I write this week’s report with a heavy heart. We lost one of our “kids” on Friday night. Daisy, a.k.a. Miss Daisy, our senior Brittany had to be euthanized due to heart failure. She was my constant companion early in the morning when I was preparing for fishing trips. She would get out of bed with me at 4:30 or 5:00 AM for an ice cube or a tiny piece of cheese. There will be one less face in the window when I return each day. One of the hardest trips to make, but also the most loving, is the final trip to the vet. We’ll miss her terribly but we’ll see Miss Daisy on the other side of the “Rainbow Bridge” along with her brothers, Duke and Bear.
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout, bluefish and reds during the past couple of weeks. Reds and trout moved into shallow water recently following several fronts that dropped water temperatures into the high 50’s and low 60’s. Negative low tides concentrated fish in potholes along sand bars giving us some sight casting opportunities. In addition, trout and bluefish have been plentiful on deep grass flats.
Parker Platt, from Brevard, NC, and Bernard Matthey, from Switzerland, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, Nov. 24th. They caught and released trout and bluefish on deep grass flats and a redfish on CAL jigs with shad tails on the east side of Sarasota Bay. Paul and Petra Schultz, from PA, fish the same areas with me on Tuesday. Since reds and snook were our goal, we fished skinny water along the east side of the bay. They caught a redfish and a couple of nice trout on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Mike Penny and his daughter’s boyfriend, David, both from Atlanta, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Wednesday. They caught a pair of reds and a few trout on CAL jigs with shad tails fishing sand bars near Bull and Turtle Bays. One of the reds was sight fished out of a small school of reds cruising on white sand on top of a sand bar. Bill Beauchamp and his daughter Noelle, both from Bradenton, FL and Noelle’s boyfriend Richard, from Arizona, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. They caught and released trout, bluefish and a pair of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails. We fished deep grass flats at Stephens Point and Bishops Point for the trout and blues and skinny water near Long Bar for the reds.
Sarasota winter residents, Harry Beaty and Tom Schalk, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday, Dec. 2nd. They had action with trout and blues at Stephens Point and one red along the east side of the bay. The best trip of the week was with Charlie Rutherford, from Blacksburg, VA. We spent most of our time in shallow water along the east side of the bay hunting for reds and we found lots of them. Charlie caught and released 4 reds to 30”, a pair of trout to more than 20” and a small snook to complete his slam. With reds and trout under our belt, I ventured into a creek where we found several snook along a sunny, protected mangrove shoreline.
We are at a great time of the year for fishing reds and trout in skinny water. Negative low tides concentrates them in potholes providing sight casting opportunities. Tides will improve next week as we head towards a full moon on Dec. 12th. Reds may tail on shallow grass flats in Gasparilla Sound and will be concentrated in potholes in the same area and also in Sarasota Bay.
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
Daisy White Grassett, Feb. 9, 1996-Dec. 5, 2008
Charlie Rutherford, from Blacksburg, VA, with a 30" red caught and released on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Paul Schultz, from PA, with a Sarasota Bay trout caught on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Noelle Beauchamp, from Bradenton, FL, with a nice Sarasota Bay redfish caught and released on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
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