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Sarasota and Venice
Capt. Rick Grassett
April 4, 2004
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Sarasota & Venice, FL Fishing Report from 3/28 through 4/4/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action during the past week with trout on the flats and snook at night. In addition, we caught scattered Spanish mackerel, bluefish and ladyfish. The best action was fly fishing for snook at night toward the end of the week as we headed toward the full moon.
Sarasota winter residents, Ernie Gray and Roger Lalonde, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday morning. The action was steady with trout and ladyfish on deep grass flats. They caught and released numerous trout to 17” on CAL jigs with shad tails and Cotee jigs with grubs, including a pair of slot-size fish, at the Radio Tower flat, Bishops Point and near Whale Key.
The action improved on Tuesday as Sarasota winter residents, Harry Beaty and Tom Schalk, joined me for a Sarasota Bay trip. We fished the same areas as on Monday, but the action was faster. They caught numerous trout to 21”, including 6 slot-size fish, a pair of bluefish to 2 ½ -pounds and a 26” Spanish mackerel that weighed more than 5-pounds.
Fly angler, Lew Murray from MI, fished Terra Ceia Bay with me on Wednesday. Lew is an experienced fly angler and covered the water thoroughly. He cast to numerous reds and snook with a variety of flies, but they didn’t want to eat. Since Lew has caught plenty of fish on deep grass flats in the past, we focused on reds and snook for the entire trip.
Wayne Dedyne, from St. Johns, MI, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday morning. A front pushed through the night before and the wind was strong out of the northwest. We fished south of the Ringling Causeway and down into Roberts Bay, to get some protection from the wind. Wayne caught and released numerous trout, ladyfish, a jack and a flounder on CAL jigs with shad tails and Cotee jigs with grubs. Wayne also caught his first saltwater fish with a fly, a trout, in Roberts Bay.
That evening, Jim Hutchins and his son, Scott, both from Sarasota, FL joined me for an evening snook trip in Venice. The wind was persistent, but they managed to catch and release 8 snook to 22” on Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies. They had several other strikes and a couple of break offs, so the action wasn’t bad.
On Friday afternoon, Tim Kortejarvi and Charlie Gless, both from the St. Petersburg, FL area, joined me for a session of fly casting instruction followed by an evening snook trip. Charlie had some fly fishing experience, but Tim had never fly fished before. They both did well with the instruction and we headed for the water just before dusk. The wind was persistent at more than 15 mph and was gusting over 20 mph, so I knew we had our work cut out for us. Fortunately, the snook bit well and Tim and Charlie cast as well from the boat as they had on land. They caught and released about 30 snook to 22” on Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies. A great trip!
Next week’s tides are favorable for reds, snook and trout on the flats. In addition, cobia, Spanish mackerel and pompano could show up in the coastal gulf and inshore waters. Keep your eyes open for tarpon and be prepared for them. I saw the first tarpon of the season on Tuesday in Sarasota Bay. The 80-pound fish was “laid up” on the edge of a bar in 2-feet of water.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
www.flyfishingflorida.net
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