Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action during the past couple of weeks with reds, snook and trout on the flats of Sarasota Bay. Due to a persistent west wind, tarpon fishing got off to a slow start. Tarpon arrived in force, but the west winds made the gulf too rough to fish. However, on the 3 days that I was able to get out into the gulf in the past 2 weeks, we saw lots of tarpon.
My brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, stayed over a couple of days after our Andros South trip and fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, May 12th. He caught and released a pair of snook to 26” and a nice trout near Buttonwood Harbor and north of Long Bar on Crab Clouser flies (olive, tan and white with lots of gold flash). Bill King, from Osprey, FL and Mike Mallod, from Sarasota, FL, fished with me the following day and caught and released about 15 trout on a DOA Deadly Combo near Buttonwood Harbor.
The best day that week was on Wednesday when Kyle Ruffing and Chopper Johnson, both from Sarasota, FL, tarpon fished with me. The wind laid down and the coastal gulf calmed enough to allow is to tarpon fish and we found tarpon schools pouring down the beach. They had more than 15 shots before Chopper hooked up to a feisty 80 or 90-pounder with a chartreuse Toad fly, which is when the real fun began. Chopper was clearing his fly line when a large knot came up through his guides and separated the fly rod in the middle. Chopper fought the fish through numerous jumps with only the butt section of the rod. We got the fish back on the reel, recovered and reassembled the tip section of the fly rod, picked the knot out of the fly line and had the tarpon close to the boat putting some real heat on the fish when a large bull shark showed up and ate the fish!
Patrice Camillieri, from France fished with me on Thursday and Friday and the wind kicked back up out of the west. We did get into the gulf briefly one day and he landed a nice king mackerel on a free-lined blue runner. Although catching a tarpon on a fly was our goal, conditions wouldn’t allow it. In addition to the king, Patrice caught and released snook and trout on Clouser flies in Sarasota and Terra Ceia Bays.
Keith McClintock and Barry Slee, from Lake Forest, IL, Barry’s nephew Paul Browring from the UK, Dave Kinnamon, from Milwaukee, WI and Steve Liska from NJ fished with me, Capt. Kelly Stilwell and Capt. Jack Hartman during the week of May 19. The wind blew out of the west all week long ruining our chances for tarpon but fishing in Sarasota Bay was good. Keith, Steve and I got into the gulf briefly one morning and caught a nice false albacore on a jig and Keith landed an 80-pound tarpon in the bay another morning. The group had steady action with reds to 28”, snook to 26” and trout to more than 20” with CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Deadly Combos and flies.
When the weather calmed at the end of the week, we found tarpon plentiful in the coastal gulf but not eating very well. This should change by next week as we get further away from last week’s full moon.
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
Kirk Grassett, from Middletown, DE, caught and released this 26" snook on a Crab Clouser fly while fishing north of Long Bar in Sarasota Bay with his brother, Capt. Rick Grassett.
Patrice Camillieri, from France, caught and released this nice king mackerel on a free lined blue runner at Point of Rocks in the coastal gulf off Sarasota while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, caught and released this 80-pound tarpon on a live crab while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Steve Liska, from NJ, caught and released this red near Buttonwood Harbor on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
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