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Sarasota and Venice
Capt. Rick Grassett
November 24, 2007
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 11/11 through 11/24/2007
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with a variety of fish during the past couple of weeks. Fly and spin anglers scored with reds, snook, trout, pompano, flounder and bluefish on the flats. Anglers using spinning tackle caught and released Spanish mackerel, bluefish and ladyfish in the coastal gulf off Lido Key.
Orvis Fishing Manager, Rich Merlino, of the Royal Oak, MI store, his brother-in-law, Steve and Steve’s dad, Wayne, joined me for a trip in Charlotte Harbor on Monday, November 12th. They caught and released snook, reds and trout on my Flats Minnow and Clouser flies and CAL jigs.
CB’s Saltwater Outfitters manager, Mason Tush from Sarasota, FL, and outdoor writer David Brown, from Tampa, FL, joined me for a Sarasota Bay trip the next day. The goal was to get a photo worthy snook and whatever else that came our way. It was a successful trip that included several reds to 26”, a 27 ½” snook, trout and bluefish. Most fish were caught and released with CAL jigs and shad tails or DOA Deadly Combos. The best action was along the east side of Sarasota Bay. A couple of other trips in Sarasota Bay later that week produced trout, bluefish, pompano and ladyfish on jigs and flies.
Fly anglers, Harry Davis from Dalton, GA, and Fen Sartorius, from Albuquerque, NM, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Saturday, November 17th. They had a couple of takes by reds on my Flats Minnow fly. One fish ate a black Flats Minnow fly in Bull Bay and the other one, a tailer, ate a white one. They had shots at about a dozen tailing reds in Gasparilla Sound at the bottom of the tide. This is the time of the year when reds will tail on shallow grass flats of Gasparilla and Pine Island Sounds when conditions are right.
We had a few excellent trips in both Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor this week. Eric and Dave Buls, both from IN, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. We started off catching and releasing blues, Spanish mackerel and large ladyfish on the New Pass bar with MirrOlure Top Dog, Jr’s and Diamond jigs. We moved into Sarasota Bay later in the morning where they caught and released 4 reds to 26”, about 20 trout to 18”, a 4 ½ -pound pompano and an 18” flounder. All fish were caught on either CAL jigs with plastic tails or DOA Deadly Combos. Along the east side of Sarasota Bay and near Buttonwood Harbor.
Joe Larosa, from North Port, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound with me the next day. He started the day off with a pompano, almost as big as the one we caught the day before, and finished the day with 5 reds and an 18” trout. All fish were caught on CAL jigs with shad tails in Gasparilla Sound and Bull Bay.
Bill Beauchamp, from Bradenton, FL, and his daughter, Noelle, joined me for a Sarasota Bay trip on Friday. We fished the east side of Sarasota Bay and had good action. They caught and released 3 reds to 26” (including a double), about 15 trout to 18” and a nice bluefish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. It’s nice to see Sarasota Bay healthy again!
Next week’s negative low, two tide days will be perfect for tailing reds in Charlotte Harbor. I also look for flats and coastal gulf action in Sarasota to continue as we head away from today’s full moon.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
www.flyfishingflorida.net
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