Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota, FL Fishing Report for 7/31/2016
Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay and the coastal gulf in Sarasota with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with tarpon, trout and bluefish during the past week. Anglers fished Sarasota Bay with me a couple of days and had good action with trout, blues and a juvenile tarpon on DOA Lures and flies. We also fished the coastal gulf several days and had shots at tarpon every day, with five hook ups, two tarpon caught and released and another fought to close to the boat.
Tom Harmer, from Sarasota, and his son, Deryck Harmer from Orlando, fished a pre-dawn/bay trip with me on Wednesday. Deryck caught and released his first tarpon, an estimated 15-pound juvenile, on a CAL jig with a shad tail. We moved to deep grass flats at dawn and worked bait schools where they had fast action with trout to 18” on DOA Deadly Combos.
Jerry Horine, from Bradenton, FL, and his grandson, Jessie Horine from SC, also had good action catching and releasing trout, blues, jacks and ladyfish on DOA Deadly Combos and flies on deep grass flats on both sides of the bay on Friday. Working bait schools was the key, as predators fed on glass minnows in the frenzy. Since the DOA Deadly Combo is so effective in this situation, I had Jessie fish a fly popper/dropper combo with a small EP fly behind a large popper with good results. They had fast action, including several doubles as the action reached a peak.
Steve Gibson, from Sarasota, FL, fly fished for tarpon with me in the coastal gulf on Thursday. There are fewer tarpon this time of year, often requiring long waits before they show up, but they are aggressive. We had 4 hook ups, leadering one fish and fighting another to close to the boat. A great day!
Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL, and Jeb Mulock, from Bradenton, FL, also had good action fly fishing for tarpon with Jeb catching and releasing an estimated 100-pound plus tarpon. Action was slow to start, but patience paid off as tarpon started to flow and got aggressive. Well done!
Tarpon fishing in the coastal gulf should be a good option next week as we approach a new moon on Tuesday, particularly on the strong, outgoing tides in the afternoon. There are more singles, doubles and small schools of tarpon now, rather than the large schools that we see in June and since many tarpon have already spawned, they are more aggressive. Snook season is closed now on the west coast of Florida, but catch and release night snook fishing around lighted docks and bridges in the ICW with flies and DOA Lures should be good. There should also be good action with trout, bluefish and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
IFFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters
Orvis Outfitter of the Year-2011
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
www.snookfin-addict.com, www.snookfinaddict.com and www.flyfishingflorida.us
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
(941) 923-7799
Capt. Rick Grassett, owner of Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc., is a full time fishing guide and fly casting instructor based in Sarasota, FL. Specializing in fly fishing and artificial baits on light tackle, he fishes the bays, back country and coastal gulf waters of Sarasota Bay, lower Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor in his 17’ Action Craft flats skiff. He has been guiding since 1990 and is an Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing guide at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, Orvis Outfitter of the Year for 2011, on Siesta Key in Sarasota. He is an International Federation of Fly Fishers (IFFF) Certified Instructor and an instructor for the Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing School at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters. Capt. Rick is also a fly tier and designer with 3 fly patterns currently being sold by Orvis.
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