Southwest, FL & Andros Island, Bahamas Fishing Report for 7/13 through 7/22/03
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict caught snook, trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and flounder in Sarasota Bay and at the mouth of the Manatee River during the past week. We also jumped a tarpon and caught a big red in the Peace River. After all that, I took a busman’s holiday to Andros Island in the Bahamas with my friend, Capt. Ed Hurst. We had a great trip, staying at Small Hope Bay Lodge and catching bonefish to 6 ½ pounds with Bahamian guide, Glister Wallace.
Jerry Fristoe, from Cypress, TX, and Pat Dimiceli, from Houston, TX, fished lower Tampa Bay with me last Tuesday. Our best action was at the mouth of the Manatee River, where they caught more than 25 trout to 20” on MirOlure She Dog plugs, including 6 slot size fish. They also caught a 24” snook and a 16” flounder on CAL jigs in the same area. Trout and ladyfish were actively feeding on bait schools and attacked their top water plugs aggressively.
Mike Porter and Bob Stonaker, both from Osprey, FL, fished the Peace River for tarpon with me on Wednesday. Although there were plenty of fish in the 20 to 30-pound class, they weren’t eating. They did manage to jump a 20-pounder and get a couple of other bites on DOA TerrorEyz before we decided to check out other options. After a short run down the river to near Alligator Creek, I poled a flat where Bob caught a nice, 26” red on a CAL jig to finish the day.
The following day, Bob Kahlor from Callawassie Island, SC, fished Sarasota Bay with me. Although the action wasn’t particularly fast, we caught a smorgasbord of fish including trout, ladyfish, bluefish and Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Capt. Ed Hurst and I headed for Ft. Lauderdale on Friday morning and boarded a charter flight to Fresh Creek on Andros Island. We arrived at Small Hope Bay Lodge that afternoon and got settled. On Saturday we trailered an hour north to Morgan’s Bluff and fished the Joulter Cays. What a great area; big broad, wadeable flats with lots of tailing fish! We waded and landed about 10 bonefish between 3 and 6 ½ pounds on bonefish Clousers and Gotchas. We worked one school of about 200 bonefish for about an hour and landed 4 or 5 fish out of them. The area reminded me a lot of the flats of Los Roques, Venezuela.
The next day we headed south, trailering to Cargill Creek, to fish the North Bight. We fished from the boat and did almost as well as we did on Saturday. The fish ranged from 2 to 6-pounds and were aggressive. Although there weren’t any large schools that day, the singles and doubles responded well when the fly was in the right place. We finished our trip by fishing a ½ day on Monday morning in Young Sound and Fresh Creek. We only caught a couple of fish that day, but it wasn’t for lack of fish. We had shots at several large schools of bonefish roaming the flats of Young Sound, but they were tough. We hit a couple of other areas and then we were out of time.
We caught a total of about 20 bonefish up to 6 ½-pounds in 2 ½ days of fishing. Our guide, Glister Wallace, did a great job and was fun to fish with. This is a great lodge with something to do for everyone. They have a nice beach, scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking, nature walks and bicycling. Evenings were spent enjoying a cold beverage and good Bahamian style food served on their oceanfront patio.
I look for good action with juvenile tarpon and snook next week. Reds should begin schooling on the flats any time now.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail [email protected]
www.snookfin-addict.com and www.flyfishingflorida.net
