Rick Grassett

Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had action with tarpon, snook and trout during the past couple of weeks. A persistent west wind has forced us to fish in areas other than the coastal gulf. Although we spent some time fishing bridges and passes for large tarpon, the best tarpon action was with juvenile tarpon from 10 to 35-pounds in canals. Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay with me had good action with snook before dawn and trout on deep grass flats.

Tuesday was blown out so fly angler Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL, bumped back to Wednesday due to a cancellation that day. Since Hal was fishing the Sarasota Sportfishing Anglers Club All-Release tarpon tournament, big tarpon were our target. He already has a good one entered in the fly fishing division of the tournament and was hoping to upgrade, but it wasn't in the cards that day. We fished shallow water near the mouth of the Manatee River and only had a few shots.

Dan Bryant and his young son, Adam, both from NJ, fished with me on Friday and Saturday. We drifted big Pass early each day and had no bites. They jumped a pair of fish in the 10 to 20-pound class in a basin with live pinfish, but we couldn't get it going with the larger fish.

Craig Notari and his son, James, both from IL, tarpon fished with me on Monday. We targeted large tarpon early and moved to the flats later in the morning due to no tarpon action. James tried his hand at fly fishing and did well, catching and releasing several trout to 18" on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly. Double hauling can be challenging for beginners, but James grasped the concept and was successfully double hauling before the end of our trip.

I was blown out of tarpon fishing a couple of more days on Tuesday and Wednesday, but was back on the water on Thursday morning with Clark Keator, from Orlando, FL. We fished lighted docks along Siesta Key before dawn and caught and released 6 or 7 snook to 6-pounds on my Grassett's Snook Minnow fly. Mark Torkos and sons, Evan and Ross, from Jacksonville, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday morning. They had fast action near Buttonwood Harbor with trout to 3-pounds on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails.

When the wind decides to switch back to the east and allows us to fish the coastal gulf, we should have some great tarpon action remaining during the month of July. Although tarpon schools will be smaller and will require different fishing techniques, they usually feed better after they have finished spawning.

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

Fish Species: Snook & trout
Bait Used:
Tackle Used:
Method Used:
Water Depth:
Water Temperature:
Wind Direction:
Wind Speed:
Evan Torkos's Sarasota Bay Deadly Combo trout caught with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Evan Torkos's Sarasota Bay Deadly Combo trout caught with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Clark Keator's Sarasota Bay fly snook caught with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Clark Keator's Sarasota Bay fly snook caught with Capt. Rick Grassett.


Do you want to leave a comment? Login or register now to leave a comment.


No comments so far

Rick Grassett

About The Author: Captain Rick Grassett

Company: Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.

Area Reporting: Soutwest Florida

Bio: Capt. Rick Grassett, owner of Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc., is a full time fishing guide and outdoor writer based in Sarasota, FL. He has been guiding since 1990 and is an Orvis Endorsed Outfitter fly fishing guide at CB's Saltwater Outfitters in Sarasota. Specializing in fishing with flies and lures on light spinning tackle, Capt. Rick fishes the bays, back country and coastal gulf waters from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor in his 18' Action Craft flats boat. He is a Federation of Fly Fishers certified fly casting instructor. Destination fishing trips are another specialty of Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service. Capt. Rick has lead groups of fly anglers to remote fishing locations around the world. Crane Meadow Lodge, MT, Los Roques, Venezuela, Andros Island Bonefish Club and Bonefish Bay Club in the Bahamas are several destinations where he has hosted groups in the past. Capt. Rick is a field editor for Saltwater Angler magazine and a monthly columnist for the Tampa Tribune. He has written articles for The Fisherman magazine and Orvis News. In addition to writing for these publications, he has been featured in articles in Florida Sportsman, Sportfishing, The Fisherman and Fly Fishing in Saltwater magazines. Capt. rick's web site, www.snookfin-addict.com features weekly fishing reports, current photos and and monthly fishing forecasts. He also maintains a second website that is specific to fly fishing and fly casting instruction, www.flyfishingflorida.net.

941-923-7799
Click Here For Past Fishing Reports by Captain Rick Grassett