I fished a full day last summer in Sarasota near Lido beach with Captain Rick Grassett of Snook-fin Addict Guide Service. I was absolutely chomping at the bit because this was my first time fly fishing in saltwater. we were after snook and every saltwater angler’s dream, monster tarpon. We got an early start, I met Rick at about 3:30 a.m. and it was a short ride to the boat ramp. After getting acquainted with the saltwater setup and the flats boat, we were off, and within minutes cruising along a lighted bridge looking for tarpon. I have to admit I was pretty nervous up on the bow with that 12wt that felt like a tree compared to the rods that we are used to casting at home. I felt like I was standing in the on-deck circle in a baseball game swinging two bats around to get warmed up. Capt. Rick explained to me what we would be looking for along the bridge, and by some stroke of luck I pointed out what I thought was a tarpon. Low and behold, I was right. This thing looked like a silver log just sitting there in the water. It was moving ever so slowly so I did not have much time to cast to it. My first cast came up way too short, and the next one was more on the mark. This fish had without a doubt seen a lot of flies come his way, and seemed to be content with the fact that he had a saltwater rookie casting at him, because he had no intention of playing my little game. After a few attempts, the fish meandered off, and we kept moving along the bridge looking for more. We did not see any more tarpon, so Rick had me switch to the 8wt and it was off to the lighted docks to chase some snook. This was quite an experience, the lights on the end of the docks just had a bunch of fish under them, and I could not for the life of me get a snook to chase the fly, that is one fish I have come across that when they are not feeding, you are better off just going somewhere else. The second dock we came up to was a little different though: I made a nice cast getting a clouser under the dock, but it was short of the snook. I began to strip the fly pretty quickly, and all of the sudden the fly got hammered. It was unlike any strike I had ever felt, the fish smashed the fly and immediately the line was running out of my hand. As soon as Capt. Rick saw the bend in the rod, he told me I had a baby tarpon on. Right after learning this, and before I could work the fish out from under the dock, it exploded out of the water and smashed into the metal boat lift. You would have thought a bomb went off, it didn’t help that it was 4:30 in the morning either. Somehow I was able to work the fish out from under the dock, and then he was all over the place. after about 10 minutes and one more aerial show, we had the fish at the side of the boat:
Finally worked this guy out from under a dock.
a baby tarpon that weighed about 15-20 pounds. All I could think was the fact that I had caught a tarpon on a fly rod!! Rick must have thought I was 10 years old. As Rick had the fish by the mouth, I was able to snap a few pictures, and then I grabbed hold of the fish for my shot. That one didn’t work out, as he had plenty of energy left to get away from me. Again, the tarpon knew that I wasn’t in Tennessee anymore…… unforgettable experience.
We spent the next hour or so cruising the lighted docks, and not having much luck. after daybreak we headed out into the bay so Rick could find some birds circling over baitfish, and when he found them, he got me close enough to cast a fly into the school and it was on. Now I had landed my first speckled trout.
My first speck.
From there on out we followed the birds and the fish, and I caught trout, blues, and ladyfish for a while. we finished out the day by running from a nice summertime rainstorm. While we didn’t capitalize on a big tarpon, I was so thankful to have seen one and had a shot at it. I was still ecstatic about the baby tarpon and the other assortment of species that I caught that day.
If you ever travel to the Sarasota area, be sure to book a trip with Capt. Rick Grassett. He is a fantastic guide with all the finest equipment, and an absolute wealth of knowledge. What an awesome guy to be out on the water with. I am headed down there next summer and you can be sure that I will be out on the water with Rick. Check under the blogroll on the reports page and visit Rick’s website to find out the latest information, reports, and of course pictures!
-Braton
Looks like you had a good night fishing with Rick.Your definetly right about the Snook, When their not eating their not eating and definatly move to the next light. Some nights you can catch 20 + and some nights you can strike out. Im glad to hear that your first saltwater experience was a good one. Where in Tennessee are you? I visit Epworth Georgia (Blue Ridge) at least1 time a year. I would love to try some fresh water trout fishing.