It’s mid-May in Sarasota and it’s Tarpon Season.

The fishing has been great in Sarasota Bay, and the near shore Gulf. Over the last several weeks the spotted sea Trout have been on fire in Big Sarasota Bay. It has truly been the best trout fishing I’ve ever seen.

Casting artificial baits over deep grass flats will usually result in some incredible catches. In the Gulf, the tarpon are heating up. Despite west wind and rough sea conditions Tyler from Pittsburg caught a fish of about 100 pounds on a small blue crab. He was able to land that fish in an impressive 15 minutes even though it was his first ever.

The fishing has been great in Sarasota Bay, and the near shore Gulf. Over the last several weeks the spotted sea Trout have been on fire in Big Sarasota Bay. It has truly been the best trout fishing I’ve ever seen.

Casting artificial baits over deep grass flats will usually result in some incredible catches. In the Gulf, the tarpon are heating up. Despite west wind and rough sea conditions Tyler from Pittsburg caught a fish of about 100 pounds on a small blue crab. He was able to land that fish in an impressive 15 minutes even though it was his first ever.

Capt. Capt. Kelly Stilwell

Kelly has lived and fished in this area for over 30 years. His specialties are artificial bait, fly fishing, tarpon, and live bait fishing in Sarasota Bay and the nearshore Gulf. He's an Orvis Endorsed Guide and currently runs a 2400 Ranger Bay boat which accommodates five.

Dan, from Chicago, shows off this large Spotted Trout.

Captain Brandon Naeve and Captain Hunter Naeve have been catching huge trout in Sarasota Bay this past week with Dan, shown here displaying one of the larger Trout he caught, from Chicago.

As the water temperature continues to rise so does the appetite of our three most sought after species, the Inshore Grand Slam (Snook, Redfish, and Trout) The fish are schooled up and chewing, book now for a great charter in the Gulf.

The Trout bite continues to stay consistent with many trout and keeper’s being put into boat.

Capt. Capt. Brandon Naeve

I've been a fishing guide the Sarasota , Boca Grande area for over 25 years. My Sarasota trips are mostly family oriented 1/2 day fishing trips involving kids who love to catch all the family fun fish. My Boca Grande trips are for the more experienced spin or fly fishing angler.

Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action in Sarasota Bay with me recently.

Holding this beautiful two spot redfish are Mark King, from Northern IL, and my sister-in -law Becky.

Wow, we had a great day on the water! My sister-in-law Becky, my wife, and a friend of ours from Northern Illinois Mark King decided to take to the water for lunch and a leisurely boat ride. The boat ride for me gave me the excuse, to bring some fishing poles and do a little fishing along the way.

My mother-in-law used to say I would fish in a mud puddle if given the chance, that statement is probably true. We stopped to fish at a few spots on our way to our lunch destination. Everyone participated as we caught and released several redfish and trout.

The water was absolutely beautiful, lunch was great, and the fishing was excellent. What a day to spend in Sarasota, Florida.

Wow, we had a great day on the water! My sister-in-law Becky, my wife, and a friend of ours from Northern Illinois Mark King decided to take to the water for lunch and a leisurely boat ride. The boat ride for me gave me the excuse, to bring some fishing poles and do a little fishing along the way.

My mother-in-law used to say I would fish in a mud puddle if given the chance, that statement is probably true. We stopped to fish at a few spots on our way to our lunch destination. Everyone participated as we caught and released several redfish and trout.

The water was absolutely beautiful, lunch was great, and the fishing was excellent. What a day to spend in Sarasota, Florida.

Capt. Chuck Cress

Fishing has been a lifetime passion for me. Depending on the skill level of my clients what I like to do is put them on big fish using artificial lures. I like to educating and passing on my knowledge of local history and the many sights the area has to offer while we are on the water.

Kudo’s to this young man for showining some gumption.

After these last cold fronts the water is finally clearing up and the fishing has been fantastic.
Fishing the grass flats with cal jigs and live shrimp has produced many trout, Spanish mackerel, and ladyfish.

We’re fishing the passes with jigs the bite is on in the rocks and in the sand. Pompano have moved in as well as sheepshead, snapper, and a few flounder. The snook bite is also on fire with the right tides, several days catching and releasing up to slot size.

Siri g is finally here and the fish are hungry!

Capt. Capt. Kelly Kurtz

Kelly is a Sarasota native and the owner and operator of Mangrove Charters. He's pas­sion­ate about fishing and hunting. As a full-time fishing guide Kelly operates out of a 22 ft. Bayscout and specializes in light tackle using both arti­fi­cial and live bait. Redfish are his favorite.

Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action in Sarasota Bay with me recently.

Bill Morrison, from Anna Maria, and Don Morrison, from MA, fished a trip with me and had great action with trout and Spanish mackerel on flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. Dave Reinhart, from MA, fished skinny water with me on a blustery day later in the week.

Fish were turned on ahead of an approaching front. He caught and released a slam, including a 28” snook, 28” redfish, trout and a couple of pompano that were sight fished on top of a bar in 18” of water, all on CAL jigs with a grub tail! Not big numbers of fish but a great day for quality fish and variety.

Fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay is a good choice for action with a variety of species including trout, pompano, blues and Spanish mackerel. Check the coastal gulf for Spanish mackerel, false albacore and tripletail when conditions are good. Shallow water fishing for reds and large trout is also a good option now, although they are very challenging in clear water. These conditions usually require long casts to avoid spooking fish.

Our natural resources are under constant pressure from red tides fueled by industrial, agricultural and residential runoff, freezes, increasing fishing pressure and habitat loss and degradation, please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!

Capt. Capt. Kelly Kurtz

Kelly is a Sarasota native and the owner and operator of Mangrove Charters. He's pas­sion­ate about fishing and hunting. As a full-time fishing guide Kelly operates out of a 22 ft. Bayscout and specializes in light tackle using both arti­fi­cial and live bait. Redfish are his favorite.

Young Brooke is shown here with a beautiful trout.

Young Brooke from Detroit, MI, shown here in this photo with his dad, caught this nice looking trout while fishing this past week with me on a charter out of CB’s Outfitters on Siesta Key.

Capt. Hunter donated his jacket to keep the young man warm, remember it’s much colder on the water this time of year, as it takes a while longer for the gulf waters to warm up after the air temps do.

The water temps here in South Florida will begin to climb as we move closer to April and the quickly approaching summer months.

Capt. Capt. Brandon Naeve

I've been a fishing guide the Sarasota , Boca Grande area for over 25 years. My Sarasota trips are mostly family oriented 1/2 day fishing trips involving kids who love to catch all the family fun fish. My Boca Grande trips are for the more experienced spin or fly fishing angler.

Young Brooke from Detroit, MI, shown here in this photo with his dad, caught this nice looking trout while fishing this past week with me on a charter out of CB’s Outfitters on Siesta Key.

Capt. Hunter donated his jacket to keep the young man warm, remember it’s much colder on the water this time of year, as it takes a while longer for the gulf waters to warm up after the air temps do.

The water temps here in South Florida will begin to climb as we move closer to April and the quickly approaching summer months.

Capt. Capt. Brandon Naeve

I've been a fishing guide the Sarasota , Boca Grande area for over 25 years. My Sarasota trips are mostly family oriented 1/2 day fishing trips involving kids who love to catch all the family fun fish. My Boca Grande trips are for the more experienced spin or fly fishing angler.

This young man caught himself a Snook.

The fishing these past two weeks on the grass has been very good on the right tides.

We’ve had many days of catching and releasing 40 plus trout up to 22 inches, as well as Spanish Mackerel while fishing inshore using live and artificial jigs.

The migration of Pompano has arrived also, and the snook are feeding heavily after this winter.

Capt. Capt. Kelly Kurtz

Kelly is a Sarasota native and the owner and operator of Mangrove Charters. He's pas­sion­ate about fishing and hunting. As a full-time fishing guide Kelly operates out of a 22 ft. Bayscout and specializes in light tackle using both arti­fi­cial and live bait. Redfish are his favorite.

The fishing these past two weeks on the grass has been very good on the right tides.

We’ve had many days of catching and releasing 40 plus trout up to 22 inches, as well as Spanish Mackerel while fishing inshore using live and artificial jigs.

The migration of Pompano has arrived also, and the snook are feeding heavily after this winter.

Capt. Capt. Kelly Kurtz

Kelly is a Sarasota native and the owner and operator of Mangrove Charters. He's pas­sion­ate about fishing and hunting. As a full-time fishing guide Kelly operates out of a 22 ft. Bayscout and specializes in light tackle using both arti­fi­cial and live bait. Redfish are his favorite.

Dominic holding a Redfish he caught and released.

I think I’m witnessing one of the best spring fishing seasons I’ve seen in a long time. Dominic, shown here on the left, is holding a beautiful redfish he caught and released while fishing with his his father-in-law Mike this past week. They both helped prove my point.

They chartered this trip with me through CB’s Outfitters. Besides catching and releasing the redfish and several trout, Dominic also caught a snook that was so large we had trouble getting it in the net. Most of the fish on this outing were caught using a jig and gulp jerk bait.

Capt. Chuck Cress

Fishing has been a lifetime passion for me. Depending on the skill level of my clients what I like to do is put them on big fish using artificial lures. I like to educating and passing on my knowledge of local history and the many sights the area has to offer while we are on the water.

I think I’m witnessing one of the best spring fishing seasons I’ve seen in a long time. Dominic, shown here below, is holding a beautiful redfish he caught and released while fishing with his his father-in-law Mike this past week. They both helped prove my point.

They chartered a trip with me through CB’s Outfitters. Besides catching and releasing this redfish, and several trout, Dominic also caught a snook that was so large we had trouble getting it in the net.

Most of the fish on this outing were caught using a jig and gulp jerk bait.

Capt. Chuck Cress

Fishing has been a lifetime passion for me. Depending on the skill level of my clients what I like to do is put them on big fish using artificial lures. I like to educating and passing on my knowledge of local history and the many sights the area has to offer while we are on the water.

They had a great time fishing Sarasota Bay this week.

Beckett, Theo and Tuck from southern Minnesota caught a bunch of fish with Capt. Brandon this past week in Sarasota Bay.

March is one of the best months for fishing in Sarasota, with a wide variety of species available to target, including Spanish mackerel, kingfish, and cobia, which migrate to Sarasota’s waters in large numbers.

You can catch them using live bait or artificial lures, particularly around artificial reefs and nearshore structures.

Beckett, Theo and Tuck from southern Minnesota caught a bunch of fish with Capt. Brandon this past week in Sarasota Bay.

March is one of the best months for fishing in Sarasota, with a wide variety of species available to target, including Spanish mackerel, kingfish, and cobia, which migrate to Sarasota’s waters in large numbers.

You can catch them using live bait or artificial lures, particularly around artificial reefs and nearshore structures.

Capt. Capt. Brandon Naeve

I've been a fishing guide the Sarasota , Boca Grande area for over 25 years. My Sarasota trips are mostly family oriented 1/2 day fishing trips involving kids who love to catch all the family fun fish. My Boca Grande trips are for the more experienced spin or fly fishing angler.

With the weather warming up the fishing is improving.

The fishing last week has started to improve after the last cold front passed through. The spring migration is here and the bite has been very good on the right tides.

Last week fishing the grass flats with artificial and live shrimp we had several days catching and releasing over 50 trout as well as Spanish mackerel and a few redfish .

On several of the calmer days I ran the crab bouys and caught several tripletail .

Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action in Sarasota Bay with me recently.

Bill Morrison, from Anna Maria, and Don Morrison, from MA, fished a trip with me and had great action with trout and Spanish mackerel on flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. Dave Reinhart, from MA, fished skinny water with me on a blustery day later in the week.

Fish were turned on ahead of an approaching front. He caught and released a slam, including a 28” snook, 28” redfish, trout and a couple of pompano that were sight fished on top of a bar in 18” of water, all on CAL jigs with a grub tail! Not big numbers of fish but a great day for quality fish and variety.

Fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay is a good choice for action with a variety of species including trout, pompano, blues and Spanish mackerel. Check the coastal gulf for Spanish mackerel, false albacore and tripletail when conditions are good. Shallow water fishing for reds and large trout is also a good option now, although they are very challenging in clear water. These conditions usually require long casts to avoid spooking fish.

Our natural resources are under constant pressure from red tides fueled by industrial, agricultural and residential runoff, freezes, increasing fishing pressure and habitat loss and degradation, please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!

Capt. Capt. Kelly Kurtz

Kelly is a Sarasota native and the owner and operator of Mangrove Charters. He's pas­sion­ate about fishing and hunting. As a full-time fishing guide Kelly operates out of a 22 ft. Bayscout and specializes in light tackle using both arti­fi­cial and live bait. Redfish are his favorite.

In spite of recent redtide events, the fishing has been spectacular. We have seen some of the best spotted seatrout fishing in a very long time. We’ve been seeing catches of over 50 fish on most days, even when fly-fishing.

Some of those fish are well over the legal size limit and some are over the slot limits. I’ve also seen our anglers catching bonnet head sharks, cobra, and some big spanish mackerel.

Capt. Capt. Kelly Stilwell

Kelly has lived and fished in this area for over 30 years. His specialties are artificial bait, fly fishing, tarpon, and live bait fishing in Sarasota Bay and the nearshore Gulf. He's an Orvis Endorsed Guide and currently runs a 2400 Ranger Bay boat which accommodates five.

In spite of recent redtide events, the fishing has been spectacular. We have seen some of the best spotted seatrout fishing in a very long time. We’ve been seeing catches of over 50 fish on most days, even when fly-fishing.

Some of those fish are well over the legal size limit and some are over the slot limits. I’ve also seen our anglers catching bonnet head sharks, cobra, and some big spanish mackerel.

Christian Solberg, from St. Pierre, South Dakota, caught this beautiful pompano fishing north of the red tide while on the water with his mom and myself this past week.

We caught over forty fish, many of them trout, and with a favorable wind direction pushing the red tide out we should have a good week of fishing ahead of us.

This Chicago resident, tired of the Black Hawks playing poorly, decided a fishing trip out of CB’s Outfitters was the ticket to happiness she needed and caught this beautiful Pompano.

Capt. Capt. Brandon Naeve

I've been a fishing guide the Sarasota , Boca Grande area for over 25 years. My Sarasota trips are mostly family oriented 1/2 day fishing trips involving kids who love to catch all the family fun fish. My Boca Grande trips are for the more experienced spin or fly fishing angler.

Christian Solberg, from St. Pierre, South Dakota, caught this beautiful pompano fishing north of the red tide while on the water with his mom and myself this past week.

We caught over forty fish, many of them trout, and with a favorable wind direction pushing the red tide out we should have a good week of fishing ahead of us.

This Chicago resident, tired of the Black Hawks playing poorly, decided a fishing trip out of CB’s Outfitters was the ticket to happiness she needed and caught this beautiful Pompano.

Capt. Capt. Brandon Naeve

I've been a fishing guide the Sarasota , Boca Grande area for over 25 years. My Sarasota trips are mostly family oriented 1/2 day fishing trips involving kids who love to catch all the family fun fish. My Boca Grande trips are for the more experienced spin or fly fishing angler.

The beautiful weather this week in Florida has activated many fish that don’t normally bite until March like this nice snook caught in Boca grande by Keith McClintock with myself.

January and February are unique for fishing, thanks to our mild winters and active marine life. The water’s a bit cooler, sure, but that’s exactly what gets the fish moving.

Capt. Capt. Brandon Naeve

I've been a fishing guide the Sarasota , Boca Grande area for over 25 years. My Sarasota trips are mostly family oriented 1/2 day fishing trips involving kids who love to catch all the family fun fish. My Boca Grande trips are for the more experienced spin or fly fishing angler.

The beautiful weather this week in Florida has activated many fish that don’t normally bite until March like this nice snook caught in Boca grande by Keith McClintock with myself.

January and February are unique for fishing, thanks to our mild winters and active marine life. The water’s a bit cooler, sure, but that’s exactly what gets the fish moving.

John Kern, From PA, with a nice four spot redfish.

I had the opportunity to take out one of my favorite customers, John Kern. John and his friend Dave took a break from the winter weather in Pennsylvania to fish with me over the weekend.

John is shown here holding a four spot redfish, really enjoys being on the water. I have taken him out several times and he’s becoming very good at using jigs and other artificial baits to catch fish in our local waters.

Besides redfish, the the guys caught and released several trout and snook, what a great day!

I had the opportunity to take out one of my favorite customers, John Kern. John and his friend Dave took a break from the winter weather in Pennsylvania to fish with me over the weekend.

John is shown here holding a four spot redfish, really enjoys being on the water. I have taken him out several times and he’s becoming very good at using jigs and other artificial baits to catch fish in our local waters. Besides redfish, the the guys caught and released several trout and snook.

Capt. Chuck Cress

Fishing has been a lifetime passion for me. Depending on the skill level of my clients what I like to do is put them on big fish using artificial lures. I like to educating and passing on my knowledge of local history and the many sights the area has to offer while we are on the water.

Young Cooper Small from Austin Texas with a Snook.

Cooper Small, from Austin, Texas, caught this beautiful 30 inch Snook shown here on the last day of 2024. Cooper is shown here with his dad and a friend, they were using cut bait provided by Capt Brandon when this moment occurred.

December is a good month for catch and release snook action. The fishing scene, particularly around Sarasota Bay, is looking promising right now, and the waters are less crowded.

All in all it’s a good time to get out there, drop a line, and see what you can find.

ooper Small, from Austin, Texas, caught this beautiful 30 inch Snook shown here on the last day of 2024.

Cooper is shown here with his dad and a friend, they were using cut bait provided by Capt Brandon when this moment occurred.

December is a good month for catch and release snook action. The fishing scene, particularly around Sarasota Bay, is looking promising right now, and the waters are less crowded.

All in all it’s a good time to get out there and drop a line.

Capt. Capt. Brandon Naeve

I've been a fishing guide the Sarasota , Boca Grande area for over 25 years. My Sarasota trips are mostly family oriented 1/2 day fishing trips involving kids who love to catch all the family fun fish. My Boca Grande trips are for the more experienced spin or fly fishing angler.

It got a little chilly in the mornings but the fish didn’t seem to mind. Drew, shown below, from Edgewood Kentucky, caught this beautiful permit this past Christmas week while fishing with me on a half day charter out of CB’s Outfitters.

David and Bailey from Columbus Ohio caught this beautiful Spanish Mackerel in Sarasota bay along with lots of Trout and Ladyfish on an excursion this past week. Half day trips out of CB’s have been very successful, grab your kid this holiday week and get some fishing in.

Capt. Capt. Brandon Naeve

I've been a fishing guide the Sarasota , Boca Grande area for over 25 years. My Sarasota trips are mostly family oriented 1/2 day fishing trips involving kids who love to catch all the family fun fish. My Boca Grande trips are for the more experienced spin or fly fishing angler.

It got a little chilly in the mornings but the fish didn’t seem to mind. Drew, shown below, from Edgewood Kentucky, caught this beautiful permit this past Christmas week while fishing with me on a half day charter out of CB’s Outfitters.

David and Bailey from Columbus Ohio caught this beautiful Spanish Mackerel in Sarasota bay along with lots of Trout and Ladyfish on an excursion this past week.

Half day trips out of CB’s have been very successful, grab your kid this holiday week and get some fishing in.

Capt. Capt. Brandon Naeve

I've been a fishing guide the Sarasota , Boca Grande area for over 25 years. My Sarasota trips are mostly family oriented 1/2 day fishing trips involving kids who love to catch all the family fun fish. My Boca Grande trips are for the more experienced spin or fly fishing angler.

Henry, from the Chicago area, holding a snook he caught.

This is Henry, he’s a high school freshman from the Chicago area. Henry’s holding a snook, one of the many fish he and his dad caught on an early December morning. He and his dad caught and released several trout and were able to keep a couple for dinner later that night.

Most of the fish were caught using live shrimp under a cork and jigs with gulp bait. The day started a little foggy but burned off by mid morning and the tides were low which kept us out of a few places, but we still managed to have a good day.

Capt. Chuck Cress

Fishing has been a lifetime passion for me. Depending on the skill level of my clients what I like to do is put them on big fish using artificial lures. I like to educating and passing on my knowledge of local history and the many sights the area has to offer while we are on the water.

This is Henry, he’s a high school freshman from the Chicago area. Henry’s holding a snook, one of the many fish he and his dad caught on an early December morning. He and his dad caught and released several trout and were able to keep a couple for dinner later that night.

Most of the fish were caught using live shrimp under a cork and jigs with gulp bait. The day started a little foggy but burned off by mid morning and the tides were low which kept us out of a few places, but we still managed to have a good day.

Capt. Chuck Cress

Fishing has been a lifetime passion for me. Depending on the skill level of my clients what I like to do is put them on big fish using artificial lures. I like to educating and passing on my knowledge of local history and the many sights the area has to offer while we are on the water.

Water temperatures have dipped into the upper 50’s.

The water is a cool 59 degrees, but a decent bite is still going on with Trout, Ladyfish, and Sheepshead. Some Tripletale are possible if you put the time in. This seven pound Tripletale, shown here on the left, was caught on Monday, December 16th in Sarasota Bay.

CB’s Outfitters runs these nearshore and inshore trips so grab the kids and book a Christmas holiday fishing charter and make some great memories.

Capt. Capt. Brandon Naeve

I've been a fishing guide the Sarasota , Boca Grande area for over 25 years. My Sarasota trips are mostly family oriented 1/2 day fishing trips involving kids who love to catch all the family fun fish. My Boca Grande trips are for the more experienced spin or fly fishing angler.

The water is a cool 59 degrees, but a decent bite is still going on with Trout, Ladyfish, and Sheepshead. Some Tripletale are possible if you put the time in.

This seven pound Tripletale, shown here on the left, was caught on Monday, December 16th in Sarasota Bay.

CB’s Outfitters runs these nearshore and inshore trips so grab the kids and book a Christmas holiday fishing charter and make some great memories.

Capt. Capt. Brandon Naeve

I've been a fishing guide the Sarasota , Boca Grande area for over 25 years. My Sarasota trips are mostly family oriented 1/2 day fishing trips involving kids who love to catch all the family fun fish. My Boca Grande trips are for the more experienced spin or fly fishing angler.

Buenos Aires Argentina comes to Southwest Florida.

Nico and Tommy from Buenos Aires Argentina caught Ladyfish and trout Thanksgiving Day with Capt. Brandon using gold paddle tail jigs.

Nico and Tommy from Buenos Aires Argentina caught Ladyfish and trout thanksgiving day with Capt Brandon using gold paddle tail jig.

Don’t be like these boys from Illinois.

Don’t be like these boys from Illinois who fell in Philippe Creek and had to go swimming for the rod… LOL.

Winter is finally here with the water dropping down into the 60’s the fish are getting used to it and the bite is improving, grab your kid and make their thanksgiving a fun one.

Don’t be like these boys from Illinois who fell in Philippe creek and had to go swimming for the rod… lol.

Winter is finally here with the water dropping down into the 60’s the fish are getting used to it and the bite is improving, grab your kid and make their thanksgiving a fun one.

Capt. Capt. Brandon Naeve

I've been a fishing guide the Sarasota , Boca Grande area for over 25 years. My Sarasota trips are mostly family oriented 1/2 day fishing trips involving kids who love to catch all the family fun fish. My Boca Grande trips are for the more experienced spin or fly fishing angler.

Sunset off of South Andros, in the Bahamas.

I hosted a group of friends and clients at Mars Bay Bonefish Lodge in South Andros, Bahamas on my annual trip there recently. Stewart Lavelle, from Sarasota, Rick Happle from St. Pete, and I drove from Sarasota to Ft. Lauderdale Executive airport.

We met up with other group members; John, DJ, Dave Proctor and Ian Schaad, from NY, Joe Nourigat, from VA and Tracy Baker and Peter Chauncey, from NC and traveled to Congotown, South Andros on Makers Air.

Conditions were good most of the time, although there were a couple of very windy days. More importantly, we had good sunlight on most days. We waded vast sand flats and also fished from flats skiffs for everything from large cruising or tailing single and double bonefish to large schools of fish.

We had good action most days and there were also a couple of slower days. There were numerous bonefish in the 4 to 6-pound class and larger as well as several double-digit fish caught and released. Top producing flies during the week were Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp, Fitz flies, Ververka’s Mantis Shrimp, Gotchas and Gotcha variations.

DJ caught a huge bonefish, estimated 12 to 14-lb that made a smoking run to the deeper edge of the flat. Unfortunately the fish was met by a large shark that quickly appeared from the deeper water and attacked the fish. Unfortunately despite our best efforts to avoid this, Mother Nature wins out sometimes.

Bill Howard, the resident owner/operator, does a great job making things run smoothly at the lodge. We dined on a variety of excellent authentic Bahamian dishes including fresh fish, lobster and conch. One of the best things about Mars Bay Lodge, the southernmost lodge on South Andros, is fishing the vast sand flats and scattered mangrove keys to the south. Being the southernmost lodge on South Andros also means about a 10-mile shorter boat run each way and more fishing!

South Andros has got to be one of the most beautiful places to target bonefish on the planet! This trip, as well as my Montana trip, are annual trips so if you have an interest in any future trips contact me or go to the Destination Trips page of my web sites for more info.

Capt. Capt. Rick Grassett

Rick is the owner of Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc. He's a full time fishing guide and outdoor writer based in Sarasota, FL. He’s been guiding since 1990 and is an Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing guide here at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, the 2011 Orvis Out­fit­ter of the Year.

I hosted a group of friends and clients at Mars Bay Bonefish Lodge in South Andros, Bahamas on my annual trip there recently. Stewart Lavelle, from Sarasota, Rick Happle from St. Pete, and I drove from Sarasota to Ft. Lauderdale Executive airport.

We met up with other group members; John, DJ, Dave Proctor and Ian Schaad, from NY, Joe Nourigat, from VA and Tracy Baker and Peter Chauncey, from NC and traveled to Congotown, South Andros on Makers Air.

Conditions were good most of the time, although there were a couple of very windy days. More importantly, we had good sunlight on most days. We waded vast sand flats and also fished from flats skiffs for everything from large cruising or tailing single and double bonefish to large schools of fish.

We had good action most days and there were also a couple of slower days. There were numerous bonefish in the 4 to 6-pound class and larger as well as several double-digit fish caught and released. Top producing flies during the week were Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp, Fitz flies, Ververka’s Mantis Shrimp, Gotchas and Gotcha variations.

DJ caught a huge bonefish, estimated 12 to 14-lb that made a smoking run to the deeper edge of the flat. Unfortunately the fish was met by a large shark that quickly appeared from the deeper water and attacked the fish. Unfortunately despite our best efforts to avoid this, Mother Nature wins out sometimes.

Bill Howard, the resident owner/operator, does a great job making things run smoothly at the lodge. We dined on a variety of excellent authentic Bahamian dishes including fresh fish, lobster and conch. One of the best things about Mars Bay Lodge, the southernmost lodge on South Andros, is fishing the vast sand flats and scattered mangrove keys to the south. Being the southernmost lodge on South Andros also means about a 10-mile shorter boat run each way and more fishing!

South Andros has got to be one of the most beautiful places to target bonefish on the planet! This trip, as well as my Montana trip, are annual trips so if you have an interest in any future trips contact me or go to the Destination Trips page of my web sites for more info.

Capt. Capt. Rick Grassett

Rick is the owner of Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc. He's a full time fishing guide and outdoor writer based in Sarasota, FL. He’s been guiding since 1990 and is an Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing guide here at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, the 2011 Orvis Out­fit­ter of the Year.