Capt. Rick Grassett's Fishing Report for 2/19 through 3/11/2007
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, have had good action during the past several weeks with trout. We also caught reds, snook, bluefish, pompano and Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails and flies. The best action has been with trout in Gasparilla Sound and the backcountry of Bull and Turtle Bays.
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, fished a couple of days with me the week of 2/18. Tom Frahm, from MN, joined him on one of the trips and Bill Garrett, from Naples, FL fished with us the other day. They had fast action with trout to more than 20" and several reds on CAL jigs with shad and curly tails. Dick Reece, from Dayton, OH, and his grandson, Daniel Rheinhart, from MA, also fished with me that week. They caught more than 40 trout to 18" and a pair of reds, also with CAL jigs.
Fly angler John Cronley, from Long Island, NY and his daughters Jenny and Kelly, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me that week and had fast catch and release action with large ladyfish and trout on CAL jigs and Clouser flies.
Fly angler Marshall Dinerman and his son, Mike, both from Atlanta, GA, fished the same area with me the week of 2/25. They caught and released ladyfish, trout and a pompano on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails and Clouser flies. Bill Moore, from the Chicago area, fished Terra Ceia Bay with me the same week and had fast action with trout to 20", ladyfish, bluefish and a snook. Fly angler Herb Ramerman, from Cleveland, OH, also fished that area with me. The trout action slowed but he made up for it with lots large ladyfish caught and released with Clouser flies fished on a sink-tip fly line.
Fly anglers Nick Reding and Jim Ewoldt, both from St. Louis, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday of the week of 3/4. We were on a redfish mission and we found some along the east side of Sarasota Bay. We waded after we'd located some reds and Nick connected with one on a Clouser fly in a pothole. Bernard Caussignac traveled all the way from Paris, France to visit friends in Sarasota and try his hand at saltwater fly fishing. We fished Gasparilla Sound where he did very well with trout to 22" on an Estaz Marabou fly. Sarasota winter residents, Harry Beaty and Tom Schalk, fished the same area with me later that week and caught more than 40 trout to over 20" on CAL jigs with shad tails.
My brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, visited for a few days at the end of the week. We fished Charlotte Harbor a couple of days and Terra Ceia Bay another day. We had great action with large trout to 21" caught with crab Clouser flies (olive, tan and white with gold flash). The fly, which has the colors of a blue crab, was popularized in the Chesapeake Bay for striped bass. We also caught and released bluefish, Spanish mackerel, pompano, ladyfish and a red. The best action was in Gasparilla Sound and the backcountry of Bull and Turtle Bays, but Terra Ceia Bay also fished well for trout.
Next week should be favorable for trout on the flats of Gasparilla Sound and Terra Ceia Bay as we continue in a mild weather pattern. Reds have been tough with jigs and flies, although we're catching a few. In addition, Spanish mackerel, cobia and little tunny may also show up in force at any time. In case you're wondering why you haven't seen my fishing report lately, I've had some computer problems but I'm getting back on track now. I'll be speaking at noon next Saturday and Sunday, March 17 and 18, at the Florida Sportsman show in Sarasota at the Sarasota Convention Center (old Sam's club). I'll be speaking on tarpon fishing and what's currently happening with our flats fishing. I will also be instructing an Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school at CB's Saltwater Outfitters on March 24th. You can contact me at snookfin@aol.com for more info on either event. Hope to see you there.
Sincerely,
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
