snookfinaddict

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 3/10/24

Spin fishing anglers fishing with me recently, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had decent action with reds, snook and trout in Charlotte Harbor and fly anglers had action with trout and Spanish mackerel in Sarasota Bay.RickWeaverCHCALShadredKeithMcClintockCHCALShadred2KeithMcClintockCHCALShadsnook

Keith McClintock, from IL, fished several trips in Gasparilla Sound near Boca Grande with me, catching and releasing several reds, snook, trout and pompano on CAL jigs with shad tails. Rick Weaver, from Pittsburg, joined him on one of the trips and they had great action with reds on CAL jigs with shad tails.KeithMcClintockCHCALShadpompanoPatBeckwithLSBCALShadtroutPatBeckwithLSBCALShadmackerel

Tom Keir, from IN, and Alan Sugar, from MI and Farlow Blakeslee, from SC, had some action catching and releasing trout on Clouser flies on a couple of trips in Sarasota Bay with me recently. Pat Beckwith, from Sarasota, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on another trip and caught and released trout and Spanish mackerel on Clouser flies.

CB’s Saltwater Outfitters will hold an Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Sat, Apr 13, 2024. The course, which will be last one until fall, is designed for beginning and intermediate fly casters. It will focus on basic fly casting principles, saltwater fly fishing techniques, leader construction and fly selection and for intermediate anglers, improving casting skills and correcting faults. I will be the instructor of the class, which will run from 8:30 AM to approximately 2 PM. Cost is $225 per person and includes the use of fly tackle, a workbook and lunch. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to make reservations.FarlowBlakesleeSBClouserflytrout

Look for reds, trout and snook in skinny water and snook around dock lights. Deep grass flats are usually a good option for action with trout and seasonal species such as pompano and Spanish mackerel. Our natural resources are under constant pressure from red tides and other algae blooms fueled by residential, industrial and agricultural runoff, toxic spills and intentional releases, freezes, increasing fishing pressure and habitat loss and degradation, please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFI Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide and Casting Instructor/CB’s Saltwater Outfitters
Orvis Outfitter of the Year-2011
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
www.snookfin-addict.com and www.flyfishingflorida.us
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
(941) 923-7799 (office/land line)

 

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 2/18/24

Spin fishing anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had some action with reds and trout in Charlotte Harbor and Sarasota Bay recently. Fly anglers had some action with trout, pompano and snook at night.KeithMcClintockSBCALShadtroutKeithMcClintockCHCALShadred

Keith McClintock, from IL, fished a couple of days in Gasparilla Sound near Boca Grande with me, catching and releasing reds and several nice trout on CAL jigs with shad tails. Stephen Liska, from Naples, joined him on one of the trips and also got in on the action with redfish. Keith also had similar action with several reds and trout on another trip in Sarasota Bay.StephenLiskaCHCALShadred2

Alan Sugar, from MI, fished a couple of trips in Sarasota Bay with me recently. He caught and released a nice pompano on a Clouser fly on one of the trips. He was joined by Joel Sugar, from IL, on another trip and they had some action with trout on CAL jigs with shad tails and Clouser flies. Winter residents, Jerry Poslusny, from Palmetto and Rich Hunter, from Longboat Key, had some action with snook on flies and trout on CAL jigs with shad tails while fishing the ICW at night with me recently.AlanSugarSBClouserflypompanoJerryPoslusnyflynightsnook

CB’s Saltwater Outfitters will hold an Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Sat, Mar 9, 2024. The course, designed for beginning and intermediate fly casters, will focus on basic fly casting principles, improving casting skills and correcting faults. It will also cover saltwater fly fishing techniques, leader construction and fly selection. I will be the instructor of the class, which will run from 8:30 AM to approximately 2 PM. Cost is $225 per person and includes the use of fly tackle, a workbook and lunch. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to make reservations.

Look for reds, trout and snook in skinny water and snook around dock lights. Deep grass flats are usually a good option for action with trout and seasonal species such as pompano and Spanish mackerel. Our natural resources are under constant pressure from red tides and other algae blooms fueled by residential, industrial and agricultural runoff, toxic spills and intentional releases, freezes, increasing fishing pressure and habitat loss and degradation, please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFI Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide and Casting Instructor/CB’s Saltwater Outfitters
Orvis Outfitter of the Year-2011
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
www.snookfin-addict.com and www.flyfishingflorida.us
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
(941) 923-7799 (office/land line)

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 1/14/24

Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had some action with reds and trout in Sarasota Bay recently. Fly anglers had fast action catching and releasing snook on flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. Dave King, of King Outfitters in Dillon, MT, and his dad Jim King, from UT, had fast action catching and releasing snook on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly and CAL jigs with shad tails.DaveKingflynightsnookJimKingflynightsnook

Keith McClintock and Rick Anderson, from IL and Jim Asch, from WI, had a good trip in Sarasota Bay catching and releasing several reds and trout on CAL jigs with grubs. Keith also had a decent day fishing Gasparilla Sound near Boca Grande with me, catching and releasing a couple of reds and several nice trout on CAL jigs with shad tails and grubs.JimAschSBCALGrubredJimAschSBCALGrubtrout

Look for reds, trout and snook in skinny water and snook around dock lights. Deep grass flats are usually a good option for action with trout and seasonal species such as pompano, blues and Spanish mackerel. Our natural resources are under constant pressure from red tides and other algae blooms fueled by residential, industrial and agricultural runoff, toxic spills and intentional releases, freezes, increasing fishing pressure and habitat loss and degradation, please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFI Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide and Casting Instructor/CB’s Saltwater Outfitters
Orvis Outfitter of the Year-2011
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
www.snookfin-addict.com and www.flyfishingflorida.us
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
(941) 923-7799 (office/land line)

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Mars Bay Bonefish Lodge, South Andros, Bahamas Fishing Report, November 4-11, 2023

I hosted a group of friends and clients at Mars Bay Bonefish Lodge in South Andros, Bahamas on my annual trip there recently. Stewart Lavelle, from Sarasota, Kirk Grassett, from Middletown, DE, Rick Happle from St. Pete, Bill Crelin, from WI and I drove from Sarasota to Ft. Lauderdale Executive airport. We met up with other group members John from NY, Joe Nourigat, from MD and Tracy and Cullen Baker, from NC and traveled to Congotown, South Andros on Makers Air.StewartLavelleMarsBaybonefishTracyBakerMarsBaybonefishSouthAndros

Conditions were good most of the time, with good sunlight and not a lot of wind. We waded vast sand flats and also fished from flats skiffs for everything from large cruising or tailing single and double bonefish to large schools of fish. We had good action most days and there were also a couple of slower days. There were numerous bonefish in the 4 to 6-pound class and several 8 to 9-pound fish caught and released. Top producing flies during the week were Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp, Fitz flies, Ververka’s Mantis Shrimp, Gotchas and Gotcha variations. This is one of the most beautiful places on the planet!KirkGrassettMarsBaybonefishKirkGrassettMarsBaycudaRickHappleMarsBaybonefish

“Day 5 was one of the best weather days and one of the best fish days hands down. Great time on the water with Kirk while combining wading along with much poling. . . . Landed around 25 fish between me and Rick wherein had a few nice ones while seeing some big boys. . . A big lemon shark bull charged Rick early morning when he had the bonefish close to him trying to remove the hook. Fun fishing day and great conversations” Joe Nourigat’s commentary on a couple of fishing days.CaptRickMarsBaybonefishJoeNourigatMarsBaybonefishJohnMarsBaybonefish3

Bill Howard, the resident owner/operator, does a great job making things run smoothly at the lodge. We dined on a variety of excellent authentic Bahamian dishes including fresh fish, lobster and conch. One of the best things about Mars Bay Lodge, the southernmost lodge on South Andros, is fishing the vast sand flats and scattered mangrove keys to the south. Being the southernmost lodge on South Andros also means about a 10-mile shorter boat run each way and more fishing! South Andros has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth! This trip, as well as my Montana trip, are annual trips so if you have an interest in any future trips contact me or go to the Destination Trips page of my web sites.

Back home in Sarasota, deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay have been producing trout, blues and pompano on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. Tripletail have also been a good option depending on conditions.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFI 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, and www.flyfishingflorida.us
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
(941) 923-7799 (office/land line)

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Montana Fly Fishing Trip Report for 7/29/2023

I hosted a group of friends and clients on my annual destination fly fishing trip to southwest Montana recently. I traveled from Sarasota to Bozeman and made the 2-1/2 hour drive to Medicine Lodge, on a 100,000 acre working ranch near the Beaverhead River, outside of Dillon, MT. I met up at the lodge with my brother, Kirk Grassett, from DE, Bill Johns, from Venice, FL, Derrick Johns, from Austin, TX and Mike Perez and Dennis Kinley, from IN, who drove and met us at the lodge.KirkGrassettMTbrownDennisKinleyBeaverheadbrownMikePerezMTbrown

Despite some fishing restrictions due to heat, which is typical this time of year, we caught and released some quality trout. We fished the Beaverhead, Big Hole and Madison Rivers with guide Dave King, owner of King Outfitters (406) 596-0209 in Dillon, and his talented group of guides. I’ve fished with Dave for more than 20-years, his guides do a great job and know their fishery well. We fished 4, 5 and 6-weight fly tackle and caught and released brown and rainbow trout to more than 20” on streamers, dry flies, dry/dropper and nymph rigs. The dry fly action was with a variety of dry flies. Often a hopper, sometimes with a nymph or with a smaller dry fly dropper and a few other bugs. A great trip!CaptRickBeaverheadbrown3DerrickJohnsMTbrownBillJohnsMTbrown

Back in Sarasota catch and release snook fishing around dock lights and bridges should be a good option now. There should be tarpon in areas of upper Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay. Juvenile tarpon in canals and creeks may also be a good option. You might also find them in a few places mixed with snook around dock lights. Our natural resources are under constant pressure from red tides fueled by residential, industrial and agricultural runoff, toxic spills and intentional releases, freezes, increasing fishing pressure and habitat loss and degradation, please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFI Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide and Casting Instructor/CB’s Saltwater Outfitters
Orvis Outfitter of the Year-2011
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
www.snookfin-addict.com and www.flyfishingflorida.us
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
(941) 923-7799 (office/land line)