Catch of the Week | |
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Steven Liska, from Flanders, NJ, caught and released this 15-pound lemon shark on a live pinfish while fishing the coastal gulf off Sarasota with Capt. Rick Grassett. |
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BRADENTON – The sixth annual Fire Charity Fishing Tournament is coming up June 7-9 at the Bradenton Yacht Club. Our contributing captain Rick Grassett says tarpon fishing in the coastal gulf should improve next week as we head toward the quarter phase of the moon. The best action in Sarasota Bay has been with trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and more on deep grass flats. Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW from Sarasota to Venice should also be a good option.
6th Annual Fire Charity Fishing Tournament
Gulf recreational red snapper season begins June 1
Gulf amberjack closes in state and federal waters
Atlantic snook to close in state and federal waters
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Nick Huff, from Utah, battles a "hot" fly rod tarpon in the coastal gulf off Sarasota while fishing 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, had shots at tarpon in the coastal gulf and caught and released one on a fly during the past week. We also caught and released a nice bluefish in Sarasota Bay on a fly.
Clark Keator, from Orlando, Fla., tarpon fished in the coastal gulf with me on Sunday and Monday. Conditions were good and he had several shots at tarpon with a fly each day. Hal Lutz, from Parrish, Fla., and Andrea Lutz, from Atlanta, Ga., tarpon fished with me on Tuesday and Thursday. We fished deep water with spinning tackle early each day and fly fished later in the day when visibility was best. Hal caught and released an estimated 70 pounder on a fly on Tuesday. Often young male tarpon are more ornery than larger fish and this one was no different. However, after a cool bite and a hard fight with lots of jumps he brought the fish to the boat!
We had a shot at a cobia estimated at 60 to 70 pounds with a fly on Wednesday. The fish was so big and light colored from being on a sand bottom that we thought it was a tarpon when we first spotted the fish! Jon Yenari, from Sarasota, Fla., fished with me on Friday. A front pushed through on Thursday and the wind switched to the northwest on Friday, roughing up the coastal gulf waters. We were able to fish the coastal gulf for tarpon for a few hours on Friday morning and had a couple of shots at a big school of tarpon with a fly. We moved into Sarasota Bay later in the day where Jon caught and released a nice bluefish on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly near Buttonwood Harbor.
Tarpon fishing in the coastal gulf should improve next week as we get head toward the quarter phase of the moon. The best action in Sarasota Bay has been with trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and more on deep grass flats. Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW from Sarasota to Venice should also be a good option.
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
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
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Fishing Forecast
The axis of high pressure residing over the open Atlantic continues north of the coastal waters through Friday. This will keep an easterly...and at times robust...flow in place. Periods of exercise caution or advisory level winds can be expected, particularly during the evening and overnight hours.
Monday
East winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Monday Night will bring east winds around 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.
2012/05/28Mon01:17 a.m.0.14L
2012/05/28Mon07:40 a.m.1.66H
2012/05/28Mon01:29 p.m.1.05L
2012/05/28Mon06:32 p.m.1.77H
Tuesday
East winds around 15 knots diminishing to 5 to 10 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Tuesday night east winds around 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of thunderstorms.
2012/05/29Tue02:05 a.m.0.32L
2012/05/29Tue08:17 a.m.1.81H
2012/05/29Tue02:59 p.m.0.8L
2012/05/29Tue08:08 p.m.1.59H
Wednesday
East winds around 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of thunderstorms. Wednesday night will bring east winds around 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of thunderstorms.
2012/05/30Wed02:52 a.m.0.53L
2012/05/30Wed08:54 a.m.2.0H
2012/05/30Wed04:14 p.m.0.49L
2012/05/30Wed09:48 p.m.1.49H
Thursday
East winds around 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of thunderstorms. Thursday night will bring east winds around 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.
2012/05/31Thu03:36 a.m.0.74L
2012/05/31Thu09:31 a.m.2.2H
2012/05/31Thu05:19 p.m.0.16L
2012/05/31Thu11:18 p.m.1.45H
Friday
Northeast winds around 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of thunderstorms.
2012/06/01Fri04:18 a.m.0.93L
2012/06/01Fri10:09 a.m.2.4H
2012/06/01Fri06:16 p.m.-0.14L
Solunar Forecast