Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel and blues in Sarasota Bay, trout, reds and a pompano in the Terra Ceia Bay area and trout, blues and reds in Gasparilla Sound on lures and flies during the past couple of weeks.
Martin Marlowe, from NY, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 1/28. We fished the west side of the bay from the Middleground flat to Buttonwood Harbor where he caught and released trout and several bluefish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on a sink tip fly line. Bill and Sally Wester, from Cincinnati, OH, fished the same areas with me on Tuesday, 1/29. They also caught trout and blues but on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Keith McClintock and Hal D'Orazio, both from IL, fished the Terra Ceia Bay area with me on Wednesday, 1/30. With a strong front approaching, we had high winds that day so it was challenging. They had good action in the afternoon catching trout, several reds and a 4-pound pompano on CAL jigs with shad tails.
I did a presentation on Winter Tide Tactics at the Florida Sportsman Expo at the Lee County Civic Center in Ft Myers on Saturday and Sunday, Feb 2 and 3. I also spent some time at the DOA Fishing Lures booth. DOA's hottest new bait is the Airhead, a wide profile plastic bait with an amazing wiggle!
Nick Reding, from Longboat Key, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 2/4. I poled several shallow flats and bars hunting reds and trout on both sides of the bay. After locating some nice trout in skinny water, we waded and caught and released a couple of trout to 22" on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly.
Minnesotans Mike and Jackie McGlennen, owners of Bill's Fish Camp in Bradenton Beach, FL, fished the Middleground flat and Stephens Point in Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday, 2/5. They used fly and spin tackle and caught Spanish mackerel and blues on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. Bill's Fish Camp is a historic 1939 fishing camp on an unbelievable waterfront location, renovated for vacation getaways. A very unique place to stay with a lot of character!
Bill Moore, from IL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday, 2/7. He had steady action with trout, Spanish mackerel and blues at the Middleground flats, Stephens Point and Bishop Point on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Keith McClintock, Dan DiCaro and Chuck Hempfling, all from IL, fished Gasparilla Sound near Boca Grande with me on Friday, 2/8. Although there were some signs of red tide close to Gasparilla Pass, fishing was good. They had some sight casting opportunities for reds, snook and big trout on a shallow sand bar. They caught numerous trout to 22", including 8 or 10 in the slot, several blues to 3-pounds and 3 reds to 23" on CAL jigs with shad tails in several different areas.
I did a presentation on Saltwater Fly Fishing at CB's Saltwater Outfitters Fly Fishing Day on Saturday, 2/9. They also had fly casting instruction, a fly tying demonstration and a fly casting competition. The newest products from Orvis, TFO and Lamson fly tackle were displayed and demonstrated. I will be the instructor for their Orvis-Endorsed fly casting schools CB's on Feb 16, Mar 16 and Apr 13. Cost is $150 for the course and includes a textbook, lunch and the use of premium Orvis fly tackle. Contact CB's Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up.
Action should be good next week as we head away from a new moon. Look for reds around docks, in potholes and on the edges of bars when the tide is low or on shallow flats on sunny afternoons when the tide is high. You should find trout, Spanish mackerel, blues, pompano and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF 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.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com
