Big Jacks Hit Cocoa Beach

Banana River Producing a Variety of Fish

It’s been nice to have a few mornings without the wind blowing so hard. All spring has been characterized by high winds that tend to make the fishing tough. Well, this week was much better and made for enjoyable days on the water.

Rip Tide plastic baits have produce well this week on a variety of fish. Trout, jacks, and bluefish all ate them well. My overall favorite remains the 3 inch Rip Tide Mullet, but the Flats Chub and the Curtailer have also produced fish.



One thing I like about these three lures is the fact that you can rig them all on the same ¼ ounce Rip Tide Pro Jig Head. This allows you to change your bait profile by simply switching tails.



Of course, if you don’t want or need the weight you can rig them all on a Daiichi Fat Gap Offset or on a Daiichi Copper Head. Rigged in this manner, these baits will skip under the mangroves or docks very well and also make a great weedless presentation in shallow water.



The most productive colors this week were Gold’n Glow in the Rip Tide Flats Chub and Silver Mullet for the 3 inch Rip Tide Mullet. For the Curtailer, both the Black Shad and the Green Back/Silver Belly were good producers.

Special Note: Summer time always brings the big jacks and tarpon nearshore off Cocoa Beach. The jacks have been crusin’ in big packs and can be taken on both artificial and live baits. The 34 inch jack pictured below hit a 6 inch live pogie on Wednesday this week. One thing for sure, if you go targeting these big ocean jacks you better step up your tackle a notch because they will tear you up if you catch them on too light an outfit.



That's what it's all about. Good fishin'.

Capt. Ron Presley
www.inshorefishingadventures.com
presleyr@bellsouth.net

Port Canaveral Pogies Close To Beach

Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report

Compliments of Mosquito Creek Outdoors

The summer doldrums held fast this past week on the east central coast of Florida with hot calm days providing for some assumes sight fishing conditions. Although the fishing conditions were magnificent, the catching wasn't great. We did manage some assume fish, but it feels like a bit of cold water (Labrador Current) may be starting to push in. The bait this week was in very close to the beach making it tough to catch, and the inshore kingfish were few and far between.

On Monday I fished with my good friends Mark Blyth and Larry Carter and our goal was simply to find something to pull hard. Like mentioned earlier, the pogies (Atlantic Menhaden) were hard to catch. After securing several dozen pogies, we move over to the Port Canaveral buoy line and ended our day with one cuda, and one large Jack caravalle.


Mark Blyth's Jumbo Jack Cravalle

On my next adventure I was joined by Roland VanArsdale and his son Roland and catching bait and fish was tough. The bait was still in close to the beach, only this time the swells and surf was much larger. We worked a number of different areas from the Buoy Line to the bight, and we only managed two large barracudas, but we still had fun.


Cliff's Mosquito Lagoon Gator

Today, I the pleasure of fishing in a four boat group charter out of JB's Fish Camp in New Smyrna Beach. In my boat, I fishing with Cliff Hendrickson, Evan Landis, and Allen Peacock, and the unique thing about the group was we were all native Florida crackers from Orlando. We started out working the docks and oyster bars around JB's managing only a few sea trout and ladyfish, and we finished up on Tiger Shoals where Cliff caught his largest gator trout to date.

For those of you fishing this weekend, remember there is a professional redfish tournament in the lagoon tomorrow, so be prepared for crowed waters.

Last but not least, Sandi and I are in the process of purchasing the Coastal Angler Magazine franchise for the greater Orlando area. We will be distributing 10,000 copies in central Florida featuring fishing forecast and articles about outdoor adventure right here in Orlando, so be sure to check your local boating, tackle, and outdoor retailer and pick up a copy, it's free!

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 landline
886-790-8081 toll free

Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!

Florida Scallop Season 2008

Resources to get you started.

Florida's bay scallop season starts this Tuesday, July 1st and runs through September 10th. Scalloping is a fun, relaxing past time that can be enjoyed by your entire family. It requires a minimal amount of relatively inexpensive gear, most of which can be rented, and the knowledge to find and gather these tasty bivalves can be learned with a few minutes of instruction. Florida has a limited allowable harvest area for gathering bay scallops. It starts at the west bank of the Mexico Beach canal in Bay County of the Panhandle, and and goes to the Pasco-Hernando County line near Aripeka. However, most scalloping in the state is concentrated in two areas. Homosassa/Crystal River, and Steinhatchee. The hundreds of square miles of turtle and manatee grass in these shallow and pristine waters, provide a perfect environment for bay scallops. As a result, thousands of visitors flock to these areas each summer to snorkel and gather these tasty treats. Many return year after year and know where to stay and where to go have a successful trip. If you have never been scalloping, and would like to give it a try, or it has been a while since your last scalloping excursion, I have gathered a list of web sites to help you plan a successful trip. Start by going to the MYFWC web site to learn the rules and regulations for gathering bay scallops then check out the post I put on Florida's F.I.N. last year on things you need to know about scalloping. These will help keep you legal and safe. Then check out the Citrus Co. Scalloping Adventure page, and the Steinhatchee to Perry scalloping page. These will help you find places to stay, eat, find supplies, marinas, and guided excursions. Then I threw in a few recipes you can use to get ideas on how to cook all of those delicious scallops you are going to gather.
Happy Scalloping!

Rules and Regulations
http://myfwc.com/marine/bayscallops.htm
http://myfwc.com/whatsnew/08/statewide/News_08_X_ScallopOpen.htm
http://flafin.blogspot.com/2007/07/florida-bay-scallops-what-you-need-to.html

Visitor Guides
www.visitcitrus.com/scalloping.asp
www.steinhatcheetoperry.com/watersports/scalloping.php

Recipes
http://steamykitchen.com/blog/2007/06/14/seared-scallops-with-mango-melon-salsa/
http://digg.com/food_drink/Quick_and_memorable_seafood_dish_guaranteed_to_satisfy
http://digg.com/food_drink/Grilled_Scallops_with_Ginger_Lime_Sauce

Panhandle Fishing Report 6-27-08

Report for 06/27/2008

Salt Water

MEXICO BEACH/PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE
The Snapper and Grouper bite has been steady this past week, and that pattern should remain constant throughout this week. Reports have the best bag limits at 25-40 miles out. The Black Snapper bite has been good on near shore structures. The Mahi-Mahi bite reports have been steady and reports beyond thirty miles look for the weed lines.

The King Mackerel bite is in full gear. Virginia reef and the car bodies both are hot this week. Look for bait schools around the bottom structure and along the buoy line.

Good reports came in of Wahoo catches in the 30-50 mile range, trolling panhandlers or islander lures with ballyhoo.

ST JOSEPH BAY
With popup thunderstorms in the afternoon, watch yourself. The trout bite has really turned on both in the head of the bay and over near the peninsula side. Redfish numbers have been great this week.

Choice spots are around Black’s island and in the channel by Pigs bayou. Flounder is still going strong, but the numbers are not as good as weeks past. The hot spot is still George C. Tapper Bridge, or the PSJ marina.

The Spanish mackerel numbers dropped over the past week however, the ones caught were much larger fish. Indian Pass anglers are reporting a steady increase in the number and size of tarpon feeding in the area.

APALACHICOLA /WHITE CITY
Tripletail fishing is reported to be excellent in the Apalachicola bay along with Tarpon and trout.

PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND BAYS
Wahoo have started to show up in better numbers lately. Most fish are being caught from 30 miles and further offshore. Look for weed lines or large clumps. High speed trollers are working well, as well as ballyhoo and large live baits.



“Half Hitch's own Jason Rhinehart with a nice Wahoo he caught using a Shimano Butterfly Jig on a Trevala Jigging Rod with a Spheros 8000. Way to go Jay!”

Tarpon are running the beaches in schools. These fish are very wary and will spook easily. Get in front of the school or anchor and wait for the schools to come to you. Be very quiet and pitch live baits ahead of the lead fish.

Chicken Dolphin are all over the place offshore. Tons of weed lines and clumps are present from 3 miles out. Small jigs, spoons and cut bait work well.

King Mackerel are plentiful offshore and near shore. Trolling has picked up while most of the fish are being caught free-lining live baits.

Below is angler Jay Cohen with a 35lb Black Grouper and a 24 ½ LB Snapper caught Monday July 23rd with Clint King and Capt. Brian Beighey



ST. ANDREWS BAY SYSTEM
Trout are all over deep grass beds in all of the bays. Live alewives will produce better sized fish, while grubs and topwater plugs will yield the most strikes. Redfish are being caught all over the bay systems. Throw a live Shrimp on a light lead head or weightless for best results. On a high tide, the redfish will be laying up in the flooded Spartina Grass. Weedless jerk baits and gold spoons will take these fish out of the grass. Bluefish, Spanish and Ladyfish are plentiful on all of the major points around St. Andrews Bay, the Middle Grounds, and Camel Back Shoals.

DESTIN
This was another great week fishing with lots of exciting catches. Things look good for the Emerald Coast Classic fishing out of Sandestin this weekend.

I had a very good friend and his 8 year old son visit this week. While Cory and Clay were here we made a trip with Captain Phill Rooks on the Charter Boat Fish Finder Monday morning. The weather was perfect, seas 1 foot or less and a slight overcast sky to keep it cool. We made a stop at the live bait boat for a scoop of bait and then off to the east beach for a shot at live baiting some fads. Our first fish was a King about 25-28 lbs. It was Clay’s biggest fish ever and was almost as tall as he was. Over all we had a great trip landing about a dozen Kings, one shark, one Bonito, and a Dolphin. It was a perfect day on the water and we were back in time for lunch. Captain Phill was a delight to fish with. His number is 850-699-1033 if you would like a trip on his boat.





We had several customers report good Wahoo catches this week. The water offshore is starting to clean up and fishing is getting good. Wahoo and dolphin are scattered all along the 100 fathom curve, the 131 hole and the Nipple. Out to the rigs there has been a steady bite of Tuna and some good Swordfish action around the spur.



The Snapper and Grouper are good in water 125 to 300 foot deep. Amberjack are good if you have live bait and fish the larger wrecks in water over 150 foot deep.

The bay action has been fair with Trout and Reds biting best at night or late afternoon. The flats east of the coast guard station are holding lots of Ladyfish, Blues and some Spanish.

Out on the pier there are some Kings right at sun up and then again in the mid afternoon when the wind comes up. Tarpon are showing up in better numbers and starting to bite. Ladyfish, blues and Hardtails are plentiful most all day and especially late in the afternoon.

Along the beaches there is a good tarpon run happening, make sure to have a good supply of live bait and anchor up just off the sand bar and be very quiet and wait for the tarpon to swim by. If you fire up the motor they will spook. It is best to fish several miles east or west of the pass to avoid the boat traffic that spooks the tarpon.

In the surf there are just a bare few Pompano, plenty of Ladyfish and Hardtails and some sharks and blues in the evening.

Fresh Water
Shell cracker and Bluegill bite is going strong this summer. Bottom fishing in 3-4 ft. with a wiggler is producing a full stringer. Bass are haunting both sandy bottoms and in mouths of tributaries. They are hitting baits about 2 feet from shore so be ready to set your hook quick.


Half Hitch Tackle
850-234-2621
2206 Thomas Dr
Panama City, Fl 32408
www.halfhitch.com/

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.

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.

Everglades Fish Are Shallow

Everglades Fishing Report
Everglades National Park, FL
June 27, 2008

Summer is spooling up and the fishing action is Red Hot. The water temperature is in the low 80 degree range, which starts the fish moving onto the outside points - Everglades Fishing Report Shallow clear water, which makes for some real exciting "sight fishing". You'll be surprised how these large fish will migrate to, and live in such shallow water. Many of our recent Redfish catches have taken place with the fish's dorsal fin sticking out of the water!

This is one of the best times of year to go Everglades fishing, as the weather is traditionally clear and blue. Fishing the protected backcountry bays and rivers is some of the most beautiful and productive fishing you'll find anywhere. However, use plenty of SPF 30 and drink lots of water.

As expected, the Redfish fishing has remained very strong over the last few weeks, with "rats" lurking in every shallow bay. Fish for them in mouths of creeks on outgoing tides, or in the back of shallow bays around oysters on a rising tide. They have been hitting everything from live bait to jigs and flies.

Snook fishing has continued to be very good, with usual catches in the 24 - 30 inch range. There are a number of both larger and smaller Snook mixed in as well. And, like the Redfish, they are hitting on live bait, jigs, flies, and topwater plugs. The topwater plugs are the most exciting way to catch them, as they will crash these baits with an explosive attack. This time of year they can be found anywhere from the outside points, or way up in the backcountry. Keep in mind that the current which triggers their feeding can come from the wind, as well as the tide. They love to take up a position on the down tide/wind side of a point that has the current sweeping across it. When stalking them in the backcountry "stealth" is of the utmost importance - even the slightest sound can spook them in shallow water.

We are fortunate to have a resident population of small to medium sized Tarpon in Everglades National Park. They will be targets of opportunity for the next few months. Backcountry bays have been the most reliable producers of Tarpon, often suspended just under the surface. Like Snook, they'll hit a top water plug, or fly (black death, cockroach, EP mullet), early in the morning or evening hours. During the day, a live bait offering will be your best chance of success.

Call me today to go on an Everglades Fishing Charter !

Everglades-Fishing
Captain Brian Richarson
239-340-0265
www.everglades-fishing.com
brianrichardson@everglades-fishing.com


US Coast Guard Master Licensed Captain | Licensed Everglades National Park Guide | FL Guides Association Member | IGFA Certified Captain

Tarpon Springs Reds Keep Them Grinning

Monday, June 24th, 2008

Hooking Kids Up!



It was hard to tell who the grownups were this past week. Everybody that got hooked up with a big fish on a Tarpon Springs or Tampa fishing charter this week had a grin from ear to ear. Redfish was the fish of the week with a few nice snook thrown in for good measure.




Mathew was in town with his parents Steven and Tara and they were patient with me as it took some time to find the redfish I had seen a few days before. Once we found them it was game on. They were hanging out on a grass flat near the beach and these guys were big. We pulled out fish from 24"-35". The bite was great but slowed when dolphins showed up looking for the same game we were there for. But the bite shut off completely when an inconsiderate boater drove right over the fish. Oh well, at least we pulled in a dozen or so big redfish before the party crashers arrived.



Then I met up with Doug and his son Billy. The plan was to get a late start to catch the outgoing tide for big snook on the beach in Tarpon Springs. The tide wasn't going to start leaving until about an hour into the charter so I decided on checking in on a spot that was on fire about 3 weeks ago but had slowed down over the past two weeks. When we arrived Doug made mention of all of the mullet that were there and I knew that was a good sign. But, the last three times I had checked on the spot the fish we were looking for hadn't been there so my optimism was held off by my skepticism. Either way, I decided to give it a little while because the tides were right for it. We used the PowerPole to stake out and I threw out some chummers and Doug and Billy threw out some baits with hooks in them. 10 minutes went by and no action. We moved down the shoreline about 75 yards and repeated the procedure. This time the water erupted. The "chummers" (baitfish I throw out wounded without hooks) were getting crushed. The first bait that hit the water was jumped on by a nice redfish and for the next 2 hours it was double hookup after double hookup. We managed somewhere between 40 and 50 redfish and 2 nice snook before the water left to the point where we needed to leave. We then headed to the beach to look for some monster snook and we saw a few and hooked two pigs but it just wasn't meant to be. Both fish spit the hook.



Then the "kids at heart" hooked up with me in St. Pete. It was a business trip for them but you couldn't tell. They were just excited to be on the water and away from their cell phones. The bite was slow but we went quality over quantity with redfish to 33" boated.



About a week and a half ago the bite got weird and really slowed down. I'm beginning to think it was do to the lack of rain. But now that we are having these afternoon showers the bite is really starting to pick up. Hopefully we'll stay in this typical summertime pattern of sunny skies through the first half of the day and rain in the afternoon. It keeps the salinity levels right for the fish and the water from getting too hot.

Tampa Bay Fishing

Captain Clay Eavenson

813-300-2147

http://www.captainclay.com/

gofishing@captainclay.com

Lower Keys Fly Fishing

Key West Fishing Report

May 12, 2008

Finally the weather has cooperated for us and the tarpon are moving through the Lower Keys in larger schools. We've had a couple of great days where my anglers have hooked multiple tarpon and landed a few nice fish.

Most of my fishing in May is fly fishing for tarpon. Right now they are eating a variety of flies including toad patterns and other shrimp-like fly patterns. Early morning rolling fish are a great target with a black and purple fly and then switch up to a lighter fly after the sun gets up a bit.

Bonefishing has been spotty but when it has been good the fish are plentiful and range from 5- to 8- pounds. More and more permit are being spotted along the Gulf side flats now which means they are maybe making the move back from the spawn offshore.

Tarpon fishing will remain very active through July and into August for some of the big boys, the fall months will be more permit and bonefish opportunties with some smaller tarpon mixed in.

We still have availability in August and through the fall months for flats fishing. It is a great time to be here, calm conditions and tailing fish.

You can reach Captain Justin Rea at

Captain Justin Rea
Sting Rea Charters
305-744-0903
email justin@flyfishingthekeys.com

Tampa Bay Trout On Flats, Snook On Beach

Anglers fishing with Capt Jay Schroeder of CJ Flats Saltwater Charters spent more time last week watching and dodging the weather than fishing; however when conditions were favorable enough to get out, those aboard the Ms. Guided scored a mixed bag inshore and nearshore. Large Snook have been the easiest to target, with big breeders still being caught along the beaches. Capt Jay used a variety of live bait free-lined, with a little bit of weight as a fish finder rig, and under a cork. Surprisingly pinfish were the most productive for the big Linesiders.

Sea Trout were also plentiful this past week in Tampa Bay along patchy grass flats in varying depths of water. Weather on Saturday cut an early morning trip short with Mr. Charlie and his son Jim; however they did tie into some respectable Trout early on Top Dog Jr. and Storm Chug Bug lures before being chased off the water. When the sun came out earlier in the week, the Trout would move deeper but still continued to hold on the same types of mixed bottom and were willing to cooperate. A ¼ oz Mission Fishing Jig with a 3" Gulp! was very productive in tempting the Trout to bite and also landed an occasional Flounder during the warmer portions of the day.

Capt Jay reports Redfish have been the most challenging targeted species in recent Angler requests to satisfy Inshore Slam dreams. The best bite for Redfish has been around deeper holes near the mangroves; however the abundance of Pinfish can make this method challenging. Ms. Kristy from Tampa picked up her first Inshore Slam fishing out of the Tarpon Springs area on Friday. She finished out her Slam with a nice Redfish caught on a cut piece of white bait on a Jig placed right on the edges of the Mangrove roots on an incoming tide...

For more reports from Capt Jay or to book your next charter in the Tampa Area, visit www.cjflats.com, call 1-877-463-5420 or email reservations@cjflats.com...

Capt Jay Schroeder
CJ Flats Saltwater Charters
1-877-463-5420
www.cjflats.com
reservations@cjflats.com

Hot Times Fishing Florida's Keys

Saturday, June 07, 2008

Hot times are here.. Its June again and the heat is here but with a high pressure system sitting on us giving some nice brisk winds to keep things cool and the occasional non threatening rain storm drifting through to make things nice and Keys Humid like.

Inshore the fishing has been typical. The tarpon season is a little off with inconsistencies in numbers of fish and eating patterns but all in all every trip has had the chance to have one on here at Dream Catchers for the most part. I have seen this before, when this happens we generally get a great push of fish later in the summer making tarpon season last longer, that would be very cool for those looking to do some inshore fishing and take advantage of the Key West summer rates on accommodations. The flats have been steady for us here at Dream Catcher Charters offering up great catches of bonefish and permit on a daily bases as well. In the last three weeks I can think of 6 different trips that anglers on our charters caught a grand slam, and some coming ever so close with a lost permit or tarpon at the boat not quite getting it. On the flats as well we have been getting into some trout as well this late in the season offering our anglers a bit of Extra on their day on the flats. The redfish are being consistent as well.

Offshore our anglers are living the dream catching all sorts of fish. The last week held for us some great weather and we ran some trips to the Dry Tortugas to catch some MONSTER permit on the towers and wrecks along with Some excellent bottom fishing. Things were "Just Right" to make some memorable trips out there. Closer to Key West we have been crushing the dolphin and when the fun of that game slows a bit we have been doing some deep dropping and reef fishing limiting out on all sorts of large bottom dwelling species such as Red and Mutton Snappers with some nice grouper as well. A really great mix of fishing to make your day well rounded.

Inshore and offshore we have it all here at Dream Catcher Charters.. With state of the art boats from Yellowfin Yachts and the newest fishing gear we cater to your every need as an angler of all skill levels light tackle, spin fishing and fly fishing we have it all. We are also the only charter in town that has a guarantee. We guarantee that you will have a professional highly qualified fishing guide with the latest well maintained gear in the business or your money back.

Come see why so many people keep coming back year after year to fish with us at Dream Catcher Charters.

See You Soon.

Capt. Steven P. Lamp
Professional Fishing Guide

Dream Catcher Charters
5555 College Road Key West, FL 33040
http://www.chartersofkeywest.com
888-362-3474

Big Jacks And Kingfish On I.R.L.Coast

Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report

The winds have finally subsided as the summer doldrums settle in along the Indian River Lagoon Coast of Florida. Calm mornings have provided for some great sight fishing conditions both inshore on the flats and offshore. Clean green ocean water has pushed in close to the beach and the kingfish, jack cravelle, bonito, sharks, and tarpon have moved in with it. These conditions have provided for some excellent catches this past week, and if they hold, next week should be good as well.


Roland's Beach Jack

My first adventure this past week was on Father's Day where I had the pleasure of fishing with Rick Giddens from Washington State, and our plan was to target some of the inshore gamesters who frequent our coastal waters during the summer. Although Rick is an excellent angler and we jumped at least ten quality fish, Mr. Murphy hounded us all day and whatever could go wrong to lose a fish went wrong. Rick's first fish was a school bus size jack carvalle that slammed a D.O.A. Bait Buster right next to the boat, but within seconds of the strike it had Rick's line wrapped around the boat bounding up in a trolling rod on the back platform, and it freed itself. We had leaders break, monster kingfish bite through # 7 wire, we pulled hook on at lease 4 different fish, we had numerous tarpon blowup on and miss our baits or throw the hook, and yes we even had a knot fail which was totally my fault.

At one point in the afternoon we spotted an enormous school of 100 plus pound tarpon moving north in our direction, so I positioned Three Quarter Time, my trusted Maverick skiff, well ahead of the school and chucked out about twenty dead pogies. As the school daisy chained in our direction they passing directly under us and we could see that the school consisted of at least a hundred fish. When they reached the chum line they exploded into a frenzy eating every dead bait in the water without touching either of the live baits we had placed in front of them. These schools were north bound at a good rate of speed, so those of you who fish out of Ponce De Leon Inlet (Captain Fred) be on guard. Although we had great action all day, when it was all said and done, Rick's score was one shark and one large Spanish mackerel.

My next endeavor consisted of a venture into the Banana River No-Motor Zone with John "BooDreaux" Baumann of the Reel Outdoors TV Show on Brighthouse Networks. With my good friend and sight fishing specialist Paul Macinnis serving as our spotter and camera boat, we explored the west shoreline with hopes of capturing some hefty redfish and some good footage for BooDreaux's show. When scheduling this event, I failed to grasp the fact we were fishing on a full moon and although it was a gorgeous day with a good number of fish sighted, we failed to entice a substantial fish to play, so we will have to schedule another session to complete the show, that's fishing in the Reel Outdoors.


Roland's 30-pound Kingfish

Yesterday, it was back to the beach with my good friends Roland Van Arsdale and his son Roland, and our intent was to target anything that pulled hard for Roland Sr.'s 80th birthday. Roland was determined to catch a big jack, so after netting a live well full of Atlantic menhaden (pogies) we returned to the Port Canaveral Buoy Line and we immediately tied into a school bus on our first drop. The area was loaded with big jacks and rolling tarpon and our final score was 2 jacks in the 20 to 25-pound range, a 60-pound tarpon, and a 30-pound smoker kingfish also caught by Roland Sr.

All in all, it was a great week of fishing, and if you desire to tie into some of these mid-summer gamesters, you better make your plans before the doldrums are gone.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 landline
Captain@irl-fishing.com

Mosquito Creek Outdoors, it's were your adventure begins, www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com

Tarpon And Tripletail In Apalachicola

It's the first day of summer, the longest day of the year, the sun is shining, there's a light breeze blowing, we just had a gorgeous full moon, school's out, vacations are in full swing, families are playing at the beach and ALL the FISH are BITING! It just doesn't get any better now does it? And if you are sitting at your desk at work reading this, wearing a tie and those hot itchy socks thinking "Why is she torturing me with this?" remember, I'm at my desk too, although I'm probably not wearing socks with my flip-flops and I most likely rode my bike to work.

Tarpon Report: Good News! Yesterday morning was still & calm as could be and West Pass was full of happy tarpon free-jumping and putting on a show for Capt. Kelly Butler's anglers. All 7 of the Flats-fishing guides we book have been successful the past couple of weeks putting their (mostly flyfishing) anglers on fish but the news that they have moved into the passes & the cut bodes well for the light tackle & bait fishermen. Yes, Bayfishing guides CAN fish for Tarpon.

Don't know if you caught the news that there are Goliath Grouper in Bob Sikes Cut, but last week Capt. Grayson Shepard caught 2 of them in one afternoon while on a shark fishing trip, one was up to about 350 lbs and Capt. Tommy Holland caught one 7 feet long, also while fishing for sharks. He said it was so big it "liked to have sunk his boat" - not that he would have let that happen - while he had it held up next to his boat for photos. (Goliath Grouper are on the protected list and these were released unharmed.) Did I mention that we have guides for Shark fishing trips? NOTE: All of our Bayfishing trips are family friendly and several of our guides with bigger boats can now take 1 or 2 extra people over our normal 4 angler max for a slight additional charge.


Tom Lowe's 16 lb tripletail with Capt. Tommy Holland

Just in case you have been reading my email fishing reports for years and were wondering to yourself, Yes, June really IS an excellent time to fish for sport fish in the shallow waters of the Northern Gulf (Tarpon, Redfish), or for eatin' fish (trout, tripletail) and for deep water species as well (grouper, snapper, triggerfish). Hope you can come join us this summer!

Other Business: Just Listed! Miss Ruth Ellen's house on an acre with a pond in Apalachicola. A very cool, unusual house with a very reasonable price tag. Please check it out on Robinson Real Estate Company's Featured Listings Page.


Apalachicola's Water Street Hotel and Marina is dangling some juicily baited hooks to lure you here in Summer 2008! One of the most appealing reasons to make the trip here is Water Street Hotel & Marina will refund you $30.00 toward the cost of your gas to get here for a minimum two night stay based on the best available rate plan.


Don't forget - Scallop season opens July 1st!
Have a great weekend and call me if you want to go fishing!
Kathy Robinson

Robinson Brothers Guide Service
118 Commerce St.
Apalachicola, FL 32320
850-653-8896
www.FloridaRedfish.com

Panhandle Fishing Report 6-20-08

Report for 06/20/2008

Salt Water

MEXICO BEACH/PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE
Expect afternoon thunderstorms and lots of sunshine. Snapper and Grouper have been steady this past week. Reports have the bottom bite in 150-200 feet of water. The Black Snapper bite has been good on near shore structures. Live bait is plentiful and will continue to be easy to catch at the buoys and over wrecks and reefs close in.

The Mahi-Mahi bite has remained strong, but reports have put them further out this week, in the thirty-mile range. Look for weed lines or flotsam. In addition, do not forget to watch for those color changes from blue green to ink blue.

The king mackerel bite is steady over the past week. Look for bait schools around the bottom structure and along the buoy line.

The Spanish bite has slowed this week, but trolling with a mackerel tree and Clarks Spoon is working. You can catch them off the buoy line to east beach and around the cape shoals area.

Wahoo catches at 30-50 mile range, trolling panhandlers and islander lures with ballyhoo are working.

ST JOSEPH BAY
With afternoon thunderstorms popping up in near shore waters, pay attention watch out. The trout bite has been steady both in the head of the bay and over near the peninsula side. Your best bet this week will be along the St. Joe side of the bay across from the hospital for Redfish. Live shrimp are working well and for artificial, use a Capt Mikes spoon. Fish the flats from Pig Island all the way to Pompano Point and you should be able to catch nice trout on top water lures like the Mirrolure top dog juniors.

Flounder continue to bite, but the numbers are not as good as weeks past. Your best beat is still George C. Tapper Bridge, or the PSJ marina.

Pompano are still with us in small numbers, and the hot spots are still the stump hole at Cape San Blas and along the Beach of St Joseph Park.

The Whiting bite is still on with the most fish caught late in the afternoon.

PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND BAYS
Chicken Dolphin are all over the place offshore. Tons of weed lines and clumps are present from 3 miles out. Small jigs, spoons and cut bait work well.

King Mackerel are plentiful offshore and near shore. Trolling has picked up while most of the fish are being caught free-lining live baits.

The Red Snapper bite has slowed slightly in state waters while the fish in federal waters are still biting very well. Best baits include chunked Cigar minnows, squid, live shrimp and small Pinfish.

Grouper are being caught over hard bottom areas from 7 – 25 miles out with larger fish being caught from 35-45 miles off. Live bait and butterflied Spanish Mackerel are the best bet.

Amberjack remain plentiful over several of the Bridge Spans with larger fish being caught farther offshore. Live bait, Williamson Jigs, and Butterfly Jigs will bring savage strikes!

ST. ANDREWS BAY SYSTEM
Trout are feeding on the flats now. Bayous with nice grass points are producing well and target the deeper grass flats with live shrimp under a popping cork for best results.

Redfish are being caught all over the bay systems. Throw a live shrimp on a light lead head or weightless for best results. On a high tide, the Redfish will be laying up in the flooded Spartina Grass. Weedless jerk baits and gold spoons will take these fish out of the grass.

DESTIN



What a wonderful week of fishing! We had one customer catch a very nice King Mackerel from his kayak trolling live hardtails near the Miss Louise. They beach launch near Crystal beach and make the several miles offshore each weekend. They also boated several Chicken Dolphin.

Bill Connally and his crew of Tom Perry & Bird Mcbride finished first, second and fourth in the Dolphin division of the Big Bend Saltwater Classic winning $3000.00 and had a sixth place Wahoo weighing 39 lbs. For every fish they weighed they had their name put in a raffle for a 2008 21 foot century center console and Bill won the raffle. They netted out about $43,000. They fished 20 miles Southeast of the Weather Buoy or about 110 miles out of Destin Pass.



Closer to home the King bite at the pier has been good some mornings and then very good in the afternoons. Also at the pier there has been a good supply of Hardtails, Ladyfish and Blues from 5pm until just after dark. They have caught a few Tarpon also this week.

The boats are doing well on Snapper, Grouper and Amberjack. There have been a few reports of very good action on triggers; while this is pleasant surprise we usually don’t get them this good this time of year.

The Tuna bite was very good near the rigs this week and quite a few Marlin hooked, caught and released. One customer brought me a nice package of Yellow Fin Tuna they caught over the weekend and it was wonderful. One night we had it grilled with bacon and the next night we had blackened and it was great.

Trout and Reds have been good very early in the morning and then from 6pm until just after dark. They are getting them drifting the flats with live shrimp and ly’s

Fresh Water
If you get up early, you will find the bass in the shallows, but as the sun comes up, they will move to deeper water. Artificial lures and soft plastics are accounting for the most fish but live shiners are working well in deeper water. Shaky head rigs with straight-tailed worms in black, June bug; black-grape are all fine color choices right now. For bluegill and shell, crackers break out your beetle spins or open a can of worms. Red wigglers fished in the two to four feet of water will fill the skillet.

Half Hitch Tackle
850-234-2621
2206 Thomas Dr
Panama City, Fl 32408
www.halfhitch.com/

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.

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.

Sharks Keep Kids Happy

Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island Fishing Report, June 2008

Kids Are More Than Happy With Sharks

Last week I had a chance for a little family getaway to the Florida Keys. The trip included my grandson Robert and his visiting friend Jessie from Georgia. On these types of outings it is important that the kids catch fish - any fish. They just need to bend their poles to keep their interest high.

I had to give up some of my own fishing desires in favor of making it a memorable trip for the kids but it was well worth it. Sometimes adults press to hard on their style of fishing at the expense of a good day for the kids. Once in awhile, we need to just focus on the kids and let them have their day. As it turned out on this trip, sharks were the key to our success. If you can keep their rods bent over a lot of the time, they may just become your best fishing buddy as the years go by. However, as I said above, it is very important that they catch something.

To keep the activity level high we kept them supplied with plenty of shrimp and instructed them on how to use the 2500 Shimanos we brought for them to fish with. It was up to them to bait the hooks and take off what seemed like hundreds of snappers, grunts, and pinfish. In the meantime we set out two larger rods and baited up with frozen mullet.

When fishing for sharks it is a good practice to add a piece of wire leader to the terminal connection if you want to fight the fish all the way into the boat. Add a 5/0 to 7/0 circle hook, depending on the size of the sharks you expect to catch. Personally, I always use circle hooks when fishing with cut bait to reduce or eliminate gut hooked fish. Either pin on a whole mullet or if they are large you can cut them into chunks to entice the sharks.

Place the rod in a rod holder, leaving the bail open so the shark can run off with the bait. Once the line starts coming off the spool, count to 10 to let it eat and then start reeling. Remember, no hook set when using circle hooks. If the circle hook does its job the fish will be hooked in the corner of the mouth, making for an easy hook removal with a de-hooker.

It didn’t take long until the line started leaving the spool. The boys had already determined who would get the first fish on the “big pole” so Robert started the fight. It turned out to be a big nurse shark with plenty of pull. The boys actually traded off fighting the fish. When one got tired the other took over.





The boys also enjoyed catching the bonnet head sharks which were smaller but more plentiful. You never know what will bite so you have to be prepared for anything. There is something mysterious and scary about the sharks and most kids will have a blast catching and releasing them.

Be sure you take along your de-hooker and make every effort to remove the hook without harming the fish. If a fish happens to get gut hooked, scientists tell us that it is probably better to cut the line as close to the hook as possible, instead of trying to remove it. The fish will have a better chance of surviving.

That's what it's all about. Good fishin'.

Capt. Ron Presley
http://www.blogger.com/www.inshorefishingadventures.com
presleyr@bellsouth.net

Fishing Florida With Captain Myers

It has been some time since my last report but I have been on the water nearly every day. In addition to the Mosquito Lagoon, I have been able to fish the Charlotte Harbor are of southwest Florida as well as the Stuart area north of Palm Beach. My first trip this month was with Capt. Tom Van Horn in the Banana River no motor zone. We fished from Tom's canoe and it was my first chance to experience his new outrigger and deck systems installed by Kay-noe Paddle Products. The outriggers provide stability and allow anglers to stand in a canoe or kayak for better visibility while fishing. Tom also had a decks installed in both the front and rear. The ability to stand makes fishing from a paddle craft much more comfortable. We had to fight the wind all day but we did encounter some nice redfish and black drum. I finally managed to fool a big drum with a DOA shrimp in golden bream color.


The next three days, I was tarpon fishing with Capt. John Kumiski along the beaches outside Boca Grande Pass. Conditions were tough with some wind and dirty water. We didn't see as many fish as we had hoped but we did get a few shots with our flies. John got one bite, I only had a few half-hearted follows. We did see the bait fishermen jump a few fish. We took a drive through the pass and saw hundreds of tarpon coming up from the 70 foot depths rolling on the surface. Though there are many fish there, the pass is not a place for sight fishing. Dozens of boats are stacked on top of each other fishing with very heavy tackle. It is not my style of fishing, but it was interesting to witness.




Saturday the 7th, I fished Mosquito Lagoon with Randy and Paul. At the first spot we stopped, Paul caught a 34 inch redfish to kick off the day.


We fished schools of redfish and black drum and worked the deeper edges of flats fro some trout. They ended up releasing 10 reds, 2 black drum, and around 20 trout. The 3 inch DOA CAL in Silver Rush color accounted for most of the fish including this multi-spot beauty landed by Randy.


I spent last week fishing in Stuart Florida. I had the honor of being invited to participate in the DOA Outdoor Writers Festival held on Wednesday and Thursday. I spent the other days fun fishing in the Indian River, St Lucie River, and along the beaches with the owner/inventor of DOA products Mark Nichols, Capt. Duber Winters, and my wife, Julie. During the event, I had the pleasure of fishing with Capt. Mike Holliday, the editor of Florida Fishing Weekly and a regular on the Chevy Florida Fishing Report show. The fishing was great but the catching varied. We did catch a variety of fish including tarpon, jacks, snook, tripletail, lookdowns, snapper, tunny, and more. The holographic DOA shrimp produced the most fish and the Baitbuster accounted for the largest.




This Monday was a fly fishing charter with British angler Vaughn and his father in law Cliff. They found the casting skills needed to catch our fish a bit of a challenge. Cliff managed to fool a black drum on a black crab fly and Vaughn followed up with one more on a spinning rod.


We had plenty of shots throughout the day and Vaughn fooled a redfish with a green and copper bendback fly.

Tuesday, Mike and Tony joined me for another fly fishing excursion. We began the day searching for some tarpon. Tony, a fresh water fly angler from Colorado, was not used to casting the distances normally needed for flats fishing. While we were working on Tony's casting, Mike jumped a small tarpon that ate a holographic DOA shrimp. We moved out to the flats where we had consistent shots at both schools and single redfish throughout the day. Learning to break of lifetime of casting habits in a day is a huge hurdle and was a struggle. The breezy conditions did not make things easier. As a nasty looking storm approached us and staring at a school of several hundred redfish, Mike and Tony abandoned the fly rods and hooked up with a pair of nice redfish on spinning gear.


Wednesday, Vaughn and Cliff were back for another try at redfish on fly. Vaughn had a nice bite early in the day but the hook pulled. Cliff was fishing a spinner as backup and caught a redfish on a shallow running Baitbuster which would prove to be the only one of the day. We had some shots at large reds and big black drum but never got another bite. After dropping them off at the ramp, I was able to get in a few casts of my own and landed a redfish on an EP pinfish fly before lightning chased me off the water.

Water levels in the Mosquito Lagoon are extremely low so be careful when navigating at low light. The water temperatures are in the 80's at daybreak and are climbing to near 90 by the afternoon. Hot water means low oxygen and the fish will easily become stressed if not brought the boat quickly and handled with care.

Tip of the Week - Loop Knot
I tie on almost everything I use with a loop knot, icluding lures, hooks, and flies. A loop allows youre bait or lure to move freezly and gives it more action. There are many ways to tie a loop but I have found one which is both easy to tie and had never failed me even on fish over 100 pounds. Give it a try and I think you will agree it is both easy and effective.
Loop Knot Directions

Kay-noe Paddle Products

With the price of gas climbing higher all the time, many people are turing to canoes and kayaks to get them to their favorite fishing spots. Being able to stand in your paddle craft allows you to see the fish better and makes for more comfortable casting. The stabilizer systems offered by Kay-noe Paddle Products utilize a unique lever system to raise them out of the water when you are travelling. They can be depolyed quickly with one hand and allow two anglers to stand in comfort. I have fished with them and would recommend them to any paddle craft owner. They are made here in central Florida and can be found at http://www.kay-noe.com/

Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com/
321-229-2848

Fish Treasure Coast Flats, Inlets Early

Fishing Report Fort Pierce - Port St Lucie - Vero Beach - Jensen Beach
June 18, 2008

INSHORE:
Summer weather patterns have sure arrived here on the Treasure Coast. Afternoon thunderstorms loom off in the west each day. We had some really good days fishing part of the week and things slowed down to a crawl on some days out there. Get out early during this time of year and work those top water lures around the bait schools for a good chance at hooking up as the sun rises off in the east.

Trout fishing has had its up and down days lately. Live pinfish or pigfish are their favorite food this time of year, but a DOA Deadly Combo is also hard to beat. Bear Point has continued to hold lots of baitfish around the point. Queen's Cove has also held its share of the bait. I like to drift or pole the flats during June to fish a larger area.

Redfish are out there and we had a couple good follows with Mark Murch, but they turned just before we could get a pickup. Look on flats that are one to three feet of water and are a softer bottom for them to be rooting around in. DOA shrimp or CAL jerk baits have worked well for redfish all year. Keep a stealthy approach to the flats or you might as well move on to another area. They be quick to leave if you make much noise at all.

We have still found snook around the flats and docks. James Hall of Bassmaster Magazine found a couple shorts with a DOA Bait Buster. Mark Murch also found a nice snook with the same Bait Buster. Remember to release them quickly and safely as they are out of season. Docks around the river will continue to hold snook. The inlet area will be have lots of them hanging around the bridges, docks and jetties this time of year.

Spanish mackerel, bonito, jacks and ladyfish are following the glass minnows into the inlet on the incoming tide. Mangrove and mutton snapper are around the channel edges and bridges. We found schools of snapper crashing glass minnows on the flats recently. Mackerel, bluefish and whiting have been around the surf and you might find tarpon, jacks or snook in close to the beach if the bait schools are nearby.

Tip of the Week: Drifting the flats can prove to be very effective. Let the wind or tide move you across your favorite flat. You will cover a greater area and create much less noise. Watch for the bait schools and drift along to fish them thoroughly. It's a fun and exciting way to fish. Have some fun out there soon!

As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!!

Good Fishing and Be Safe,
Captain Charlie Conner
www.fishtalescharter.com
email: captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
772-284-3852

(Captain Charlie Conner has been fishing the Indian River Lagoon for over twenty-five years. Specializing in light tackle fishing in Fort Pierce, Vero Beach, Jensen Beach, Stuart and Port St Lucie, Florida. His weekly South Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report gives you the latest inshore fishing information for the Treasure Coast area on the Indian River Lagoon.}

Everglades Fishing Consistently Good

June 2008
FISHING REPORT BY
CAPT. BECKY CAMPBELL
239-695-2029
Everglades City, Florida

Well, here we are again with July just around the corner. The weather is starting to get predictable and so is the fishing.
We are starting to have our afternoon thunderstorms pretty consistently.
Seems like they are a bit late this year, but better late then never.
They (the thunderstorms) build in the late afternoon and usually start raining in the evenings.
This is very much needed for a couple reasons.

Number 1 - the rains cools everything off quite a bit which is very much appreciated.
Number 2 - it floods the wetlands and makes the water flow out of our backwaters into the passes and river mouths. This is where the Big fish (snook) come this time of year to bunch up before spawning. Tarpon are in the passes along with the snook and your chances of hooking into a Silver King are pretty good.

SNOOK are on the beaches, in the passes and also around the river mouths. We are starting to hook up on and catch some Big fish (snook) up to 40". Now talk about exciting, think about it. Free-lining a pinfish, white bait or shrimp on light tackle and having one of these monsters grab your bait and almost pull the rod out of your hand. That will wake you up really fast while in the split second he is up and dancing on the surface trying to throw the hook back in your face, then making your drag sing like you have never heard before. Gets us excited just thinking about it. There is nothing better sounding than a singing drag, unless it happens to be your reel that�s doing the singing.

TARPON seem to be everywhere and you never seem to know when they are going to eat your bait. These fish are running from 50# to 175# with the average size about 100#. They are up on the flats, on the edges of the flats, in the passes and along the beaches. Therefore we fish for them while we are fishing for snook, redfish, trout and pompano. Now tackle busters are what these guys are as they will put you and your equipment to the max.

TROUT are feeding well and are still really nice in size. This has been a good year for big trout. We are catching them up on the flats and also on the edges of the flats and in the channels. Artificial and/or live baits along with a popping cork are our favorite way to fish for them. A lot of fish being caught with no problem catching a good mess for a dinner or two.

REDFISH are working the edges of rocks and around the oyster bars. We like to free-line small pinfish or shrimp. Artificial will work also. Most of the fish are in the slot size, meaning you can take some home for a blackened redfish meal. So no matter whether you like to use live bait or artificial bait, redfish can be a lot of fun to catch and also good to eat.

POMPANO are still around and they are big in size. We catch them also while fishing for trout. They are usually on the edges of the flats. We target pompano in a couple different ways. The easiest way and also very productive is the shrimp under a popping cork. Pompano jigs are a great way to catch them also. These fish are running 2-4 lbs. This is a great tasting fish for the table.

For the last 3 days, I fished Mike, his son Craig, and a friend David from N. J. The weather was perfect and the fishing was good also. We started our day off catching our limit of nice size trout and a 4 lb pompano. Then we went to try and catch some redfish and snook. We didn't do so well on the redfish, but we did catch some snook. They counted and said we landed 5. These fish we up to 30 inches. Just the right size and a lot of fun to catch. When back in the River at the dock the guys tried their luck at tarpon fishing (baby tarpon). They each jumped one for a total of 3 so the score is Tarpon 3 guys 0. We have several restaurants here in town that will cook your catch for you. They chose the Seafood Depot for dinner that night. Said wow, these fish were really good, so the next day we headed down south to catch some more for dinner that night. We started out trying again to catch some redfish and with no luck returned to the trout flat to catch enough for dinner that night. With no problem catching trout we then decided to try for snook and redfish again. On the first cast, David got a hold of a nice size snoo--well, snook 1 boat 0. As the story goes on the final score was snook 5 and boat 9. Needless to say, that was a fun bite. When that was over we decided to call it a day and head back to clean the fish for a tasty dinner. Mike tried his luck again at Tarpon. Well, tarpon 1 Mike 0. The next and last day of fishing we had a rather slow day. Again trying for snook and redfish we landed 2 snook and lost a couple. On to trout fishing we went to catch a few and some ladyfish and big catfish. But the story hasn't ended yet. About a half hour before the trip ended, I made the comment that we hadn't got a hold of a tarpon while trout fishing for 3 days. Usually, the odds of jumping a big tarpon are better than that. Well, within about 10 min. of making that statement, Mike yelled, tarpon and as we all turned to him, up up up in the air came this huge fish. A tarpon it was and huge it was. Bright and silver this fish of about 125-135 lbs jumped (about 10 feet from the boat) and threw the hook. What a site that was to see. Really gave us something to talk about for the rest of the trip. On the way back to the dock we came by the bird rookery to take a look at some of the birds. The guys took a lot of pictures of the trip and I can't wait to see them. We saw lots of wading birds some turtles, manatees, dolphins and rays, along with a couple white pelicans that have been left behind from winter. What a great trip they had (me too).

So come on, give us a call (239-695-2029) the weather is getting hot, but so is the fishing.

Captain Becky Campbell
239-695-2029

Iland Lures

Iland Lures
Summer is here and the offshore trolling season is in high gear. From the Panhandle to the Keys and all the way up the Atlantic coast dolphin, wahoo, sailfish, king mackerel, tuna, and other hard hitting big game fish are within a few miles of shore . With fuel prices at record highs, it is more important then ever to optimize your time on the water. The right lure presented under the right conditions can put fish in the cooler and have you back at the dock with less wasted fuel.
Iland Lures are the first choice of seasoned big game anglers around the state, and around the world. They come in a wide variety of head styles and skirt colors that can be matched to fit any fishing conditions you may encounter. The lustrous nylon skirts have earned a reputation for being both productive and durable. They create a natural swimming motion and stabilize the lure. They stand up to repeated strikes from toothy predators such as wahoo and mackerel, and the brilliant colors are visible to game fish even at great distances. The Flasher Series skirts feature a prism mylar outer shell that increases visibility and realism. There are 11 base skirt colors and 5 ' E Series' colors that come in a nice variety of 'Favorite Colors' combinations. They can also be combined into custom patterns of up to three colors at your request. Iland Lures come in a wide variety of revolutionary head designs that let you match your lure to the fishing conditions, and the fish. Many feature optional head colors, and all feature the unique gold eyes that were designed to provoke predatory fish into striking. The chart below can be used as a quick reference guide to help you pick the Iland Lure that best meets your fishing needs.
When you find the Iland Lure that meets your needs, click on the image and order yours today!

ILAND TRACKER
The bullet nose eliminates spin. This lure is deadly when used with natural bait.
	Best For Catching
	Dolphin, Kingfish, Sailfish, Tuna
	Trolling Speed	Use With Natural Baits
	5-12kts	Yes
	Flasher Series	Optional Head Colors
	Yes	No

ILAND OUT-RIDER
Out-Rider Chrome Head The concave head creates spray and surface commotion that trigers explosive strikes!
	Best For Catching
	Dolphin, Kingfish, Sailfish, Tuna
	Trolling Speed	Use With Natural Baits
	Up To 8kts	Yes
	Flasher Series	Optional Head Colors
	No	No

ILAND SAILURE
Designed for Sailfish, but is irresistible to all fish. Works great with natural or artificial ballyhoo and strip bait.
	Best For Catching
	Sailfish, Dolphin, Kingfish, Tuna, Wahoo, White Marlin
	Trolling Speed	Use With Natural Baits
	5-8kts	Yes
	Flasher Series	Optional Head Colors
	Yes	Yes

ILAND MISTRESS
Four ventilation holes funnel air through the head and disburse smoke around the skirt.
	Best For Catching
	Marlin, Sailfish, Tuna, Wahoo
	Trolling Speed	Use With Natural Baits
	5-8kts	Yes
	Flasher Series	Optional Head Colors
	No	No

THE ILANDER
Weighted bullet head allows this lure to be trolled at higher speeds. Rig with a large or horse ballyhoo.
	Best or Catching
	Dolphin, Kingfish, Marlin, Sailfish, Tuna, Wahoo
	Trolling Speed	Use With Natural Baits
	6-8.5kts	Yes
	Flasher Series	Optional Head Colors
	Yes	Yes

JR ILANDER
Smaller then the Ilander, this lure is perfect for calm seas or fish interested in smaller baits.
	Best For Catching
	Dolphin, Kingfish, Marlin, Sailfish, Tuna, Wahoo
	Trolling Speed	Use With Natural Baits
	6-8.5kts	Yes
	Flasher Series	Optional Head Colors
	Yes	Yes

ILAND SEA STAR
Water and air channel through the lures head and disperse around the skirt resulting in outstanding performance and stability.
	Best For Catching
	Dolphin, Kingfish, Marlin, Sailfish, Tuna, Wahoo
	Trolling Speed	Use With Natural Baits
	6-10kts	No
	Flasher Series	Optional Head Colors
	Yes	No

THE BLACK HOLE
Unique design allows water to pass through the head and out the gills creating exceptional spray and smoke.
	Best For Catching
	Dolphin, Kingfish, Marlin, Sailfish, Tuna, Wahoo
	Trolling Speed	Use With Natural Baits
	6-10kts	Yes
	Flasher Series	Optional Head Colors
	No	Yes

ILAND EXPRESS
Jet action and ultra light head construction create an exceptional bubble stream.
	Best For Catching
	Dolphin, Kingfish, Marlin, Sailfish, Tuna, Wahoo
	Trolling Speed	Use With Natural Baits
	8-10kts	Yes
	Flasher Series	Optional Head Colors
	No	Yes

SEA SEARCHER
Sea Searcher Chrome Head The exceptional wake of this high speed head design will double the visual range of your pattern.
	Best For Catching
	Dolphin, Kingfish, Marlin, Sailfish, Tuna, Wahoo
	Trolling Speed	Use With Natural Baits
	6-16kts	No
	Flasher Series	Optional Head Colors
	No	No

ILAND CRUISER
The red concave mouth resembles the gills of a bait fish and creates a large disturbance in the water.
	Best For Catching
	Dolphin, Kingfish, Marlin, Sailfish, Tuna, Wahoo
	Trolling Speed	Use With Natural Baits
	6-8kts	Yes
	Flasher Series	Optional Head Colors
	Yes	Yes

HEAVY WEIGHT
The heavier weight of this Ilander cousin allows it to be trolled deeper, and stay stable in heavy seas.
	Best For Catching
	Dolphin, Kingfish, Marlin, Sailfish, Tuna, Wahoo
	Trolling Speed	Use With Natural Baits
	6-16kts	Yes
	Flasher Series	Optional Head Colors
	Yes	No