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 and Spanish mackerel in Sarasota Bay, trout and redfish in Gasparilla Sound, snook and blues in the ICW near Venice and tripletail in the coastal gulf off Sarasota on lures and flies during the past couple of weeks.
Sarasota winter resident Tom Lamb and John Freeman, Jr. from Osprey, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Monday, 12/17. They caught and released trout to 18", including several slot sized trout, and a couple of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.
Bill Rhodes, from Hernando Beach, FL, fished the ICW near Venice with me on Tuesday night, 12/18. He caught and released 7 or 8 snook to 26" and a couple of blues to 5-pounds on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. We fished the coastal gulf on Wednesday, 12/19, where he caught and released a couple of tripletail on shrimp fly patterns and had numerous other shots at tripletail. Great sight casting opportunities!
A strong front moved through on Thursday evening and with the wind at 35 mph out of the northwest on Friday morning, 12/21, so we rescheduled that trip. Ryan Franco and his dad, Ned Franco, both from Atlanta, GA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Christmas Eve day, 12/24. With the water temperature 6 or 7 degrees cooler following the front and a slow tide in the afternoon, I wasn't sure what to expect. However they had steady action with Spanish mackerel and trout, including several slot size fish, on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.
Another strong front pushed through early on Wednesday, 12/26, followed by 20-mph winds, so we didn't fish that day. Glenn Elia, from Milford, CT, and his son, Greg, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Thursday, 12/27. They caught and released trout to 19" and had numerous shots at reds in shallow water with flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.
Andy Berman, from the Chicago area and his son, Scott, fished Sarasota Bay with me on an instructional fly fishing trip on Friday, 12/28. We covered the basic fly cast and shooting line and they did well enough to catch and release a few trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies at the Middleground flat and Stephens Point.
You should find trout, Spanish mackerel, bluefish and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Shallow water fishing for reds and big trout should also be good next week as we head away from a full moon. Look for them in potholes and on the edges of bars when the tide is low or higher on shallow grass flats at the top of the tide. Catch and release snook fishing in the ICW at night should also be a good option.
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
