Siesta Key Tarpon On Fly

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 6/16 through 6/29/08

Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, jumped and landed several tarpon during the past couple of weeks. We were plagued with west wind for a few days during the week of June 16th, which caused us to fish the bay a couple of days. Jim Ewoldt, from St. Louis, MO, and Bob Maddocks, from AZ, fished with me from June 16 through 18. Jim hooked up briefly with a tarpon on a black and purple Enrico Puglisi fly off Lido Key on Tuesday. The wind turned to the west on Wednesday forcing us into the bay. Jim caught and released trout, ladyfish and bluefish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies near Bishops Point. Gary and Garret Visser, from Charleston, SC, fished with me on June 19th. After a 2-hour rain delay in the morning, we poked our nose into the gulf and found conditions not too bad. However, it didn’t last long. We worked a few schools of tarpon and then the wind switched to the west forcing us into the bay. The action wasn’t fast, but they caught and released trout on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails at the Marina Jack Flat and near Longboat Key Moorings.

Capt. Rick Grassett caught and released this estimated 90-pound tarpon on a tan shrimp fly while fishing off Lido Key. Rusty Chinnis photo.

Fly angler Glenn Maddalon, from Danville, CA, tarpon fished with me Friday, Saturday and Monday. He landed a feisty 60-pounder on a black and red bunny fly with bead chain eyes off Lido Key. It was the perfect fish to catch late in the day- a couple of jumps, one long run and then back on the fly line and landed in about 30-minutes. A spin angler fishing with me had a couple of bites and one hook up with a tarpon off Siesta Key on a live crab on Tuesday, June 24th. Tarpon in shallow water were very spooky, spooking on dark flies that were cast as far as 20-feet away from fish.

I had a chance to stand on the bow on Wednesday when Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, fished with me. After several fish spooking on dark and chartreuse flies, we switched to a small tan shrimp pattern. I had a head on shot at a single that pounced on the fly the first time I cast it. I got the fish, an estimated 90-pounder, to the boat in about 35 or 40-minutes. My first of the season! A strong line of thunderstorms chased us off the water early on Thursday. The rest of the week had numerous shots at tarpon with flies, but no eats. Visibility was poor, so many of the fish were on top of us before we could see them, making it tough.

Tarpon will probably thin out as we head away from Tuesday’s new moon, but should resume their normal patterns later in the week. I usually tarpon fish most of July, which offers some of the best fly fishing action of the season for tarpon.
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