Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with snook, reds, and jacks in Gasparilla Sound and snook around dock lights in Sarasota Bay on a couple of trips during the past week.

Connor Shoemaker, from Sarasota, with a red he caught and released on CAL Shad tails while fishing Gasparilla Sound with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Jon Yenari and Connor Shoemaker, both from Sarasota, fished Gasparilla Sound recently and had great action catching and releasing numerous snook and a couple of reds on flies, CAL Shad tails and topwater plugs. We also encountered several large schools of jacks and had several “doubles” on fly and spin tackle. One of the jacks was eaten by a shark at the side of the boat, topwater plug and all!

Mark Schusterman, from Houston, fished dock lights in Sarasota Bay with me on another trip. He caught and released his first snook on a fly and several other snook on my Grassett Snook Minnow and Gummy Minnow flies. Snook blasted tiny glass minnows and were picky. It took flies as small as #8 to get them to bite. Match the hatch!

Jon Yenari, from Sarasota, with a snook he caught and released on CAL Shad tails while fishing Gasparilla Sound with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Tarpon are thinning in the coastal gulf but are usually curious and aggressive this time of year. If you’ve got the patience to wait them out it can be worth it. They will move into estuaries as they thin out in the gulf. Fishing mangrove shorelines for catch and release reds and snook may also be a good option. Night fishing for snook and more is a dependable option and a good way to beat the heat.

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. 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.

Robin Calitri caught this redfish fishing the dock lights.

Robin Calitri, from NH, caught a reel bonus fishing the dock lights for snook. A 29-inch redfish beat a snook to an Enrico Puglisi baitfish pattern fly. It was Robin’s night. The big red ran under the dock dragging the Orvis fluorocarbon leader against the barnacles. Nicked and scraped the leader held and Robin was able to cajole it out into open water. All this on an Orvis Helios 3 7wt fly rod, the red weighted 10 pounds plus. A little while later he wasn’t so fortunate with a nice snook… that’s how they get big.

He did manage to catch several 20-24 in snook. All the fish were released to continue to build our stocks back. The nice thing about night trips after the afternoon rain, the temperature isn’t in the 90’s and you don’t get sunburnt. Be careful out there and respect the fish and other fishermen.

Capt. Capt. Ed Hurst

Sarasota has been Ed's home since 1956. He's fished these area waters since he was nine years old. From 1995 until the present he's guided anglers exclusively in and around the back­wa­ters of Sarasota Bay. Fly fishing is his passion and he's an Orvis Endorsed Guide.

Don Sutherland with a nice red he caught in the bay.

Live shrimp is still accounting for most of the fish caught this week along with bucktail and CAL jigs. Clients are catching mangrove snapper, black drum, redfish and speckled trout around Sarasota bay flats and docks.

Other species caught were bluefish, Spanish mackerel, jack crevalle, and ladyfish. All in all, it’s a great time of year to be on the water with a rod and reel in your hands. Remember, the best time to go fishing is when you can and be sure to save some for seed!

Capt. Capt. Jeffri Durrance

Jef­fri is a fourth generation native Floridian who grew up in Bowling Green, Florida, located in Hardee County. While growing up on a cattle and citrus operation Jef­fri fished many creeks and lakes in the central Florida area as well as the Peace River.

Fly anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with tarpon in the coastal gulf on several trips during the past week. Tarpon were jumped on several trips and Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL, landed one. Great job!

Jeff Babik, from IL, displaying a Sarasota Bay trout he caught and released.

Action on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay is improving. Jeff and Matt Babik, from IL, jumped a juvenile tarpon on a DOA TerrorEyz and had good action with trout in Sarasota Bay on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. Tim and Cooper Campbell, from Singapore, caught and released trout on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay and Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf on Clouser and Grassett Snook Minnow flies and CAL jigs with shad tails on another trip.

Tarpon are thinning in the coastal gulf but are aggressive this time of year. They will move to inside areas of Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay as they thin out in the gulf. Fishing mangrove shorelines for catch and release reds and snook may also be a good option. Night fishing for snook and more is a dependable option and a good way to beat the heat.

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. 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.

Five-year-old Henry and his dad Ben had a contest while fishing Sarasota Bay this past week.

Five-year-old Henry and his dad Ben had a little fishing contest on board the Lets Get Em Charters boat. Visiting from central Illinois they booked their charter with me out of CB’S Outfitters on Siesta Key.

The weather was quite comfortable and the water was calm to start the contest. Numerous fish were caught such as ladyfish Spanish mackerel catfish lizardfish Jack Crevalle and a few pinfish.

At the end of the day, young Henry was declared the winner by one. Fishing at Sarasota Bay has really picked up over the last few weeks my experience tells me it’s only going to get better.

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.

Will Hartman with a nice redfish he caught this past week fishing Sarasota Bay.

Once again we are finding black drum, redfish and speckled trout around Sarasota Bay flats and docks. Live shrimp accounted for most of the fish caught along with bucktail and CAL jigs.

Other species caught were bluefish, Spanish mackerel, jack crevalle, and ladyfish. Catch of the week honors goes to Will Hartman with a nice redfish. Remember, the best time to go fishing is when you can and be sure to save some for seed!

Capt. Capt. Jeffri Durrance

Jef­fri is a fourth generation native Floridian who grew up in Bowling Green, Florida, located in Hardee County. While growing up on a cattle and citrus operation Jef­fri fished many creeks and lakes in the central Florida area as well as the Peace River.

Night fishing has been pretty good this week.

The fishing in Sarasota Bay has picked up pretty good on the deeper grass flats, we are catching trout, bluefish, pompano, jacks, and ladyfish using a DOA CAL jigs and clouser deep minnow patterns.

Night snook fishing has been pretty good this past week. My spin fisherman have been catching them on the DOA 2-inch and 2.75-inch shrimp in the gold glitter color. Fly anglers will score with any small pattern in white.

Capt. Capt. Andy Cotton

Capt. Andy loves fly fishing and light spinning tackle with artificial lures. He fishes out of an Action Craft 1720 flats skiff rigged with the latest electronics and outfitted with Orvis fly equipment and Shimano spinning tackle. Andy is the owner of O'Fish All Guide Service.

The Bayette family had a great day on the water.

The fishing really heated up last week. The Bayette family had a great trip. They were busy throughout the morning catching bluefish, Spanish mackerel, seatrout, and ladyfish. All the fish were caught on 1/4 ounce jigs with plastic tails.

Lawrence Baxter and his son went for an evening trip on Wednesday. They also saw some nice fish including a big pompano and some snook after dark. Remember, the best time to go fishing is when you can!

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.

Fishing’s been very productive the last few weeks.

Anglers fishing with me this past week have had some exceptional days. We’ve been fishing the passes using a combination of live bait which seems to be the key. We’ve caught and released many snook from 16 to 34 inches.

We’ve also caught Mangrove snapper, jacks, and juvenile grouper as well. On a few of the days, we were out the passes were too rough so we wound up fishing the flats catching and releasing sea trout up to 20 inches.

Tight lines everyone!

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.

Emma Vincent with a nice black she caught.

Sarasota bay fishing is good with a variety of species hitting. Clients landed black drum, speckled trout, ladyfish, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, a couple of redfish along with several others.

A nice cobia was in the mix as well but broke off before it could be invited home for dinner! The fish were caught using buck tailed jigs and live shrimp.

Remember, the best time to go fishing is when you can and be sure to save some for seed!

Capt. Capt. Jeffri Durrance

Jef­fri is a fourth generation native Floridian who grew up in Bowling Green, Florida, located in Hardee County. While growing up on a cattle and citrus operation Jef­fri fished many creeks and lakes in the central Florida area as well as the Peace River.

Father and daughter Travis and Carly visiting the area from Kansas City had a great day.

Father and daughter Travis and Carly booked a trip with me on the fourth of July. We met at CB’S Outfitters on Siesta Key early in the morning in search of anything that would bend the fishing pole. Carly, who was an excellent fisherman and very patient, fished hard even though she had a cast on her left hand from a cheerleading mishap.

Our search for a fish was challenging until Travis hooked a snook on a topwater lure. They were visiting from Kansas City and saw things that they normally would not see such as dolphins, pelicans, and the beautiful waters surrounding Sarasota.

I reminded them to remember this day come mid-January.

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.

Nick DeMarco and his dad Ernie with a tarpon Nick caught and released.

Anglers fishing with me have been having success hooking and landing tarpon along area beaches. The fish are beginning to spread out with a few schools still bunched up from time to time. The tarpon are hitting crabs and pinfish. Along the beach, we’re encountering Spanish mackerel and a variety of sharks.

In the bay, we’ve been catching ladyfish, snook, bluefish and the speckled trout, which are slowly returning to the grass flats. We have been using buck tailed jigs and live shrimp for bait.

Remember, the best time to go fishing is when you can and be sure to save some for seed!

Capt. Capt. Jeffri Durrance

Jef­fri is a fourth generation native Floridian who grew up in Bowling Green, Florida, located in Hardee County. While growing up on a cattle and citrus operation Jef­fri fished many creeks and lakes in the central Florida area as well as the Peace River.

We had fun on Monday fishing Sarasota Bay.

Fishing started to heat up in Sarasota Bay this week. The Hartman father and son trip on Monday had a great morning. They caught some hard fighting bluefish, big pompano, a few Spanish mackerel, and a couple of nice trout. They also managed to land a nice sized ladyfish which made for a great day for everyone.

Later that evening Brad, Sara, and Max Warhold also caught bluefish, and pompano as well as snook up to 28 inches under lighted structure in Sarasota Bay.

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.

It’s hot so get out there as early as you can.

Despite the heat, the fishing remains steady if you get out there early. Yes, it’s hot but it’s been beautiful out on the water as long as you get an early morning start. Last week while fishing the passes we had several good days catching and releasing snook, mangrove snapper, jacks, and a few Spanish mackerel.

With the upcoming new moon, I’m looking forward to another good week of fishing. If you can find the time I highly recommend getting out there but get an early start.

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.

There’s really nothing quite like battling a tarpon.

Anglers fishing with me last week in Sarasota Bay caught and released trout, bluefish, mackerel, and ladyfish using DOA CAL shad tails and DOA deadly combos.

We concentrated on the deep grass flats near the passes with moving water. Bay water temps are in the mid to upper 80’s by noon so fish early for best results. Tarpon is still in full swing in our area if you want a chance to catch one of these premier big game fish, late June and July is the time to do it.

Spin anglers are catching them on live crabs and DOA baitbusters, my fly guys are getting numerous shots and looks with black bunny flies.

Capt. Capt. Andy Cotton

Capt. Andy loves fly fishing and light spinning tackle with artificial lures. He fishes out of an Action Craft 1720 flats skiff rigged with the latest electronics and outfitted with Orvis fly equipment and Shimano spinning tackle. Andy is the owner of O'Fish All Guide Service.

Fly anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with tarpon in the coastal gulf during the past week. A persistent west wind for most of the week made conditions tough and a couple of trips were canceled.

Bradenton’s Jeb Mulock caught and released this tarpon on a fly while fishing the coastal gulf with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Despite a big swell and choppy conditions on several days that we fished, some tarpon schools were high in the water column and several tarpon were jumped. Jeb Mulock, from Bradenton and Jeff Handlin, from CO, fished with me on Friday. They had lots of shots and Jeb landed a fish. Great job!

Look for tarpon in the coastal gulf. If conditions are poor in the Gulf, you may find them in protected inside waters where fishing mangrove shorelines for catch and release reds and snook may also be a good option.

Night fishing for snook and more is a dependable option and a good way to beat the heat. 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. 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.

Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with snook and tarpon on DOA Lures and live crabs in backcountry areas of Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor recently. A persistent west wind for most of the week made the coastal gulf too uncomfortable to fish, so we fished more protected areas.

Good Times Tarpon fishing in Charlotte Harbor. CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW SLIDESHOW

Cliff Ondercin, from Sarasota and his dad, Dennis Ondercin, from OH, fished several days with me during the past week. We fished backcountry areas in Tampa Bay and they had good action catching and releasing numerous snook on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms and DOA PT-7 topwater baits.

We fished another day in the backcountry of Charlotte Harbor and they had good action jumping 3 tarpon and landing 2 of them on a DOA Baitbuster and live crabs. Tarpon fishing is very dependent on conditions and we were fortunate to have great conditions for tarpon that day.

Look for tarpon in the coastal gulf. If conditions are poor in the Gulf, you may find them in protected inside waters where fishing mangrove shorelines for catch and release reds and snook may also be a good option. Night fishing for snook and more is a dependable option and a good way to beat the heat.

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. 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.

Alex caught and released this super sized snook.

This nice-looking super-sized Snook was caught and released by Alex who’s shown left. Alex will be heading into his sophomore year at the University of Cincinnati following some summertime rest and relaxation.

Alex, who along with his dad, both from Cincinnati, fished with me on the Let’s Get Em’ Charter Boat out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key this past week.

Both anglers were using artificial bait when Alex, fishing with a topwater lure, saw and felt an explosion at the end of his line. After several minutes of drag pulling, and a wildly jumping fish Alex showed his angling ability as he landed one very nice trophy Snook.

We caught several other fish but this is the one he’ll remember for a long time to come.

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.

Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had some action with Spanish mackerel, false albacore (little tunny) and tarpon in the coastal gulf recently.

Mark Nielson with a false albacore caught and released.

Fly angler Mark Nielson, from Seaford, DE, fished a day with me and despite a water temperature of 85 degrees, Spanish mackerel and false albacore were plentiful in the coastal gulf. I have seen this happen this time of year before but mackerel have usually migrated north by now.

Glass minnow (bay anchovy) schools were thick and predators had them balled up. Mark caught and released several mackerel and ended the day with his first false albacore on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. Great job!

Dave Reinhart, from MA, and Domenick Raschella, from VA, fished the coastal gulf in Sarasota with me on another trip and Dave caught and released a tarpon on a live crab with spinning tackle.

Dave Reinhart, from MA, caught and released this tarpon with some help from Capt. Rick Grassett.

Although tarpon fishing is very dependent on conditions, they are plentiful now in the coastal gulf as they migrate through our area to spawn.

Look for tarpon, Spanish mackerel, false albacore and other migratory species in the coastal gulf. Catch and release night snook fishing is also a dependable option and a good way to beat the heat.

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. 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.