Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout and bluefish in Sarasota Bay during the past couple of weeks. In addition, tarpon are still available in the inshore Gulf of Mexico off Sarasota. Fly anglers had numerous shots at tarpon, several bites and jumped a couple, although sea and sunlight conditions weren't good.
Visibility was poor and the wind blew from the west most of the week of July 14 slowing tarpon action. We spent portions of each day fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Anglers fishing with me caught trout to 21", bluefish to 3-pounds and mangrove snapper on flies, CAL jigs and DOA Deadly Combos. We spent the early part of each day fishing the flats and shifted to the coastal gulf for tarpon by mid morning when the sunlight was the best. Fly anglers Al Cuneo, from Ellenton, and his friend Buzz, from NJ, fished with me on Thursday. They caught and released trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies along the west side of Sarasota Bay near Bishops Point. Newlyweds Dave and Erin Fetco, from KY, fished with me on Friday and caught and released numerous trout and bluefish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and DOA Deadly Combos.
Conditions improved the following week, but only for a day. Fly anglers jumped a pair of tarpon on Monday, one on a chartreuse Toad and another on a floating Enrico Puglisi fly. Another boat fishing nearby also jumped a tarpon on an Enrico Puglisi fly. We were surprised to find the gulf very rough on Tuesday morning due to Hurricane Dolly churning the gulf all the way from Texas. We fished the bay the rest of the week taking a look for tarpon each day. Fly anglers Mike Delaney, from WA, and his brother Bob Delaney, from NY fished with me on Wednesday. They had steady action with trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and Enrico Puglisi flies along the west side of Sarasota Bay. Sea conditions were still rough through Friday, but visibility improved drastically.
Fly angler Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL, fished the coastal gulf off Sarasota with me a few days last week. On Friday we counted about 50 tarpon, mostly singles, doubles and a few triples-not bad for the end of July. He got shots at about a third of them, had several follows and a bite on a chartreuse Toad fly. Conditions were even better on Saturday, but we only saw about a dozen tarpon. However, we got shots at most of them, had a couple of follows and another bite also on a chartreuse Toad fly. We made sure we were off the water in time to attend the Sarasota Sportfishing Anglers Club Tarpon tournament awards banquet that evening. Hal was the winner of the fly fishing division with a fish that he caught while fishing with me earlier in the season. Hal is a dedicated tarpon fly angler and works hard to be successful. Congratulations, Hal!
Although tarpon fishing can be inconsistent in the gulf in late July, it can also be fantastic. It is always worth spending some time to see what's happening. I always say, you don't know unless you go. Fishing the flats for trout, bluefish, reds and more early in the day and snook in the surf or around lighted docks and bridge fenders should also be good options the next couple of weeks.
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
