Rick Grassett, Sarasota

Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action catching and releasing snook on flies at night and a variety of species on DOA Lures in Little Sarasota Bay during the past week.

Fly angler Stewart Lavelle, from Sarasota, fished dock lights for snook with me on Monday evening. He had good action catching and releasing numerous snook on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. Sarasota winter residents, Mike Perez and Denton Kent, fly fished the same area with me on Tuesday night. A front passed through that morning and slowed the action a little although they still had decent action catching and releasing snook on flies.

Marshall Dinerman and his son Michael, from Atlanta, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. They caught and released jacks, ladyfish, snook and several trout, including a 23” trout. We fished DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails on the flats and CAL jigs with shad tails around docks.

Fishing dock lights in the evening or before dawn, is still a good option for catch and release snook fishing. This is also a great time of year to fish the coastal gulf for false albacore, tripletail and Spanish mackerel when conditions are good. The key to success is finding clean water. Our natural resources are under constant pressure from red tides fueled by agricultural and residential runoff, freezes, increasing fishing pressure and habitat loss and degradation, please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!

Tight Lines,