Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action during the past couple of weeks. Fly and spin anglers caught and released trout, reds, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, little tunny and cobia. We had good action in both the coastal gulf and on the flats.
Kim and Christy Killingsworth and their three sons, Jonathon, Christopher and Michael, from Nebraska, fished Sarasota Bay with Capt. Kelly Stilwell and me on Tuesday, October 23rd. They caught a variety of fish including trout, Spanish mackerel, and bluefish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. We worked deep grass flats on the east and west sides of Sarasota Bay. Some of the most productive areas were Stephens Point on the east side and near Buttonwood Harbor on the west side.
Fly anglers Hugh Smith and John O'Kell, both from the UK, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, October 26. They had steady action with trout and bluefish fishing deep grass flats along the east side of Sarasota Bay. They fished Ultra Hair Clouser flies on intermediate and intermediate sink tip fly lines.
The next day I fished the 3rd annual Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers/Coastal Conservation Association-Florida 'Fall Fly Fishing Challenge' held out of Ken Thompson Park in Sarasota. MCFF members Bob Parker, Pat Beckwith, my son-in-law Capt. Andy Cotton and I waded the Long Bar area of Sarasota Bay. We caught and released 7 or 8 reds and numerous trout on Clouser and my Flats Minnow flies. Although conditions were poor (it rained a good bit of the morning), fishing was good. A lot of fish were caught in the tournament, including 4 slams (snook, redfish and trout). The tournament is becoming one of the premier fly fishing tournaments in the state, attracting 40 fly anglers that competed in a catch-photo-release format.
The following Wednesday, Brian and Joanne Shenstone, from Gross Pointe Woods, MI fished with me. With TS Noel to our south and a high pressure system to our north, the wind had been howling out of the east for several days. However, the gulf was flat due to the direction of the wind so we decided to take a shot at the Spanish mackerel and little tunny that had been plentiful in the gulf. Brian caught and released 8 big Spanish mackerel, most larger than 3-pounds, and a 32' cobia on Clouser flies. Although we didn't connect with any little tunny, the cobia was the bonus. I was using a drift anchor to slow our drift so we could fly fish more effectively, when a pair of cobia followed the drift anchor to the boat as I hauled it in at the end of a drift. Brian was able to make a short cast, from the bow to the stern of the boat, where the cobia were holding under my outboard, and catch one of the fish!
The next day Tony and Mary Ann Soltys, from Connecticut and Alaska, fished Charlotte Harbor with me. Wind was still an issue, but we were able to find some protected areas to fly fish in the lee of islands in Gasparilla Sound and Bull Bay. Tony connected with a pair of reds and some trout on a Clouser and my Flats Minnow fly. As an added bonus, we ran into a school of breaking jacks as we headed in to eat lunch at The Fishery restaurant and they caught and released about a half dozen 1-pound jacks on a 3-weight fly rod! Not big fish, but great action on light fly tackle.
Sarasota winter residents, Tom Lamb and Jack Miller, fished with me on Friday. We spent a couple of hours fishing the coastal gulf, but the wind had shifted to the north and it was sloppy. Tom caught and released a nice little tunny on a plug before we decided to head for the bay. They caught and released several trout and a variety of other fish on CAL jigs with shad and jerk worm tails and DOA Deadly Combos fishing flats near Big Pass.
A front moved through our area on Friday afternoon and brought with it the first fall weather of the season. After the weather stabilizes following the front, the action in the coastal gulf and on the flats should get even 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
