Sunday, September 30, 2007

Record Numbers Of Bull Reds In Homosassa

Homosassa Bull Reds ArriveThis past month has been one of record numbers of reds caught compared to the last five years. Big ones too up to 16 pounds and 37 inches. Many double and triple hook-ups and one client landed a new boat record of 31 redfish on the fly rod. The same angler landed over 50 in one tide using the spinning rod trhe next day. Don't take my word for it, go to my photo gallery and see the results.Trout are starting to move in and we are catching a few.On Friday Setember 21st Kirk Wilson and Kenny Mitchum fished with me and we tore the reds ass up! As Kenny described it. It did not seem to matter what we thre at them they were hungry for our pinfish and cut ladyfish.For two hours they reeled in over 60 redfish. They kept me plenty busy.Check out the photo gallery of Dr. Juha Kokko and guest. Lewis and Betty Smoak smoked the big bull redfish.Certainly enjoyed the cooler weather and the rain we have been getting has helped to cool down the water some.Also be looking for John and Will Euart's fishing photos where Captains Fred Lyles, Jim Long, Charlie Harris and myself managed to find both reds and trout for the professional group of anglers and beer drinkers.Nothing real serious but everyone had a great time and be sure to check out the fly rod caught stuff by Will in tomorrow's photos.
Captain Mike Locklear
352-628-4207
www.homosassafishing.com
captmike@homosassafishing.com

Saturday, September 29, 2007

North Skyway Fishing Pier 9-29

I spoke with the North Skyway Fishing Pier in the mouth of Tampa Bay this morning. They were telling me that fishing is good with spanish mackerel, mangrove snapper, grouper, and flounder being caught. The spanish mackerel are hitting small silver spoons and Goy-Cha Plugs, worked quickly through the water, or greenbacks free lined or under a float.If you fish with greenbacks, use either a short piece of wire leader or long shanked hooks, along with 30lb leader, to keep from getting cut off. Look for diving birds and schools of bait fish to locate the macks. Mangrove snapper are around the pylons and rubble piles on the bottom. Greenbacks, shrimp, small whitebait, and pinfish are the best baits. Use smaller hooks, circle hooks work well, and 6' of fluorocarbon leader to trick these bait stealer's. Keep a finger on your line and when you feel a tap, reel like crazy! Good numbers of grouper are being caught, but most are shorts. Drift a greenback or pinfish out to the rubble piles, on the bottom, to catch grouper. A few flounder are being taken by anglers bouncing shrimp, mud minnows or other small baits across the bottom. Look for the flounder on sandy bottom where the water ebbs around the pylons and other structure. The best fishing times will be an hour before, until an hour after a tide change. For more information contact;
North Skyway Fishing Pier
727-865-0668
10501 Sunshine Skyway Bridge
St Petersburg, FL 33711
http://www.skywaypiers.com/

Friday, September 28, 2007

As The Water Cools, The Fishing Heats Up

I spoke with Pat at Dunedin Fishing Center this afternoon. He was telling me that the water has cooled a few degrees and it has caused the fish to become more active. The beaches of Honeymoon Island, Caladesi Island, and Three Rooker Bar are holding good numbers of pompano and hitting. The pompano are biting best on sand flees and Silly Willy jigs, the whiting will hit shrimp fished on the bottom. The back sides of Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island are holding schools of big redfish. Look for them on the shalow flats during the higher parts of the tide, and in the deeper holes and channels at low tide. Shrimp, cut mullet or ladyfish, white bait, and gold spoons are all good baits for these big reds. Snook fishing is very good at night around dock lights. A frisky greenback is the best bait along with various hard baits. For more information contact;
Dunedin Fishing Center
727-738-5628
243 Bayshore Blvd
Dunedin, FL 34698

Half Hitch Tackle Fishing Report 9-28


Report for 09/28/2007
Salt Water
MEXICO BEACH/PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE
Get out there, the seas are calm and you do not have to go far to catch snapper and grouper. One of our local anglers caught several keeper Red Snapper while fishing for bait on the number four buoy. Wrecks and reefs within ten miles are holding nice fish due to the water temperature holding at around 78 degrees. Grouper are hitting on live Pinfish and frozen cigar minnows rigged Carolina style. Start a chum line and pull out the light tackle rigged with a Mustad live bait hook and a fluorocarbon leader and just free line your bait down with the chum. Spanish Mackerel and King Mackerel are still hard to predict, but find the baitfish and you will find the kings. Start your search along the buoys 5/6 and head out from there to above the car bodies and over Virginia reef. Live hard tails, slow trolled with dusters/widgets or the same with cigar minnows.
ST JOSEPH BAY
The trout are hitting well and the red fishing has been great. Flounder are still on the sand flats inside the tip of the St Joseph peninsula, right outside the entrance to the Gulf canal on the outgoing tide, or just inside the cut on crooked island are still producing, but expect to bring in a few redfish along the way. There are several reports of some big bull reds caught along the beaches of Mexico Beach. The grass flats between Black’s Island and the fire tower were hot with trout this week also.
DESTIN
Well the Destin Fishing rodeo is upon us and just days away we look forward to some great October fishing. There are several new divisions this year. In the Rodeo there is now a Non-Motorized Division (kayaks, canoes and jon boats), there is the new Extended Voyage Division, blackfin tuna division and lastly the Trash Can Slam Division which has one of the largest cash prizes in the rodeo. The Trashcan Slam has a $1000.00 first place for the larges Sail Cat, Ladyfish and Jack Cravelle caught in the same day total weight. Don't forget you need to register for the rodeo at least 24 hours prior to fishing. Now for the actual fishing report. Kings are back on the move with cooling temps, even though this has been a tough week because of the full moon. Reds all over the bay have been very good and plenty of flounder in the bay for both rod and reel fisherman and those who like to go gigging at night. Also finally hearing of a few trout on the flats and around boat docks. On the pier the are getting blues, reds, Spanish a few pompano and a few kings. Along the surf good numbers of whiting and pompano and quite a few sharks. Out in the gulf the bottom fishing for snapper near shore has been quite good. Lots og amberjack on natural bottom in 185-300 foot water. The wahoo and blackfin tuna have been just south of the Ozark and the south edge this week. A few white marlin near the nipple and just a few reports on the swordfish near the spur.
PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND BAYS
Several Spanish Mackeral and Bonita are being caught from just outside the pass to the weather bouy. Look for birds working bait schools and troll dusters tipped with cigar minnows or spoons for good action. The King Mackeral bite is still slow but getting better. A few more have been caught over the hard bottom areas out of Pinnacle Port, while the Box Cars and Fountain Blue are still holding some fish. Better reports are coming from hard bottom areas well offshore. Troll Dusters and free-line live or dead bait for the most action. Try a Stretch 25 or large Drone Spoon with 4-6 oz.s of lead for bigger kings. The Wahoo bite is still good and they are being found in greatest numbers far offshore (50 miles) around the Squiggles and Nipple. High speed trollers like the Panhandler and Yo Zuri Bonita in back and purple colors are working best. Also, try slow trolling rigged ballyhoo or live hard tails. Mahi Mahi are spread out. Lots of chicken dolphin are being caught around many of the offshore wrecks and bigger dolphin are being caught from 25 miles out. Chicken Dolphin can be caught using small hair jigs tipped with shrimp or gulp. The Grouper bite is still good over hard bottom areas. Live bait, whole boston mackerel and jigs(Shimano Butterfly or Williamson) are working well. Jigs with a glow color to them are a sure bet. Amberjack are on many of the inshore wrecks and reefs in good numbers. Try the Bridge Spans for lots of action. The larger fish will be well offshore over hard bottom. Live cigar minnows or pinfish will entice the larger fish, while jigs (Williamson Jig or AJ Jig) will trigger the most bites. Snapper action is still very good. Squid, cigar minnows and chunks of northern mackerel are working well. The bag limit for state waters remains four snapper per person and 16” length, however in federal waters only two snapper per person and 16” length. Federal waters start basically nine miles from land, and is noted on your maps as the Natural resources boundary. Ladyfish, Bluefish and Bar Jacks are everywhere up and down the beaches right now. Throw Pompano Jigs, Gotcha’s and Spoons on light tackle for a lot of fun.
ST ANDREWS BAY SYSTEM
Spanish Mackeral are being caught in great numbers off the jetties. Bubble Rigs seem to be the lure of choice, but spoons and gotchas will also work. Flounder are starting to move and are still being caught on drop-offs in the bays and on the edges of grass flats. Try the deep channel leading into the Spanish Shante in St. Andrews Bay. Use a Carolina rig with live bull minnows for the best results. For artificial bait fishermen, use an 1/8 oz. jig with Gulp Curl Tail Minnows in a variety of colors. The Trout bite is very good and with the cooler weather have been biting throughout the day. Target spotty bottom grass flats in the 1-3 foot range. Big trout can be caught early in the day on topwater plugs close to the shoreline. When the sun gets up, throw a Rebel Jointed Minnow in Gold or Silver. Good reports are coming from Grand Lagoon. Redfish are all over the jetties right now and schools are being seen around the mouth of Grand Lagoon. Gulp, Gold Spoons, Live Shrimp, LY’s, Bull Minnows and Cut Bait are working well. Late in the day, when the tide is rolling out, the reds are coming to the surface. Throw a topwater plug and hold on!
DAN RUSSEL PIER
Spanish mackerel and a few Kings are being caught every day at the pier right now. Sharks, Pompano, Whiting, Blue Fish, and Lady Fish are also being caught. Call 850-233-5080 for the latest pier fishing information.
Fresh Water
APALACHICOLA /WHITE CITY
Reports say the largemouth bite has slowed slightly. Your best bet is fishing buzz baits along the weed lines early in the morning. Switch to jerk baits and spinner baits in the afternoon and back to the buzzes in the evening.
Fishing Report prepared by Half Hitch Tackle Staff.

Half Hitch Tackle

850-234-2621

2206 Thomas Dr

Panama City, Fl 32408

www.halfhitch.com/
The Captains Corner Fishing Report is provided by local charter captains and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Half Hitch Tackle.
This report is dedicated to the memory of Al Hubbard. Al Hubbard was a field editor for Florida Sportsman magazine, an outdoor writer for the News Herald and a board member of the Florida Outdoor Writer's Association. Mr. Hubbard was also the owner of Al's Outdoors Outfitting Services.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Three Good Days Of Fishing Fun!

The last 3 days of fishing have been loaded with good times and plenty of fish. Tueday Ron Widener and his friend Rick landed a slam. The guys caught 7 redfish, hooked 4 snook and landed 2 plus they got a real nice trout. Rick managed to land a few whiskered sea bass (catfish) also. It was a fun day. Wednesday Carl and Joe joined me again for a great time. We got 3 nice redfish and several good trout. The guys had shots at a school of 500 plus big reds, but they had their running shoes on. We had a blast!Thursday I fished with half of the 'Reel Animals' Mike Anderson and a couple of his friends from Tampa Ryan Simmons and Bill from Budwieser. These guys lit it up and boated 16 redfish. We had two triple hook-ups and two doubles. The guys landed some awesome fish. We also got several trout to end the day! Great people and great fun! That is what fishing is all about!I WILL BE AT GANDER MOUNTAIN TONIGHT AT 7 PM. BOOK NOW FOR OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER! CALL 407-405-0819TIGHT LINES AND GOOD FISHING!
27 Sep 2007 by Captain David Rogers
AAA Hawgwild Saltwater Charters
Captain Dave Rogers
407-327-0008
407-405-0819
http://www.aaahawgwildcharters.com/
redfishin@hotmail.com

September Fishing Report By Captain Jazz

09/26/07
Shorter days and falling water temps can only mean one thing .Fall is around the corner and the bite is going to take off. Snook are mostly off the beaches and working their way to their winter haunts feeding along the way. Redfish are starting to school up and some days will eat what ever crosses their path. Snapper are still strong and Mackerel should start tearing up the bait schools. Best fishin has been with a strong tide. Water Temp is 82.
Snook : Night dock Snookin has been very good with flies, artificial and live baits. Daytime fish points near mangroves or around bridges.
Redfish : Have been found in schools where you catch one you'll catch more. On incoming tides, the fish move up the grass flat to the mangroves and oyster bars. Sand potholes hold fish on the lower tides. Look for schools of Mullet for places to start. Don't over look docks as they will hold fish too.
Seatrout : Are in deeper water during the day say 3-6 feet, and be in the shallower stuff during low light in the mornings and evenings. D.O.A. shrimp have been getting fish with plugs and jigs/jerk baits, topwaters have caught some of my largest Seatrout.
Others: Spanish Mackerel, Bonita, and Bluefish are tearing it up on the beaches and in the bay. Look for schools of bait being slammed by them. Lots of Mango snapper on rock piles and near bridges and docks.
If you have any questions about my charters, fishin reports or fishing in general send me an email.
Tight Lines,
Captain Jazz
727-409-6733

http://www.fishintampabay.com/
info@fishintampabay.com

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Redfish Bull Run Of Bonita Springs

I spoke with Ken at Master Bait & Tackle in Bonita Springs this afternoon. He was telling me that fishing is excellent in and around Bonita Springs. Recent rains have cooled the water temperature slightly and dumped enough freshwater into the Gulf to bring the schools of pinfish back in full force. The annual run of bull redfish has made its way into the area. Estero Bay is holding the largest concentrations, but they can also be caught around docks and other structure. Pinfish, shrimp, cut mullet or ladyfish, and gold spoons are all good baits. Lots of snook are being caught all over from docks, to the beach, and even on near shore reefs. Ken was telling me that the local paper is claiming that only 9.5% are within the new slot limit. Large pinfish, jumbo shrimp, and various plugs are all good baits. Gator trout (25"+), have shown up on grass flats and around docks. Pinfish, select shrimp, and D.O.A. or Berkley Saltwater shrimp are all excellent baits. Float them over sand holes in the grass under a popping cork or Cajun Thunder float. Jigs, slug baits, and plugs also work well for large trout in the grass or around docks at night. Mangrove snapper fishing is excellent. look for them inshore and offshore around structure. Small white bait and pinfish are the best baits. Good numbers of tarpon are also in the bays and on the beach. Crabs, greenbacks and pinfish are all good baits. Permit are starting to show offshore and Ken expects the cobia will move into the area soon. For more information contact;

Master Bait & Tackle
239-992-2553
4465 Bonita Beach Rd
Bonita Springs, FL 34134
www.masterbaitonline.com/

Mosquito Lagoon Fish Gorging Themselves



When I last reported, the water level in the Mosquito Lagoon was low, the weather was perfect, and the fish were plentiful. When I returned to the Lagoon two days later, on September 3rd, that had all changed. I was greeted with a stiff wind out of the northeast and the water level had risen nearly a foot. The schools of redfish had vacated the flats where they had been holding. I left having caught only two fish, a 28 inch trout and a smaller redfish.Tuesday, the wind was still blowing and I ventured into the Indian River to look for some tarpon. I found several placed holding some 5-20 pound poons and caught two on a black and gold Baitbuster. The water in the river was dirty and I never saw a redfish.Thursday, I fished with fireman Ron in the Mosquito Lagoon. Despite the high winds, we each managed to catch a few redfish and some nice trout. Ron threw a black and silver Baitbuster while I used one in all gold and both accounted for some nice topwater strikes.Friday, Capt. Keith Kalbfleisch joined me on another windy day and we scouted several areas in the Mosquito Lagoon we had not fished in quite some time. With the high water, we were able to access most any flat. After a slow morning, we found some hungry fish and caught 5 redfish on various color CAL tails. We also came upon some rolling tarpon and jumped 6. The DOA holographic shrimp and the Baitbuster proved to be the most effective.By Monday of this week, the weather had returned to normal but the water level remained high. Brothers Jim and Bill, from Oregon, joined me for a five hour charter. After an unsuccessful search for some big redfish, I tied on some DOA Deadly Combos and the brothers caught numerous trout. After having their fill of that, we went to another flat that was holding scattered redfish. They each caught one redfish on 5 inch CAL tails with a Woodies Rattle and missed several more before the trip was over.Tuesday, Capt. John Kumiski and I headed out of Port Canaveral to check out the status of the mullet run. We found plenty of mullet near the jetty as well as a good supply of large ladyfish. After catching a couple, we headed down the beach to look for some larger fish. We saw no more mullet and only a few scattered tarpon. We both caught several spanish mackerel before I saw some large blacktip sharks chasing my topwater plug. Each cast, a shark would attack the plug only to have its wake push the plug away from its mouth. We each tossed out some mullet and were quickly hooked up to a shark. Both were over 50 pounds. A thunderstorm caused us to run back in and we elected to go over to the Indian River to search for tarpon. The river was smooth as glass but the tarpon were nowhere to be found. We did, however, find several schools of large redfish finning on the surface.I hooked up with a fish of about 36 inches on a gold Baitbuster.Capt. John was up next and chose to use the flyrod. He left on the tarpon fly, a brown Cousin It, and was soon connected to a hefty redfish of about 35 pounds.Thursday, I treated my parents Chuck and Lois, to a day on the Mosquito Lagoon. The conditions were perfect with no wind and plenty of baitfish. They each used a Deadly Combo on my new set of Diawa reels and threw them around the schools of mullet, ballyhoo, and glass minnows. They caught far too many fish to count but I am certain it was over 50. Most of them were trout but bluefish, ladyfish, jack crevalle, and even mangrove snapper were caught and released.We left the feeding frenzy in search of some larger quarry and my mother was soon connected to a nice black drum.Next were a pair of large redfish, one 36 inches, the second 37.Through the rest of the day, we caught about a dozen more redfish and several nice trout including this double header.Friday, I took my 5 weight flyrod to the Lagoon. After catching several trout on topwater, I switched to a tan Merkin style crab pattern and a 34 inch redfish came to the boat. After several failed attempts at some black drum, I spotted a nice trout sitting in a sand hole and tossed the crab in front of him. He found the crab to his liking and was soon swimming off after a quick photo.Next, I threw a chartreuse EP Minnow and some small tarpon. I had three bites and got one to the boat completing my flyrod slam.The tarpon stopped rolling and I went in search of redfish. I caught seven more reds on various color EP flies and another six on the gold Baitbuster.Barring any strange weather, the fishing in the Mosquito Lagoon and along the beaches should remain excellent. Food is plentiful and the fish are gorging themselves in anticipation of the first cold front.There are still a few spots left for the Ladies fishing clinic at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, in Apopka, on September 29. There is no cost for this event which includes seminars of basic fishing skills and a wine tasting. Pre-registration is required. Visit http://www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com/ for more information.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Native Sons Tournament Updates 9-'07



September 15, 2007 - Tournament Updates
Charter fishing has slowed down a bit as it always does in late summer (August and September) but the tournament action for Native Sons guides certainly has not. So instead of our regular ‘fishing report,’ we provide the following ‘tournament update’:Last weekend, three of the Native Sons group participated in the TCF Circuit/Sebastian Inlet Sportfishing Association ‘Red-Eye’ Classic Inshore Tournament along with 100 other local guides and anglers. Capt. Peter garnered the most publicity of the day by snagging first place in trout classification with a whopping 31 incher (crushing the competition in that category) and the heaviest slam of redfish, snook and trout. Capt. Roland and Capt. Don also did well weighing impressive stringers of redfish, snook and trout and earning valuable TCF Circuit points. The grueling two day “Red-Eye Classic” was the seventh of eight sanctioned events in the 2007 Treasure Coast Flats Circuit. Currently Capt. Don leads the entire 200 angler field as top overall with Capt. Roland ranking a solid fifth. Capt. Peter is also in the top 15 overall despite having only fished only two of the seven events. In the TCF Circuit’s trout classification Capt. Don ranks first and has a slight lead over Capt. Roland with one tournament left. Capt. Roland is also currently ranked fourth in the redfish classification. Again, there are approximately 200 guides and anglers active in this circuit. (Results for the final two TCF Circuit, including the Championship, can be found at the following website - http://www.tcfcircuit.com/rankings).Last month, Capt. Rocky participated in the IFA Redfish Tour Tournament in Englewood, Florida (Charlotte Harbor/Boca Grande Pass area). He teamed with Jim Suomi and finished fifth in the 100 boat field comprised of professional redfish anglers. This finish, coupled with two other strong IFA showings, qualifies the Native Sons Profession Redfish team for the nationally televised IFA championship to be held in Panama City, Florida during the first weekend in November. (Results for the upcoming IFA Redfish Tour Championship can be found at http://www.redfishtour.com).Finally, Capt. Peter and Capt. Rocky fished the seventh of eight Xtreme Redfish Series events held in Titusville two weeks ago. The top ten finish in this event assures the team of an invitation to the Xtreme Redfish Championship Classic in mid-November as well as kept them atop the standings for the central east coast division ‘Team of the Year.’ (Results for the final two Xtreme Redfish Series events can be found at http://www.xtremefishingseries.com).
Posted by Rocky Van Hoose on September 22, 2007 at 09:30:49 AM
Native Sons Fishing Guides
Captain Rocky Van Hoose
321-986-9588
rvanhoose@cfl.rr.com
Captain Brad Jones
321-626-5072
jonesmelb7@bellsouth.net

Angry Seas Make Fishing Tough

Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, September 23, 2007

Compliments of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka Florida

Squally weather and angry seas kept most anglers in port and off of the water last week, but as the rogue summer squall moves away and when the seas settle down, assume fishing conditions will return. Although I only ventured out on a few occasions last week, I did give it the college try, and here's what I found.

My first attempted was a trip to the north Indian River Lagoon with my good friends Captain John Kumiski and his son Max. As we launched the boat around 7am, squalls were prevalent in the morning sky accompanied by occasional rumble of distant thunder. Northeast winds of 15 to 20 knots were predicted for later in the day, but as usual, the morning breezes were much less and we needed our angling fix.

As we reached the eastern shoreline we found fishable conditions and soon spotted several nice schools of redfish about 50 to 100 feet from the shoreline. Water levels are as high as I have seen all year, so concentrate your efforts in close to the shoreline and pay particular attention to areas holding black mullet. Also, be sure to check your favorite culvert for flowing water as predator like staging in the discharge ambushing bait as it moves through the pipes. As it turned out, threatening skies had us back at the dock before any fish were enticed, and we had a nice breakfast at Denny's.

My next adventure carried me to the beach with hopes of catching some beach linesiders, but again rough conditions made catching a challenge. The bait run is in full swing, and the surf was loaded with finger mullet and bluefish, but no snook were caught. Another notable feature was the number of blacktip sharks working the wash along the edge. On more than one occasion pods of three to five foot sharks with their backs exposed were chasing the finger mullet in close.

After checking the long-range weather forecast, conditions aren't looking much better for the early part of this week, so we may have to suck it up and go fishing anyway.

As always, if you have any questions or need more information, please contact me.

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters

http://www.blogger.com/
407-366-8085 landline
407-416-1187 on the water
866-790-8081 toll free


Visit http://www.blogger.com/ for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!
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Monday, September 24, 2007

Whack The Reds! With Captain Rogers


Smokin' Hot, Hot, Warm - Friday -Sunday Report
Friday was off the charts! I was joined by Dave Hendrick, and his friends Travis and Bob. Bob had never caught a redfish before. Well, that has changed now. The trio hooked 61 redfish and landed 56! It was totally insane from the first cast until 9:30 the bite was non-stop. Even after it slowed we never went more than 10 minutes without a fish. Great guys, great fishing and most importantly great fun! The guys tied my boat record for the most reds on a charter. Saturday was another hot day of fishing. Alan Falk from Alabama joined me and accomplished a first for him, he got his first snook! Alan had 3 reds and snook in the boat before 7 am. We ended up with 8 redfish and the snook for the first part of the morning. We had shots at some big redfish until another boat decided to idle all the way across the flat. Oh well. We left the first spot and found a great trout and ladyfish bite. We caught over 30 of the trout and ladyfish. Saturday started witha bang as Alan popped a 2-1/2 pound trout right away. Then it was totally cold for the next hour. We went to another spot and poled the flat. This area had been producing some nice fish. Alan got 1 red. Maybe the weather had something to do with the day. We did manage to catch a few more trout. It was a great two days of fishing! We had some great fun!GANDER MOUNTAIN SEMINAR THURDSAY NIGHT AT 7 PM. THERE WILL BE MIRROLURE AND RIP TIDE PRIZES! THE SEMINAR IS FREE!BOOK NOW FOR OCTOBER! CALL 407-405-0819TIGHT LINES AND GOOD FISHING!CAPTAIN DAVE
24 Sep 2007 by Captain David Rogers
Slam Today!
What a fun day on the water for Rob and Becky. The day started with Rob landing a 37 inch redfish on a MirrOmullet top water plug. It looked like Jaws chasing down a victim. After that we got a few trout and moved to the next spot. Rob broke out the fly rod and nabbed a 26 inch snook. The slam was complete. What to do next? We head to the next stop and find plenty of bait. In the distance (300 yards) I see bait flying and fish crashing. It looked like jacks from that distance. No, it was redfish in the 20-40 pound range. We got to the fish and tossed out the MirrOlure Top Dog Jr. and we tripled up on big reds! Awesome! We lost the school as they headed to deep water. As I poled the shoreline we had shots at a tarpon and several black drum which would have given us a grand slam. Rob pulled out 2 more redfish and we called it a day! Becky landed the largest fish of the day! New photos in gallery!Tight Lines and Good Fishing!
20 Sep 2007 by Captain David Rogers
SEMINAR AT GANDER MOUNTAIN SEPTEMBER 27 @ 7PM
I will be at Gander Mountain on September 27 @ 7pm. The topic will be 'Artificial Bait Techniques for Redfish and Trout'. I will be answering questions and there will be free MirrOlure and Rip Tide lures for prizes. BOOK NOW FOR OCTOBER! CALL 407-405-0819 AND BOOK TODAY!THE SEMINAR IS FREE!
19 Sep 2007 by Captain David Rogers
Two More Awesome Days!
Sunday and Monday were great fishing days! Rick Schmidt and Bill Loveall got on some quality fish! Bill had never caught a redfish before and now I think he is hooked! Bill and Rick landed some really big reds and a few smaller ones today. I know I had a blast watching the guys battle two reds at once. Great Time! Monday I was joined by longtime client and friend Carl Rosa and his son. The guys landed 12 redfish by 8:30 and we were off the water by 9:45 due to weather. We had two double hook ups and the fishing was awesome! I will be at Gander Mountain on Thursday, September 27 at 7 pm. The topic will be "Artificial Lure Techniques For Reds and Trout'. BOOK NOW FOR OCTOBER! call 407-405-0819Tight Lines and Good Fishing!
17 Sep 2007 by Captain David Rogers
This is No Joke! We Whacked the Reds!
No Joke! The last 3 days have been great! Thursday and Friday the reds went totally nuts! I fished with Doug Childs, one awesome client and friend and we had an awesome time. Thursday Doug hooked 8 reds and landed 6 plus a few nice trout. Friday was really great! We hooked 25 redfish and boated 19. We got fish on MirrOlures, mainly the MirrOmullet and the MirrOdine. We also got them on gold spoons and Rip Tide Shrimp. It was awesome. One time we had 3 on at one time with 2 guys on the boat! We ven got a couple 'Slobberknockers'! What a great day with great company! In 9 charters this month we have landed over 100 redfish! I can't post all the photos because my web guy would get me for that! There are new photos coming! Book now for October! Call 407-405-0819Tight Lines and Good Fishing!Captain DavidI will be at Gander Mountain on September 27 at 7 pm! Free Seminar!
14 Sep 2007 by Captain David Rogers
AAA Hawgwild Saltwater Charters
Captain Dave Rogers
407-327-0008
407-405-0819
http://www.aaahawgwildcharters.com/
redfishin@hotmail.com

Schooling Reds In Gasparilla Sound

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 9/17 through 9/22/2007

Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with reds during the past week. Large reds are schooling in Gasparilla Sound where anglers connected with MirrOlure Top Dog, Jrs, CAL shad tails, jerk worms and my Flats Minnow fly. In addition, trout and snook were also caught and released.
My son-in-law, Capt. Andy Cotton, fished with me on Monday. We found a large school of reds in Gasparilla Sound and hooked up repeatedly to reds to 32” with Mirrolure Top Dog, Jrs. When the school finally disappeared, we waded a sand bar where Andy caught and released his personal best redfish on my Flats Minnow fly.
Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers secretary, Melissa Littlewood, fished the same area with me on Wednesday. Melissa will be participating in a tournament in the Keys in October and wanted to sharpen her skills with both spin and fly tackle. She hooked several snook and landed one on my Grass (Snook) Minnow fly before daylight along Little Gasparilla Island. We didn’t find and school reds that day, but found plenty of them scattered on various flats and sand bars. She landed a pair of reds on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails and then spent a couple of hours wading and sight casting to reds on a sand bar. We had plenty of good shots with a fly but no takers.
The next day, I was the guest of Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers member, Ron Whitely, on his Maverick Mirage flats skiff. We started before dawn and caught a couple of snook before switching to the flats. With rain bearing down on us, we drifted a couple of deep grass flats in Gasparilla Sound where we caught and released several trout and ladyfish on Ron’s Estaz Marabou and Clouser flies before the rain chased us off the water.
The action should continue next week with reds in Charlotte Harbor and Sarasota Bay. Snook before dawn and trout, bluefish and more on deep grass in the same areas should also be an option.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail
http://www.blogger.com/
http://www.blogger.com/ and http://www.blogger.com/






Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers secretary, Melissa Littlewood, with a snook caught and released with a Grassett's Grass (Snook) Minnow fly while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Capt. andy cotton, from Sarasota, FL, caught and rleased this big red, his personal best on a fly, on a Grassett's Flats Minnow Fly while fishing Charlotte Harbor with his father-in-law, Capt. Rick Grassett.


Grassett Flats Minnow red


Capt. Rick Grassett with a "bull" red caught and released with a MirrOlure Top Dog, Jr. in Gasparilla Sound.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Fort Pierce/Port St Lucie Fishing 9/20


September 20, 2007
Inshore:

Other than some daily thunderstorms that have loomed over the Treasure Coast, the fishing has been good out on the river. Some breaks in the daily routine of rain, have provided a mixed bag of fish for anglers braving the conditions. Mullet are all over the river now and the predators are all out there giving chase. It's not hard to find fish....just watch for nervous or excited bait schools and you can find fish hanging around them.
I managed a couple days on the water in between the weather this week. My wife, Eva, accompanied me on Saturday for some great fishing action on the Indian River. Fishing around bait rewarded us with catches of snook, trout, redfish,ladyfish, bluefish, jacks, snapper and grouper in our morning excursion. Eva finally got tired of reeling in fish, so we called it a day.
With all the bait available, there will be a nice assortment of fish to be sought in this time of plenty. Early morning will find snook, trout, ladyfish and jacks up on the flats seeking an easy breakfast. A good top water lure will give you plenty of action in the wee hours of morning. Switch to soft plastics or sinking lures once the sun rises and start moving to the deeper edges of the flats. Washed out sand holes on the flats are a favorite hiding spot for large trout during the morning also. Live shrimp is always a great way to catch dinner around the river. The entire river is alive right now!
Snook fishing has provided some nice slot size fish to the night anglers around the bridges and inlet area. Live shrimp is usually the bait of choice, but finger mullet is another good bait for snook fishing. Docks around the river have held snook, redfish and snapper. We fished several this week with good success. Live shrimp or soft baits will let you know if something is lurking under a dock.
Redfish are still hanging on the flats. I was slammed by a couple nice reds while fishing the bait schools. Soft baits have always worked great for me and I use them on the flats most of the time. All the rain has raised the water level in the river for a few days and allows you to fish areas normally pretty shallow.
Tip of the Week:
Take the time to watch the bait. Nervous bait means fish, lazy bait might be a sign to move on. Birds are cruising the skies looking for bait being chased. Learning to read the water can give you a good insight on where to fish or when to move to another spot. Take a little time and watch what is going on around you. The river is an exciting place to fish. Letting the fish, bait and birds tell you what is happening can help make your trips more successful!
As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!!Good Fishing and Be Safe,
Captain Charlie Conner
772-284-3852
(Captain Charlie has been fishing the Indian River Lagoon for over twenty-five years. Specializing in light tackle fishing in Fort Pierce and Port St Lucie, Florida. His weekly South Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report gives the latest information for the Treasure Coast area for the Indian River Lagoon.}

Friday, September 21, 2007

Sarasota Bay Will Tighten A Few Lines

Fishing Report 09/17/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford
Pompano, redfish, and trout tightened a few lines aboard the Reelin & Chillin this week. Also, jacks, ladyfish, lizard fish, sail cats, and small sharks have been around for some fun. Tarpon are still around if you look hard enough and are skilled enough to coax them into biting.
Just a quick review at what's happening in the Sarasota bay area:
Capt. Doug of Tearin' Em Up! Charters gave me a little heads up - while wade fishing on his day off some diving birds on the east side of north Sarasota Bay gave away feeding tarpon, redfish, trout, and ladies. I took my charter over to this area the next day and the water was alive with diving birds, bait all over the place, and fish breaking the surface including rolling tarpon. We couldn't buy a bite from a tarpon, however John Barrier and his grandson Brandon caught and released redfish, ladyfish, and a few bluefish. We headed a little further north just south of Longbar and caught some nice slot sized trout and Brandon who is only four years old caught a seventeen inch pompano. We then headed to some areas in mid Sarasota Bay with structure and John caught and released a beautiful thirty-three inch redfish (tail wasn't pinched). Soon after four year old Brandon caught and released a twenty-five inch redfish. "Fish Story"? Just check out the web site "photo album" and you can see the photos.
Same Day as above Capt. Greg Abbott called and said he was getting three foot, (give or take a few inches) black tip shark in the middle of Sarasota Bay. My charter was at it's end so I didn't head over to his location, however he picked up three sharks - this had to be fantastic fun on light tackle. I told my son Jesse Frankford about this and he headed to the approximate area a couple days later and did just what Capt. Greg did - chummed with white bait and "Bam" his daughters friend Danielle hooked up with a small lemon shark. Soon after his daughter (my granddaughter) Makaela also caught a little lemon - great light tackle inshore action.
Anthony and Susan Baglino headed out for an afternoon charter on a hot sunny day. Well to make a long story short we didn't tear them up, however we did have a neat experience. Susan was reeling in an unknown fish when near the boat suddenly a large bluefish showed up and for a second looked like the fish she had. Then the action stopped - no more fight, we found out what Susan was catching. It was a sea trout, however now it was only a part of a sea trout - the blue bit it clean in half. Just at the end of the trip the trout started to cooperate. Both caught a couple with Anthony catching and releasing a nice slot sized trout.
Heading out on a double boat charter just for catch and release fun Capt. Doug and myself split a group of eight. My crew, Deek, Steve, Gillian, and Mary all had some great inshore action as well as Capt. Doug's crew. Trout, ladyfish, jack, lizard, and catfish all provided for some great action. We ended the trip in the radio tower flats area checking out manatees, something that these folks from Chicago really enjoyed.
Bait and Tackle:
Two types of live bait were used - live handpicked shrimp and live white bait or spanish sardines. The shrimp were bought at Hart's Landing and can be bought at most bait stands in the area. The white bait was netted in Big Sarasota Pass - just look for diving birds around sandbars and you will find the bait. I used Bett's Halo shrimp and D.O.A. night glow shrimp for artificial baits.
Terminal tackle ranged from number four to 2/0 Owner circle hooks tied to twenty pound to forty pound fluorocarbon leader. Ten pound test line was used on the reel.
I used an Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod for most of these trips.
Tight Lines & Good Times,
Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
http://www.charterfishingsarasota.com/
http://www.blogger.com/

Snapper & Grouper Close, Flounder In Sand


Report for 09/20/2007 Salt Water
MEXICO BEACH/PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE
The seas are rough, but you do not have to go far to catch snapper. Wrecks and reefs just a few miles out are holding nice fish. Go further out and the Grouper are easily caught on live pinfish or frozen cigar minnows rigged Carolina style. For red snapper, start a chum line and utilize light tackle with a Mustad live bait hook and a fluorocarbon leader buried in a chunk of bait and just free-line your bait down with the chum. The King Mackerel disappeared for a few days, but are slowly showing up again along the buoy line, above the car bodies’ reef, and over Virginia reef. Trolling or drifting a live hard tail, or slow trolling dusters/widgets with cigar minnows will also catch kings.
ST JOSEPH BAY
Trout are hitting well, and redfish too, but the story this week is the flounder. Hit the sand flats inside the tip of the St Joseph peninsula, right outside the entrance to the Gulf canal on the outgoing tide, or just inside the cut on crooked island. You can catch these fish on live bull minnows, LY’s, or shrimp all rigged Carolina style with ½ ounce leads and a 1/0 Kale hook on fluorocarbon leader. If artificial baits are your favorite, use Gotcha grubs or the DOA shrimp under a popping’ cork, and last but not least, Berkley gulp. The Redfish bite is steadily improving. Use any of the aforementioned artificial baits, or a gold sidewinder spoon. The larger fish are in deep holes, and along the drop offs. The grass flats between Eagle Harbor and the tip of the peninsula is a popular spot with the flats south of Presnell’s producing too.
Destin
The offshore bite has been good when the wind has been light enought to get off shore. There has been a steady bite of wahoo and some white marlin. The wahoo are close to the edge and the white marlin just off shore of the nipple. Scamp and amberjack are plentyful in the natural bottom inshore of the steps. Closer to home red grouper around the funnels and red snapper good in water from 80 to 160ft. Kings have started to bite also with the cooler mornings we have been having. In the surf the pompano bite has become fairly steady with good numbers on whiting. In the bay flounder gigging has been good, reds are very good around the Destin Bridge and jetties and trout have picked up especially around hogtown bayou. On the pier tuesday there were 5 kings caught for the first time in over a week. Lots of hardtails, ladyfish and blues are around most days. Several days there have been quite a few bull reds at the pier and some pompano are starting to show but in small numbers.

Fishing Report prepared by Half Hitch Tackle Staff.
The Captains Corner Fishing Report is provided by local charter captains and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Half Hitch Tackle.

Half Hitch Tackle
850-234-2621
2206 Thomas Dr
Panama City, Fl 32408

www.halfhitch.com/
This report is dedicated to the memory of Al Hubbard. Al Hubbard was a field editor for Florida Sportsman magazine, an outdoor writer for the News Herald and a board member of the Florida Outdoor Writer's Association. Mr. Hubbard was also the owner of Al's Outdoors Outfitting Services.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Homosassa Road Trip by Capt Ron Presley

Road Trip
You can probably tell from the title, this report is not about fishing Cocoa Beach and Merritt Island but about a recent road trip to Homosassa for the Florida Outdoor Writers Annual Convention. If you are like me you like to get away from home once in a while and fish some other areas. Homosassa provides the perfect spot to do so.
It is a beautiful area for fishing and sightseeing as well. Homosassa is home to the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, a wonder in itself. A 1.1 mile trail of paving and boardwalks puts you in touch with Hippo’s, Alligators, Bobcats, Cougar, Manatees, and more. The underwater observatory gives you excellent views of snook, redfish, sheepshead, snappers, and other fishes in their natural environment. With all the educational programs they offer you could spend a day in the park learning about nature and wildlife. You can even dine at the Wildlife Café located in the park. There are plenty of other things to do in the area but we better get to the fishing. I went a day before the conference so I could do a little extra fishing. I hooked up with Capt. Don Chancey for some redfish action. Don operates Grouper Hunter/ Flats Chance Charters and specializes in Grouper, Trout, Redfish, and Cobia. You can reach him at 352-303-9399. I called him and ask about a morning charter. He said fine, lets start about noon. You guessed it, the tides are all important in that area and since we were going after redfish he wanted to fish the incoming tide and a 12:00 noon departure would give us the needed conditions.
We ran out towards the Gulf of Mexico in the little Homosassa River. Capt. Don mentioned what many others had told me in the past. When running these waters be very careful to stay in the marked channels. There are lots of rocks and many lower units have been damaged by unsuspecting boaters. It wasn’t long until the characteristics of the river faded and the environment turned into rocky mangrove islands all of which looked fishy to me.
Capt. Don explained that as the tide comes up over the rocks and fills the voids under the mangroves the redfish follow the rising water to feed. We fished rocky points and edges of mangroves using shrimp and cut mullet. Light tackle spinning rods were rigged with about 18 inches of leader and a 3/0 circle hook. A small split shot was added just above the hook for added casting distance.
By the end of the day we had wrestled about 8 feisty redfish to the boat, the largest measured in at 26.5 inches. The color of the redfish were something to behold. The last red I caught in the Banana River was nearly silver but these Homosassa reds were a bright beautiful bronze, as if they had been working on their tan all summer.
Well, I gotta’ go for now but my next report will be about the fishing tournament held at the writers conference. The tournament was scheduled in the morning and the tides would not be the ones the guides wanted. Tune in next time to read about the results.
As always, you can visit my website at www.inshorefishingadventures.com to view pictures of the fish we catch in the Cocoa Beach area. That's what it's all about. Good fishin'.

Capt. Ron Presley
Phone 321-454-7285

http://www.inshorefishingadventures.com/
presleyr@bellsouth.net

Slot Hard To Find, But Still Lots Of Fish

September 2007
SEPT. 18, 07 FISHING
YES, IT IS SNOOK SEASON AND THE BITE IS ON, LOTS AND LOTS OF CATCHING BUT NOT MUCH KEEPING. THE NEW SLOT, 28"/32" MAY BE GOOD FOR THE FISH AND NUMBERS WE MAY SEE BUT THAT 4" SLOT IS A TOUGH NUMBER TO FIND. WE HAVE A VERY GOOD POPULATION OF SNOOK AND I AM MORE THAN SURE THAT THE NUMBERS WILL GO UP AND IT IS NICE TO SEE THE FWC BE PROACTIVE RATHER THAN REACTIVE ON THE ISSUE BUT? WE HAVE MANGROVES AND SHALLOWS WITH GRASS NOT AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE BUT STILL PLENTY OF NURSERY FOR THE BABY SNOOK TO BAD THE OTHER AREAS DID NOT TAKE CARE OF THEIR NURSERY SO WE WILL BITE THE BULLET FOR THE BEST OF THE SPECIES AND KEEP CATCHING WITH NOT MUCH KEEPING. THE SNOOK BITE HAS BEEN EXCELLENT WETHER FROM A BOAT, WALKING THE SURF OR THE BRIDGES THE CATCH LIST IS LONG AND PLENTY OF BIG FISH. WALKING THE SURF USING CHROME TOP WATER, SPOON OR LIVE MULLET THE ACTION HAS BEEN BUSY, EARLY HAS BEEN THE PREMIUM HOURS. THESE FISH ARE IN CLOSE, YOU ARE FISHING NORTH AND SOUTH NOT EAST. THE SOOK ARE IN THE TROUGH LOOKING FOR WHITING AND CROAKER OR ANY LITTLE FISH LOOKING THING AND THAT IS WHERE YOU WANT TO BE. THE TRICK IS TO CAST PARALLEL TO THE BEACH AND GET AS MUCH PRESENTATION TIME AS POSSIBLE, MOST OF THESE FISH WILL BE WELL OVER THE SLOT SO BRING THE CAMERA. LIVE BAIT FANS CHECK OUT THE CIRCLE HOOKS AT YOUR LOCAL TACKLE SHOP AND ASK THE PROPER WAY TO FISH THESE HOOK. LURE FANS GET THE BARBS OFF IF YOUR LURE HAS TWO SETS OF HOOK THINK ABOUT REMOVING THE MID SECTION, I PROMISE YOU WILL STILL CATCH AND NOT MISS. BRIDGES, LOW LIGHT AND DARK HOURS IS THE TIME FOR THESE LOCATION. WITH PLENTY OF BRIDGES AND ALL THE PILINGS THE FISH HAVE LOTS OF AMBUSH POINTS, BEING LAZY AS THEY ARE IT IS EASY TO SEE WHY THEY LIKE THE BRIDGES. SHADOW LINES, DEEP WATER, SHALLOW AND THE NARROWS MOST BRIDGES ARE BUILT ON MAKE FOR JUST THAT EASY TO GET DINNER. FOR THE ANGLER THE FISH WILL FEED INTO THE CURRENT SO PRESENT YOUR BAIT WITH THE TIDAL FLOW, CLOSE TO THE BOTTOM AND CLOSE TO THE PILINGS AND STILL THESE FISH WILL BE OVER THE SLOT SO BRING THE OTHER CAMERA AND PLEASE DO NOT TAKE A KNIFE TO THE GUN FIGHT, BIG TACKLE, YOU WILL HAVE TO GET THE FISH AWAY FROM THE STRUCTURE. NOW FOR THE FLATS, THIS IS WHERE YOU FIND SNOOK OVER AND UNDER AND EVEN IN THE SLOT. GRASS EDGES, DOCKS, CHANNELS COMING INTO THE RIVER ARE ALL GREAT SPOTS. FISH ON THE BOTTOM THAT’S WHERE THE FISH ARE AND YOU ARE TAKING DINNER TO THE FISH. LOW LIGHT HOURS AND DARK ARE MOST PRODUCTIVE BUT YOU MAY FIND THE FISH WATING FOR LUNCH YOU JUST NEED TO PUT IN YOUR TIME.
SURF ANGLERS IT HAS BEEN AMIXED BAG OF FISH FROM TARPON TO SAND PERCH, YOU PICK THE TIME AND THE FISH WILL BE THERE. EARLY FOR THE TARPON AND SNOOK, MID MORNING TILL MID AFTERNOON FOR THE WHITING, CROAKER AND A MIX OF BLUES, MAC’S EVEN A FEW POMPANO NOT TO FORGET THE BIG JACKS ARE THERE ALL DAY.
TROUT FISHING CONTINUES TO BE EXCELLENT WITH FISH WELL OVER THE SLOT EARLY, ON BIG TOP WATER PLUGS. THE RIVER HAS BEEN EXCELLENT ALL SUMMER, NO RAIN, SALINTY IS HIGH AND THE FISH LOVE IT. REDS AT LOW LIGHT IN THE SHALLOWEST OF WATER, FISH THE MANGROVES, IF YOU ARE NOT CATCHING TREES YOU ARE NOT CLOSE ENOUGH. FROM HERMANS BAY NORTH TO BEAR POINT IS THEIR ZONE WITH PLENTY OF TARPON AT THE POWER PLANT. JACKS, BLUES AND MAC’S TO KEEP YOU ON YOUR TOES, WITH LADY FISH, A FEW FLOUNDER AND STILL A FEW TRIPLE TAIL ON THE CHANNEL MARKERS. FOR YOU ANGLERS THAT SAY WHAT IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A BOAT, THESE FISH HAD TO PASS UNDER A BRIDGE TO GET WHERE THEY ARE AND WE HAVE BRIDGES.
OFF SHORE, WELL STILL WAITING FOR THE DOLPHIN BUT THEIR NAME HAS SHOWED ON THE CATCH LIST MORE THIS MONTH THAN LAST. AUGUST WAS NOT A BIG MONTH FOR DOLPHIN WITH ANGLERS WANTING TO KNOW WHERE AND HOW TO FIND THEM. LAST MONTH ONE HERE AND ONE THERE, NO PATTERN BUT NOW IT HAS BEEN TWO HERE AND THREE THERE, STILL NO PATTERN BUT STILL WE HAVE CATCH TO REPORT. THE NICE PART HAS BEEN CATCHS REPORTED HAVE BEEN IN THE 100’ MARK; LIVE OR TROLLED BAITS HAVE CAUGHT FISH. DOLPHINS BEING THE HARD FIND A LOT OF ANGLERS MOVED TO PULLING BAITS DEEP AND THE WAHOO DID NOT DISAPPOINT THEM. WE SAW NO MONSTERS BUT A LOT OF NICE FISH AND PLENTY OF WEHOO’S, PERFECT FOR STEAKING AND THE GRILL. FISH WERE FROM 80’ TO 200’ ON TROLLED BALLY AND DEEP PLUGS, WENT THROUGH A LOT OF TROLLING WEIGHTS FROM SIXTEEN TO THIRTY TWO ONCE LEAD, TAKING BAITS TO THE FISH. SAIL FISH CONTINUE FROM 40’ OUT AND THESE ARE RESIDENT FISH MUCH LARGER THAN OUR WINTER MIGRATING SCHOOL. THIS HAS BEEN AN EXCELLENT YEAR FOR THE SAIL FISH ANGLERS, FISH FROM 40’ OUT. KINGS HAVE SAVED MANY TRIPS, LOTS OF KINGS ALSO FROM 40’; FROM SNAKES TO SMOKERS THEY ARE THERE. SWORDS FROM 900’ FEET OUT AND THE BITE HAS BEEN RESONABLE WITH NOT MANY ANGLERS TARGETING THE FISH I THINK IS THE NIGHT BITE THAT KEEPS MANY FROM THE SPECIES. NEW THING IS DAY TIME FISHING FOR SWORDS, I’LL KEEP YOU POSTED. THE BOTTOM BITE HAS BEEN GOOD STARTING AT 60’. WEIGHTED A FIFTY POUND GOUPER OVER THE WEEK END, THAT WAS A BIG UGLY FISH AND THE ANGLER ALL OF THIRTEEN WAS AS PROUD AS COULD BE, WATCH FOR THE PICTURE. MUTTON HAVE MADE A GOOD SHOW BUT IF IT A BIG MUTTON TRY THAT LONG LEADER, 15’ PLUS, IT WORKS…………
WATCH THAT SLOT 28" TO 32" HARD FIND BUT STILL LOTS OF FISH, THE FELLA AT PERKS BAIT AND TACKLE GAVE ME THE "LOTS OF CATHING, NOT MUCH KEEPING". WHERE IS THE CAMERA?
Snook Nook Bait & Tackle Shop
3595 NE Indian River Drive
Jensen Beach, FL
(Just South of the Jensen Causeway)
(772)-334-2145
(Since 1949)
E-Mail: henry@snooknook.net

Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, September 17, 2007

Compliments of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka Florida

My travels this past week carried me from the pristine east coast waters of the Banana River Lagoon No-Motor Zone to the rustic west coast shores of the Homosassa River, and yes I can attest we do live in paradise.

My adventure started out last Sunday morning before first light when I joined up with some members of the newly formed Orlando Kayak Fishing Club for a short angling excursion out of KARs Park. After launching our boats, my friend Carmelo Alvarez manned the front seat of my Old Town canoe and we paddled north along the western shoreline of Banana River Lagoon.

Witnessing very little activity at first, Carmelo and I paddled for about four miles before locating a suitable target. As Carmelo retrieved his soft plastic bait across the top of the water, a sizable fish pushed out from under a matt of floating widgeon grass and exploded on the bait three times before getting a good taste of the hook. As the impressive fish burned drag for deeper water, the heavy run made me think it was a nice snook, but that's when the thirty-pound tarpon cleared the water for the first time, and then freed itself on the third jump.


Carmelo's First Sizable NMZ Redfish

Continuing our tract north, we were forced to take shelter along the mangrove shoreline as a brief monsoon passed. As the rain showers pushed away and I bailed out the canoe, glassy conditions emerged and schools of slot size redfish began pushing down the flat in waves, allowing Carmelo to catch his first sizable redfish before returning to our launch site for a great shore lunch.
Next, it was off to the west coast where my wife Sandi and I spent a very relaxing 5 days at the Homosassa Riverside Resort attending the Florida Outdoor Writers Association Conference. Visiting Homosassa took me back 20 years with its laidback old Florida style, and the incredible hospitality of all we met was very refreshing.


Homosassa Riverside Resort and Crab House, http://www.riversideresorts.com/

Within an hour and a half drive from Orlando, the Riverside Resort is situated on the banks of the scenic Homosassa River. The spring fed headwaters, Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, are 2.5 miles upstream from the Resort and the river's confluence with Gulf of Mexico is 6 miles downstream. The characteristics of the fishery are very different than those of the Indian River Lagoon, with an abundance of skeg eating rock formations being the most pronounced feature.

On Thursday, we fished a fun catch and release tournament sponsored by the Homosassa Fishing Guides Association, Citrus County Visitors and Convention Bureau, and Coastal Conservation Association. Each team of anglers were assigned guides and we departed the resort around 7am. Our crew consisted of myself, Reb Stewart, a retired Fly Outfitter from Virginia Beach, and Captain Kyle Messier of Red Hot Fishing Charters. Captain Kyle is a third generation professional fisherman, with a lifetime of experience fishing out of Homosassa and Crystal River areas, and I highly recommend him as a guide if you plan on exploring these waters. As usual for this type of event, the tides were wrong for an early morning bite, but I still managed 8 different species of fish.

Captain Kyle and Reb with a Light Tackle Gag Grouper

After fishing for 4 hours we returned to the Tarpon Key Lodge for a BBQ lunch provided courtesy of CCA. The Lodge is located on an island at the mouth of the Homosassa River, and it sleeps eight people and is available for rent with a three-day minimum.


Tarpon Key Lodge Photo from http://www.tarponkeylodge.com/

In closing, there are still a few openings in the 2007 Fall Mosquito Lagoon Celebrity Redbone Tournament scheduled for October 11th, 12th, and 13th. The event is a CPR tournament supporting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and with our support we can catch the cure. For more details visit http://spacecoast.cff.org/redbonefishing.

As always, if you have questions or need information, please contact me.

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters

http://www.irl-fishing.com/
407-366-8085 landline
407-416-1187 on the water
866-790-8081 toll free


Visit http://www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com/ for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!
If you would like to be added to this Internet fishing report mailing list, just reply to this message or contact me at captain@irl-fishing.com.

North East Florida Fishing With Capt. Vic





Ahoy there Anglers,


RIVERS:
About the best thing going in the rivers right now are the croakers and whiting. The croakers in the St. Johns River still aren't as big as they're going to get but some real nice sized ones are biting along with bunches of small ones. Two more weeks!
The whiting have been doing alright in the Nassau River but not as fired up as they should be. Some things have been off this year and not as normal as usual but I'm still looking to see what the sheepshead season is going to offer us this year. It won't be long now. That's why I'm already full for October and over half of November.
There has been a couple of black drum caught along rock piles and drop offs in the St. Johns but they're few and far between. When we do catch them they're 5 to 8 pounders so that's nice.
Bull redfish have been off and on this season. I think it's the warmer water temperature that's got them confused. The water temperature should be 78 to 80 degrees instead of what it is now, 85 to 87. The reds probably don't know it's time to start schooling up to feed before going offshore to spawn. Hopefully this 'cold front' and wind will help the temperatures somewhat. Some mangrove snapper to 2.5 pounds are being caught along rocks and pilings. Great eating!
The spotted trout are just not showing up like they should. During the middle of September we're usually doing real good on those guys.
Yellow mouth trout are in the river along with some nice sized whiting too.
JETTIES:
Sharks are what's mostly happening out at the rocks at this time. There have been reports of some nice flounder catches along the South jetties but everyone I know say they can't find them. The tarpon are here one day and not the next. If the pogies would show up so would all the tarpon and bull redfish. Why aren't the pogies here this year like they usually are? Like I mentioned earlier, some things are sure different this year but other things like the reds in the creeks and the croakers in the river getting bigger aren't. Check that out. Nice sized mangrove snapper to 2.5 pounds are being caught this year. Those are some real nice mangroves. Remember I said different. 2 pound mangroves inshore are great! They've been caught from the Mayport rocks to up river a few miles. Yellow mouth trout and whiting in the sandier areas around the rocks too. Won't be long for the sheepshead. Should be doing good in my next report. Friday when we were out at the North rocks there were schools of Spanish tearing up the small minnows at the surface. They were splashing water two feet high and 75 feet across.
CREEKS:
Redfish in the creeks and in the shallow flats doing good again. Also, during September, October and November we have those 5.6 to 6.3 high tides where the spartina grass flats flood and the reds go tailing for those fiddler crabs. That's fun and if you've never tried it you should. It's pretty exciting to see that triangle of redfish tail just slowly fanning in the shallows looking like they're waving to you.
Flounder at the creeks mouths on the outgoing, on the flats, sloping banks and even along grass edges during the higher tides. Spotted trout real slow. There are a few nice ones around but very few. Some days we don't even see one. Come on cooler water, please hurry.
MILL COVE:
Redfish, flounder and yellow mouth trout are your best bet in the Cove right now. We usually catch one to two black drum in there from 14" to 20" but that seems to be only when the tide is higher. A couple spotted trout here and there but most are shorties. Some croakers are in the deeper areas too.


SURF:
As far as surf fishing goes, my surf fishing buddy tells me he's doing really good on the whiting and has caught a couple real big redfish. He also told me the Spanish moves in and out real fast but he's been catching some fair-sized Spanish right from the surf. There were 3 or 4 kings caught right off the Jax. Beach pier this past week too along with some black drum, whiting and flounder.
I want to mention that I saw a couple come back to the Palms Ramp last week with a bag of trash they picked up while fishing that day. I asked them where did they get that much trash and they said "just floating in the river and creeks". I told them how much I appreciated them doing that and that every angler and boater should appreciate people "like you". I could tell they enjoyed knowing that someone appreciated them doing that. We could all do that.
Good fishing & tight lines to you all,

Capt. Vic Tison
904-699-2285
P.O. Box 28208
Jax., Fl. 32226-8208
Neither Captain Vic nor Vic2Fish & Adventures, Inc. claims any responsibility for any injury or loss of property arising out of any party using these Fishing Reports.If you no longer wish to receive Capt. Vic's Fishing Reports, please e-mail me to unsubscribe and I'll remove your address from the lists.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Oceans Come Alive With Fish! by Captain Dorobiala






Fishing Report!
As the fall mullet run is in full swing it seems that the lagoons and oceans come alive with these migrating baitfish with every predator fish in hot persuit. Gulls, pelicans, and all kinds of other birds can be seen diving all along our beaches with tarpon over 100 pounds putting on quite a show leaping through the air crashing the "bait balls". To get a good shot at a silver king get yourself a few mullet a little larger than what the schools are, throwing your free lined bait just outside the school. Kingfish, cobia, spanish macks, and every other hungry gamester will be having a field day feeding as we move toward the winter months.

The Mosquito and Indian River Lagoons will be just as hot while the mullet flow out of the back waters being chased daily by redfish of all sizes. Over size reds seem to show up like clock work this time of year and will give many anglers their shot at that trophy bull of a life time that we are famous for. Early morning on most days you can see their huge tails and backs sticking out of the water in the shallow flats schooled up in good numbers. Rip Tide flats chubs rigged weedless will get you into the grassy areas with sand holes mixed in. They will also be cruising the edges of bars in 3 - 4 feet of water looking for an easy meal. Throwing a lure such as a Rip Tide 4 inch mullet with enough weight on a red jig head in a 1 / 4 ounce to keep it down 2 feet will be one of your best artificials in the box. Go with lighter colors earlier switching over to darker like the anchovy color as the morning moves on.

As for live baits, nothing will stick out more to a redfish than tossing a jumbo live shrimp tail hooked by the mullet pods. Double hook ups are common if you time it right and throw your bait out at the same time once you locate them. Think about this : There's mullet everywhere; giving the reds a different dinner will have them fighting over it!!

Trout, tarpon, ladyfish, and jacks are all over Mosquito Lagoon, with alot of mornings looking like an all out feeding frenzy as multiple fish are destroying the bait. Topwaters of all kinds will work well sometimes lasting through the late morning. Gator trout will start to move around, so long casts covering as much water as possible will give you a good shot. Trout of all sizes will be in deeper water off the bars keeping most anglers busy using free lined live shrimp keeping them away from the bottom so the "bait stealers" stay away.

This is by far one of the best times of the year to fish the Indian River Lagoon, so come aboard and I'll show you why we're known as "The Redfish Capital of the World" !!

- Capt. Jeff
Reel Shallow Charters
Capt. Jeff Dorobiala
Mobile: 386-478-9555
3110 Travelers Palm Dr
Edgewater, Fl 32141
http://www.reelshallowcharters.net/




Key West Inshore Fishing Report for Sept '07 Capt Steve Lamp

Last week I fished with and we won Celebrity Grand Champion honors with Wade Boggs in the 17th annual Mercury Redbone celebrity tournament. Wade and I were fishing with Mercury Representative Brent Wood. Wade Boggs and I have fished this tournament and a few others many times to a win in the past years and have gotten to know each other quite well. This was Brent's 2nd time salt water fishing and as many times in tournaments, coming from fresh water I am sure that Sight fishing was a big change for this bass fisherman he did very well in his own right.
Fishing next to Wade Boggs has to be daunting alone let be the fact he is a hall of fame baseball player and a national hero in many arenas that he works in. That being said Brent and Wade Boggs shared the deck of my boat for two days and we had some excellent opportunities with Bonefish and Permit.
In the wash at the end of the tournament Wade had caught 2 species of fish, a Bonefish and Permit. I knew that Mark Cooper his competitor fishing with Capt. Drew Delashmit and Vaughn Cochran had caught a single tarpon on the fly. Although the points were the same (200) I knew that Wades two fish would win over Coopers single fish as this is how the SLAM goes. The angler with more species wins over angler fewer. This made for some good antics at the awards ceremony as Gary Ellis awarded Mark Cooper the win for his single fish much to the false protest of Wade Boggs. Wade was a great sport through the whole thing. He has won this division in the past and made for a ton of fun running away with the trophy only to bring it back and hand it to Mark Cooper for Mark to later return the trophy back to Wade. Big fun.
The fishing has not slowed. The tides are different but September is shaping up to be what we all know and love about it. Bonefish, Tarpon and Permit. The flats are alive and well. With no (knock on wood) storms yet this year and none seemingly in the long range forecast it looks like October will be awesome too. There are days we have been catching 2-8 bonefish in a single trip.
That's not all. Redfish, Black Drum and sharks have all been a hoot as well. We are doing the Mangrove slam almost daily with the Goliath Grouper, Redfish, and black drum.
No matter your skill level you are sure to get some fun out of a day fishing with us here at Dream Catcher Charters.


Sincerely
Capt. Steven P. Lamp

Office 1-888-362-3474
Cellular 1-305-304-0497

President
Dream Catcher Charters

Fishing Guide for Flats, Back Country, Wreck and Reef Fishing.

http://www.blogger.com/
http://www.blogger.com/

Fish Sarasota To Gasparilla Sound And Islamorada

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 8/27 through 9/16/2007
Several trips during the week of August 27th produced trout, bluefish, jacks and ladyfish on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay at Stephens Point and along the west side of the bay from Bishops Point to Buttonwood Harbor caught with DOA Deadly Combos, CAL jigs and Clouser flies. We also jumped a 20-pound tarpon with a root beer DOA TerrorEyz fishing canals in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda.
I spent the following week in Islamorada fishing the Islamorada-Sarasota Shootout fishing tournament. It is a “for fun” fishing tournament that pits anglers from Islamorada against members of the Sarasota Sportfishing Anglers Club against each other in offshore, reef and backcountry divisions. Aledia Tush, owner of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, and I fished the backcountry division with fellow Orvis-Endorsed guide Capt. Duane Baker, from Tavernier, FL, as our guide. If you ever want to fish the backcountry of the Keys in the Islamorada to Key Largo area, Capt Duane is an excellent guide. He can be reached at http://www.blogger.com/ or 1-305-852-0102.
Aledia won the bonefish division with a 7 1/2-pound bonefish caught with a live shrimp and I was second with a 6-pound bonefish caught on a fly. I caught a total of 3 bonefish on flies and Aledia caught 2 with bait. Sarasota anglers placed in several other offshore divisions, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough for Sarasota to win the tournament. With a point system that scores 3 points for a win, 2 points for 2nd place and 1 point for 3rd place in each division, the final tally was Islamorada 23 and Sarasota 9.
When I got back on the water at home this week, I found the fishing even better than I left it. The action was still strong on the deep grass flats and we found large schools of reds in Sarasota and Gasparilla Sound. Harold and Bill Johnson, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. They had good action with bluefish, trout, ladyfish and jacks at Stephens Point and along the west side of Sarasota Bay with flies, CAL jigs, DOA Deadly Combos and MirrOlure She Dog and Top Dog, Jr’s. We encountered a large school of reds in 8’ of water near Long Bar with 4 and 5-pound bluefish mixed with them. The bad news was that you couldn’t land a redfish due to bluefish either getting to the lures and flies first or cutting off our hooked redfish. The blues averaged about 4-pounds. So it was still great action.
Brad Sodowick, from Washington Crossing, PA, fished a couple of days with me on Thursday and Friday. He jumped a pair of tarpon and landed one of them, a 10-pounder, with a root beer DOA TerrorEyz in a Port Charlotte canal on Thursday. We fished Sarasota Bay on Friday where he caught trout, ladyfish and bluefish on DOA Deadly combos, CAL jigs and MirrOLure Top Dog, Jrs.
I fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor yesterday with Joe Larosa, from North Port, FL. He had a great day catching and releasing 3 reds to 32”. We found a large school of reds in Gasparilla Sound and Joe hooked 2 fish and landed a 32” red on a MirrOlure Top Dog, Jr. We also spent some time sight casting to reds along a sandbar where Joe landed a pair of reds to 28 1/2” on a root beer/gold CAL grub. It was Joe’s first fish caught by sight casting!
The action should continue next week on the deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay and in skinny water for reds in Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound. I also look for tarpon fishing to improve in upper Charlote Harbor and Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda canals.



Aledia Tush, owner of CB's Saltwater Outfittters in Sarasota, caught and released this 7 1/2 lb. bonefish while fishing with Capt. Duane Baker, from Tavernier, FL, to win the bonefish division of the Islamorada-Sarasota shootout.


Joe Larosa, from North Port, FL, caught and released this 32" red on a MirrOlure Top Dog, Jr. while fishing Gasparilla Sound with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail
http://www.blogger.com/
http://www.blogger.com/ and http://www.blogger.com/

Monday, September 17, 2007

September Forcast, East Central Florida by Captain Van Horn



Fishing Forecast
September, 2007
Complements of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka, FL
Season of the Mullet
As the tropical storm season wanes along the Indian River Lagoon Coast of Florida, we welcome the arrival of September with hot and humid days, and than say good by to the summer as September exits on the shoulders of a prevailing northeast wind. Shorter days, longer nights and the prevailing shift is the winds and swells signal the end of summer, and the beginning of the season of the mullet.
I’m often asked the question, “When is the best time to fish on the east coast of Florida?” and the answer has arrived with the season of the mullet. Like many of the 700 plus species of fish that frequent the IRL throughout the year, silver mullet gradually return to our estuary in the spring, and then form up for a mass exodus once the water begins to cool. As the bait schools begin to form up, larger predators know it is once again time to fatten up for winter’s arrival.
As schools of bait move out of the inlets and south down the beach, they move in pulses rather than a continuous flow, so as always, locating bait is the key to success.Bait pods are easily located by watching for diving birds and fish working them on the surface just inside the breakers. Look for snook, tarpon, redfish, bluefish, jack crevalle, Spanish mackerel, sharks, and large kingfish crushing and shadowing bait pods all along the beach. Once you’ve located the bait concentration, simply determine its direction of movement, usually south, and set up in front of it and let them come to you. This is also my preferred time of year to target tarpon and snook in the surf.


Top Dog after one day of beach fishing during the mullet run.
The beach snook run has already started with a few fish being reported, and it will pick up substantially, just in time for the opening of snook season on September 1st. When fishing from the beach, I prefer using live finger mullet as bait, matching the run. Fish the very edge of the beach, just beyond the whitewater, and walk along the beach letting your bait drift along in the direction of tidal flow. My rig consist of a #3 Daiichi Bleeding Bait circle hook, a one ounce barrel sinker, and a 24” section of 40-pound test fluorocarbon leader. I also prefer to use 20-pound test braided high-vis Courtland line to improve sensitivity and avoid line twist. First, slide the barrel sinker onto the terminal end of your braided line, and then splice in the leader, the knot will allow the sinker to slide freely up the braided line, keeping it off of the leader and the hook. This technique will allow bait to cover more ground and help keep your bait in the strike zone longer. Make sure your reel has the strength and line capacity to handle a large fish, so you don’t get spooled.
Outside in the deeper water, good numbers of kingfish will continue to work the beaches, Port Canaveral buoy line, and the inshore reefs and wrecks in 70 to 120 feet of water. When targeting kingfish my preferred method is slow trolling live pogies (Atlantic menhaden) on stainless steel stinger rigs. Also as the water temperatures cool, look for the large manta rays to move into shallower water bringing cobia with them. In Port Canaveral and Sebastian Inlet look for flounder, mangrove snapper, large redfish and snook around the jetties and other structures, and tripletail, barracuda, and cobia under the Canaveral buoy cans.

Captain Chris Myers with a Ponce Inlet Redfish
Inshore, the sea trout bite on top water plugs will increase along the deeper edges of the grass flats, with the best bite happening at first light and sunset. Also look for ladyfish, tarpon, and jacks to be mixed in. When targeting these fish, work top water plugs for explosive action, or try working ¼ ounce jigs with a white or rootbeer colored RipTide Realistic Shrimp combined with a Woodies Rattle capsule inserted. Near the end of the month, start looking for the pompano and flounder to begin moving out of the lagoon through the inlets into the near shore waters along the beach. Also watch for the larger redfish to begin forming up just outside Sebastian and Ponce De Leon Inlets to spawn, and feeding on small baitfish, mullet, and small blue crabs washing out with the tide.
Good Luck and Good Fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing ChartersNear Shore & Inshore Flats Fishing
Capt. Tom Van Horn

540 Lake Lenelle DriveChuluota, Florida 32766
407-366-8085 Cell 407-416-1187
Toll Free 866-790-8081captain@irl-fishing.com
Copyright © 2002- 2007 Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters

Let The Feeding Frenzy Commence! by Captain Van Horn

September 6, 2007
Complements of Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka, FL
Let the Feeding Frenzy Commence
Yesterday as the sun settled in the west, I found myself at the ocean’s edge. My quest was not to catch fish for I carried no tackle, but to simply observe conditions in anticipation of the arrival of the mullet. With a low-pressure system building in the Atlantic northeast of Florida and the northeasterly breezes and seas building, conditions are right for the commencement of the mullet run.
As I sat there scanning the water with my toes burred in the sand, I caught a glimpse of a large splash out of the corner of my eye. Was it a large tarpon or maybe a spinner shark? My anticipation grew. Soon I spotted what I was hoping to see as another large tarpon exploded on a school of silver mullet pushing south about 100 yards offshore. As the darkness grew more and more bait pods pushed to the surface hounded by hungry tarpon and spinner sharks. Further out I watch as terns feverishly worked schools of glass minnows pushed to the surface by Spanish mackerel. Clearly the bait run has started, and soon the beach and inlets will be teaming with bait and hungry fish. Currently, heavy ocean conditions will make fishing from a boat challenging, but once the seas begin to settle the bite should be on fire.
Respectable No-Motor Zone Redfish
On the inside today I spent the better part of the afternoon poling my Old Town canoe along the western shoreline of the Banana River No-Motor Zone looking for signs of the fall bait run. Gusty winds and recent rainfall have muddied the water making sight fishing difficult.
As I poled along the flat I would run over the fish before I’d see them, so I adjusted my strategy with a decision to try a new soft plastic bait. In the distance I could see redfish pushing and moving about, so I decided to try retrieving the new Exude 2 ½ inch Fan Tailed Shrimp in the Golden Bream color across the surface of the water. I would make a long cast well past my target, and with my rod tip raised high, I would reel the bait at a steady speed just fast enough to keep it fluttering on top. The fan Tail Shrimp comes with a glass rattle, which inserts into a pocket in the tail of the bait, but the rattle was gone after the first fish. I have done well using this tactic before, and once again it rewarded me with 8 redfish and about a dozen missed fish. After my pack of Exudes were gone, I switched to my trusted RipTide frog, and again received explosive results from I believe to be snook at the very edge of the matted widgeon grass. If you try this tactic, keep your rod tip high, and at the moment of the strike, through your rod tip forward giving the fish some slack and a chance to take the bait. The hook I was using was a #3 Daiichi Copper Head with the barb smashed.
Releasing a nice sea trout caught on a Storm Chug bug
Tip of the Week
A recent study showed a thirty percent mortality for catch and release sea trout. These fish expire after release from injuries and miss handling. With this thought in mind, it is extremely important keep you fish in the water as much as possible, touch them as little as possible, and mash the barbs on your hooks, especially gang hooks, Mashed barbs will facilitate an easy release with less injury. Barbs on hook do not catch fish; tight lines catch fish.
Seminars and Events:
September 8th 10am – 4pm
Coleman Tailgate Event
Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka Florida
Information and directions 407-464-2000
September 29th 10am – 3pm
Ladies Social Angler Seminar
Mosquito Creek Outdoors, Apopka Florida
Registration is limited call 407-464-2000 or go to
http://www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com/
Visit http://www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com/ for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!
Mosquito Coast Fishing ChartersNear Shore & Inshore Flats Fishing
Capt. Tom Van Horn

540 Lake Lenelle DriveChuluota, Florida 32766
407-366-8085 Cell 407-416-1187
Toll Free 866-790-8081
captain@irl-fishing.com
Copyright © 2002- 2007 Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters