Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had some shots at tarpon and caught and released one on a fly and also had great action with tarpon on spinning tackle with live bait in the coastal gulf during the past couple of weeks. In addition to jumping and landing numerous tarpon, we also caught and released a couple of sharks and a huge king mackerel!
Clark Keator, from Orlando, FL, tarpon fished in the coastal gulf with me on Sunday and Monday, 5/19 and 20. Conditions were good and he had several shots at tarpon with a fly each day. Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL, and Andrea Lutz, from Atlanta, GA, tarpon fished with me on Tuesday and Thursday, 5/21 and 23. We fished deep water with spinning tackle early each day and fly fished later in the day when visibility was best. Hal caught and released an estimated 70-pounder on a fly on Tuesday. Often young male tarpon are more ornery than larger fish and this one was no different. However, after a cool bite and a hard fight with lots of jumps, he brought the fish to the boat!
We had a shot at a cobia estimated at 60 to 70-pounds with a fly on Wednesday, 5/21. The fish was so big and light colored from being on a sand bottom that we thought it was a tarpon when we first spotted the fish. Jon Yenari, from Sarasota, FL, fished with me on Friday, 5/23. A front pushed through on Thursday and the wind switched to the northwest on Friday, roughing up the coastal gulf waters. We were able to fish the coastal gulf for tarpon for a few hours on Friday morning and had a couple of shots at a big school of tarpon with a fly. We moved into Sarasota Bay later in the day where Jon caught and released a nice bluefish on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly near Buttonwood Harbor.
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, Steven Liska from Flanders, NJ, Dave Kinnamon from Milwaukee, WI and Dan Kinnamon from Miami, FL tarpon fished with me and Capt. Jack Hartman from Tues, 5/28 through Fri, 5/31. Keith and Steven fished on my boat every day except for Friday when Jack McCulloch, from Englewood, FL, fished with Keith and me. They jumped a total of 7 tarpon, landing 4 of them and had the others on for a good battle on live crabs, pinfish, grunts and threadfins. Despite tough conditions with winds gusting above 20-mph out of the east/southeast a couple of days, they had great action every day.
In addition to several tarpon, Steven caught and released a 15-pound lemon shark one day and a kingfish that was more than 30-pounds another day (it bottomed out my 30-pound Bogagrip scale). Jack landed his first tarpon and fought a 50 to 60-pound shark for about 20 minutes before it bit through his 80-pound leader with the fish close to the boat. All tarpon that were landed were successfully measured and DNA sampled and ranged in weight from 75 to 125-pounds.
Dave and Dan had great action with Capt. Jack jumping and landing numerous tarpon, the largest of which was estimated at 150-pounds, on live crabs and a variety of baitfish. They also caught and released a few sharks, including a 25-pound blacktip.
Tarpon fishing in the coastal gulf should be good next week as we approach a new moon. Look for reds and big trout in shallow water in Sarasota Bay early in the day. Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW from Sarasota to Venice or in the surf 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
