 |
Sarasota and Venice
Capt. Rick Grassett
February 10, 2005
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Sarasota, Fl Fishing Report for 2/3 through 2/10/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had plenty of action during the past week. Fly fishing for snook at night was one of the best options, while anglers fishing the flats had good action with trout. Reds on shallow flats also cooperated, but as always, they were tougher to catch but worth the effort.
Fly angler, Al Rudnickas from Millbury, MA, snook fished with me last Thursday evening. Without a doubt, Al has to be the most experienced angler that has fished with me. He has been fly fishing and tying flies for 75 years! We fished “snook alley” in Venice where Al caught and released 8 or 10 snook to 23” and a 26” redfish on Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies.
The following day, fly fisher Gerry Davis, from Williston, VT, and Pat Campbell, from Toronto, OH, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me. The action wasn’t fast but was steady with ladyfish and trout. They caught and released numerous trout and ladyfish on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.
We had another successful Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing School on Saturday at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters. Eight students received instruction on the basic fly cast, shooting line and roll casting. We focus on the basics but work with each student at their own level. Some students also received instruction in double hauling and wind casting techniques. Leader construction, fly selection and terminology were also a part of the course. The next school is scheduled for February 19th.
Longtime customers, Mike Sprague from Hillsborough, NJ and Kep Phillips, from Harrison, NJ, fished north Sarasota Bay with me on Super Bowl Sunday. We targeted reds on shallow flats and sand bars. They caught and released 3 quality reds in the 26” to 28” class on CAL jigs with shad tails and lost a couple of others.
Norm and Francie Boardman, from Sarasota, FL, who have also been fishing with me for many years, snook fished with me on Monday evening. We ran into the unexpected in the form of red tide in and around the Venice Inlet. The lighted docks in that immediate area, which are normally packed with snook, were barren. We headed north into Blackburn Bay where we found snook that were feeding. They caught and released 12 or 15 snook to 24” on Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies and DOA Tiny TerrorEyz.
Kevin and Amy McCann, from Taunton, MA, fished Sarasota Bay with me the next day. Kevin is fairly new to the sport of fly fishing and wanted to try his hand at saltwater fly fishing for the first time. He did great, catching and releasing numerous trout and a ladyfish on Clouser flies fished on an intermediate fly line.
On Wednesday morning, my high school cross country coach from back in Seaford, DE, Joe Neilson and his wife, Marge, fished Sarasota Bay with me. Marge was the school nurse when I was in junior high school. It was great reminiscing about old times. They had plenty of action with trout, although all were small, and a bluefish caught on CAL jigs with shad tails. That afternoon, Keith Ashmus and Steve Millard, both from Cleveland, OH, fished the same area with me. They came straight from their flight to my boat, leaving freezing conditions and ice behind them. It was a welcome relief to them to be in their shirt sleeves and soaking up sun the same day. They had good action with trout, including two that went 20” and 21”, a pair of flounder and a redfish. Most fish were caught on CAL jigs with shad tails although Keith caught several trout and a flounder on Clouser flies, his first saltwater fish caught with a fly!
A front blew through on Thursday morning and the wind cranked up to 25 mph and gusting higher by early afternoon forcing the cancellation of my afternoon fly fishing trip. It looked as if it wasn’t going to be any fun even if we could find a place to fish.
Next week’s tides will be favorable for fly fishing for snook at night and reds and trout on the flats. Red tide has been present just offshore from St. Petersburg to Englewood for several weeks, but hasn’t caused any problems with fishing in Sarasota Bay or Charlotte Harbor. The closest it has come is right around the passes but is not affecting fishing in any of these areas.
Friday and Saturday are forecast to be cool, windy days, so it might be a good opportunity to visit Steve Gibson’s 2005 Go Fish! Fishing Extravaganza at Robarts Arena, 3000 Ringling Blvd. in Sarasota. There will be seminars on a variety of fishing topics both days, including one by me on Fly Fishing Southwest Florida at 3:30 PM on Saturday. There will also be lots of fishing and boating vendors, including CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, DOA Fishing Lures, Keith’s Marine (Action Craft dealer), Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers and Coastal Conservation Association. I’ll be there all day on Saturday, so stop by and say hello. We still have a few spots left in the Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Schools on Feb. 19th, Mar. 5th, Mar. 19th and April 9th. Contact me for details or to sign up.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
www.flyfishingflorida.net
More Fishing Reports:
|
|
|
|
