Fishing charters can mean the difference between catching the big one; or telling a story about the one that got away. At C.B.’s Saltwater Outfitters, our veteran guides will do their best to make sure your stay in our Sarasota, Siesta Key area is memorable. Let us arrange an exciting trip to the shallow water back country to sightfish for snook, redfish, speckled trout and other species, or trips to the inshore reefs of the Gulf of Mexico for giant tarpon, bonito, cobia, tripletail, jack crevalle, kingfish, spanish mackerel. Fly and Spin fishing for all ages.

Captain Jeffri Durrance

Attending college in Texas he worked on a large cattle ranch that was a soil conservation success story. The Flat Top Ranch was known for its series of lakes and dams that provided a plethora of fishing opportunities while in Texas. He also took advantage of the many public lakes built around the north Texas area near Stephenville.

Upon completion of college he returned to Florida landing in Sarasota where he taught animal science for 16 years and is currently retired as an administrator at Sarasota Middle School after over 31 years in the school district. In Sarasota Jeffri has served the community in a wide variety of areas, which include five years as president of the Sarasota County Fair Board and 20 years as chairman or co-chairman of the Sarasota Tarpon Tournament (the world’s oldest tarpon tournament).

In 1978 & 79 Jeffri went tarpon fishing with friends down at Boca Grande, which is famous for its tarpon fishing. But it was 1980 he discovered the tarpon off the beaches in Sarasota. From the first fish jumped off the Point of Rocks his life has not been the same. Tournament fishing in the early 80’s he and a childhood friend began to gain notoriety for the tarpon caught and the tournament success they were having off the Sarasota beaches chasing tarpon. By 1985 the reality set in that to take people fishing for hire was a real possibility. This resulted in Jeffri earning his Captains license in August of 1985. This provided him with the opportunity to take many individuals tarpon fishing which he used for summer employment while “off for the summer” as a teacher.

Each year since the late 80’s Jeffri has presented his tarpon program to many clubs and organizations in the Sarasota area and he continues to promote the tarpon fishery and tournament here in Sarasota.

Retiring from the school district in June of 2009, Jeffri is currently running a fishing charter business on his 23ft Sea Craft open fishing boat on the waters in and around Sarasota Bay. Jeffri has also been fishing the Southern Kingfish Association circuit successfully since 2004, qualifying for the nationals each year since 2004. Jeffri and team Top Down qualified for the 2009 SKA nationals in second place in Division 11 in the small boat class. He just finished the 2011 season winning the SKA small boat class in both Division 6 & 11 and is headed to Biloxi in early November to compete in the national championship.

Captain Rick Grassett

Destination fishing trips are another specialty of Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service. Capt. Rick has lead groups of fly anglers to remote fishing locations around the world. He hosts trips to Andros South bonefish lodge in the Bahamas and Crane Meadow Lodge, MT in the spring and fall every year. He has also hosted several groups to Los Roques, Venezuela and Turneffe Flats Lodge in Belize in the past.

Capt. Rick is a field editor for Saltwater Angler magazine and a columnist for TBO.com. He has been featured in articles by other writers in Florida Sportsman, Saltwater Sportsman, Sportfishing, The Fisherman and Fly Fishing in Saltwaters magazines.

Captain Bruce Burkhart

Capt. Bruce enjoys fishing Sarasota Bay for redfish, trout, snook, black drum and other species.  His favorite fish to catch is the redfish and fishes local redfish tournaments.  He fishes near shore in the Gulf of Mexico for kingfish, mackerel, tunney and tarpon.  Tarpon season keeps him quite busy and when he is not guiding he is out trying his luck at boating a "Silver King."  The tarpon is his favorite sport fish.

He enjoys taking out anglers of all ages and particularly loves to teach the younger ones how to fish and give them that first experience they will never forget. He was raised fishing and so was his son and feels that the sport instills patience and respect for our fisheries and environment.  He has served on the board of the Coastal Conservation Association for about eight years and currently serves as Tournament Director for the annual CCA Spring Tournament.

Capt. Bruce is owner of Casual Lies Fishing Charters and  operates a Triton 22 LTS with a 200hp Mercury. Any day on the water is a good day for him and he feels very fortunate to be making a living doing what he loves to do the most.

Captain Merrily Dunn

Merrily has fished in the IFA, FLW and Oh, Boy Oberto professional redfish tournaments as well as the Sarasota Sportfishing Anglers’ Club Tarpon Tournament, the IWFA Islamorada Light Tackle Tournament and the IWFA Louisiana Reds & Specks/SLAM Tournament for many years and has placed either 2nd or 3rd in several and accomplished a longtime goal in winning the IWFA LTT in 2007 and in 2005, with teammate Capt. Terry Simmons, placed 4th in the Oh, Boy Oberto Redfish Cup out of Chalmette Louisiana.

She enjoys taking anglers of all levels and especially families with children who are just learning to fish. She prefers using artificial lures, jigs and plugs on light spinning tackle, as well as flies on fly fishing tackle but also uses live bait when needed. Through CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, she has held many ladies fishing clinics. Most of the women she has introduced or re-introduced to fishing have become accomplished anglers and friends.

Captain Terry Simmons

In the late 1990’s he formed a friendship with local guide, Capt. Merrily Dunn, and decided to venture into becoming a fishing guide in 2001. He was introduced to his first guided tarpon charter and fell in love with the Silver King! They formed a partnership together as local guides, working out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, and becoming involved in professional redfish tournaments. In 2005 Terry and Merrily finished 4th in the Oh, Boy! Oberto Professional Redfish Tournament held in Chalmette, Louisiana. Terry fishes both live bait and artificial lures and does a few fly fishing charters, as well, aboard his Evinrude powered 2200 Bay Ranger.