A true family affair as Mother, Father and Son all had a great time on the water.

There are many things to be thankful for during the Thanksgiving holiday. One thing as a fisherman I’m thankful for is the red tide is disappearing in our area.

As the water gets cleaner the fishing gets better. In fact, the mother, father, and son trio from Pennsylvania that I took out today were able to catch the inshore slam. Redfish, snook, and trout.

The redfish had the most spots on its tail that I’ve seen in quite some time. Austin, the 17-year-old son, was very enthusiastic and fished extremely hard to make it happen.

Not only did we enjoy some cleaner water but it was a gorgeous day on the bay.

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.

These two Canadians from Toronto braved the frigid 82 degree temperatures.

Late last week I had a young Chicago Bears fan, Little Mo, who was as happy as could be after catching his first snook on a half day charter.

This week I had two Canadian boys from Toronto who braved the red tide and frigid 82-degree temperatures. Just kidding, those boys thought they died and went to heaven.

Hand-picked shrimp from CB’s was the bait of choice as we headed out for a day on the water. We caught a few snook and enjoyed what Sarasota is really famous for… FISHING.

All in all, I’d say those boys from north of the border had more fun than scoring a hat-trick in a Stanley Cup Final… well maybe not that much fun but they sure enjoyed themselves.

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.

Paul Ortenzio had a good day on Wednesday.

As the Gulf and Bay waters cool the fishing as well as the water conditions are improving.

Angler Paul Ortenzio and his Sister Barbara had a good day Wednesday catching lots of scrappy ladyfish on flies and jigs.

Friday they switched to live shrimp and caught some nice snook, a redfish, sheepshead, and several mangrove snappers. Remember, if you’d like to get out on the water drop me a line, I’d be happy to oblige.

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.

Tom Sprague, from MA, caught and released a variety of fish this past week, including this jack.

Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action catching and releasing a variety of species on DOA Lures in Little Sarasota Bay during the past week.

Tom Sprague and Laurie Anderson, from MA, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. The action wasn’t fast but they caught and released snook, trout, sheepshead and a large jack.

We fished DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails on the flats and CAL jigs with shad tails around docks.

Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL and Jack McCulloch, from Lakewood Ranch, FL, fished the same area with me on Friday and had similar action catching and releasing several snook, jacks, trout and a bluefish on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms.

I was the instructor for CB’s Saltwater Outfitters first Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing School of the season on Saturday. Students received instruction in fly casting, leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. Future schools will be held on Jan 19, Feb. 23, Mar. 16, and Apr 13, 2019. Cost for the 6-hr class is $195 per person and includes the use of premium Orvis fly tackle, workbook and lunch.

CB’s Saltwater Outfitters will also hold an “Orvis Fly Fishing 101” introductory fly fishing clinic on Saturday, Dec 8, 2018, from 9 am – 11 am. Their staff of Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing guides will cover fly casting basics, fly tackle rigging and fly casting with premium Orvis fly tackle. There will also be special in-store offers on Orvis and other fly fishing products. Cost for the clinic is $25. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 or info@cbsoutfitters.com to make reservations.

Fishing dock lights in the evening or before dawn is still a good option for catch and release snook fishing. This is also a great time of year to fish the coastal gulf for false albacore, tripletail, Spanish mackerel when conditions are good. The key to success is finding clean water.

Our natural resources are under constant pressure from red tides fueled by 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.

The snook were biting quite nicely this past week.

With the Red Tide out of the area, the fishing has been really good. We have been fishing south Little Sarasota Bay with live shrimp, CAL jigs and topwater lures.

Fishing the oyster bars with the topwater lures anglers aboard the Casual Lies out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters caught nice Snook up to 25 inches, and Redfish to 23 inches. One morning we had nineteen Snook, three Redfish and the next two days we had ten Snook and Wednesday we had eight.

Along with the Snook and Redfish, the Trout were hitting jigs so we had someone catching an inshore slam each day. As a little bonus the big Jacks and big Bluefish were slamming the topwater lures and jigs, if you got into a school of them you could easily catch a dozen of them.

I am really looking forward to seeing if we will get the Kingfish and Mackerel out on the beach with this cold front coming by.

Capt. Capt. Bruce Burkhart

Bruce is a Florida native and has lived in Sarasota for thirty years. Capt. Bruce grew up on the east coast of Florida and started fishing with his dad when he was about six years old. Fishing has been a lifetime passion of his and in 2001 he obtained his U.S.C.G. Captain’s license.

Brian Schafer caught and released this beauty.

Fishing this pass Friday produced this beautiful big jack crevalle caught in Roberts Bay on live minnows or whitebait.

Brian Schafer, of Delaware, caught and released this 13 lb beauty on a 1/2 day trip out of CB’s Outfitters on Siesta Key.

The red tide has pushed big offshore fish inshore and produced some exciting moments in the shallow water areas off of Sarasota, so get out there if you can.

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.

Capt. Rick Grassett with a South Andros bonefish caught and released on a fly while fishing out of Mars Bay Bonefish Lodge.

I hosted a group of friends and clients at Mars Bay Bonefish Lodge in South Andros, the Bahamas during the past week. Stewart Lavelle from Sarasota, FL, Kirk Grassett, from Middletown, DE, Nicholas Delle Donne, from Lancaster, PA, Bill Crelin, from Milwaukee, WI and I.

We drove from Sarasota to Ft. Lauderdale last Saturday where we met up with John and DJ, from NY, and traveled to Congotown, South Andros on Watermakers Air. Jerry Poslusny, from Rochester, NY, met up with us at the lodge via Nassau.

We fished hand-picked tides on the quarter phase of the moon, low tide in the morning progressing to slightly later each day throughout the week and it paid off. We did a lot of wading and fished everything from large schools of bonefish to cruising or tailing singles and doubles. Conditions were good and action was also good, including quite a few fish in the 4 to 8-lb category and a couple double-digit fish.

John caught and released a bonefish of a lifetime, 33” and an estimated 14-lbs! Top producing flies during the week were Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp, Mars Bay Special, Veverka’s Mantis Shrimp, Gotchas and Gotcha variations. Like fishing anywhere, there were some great days and some slower days, but overall it was a great trip to a great lodge!

Bill Howard, the resident owner/operator, does a great job making things run smoothly during our stay 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. South Andros has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth! 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 websites.

Back home in Sarasota, night snook fishing and tripletail and Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf have been the best options depending on conditions. Fish peak tidal flows for snook and look for bait schools, diving birds or breaking fish to find mackerel or albies.

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 catching and releasing snook at night and Spanish mackerel and tripletail in the coastal gulf on flies and trout and flounder on CAL jigs with shad tails in the Terra Ceia area during the past week.

Kirk Grassett had good action catching and releasing snook.

Kirk Grassett, from Middletown, DE, and Nick Delle Donne, from Lancaster, PA, snook fished with me in Sarasota recently before heading over to Mars Bay Bonefish Lodge to fly fish for bonefish.

We fished before daylight and had good action catching and releasing numerous snook on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.

We fished the coastal gulf after daylight and caught and released Spanish mackerel and a tripletail on my Grassett Snook Minnow and Flats Bunny fly.

I also spent a couple of days fishing in the Terra Ceia area. Marshall Dinerman and his friend Edwin, both from Atlanta, fished with me one day and Tim Graham, from Nokomis and Pat Redmond, from Sarasota, also fished that area with me another day. We had some action with trout on deep grass flats and flounder in potholes on CAL jigs with shad tails.

Nick Delle Donne shown here with a snook he caught and released.

Fishing dock lights in the evening or before dawn, which is the coolest time of day, is still a good option for catch and release snook fishing. This is also a great time of year to fish the coastal gulf for false albacore, tripletail, Spanish mackerel when conditions are good. The key to success is finding clean water.

Our natural resources are under constant pressure from red tides fueled by 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.

On the water with Capt. R.C. Gilliland.

Today I had the pleasure of finishing with longtime client Brian White, and his friends Sam and Glenn. We fished Roberts Bay and Little Sarasota Bay.

The action started off a little slow, but they stuck with it, chipping away at snook, jacks, a nice trout, and the occasional snapper. Then towards the end of the trip, it was like a light switch was flipped.

They caught several snook and jacks each. We were fishing with live bait (greenbacks).

With a cold front approaching the middle of next week, we should have beautiful weather going into the week of Thanksgiving, and hopefully slightly cooler temperatures.

Capt. Capt. R.C. Gilliland

I'm very laid back and easy going. I love fishing, hunting, and just about anything outdoors. I'm a licensed Charter boat Captain who likes having a good time and hates drama. I have a wide variety of friends and get along with just about anyone. Did I mention I love to fish?

From the somewhat cooler climate of Illinois to the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, who could argue with that.

A Couple of buddies, Jeff, and Richard from Illinois visited Siesta Key for the first time. The reason, they both turned 50 this year and that’s reason enough. They also wanted to experience fishing in salt water for the first time.

We met early at the boat ramp in search of fish and a good time. Both anglers had some experience and did very well. By the end of the trip, we had caught a variety of inshore species. Caught and released were snook, jack crevalle, gag grouper, ladyfish, and catfish.

Adding to their experience was a gorgeous Chamber of Commerce Day on the waters surrounding Siesta Key.

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.

On the water with Capt Brandon Naeve.

Dock fishing is hot right now. Red tide has pushed the fish in early and they are killing whitebait and shrimp under the docks. Why not grab a few yourself.

Grab a few dozen shrimp at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters and give it a try, or better yet hire one of the local guides out of CB’s shop for better fishing and stress-free navigation.

Remember if you’re looking for some great fishing action on the gulf coast of Florida CB’s Outfitters, on Siesta Key, has everything you’ll need.

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 in the bay is looking spectacular.

The fishing is picking up now that the Red Tide has moved out of the bay. Tuesday we fished Roberts Bay and caught Snook to 24 inches and a few Redfish also up to 24 inches.

Topwater baits were the bait of the day. Fishing with DOA jigs we got into a good school of Jacks and Bluefish that kept the action steady. Wednesday we fished Little Sarasota Bay with the topwater lures and live shrimp. The topwater lures caught some big Jacks and Bluefish up to about 8 to 10 pounds.

We fished the shrimp around docks and picked up some nice Mangrove Snapper and Sheephead. I’m so glad to see the water getting clean again.

Capt. Capt. Bruce Burkhart

Bruce is a Florida native and has lived in Sarasota for thirty years. Capt. Bruce grew up on the east coast of Florida and started fishing with his dad when he was about six years old. Fishing has been a lifetime passion of his and in 2001 he obtained his U.S.C.G. Captain’s license.

Robert Kluczyniski enjoyed a beautiful day out on the water this past Tuesday.

Although we are still suffering from this seemingly unrelenting red tide there are still some wonderful fishing opportunities to be had.

Anglers Robert and Linda Kluczyniski enjoyed a beautiful day Tuesday. They caught plenty of big scrappy ladyfish in Roberts Bay and then cast at quite a few nice tripletail.

Eventually, Robert fooled a nice one with a string bean fly off Siesta Beach and all in all it was a pretty good day out on the water.

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.

Feeling Super out on the water with Capt. Brandon Naeve.

Beautiful weather today and I had a nice group of people from Delaware out on the water with me. They managed to catch some big jack crevelle’s, trout, snook and mangrove snapper.

Minnows were the bait of choice and are still the hot ticket before the water temp goes below 70 degrees. While they can take a while to catch, they are well worth it.

Fishing with bait can make a poor fisherman look like a pro and kids love to watch them being netted.

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.

Pete Pedersen with a snook he caught and released.

Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action catching and releasing snook in the ICW and tripletail in the coastal gulf on flies during the past week. After a brief flurry of action last week in the coastal gulf with false albacore (little tunny), those fish temporarily moved on.

I fished the coastal gulf on a trip last Sunday. With the albies not there, rough water and poor visibility, conditions weren’t good for tripletail either. Pete Pedersen, from MA, fished the ICW with me before daylight on Tuesday morning. With a strong outgoing tide, snook were on a bite and he had good action catching and releasing numerous snook on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.

I scouted the coastal gulf later in the week with good conditions and found tripletail plentiful and caught and released several on my Grassett Flats Bunny fly.

Fishing dock lights in the evening or before dawn, which is the coolest time of day, is still a good option for catch and release snook fishing. This is also a great time of year to fish the coastal gulf for false albacore, tripletail, Spanish mackerel and more.

Our natural resources are under constant pressure from red tides fueled by 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.

This week, fishing aboard the “Gone Coastal” out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key was pretty sweet. On Wednesday I chartered Lane Fye who quickly landed quite a few large jacks and several snook using live bait until he was worn out. Lane had such a great day on the water he’s recommending us to a fishing buddy. Thanks’ for the endorsement Lane, we appreciate it.

Helena Anders, from Sweden, enjoyed the weather and the fishing here in Sarasota.

On Saturday I chartered Helena and Von Anders from Sweden. They had a blast catching much larger fish then they were used to catching because back in Sweden they catch small lake trout and bass.

Our large jacks and spirited snook just plain wore them out. We worked the incoming tidal flows, canals, and docks using live baits and had some great action.

Remember to go fishing when you need a good dose of Vitamin Sea!

Capt. Capt. Terry Simmons

Terry was born and raised in Bradenton, FL and has been guiding clients since 2000, fishing on Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico with live bait, artificial lures and fly fishing aboard his 22’ Bay Ranger which accommodates up to 4 anglers.

Tripletail were running strong this past week.

The fishing this past week was excellent, with the water clearing up and temps are slowly getting cooler.

Inshore the snook bite remains strong as we had 2 days of catching and releasing over 20 snook on several trips as well as a few large jacks and mangrove snapper.

Friday morning Walt Plasson from CB’s joined me and we fished offshore. The seas were calm and the action was on fire.

Large schools of bait were being crashed by little funny and Spanish mackerel. We ended up catching and releasing 4 little tunnies on plugs and Castmaster spoons. Walt had brought his fly rod along so we decided to run the crab traps looking for tripletail. We ended up catching and releasing 15 tripletail and Walt caught his 1st on his fly rod.

It was my best day ever for tripletail as we caught a total of 4 off 1 buoy. We ended the day with a couple more tunnies and called it a day.

Thankfully it looks like it looks like things are really improving in our area finally.

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.

Steve Schadt had action catching and releasing albies.

Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action catching and releasing false albacore (little tunny), tripletail and Spanish mackerel on flies, DOA Shrimp and CAL jigs with shad tails during the past week.

With sea conditions settling down after the passing of Hurricane Michael and an east wind pattern, the latest reports show very little red tide in the coastal gulf.

I scouted the coastal gulf early in the week and found lots of bait but not much else going on. However, I caught and released several tripletail on flies, CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Shrimp. It got better when Steve Schadt, from Sarasota, fished the same area with me on Friday.

We found albies (little tunny) and Spanish mackerel feeding in bait schools. Steve caught and released a couple of albies on a CAL jig with a shad tail before switching to fly tackle. He caught and released several more albies and a couple of Spanish mackerel on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.

Steve managed to hook this nice looking tripletail.

We hunted tripletail on the way in and he caught and released several on a CAL jig with a shad tail. Good day!

Remember that snook and reds are off limits on portions of the west coast now. The Florida FWC has enacted a temporary modification of regulations for reds and snook, in the areas affected by the recent red tide.

The area extends from Pasco County, south to the south bank of Gordon Pass in Collier County.

Reds and snook are catch and release only in that zone until May 10, 2019. I applaud them for taking this action to protect our fishery. Full details including exact boundaries can be found HERE.

Since we are still in a summer time pattern, it is a great time to beat the heat by fishing dock lights before dawn, which is the coolest time of day. In addition to snook, you may also find juvenile tarpon, trout and reds in the lights. This is also a great time of year to fish the coastal gulf for false albacore, tripletail, Spanish mackerel and more. Our natural resources are under constant pressure from red tides fueled by 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.

Mike, Mike and Dan from the Chi town area.

I had the pleasure of taking out three fun-loving guys down for a few days from the Chicago area.

Mike, Mike, and Dan were staying on Siesta Key an enjoyed a night out in Siesta Village followed by a “were so not sure we’re gonna make it” early morning trip fishing with me.

We fished hard for a few hours when the guys decided to replenish their adult beverages and Fish even harder. By the end of the trip, we had caught snook, redfish, trout, and catfish.

All in all these guys had a great day out on the warm waters of Sarasota Bay.

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.

Wisconsinite Bob Gaglard’s first visit to Sarasota proved to be just what he expected.

This week, fishing aboard the “Gone Coastal” out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key we had Tina and Bob Gaglard’s enjoying their first visit to Sarasota. They had reserved their charter many months ago and being from Wisconsin they had a little bit of fishing experience.

Once arriving they had low expectations, for fishing because of red tide reports and the recent hurricane, Michael. I assured them the fishing had been pretty good and improving daily. We used live bait working the mangroves and docks, once finding clean water. While Bob caught several large jacks and small snook as well.

As far as the fishing went Bob’s wife Tina won the day with some great catches.

Tina won the day catching several large snook to 25 inches, and some small jacks and mangrove snapper. The Gaglard’s commented, “they had a great day of fishing.”

Book a trip with one of the many local Charter Guides out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key for a great day on the water, or come visit and talk to one of their friendly staff at their amazing stores, CB’s Saltwater Outfitters & Fin.

CB’s carries some of the best lines of fishing gear, equipment and accessories around.

Forecast:
On the incoming tide look for diving birds on baits and work mangrove points, deepwater docks and oyster bars. On the outgoing tide work outflows and deeper channels and edges.

Small tarpon, jacks, snook, redfish, ladyfish, bluefish and mangrove snapper are sometimes concentrated in small areas. For the protection of our future fishery, there’s currently a short moratorium on keeping redfish and snook.

This is a great time to go fishing for the fun of just spending time away from it all.

Capt. Capt. Terry Simmons

Terry was born and raised in Bradenton, FL and has been guiding clients since 2000, fishing on Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico with live bait, artificial lures and fly fishing aboard his 22’ Bay Ranger which accommodates up to 4 anglers.