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Fishing Report: Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had a great start early last week with tarpon and then as the wind shifted to the west, we had good action with trout, redfish and snook on the flats. When the wind finally shifted back to the east on Thursday, we found tarpon had moved out to 25 feet of water, were staying deep and moving fast. Whether it was the effects of Monday’s full moon, the wind or a hint of red tide that also showed up following the front, tarpon didn’t give us many shots and didn’t bite very well toward the end of the week.
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and his group consisting of 5 other anglers made their annual trek to Sarasota to tarpon fish. Keith and Bill Graham, also from Lake Forest, IL and Dave Kinnamon, from Milwaukee, WI fished with me over the course of 4 days from Monday through Thursday. Other anglers in the group, Frank Priebe, Barry Slee and Hal D’Orazio, all from Lake Forest, IL, fished on 2 other guide boats to round out the group.
Monday was hot! Keith and Bill landed 3 fish from 70 to 100-pounds with live crabs on spinning tackle while fishing the coastal gulf waters off Sarasota with me. The rest of the group did equally well. The totals for Monday were 7 fish landed out of 11 jumped including one jumped on a fly. A late season front pushed through on Monday night and the wind shifted to the west at about 15 mph wrecking our tarpon fishing for the next 2 days.
Not to worry, although everyone was dreaming of giant tarpon, there were plenty of other fish to be caught. Over the course of the next 2 days the group caught snook, redfish, trout, bluefish and ladyfish on lures and flies. Anglers fishing with me caught snook to 26” and trout on flies before daylight and then shifted to the flats where they caught trout to 2-pounds, redfish to 5-pounds and a 4-pound bluefish on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails and DOA Deadly Combos. Other anglers in the group did equally well catching snook, reds and trout while fishing docks and the flats.
My friend, Russell Johnson and his sons, Kyle and Patrick, all from Clovis, NM, joined me to tarpon fish on Friday and Saturday. Conditions improved in the gulf, but tarpon were not cooperating. Although they have done well with me in past years, it wasn’t in the cards this time. There is a low to moderate level of red tide present in the gulf off Manatee and Sarasota counties but I don’t think it is affecting tarpon fishing. Baitfish are plentiful and the fish are there, but just not biting very well. They have been exhibiting the type of behavior that they sometimes do following a full or new moon, which is moving fast and not staying up very well. In addition they have moved out to deep water, which makes fishing for them more difficult.
Next week’s weather forecast is good, so tarpon should return to their normal patterns. I look for fishing to improve as we head into the week and away from the full moon. Hopefully we’ll have some east winds to push the red tide away from our coast.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799 
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