Capt. Tommy Thompson's Saltwater Angler's Guides

Fly anglers fishing with me recently, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, continued to have some action with tarpon.  Despite poor conditions with the passing of Tropical Storm Emily, we got out for a couple of trips. When fish were high in the water column and visibility was good, we had the best action. We had about a dozen shots and jumped one tarpon on one of the trips.

Tarpon fishing in the gulf should still be an option depending on conditions. You should find juvenile tarpon in creeks, canals and turning basins. This is also a good time frame to sight fish for snook in the surf. However, snook season remains closed on the west coast of Florida until Sep 1st, so please handle them gently and release them quickly. Fishing lighted docks and bridges in the ICW for snook and tarpon with flies and DOA Lures should also be a good option.

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, www.snookfinaddict.com andwww.flyfishingflorida.us
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
(941) 923-7799

Action was steady on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay during the past week. Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout and blues on flies, CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. Holiday weeks are usually all about family fun and this one was no different.

Alan Ross, from Sarasota, FL and his son Adam Ross, from CA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. It was their first time fly fishing in saltwater and they did well. They had good action catching and releasing trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on sink tip fly lines.

Susan Gros, from The Villages, FL, also had some action with trout and blues on flies on Tuesday and Marshall Dinerman, from Atlanta, GA, got in on the action on Wednesday catching and releasing numerous trout and blues on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.

On Friday and Saturday, grandfathers and grandsons got in on the fun. Phil Rever and grandsons Max and Wesley, all from MD, fished with me on Friday and Bill Misischia, from University Park, FL and grandson Patrick Walsh, from IN, fished with me on Saturday. They all had good action with trout and blues in Sarasota Bay on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.

Trout, blues and more on deep grass flats and snook, reds and larger trout in skinny water should be good options. Night snook fishing around lighted docks and bridges in the ICW with flies and DOA Lures should also be a good option. There may be some action in the coastal gulf with false albacore (little tunny) as the water cools down and baitfish school up along the beaches. Tripletail should also be a good option since stone crab traps are now in the coastal gulf, increasing the amount of available structure for them.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
IFFF 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, www.snookfinaddict.com and www.flyfishingflorida.us
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
(941) 923-7799