefish caught on a fly out of Andros South lodge

I had a couple of great days with more than 20 bonefish up to 6-pounds, several very good days with 8 to 10 bonefish and only one slow day with a few fish. We waded a good bit of the time which allows both anglers to fish at the same time. Jon Yenari and I had a great day wading a large flat with a blue hole at one end with guide Norman. We caught mangrove snapper to 3-pounds out of the blue hole and hooked a large ‘cuda. With a falling tide, bonefish were leaving the flat and gave us several hours of action while standing in one spot. It was like a shooting gallery! Craig and I fished with guide Torrie on the last day and had a banner day. We did one of Torrie’s famous cross country wading trips and it was well worth the effort. We fished a land locked salt lake and had schools of bonefish bouncing back and forth between us providing nonstop action for several hours!

Norm and Francie also had good action fishing with several different guides. Francie used spinning tackle and was successful casting a jig while Norm had good success with a variety of flies. Their last day with guide Fredlon was the best with about 20 bonefish for the day! Kirk and Jon also both had some very good days with several days in “double digits”!

This was one of my best trips ever at Andros South. The weather and fishing were near perfect, although it was breezy at times. This is typical in the tropics and actually makes fish less spooky than on a calm day. This is a yearly trip for me and I plan to be there again during the first week of May in 2011. Look for more info on my web sites in coming months.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 4/10 through 4/25/2010
Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with snook, big trout, Spanish mackerel and scattered pompano and blues on CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Deadly Combos and flies during the past couple of weeks. The best action was with big trout on the flats and snook at night.

Fly anglers Pete Kazmier, from Lakeland, FL, and Tracy Baker, from Homestead, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Sat, 4/10. They caught and released numerous trout, including several large trout weighing 3, 3 ½ and 4 ¼ lbs, and several Spanish mackerel on Grassett Deep Flats Bunny and Ultra Hair Clouser flies. One of the big trout was sight-fished in skinny water.

Jack Sinton and Dave Duerson, from Bend, OR, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Mon, 4/12. They had steady action with trout, including several in the slot, and Spanish mackerel on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay on Clouser and Deep Flats Bunny flies.

PHOTO: Denis Clohisy, from Hudson, WI, with a nice snook caught and released at night on a Grassett Snook Minnow fly while fishing the ICW near Venice, FL with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Denis Clohisy, from Hudson, WI and Brian McInnis, from Sarasota, FL, fished with me the next 3 days. The best trip was when we fished the flats of Blackburn Bay at dusk on Tuesday evening. They caught and released 5 big trout from 2 ½ to 4 ¼-lbs on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. We moved to lighted docks after dark and the action was fast. They caught and released more than 20 snook to 26” on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. We also caught a nice trout and bluefish out of the lights.

After cancelling several night snook trips in Jan and Feb due to the freeze and subsequent extended cold weather, we were pleasantly surprised to find snook plentiful and feeding aggressively in the lights. We spent the next couple of days fishing both deep and shallow flats of Sarasota Bay where they had steady action with trout and scattered blues, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails and Clouser and Deep Flats Bunny flies.

Keith Peplinski, his wife, Becky and dad, Don, all from MI, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. They had fast action with trout to 3-pounds, blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano and a flounder on CAL jigs with shad tails at the Middleground flat, Stephens Point and near Long Bar. A 30-pound cobia swam up to the boat and gave us a shot, but it didn’t eat. Matt Murray and his son, RJ, from CT, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday morning. They caught numerous Spanish mackerel, blues and a 2-pound trout on CAL jigs with shad tails and Grassett Flats Bunny and Clouser flies at the Middleground flat and Bishops Point.

John Freedman and Dan Roach, from Venice, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 4/19. They had some action with trout along the east side of the bay on Flats Bunny and Clouser flies fished on intermediate and intermediate sink tip fly lines. Orvis’s Royal Oak, MI store fishing manager, Rich Merlino, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. We checked the coastal gulf off Siesta Key and found beautiful conditions but no action. However, we did find a few snook in the surf along Siesta and north Casey Key. We came back into Big Pass where we had fast action with blues and large ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies for a couple of hours. With the sea breeze up in the afternoon, we worked the west side of the bay near Bishop’s Point and caught and released trout and ladyfish on Flats Bunnies and a variety of other flies.

Long time friends and customers, Les and Kimball Beery, from North Port, FL and Estes Park, CO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. They had a great day with large trout on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. They caught a few blues and ladyfish in Big Pass to start the day, but the action wasn’t as fast as Tuesday. We moved to deep grass flats along the east side of Sarasota Bay where they had steady action with trout on CAL jigs with gold shad tails. The action got faster and fish got bigger throughout the day. They finished the day with several slot size trout and 6 trout over the slot. Kimball ended the day with a “gator” trout of over 4-pounds on a DOA Deadly Combo.

My son-in-law, Capt. Andy Cotton, and I fished Sarasota Bay together on Friday to scout for the 15th annual Sarasota CCA Photo All-Release Challenge fishing tournament. We caught several snook, trout to 4-pounds, Spanish mackerel and blues on Clouser and Flats Bunny flies and located some reds to come up with a plan for the next day. On Saturday we fished the tournament and although things didn’t go quite as planned, I won the Fly Fishing division with a snook and a trout. We had 15-20 mph SSE wind by 10 AM, which is straight up Sarasota Bay, causing very rough conditions! More than 120 anglers, in divisions for anglers, youth, fly and ladies fished the tournament. The event is low key and fun for the whole family and also raises money for CCA’s conservation efforts.

Next week’s tides are good as we head towards a full moon on Wednesday, although daytime flats fishing can sometimes be slow as a result. Fishing deep grass flats, snook at night and the coastal gulf for Spanish mackerel, cobia or tripletail should be good options. Keep your eyes open for the first tarpon of the season along the beaches.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Honeymooners get their first shot at Night Snook Fishing - April 15
I had the opportunity last Thursday night to show a young couple the great fishery we have for night snook fishing here in Sarasota.

Charlie and Courtney McCallister (pictured) were just married in Gainesville and spent their honeymoon at Sarasea Circle on Siesta Key. They love to freshwater fish around Gainesville, and after a few days of just "ok" fishing on Sarasota Bay thanks to a strong wind that just would not lay down, I decided to invite them to check out the night snook fishing after Captain Rick Grassett recently reported at our monthly club meeting that the snook had sprung back to life after the devastating freeze this past winter.

I've known and fished with Charlie's dad, Tony McCallister for 40 years (yikes, time flies!) and I was excited to show his son and new daughter-in-law how this fly fishing technique can really get your motor running.

We fished around Stickney Point bridge using a 9 wt. rod with intermediate sinking line and small white shrimp flies from Economy Tackle. We were lucky to have a strong outgoing tide and a dark moon. In just over 2 hours we brought 8 nice snook to the boat, with the largest at around 7 pounds, and that didn't count the couple that wore through the light fluorocarbon leader I use to entice more bites. Courtney showed some real fishing prowess in controlling the fish, and Charlie was able to cast, catch and land his first snook all by himself. Way to go guys!

It was great to see the smiles on Charlie's and Courtney's faces, but I am also smiling since it's obvious that our snook fishery has survived the extreme cold blast from just a few months ago.

Get out there and try this great fishery!
Greg Huffman

P. S. I went out again on Saturday night with my wife and found someone fishing in the same spot I had taken Charlie and Courtney. So I went to a nearby light in the neighborhood, caught two nice snook, and lost a couple when they spit the barbless hook. Oh well, I'm still
smiling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ron Whiteley Fishing Report - April 17th
Launched @ Placida @ 6:30 a.m.. Temp - 68 going to 83. East wind 5 to 10.

Worked Gasparilla Pass & picked up 1 slot snook, 1 trout about 22" a bluefish and 2 mackerel.

Checked the Gulf out to 2 miles.... no birds no fish busting.

Headed over to the back country when the crowds started to show up. Found lotsa nice snook, some reds and 4 trout around the mangroves. Had fun with the 6 wt. Looked for permit but clouds made visibility tough. got 2 sheephead blind casting a crab pattern.

Tarpon are around but not showing much. Gulf temp is about 70.

Back in at 1:30. nice day on the water!!!

---------><> Ron Whiteley

Boca Grande Report - 10 April 2010 By Capt. Pete Greenan
Early week fishing saw good weather, warm temperatures and a few active fish. Seatrout, Spanish mackerel, redfish, and snook all came to the flies and plugs.

More snook are appearing and seem to be ready to eat. Tarpon are beginning to show well enough to fish in the southern areas of my range. A few permit were seen on sand flats near the passes. Late week weather turned sour on Thursday with high winds creating dirty water. Thursday was almost a bust but we managed a few nice trout in about three hours.

David Rudnick caught redfish and seatrout last weekend on a new fly pattern I've developed. We took the fish near Sand Fly Key in Gasparilla Sound. His nephew, Chad, caught some very nice seatrout on a subsequent day.

Bryan Katchur, of Charleston, WV. and his son Michael fished top water plugs taking only 10 fish in six hours. However, every one was a large fish including redfish over 26 inches, snook to 25 inches, seatrout to 22 inches. Fishing big plugs eliminates the little fish and can be very rewarding.

Next week we will be fishing tarpon, snook and reds in Pine Island sound and the Bull & Turtle bay areas. We have six days until the new moon, so plan your trips now to take advantage of goodconditions.

Those of you coming for tarpon in May, June and July should probably make plans soon. Most days are filled already and we expect a good tarpon season.
Fish Hard,
Capt. Pete Greenan
2416 Parson Ln. - Sarasota, Fl. 34239 - Cell/Office - 941 232-2960
http://www.floridaflyfishing.com/ - email: captpete@floridaflyfishing.com
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Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 3/29 through 4/9/2010
Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout, Spanish mackerel and pompano during the past couple of weeks. The best action was on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Action improved as weather got better and water temperatures continued to warm.

Mark Torkos, from Jacksonville, FL, fished several days with me in Sarasota Bay during the week of 3/29. The best action was at Stephens Point, Bishops Point and near Buttonwood Harbor where he caught and released trout and Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with shad tails and Grassett Deep Flats Bunny flies. Greg Smith and his son, Alex, from the Detroit, MI area, fished the same areas with me on Friday morning of that week. They caught and released more than a dozen trout to 3-pounds on the same lures and flies. Don and Rose Johnson, from Indianapolis, IN, fished with me that afternoon. They also caught trout to 17” and ladyfish on jigs and flies.

PHOTO: Perry and Dirk Greene, from MI, with a nice Sarasota Bay trout caught and released on a Grassett Flats Bunny fly while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Dale Bluman, from PA and Art Dauria, from NY, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday morning, 4/3. They caught and released numerous trout and a Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with shad tails at Stephens Point, Bishops Point and near Bayshore Gardens.

Bill Beauchamp, from Bradenton, FL and Phil Belmore fished Sarasota Bay with me last Monday. They had fast action with trout to 3 1/2-pounds, Spanish mackerel to 7-pounds and pompano to 2-pounds on CAL jigs with shad tails at Stephens Point and along the west side of Sarasota Bay. The Spanish mackerel were some of the largest that I have ever caught. Fly anglers Perry Greene and his son, Dirk, from the Detroit, MI area, had also fast action with trout and Spanish mackerel on Grassett Deep Flats Bunny flies and Ultra Hair Clousers at Stephens Point, Bishops Point and near Buttonwood Harbor.

Pierre Fortier and Alexandre Brassard, both from Quebec, Canada fished the same areas with me on Wednesday. They had similar action with trout, Spanish mackerel and pompano on Grassett Deep Flats Bunnies and CAL jigs with shad tails. Sarasota winter resident Nick Reding and I waded several flats in north Sarasota Bay on Thursday. Reds have been tough on lures and flies lately, but Nick did get one to eat a chartreuse Clouser fly.

Fishing in skinny water for reds and snook and in the coastal gulf for Spanish and king mackerel, cobia and more should improve as the water continues to warm. Action should continue to be good on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

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Fishing Report April 7th - Ron Whiteley
Been a good week for fishing so far. Finally temps in the mid 80's and east winds. Gulf is clearing up nicely and we found acres of bait fish 1 to 2 miles out, with mackerel, blue runners and little tunny in the mix.

Have been catching snook, reds, trout, ladyfish, pinfish, jacks, lizardfish, mackerel, etc in the back country. got 2 permit in front today and saw some 4 foot cudas on the flats.

Tarpon are around and should get active when the water temps are up a little from the current 70. Got to cast the 12 wt at some big cudas today.

-----------------------><> Ron Whiteley

Steve Gibson's April 3rd Fishing Rport
Action exploded this week as the weather turned beautiful. I had a number of trips and we were successful each time out.

On Tuesday, I had Jason Beary of Warren, Pa., out for a half-day. We fished Palma Sola Bay in Bradenton. Wind made it difficult, but we were able to tuck behind some mangroves and cast flies to spotted seatrout. I found these trout about a month ago and knew they would hit on the outgoing tide. Jason caught a half dozen slot trout on my Big Eye Baitfish Fly. Largest fish went 20 inches and all trout were in the slot.

On Wednesday, I had Todd Dawson and his son, Matt, 14, of Bradenton. Since the win was predicted to blow out of the northwest, I chose the west side of Sarasota Bay. We launched at Buttonwood Harbor and paddled south to a deep grass flat just north of Harborside Moorings. Using D.O.A. CAL Jigs with gold paddle tail and gold shad tails, we caught and released 57 spotted seatrout to 4 pounds. Action was steady. In addition, we caught flounder and a number of ladyfish.

On Thursday, I had Jason Beary for another half-day outing. Wind was out of the east, so we launched at Stephens Point on Sarasota Bay. When we arrived, the bay was very calm. We paddled out and immediately started catching fish. On the day, Jason caught and released a load of pompano, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, ladyfish and spotted seatrout. All were taken on 6-weight fly rod and my Big Eye Baitfish Fly. One mackerel went 4 pounds. The pompano went up to 3 ½ pounds.

On Friday, it was Brian Bourdages of Traverse City, Mich. We had originally scheduled his all-day outing on Monday, but weather forced us to reschedule on Friday. Good decision. Brian had a blast on his second saltwater fly-fishing outing and he caught a good number of fish.
Pompano, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish and spotted seatrout put on a good show. Brian landed pompano to 3 pounds, Spanish mackerel to 2, seatrout to nearly 5 and a load of ladyfish. Only bluefish eluded his Big Eye Baitfish Fly. We fished the deep grass off Stephens Point in Sarasota Bay.

This action should last for at last another couple of weeks. It’s the spot to fish on an east wind.

I’m updating my fleet of kayaks. I think I’m going to add a couple of Native Watercraft Manta Ray 14s. They’re great looking boats that will be perfect on those days when the conditions call for it.