Conditions were good for tarpon fishing late in the week of 7/22. However early that week we had lots of cloud cover, saw only a few tarpon and didn't have any good shots at all. By the end of the week, tarpon became more plentiful and returned to their normal patterns. The action continued into the week of 7/29. Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay and the coastal Gulf of Mexico off Sarasota with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook and redfish on top water plugs, snook and trout on flies, jumped 5 tarpon and landed 1 on flies.
Late in the season, tarpon fishing can be inconsistent, with them being plentiful and aggressive one day and disappearing the next. However if tarpon is your goal, persistence will often pay off. My brother Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, and our friend Nick Delle Donne, from Lancaster, PA, fished with me Thursday through Saturday, 7/26-7/28. We decided to hedge our bet and do some bay fishing in Sarasota Bay a couple of days since tarpon had been thin early in the week. We caught and released trout to 17" on Ultra Hair Clouser flies, a snook and a red on surface walking top water plugs near Buttonwood Harbor. The best action in shallow water is early in the day this time of year for trout, reds, etc, so we spent a few hours fishing the bay from first light in the morning until about 9:30 AM before tarpon fishing. With a very high tide, casting top water plugs and fly poppers and Gurglers is a good way to locate fish.
We were pleasantly surprised on Thursday, 7/26 when we checked the gulf and found tarpon plentiful and aggressive that day. Although it was rough in the coastal gulf, visibility was good. Kirk was first to hook up. His catch was one the more memorable ever on my boat. With his tarpon almost whipped and alongside the boat, the fish surged hard and ripped the 12-weight fly rod out of his hands. Kirk dropped to his knees in an attempt to save the rod as it skipped off the deck of the boat and became airborne. Without hesitation, Kirk dove in and came up with the rod held high over his head. He passed the rod to me and I helped haul him back in the boat with my free hand.
With Kirk back on the bow, he got the fish to the boat again only to have the tip section of the 12-weight fly rod come apart and slide down the leader to the tarpon's head. We were afraid that the fish may break off and take the tip section of the rod with him, but Kirk again worked the fish back to the boat so that I was able to grab the leader, retrieve the tip section and reattach it. After a 30-minute battle the tarpon, estimated at 100-pounds, was DNA sampled, measured and successfully released. What a catch!
We jumped another tarpon a fly on Thursday and had the fish close to the boat after about a 20 minute battle. We had numerous up close jumps before the hook pulled loose. We had plenty of shots at tarpon Friday, 7/27, but they were not very interested. We had fewer shots on Saturday, 7/28 but they were more aggressive and we hooked another tarpon.
Tarpon action continued into the next week when Dean Hanneman, from Sarasota, FL, fished the coastal gulf off Sarasota for tarpon with me on Monday, 7/30. It was rough, but visibility was good. We had a dozen or more shots at tarpon with a fly and jumped 2, which were each on for about 15-minutes and numerous jumps. He also had another bite on a fly that day. This time of year tarpon fishing can be inconsistent. We waited for more than 4-hours before tarpon started to move and then we had fast action for a couple of hours. If you've got the patience to wait them out it may be worth it.
Nick Coote and his son, George, from the UK, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday morning, 7/31. They caught and released a few trout near Buttonwood Harbor on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. We tried to tarpon fish later in the morning but it was just too rough to fish in the coastal gulf. Wednesday's tarpon trip was also cancelled due to rough water.
Conditions were better in the coastal gulf on Thursday, 8/2. We opted for a late start for tarpon since the majority of fish that we saw and had shots at earlier in the week, came later in the day. The pattern held up as we didn't see many fish at first and then had a push of fish resulting in a dozen or so shots with a fly, and 1 fish jumped. We had a couple of other awesome bites! We don't hook every fish that bites, but its fun watching them try to eat.
Fly anglers Doug Burns, from Sarasota, FL and Dan Bolin, from TX, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday morning. 8/3. With a good outgoing tide we worked lighted docks on Siesta Key before daylight and had good action with snook and trout. They caught and released 8 snook and a half dozen trout on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. They also caught and released trout and jacks on Ultra Hair Clouser flies near Buttonwood Harbor.
Tarpon fishing should continue next week as we head away from a full moon. As tarpon thin out along beaches, they will move to inside waters where you may find them rolling early in the day. Spin anglers may score with a ½-ounce DOA shrimp or Baitbuster. Catch and release snook before dawn and then moving to the flats for trout and reds in Sarasota Bay should also be good options.
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
