 |
Sarasota and Venice
Capt. Rick Grassett
January 29, 2006
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 1/15 through 1/29/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout, bluefish and reds in Charlotte Harbor and with snook at night during the past couple of weeks.
Early in the week of Jan. 15, I fished a day in the Terra Ceia Bay area. The action was slow despite a good tide. The following two days, I headed south to Charlotte Harbor, where the action has been steady. Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Victor Feldman, from Champagne, IL, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Tuesday. They caught more than 40 trout, with a majority of them from 17”-19”, including several over 20”. They also caught several reds to 27” and a snook, all on CAL jigs with shad tails. Sarasota winter resident, Tom Schalk, and Paul Rotz, from St. Catherines, Ontario fished the same area with me on Wednesday with similar results. We found reds and trout in potholes in the backcountry of Bull Bay, where they pounced on our CAL jigs with shad tails.
Tom Lamb, from Geneva Switzerland, and his daughter, Diane Muhlfeld, from Sarasota, FL, fished Charlotte harbor with me on Tuesday. The action slowed a little, but they still managed about 25 trout to 18”, including 3 slot-size fish. Although we saw lots of reds, they weren’t in an eating mood.
Sarasota Herald-Tribune outdoor editor, Steve Gibson, and I snook fished on Wednesday evening in the ICW near Venice. The tide stalled on us due to wind and tide moving in opposite directions, but we still managed to catch and release 18 snook and a bluefish on my Grass Minnow and shrimp fly patterns.
The following evening, Rob Smith from Sarasota, FL fished the same area with me. Rob, a beginning fly fisher in saltwater, participated in one of our Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Schools at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters last spring and was ready to put his skills to work on the water. We fished a flat in Blackburn Bay at dusk, where Rob connected with a couple of large ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. Although pompano were skipping all over the flat, it got dark before we could get one to bite. We shifted gears to fishing lighted docks after dark and found snook feeding very selectively on tiny baits. Rob managed to finesse a few of them including a fat 25” snook. Even though the average size isn’t big, they make up for it in the way they fight after dark. This is a consistent option for fly anglers during the winter as long as it doesn’t get too cold.
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Naples winter resident, Bill Garrett, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Saturday. The trout action was steady, but reds were tough in the clear, cool water. Keith and Bill caught more than 20 trout, including 7 slot-size fish to 19”, several bluefish and a redfish. With a negative 1’ low tide that morning, the flats were dry. Most fish were caught along the edges of flats and sandbars on CAL jigs with shad tails near Catfish Creek and Turtle Bay.
Next week’s negative low tides in the morning should be good for reds and trout in potholes and the edges of flats and sandbars of Gasparilla Sound. Fly fishing for snook at night will also be one of the best things you can do.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
www.flyfishingflorida.net
More Fishing Reports:
|
|
|
|
