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Sarasota and Venice
Capt. Rick Grassett
April 10, 2006
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Charlotte Harbor, FL Fishing Report for 4/3 through 4/10/2006
Fly and spin anglers fishing Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me last week had good action with trout. We also caught and released Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, false albacore, bluefish, redfish and ladyfish. There was fast action with Spanish mackerel, bluefish, false albacore and king mackerel in Gasparilla Pass and just off the beach of Gasparilla Island most days, although there were sometimes hard to get on.
Firman Schlabaugh and Junior Miller, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Gasparilla Pass and Gasparilla Sound with me on Monday. We started off with a blitz in the pass that included bluefish, ladyfish and Spanish mackerel that had bait corralled into a “bait ball”. After catching numerous fish on jigs, we headed for the backcountry. They caught more than 15 trout to 18”, several flounder and a redfish on CAL jigs with shad tails near Sandfly Key and in Turtle Bay.
The next day Bob and Diane Harness, from St. Louis, MO, fished the same area with me. The action was slower with not much happening in the pass, so we headed for skinny water. They caught and released a few trout and ladyfish on Clouser flies, but the reds that I was on the week before were gone.
Chris Leu, from Ft. Worth, TX and his father-in-law, Dick Hume from MN, fished the same area with me on Thursday. We started in Gasparilla Pass and found a few fish scattering baitfish on the surface. Chris immediately hooked up with an 8 or 9-pound false albacore on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly fished on an intermediate fly line with a 7-weight rod. What a fight! The fish went deep into the backing before coming back to the boat. They also caught and released more than 20 trout to 4-pounds near Sandfly Key, including several in the slot on Clouser flies, CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.
Fly anglers Jake How and his son, Charlie, from Whitefish, MT, fished with me on Friday. We started in Gasparilla Pass and had a few fish breaking on the surface. We got cut off immediately by a couple of Spanish mackerel and then the action subsided. We headed south looking for breaking fish and found a big mud about half way down Gasparilla Island. I was marking bait to within 6 feet of the surface in 25’ of water. We blind cast with Ultra Hair Clousers on intermediate fly lines and caught a nice Spanish mackerel and a 10-pound king mackerel. Although there seemed to lots going on there, that’s all we caught, so we headed for the backcountry. Jake and Charlie caught numerous trout to 18” and ladyfish on Clouser flies in various spots in Gasparilla Sound and in Turtle Bay.
Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, and I were the instructors for a CB’s Saltwater Outfitter’s Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Saturday. Six students participated in the school and are hopefully on their way to a lifetime of fishing fun. The nice thing about fly fishing is that you can enjoy it if you’re 8-yrs. old or 80-years old.
This week’s tides are favorable for reds, snook and trout on the flats. As long as the weather is nice, take advantage of the opportunity to fish the coastal gulf waters for Spanish mackerel, bluefish, kings and false albacore. We are having one of the best runs of those species in years.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
www.flyfishingflorida.net
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