Catch of The Week

Brian Earnest, from Texas, caught and released this 4-lb trout on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing skinny water in Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Fishing Updates

St. Petersburg Power & Sailboat Show 

• The show will feature an impressive selection of powerboats and sailboats in water and on land, including a 40,000-square-foot clear span tent housing all types of marine gear. Show-goers will find hundreds of powerboats and sailboats including family cruisers, runabouts, fishing boats, magnificent sailing yachts, personal watercraft and much more. 
• Location: Mahaffey Theater

Park Opens Spring for Wild Manatees

• For the first time in 30 years, wild manatees are able to enter the spring bowl at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. 
• The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Florida Park Service recently opened the gate to allow wild manatees to enter the spring bowl at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park for the first time in 30 years. Event guests included representatives from DEP’s Florida State Parks, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Save the Manatee Club and other partners and supporters.

Weekly Fishing Report by Capt. Rick Grassett

Fly anglers had great action with albies (little tunny) in the coastal gulf during the past week. In addition, 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 trout, flounder, blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano and a red on CAL jigs, DOA Deadly Combos and flies.

Albies (little tunny) blitz the beach off Sarasota last week

Albies were picky at first on Monday, but as the day went by they stayed up longer and got more aggressive. We hooked 7 or 8 and landed 5 or 6 up to 10 pounds on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. Norm and Francie Boardman, from Sarasota, fished with me on Tuesday. Macks and albies churned the water to a froth, yet were very picky due to the size of the bait (glass minnows) they were feeding on. They hooked a couple and landed an albie and several Spanish mackerel on my Snook Minnow fly, Diamond jigs and CAL jigs with shad tails.

Everything came together on Wednesday when Everett Howell, from Nashville, Ten and his son, Kirk Howell from N.Y., fished the coastal gulf with me. An approaching front had the macks and albies on a feeding binge and they ate our flies almost as well as the glass minnows they were feeding on. They hooked 14 or 15 albies and landed 10 or 11 up to 12 pounds, including a couple of doubles, on my Snook Minnow fly. It was a great day!

Bill Beauchamp, from Bradenton, Fla., his son-in-law Brian Earnest, from Texas, and Dakota Tracy, from Bradenton, Fla. fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. Conditions were good although the wind came up in the afternoon. We fished the east side of the bay and near Buttonwood Harbor where they caught and released numerous trout to 4 pounds, several flounder, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, pompano and a red on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails and DOA Deadly Combos.

Next week’s negative low tides in the morning should concentrate reds and trout in potholes of Sarasota Bay. Fishing the coastal gulf should continue to be hot until there are significant changes in conditions.

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

Fishing Forecast

To create a forecast specific to your zip code visit www.wunderground.com

High pressure off the mid-Atlantic coast will move east today as a cold front approaches from the Gulf. The front will cross the area during the day on Monday. With hazardous boating conditions expected. High pressure will then build in over the western Gulf in the wake of the front on Tuesday. An even stronger surface high will build north of the waters by midweek.

Monday

South winds around 15 knots becoming west in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Isolated showers in the morning...then numerous showers and isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon. Monday Night will bring west winds around 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. There will be scattered showers.

2011/11/28      Mon    12:55 a.m.       2.54     H

2011/11/28      Mon    09:39 a.m.        -0.4      L

2011/11/28      Mon    04:50 p.m.        1.3       H

2011/11/28      Mon    07:37 p.m.        1.22     L

Tuesday

West winds around 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Tuesday night will bring north winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2011/11/29      Tue      01:45 a.m.        2.33     H

2011/11/29      Tue      10:26 a.m.        -0.22    L

2011/11/29      Tue      05:29 p.m.        1.34     H

2011/11/29      Tue      08:58 p.m.        1.2       L

Wednesday

North winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Wednesday Night will bring north winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2011/11/30      Wed    02:41 a.m.        2.05     H

2011/11/30      Wed    11:11 a.m.        -0.02    L

2011/11/30      Wed    06:03 p.m.        1.42     H

2011/11/30      Wed    10:41 p.m.        1.15     L

Thursday

North winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2011/12/01      Thu      03:49 a.m.        1.75     H

2011/12/01      Thu      11:57 a.m.        0.18     L

2011/12/01      Thu      06:36 p.m.        1.54     H

Solunar Forecast