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 Spanish mackerel, blues and trout in Sarasota Bay, trout and bluefish in Gasparilla Sound and trout, flounder and redfish in the Terra Ceia Bay area on CAL jigs with shad tails and top water plugs during the past couple of weeks. Some of the best action was with snook at night on flies in the ICW near Venice.
Marshall Dinerman, from Atlanta, GA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday morning, 1/6. With an approaching front and a west wind, he had good action with Spanish mackerel to more than 4-pounds and trout on CAL jigs with shad tails and top water plugs fishing deep grass flats near Whale Key. An awesome looking front with frigid air and wind, but not much rain, pushed through about 11 AM and seas went to 4' in the bay very fast.
The next couple of days were cold and windy, so I didn't fish. Since water temperatures dipped into the high 50's at night in inshore waters, I postponed a night snook fly fishing trip until the water warmed back up. Keith McClintock and Victor Feldman, both from IL, made up their trip from earlier in the week when they fished Gasparilla Sound near Boca Grande with me on Friday, 1/10. They had good action with numerous trout to 18" and blues to 3-pounds on CAL jigs with shad tails. The majority of trout were fat, healthy fish in the slot. I also spotted a smalltooth sawfish swimming on top of a sandbar in 2' of water. I wasn't able to get a photo but got a very good, close look at the fish-the 2nd one I've ever seen!
I had an instructional fly fishing trip in Sarasota Bay on Saturday morning, 1/11. With an upcoming bonefish trip planned to Andros Island, Bahamas, the anglers wanted to hone their saltwater fly fishing skills. We worked on accuracy, line management, saltwater speed casting and dealing with wind, all important aspects of bonefishing.
Keith McClintock and Victor Feldman, both from IL, fished the area from Palma Sola Bay to Terra Ceia Bay with me on Monday, 1/13. They caught and released numerous trout, a couple of flounder and a red on CAL jigs with shad tails, fishing potholes in the morning and shallow grass flats in the afternoon.
Dean Fields, from IN, snook fished with me in the ICW near Venice on Tuesday night, 1/14. A front passed through that day and we had a cool northwest wind that evening but snook were aggressive. Dean caught and released more than 20 snook and several jacks, ladyfish and trout on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. Despite an incoming tide that was slowed by the northwest wind, the snook bite was steady.
Cold air pushed in by a strong NW wind caused us to cancel Thursdays' fly fishing trip. A full moon, high pressure and a sharp drop in water temperature made for some tough conditions. However, by Friday, 1/17 when Marshall Dinerman, his son Michael Dinerman and son-in-law, Alex Medeiros, from Atlanta, GA, fished Sarasota Bay with me, it was sunny and had warmed into the mid 60's. We fished the west side of the bay and despite water in the high 50's, we were pleasantly surprised to find Spanish mackerel feeding on the surface. They caught and released numerous Spanish mackerel to 4-pounds, blues to 2-pounds and a couple of trout on DOA Deadly Combos and top water plugs.
I was the instructor for a CB's Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing School on Saturday, 1/18. Students learned the basic fly cast, shooting line and roll casting. Topics covered also included leader construction, knots and saltwater fly fishing techniques. The next school will be on Feb 15. Cost for the one day school, which runs from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM, is $150 and includes the use of premium Orvis fly tackle, a textbook and lunch. Contact CB's Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up.
Fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay for trout, Spanish mackerel, blues and more should continue to be a good option. Catch and released night snook action in the ICW should also be good option next week as long as water temperatures remain in the 60's.
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.snookfin-addict.com
