Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout and ladyfish on jigs and flies during the past couple of weeks. The best action was on deep grass flats of Gasparilla Sound, Little Sarasota Bay and Sarasota Bay.
Martin Marlowe, from NY and his son, Bruce, from RI, fished Little Sarasota Bay near Midnight Pass with me on Weds, 2/24 and had steady action with trout to 18" and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails. Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL and Jack McCulloch, from Englewood, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound with me the following day. We found water temperatures in the low 50's in skinny water, however it didn't bother trout. They caught more than a dozen trout to 18", with most of them in the slot, on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Weather conditions were poor the following week. We had 20 to 30 mph winds on Weds and Thurs, 3/3 and 3/4 which forced me to reschedule trips on those days. I was on the casting pond giving a seminar on "Saltwater Fly Fishing" at the Tampa Tribune's Frank Sergeant Outdoors Expo on Friday afternoon and Capt. Ed Hurst and I were instructors for a CB's Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Saturday.
I was back on the water on Sunday, 3/7 with Dave Kinnamon and Jim Russ, both from WI. We fished deep grass flats in Gasparilla Sound and near Bull Bay, and caught more than 25 trout to 17" on CAL jigs with shad tails. The action was slow to start but turned on in the afternoon. Ryan Morse, from VA, and his dad, Eric Morse, fished the same area with me on Monday. They had similar results with trout to 21" on CAL jigs with shad tails and Clouser flies.
Martin Marlowe, from NY, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday afternoon. He caught and released a dozen or more trout and a couple of blues on Clouser flies near Buttonwood Harbor. We found lots of reds near Long Bar, but they ignored our flies and jigs. Harry Beaty, from Canada, and Tom Schalk, from MI, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. They had steady action with trout to 20" on CAL jigs with shad tails, including 4 slot-size fish. Mike Sprague, from NJ, fished a few hours with me on Thursday morning before high winds, associated with an approaching front, forced us off the water. He caught and released more than 20 trout and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails near Stephens Point.
Next week's tides are good as we approach the new moon on March 15th. Water temperatures have finally warmed to about 60 degrees, so action should continue to improve. The best action should be with trout on deep grass flats, although reds should also become more active as the water warms.
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
