Good Action on Sarasota Bay Flats and ICW near Venice at Night
Capt. Rick Grassett
April 9, 2016
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook in the ICW near Venice at night, trout, snook and redfish in Charlotte Harbor and trout and bluefish on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay on flies and DOA Lures during the past couple of weeks.
Greg Baumeyer, from IL, and his son Wyatt, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 3/28 and had some action catching and releasing trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. Tuesday, 3/29's wading trip was cut short due to a strong front, with severe thunderstorms, passing through but fortunately we got off the water just ahead of it.
Dirk Crews, from WI, also had some trout action on Wednesday, 3/30 as did Phil Rever, from MD, and his son-in-law Greg Smith, from NYC, on Thursday. 3/31 with the same flies and lures. David Eddy, from Tampa, fished with me on Friday, 4/1. David has done some fly casting instruction with me and despite it being a very windy and slow day, he persisted and caught and released his first trout on a fly.
Tim Graham, from Venice, FL and Pat Redmond, from Sarasota, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound near Boca Grande with me on Monday, 4/4. The best action was with trout to 18" on CAL jigs with shad tails but they also caught and released a couple of snook and Tim finished the day with a small red to complete his slam.
Anglers fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with me on several trips caught and released trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies, CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. The best trip that week was when Frank Zaffino, from Rochester, NY, snook fished with me in the ICW near Venice on Thursday evening, 4/7. We fished dock lights and he had good action catching and releasing numerous snook on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.
Look for reds, snook and big trout mixed with mullet schools or cruising shallow flats and edges of bars in backcountry areas of Charlotte Harbor and lower Tampa Bay. Night snook fishing around lighted docks and bridges in the ICW with flies and DOA Lures should also be a good option.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
IFFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide at CB's Saltwater Outfitters
Orvis Outfitter of the Year-2011
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