Sarasota Fishing Report 3-7-2011

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report
3/5/2011

Action has been good with small reds, trout and Spanish mackerel on the flats of Sarasota Bay during the past week. An angler fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released reds and trout on flies and jigs last week.

Martin Marlowe, from NY, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. We fished an area that held big trout recently, but the big girls had moved on. However, he caught and released several small trout on a Clouser fly. We also fished a shallow flat on the west side of the bay where he caught and released 3 reds on a CAL jig with a shad tail.

I spent another day scouting from Longboat Pass to the mouth of the Manatee River. We found a few Spanish mackerel in Longboat Pass and got them to eat a fly popper. We also found a few reds and trout in skinny water mixed with mullet schools. Wind cranked up to the mid 20 mph range on Thursday forcing the cancellation of an afternoon fly fishing trip.

I was at the Tampa Tribune Outdoors Expo at the Florida State Fairgrounds on Friday speaking on “Saltwater Fly Fishing” at 4:30 PM on the casting pond. I will also be speaking on “Fly Fishing for Tarpon” on the “Wear It Florida” Safe Boating stage on Sunday at 1:30 PM.

If you are interested in learning to fly fish or improving your skills, Capt. Ed Hurst or I will be the instructors for another CB’s Saltwater Outfitter’s Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Mar. 19, 2011. Located at 1249 Stickney Point Rd., on Siesta Key in Sarasota, FL the school will cover fly casting basics, line control, shooting line and the roll cast. I will also cover leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. The course, designed for beginning and intermediate fly casters, will focus on basics but also work with intermediate casters on correcting faults and improving casting skills. Cost for the school, which will run from 9 AM to 3 PM, is $150 per person and includes the use of premium Orvis fly tackle, a text book and lunch. Contact me or CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 or cbsoutfitters@verizon.net to make reservations.

Action with trout, Spanish mackerel, blues and pompano on deep grass flats and reds, trout and snook in skinny water should continue to improve as days get longer and water continues to warm. Also, check the coastal gulf when conditions are good for Spanish mackerel, little tunny, tripletail and more. Tides will still be good early next week as head away from last week’s new 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