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Sarasota and Venice
Capt. Rick Grassett
December 11, 2004
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Sarasota & Charlotte Harbor, FL Fishing Report for 12/5 through 12/11/2004
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action during the past week on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with bluefish and catch and release trout. The shallow grass flats of Charlotte Harbor also provided lots of catch and release action with reds and trout later in the week.
Last Sunday, I fished with my friends Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, and Capt. Bryon Chamberlin, from Tampa, FL, in upper Tampa Bay. Cobia on a fly was our target and although we had a couple of shots, we didn’t connect. Conditions were ideal but the fish just didn’t think so. We ran into a bonus in the form of a school of large crevalle jacks in the 10-pound class on our way in and we each got to bend a fly rod with the big bruisers. We connected with the jacks on Clousers and poppers. The school of a couple hundred fish was fining on the surface with their sickle tails sticking out of the water. What a sight!
Les and Kim Beery and their friend, outdoor writer Paul Downing, all from Estes Park, CO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. They had steady action with trout to 18”, ladyfish, bluefish and a Spanish mackerel on jigs and DOA Deadly Combos at the Middleground flat. They also caught and released a redfish and a couple of flounder near Long Bar. Kim caught several ladyfish with a fly before the day was done-her first saltwater fish on the long rod!
970 WFLA radio and “Your Guide to Fishing” TV host, Capt. Mel Berman, joined me for a Sarasota Bay trip on Tuesday to film a segment of his popular TV show. We had fast catch and release action with bluefish and trout at the Middleground flat and near Bishop Point on Clouser flies and jigs. We also caught and released a nice red on a CAL jig with a shad tail on the east side of the bay.
I spent the rest of the week fishing Gasparilla Sound and Bull and Turtle Bays in Charlotte Harbor. Larry Ford, from Longboat Key, FL and his friend, Pete Molinari from Sarasota, FL, piloted Larry’s 40’ cabin cruiser, the “Silver Whisper”, from Longboat Key to Uncle Henry’s Marina on Gasparilla Island, which became our home away from home from Wednesday through Friday. We fished the backcountry out of my Action Craft flats skiff where Larry and Pete caught and released a total of 9 reds to 23” and numerous trout to 18” on CAL jigs with shad tails and Clouser and Flats Minnow flies. We found reds scattered on shallow flats and nice trout in potholes. We also had shots at several reds that were tailing and cruising on shallow grass flats. The best day for reds was on Thursday when they caught and released 5 reds, including one on a fly. Friday was hot for trout with Larry and Pete catching and releasing about 25 trout to 18” on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.
Next week’s tides should be good for reds in potholes on the negative low tides that we’ll have. In addition, night snook fishing should be good on the strong incoming tides early in the week.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
www.flyfishingflorida.net om
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