Weekly Fishing Report

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Fishing Report for 9/6/2023

Fly anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with snook and juvenile tarpon recently. Fishing before daylight has been most productive for me and also the most comfortable time of day. Several anglers scored “firsts” with a fly which is always rewarding. Richard Weintraub, from Sarasota, fished with me and caught and released his first Sarasota snook on a fly. Emaly Rivera and Isaac Lee, from GA, scored their first snook and tarpon on a fly, fishing with me on their first saltwater fly fishing trip!

Look for reds in skinny water and snook and juvenile tarpon around dock lights. You should also find snook in the surf. Deep grass flats are usually a good option for action with trout and more early in the day. Adult migratory tarpon are thinning in the coastal gulf and will gradually move to inside waters. 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 8/11/2023

Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout, Spanish mackerel and pompano on DOA Lures in Sarasota Bay recently. Fly anglers also had some action catching and releasing trout on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay.

Steve and Conner Pullum, from Hayesville, NC, had good action catching and releasing numerous trout to over 20”, Spanish mackerel and pompano on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos while fishing Sarasota Bay with me. Pat Beckwith, from Sarasota, also fished Sarasota Bay and had some action catching and releasing trout on Clouser flies.

Tarpon are thinning in the coastal gulf as they move to inside waters. Look for reds in skinny water and snook around dock lights and in the surf. Deep grass flats are usually a good option for action for trout and more early in the day. 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!

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.

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!

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!