Good Action on Sarasota Bay Flats and ICW at Night

Anglers fishing with me, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action catching and releasing snook and bluefish in the ICW on flies, trout, bluefish, pompano and a red in Sarasota Bay and trout in Gasparilla Sound on CAL jigs with shad tails during the past couple of weeks. Water temperatures remained cool, however the warmest water of the day was in the afternoon and evening on outgoing tides. {%image_id=57652%} {%image_id=57651%} Marshall Dinerman and Vic Silverman, both from Atlanta, GA fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday, 1/17. With water temperature in the high 50's, action was slow to start. However as an approaching front got close to us, action turned on. They ended the trip with several nice trout, bluefish, pompano and a red on CAL jigs with shad tails. The next couple of trips were cancelled due to extreme conditions, low's in the 30's. Fortunately the cold snap only lasted a couple of days before a warm up started. I was the instructor for a CB's Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed Fly fishing School on Saturday, 1/20. Students received instruction in fly casting basics, line control, shooting line and the roll cast. Students also learned leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. Contact CB's Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 or [email protected] to make reservations for the next school on Feb 24th. Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL and Stephen Liska, from Naples, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound and backcountry areas near Boca Grande with me on Monday, 1/22. We fished potholes and mangrove shorelines and they had some action with trout on CAL jigs with shad tails. Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL and Jeb Mulock, from Bradenton, FL fished lighted docks in the ICW with me on Tuesday evening, 1/23 and had some action catching and releasing snook on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. Water temperatures were several degrees warmer on the outgoing tide, as water that was warmed by the sun on shallow flats in the afternoon flowed out. {%image_id=57650%} The action was better on Thursday evening, 1/25 when Martin Marlow, from NY, fished with me. He had good action catching and releasing snook and blues also on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. Fish the windows of stable weather between fronts for the best action. Sunny afternoons and evenings with some protection from the wind should fish better this time of year due to warmer water. There should be good action with trout, blues, pompano and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Shallow water action for larger trout and reds 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