Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action catching and releasing snook, redfish, trout and bluefish on DOA Lures, top water plugs and flies in Sarasota Bay during the past couple of weeks.
Fly angler Rob Merritt, from Springfield, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 9/15. We fished lighted docks before dawn and it paid off when Rob caught and released several snook to 24" and a 28" red on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. We worked bait schools on deep flats on the east side of the bay after daylight where he caught and released trout and a couple more snook on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly. He finished with a bang when he caught and released a mullet on the same fly while we worked a mullet school looking for reds. Not only did he score a slam with a fly, he also caught one of only 3 or 4 mullet caught in the mouth with a lure or fly on my boat in more than 30 years of fishing here!
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, fished with me on Wednesday, 9/17. With heavy rain and a strong west wind most of the day, due to a front passing through, fishing was challenging. We fished skinny water from the mouth of the Manatee River to north Sarasota Bay where he caught and released trout and a snook on CAL jigs with shad tails and a top water plug. Saturday's trip was rescheduled due to rain and thunderstorms.
We fished deep grass flats on the east side of Sarasota Bay on a trip on Sun, 9/21 and caught and released numerous trout and a bluefish on CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Deadly Combos and top water plugs.
Since it's the right time of year for action in the coastal gulf to turn on, Capt. Andy Cotton and I scouted that area in his Action Craft Coastal Bay boat on Friday, 9/26. It paid off when we found several schools of Spanish mackerel and false albacore (little tunny) feeding on the surface and Andy caught and released a nice albie on a CAL jig with 4" jerk worm. This action should get better over the next couple of months. One of my favorite things to do in the fall!
Look for Spanish mackerel and false albacore in the coastal gulf. Trout, blues, mangrove snapper and more should be good options on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Look for bait schools, diving birds or breaking fish to find them. You may find reds schooling on edges of bars or shallow grass flats when the tide is low. Snook fishing should be good around lighted docks and bridges at night or on shallow flats early in the day. You might also find reds and trout along with snook on lighted docks this time of year.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
IFFF 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.snookfin-addict.com
