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Sarasota and Venice
Capt. Rick Grassett
August 26, 2006
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 8/14 through 8/27/2006
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught a variety of fish in Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor during the past couple of weeks. Anglers fishing with fly and spinning tackle caught and released snook, reds, trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, jacks, ladyfish and jumped a tarpon on CAL jigs, DOA lures and flies.
I went on a scouting mission in upper Charlotte Harbor during the week of Aug. 14th. Calm conditions are needed to target tarpon in the open waters of upper Charlotte Harbor and we didn’t have those conditions that day, so we focused on smaller tarpon in canals instead. Capt. Ed Hurst and I jumped one tarpon on a DOA TerrorEyz and had a bite on a fly. On Friday, Aug. 18, Chuck Zelm from Sarasota, FL, and his sister, Chris from Denver, CO, fished with me on a pre dawn snook trip in Little Sarasota Bay. They caught and released 3 snook to 27”, a red, several jacks and a nice bluefish on a variety of plastic baits. The snook were caught with DOA TerrorEyz around lighted docks and the other fish were caught with CAL jigs and spinner baits.
Mason Tush and Brian Reese, both from Sarasota, FL, collected on the Coastal Conservation Association fishing trip that I donated to the Sarasota chapter for their annual banquet on Sunday. The package also included a week-long stay at an exclusive condo in the Boca Grande area, so that’s where we fished. Two other anglers in the group, Eric Hernandez and D.J. Meijer, both from Sarasota, FL, fished with Lowe Morrison, also from Sarasota, in his boat.
Mason and Brian caught and released a slam, that included several snook, a redfish and more than 20 trout, on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. Mason almost had a super slam when he finished the day by jumping a 50 to 60-pound tarpon on a DOA Baitbuster. Lowe’s group had an equally good day catching several reds, snook and a few trout.
Fly angler, John Cronley from Long Island, NY and daughters, 10-year old, Kellie and 13-year old, Jenny, fished Sarasota Bay with me last Wednesday. We had fast action with a variety of fish, including trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and jacks, at Stephens Point and Bishops Point in north Sarasota Bay. They caught and released more than 40 fish on an Ultra Hair mackerel fly and DOA Deadly Combos.
Bob Owens, from Sarasota, FL, and his son, Kevin, snook fished with me on Friday morning. The tide was good, but snook were finicky. Bob and Kevin each caught and released nice snook of 25” and 26” and several “rat” reds on DOA shrimp and TerrorEyz near Blackburn Point. They finished the morning with several trout caught and released with DOA Deadly Combos, to complete their slams, in the Vamo area of Little Sarasota Bay.
Next week’s tides are favorable for pre dawn snook fishing (the season reopens on Friday, Sept. 1st) and tarpon of all sizes in upper Charlotte Harbor, the Peace River and Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda canal systems. The reopening of snook season will bring increased pressure to the species, so targeting reds and trout on the flats of Gasparilla Sound and lower Tampa Bay might be another good alternative. Reds should be schooling on the flats in those areas.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
www.flyfishingflorida.net
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