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Sarasota and Venice
Capt. Rick Grassett
March 3, 2005
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Sarasota & Venice, FL Fishing Report for 2/20 through 3/3/2005
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action during the past couple of weeks with snook at night in the Venice area, reds in skinny water and trout on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Anglers scored with reds to 27” on flies and CAL jigs with plastic tails. The biggest trout were also found in skinny water. Snook are making their move from creeks, rivers and canals toward the flats and are staging along sand bars.
Fly anglers Gary Bartell, from Westernville, NY and Sarasota winter resident, Sandy Lawrence, fished a night snook trip near Venice with me at the beginning of last week. Although there was a hint of red tide in the air and in isolated pockets, they caught and released more than 15 snook to 24” on Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies.
The following day fly angler, Bob Mincarelli from Glastonbury, CT, fished Sarasota Bay with me. Bob is a good fly caster with experience in New England and the Florida Keys. Bob caught and released a pair of reds to 24”, a 25” snook and numerous trout to complete his flats slam with a fly. Congratulations Bob!
On Tuesday, Dick Reece from Dayton, OH, and his grandson Daniel Rhinehart, from Lennox, MA, fished Sarasota Bay with me. Daniel had caught his first redfish with me last year and was hoping to up the number this year. They were successful- catching 5 reds to 26” and more than 20 trout to 17” on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms. The best action was along the east side of Sarasota Bay and near Buttonwood Harbor.
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Jack Walker, from Madison, WI, fished the same areas with me the next day. The action got hotter as they connected with 6 reds to 27” and about 15 trout, including a 4-pound “gator”, caught and released on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Fly fishers Nick Reding and Bob Harness, both from St. Louis, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. The action was slower, but conditions were worse with an overcast sky and wind, which made fly fishing challenging. They caught and released a small red, a flounder and about a dozen trout on Clouser flies.
A big front blew through last Sunday, dumping 5” of rain. When fly angler Steve Marsden, from Waunakee, WI, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday, I think the fish were still feeling the effects of the front. We covered a lot of water, but reds and snook refused to eat a fly. Steve caught and released several trout and ladyfish on a Clouser fly fished on an intermediate fly line near Long Bar.
Dick Reece, from Dayton, OH, and Nat Saltonstall, from Scarborough, ME, also fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. They caught and released a 26” snook, a 2-pound pompano and a few trout to 17” on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms. We saw lots of reds and snook, but most refused to eat.
Next week’s negative low tides are favorable for reds, trout and snook on the flats. Snook are becoming plentiful on the flats and are staging along sand and oyster bars. Unless the water temperature drops drastically, their numbers should continue to increase.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
www.flyfishingflorida.net
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