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Sarasota and Venice
Capt. Rick Grassett
October 17, 2004
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Southwest FL Fishing Report for 10/4 through 10/17/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action with reds, snook, trout, Spanish mackerel and bluefish during the past couple of weeks. In addition, a couple of tarpon were jumped. The coastal gulf waters were very active the week of 10/3 with lots of breaking Spanish mackerel, bluefish and ladyfish. Blacktip sharks also moved into the frenzy. The mackerel and bluefish moved into the bay the following week and action heated up on the flats with reds, snook and trout.
My sister, Michelle Mumford, and my nephew and niece, Eli and Hannah Mumford, all from Dagsboro, DE, visited for a few days the week of 10/3. We fished the coastal gulf waters off New Pass on Monday and had non-stop action with large Spanish mackerel, bluefish and ladyfish on jigs. The highlight of the day was when a 60-pound blacktip shark ate a bluefish next to the boat and was landed by Michelle after a 20-minute battle.
Fly angler, Bill King from Osprey, FL, got in on the action on Wednesday with large ladyfish and bluefish on Crease flies off Lido Key. Nick Milburn, from Sarasota, FL, and Dave Pietrangelo, from Firestone, CO, fished a couple of days with me and had good action on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with trout.
John Leverage, from Seaford, DE and J.C. Leverage, from Curry Beach, NC, fished a couple of days with me last weekend. We tarpon fished in the canal system of Port Charlotte, where John jumped a pair of tarpon in the 15 to 20-pound class on a DOA TerrorEyz. The following day, we fished Sarasota Bay where J.C. had a slam. They finished the day with 3 reds, a snook and several trout caught on CAL jigs. Doug McMillin, from Emory, TX, and a friend fished in a group along with us with Capt. Ed Hurst. They had a great day with 6 or 7 reds and several snook.
Outdoor writer, Keith Kaufman, and his 2 sons, Cody and Ross, all from Willow Street, PA, also fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday and Tuesday last week. We had fast action on Monday catching and releasing 7 or 8 reds, 3 or 4 snook and numerous trout on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails in north Sarasota Bay. On Tuesday, we focused on deep grass flats where they caught and released numerous Spanish mackerel, bluefish, trout and ladyfish on jigs and flies. Cody caught and released several nice mackerel and bluefish on flies-his first saltwater fish on a fly rod!
Sarasota Sportfishing Anglers Club president, Terry Argue, from Bradenton, FL and club vice president, Jim Gillespie, from Sarasota, FL, fished north Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. They had a great day catching 3 reds, a snook and several trout on CAL jigs with shad tails. Terry had a huge snook on near the end of our trip that made a couple of nice runs and jumped several times before the hook pulled close to the boat. Terry was the successful bidder on my trip at the club’s annual awards banquet this year.
Fly anglers, Brice Belyea, from Canada and a couple of friends, Dave and Bill, joined me to fish Sarasota Bay on Thursday and Friday. It was their first time fly fishing in saltwater and they did well. We caught and released numerous trout, ladyfish and bluefish on Clouser flies on Thursday. Some of the blues were as large as 4-pounds, which is a big bluefish for our waters. On Friday, the wind cranked up to 15 to 20-mph as a front approached. They caught and released numerous trout and ladyfish on jigs before a squall line ahead of the front chased us off the water.
The Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers hosted the Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club on Saturday to fish Sarasota Bay. We had a great outing with perfect weather, good fishing and a nice BBQ meal at the end of the day. Capt. Frank Rhoades and Capt. Bryon Chamberlin, both members of the Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club, joined Capt. Andy Cotton, from Sarasota, FL and me on my boat to fish north Sarasota Bay. It was slow to start, but got good before we were done. We waded a flat and cast bendbacks and Clousers into potholes and worked mullet schools. Frank had a pair of reds to 27” and several trout, Bryon had several trout and a pair of snook, Andy had a 24” snook, a nice flounder and several trout and I had a pair of reds, 3 trout and a nice flounder. A total of about 40 fly anglers from both clubs participated in the outing. There were some other noteworthy catches, including one angler catching and releasing 6 reds to 30”. A great day!
The weather is perfect now and the coastal gulf waters should explode with action over the next several weeks. Next weeks tides will be good for reds and snook on the flats at midday and snook at night.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail [email protected]
www.flyfishingflorida.net
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