Rick Grassett

I was away from Nov 8-15, hosting a group of fly anglers at Mars Bay Bonefish Lodge in South Andros, Bahamas so I don't have a Sarasota report for that time frame. An angler 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 catching and releasing snook at night in the ICW near Venice on flies during the past week.

Bill Todd, from MA, fished several trips with me. We fished the ICW near Venice on Wednesday evening and it was on fire! With the water temperature in the mid 60's that evening and a strong tide, snook went on a glass minnow binge. He had fast action catching and releasing snook to 25" on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.

He also caught and released a few trout on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly fished on a sink tip fly line over deep grass in north Sarasota Bay. We hunted albies and tripletail in the coastal gulf and reds in skinny water, but conditions were tough with clouds, wind and cold water. Water temperature plummeted to 57 degrees in the shallows by Friday morning, a drop of more than 10 degrees over a few days.

Capt. Ed Hurst and I were the instructors for an Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing School at CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Saturday. We had a large, enthusiastic class of students eager to learn to fly fish, which makes it a lot of fun. In addition to fly casting, students learned leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. Contact CB's Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 or info@cbsoutfitters.com to make reservations for future classes.

Night snook fishing in the ICW is a good option now. Fish peak tidal flows for the best action. Trout, blues, flounder and more should also be good options on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Look for reds and big trout mixed with mullet schools on shallow flats. Tripletail and false albacore in the coastal gulf should also be a good option depending on conditions. Look for tripletail on crab trap buoys and search for bait schools, diving birds or breaking fish to find albies.

Tight Lines,

Capt. Rick Grassett

IFFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor

Orvis- Endorsed Outfitter Guide

CB's Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year

Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.

(941) 923-7799

E-mail snookfin@aol.com

www.snookfin-addict.com

Fish Species: snook and trout
Bait Used: Grassett Snook Minnow fly
Tackle Used: fly
Method Used: fly fishing
Water Depth: 5'-10'
Water Temperature: 65
Wind Direction:
Wind Speed:
Bill Todd, from MA, caught and released this snook on a Grassett Snook Minnow fly while fishing the ICW at night near Venice, FL.
Bill Todd, from MA, caught and released this snook on a Grassett Snook Minnow fly while fishing the ICW at night near Venice, FL.


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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