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Sarasota and Venice
Capt. Rick Grassett
May 1, 2004
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Sarasota & Terra Ceia Bay Fishing Report for 4/25 through 5/1/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict caught trout, redfish and snook during the past week. The best action was with trout early in the week. A front on Tuesday slowed the action and a couple of windy days following the front limited where we were able to fish. By the end of the week, fishing improved as winds subsided and the flats warmed.
Charlie Alexander, from Osprey, FL, and his companion, Linda, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. The best action was with trout near Bishop’s Point. Charlie and Linda caught more than a dozen trout, including 5 slot-size trout to 20”, on DOA shrimp.
A front passed through on Tuesday morning, forcing a late start to allow a squall line to clear us. Dick Pears, from Sarasota, FL, and John Pike, from Deltona, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me with a goal of snook or reds. We fished hard without much success, but they did manage one red on a CAL jig and lost another red or snook on a DOA Deadly Combo. It was equally tough in the afternoon, as Dick and Lee Ann Leverone from York, ME, joined me for a trip. Dick and his dad, Gene, had been blown out of a trip a couple of weeks before and this was Dick’s last chance to get out before heading home to Maine. Dick caught and released several trout on Clouser and Deceiver flies at the Radio Tower flat and on a flat near Big Pass, but we couldn’t raise a red or a snook with a fly.
Fly angler, Lon Susack from Pittsburgh, PA, joined me for a trip on Thursday. A strong east wind made fishing difficult and limited where we could fish. We fished the east side of Sarasota Bay looking for reds and snook and came up empty. We did catch and release a couple of trout, a ladyfish and a Spanish mackerel on a chartreuse over white Clouser fly at Stephen’s Point and north of the Ringling flats.
The action improved on Friday as Bill Beauchamp, from Bradenton, FL, and Gerhard Sigel, from Frankfurt, Germany, joined me for a trip in the Terra Ceia Bay area. We caught and released 5 snook to 24” on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails. We also caught and released a few trout and a flounder. Bill will be traveling to Andros Island, Bahamas in late May to fly fish for bonefish as the lucky winner of a trip with a group of fly anglers from the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers. I spent some time with Bill schooling him on what to expect and how to fly fish for bones from the bow of a flats skiff.
Next week’s tides will be favorable for reds and snook on the flats, particularly the strong outgoing afternoon tides toward the end of the week. Remember that snook season is now closed during May, so handle them gently. Tarpon fishing will take off any day now, so be prepared.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
www.flyfishingflorida.net
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