Great Time Of Year For Variety

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 8/13 through 8/23/2009


Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and jumped a tarpon on several trips recently. The best action continues to be with trout on deep grass flats. We are also catching ladyfish and the occasional bluefish or Spanish mackerel on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Tarpon are feeding in glass minnow schools in the same areas. Snook and tarpon before dawn around lighted docks and bridge fenders are also a good option when there is a good tide.

Fen Sartorius and Steve Machen, both from NM, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, 8/14. They caught and released a few trout on flies deep grass flats near Buttonwood Harbor. Mark Desimone and his son Aaron, from Florida’s east coast, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday, 8/15. We worked some tarpon for a couple of hours in the morning, but didn’t get them to bite. We moved to deep grass flats near Buttonwood Harbor where ladyfish schools had glass minnows “balled up”. They caught and released trout and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails. Tarpon also joined the fray as they gorged themselves on glass minnows.

I attended the annual DOA Fishing Lures Writer’s Festival (www.doalures.com) in Stuart, FL from Aug. 16-18. The event pairs DOA Pro Staffers with outdoor writers from around the country for a couple of fun days of fishing and socializing. There were many noteworthy catches including snook of 25 and 30-pounds and numerous tarpon. The new 5 ½” BFL (Big Fish Lure) accounted for many of the big fish. We had a good bite on Tuesday morning when Capt. Pat Dineen, from Destin, FL, and outdoor writer, Pete Barrett, from Jupiter, FL fished with me. We caught and released numerous trout to 3-pounds and a couple of snook on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms while wading a flat in the Indian River near River Palm Cottages and Fish Camp. If you’ve never stayed at River Palm Cottages and Fish Camp (www.riverpalmcottages.com) you should check it out. It is “a cool place to stay”!

Justin Mills, from Bradenton, FL and his dad, Mike Mills from Pittsburgh, PA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Weds, Aug. 19. They caught and released trout on CAL jigs with shad tails near Buttonwood Harbor and Bayshore Gardens. I was the guest of my friend, Steve Gibson (www.kayakfishingsarasota.com), on a beach snook fishing trip near Englewood, FL on Friday, 8/21. Gibby is a master at beach snook fishing and kayak fishing in both fresh and saltwater. He had the hot hand that day catching and releasing 5 snook to 27” on DT Special flies.

Fly angler Dave Barger, from NY, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday, 8/22 and had a good trip. Dave was a student in my April ’09 Orvis Endorsed Fly Casting School at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters. We started our day at 4:30 AM and jumped a tarpon on my Grassett’s Snook Minnow fly around a bridge. Although this fly was designed for snook, it will catch whatever is feeding on glass minnows (tarpon, little tunny, trout, Spanish mackerel, etc). I tie the fly on a 1/0 Owner AKI hook when targeting larger fish.

We moved to lighted docks on Siesta Key where Dave hooked up a couple of times and landed a snook on a smaller version of the same fly. After dawn we hit the flats, where we caught a released trout, ladyfish, jacks and mangrove snapper with an Ultra Hair Clouser fly.

This is a great time of the year for variety (tarpon, snook, reds, trout and more). The best action is early in the day so you can have great action and be home for lunch.

Tight Lines,

Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com