Capt. Rick Grassett's Fishing Report for 8/13 through 8/17/2007
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released tarpon, snook, trout, bluefish and ladyfish on jigs and flies during the past several days. Tarpon have moved into Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound. The best action was with snook before dawn and a variety of fish on deep grass flats.
Scott Swango and his 11-year old son, Seth, both from Springfield, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. They caught and released 4 snook to 26" on Grassett's Grass Minnow flies and Cal jigs with shad tails while fishing Siesta Key docks before dawn. We fished deep grass flats along Longboat Key on the west side of Sarasota Bay and caught and released a variety of fish including trout and bluefish.
John Hall, from IL, and his guest Jim, from Sarasota, fished the same area with me on Wednesday. They connected with several snook before dawn on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Tiny TerrorEyz and caught and released a mixed bag of trout, bluefish and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.
The next day Steve Stallard and his fiancée, Elizabeth Parrish, both from MI, and Fred Parrish, from Land O'Lakes, FL, also fished the same area with me. We found the snook plentiful but finicky. Steve caught and released a snook on my Grass Minnow fly before we moved to Big Pass at dawn where tarpon were rolling. Fred hooked a 70-pound tarpon on a DOA Baitbuster and after numerous jumps and a 45 minute battle landed the fish. We moved to deep grass flats near Bishops Point where they ended the day with a mix of trout, bluefish and ladyfish on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails.
On Friday, Harry Davis from Dalton, GA, and Fen Sartorius, from NM, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me. We started off strong, catching and releasing more than a dozen snook to 24" on my Grass Minnow snook fly while fishing docks along Little Gasparilla Island. We found a few tarpon in Gasparilla Sound but they were too widely scattered for us to have a chance at them with a fly so we moved on. We also found reds to be elusive that day but caught a few trout along the way with Clouser and my Flats Minnow flies.
Tarpon fishing should improve as they move into Charlotte Harbor and other bays to feed. Look for diving birds and schools of ladyfish to locate them. You might also find them rolling in deep bays when it is calm. Reds will begin schooling on shallow flats from lower Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor. One of the best options will continue to be fly fishing for snook before dawn.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com
