Fly anglers fishing the coastal gulf in Sarasota with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had great action with tarpon during the past couple of weeks. We had numerous shots each day, jumping 9 tarpon and catching and releasing 3 during the week of 7/21. In addition, spin fishing anglers caught and released snook, blues, trout and mangrove snapper on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos in Sarasota Bay recently.
Mike Roth, from PA, tarpon fished a few days early in the week of 7/21 with me. With many factors it often takes numerous shots for it all to come together. He got the shots and it all came together for him when conditions changed and he jumped 2 tarpon on back to back casts. He fought one of the fish for 20 to 30-minutes before it chewed through the 80-pound bite tippet with the fish close to the boat. Persistence pays off!
My brother, Kirk Grassett, from Middletown, DE, visited and fished a few days with me later that week. We had good action with numerous shots each day, hooking up with 7 tarpon and catching and releasing 3, including an estimated 130 to 140-pound fish. One of the fish was DNA sampled and measured before being successfully released. Great action!
Tarpon thinned out in the coastal gulf during the week of 7/28, but anglers still had a dozen or more shots per trip at fish on several trips early in the week. Another tarpon, an estimated 90-pound fish, was caught and released on a fly on Friday, 8/1.
Tom Harmer, from Sarasota, FL and his son, Derek Harmer from Orlando, FL, fished a predawn trip in Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday, 7/31. They caught and released 7 or 8 snook to 24" around lighted docks before moving to the flats at dawn. They also caught and released trout, blues and mangrove snapper on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos on deep grass flats on both sides of the bay.
Tarpon are thinning out in the coastal gulf but they are aggressive. Most are singles, doubles or small schools, which are post spawn fish that are hungry. As they thin out in the coastal gulf, they are moving to inside areas where you may find them rolling at first light. You also should find trout, blues and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Catch and release snook fishing should be good in the surf, in passes and around docks and bridges close to passes.
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
