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Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fly Fishing Forecast for August 2010

The early bird gets the worm in August! With afternoon heat and thunderstorms being potential problems, the best fishing should be early in the day. Tarpon will still be an option and snook will still be found in the surf and around docks and bridges close to passes. Reds should be forming large schools and deep grass flats should have plenty of action with trout, blues, pompano and more.

Tarpon will move from the beaches to inside waters. There should still be a few in the coastal gulf early in the month, but later in the month you should find them around bridges, on deep grass flats or deeper areas of upper Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay. I like to target them before dawn or at first light in the morning around bridges. You can sight fish them cruising along shadow lines before daylight or rolling in the same areas after daylight. On deep grass flats or deeper areas of estuaries look for fish rolling on the surface. Tarpon usually gulp air on the surface more frequently when conditions are calm. The same fly patterns that we use on the beach, Deceivers, Toads, Bunny and EP flies; will also work around bridges and on deep grass flats.

Juvenile tarpon from 10 to 30-pounds will be found in canals, creeks and turning basins. They prefer deep water, usually 10’ deep or more, which is often in residential canals. I particularly like the Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda area which has miles of canals to fish. Look for fish rolling on the surface but focus on fishing near the bottom. I’ve found that they usually roll sharply, quickly diving back to the bottom. A quick, accurate cast that gets down fast will often score. I’ve done best when fly fishing with a fast sinking fly line (300 or 350-grain Depth Charge) and a scaled down tarpon fly, usually on a 1/0 or 2/0 hook. These smaller tarpon have everything to offer that big fish do and more. They jump higher, more often and are usually caught in a few minutes.

Snook season remains closed during August, although catch and release fishing can be very good. You’ll find snook in the surf where you can walk the beach and sight fish them in the trough only a few feet from the sand. Fly anglers should score with intermediate sink tip fly lines and small white flies, such as Grassett’s Snook Minnow, like we use at night.

You’ll also find snook around docks and bridges close to passes. Fish shadow lines where dark meets light when fishing at night. Fly anglers can make delicate presentations with small flies, which can be very effective. Cast uptide and beyond lighted areas and strip your fly across shadow lines or swing your fly into the strike zone by letting the tide sweep your fly as you slowly strip across the current. Snook have had a tough time this year with the severe freeze back in January. Handle them gently and use tackle heavy enough to land them quickly. I don’t recommend targeting snook in passes on the full or new moon phases which is when they gather there to spawn.

Reds should begin forming large schools this month. Look for a “push” of water that may look like a boat wake coming at you or nervous or slick patches of water, which may indicate fish below the surface. I like to be as quiet as possible in shallow water. If the school is moving away from you, you’ll probably have to drop off of them, go around and get way ahead of them, much like you would fish a school of tarpon on the beach. Although using your outboard to make them “show” may work, in the long run it will only make them more spooky and harder to catch. I like to throw fly poppers or large profile baitfish patterns to schooling reds. Poppers may make them show themselves if they aren’t already up on the surface. Work around the edges of the school to avoid spooking them. Some of my favorite areas for reds in August are in north Sarasota Bay and lower Tampa Bay.

Trout fishing can also be very good during August. You’ll find the biggest fish in shallow water at first light in the morning. One of the largest trout I ever saw caught on a fly, about 7 ½-pounds, was caught with a Gurgler with barely enough light to see. Focus on baitfish activity, especially mullet, and work those areas with fly poppers and large profile baitfish patterns. Trout will drop into deeper water later in the day. Drift deep grass flats and cast ahead of the drift with weighted flies on sinking fly lines to locate fish. Adding sound to your fly can increase its effectiveness dramatically. I often use a tandem rig consisting of a large popper with another lightly weighted fly about 3’ behind it. Once you’ve located fish, you can shorten your drift to be more productive. Some of my favorite trout flats are in Sarasota Bay; Middleground, Radio Tower, Stephens Point and Bishops Point.

You might also find bluefish, pompano, jacks and ladyfish on deep grass flats. They will be mixed with trout, so the technique to locate them will be the same. Casting fly poppers is a good technique for locating blues and jacks. I like to use 60-pound fluorocarbon as a bite tippet when blues are around. Most fish won’t be able to bite through it and it won’t deter trout, pompano or other species that might be leader shy.

Tripletail and little tunny may be found in the coastal gulf this month. Look for diving terns or breaking fish to locate little tunny. I like to use Ultra Hair Clousers when fishing below the surface with an intermediate or intermediate sink tip fly line or Crease flies and poppers on a floating fly line on the surface. You might find tripletail around crab trap floats, buoys and channel markers, including those in the bay. Cast Grassett Flats Bunnies, Flats Minnows and crab or shrimp patterns to them.

There are lots of options during August, but heat will be an issue. Start and finish early for the best action with the exception of tarpon, which may be active in the heat of the day. I usually start my trips before dawn and I’m off the water by the time heat becomes an issue. Whatever you choose to do, remember to always limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!

Tight Lines,

Capt. Rick Grassett

Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.

FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor

(941) 923-7799

E-mail snookfin@aol.com