Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota, FL Fishing Report for 1/10/2015
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, Spanish mackerel and bluefish on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay on flies and snook, trout and flounder in Gasparilla Sound on CAL jigs with shad tails during the past week.
Marshall Dinerman, from Atlanta, GA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. He had good action catching and releasing trout, blues and Spanish mackerel on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly on deep grass flats on the east side of the bay.
Keith McClintock and Victor Feldman, both from IL, fished Gasparilla Sound near Boca Grande with me on Tuesday. Action wasn’t fast but they caught and released trout, flounder and a couple of snook on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Cooler air settled in on Wednesday, as a reinforcing front moved through, when Anna Maria Island and Sarasota winter residents, Bill Morrison and Gary Marple fished Sarasota Bay with me. They caught and released trout, bluefish and ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies over deep grass flats on the west side of the bay.
Thursday was cool and windy, 50’s with wind gusting in the mid 20’s, so that trip was rescheduled. By Friday morning the water temperature had plummeted to 58 degrees in skinny water and it was much cooler and windy than forecast, so we cut the trip short after a couple of hours of scouting.
If you’re interested in learning to fly fish or improve your fly casting, I will be the instructor for a CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school next Saturday, Jan 17. The school will cover fly casting basics, line control, shooting line and the roll cast. In addition to fly casting, we’ll also learn leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. The course, designed for beginning and intermediate fly casters, will focus on basics but also work with intermediate casters on correcting faults and improving casting skills. Cost for the school, which will run from 8:30 AM to 3 PM, is $150 per person and includes the use of Orvis fly tackle, a text book and lunch. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 or info@cbsoutfitters.com to make reservations.
Trout, blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano and more should be good options on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Look for reds and big trout mixed with mullet schools on shallow flats and edges of bars. Afternoons may fish better than mornings when water is cool.