Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, for the past couple of weeks had good action with trout and bluefish. In addition, we're still catching a few pompano and large Spanish mackerel made an appearance in Sarasota Bay the last couple of days.
A strong cold front pushed through early in the week of Feb. 1st. We had a couple of near freezes in our area, but no damage was done to the fishery. It was 34 degrees on Thursday morning, so Orvis Regional Business Manager Robert Bryant and I decided to wait until about 10 AM to start our trip. Due to a strong north wind, we fished Little Sarasota Bay, which offered some protection from the elements. Despite tough conditions we caught and released numerous ladyfish and 3 or 4 trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on intermediate and Depth Charge fly lines. We found the fish right in the ICW channel near old Midnight Pass.
The next day Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and his cousin, Jack McCulloch from Englewood, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me. We caught some very nice trout, including a couple over the slot, around spoil islands and sand bars in Gasparilla Sound on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms. Keith also fished Sarasota Bay with me and his guest, Bill Garrett from Naples, FL, on Wednesday, Feb. 11th. They had steady action with trout and a few blues on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms near Buttonwood Harbor.
Sarasota winter residents, Harry Beaty and Tom Schalk, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. The action was a little slow in the morning with a few trout and blues on CAL jigs. The action picked up in the afternoon when Carter Fox, from VA and his 3 guests fished with Capt. Roy String and me. The group caught numerous trout, including 8 slot-size trout, bluefish and a pompano on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos near Buttonwood Harbor.
Fly anglers, Marshall Dinerman from Atlanta, GA, Josh Fine from CT, and Brian Green and Keith Lindberg, from Canada, fished with me on three different trips on Thursday and Friday. They caught trout, blues, pompano and big Spanish mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on intermediate and intermediate sink tip fly lines. Marshall caught a pompano and several trout on Thursday morning.
Josh had an excellent trip with numerous nice trout, Spanish mackerel and blues near Buttonwood Harbor and Long Bar on Thursday afternoon. We were surprised when big Spanish mackerel showed up in a heavy sea fog (less than 100' visibility) that stayed with us all day. We caught a couple and got cut off once and at one point were catching a trout on every cast. Brian and Keith had good action with trout on Friday. They also caught a pair of big Spanish mackerel first thing in the morning at Stephens Point.
Next week's tides will improve towards the end of the week when we'll have negative lows early in the morning. Reds, trout and snook in potholes should be a good option as well as tailing reds on shallow grass flats of Gasparilla Sound. Trout, blues, pompano and Spanish mackerel on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay should also be a good option and has been providing the fastest action. Also, look for mackerel in the coastal gulf when conditions are good. There is still space available in CB's Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Feb. 28th. I will be the instructor for the course, but you'll need to contact CB's Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up. Cost for the school, which runs from 9 AM to 3 PM, is $150 and includes the use of premium Orvis fly tackle, a textbook, an instructional DVD and lunch.
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
