Sarasota Fishing Report

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 7/18

Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released tarpon, snook, reds, trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel during the past several weeks. I traveled to Stuart during week of 7/18 to fish the 11^th annual DOA Outdoor Writers Festival. It is a fun filled event that matches guides with outdoor writers from around the country. The area is known for its big snook and trout and this year was no exception.

Snook to 44” were caught and released in the St. Lucie Inlet on DOA shrimp and TerrorEyz. There were also a pair of trout in the 10-lb class caught and released on DOA baits in the Indian River near Ft. Pierce. Anglers fishing with me waded a couple of flats close to the inlet one day and fished the inlet another day. We caught and released several snook to 30” on CAL jigs with shad tails and rootbeer DOA TerrorEyz in the St. Lucie Inlet.

Back in Sarasota, Clark Keator, from Orlando, FL, jumped his first tarpon on a fly and had another bite on a trip in the coastal gulf. Dean Hannemann, from Sarasota, FL, had good action jumping several tarpon and landing one on flies on another trip. Joe and Mitchell White, from Tallahassee, FL, fished a pre dawn/flats trip in Sarasota Bay with me and landed several snook around Siesta Key docks and more than 30 trout to 4-pounds, bluefish and ladyfish near Whale Key on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. David Hilton, from the UK, also fished a pre dawn/flats trip with me recently and caught and released several snook to 24”, trout to 18”, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish on flies near Bishop Point. Anglers on another trip in the coastal gulf had only a few shots at tarpon but jumped 2 and had another bite on flies.

I was gone again for a family vacation to NC but returned in time to take Vic Cook, from Columbus, OH, out for a morning of fishing on Sunday. We fished a couple docks before dawn on Siesta Key where Vic caught and released several snook, trout and ladyfish on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. We moved to deep grass flats near Bishop Point at dawn and found the action slow. We caught only a few ladyfish and trout on a fly popper/Clouser Combo before moving on. With a flood high tide that was dropping fast, we hunted for reds in skinny water near Long Bar. It wasn’t long before we found them and Vic was hooked up to a big red on an Enrico Puglisi Everglades Special fly. He landed the 28” red and hooked another, to complete his Sarasota Bay slam (red, snook and trout) with a fly!

Tarpon are thinning out in the coastal gulf but they are aggressive and are still worth taking a look. They are moving into Sarasota Bay around bridges and on deep grass flats in many of the same areas where we find trout, blues and mackerel. With the water temperature at 89 degrees in now in Sarasota Bay, there is a narrow window for a few hours in the morning when action is best. Predators have been herding glass minnows into “bait balls” and feeding heavily in them. The action usually starts with ladyfish and the longer it lasts, trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and tarpon will join the frenzy. This happens shortly after the sun rises and only lasts for a couple of hours before the bait and predators go deep.

This time of year I often snook fish for a couple of hours before dawn, which is the coolest time of day, and then move to the flats for fast action with trout, blues, mackerel, tarpon and more.

Tight Lines,

Capt. Rick Grassett

Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.

FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor

(941) 923-7799

E-mail snookfin@aol.com