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Sarasota and Venice
Capt. Rick Grassett
October 26, 2003
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Sarasota & Charlotte Harbor, FL Fishing Report for 10/19 through 10/26/2003
Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict caught and released snook, reds, trout, flounder, bluefish and Spanish mackerel during the past week. We fished deep flats in Sarasota Bay for several days and anglers caught a variety of fish including trout to 18”, bluefish to 18”and Spanish mackerel to 24”. The most productive areas were near Big Pass, the Middleground flat, Stephen’s Point and near Buttonwood Harbor. Reds were hard to come by on the flats of Sarasota Bay, but evening and pre dawn snook were more cooperative.
Sarasota winter residents, Dale Spore and Roger Webster, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday morning. Small trout were plentiful, so they had to work hard to get a couple of legal ones. Things got interesting when an estimated 40 to 50-pound blacktip shark ate one of Roger’s trout at the side of the boat near Big Pass. We had the shark on for about 5 minutes before he bit through the 30-pound fluorocarbon leader. It was fun while it lasted!
Jim Festa, from Sarasota, FL, and Bob Moore, from Bradenton, FL, fished an evening trip at “snook alley” near Venice on Tuesday evening. They caught and released about 6 snook to 22” and several mangrove snapper on live shrimp.
Capt. Bruce Burkhart, from Sarasota, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Friday. Bruce caught a slam on CAL jigs with rootbeer and pearl shad tails which included snook to 24”, reds to 24” and trout to 18”. Sight-casting the outside sandbars accounted for most of the fish. Bruce hooked a big snook that ate a CAL jig 15 feet from the boat, but unfortunately it quickly went through his fluorocarbon leader.
Fly angler, John Wolfstaetter, and his dad, Paul Wolfstaetter, both from NY, fished a predawn snook/flats trip with me on Saturday morning. They caught and released 6 snook to 24”, a couple of trout and a nice mangrove snapper on Grassett’s Grass Minnow and Enrico Puglisi Bay Anchovy flies and DOA shrimp and Tiny TerrorEyz near Big Pass. After daylight we moved to the flats where they caught and released trout, ladyfish and Spanish mackerel on Clouser and Enrico Puglisi flies and Cotee jigs with grubs.
A significant front is expected to push through our area on Monday evening, which should really kick off the coastal gulf fishing. I look for Spanish mackerel and little tunny to come on strong as the water cools. Also, flats fishing should be good for reds, snook and trout. There is still space available in our Nov. 8 fly casting school if you are interested in learning to fly fish. You can call me for reservations or more information.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
www.flyfishingflorida.net
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