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Sarasota and Venice
Capt. Rick Grassett
February 29, 2004
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 2/22 through 2/29/2004
Mack attack! Spanish mackerel invaded the inshore waters of Sarasota Bay and lower Tampa Bay last week. In addition, anglers caught scattered bluefish, trout and large ladyfish in the same areas. Night snook fishing continues to be hot as fly anglers scored in the Venice area.
Fly anglers, Dick Reece from Dayton, OH, and Gene Leverone, from Lynnfield, MA, fished lower Tampa Bay with me on Monday near Terra Ceia Bay. Spanish mackerel were thick and readily attacked their flies. They caught more than 30 mackerel to 2-pounds on a mackerel fly that I tie on a long shank hook, which keeps their teeth off the leader. We poled a couple of shorelines in Terra Ceia Bay and saw lots of reds, but they were so spooky you couldn’t get near them.
Radio host, Capt. Mel Berman from Tampa, FL, and Tom Cheek, the voice of the Toronto Blue Jays, joined me for a Sarasota Bay trip on Tuesday. The Spanish mackerel were almost as thick in Sarasota Bay as they were in lower Tampa Bay. They caught more than 15 mackerel, several bluefish, trout and ladyfish on CAL jigs with grubs and DOA shrimp. We caught most of the fish at the Radio Tower and Middleground flats of Sarasota Bay.
A front moved through on Wednesday morning and we were greeted with heavy rain, lightning and 20 mph winds forcing the cancellation of my morning trip. We tried to get the afternoon trip in, but after about an hour the rain set back in and lightning began to pop, so we bagged it. We caught and released numerous Spanish mackerel, bluefish and large ladyfish on CAL jigs with grubs on only 2 or 3 drifts at the Radio Tower flat in Sarasota Bay.
Fly angler, Dave Wahl from Sterling, IL, fished the same area with me on Thursday morning. The weather was beautiful, since the rain had passed, and the high pressure hadn’t settled in yet. Dave caught and released 15 or 20 Spanish mackerel to 2-pounds, bluefish, ladyfish and trout on my mackerel flies and Clousers. Great action! That evening, Dick Reece and Jim Van Tassel, both from Dayton, OH, joined me for a snook trip in the ICW near Venice. Snook were feeding heavily, but they were being selective. They caught and released more than 25 snook to 23” on a variety of flies. We found that after catching several snook on a particular pattern we had to change patterns or spots to keep catching. They scored with Grassett’s Grass Minnow, String Bean and Enrico Puglisi shrimp fly patterns.
The cool air and wind following Wednesdays rain finally settled in on Friday morning. I had a Sarasota Bay trip with fly anglers, Carl Copp from Dennis, MA, and Arnold Mendelsohn, from Simsbury, CT. We had hoped to get in on the Spanish mackerel action that was hot just a day before, but 20 mph northwest winds and air temperatures that struggled to make 60 degrees, but never made it, put a damper on our trip. The mission became to find a place that was comfortable to fish. We headed south to Roberts Bay where they caught and released several ladyfish and trout on black/white Clouser flies.
Steve Marsden, from Waunakee, WI, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday morning. The forecast was for 15 to 20 mph wind and cool air, but conditions were better than the forecast. The wind was light and it warmed to 70 degrees for a comfortable morning of fishing. Steve caught and released more than 20 large ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. We hunted reds in shallow water and found a few, but they didn’t want to bite due to the drastic drop in the water temperature.
Next weeks tides are favorable for reds and trout on the flats, particularly toward the end of the week, when negative low tides will concentrate them in holes. Spanish mackerel should return as soon as the water warms back up a few degrees.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail [email protected]
www.snookfin-addict.com and www.flyfishingflorida.net
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