Shallow Water Tarpon On Fly

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 6/30 through 7/13/2008

Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, continued to have action with tarpon on fly and spinning tackle over the past couple of weeks. In addition, fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay has also had good variety and action.

The Notari’s tarpon fished a couple of days with me on June 30 and July 1st. They always seem to have good action and a high percentage of fish landed. Terry Notari, from Longboat Key, FL, his son, Craig, and grandson, James, both from IL, fished with me on Monday, June 30th. They had great action landing 3 out of 3 tarpon jumped including a 110-pounder that Craig landed on a chartreuse Toad fly. On Wednesday, James sat out and his younger brother, Josh, got in on the action. We had 3 bites that day, 2 on live crabs including one that Josh double teamed with his dad, Craig, and another hook up on a chartreuse fly that broke off when the fly line wrapped around the foot of the reel. They landed a total of 4 out of 6 fish over 2 days, which is far above average.

Sarasota Herald-Tribune outdoors editor, Steve Gibson, fished with me on Tuesday, July 1st. The goal was a tarpon on a fly in shallow water and we were successful. We had lots of shots, but fish were deep that day which made it tougher to get the fly in front of them. Steve made a long cast to a single and led the fish by 20 feet. When the fish intercepted the fly, all it took was a single strip and the big fish inhaled Steve’s chartreuse Toad fly. After about 30-minutes we had her alongside the boat. She taped out at a 35” girth and 69” long-close to 120-lbs.

Justin and Brandon Bunting, both from CO, fished with me on July 4 and 5. We spent a couple of hours in the morning each day tarpon fishing and had a few shots, but no bites. They opted to fish Sarasota Bay near Bishops Point later in the morning each day. They caught and released trout, bluefish, mangrove snapper and a big red on CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Deadly Combos and Ultra Hair Clouser flies.

Fly tarpon trips on Monday and Tuesday, July 7 and 8, had lots of shots at tarpon in shallow water, several follows and one fish jumped, again on a chartreuse Toad fly. If you’ve never cast a fly at a 100-pound fish in clear shallow water, you won’t understand the thrill that it is. It’s not for everyone, but it is definitely how I prefer to catch them!

I had a group of 4 anglers on Wednesday. Steve and Liz Stallard, from MI, fished with me and Freddie Parish and Cece Woolf, from Land O’Lakes, FL, fished with Capt. Jack Hartman. Anglers fishing with Capt. Jack jumped 6 fish and landed a pair of tarpon of 100 and 130-lbs. Liz landed a 120-pound fish right away on my boat with a live crab and had another hook up that resulted in 4 or 5 beautiful jumps before the fish jumped off. We headed for shallow water by 9 AM, where Steve had numerous shots at tarpon in shallow water. We had a couple of follows, but no bites.

We had lots of shots at tarpon with a fly in shallow water over the next couple of days, several follows but no hook ups. I subscribe to the theory that being successful with tarpon on a fly is making the right presentation to the right fish. The best candidates are usually high in the water column and moving slow. I prefer singles, doubles and small schools since they are usually post spawn fish at this time of the year.

Bill and Sandy King, from Osprey, FL, fished with me on Saturday. Sandy hooked up right away with a nice fish that was making a long run when it wrapped the line around a half submerged crab trap float and cut us off. Sandy also hooked up with what appeared to be a 7’ or 8’ tiger shark that ate a live threadfin twice. The first time the hook pulled and the second time the big fish chewed through the 80-pound leader. Bill also had some action, getting a couple of bites on the same cast from an aggressive tarpon that tried to eat his Dinner Mint Toad fly (black, chartreuse and olive).

Hopefully tarpon action will continue for the rest of the month. As we get later in the month, tarpon numbers will dwindle as they move to inside waters to feed. Snook in the surf and around lighted docks before dawn or reds, trout and more on shallow flats will also be good options.

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


James Notari, from IL, caught and released this tarpon while fishing off Siesta Key with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Josh Notari, from IL, caught and released this tarpon while fishing off Siesta Key with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Brandon Bunting, from CO, caught and released this big red on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Liz Stallard, from MI, caught and released this 120-pound tarpon on a live crab while fishing off Siesta Key with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Indain River Snook'n Adventure

Snookin’ in Stuart

I had a great opportunity to take my eleven year old grandson on a fishing getaway this past week. We packed our bags and headed south for the River Palms Cottages and Fish Camp in Jensen Beach. Only a little more than a two hour drive from Merritt Island, this quaint destination is a fisherman’s paradise. There are nearby boat ramps at the causeways and a dock on the Indian River to come home to each day.

The weather did not cooperate too well, as each morning the winds were blowing at about 10 miles per hour or more, from the southeast. The catching was slow, but the fishing and the experience with by grandson was the best.

Trying to ignore the winds, we fished a few rolling tarpon, lock-jawed trout and few willing snook. On one day a friend and fellow guide, Captain Duber Winters hopped aboard the “Finding Equilibrium” for a couple of hours of snook fishing. We headed south towards the inlet and a couple of Duber’s favorite fishing holes. He suggested we start early and work the early morning bite. The strategy paid off when I hooked the first snook as day was barely breaking.



We were rigged with D. O. A. Holographic Shrimp on a 40 pound leader. As we cast up current the shrimp would drift toward the waiting fish. A fast action heavy rod is a good selection for this type of fishing. You definitely need some backbone to keep the fish from running back into the rocks, or the docks that you are fishing.

It didn’t take too much longer before grandson Robert was pulling on another nice snook that also fell for the D.O.A. Shrimp. If you would like to do some of this snook fishing with Capt. Duber you can contact him at Green Water Charters, 772-631-1023.


This snook was definitely the fish that made the trip worthwhile. It is the kind of thing that makes kids into anglers. In fact, it is fish like this that keep most of us coming back for more.



On another day Robert and I had the pleasure of fishing with Capt. Mark Nichols, originator of the D.O.A. line of fishing lures. Needless to say, we had a great selection of lures to choose from on this trip. From TerrorEyz and C.A.L. series shad tail and jerk baits to the ever popular and productive D.O.A. Shrimp. You can visit the website at http://www.doalures.com/ and view all the different lures they make.

It was another windy day and the fishing conditions were not that favorable, but Capt. Mark’s unending enthusiasm and persistence resulted in a nice variety of fish. First came a mutton snapper, then a mangrove snapper and several trout. We also spotted some rolling tarpon, but they just didn’t want to play.

That's what it's all about. Good fishin'.

Capt. Ron Presley
www.inshorefishingadventures.com
presleyr@bellsouth.net

Big Pine Key Bonefish And Permit

July 9, 2008

Windy conditions and sunny skies are a perfect recipe for good permit fishing. Nice big schools of permit have been moving in the backcountry from Big Pine to Key West. These permit are mudding hard and eating. Bonefish have also been plentiful. This is peak season for bonefish and a perfect time to come to the Keys in search of a Grand Slam on the flats (tarpon, bonefish and permit).

Tarpon fishing has been a little slow this week. Hopefully we'll get a new push of fish soon. There have been some in the Key West Harbor area and in deeper channels but they have been hard to feed on the flats.

July 2008 Synopsis

As we enter the summer months there is much relief for the fish in the shallows. The fishing pressure diminishes as many of the area flats guides head to higher ground in the mountains of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming to fish for the summer. The joy of fishing during July and August is actually not having to share a flat or worry about the fact that someone may be in your spot after you've traveled 22 miles to the Marquesas. Fact is in the summer months we could possibly go all day without seeing another skiff.

Bonefish and permit become prominent on the flats this month. Bonefish can be found from the Marquesas all the way up the Keys in good numbers. This is the time of the year when there are larger schools to cast at. Our bonefish average 6 to 8 - pounds with some larger in the 10- pound range.

Permit will be an easier quarry on days when the wind is up a bit. They are spooky creatures with a laterline line that can feel the vibration of a cell phone inside a skiff from a short distance. One thing to perfect if you plan to fish for permit on a calm day - the cast must be long and accurate.

There are still big tarpon in the area this month. They will move through all summer but will be increasingly harder to find and harder to fool into eating a fly. I'm hoping that they will be more forgiving, as they have not been this season thus far.

Consider fall fishing in September, October or November. The bonefish and permit action is great and there are smaller tarpon around too.

Captain Justin Rea
Sugarloaf Key, FL 33042
www.flyfishingthekeys.com
justin@flyfishingthekeys.com
305-744-0903

Keys Dolphin Eating Like Pigs

Capt.Steven P. Lamp Dream Catcher Charters Veteran Fishing Guide Specializing Inshore, Flats, Backcountry, Fly Fishing, Offshore, Wrecks and Reef. Florida Keys and Key West

Fishing Report and Forecast for Key West Florida July 7th 2008

I woke up to breezy conditions this am with winds out of the east keeping things nice and not so hot. I personally took the 4th of July Weekend off to enjoy some family time but, I was still on the water out having some fun in one of my race boats. The backcountry looked amazing and the water was just awesome. Boats from everywhere were out there and enjoying the big full tide that this new moon gave us for some massive amounts of flushing water in and out. I love the summer here in the Florida Keys.

My partners did fish throughout the weekend. They had trips everyday and sometimes two a day. Fun times to be had by all here at Dream Catchers as they were in the tarpon pretty thick along with a good dose of shark fishing requests landing some Big Lemon sharks and one very nice sized bull shark around 9 ft. Along with that there was a hammerhead landed as well. Yesterday our family fun fishing trip was out in the backcountry fishing a close in wreck, and happened upon some Huge summer kingfish. Very cool surprise as each angler landed fish in the upper 30lb range using blue runners for bait.. Our flats trips this weekend were great as well with trips to the Marquesas the worked out to be a quadruple permit day and a bonefish for one angler fishing with one of our guys.

Last week and the week before were great too. We have decided that it does not take a professional angler to go Key West bonefishing.. We are catching them on the trips with the kids. Last week we had kids ranging from 8-16 catching their first bonefish out on the flats with me and my guides. Big fun. I still think the kids were more impressed with the sharks. None the less the bones are here and in great numbers eating along with Trout, Jacks and the occasional permit and for more fun the poor mans tarpon the Lady fish is still here showing us a thrill in the mullet muds.

Offshore deep sea fishing the dog days of summer are here.. the winds have not slowed to our typical 5-10 though and that is keeping the doldrums off of us and keeping the offshore bite alive. The dolphin have been decent sized for the most part and offering most of our anglers a shot at limiting out on some little guys and the occasional gaffer, last week we caught a 29lb Black fin Tuna... The deep dropping is not only fun but being very productive as well as a nice change of pace when trolling we stop and drop the electrics and make it happen for an hour or two. The bottom fishing has been strong in the 45 -65 ft range for the Mangrove snappers and the 200+ area for True American Reds and Yellow eye snappers all great table fare.

For the coming months.. Well the offshore trolling thing will be good right through Sept. With Dolphin moving through and eating like pigs. If you are booking a dolphin trip avoid the full moon as things can be a bit slow, your best bet on the full moon is the flats for permit or the bottom fishing on the reef for Huge mangrove snappers in July. Tarpon will be good right till August we suspect as our catch ratios are actually climbing per trip. Tarpon in the summer makes for a great way to start a fishing trip early in the morning.

That's it for now. If you are coming down drop us a line and lets see what we can do to help you with all your Key West needs. Call my office and speak to Gennifer, she knows every fishing guide down here as well as the ones here at Dream Catchers very well and can steer you the right direction.

Here at my camp I offer Flats, Backcountry, Family fun fishing, shark fishing and Tarpon fishing on my Yellowfin Bay Boats and My Lake and Bay Flats boats. Offshore We use a 2008 32 Ft Yellowfin Center console to bottom fish, troll and deep drop for sword fish and other species. We also offer family fun fishing charters as well with the Lesser experienced anglers in mind, making everyone on the boat a hero. We custom tailor the trips here just for you and your needs.

As you can imagine it is hard for me to run all these boats myself and fish with everyone. I have been blessed with many repeat clientele and new business, so about 8 years ago I took on my first apprentice to help me with trip volume and never regretted it. I wanted to see what a young man with my knowledge and his desire to fish could do out there. I was truly amazed and so were the people that fished with him. That first apprentice is now one of the middle keys premier fishing guides. I teach our guides how to be fishing guides, how to show a client a great time on the water and help them achieve greatness everyday. They throw in a tremendous yearning to be the best and the clients benefit from that.

I now have a team of 4 fishing guides that fish along next to me under my direction and all the knowledge I can give them from 20 years of fishing in the Florida Keys. These guys have gone through rigorous training that they sacrificed their time for, to become a part of our elite team and a minimum two year full time commitment to Dream Catcher Clientele. Our fishing guides have customer service and attention to detail as their number one goal. We are the only guiding service where you will find a full money back guarantee based on Professionalism, Customer service and the quality of your fishing charter with us. My guides that work here at Dream Catchers always have new gear, the best tackle, and the boats we use are the BEST in the industry hands down. Nowhere else in Key West maybe further will you find a more complete organization for fishing charters with the customer as number one.

Going fishing in Key West ? Give us a call, I think with 20 years Florida Keys Fishing experience we can help.

Capt. Steven P. Lamp
1-888-362-3474
www.fishingkeywest.com
www.chartersofkeywest.com

5555 College Road
Key West, FL 33040
http://www.chartersofkeywest.com
888-362-3474

Tarpon And Snook Are Top Summer Targets

Fishin Reports

By Captain Jazz

07/08/08

Right now finding fish hasn’t been the hard part, deciding what to fish for has. Tarpon, Snook are the top two.
Tarpon : Have pretty much spawned and have been hanging on the beaches, big bridges and canals. They won’t be in the large schools like in May and June. They will be in small pods and single fish. Running around early morning and looking for fish to roll or come up for a gulp of air gives away where they are. Baits of choice have been crabs, Pinfish, Threadfins or large Sardines. Tarpon fishing will last until about late October or early November. As summer comes so does the heat. Fishing at night is a great way to beat it. Water Temp is 85.

Snook : Have made their way to the beaches and passes. They spawn on the New and Full moons, from May thru August. On the quarters they roam up and down the beaches and hang in the passes. Live bait works well and so does artificial baits and flies. Fish during the time of the day that the water is moving. Snook are very active at night. Fishing at night with a strong outgoing tide has been great and a good way to beat the heat of the day.

Redfish : Schools have broken up but they are around. On incoming tides, the fish move up the grass flat to the mangroves and oyster bars. Sand potholes hold fish on the lower tides. Look for schools of Mullet for places to start. Use a small Pinfish or a Sardine under a float. Don't over look docks as they will hold fish too.

Sea trout: Drift the grass flats in 2-6 feet of water throwing D.O.A. shrimp, plugs and jigs/jerk baits, flies and top waters have caught some of my largest Sea trout in the morning, that's a fun way to catch any fish in my book. Trout tend to be in deeper water now that the water temp has come up.

Others: Sharks, Bonita and Spanish Mackerel are roaming the Inshore waters and just off the beaches. Look for birds diving around the bait pods and make a few casts and see what happens. Mangrove Snapper are on just about every rock pile in the bay and make a great table fare.

If you have any questions about my charters, fishin reports, send me an email.

Tight Lines,

Captain Jazz
727-409-6733
http://www.fishintampabay.com/
info@fishintampabay.com