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Sarasota and Venice
Capt. Rick Grassett
August 13, 2006
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 7/30/06 through 8/13/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released a variety of fish during the past couple of weeks. Tarpon, snook, reds, trout, bluefish, black drum, ladyfish and juvenile gag grouper and goliath grouper were caught and released on a variety of lures and flies. The fastest action was on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with CAL jigs, DOA Deadly Combos and a variety of baitfish fly patterns. Although most fish were small, the action was steady. The best quality fish were snook caught and released before daylight around lighted bridge fenders and tarpon in upper Charlotte Harbor.
Bill Walsh and his sons, Andrew and Matt, fished with me 3 days during the week of 7/31. We fished north Sarasota Bay on Monday from the Middleground flat to north of Long Bar. The action wasn’t fast in any one spot, but it was steady. They caught and released trout, ladyfish, bluefish and lots of small gag grouper on DOA Deadly combos and CAL jigs. They also caught a pair of reds to 20”. On Wednesday, we fished Little Sarasota Bay where they caught and released 6 snook to 25” and about a dozen trout, including several in the slot, and a 5-pound Goliath Grouper on DOA shrimp and TerrorEyz. Friday’s trip was in the same area with an earlier start, but despite a better tide, it wasn’t as fast as Wednesday. They caught and released 3 or 4 snook, a black drum and several trout.
Fly angler, Mark Torkos from Columbus, OH, fished with me on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. We fished the Terra Ceia Bay area on Tuesday with his father-in-law, Cooney. Except for getting a shot at a few tarpon, the action was slow. We fished Sarasota Bay on Thursday and Saturday. A coworker of Mark’s, Srini, fished with us on Thursday and we caught small gag grouper, trout, ladyfish and bluefish on CAL jigs and an Enrico Puglisi Bronze Mullet fly. We fished a couple of buoys and got a shot at a couple of tripletail, but they didn’t eat. Mark’s son, Evan, fished with us on Saturday and the action was similar. We had some action at the Middleground flat first thing and then it got slow. Evan hooked a good red and a big cobia; the hooked pulled on the red and the cobia broke us off on a buoy anchor line. We finished the day by getting 3 or 4 good shots at tarpon in shallow water off Lido Key with flies and DOA shrimp.
Monday’s trip with Curt Williams and his sons, Nick and Zach, from Kansas City, MO, was similar to the previous week’s trips. Steady action on little gag grouper, ladyfish, trout, bluefish and catfish on DOA Deadly Combos. Brad Cox, from Sarasota, FL, and several guests fished Sarasota Bay with Capt. Kelly Stilwell and me on Wednesday. Brad and Ryan Cockman, from St. Petersburg, FL, fished on my boat and had good action with redfish. Although most were small, they caught and released 5 reds to 27” in Sarasota’s Roberts Bay and near Bishops Point on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA TerrorEyz.
Fly anglers, Tony Johnson from Venice, FL, and Mark Bonnett, from Portland, OR, snook fished with me before daylight on Thursday morning. They caught and released 6 or 8 snook to 26” on my Grass Minnow night snook fly and a small red on an Enrico Puglisi bronze Mullet. Fly anglers, Ron Bizick from Sarasota, FL and his guest, Graeme Souness, from the UK, fished with me on Friday morning with similar results. The snook fishing was about the same and they caught and released several trout on a Clouser fly and a DOA Deadly Combo.
Ken Trotter, from Sarasota, FL, tarpon fished with me in upper Charlotte Harbor and Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda canals on Saturday morning. There weren’t a lot of tarpon, but they were eating. Ken jumped 4 tarpon and landed 2. The canal fish were smaller than the usual 15 or 20-pounds, only averaging 7 or 8-pounds, but one of the tarpon jumped in the open waters of Charlotte Harbor was 70 or 80-pounds. The smaller fish ate rootbeer DOA TerrorEyz and the larger fish ate a DOA Baitbuster.
Next weeks tides should be good for pre dawn snook fishing and tarpon in Charlotte Harbor. Fishing the deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay for a variety of fish will also be good action. Whatever you do, get it done early, before heat becomes an issue.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
www.flyfishingflorida.net
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