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 reds, trout, blues and a permit in Sarasota Bay and Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf on flies and lures during the past couple of weeks. Action has been good with big Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf and with bay water cooling down, big trout have moved into shallow water.
I was co-chairman and also participated in the 8th annual "Fall Fly Fishing Challenge" on Sun, 10/28. The tournament was rescheduled from the previous day (Sat) due to the approach of Hurricane Sandy. Despite winds up to 25 mph on Sunday, some good catches were recorded including several slams. A couple of trips had to be rescheduled due to cool, very windy conditions following a strong front behind the passing hurricane.
Winds were down when fly anglers Jon Yenari and Kyle Ruffing, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Weds, 10/31. They caught and released trout, including one over 4-pounds, on my Grassett Flats Minnow, glass minnow and several other fly patterns along the east side of the bay. They also had numerous shots at big trout and reds with flies in shallow water later in the day.
Bill Moore, from Libertyville, IL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday, 11/1. He caught and released trout on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos on the west side of Sarasota Bay. We were pleasantly surprised when Bill caught and released a permit on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing a deep grass flat for trout.
I attended a Federation of Fly Fishers continuing education class for fly casting instructors in Ruskin on Fri, 11/2. The class, taught by several Master Certified Casting Instructors and Casting Board of Governors members, covered a variety of topics and teaching techniques. Sharing teaching techniques and styles is a great way to stay sharp and become a better teacher.
Fly angler Frank Zaffino, from Rochester, NY, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Sat, 11/3. We checked the coastal gulf and found lots of birds and bait, but no mackerel or false albacore (little tunny). We moved back into Sarasota bay where Frank caught and released trout and a couple of nice bluefish that each took him into his backing on Clouser flies along the west side of the bay. He also had shots at big trout and reds in shallow water.
John Weir, from Atlanta, GA, and his brother, Jeff Weir from Estero, FL, fished the coastal gulf and Sarasota Bay with me on Mon afternoon, 11/5. They had good action in the coastal gulf with Spanish mackerel to 4-pounds on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and top water plugs. John caught and released his first fish on a fly in saltwater-a nice mackerel! We also fished shallow water in north Sarasota Bay where they caught and released trout and a nice red on a CAL jig with a grub.
Another front moved through on Tues morning, 11/6, cooling things down and dropping water temperatures by a few degrees. Mike McAdaragh, from Longboat Key, FL and Frank Wright, from Lakewood Ranch, FL, fished the coastal gulf with me on Tuesday morning just ahead of the front. They had good action with Spanish mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and top water plugs before the squall line pushed through. We took cover for a short while, but found the gulf rough after the front passed through. However, we headed into Sarasota Bay where they caught and released trout and a bluefish to 4-pounds on DOA Deadly Combos, Mirrodines and my Grassett Flats Bunny fly along the west side of the bay.
Although it was windy following the front, action with reds in shallow water improved. With a NW breeze on Weds morning, 11/7, fishing the gulf wasn't an option when Ron Cordes, from Englewood, FL, fished with me. We fished the east side of Sarasota Bay where he caught and released numerous trout on Clouser flies. We also spent a lot of time fishing shallow water where Ron caught and released his first red on an Enrico Puglisi fly. With trout and a red under our belt, we fished docks with sink tip fly lines and my Flats Bunny fly where Ron caught and released a small snook to complete his slam!
Dick and Carol Dunn, from Ft. Collins, CO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thurs morning, 11/8. They had steady action with trout on CAL jigs with shad tails. Tim Graham, from Nokomis, FL, and Dale Vollrath, from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Fri morning, 11/9. They had good action with reds in shallow water on the east side of the bay, catching 3 reds to 25" and a few trout to 18" on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Shallow water fishing for reds and trout should continue to improve as it gets cooler. Catch and release snook fishing with jigs and flies around lighted docks at night in the ICW should also be a good option. Fishing for false albacore, Spanish mackerel, tripletail and more in the coastal gulf should resume when sea conditions improve.
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
