Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released false albacore, tripletail and Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf on flies, CAL jigs with shad tails and top water plugs, flounder, black sea bass and jack crevalle on CAL jigs with shad tails in Sarasota Bay and snook, reds and bluefish on flies, CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails and floating/diving plugs in Charlotte Harbor during the past couple of weeks.
I was the guest speaker with "Reel Animals" TV show and radio host, Capt. Mike Anderson, for a "fishing conversation" at Gator Ford in Tampa on Tuesday evening, 11/10. It was great to speak to an enthusiastic crowd about fly and lure fishing. The guests asked lots of great questions which made the 2-hours go by quickly.
Mike Santangelo, from Naples, FL, fished the coastal gulf with me on Wednesday, 11/11. Conditions were good with good sunlight and a gentle swell and fish cooperated. Mike is an IFFF certified fly casting instructor and a great caster. Since false albacore and mackerel were up and down fast, it is important to deliver a quick cast with minimal false casting and Mike did well, catching and releasing several false albacore and Spanish mackerel on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly and tripletail on a shrimp fly pattern.
Tom Lamb, from Geneva, Switzerland and Sarasota and Roy Glah, also from Sarasota, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. 11/12. Since I was away the previous week, bonefishing in the Bahamas, I was surprised that red tide was present in the bay. However, due to its nature it is patchy and usually doesn't affect an entire area. The cleanest water we found was at the Middleground Flat, just inside of New Pass, where they caught flounder, black sea bass and jack crevalle on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Anna Maria Island winter resident, Bill Morrison and Sarasota winter resident, Gary Marple, returned for the winter/spring season and fished the coastal gulf in Sarasota with me on Friday, 11/13. It was rougher than anticipated, making it tough to get on the fast moving Spanish mackerel. However, they had a few with mackerel and tripletail and Bill caught and released his first tripletail on a fly!
Bill Todd, from MA, fished the coastal gulf in Sarasota with me on Monday and Wednesday, 11/16 & 18 and caught and released false albacore, Spanish mackerel and tripletail on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly, a shrimp fly pattern and top water plugs. Aledia Tush, owner of CB's Saltwater Outfitters and CB's fly shop manager, Tim Palmer, fished the same areas with me on Tuesday, 11/17. They had good action with Spanish mackerel and tripletail on flies, CAL jigs with shad tails and top water plugs. Weed guards are important on lures and flies when targeting tripletail to avoid snagging crab trap lines. Aledia caught and released her first tripletail on a weedless-rigged CAL shad tail and Tim scored his first one on a shrimp fly pattern!
Jon Yenari and Kyle Ruffing, both from Sarasota, fished Gasparilla Sound and Charlotte Harbor with me on Friday. 11/20. We fished mangrove shorelines in backcountry areas when the tide was high and waded shallow sand bars at the bottom of the tide. They had good action catching and releasing 7 or 8 snook, several reds and bluefish on my Grassett Flats Minnow and EP flies, floating/diving plugs and CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails.
Capt. Ed Hurst and I were the instructors for a CB's Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Saturday, 11/21. The course, designed for beginning and intermediate fly casters, focused on basics but also worked with intermediate casters on correcting faults and improving casting skills. The next class is scheduled for Jan 16, 2016. Contact CB's Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 or info@cbsoutfitters.com to make reservations.
Action with tripletail, false albacore and Spanish mackerel should be a good option now in the coastal gulf when conditions allow it. Snook fishing around lighted docks and bridges with flies and DOA Lures should also be a good option. Look for reds, snook and big trout mixed with mullet schools on shallow flats and edges of bars in backcountry areas of Charlotte Harbor and lower Tampa Bay.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
IFFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide at CB's Saltwater Outfitters
Orvis Outfitter of the Year-2011
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
www.snookfin-addict.com, www.snookfinaddict.com and www.flyfishingflorida.us
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
(941) 923-7799