Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor during the past couple of weeks 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, bluefish, flounder and pompano on jigs and flies. Action was better later in the day due to cool water.
Nick Reding, from Longboat Key, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 1/9. We waded several bars in north Sarasota Bay and Nick caught and released 3 reds and several trout on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly. Longboat Key winter resident, Pat Decastro, fished Sarasota Bay and the coastal gulf with me on Tuesday, 1/10. We spent a couple of hours hunting false albacore (little tunny) and tripletail in the coastal gulf. Despite good conditions and water temperature of 69 degrees we didn't find anything. We fished several deep grass flats in Sarasota Bay and Pat caught a few trout up to 18" but the action was slow.
Wednesday was windy as a front blew through, but it didn't change conditions drastically on Thursday. Keith McClintock and Victor Feldman, from IL, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Thursday, 1/12, and had a good day. They caught 4 reds up to 4-pounds, a 3 ½-pound pompano and numerous trout on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails and DOA Deadly Combos.
Action slowed a little in Sarasota Bay last week as water temperatures dropped into the low 60's. A high school classmate from Seaford DE, Allen Handy and his wife, Jessye, drove up from Naples to fish Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 1/16. We fished the east side of the bay from Stephens Point to the Marina Jack flat where they caught and released trout to 18" on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. Marshall Dinerman and his friend, Neil, from Atlanta, GA, fished the Middleground and Radio Tower Flats in Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday afternoon, 1/17. They caught and released trout to 18", including 4 slot size fish, on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Tom Lamb, from Geneva, Switzerland and John Freeman, from Venice, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound with me on Wednesday, 1/18. They caught and released trout to 18", bluefish and a pair of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails. Following a front on Wednesday evening, Dave Wahl and his brother-in-law, Don McKenna, from Sterling, IL fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday, 1/19. We fished the east side of the bay from Stephens Point to Long Bar and they had steady action with trout and a 3-pound plus pompano on CAL jigs with shad tails and my Grassett Flats Bunny fly. Dave caught and released the last fish of the day, a 4-pound plus gator trout out of a pothole on my Flats Minnow fly. It was fun to watch the big trout eat in the clear, shallow water!
Nick Reding, from Longboat Key, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, 1/20. We waded several bars in north Sarasota Bay and action was slow. Although we didn't see many mullet that day which is often the key to finding reds, he did catch and release a red and a trout on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly. Pete Pedersen, from MA, visited his dad Norm Pedersen in Sarasota and fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday morning. They caught trout, pompano, flounder and blues on CAL jigs with grub and shad tails. The best action was at the Middleground flat.
Next week's negative low tides in the morning should concentrate reds and trout in potholes. In addition to trout, look for pompano, blues and Spanish mackerel on deep grass flats and in passes of Sarasota Bay. Afternoons may fish better than mornings due to cool water.
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
