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Sarasota and Venice
Capt. Rick Grassett
February 1, 2004
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Sarasota, FL Fishing Report for 1/25 through 2/1/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict experienced fast action during the past week with redfish and trout. Trout were consistent throughout the week, but reds were better early in the week. CAL jigs, Clouser flies and a new bendback fly that I’ve been tying accounted for most of the fish. We found the largest trout and reds on the edges of bars. Most of the anglers that fished with me during the past week are old friends and longtime clients that have fished with me for years.
Mike Sprague, from Hillsborough, NJ, and Kep Phillips, from Harrison, NJ, fished north Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. With a front approaching, we found reds scattered along the edge of a bar and hungry. They caught and released 6 reds to 24” and an 18” trout near Bishop Point on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms. At one point, they doubled with a pair of nice reds. A good day!
A front blew in early Tuesday morning with lots of rain and wind, so we postponed the morning trip. The wind was still up at more than 20 mph by evening, so we bagged that trip, a fly fishing trip for snook, too.
Norm and Francie Boardman, from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. Although the action was a little slow to start, they finished the day strong. We fished the east side of Sarasota Bay north of the Ringling mansion early in the day and connected with a pair of reds, one on a CAL jig and one on an olive bendback fly. Since the action wasn’t fast in that area, we moved to the west side of the bay after lunch. They caught and released about 25 trout to 18”on CAL jigs and a chartreuse/white Clouser fly near Buttonwood Harbor during the afternoon. Although many of the trout have been below the slot, we are getting a few trout in the 2-pound plus class.
Pat and Patricia Campbell, from Toronto, OH, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday morning. The water temperature had cooled to the high 50’s following the front earlier in the week, so fish were behaving sluggishly. They caught about a dozen trout to 19” (including 3 slot-size fish) and a flounder on CAL jigs and Clouser flies near Bowlees Creek and Buttonwood Harbor. Fly angler, Vince Lyons and his wife, Lois, from Atlanta, GA, fished the afternoon with me. A steady drizzle made fishing uncomfortable, but we got most of our trip in. They caught and released 6 or 8 trout to 18” on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails near Bishop Point before we called it a day.
Tom Lamb, from Geneva, Switzerland, was joined by his daughter, Diane, and Tim Cole, from Sarasota for a trip with me on Saturday morning. We found the water still in the high 50’s and the wind had a bite to it. Despite that, they caught about 25 trout to 20” and a pair of small bluefish. Most of the trout were small, but 3 were in the slot between 17” and 20”. The best action was near Whale Key on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms.
A couple of sunny days should get the water temperature back in the 60’s and the air temperature back in the 70’s. Fishing should be good next week, since negative low tides will concentrate fish in potholes and along the edges of flats.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
www.flyfishingflorida.net
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