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Sarasota and Venice
Capt. Rick Grassett
April 22, 2006
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 4/11 through 4/22/2006
Hey, Hey, Hey, Fat Albert! We’ve been enjoying one of the best runs of little tunny (a.k.a. false albacore or bonito) that I have ever seen in the spring. We’ve found them not only off the beaches of Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties, but also in Tampa Bay around the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Mixed with the little tunny and feeding in the giant bait balls of glass minnows have been Spanish mackerel, bluefish, blue runners, large ladyfish and even giant tarpon (in Tampa Bay). Although the little tunny have been extremely selective, we’ve connected with glass minnow and Crease fly patterns, jigs and top water plugs.
Fly angler, Louis Klein from Valrico, FL and his guest, Matt, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on April 11th. We didn’t catch a lot of fish that day, but we caught some quality fish. We caught trout on Clouser flies and DOA Deadly Combos in Gasparilla Sound and then waded a sand bar near Bull Bay. Louis caught and released a red, flounder and a decent trout on an olive over white Clouser fly fished on a floating line. Matt had the fish of the day, a 30” snook, caught and released with a CAL jig with a shad tail.
Pat Campbell, from Toronto, OH, and Dick Leverone, from York, ME, fished the coastal gulf off Lido and Siesta Keys the next day. They caught and released lots of bluefish and large ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. Although there were acres of little tunny, we didn’t get them to bite any of our flies or jigs. Very frustrating! However, the next day, they did eat. We caught and released 3 little tunnies on a Crease fly, an Enrico Puglisi epoxy glass minnow and an olive over white Clouser on a #4 hook. We also caught lots of large ladyfish and bluefish that day as well.
Lynn Platt, from North Port, FL, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Friday. We found the action a little on the slow side, but we connected with several trout to over 4-pounds, a snook and a red on CAL jigs with shad tails. Fly angler, Andrew Stiles from Richmond, VA, fished the coastal gulf off Sarasota on Saturday morning. Although the little tunny were thick, they were still tough to fool with a fly. Andrew was in them repeatedly, but either came up empty or with a blue runner. Go figure!
Fly angler, Perry Greene from Bloomfield Hills, MI, and his family group fished with Capt. Kelly Stilwell and me on Monday. The action wasn’t fast, but we caught and released ladyfish and bluefish on jigs and flies at the Middleground flat and near Whale Key in Sarasota Bay. Tuesday’s fly trip was slow. Everywhere there were fish on Monday had nothing on Tuesday. The action got hot again on Wednesday as Nelson Alcarez, from Manhasset, NY, his young son Lucas, and his dad Pete, from Uruguay fished Tampa Bay with me. Little tunny, Spanish mackerel and tarpon were busting glass minnow bait balls in the shipping channel near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Our plan was to fish deep water for a while and then fish the backcountry, but the action was so hot that we never left deep water. They landed 2 out of 3 little tunnies and numerous Spanish mackerel to 3-pounds on flies and jigs. Nelson caught his first LT on a fly, an olive and white Ultra Hair Clouser tied on a #4 hook.
The next day, David Jasik from Sarasota, FL and his guest, Bud, fished the same area with me. We hit the ship channel and caught a few Spanish mackerel on Diamond Jigs, but the little tunny were not there like they had been on Wednesday. We retreated to skinny water where they connected with trout to 18” and snook on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails.
The action heated up again on Friday, as Phil and Brenda Rever, from Sarasota, FL, fished the same area with me. We spent the first 3-hours fishing the ship channel near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, where they caught and released 2 out of 3 little tunny and several Spanish mackerel hooked on an Enrico Puglisi epoxy glass minnow fly and a top water plug. Fishing in skinny water was slow for us. They connected with a snook and a red on a brown over white Clouser fly, but it seemed like fish were starting to bite as our day ended.
Next week’s 4-tide days will be favorable for reds, snook and trout on the flats. Hopefully, the coastal gulf action for little tunny and Spanish mackerel will continue, as well. Tarpon fishing is about to take off. On Friday, we saw tarpon busting balls of glass minnows like I’ve never seen before!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
www.flyfishingflorida.net
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