Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum: April 21, 2014

Capt. Rick DePaiva, from Ft. Myers, FL, battles a tarpon jumped on a fly while fishing the coastal gulf with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Anglers 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 snook, reds, bluefish, trout and flounder in Sarasota Bay on flies, DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails and snook at night in the ICW near Venice on flies during the past week. Although uncommon for this late in April, several fronts moved through causing wind and rain to be factors during the week.

Jamie Grow, from the Washington, DC area, fished with me on Monday morning. We took a look in the coastal gulf but didn’t find anything so we fished Sarasota Bay. He caught and released a few trout and ladyfish on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly on deep grass flats on the west side of the bay. Anna Maria and Sarasota winter residents, Bill Morrison and Gary Marple, snook fished with me in the ICW near Venice that evening. Action was slow to start but as the incoming tide picked up, snook turned on. They caught and released more than 15 snook to 23” on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly

It was very windy out of the west when Rick White and Ben Garbowski, both from Apollo Beach, FL, fished Sarasota bay with me on Tuesday. We worked deep and shallow grass flats on the west side of the bay to seek shelter from the wind but action was slow. The action picked up some when Anna Maria and Sarasota winter residents, Bill Morrison and Gary Marple, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursdaymorning. They caught and released trout, including a couple of slot size fish, on Ultra Hair Clouser and EP flies on deep grass flats on the east side of the bay. Due to a stalled front with rain and wind, we decided not to snook fish on Thursday evening.

Action picked up on Friday when Stewart Lavelle, from Sarasota, FL and his son-in-law, Justin Goerke, from Manhattan, NY, fished Sarasota Bay with me. We worked mullet schools on a shallow flat on the east side of the bay at the top of the tide and it was on! They caught and released a couple of nice reds, several nice trout, flounder and a snook on CAL jigs with shad tails to complete their boat slam! The biggest trout, at more than 3-pounds, was caught and released on a Zara Spook top water plug.

John and daughters, Caitlin and Megan, from NY, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday. With 15 to 20-mph winds out of the W-NW we fished shallow and deep flats on the west side of the bay where they caught and released a few trout, ladyfish and bluefish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. Caitlin caught and released the big fish of the day, a 5 ½-pound trout, on a DOA Deadly Combo! Several over slot trout, all full of roe, were caught and released this week. These big trout, which are usually females, are important to the health of our trout fishery.

Tides will improve towards the end of next week as we approach a new moon. Look for reds, snook and big trout on shallow flats or edges of bars in Sarasota Bay.  Fishing deep grass flats for trout, blues, flounder and more should continue to be a good option. In addition to Spanish and king mackerel, false albacore (little tunny) and tripletail, tarpon should start to show any time now in the coastal gulf depending on conditions.

Tight Lines,

Capt. Rick Grassett

FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor

Orvis- Endorsed Outfitter Guide

CB’s Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year

Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.

(941) 923-7799

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