Know Your New Snook Regulations

Snook season opens at midnight tonight! Before you break out that new Zara Spook or Redtail Hawk and head out to your favorite snook haunt, you had better look over the new fishing regulations for snook. The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission has changed the slot, bag limits, and closed season on snook and the new rules take effect Saturday, September 1st. You can read the new rules at the FWC web site, http://www.myfwc.com/marine/docs/07FLSalt_webregs.pdf. Click on this link and it will take you to the new regulations page. It is a PDF file so you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view it. This is a free program so if you don't have it on your computer all ready go to www.Adobe.com and download it. I wrote a summary on the new regulations a couple of weeks ago so you can also look for"New Snook Regulations" in the archives section on this web site. The biggest changes are for east coast anglers, but slot sizes have changed for the entire state. Ignorance is no excuse so know your rules before you drop that first line sider of the fall in your cooler.

Keys Fishing Is Busy In The Slow Season

August 07 Fishing Report Inshore Waters

By: Capt Steven Lamp
http://www.chartersofkeywest.com/captstevenlamp@bellsouth.net
Whoever said its too hot to fish in August. Well, ok, its hot but so is the fishing.
Quick report here
We are catching Bonefish, Tarpon and Permit. 4 grand slams on bait and one on fly last month.
I have been fishing the Marquesas almost daily and the fishing is unreal. So much fun to be had.
We have been super busy here in the "slow" season. We have many of our clients taking advantage of the great fishing and the light crowds.. Call my office to get the updated report at the toll free number you see here. 1- 888-362-3474.
Dont miss out on the great fishing. We are having a ball..
5555 College Road

Key West, FL 33040

http://www.chartersofkeywest.com/

888-362-3474

BIG SNOOK, Talk About Exciting! By Captain Campbell

August 22, 2007
Everglades City, Florida
Don't forget snook season opens Sept 1.Snook are on the beaches and also in our passes. We are hooking up and catching some Big fish (snook) up to 43". Talk about exciting, think about it, free-lining pinfish 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 get your attention fast while in a split second he is up and dancing on the surface trying to throw the hook back in your face and making your drag sing like you have never heard before. Just gets me excited just thinking about it. There is nothing better sounding than a singing drag, unless it happens to be your pole that's doing all the singing.Tarpon seem to be everywhere, and you never seem to know when they are going to eat your bait. These fish run from about 50# to 175# with the average size about 90#. They are on the flats, off the edges of the flats, in the passes and along the beaches. Therefore we fish for them while we are fishing for snook, redfish, and trout. Now tackle buster are what these guys are, they will put you and your equipment to the max.Trout are feeding good and are really nice in size. We are catching trout on the flats and also on the edges of the flats and in the channels. Artificial and/or live baits along with popping corks are Capt Fred and my favorite way to fish for trout. A lot of fish being caught with no problem catching a good mess for dinner.Redfish are working the edges of rocks or around the oyster bars. We like to free-line pinfish or shrimp on an incoming tide. Artificial is good also, with our favorites being jigs. Most of the fish seem to be in the slot size, meaning you can take one home for some blackened redfish. 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.So come on and give us a call cause the fishing is good and a day on the water is great.
FISHING REPORT BY CAPT. BECKY CAMPBELL
239-695-2029
Rather Be Fishing Guide Services
Ph# 239-695-2029
Cell# 727-709-1375
http://www.evergladesfishingcharters.com/index.html

Jacksonville Beach Pier, Everything Is Biting

I was checking out the Jacksonville Beach Pier message board this morning and it looks like just about everything is biting there. Sheapshead, flounder, whiting, redfish, and black drum are all being caught in the surf. The flounder are eating mud minnows bounced on the bottom, the rest are eating sand flees fished on the bottom. Farther out towards the T, lots of spanish mackerel and ladyfish are being caught along with a few pompano, redfish, some king mackerel, and tarpon. The spanish mackerel and ladyfish are hitting small silver spoons and Got-Cha Plugs, pompano are eating sand flees on the bottom, king mackerel are being caught on bluefish and blue runners, and the tarpon are eating blue runners, pinfish, and pigfish. For more information contact;
Jacksonville Beach Pier
904-241-1515
503 1st Street N
Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
www.jacksonvillebeachpier.com/

Catch Lots of BIG Redfish With Captain Rogers

'Reel Animals' Seminar and Show Were Fun!
Thanks to all of you who attended the seminar last night! We had a great time talking about fishing and answering all the great questions. Thanks to Gander Mountain for having us come in! The show went well today. We got some nice redfish and the largest was 11 pounds. We had shots at some big fish but they seemed to have full moon fever. Mike and Billy were awesome to fish with and the laughs kept coming all day. If only you could see the pay-per view version! Thanks to the 'Reel Animals' for having me on the show and I look forward to another one! Tight Lines and Good Fishing!Captain David16 Days are already booked for September! Call today to get a day! 407-405-0819
28 Aug 2007 by Captain David Rogers
Shane and Wendy Lit Up the Fish Today!
What a fantastic day! Shane and Wendy had a super day as they hooked 16 redfish and landed 12. Wendy got the trophy today. Her fish was 53 inches and was pushing the 50 pound mark. There is also a photo with the sunrise for a backdrop. Awesome! We had a great time today and the fishing will continue to be awesome! Book now for September and October! Call today 407-405-0819!REEL ANIMALS and Captain Dave will be at Gander Mountain Monday night at 7 pm for a free seminar. Details were in the Orlando Sentinel today! Hope to see you there!Tight Lines and Good Fishing!
26 Aug 2007 by Captain David Rogers
Fishing is Real Good!
The fishing continues to be very good. Friday my charter Charlie Maguire amd his bother John hooked 11 redfish and we landed 8 for the day. We also added some trout and ladyfish. Today the fish were on fire as wee hooked 18 reds and boated a lucky 13. Dan and Brian had an awesome day and we had a ton of fun! After the reds slowed we landed a few nice trout to finish the day. Brian also found out how acrobatic a ladyfish can be. We don't call them a poor man's tarpon for nothing. BOOK NOW FOR SEPTEMBER! It is always a great month. I have 14 days already taken! Call 407-405-0819 and get on board the HAWGWILD II!Don't forget the 'Reel Animals' and I will be at Gander Mountain Monday night at 7 pm. We will be answering questions and also giving away MirrOLure and Rip Tide lures!Tight Lines and Good Fishing!
25 Aug 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

Tomoka River To The Mosquito Lagoon With Captain Myers

August 26,2007

I spent three days this week looking for tarpon with mixed results. Although there are a lot of places holding a few tarpon, there have been few places holding a lot of tarpon. The redfish and trout, however, continue to be plentiful.Tuesday, I headed north to the Tomoka River near Daytona. Paul and I planned on catching a few tarpon and maybe some snook. During four hours of searching, we saw only a handful of tarpon. Most of them were too far away to reach and we left there without a bite. In an attempt to salvage the day, we drove down to Mosquito Lagoon. We tried two spots and found multiple schools of redfish at each location. I used a 5 inch DOA CAL in greene with a Woodies rattle to land the first two fish. I then switched to a gold Baitbuster and we landed ten redfish during the next couple hours. Working the lure right on the surface drew some spectacular strikes as the fish were quite aggressive.Wednesday, I searched some of my favorite tarpon spots in the Indian River and did not see a single one. I threw the holographic shrimp for a while catching one redfish, one trout and several ladyfish before giving up.Thursday, I headed south of Melbourne, again, looking for tarpon. This time, I found at least enough to cast to. The strong winds was keeping the fish from rolling as much as I had hoped but there were many more fish than I had seen the previous two days. I landed two tarpon of about 30 pounds on a black and gold Baitbuster and jumped a few more on the holographic DOA shrimp. A tiny TerrorEyz accounted for a few ladyfish and one snook that were feeding on schools of glass minnows.Friday, I fished Tom and Bill in the Mosquito Lagoon. Unusually high boat traffic had us scrambling for a fishing spot. Bill landed a nice trout on his first cast with the gold Baitbuster and Tom followed with a ladyfish and trout. They had a few shots at some passing schools of reds but did not hook up. We moved on and found a school of bigger reds and Tom had one eat his Baitbuster but the hook did not stick. For the next couple hours, they had shots at both singles and schools of reds. Tom landed one red before we gave up and moved on to some trout fishing. Both guys caught some trout on three inch CAL tails in assorted colors.Low water levels and high grass on the flats have made many areas difficult to fish. A lure that is rigged weedless is essential when fishing shallow. The edges of flats where the bottom transitions to a mixture of sand and grass has been the most productive for both reds and trout.

Captain Chris Myers
321-229-2848
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com/
cmyers@floridafishinglessons.com

Hot August Fishing In St Petersburg

I spoke with Larry at Mastry's Bait & Tackle Inc. in St Petersburg this afternoon. He was telling me that in spite of the hot August weather, and high water temperatures, fishing in lower Tampa Bay is excellent. The best time to fish is still 6pm to 9am, but daytime fishing around the Skyway bridge and the deeper grass flats of Pinellas Point and Fort DeSoto is producing tarpon, trout, and mangrove snapper. Look for tarpon cruising the shadow line of the Skyway Bridge and fishing pier. Free line a crab, pinfish, or greenback in the shadows to jump a few tarpon. Speckled trout fishing is excellent in the deep grass flats. Jigs and jerk baits swam just over the grass is producing most of the trout. Large numbers of good sized mangrove snapper are being caught around bridges and rock piles. Larry was telling me that he prefers to fish for snapper at night on the incoming tide. Use 30lb fluorocarbon leader and just enough weight to hold your bait on the bottom. White bait is Larry's favorite for snapper, but shrimp, greenbacks, dead shad and pinfish also work well. Pinfish will catch the larger snapper and will also produce few grouper. If you get cut off by a grouper, switch to a heavier leader. Spanish mackerel are sporadic but can be found on the deep grass flats, The Pier in St Petersburg, and range markers. Live bait on a short piece of wire, small silver spoons , and Got-Cha Plugs will catch Mackerel. Snook season opens this Saturday, September 1st. New rules are in effect so check the FWC web site, http://www.myfwc.com/, or the post on this site, New Snook Regulations, for more information. Look for snook on the beach. They will hit a wide variety of live baits and lures including white bait, greenbacks, pinfish, CAL jigs, DOA Terror Eyz, and top water plugs. The best snook fishing will be at night and just before dawn. For more information contact;
Mastry's Bait & Tackle Inc.
727-896-8889
1700 4th St South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Roller Coaster Fishing by Capt Presley

I am beginning to feel like I’m on a roller coaster with the fishing. Good one day not the next. The ups and downs are most closely related to finding bait and the weather. The nearshore scene has gone from gobs of tarpon to none and from gobs of Kingfish to none. That’s the way it seems to be going.

The river bite has also been up and down but almost always with a few fish including one slam of a snook, redfish, and a spotted sea trout.

About a week ago my good friend Capt. Chris Myers gave me a clinic on tarpon. He jumped 11 and got one to the boat for a photo op. I jumped one but got him to the boat so the only thing I could really brag on was my percentage of 100 %. The bait of the day was the DOA Baitbuster. The photo below is 1 second after I pulled my tarpon from the water for a quick picture and he decide to give one more wiggle and jumped free from my hands.

The kingfish depended on the bait. Those who found pogies found kings and many anglers where limiting out. On the day I took my grandson looking for his first kingfish the pogies were not to be found. The previous day they were as easy as pie. With no live bait we trolled frozen Spanish sardines and still managed to catch him his first king. When you are trolling dead bait you can pick up the speed a little and they can be productive too.


One trip in the river produced a slam of snook, redfish, and sea trout. Carol and Lloyd were visiting the Space Coast from Kansas and took a little time out for a fishing excursion. As sometimes happens with the lucky ladies, Carol caught the slam while Lloyd was left only with a mangrove snapper. The slam came on live shrimp suspended below a popping cork.

Another trip to the Banana River found Ann and her seventeen year old son Matt on the Pathfinder. Matt is an avid fisherman and was already talking about doing some surf fishing as soon as our trip was over. Ann was actually the first to hook up with a jumping ladyfish and then a slot-sized trout. Matt wasn’t too far behind with a 20 inch trout and later he caught the biggest fish of the day in a 5 pound sail cat. By the end of the day Ann and Matt from New Jersey had boated over 30 fish that include seven different species.

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
www.inshorefishingadventures.com
presleyr@bellsouth.net

Mosquito Lagoon On Fire with Reds!

The fishing has been on fire in the lagoon. We have been catching 12-18 reds everyday with some big ones to top the day. Spetember and October will be great months and I have some open dates left in Spetember. If you can get out please call 407-405-0819 or e-mail me. I have attached a photo of today's big fish. Check out the website for other photos at http://www.blogger.com/ I have the following days open in Spetember: 6,7,8,10,15,18,20,21,24,25,27,28,29. Hope we can get out and catch a big one.. The top water bite is very close. I will be fliming a show with the 'Reel Animals' on Tuesday and we have a seminar Monday night August 27 at 7pm at Gander Mountain in LAke MAry! The photo attached is Wendy.

Captain David Rogers

AAA Hawgwild Saltwater Charters LLC

674 Blenheim Loop

Winter Springs, Fl 32708

407-405-0819

http://www.blogger.com/

Snook On The Flie With Captain Grassett

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota & Charlotte Harbor Fishing Report for 8/13 through 8/17/2007

Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released tarpon, snook, trout, bluefish and ladyfish on jigs and flies during the past several days. Tarpon have moved into Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound. The best action was with snook before dawn and a variety of fish on deep grass flats.
Scott Swango and his 11-year old son, Seth, both from Springfield, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. They caught and released 4 snook to 26” on Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies and Cal jigs with shad tails while fishing Siesta Key docks before dawn. We fished deep grass flats along Longboat Key on the west side of Sarasota Bay and caught and released a variety of fish including trout and bluefish.
John Hall, from IL, and his guest Jim, from Sarasota, fished the same area with me on Wednesday. They connected with several snook before dawn on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Tiny TerrorEyz and caught and released a mixed bag of trout, bluefish and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.
The next day Steve Stallard and his fiancée, Elizabeth Parrish, both from MI, and Fred Parrish, from Land O’Lakes, FL, also fished the same area with me. We found the snook plentiful but finicky. Steve caught and released a snook on my Grass Minnow fly before we moved to Big Pass at dawn where tarpon were rolling. Fred hooked a 70-pound tarpon on a DOA Baitbuster and after numerous jumps and a 45 minute battle landed the fish. We moved to deep grass flats near Bishops Point where they ended the day with a mix of trout, bluefish and ladyfish on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails.
On Friday, Harry Davis from Dalton, GA, and Fen Sartorius, from NM, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me. We started off strong, catching and releasing more than a dozen snook to 24” on my Grass Minnow snook fly while fishing docks along Little Gasparilla Island. We found a few tarpon in Gasparilla Sound but they were too widely scattered for us to have a chance at them with a fly so we moved on. We also found reds to be elusive that day but caught a few trout along the way with Clouser and my Flats Minnow flies.
Tarpon fishing should improve as they move into Charlotte Harbor and other bays to feed. Look for diving birds and schools of ladyfish to locate them. You might also find them rolling in deep bays when it is calm. Reds will begin schooling on shallow flats from lower Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor. One of the best options will continue to be fly fishing for snook before dawn.

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/

Great Fishing And "Reel Animals" With Captain Dave

Great Run of Fishing
What a great 2 weeks have just passed. I just completed 15 straight days on the water and the fishing was excellent. We had one day that was slow and the other 14 were full of action. There have been many "SLOBBERKNOCKERS" landed and plenty of slot reds and trout. The great news, the fishing is even better in September! I have 12 days booked for September and now is the time to call. Don't wait until the last minute. We have fun on my charters and catch some quality fish. The whole experience is rewarding and I love seeing you catch fish and have fun! Give me a call and book your day. 407-405-0819Tight Lines and Good FishingCaptain David

"REEL ANIMALS" and Captain David to Host Seminar at Gander Mountain Monday August 27 @ 7 pm
On Monday August 27 @ 7 pm the "REEL ANIMALS" Captain Mike Anderson and Captain Billy Nobles will join me at GANDER MOUNTAIN in Lake Mary for a free seminar on flats fishing! We will be answering questions and discussing techniques for flats fishing. They will be filming for a future show during the seminar. We will also be giving away MirrOLure and Rip Tide Lures! The "REEL ANIMALS" host their own TV show and have a weekly radio show on ESPN radio from 8 -10 am every Sunday in Tampa (1470am), Orlando (1080am) and the Space Coast (1060am). The guys are fun and we will have a great time! See you there!Tight Lines and Good FishingCaptain David

AAA Hawgwild Saltwater Charters
Captain Dave Rogers
407-327-0008
407-405-0819
http://www.aaahawgwildcharters.com/
redfishin@hotmail.com

Fish The Indian River Lagoon With Capt. Charlie 8/23

August 23, 2007
Inshore: Dog Days of summer are upon us still and it's been hot around the Treasure Coast this week. Getting out early or late in the day offers the best opportunities to fish and a little comfort to go along, too. Fishing has continued to be productive for those early birds on the water.
Trout and snapper has been the best bite along the river this week. I had Tyler Serio, Chad Merrill and Jason Horn on the boat Sunday for the first Teen Anglers Tournament. While the big fish evaded us, they caught a number of trout, snapper, look-downs and a variety of fish for the day. It was a great day of fishing for the guys. I always look forward to the tournaments and taking the guys out. All three of them were awarded trophies for their catch.
The not hard to find the secret to fishing in the heat of summer. Look for the bait schools and you should find fish hanging around them. Snook, redfish and trout have been chasing the bait in the wee hours of the mornings and a good top water lure can get you a strike. Vary the way you work your lures until you get that hit and keep working it around the bait. Once the sun rises, switch to a suspending lure or live bait on a popping cork. The trout have been hitting mostly in the mornings, but you can still get a few to bite around the bait schools. There has been a good bite down towards the Power Plant and up north from Queen's Cove to Round Island.
Snapper have continued to bite along the channel edges with live or dead shrimp. Fishing around structure on the bottom can get you a good mess for dinner. There have also been sheephead and black drum hanging in the same areas. Use small hooks to have the best chance for them. We have had success on both tides. I heard from several anglers who have had some good luck this past week catching some nice snapper.
Snook have been on the flats in the early hours chasing bait. Also look for snook and redfish to be lurking along the docks south of Fort Pierce. Lots of other fish around the river this time of year. We have been catching jacks, ladyfish, look-downs, barracuda and variety of other species that have invaded the river in search of a meal.
Tip of the Week:
Snook season open September 1st and is almost here already. It's a good time to check things and make sure you are ready for it. With the new regulations in effect, make sure you have something to measure your fish. Have you checked your snook stamp? Might just be time to do that, too. A lot of snook fishing gear isn't used as much during the off season, so it's time to check your rods, reels and line. It's usually pretty busy around the bait shops, ramps and inlets that first week. Make your plans and include alternate fishing spots if your favorite haunt is taken when you head out. It can get crowded, so a little patience, friendliness and awareness can help make for a fun experience.....hopefully a successful one, too!
As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!!Good Fishing and Be Safe,
Captain Charlie Conner
http://www.fishtalescharter.com/
email: captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
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.}

North Skyway Pier

I spoke with the North Skyway Fishing Pier in the mouth of Tampa Bay today. They were telling me that the very hot weather recently has kept most of the fish and fisherman away. Almost all of fish that are biting are being caught between 6pm and 9am when temperatures cool a little. Short grouper and mangrove snapper are making up the majority of fish that are being caught. The grouper are hitting pinfish on the bottom during a strong tide. Snapper fishing is good and should be improving even more with the approaching full moon. Shrimp and small bait fish will produce a limit, (10" size limit, 5 fish/day), of nice sized mangos in a few hours. A few cobia and sharks are also being caught at the pier. Large pinfish will catch both. For more information contact;
North Skyway Fishing Pier
727-865-0668
10501 Sunshine Skyway Bridge
St Petersburg, FL 33711
http://www.skywaypiers.com/

Half Hitch Tackle Fishing Report 8-24

Report for 08/24/2007

Salt Water
MEXICO BEACH/PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE - King Mackerel remains the prime target in this hot weather with a few caught off the buoy line and inshore wrecks on drone spoons and dusters. The bigger schools are about 20 miles out with a hot spot around the number thirty buoy off Cape San Blas. Using a downrigger or planer will improve the quality of your catches. Remember, the MBARA King Mackerel Tournament is this Saturday, August 25th. Bottom fishing slowed this past week, as the water temperatures increased, but the bite should pick back up as cooler weather arrives. Snapper is improving in 80-90’ of water and grouper were further out with the keepers starting at 150’ of water. Carolina rigs with 6’ of 40 lb fluorocarbon leader and a 5/0 circle hook for the snapper and a 3’ 80lb fluorocarbon leader with a 10/0 circle hook. Live baits are working best.
ST JOSEPH BAY - Look for schooling redfish on the outskirts of the thick grass on an outgoing tide. Be patient and they will come to you. The trout are in with these schooling redfish and topwater artificial baits will catch both. Fish a Mirrolure or Yozuri or a Cajun Thunder popping cork rigged with a Gulp artificial shrimp. The Flounder bite is good on the sand bars and potholes in the bay and some in the canal under the George C. Tapper Bridge. Live bull minnows Carolina rigged with a #1 hook and a fluorocarbon leader should do the trick. A few pompano were caught along Mexico Beach and Cape San Blas this week.
PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND BAYS - The King Mackeral bite has remained hit or miss. Try the Box Cars and Fountain Blue for inshore kings. 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 hot 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 out there but you have to find them. 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 some of the best we have seen in years. 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. Half Hitch Tackle
ST ANDREWS BAY SYSTEM - Flounder are still being caught on drop-offs in the bays and on the edges of grass flats. 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 early and late in 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. Redfish are all over the jetties right now. Gulp, Gold Spoons, 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! Half Hitch Tackle
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
The big bite right now is Channel catfish in the East river off Apalachicola, and late evening topwater plugs for bass. Largemouth Bass are stationed near openings of tributaries and hitting spinner baits regularly. For the big boys, fish wild shiners along the grass lines.
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.

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

Jacksonville Fishing Report With Captain Vic

Ahoy there Anglers,

Here we are still in the heat. I'll sure be glad when the water temperatures start cooling down here. I'd be willing to say that should start happening in about another two to three weeks. When it gets to this time of the year I'm always anxious for the sheepshead and black drum season to fire off, (especially the sheepshead). Yes, it's getting closer and closer to the large Virginia croaker time and the fall-flounder-run also. I can't wait. Not only will the redfish and trout cooperate better and better but the 'air temperatures' will be better for us fishing also.
Yes, when the water temperatures cool from the high 80's and get back into the 70's the top water lures work so much better and my Bomber Long A's work wonders on the trout too. Such a great time of the year. I look so forward for the October, November and December fishing and then comes along March, April, May and June again. I'd have to say the worst months of the year for fishing has to be February and August. Real cold water temperatures in February slow the fish down as well as the real warm temperatures in August.
Now don't get me wrong, August has it's bright side also. Redfish in the creeks when the wind is calm and they're up so shallow that their backs are out of the water, well, yes, you can't beat it. I love to sight-cast to these beauties in the shallows and the bull redfish start to school up for their fall migratory run to their offshore spots to spawn. As the water temps gets hotter and hotter the reds slow down and then when the water temps rise about as much as they're going to and they stabilize at about the same degrees every day then the reds get used to the temps and then start eating again. That's what they're doing now. So yes, August does have some bright sides.

CREEKS:
As mentioned before, the redfish in the creeks are doing good again in the shallows and we've also been catching some nice reds just before the high tides with live shrimp on Cajun Thunders over oyster beds. The spotted trout are still scattered over so huge an area that we're still not getting very many slot-sized ones. It's so hit-and-miss. The flounder have been good this year so far. I think the fall run will be great on these guys. Jacks and ladyfish are here and there in the creeks. Not like usual. Some real nice tarpon are rolling in the creeks but since the schools of pogies aren't anywhere to be found I haven't even targeted the tarpon much. The tarpon can find a pogie here and there but nobody else seems to be able to unless you go to St. Augustine Inlet.

RIVERS:
Small croakers are everywhere. You just can't keep a dead shrimp on the bottom for all the small croakers. Some people have been lucky enough to catch a few keepers, ( I know, they're all "legal size" but I don't take people to catch 5" to 6" croakers unless we're going to use them for bait. They need to be bigger than that).
Nice yellowmouth trout to 3 pounds are in the river again. Dead shrimp or sliced croaker are good baits. The whiting are back in better numbers also. Nice whiting and very good to eat are hitting dead shrimp in the sandier areas like Nassau River and Ft. George Inlet.
A few black drum still in the river but hard to find. When you do find one, stick with it. There's probably more in the same location. spotted trout on slip-float rigs are the better bet than lures right now. Soon the plastics will start working again better as the water cools then back to the lures. Haven't seen the larger jacks around lately but there's plenty of mangrove snapper around. You just have to weed through the smaller ones to get your legal sized ones.

JETTIES:
The Mayport Jetties slowed down so much last month. Not as many bull reds around and even less tarpon. I think they're mostly down around St. Augustine where all the pogies are. We even went shark fishing out at the rocks a few weeks ago and didn't even catch a shark. I know now they'll be back at our rocks up here as the time is getting right for all the bull reds to really school up. The tarpon and oversized redfish should be hitting a lot better out at the rocks now and I'm looking for the pogies to return north to us. The mullet should be thicker at the jetties and that'll bring more fish in. A few black drum on the bottom in spots and some pretty nice whiting are starting back up out there. Nice yellowmouth trout are here and there but more of them seem to be up-river. A few mangrove snapper against the rocks too.

MILL COVE:
Redfish and flounder seem to be the best thing going on now in the Cove. Yellowmouth trout here and there and we've been catching a black drum or two during the higher tides with Cajun Thunders and live shrimp over the oyster beds. The spotted trout should be moving back in better within the next couple of weeks and man, am I looking forward to that!

SURF:
My surf fishing buddy tells me there are some real nice whiting in the surf right now and some nice pompano and a few black drum.

OFFSHORE:
Sailfish are here and are traveling in schools. They can be found from the beach to the ledge. Live bait works best but they'll also hit lures with ballyhoo.
Tarpon are doing pretty well. I've heard of a few being caught in and around Nassau Sound but most are being caught on the beach south of St. Augusting Inlet, where all the pogies are. Amberjacks and cobia are on all the wrecks. Kingfish and barracuda are still everywhere. Beeliners and black sea bass are the best bet for bottom-bumpers and the triggerfish are picking up too. Still a lot of short snapper.

Remember to help keep our waterways clean and trash-free. It takes all of our help. Hope to see you on the water soon.

Tight lines to you all,

Capt. Vic Tison

VIC2FISH & ADVENTURES, INC.

Web site: http://vic2fish.com/

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

Fishing Sarasota Bay With Captain Frankford

Fishing Report 08/23/2007
Capt. Terry Frankford Among the species anglers caught aboard Reelin & Chillin Charters this week was the Ladyfish. This fish is often looked down on by locals as a nuisance fish that waists your bait and has no food value - I know because for years thats exactly the way I looked at these slimy bait thieves. The only time I really would target them is when I needed bait for Big snook, Bull Redfish, or Sharks. However, after becoming a guide I have found these fish to be a great source of catch and release action for young and experienced anglers alike. Many folks come from far away and have never seen a Ladyfish and really aren't looking for dinner, this makes the Ladyfish a prime target species. If you downsize your tackle, loosen your drag, and forget about dinner for a minute you just may find yourself having a ball. Your drag will scream, they will put on a show of acrobatics like the nick-name "Poor Mans Tarpon" implies, and there is a good chance you will find yourself running around your boat trying to keep them from breaking off on your outboard prop or trim tabs. So next time you are out maybe throw an old rod in the boat with four or six pound test on the reel. When you see the terns hitting bait motor on over and flip just about anything to the feeding Ladies and have a ball for a few minutes. It's also a great way to provide action and sharpen the skills of that young angler aboard your boat. Here are a few fish stories to enjoy from anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin this week.Kristi Polston, husband Don and children Hayden and Heather had a fun day on the bay with Ladyfish showing up for some of that great action mentioned above. Several other species were also caught including Mangrove Snapper and a really nice twenty-one inch trout that Hayden caught using only eight pound test line.Valerie Smith and son Cody had a great day starting with Trout and Ladyfish for fun. Then Cody picked up a nice Bluefish that really gave him a run for his money, but he finally did get it to the boat. Then is was off to the the docks in Sarasota Bay to target Reds - and that's where Cody came up to the plate. He landed three altogether with a twenty-four incher being the prize for the day.Gary Miller with son Trent and Grandson Chris enjoyed some good Redfish action along with a few Mangrove Snapper. Things were a little slow, however Trent hooked a nice Red. As Trent he was fighting it I asked Chris to reel in to keep his line clear of Trent's. That's when I realized that Chris also had a nice Red on. To cool, two slot sized Red's at the same time, way to go guys. Bait? In Sarasota at this time the shiners have been running to small to use for bait. It's not that the fish won't eat them it's first when you put a small bait on a hook it will quickly kill the fish, and second, you can't cast it far enough from the boat to keep from spooking the fish. I have found a way that you can use these small baits including peewee shrimp and still beat the issues above. To keep from killing the bait downsize the hook. I use a #6 Owner MUTU circle hook. Take a look at this hook and you will know what I'm talking about, not only is it small, it's made of thiner wire that will not weight down the bait keeping it active longer. Also, downsize the leader to twenty or maybe seventeen pound test. This will help the bait to be more active longer. For the casting distance use a cork, adjust your leader according to the depth your looking for. Be sure to consider drift and or current conditions when judging the length of the leader. A small split shot about twelve inches up from the hook will also help to keep the bait in the target zone. Tight Lines & Good Times,
Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
http://www.charterfishingsarasota.com/
http://www.blogger.com/

Fishing Florida Bay With Captain Hale

August 2007- Flamingo in Florida Bay the winds have been light and the water is clear but on the warm side. This week the water temps were 85 and the fishing has been very good the last week. Prior to this the water temps were over 90 and the fishing was only good early in the morning. The water temps will climb soon again until we have a rainy day to cool it back down which can be any day. This week David and Alex Torbert, both very good young anglers, fished with me and caught 16 snook. Six of them on fly which was their first snook on fly, 5 redfish, largest at11 lbs and a tarpon all out of Flamingo. Small Tarpon right now are all over the place. The average size is 12 lbs but there are larger fish in the upper 20s to 30s around these little guys. They are a blast on fly and they’re eating well. Snook can be found around mullets mud’s on the very shallow flats in Florida Bay. Eduardo Arana and Mariano Garcia fished with me on the 18th and caught a nice 11lb snook sitting in a pot hole on a Berkley Gulp shad. This fish would have been perfect on fly! We also caught 6 more snook around some of the islands at Flamingo and could have had more but the big bad sharks started up! Redfish are on the move now from flat to flat. Some days finding them on the beaches and flats can be easy and other days a little more difficult as time is not on our side to check every spot of Florida Bay! But when I find them it can be a fly fisherman’s dream with a good size 7 lber. Merijo Attong caught an 18lb red casting to a moving school of about 25. By Flamingo’s standards, this is a very large red. The nice thing is that there were a lot of these big reds around that day!Biscayne Bay is hot right now with big schools of bones on the outside flats on days the water temps are high, the days the water cools down these fish are pushing to the western shore especially around sun up these bones are a sucker for a small crab. Mark Schmidt from PA caught a 10 lb bone on a shrimp pattern fly I tied myself. The school we fished must have had 50 or more fish in it. Small Tarpon are also cruising the shore line on the outside of Old Rhodes to Key Largo. Keep looking for rolling fish in small schools tight to the trees. Most schools are around 6-8 fish and can be up to 40lbs they are eating D.O.A shrimp and any kind of small white or chartreuse fly And moving water areas in 2-3 foot are finding permit on the outside as well they are eating silver dollar size crabs. A couple of weeks ago we had a chance to go fun fish in the keys and check out a couple of new ideas and areas. As captains we do the poling not the fishing, but this trip we had the chance to fish and I’m glad we did, we caught 6 permit all on crabs the largest was estimated near 40 lbs, these crazy fish were schooling in a strong current which made poling to them a little tough but well worth it! These guys were fighting for the bait like stripe marlin on teasers in Ecuador, 4-5 fish going after a crab each cast, I wish I would have brought more crabs!

Till next time, go have fun and bend a rod!

Capt. Jim Hale

786-255-1788

http://www.canepolincharters.com/

captainjimhale@hotmail.com

Fishing The Mosquito Lagoon With Capt. Myers

Fishing for redfish and trout in the Mosquito Lagoon and north Indian River remains consistent with fish willing to eat throughout the day despite the high water temperatures. A few large tarpon have made their way into the Lagoon but I have yet to see them in significant concentrations. It is the time of year when you may cross paths with a large tarpon almost anywhere. If you want to catch these fish, you will need to carry a stout rod rigged with a heavy leader. Smaller trout and ladyfish are continuing to feed on the schools of glass minnows and can provide some great action if your redfish plan does not work out.Last Saturday, I joined Capt. Ron Presely on board his 22 Pathfinder out of Port Canaveral. We had hopes of finding some tarpon and were not disappointed. We never ventured more than 100 yards from the beach the entire day. I threw sinking DOA Baitbusters in black and silver and pearl/green back and had 13 bites, jumped 11, but only got one to the boat. The fish were from 30-100 pounds and were much more aggressive than usual despite the lack of baitfish schools in the area. We also caught a few jacks and ladyfish between tarpon bites for an outstanding day on the water.On Sunday, I returned to the same area hoping to experience more of the same. Almost all the tarpon had vanished and we only had shots at two. Bluefish and jacks were plentiful but bluefish and sift plastics do not go well together.Tuesday, I was joined by Diane and David, fly fishers from western Canada. Our plan was to start the day off catching some ladyfish and trout but it was tough finding the glass minnows in the morning chop. Diane managed to catch a trout, jack, and a catfish on a chartreuse clauser minnow. We spent the next couple hours throwing flies at some small tarpon that were rolling among several manatees. The closest thing to a bite we got was a manatee who tried chewing on my push pole. Next, it was off to look for some redfish. We saw quite a few, both tailing and cruising. The speed and accuracy of presentation required to catch these fish was not something my Canadian guests were used to doing. A bite from a redfish eluded us but we had fun trying.Friday, I fished with Debbie, from Orlando, who wanted to try some sight fishing. We started off with a school of big redfish but our attempts to catch them were thwarted by some inconsiderate anglers spooking them with their motor. We left that school to look for look for others and soon found a fair number of happy fish in about two feet of water. As we were approaching a group of 5-6 redfish, we nearly bumped into a 60 pound tarpon lying motionless on the flat far from any deep water. I'm not sure who scared who more but the tarpon left a huge hole in the water as he raced off the flat. The tarpon managed to spook off the redfish but they settled down soon enough. Debbie cast to a cruising red with a 4 inch DOA CAL in a new color called stark naked. This color mimics a small finger mullet and the redfish grabbed it the instant it touched the water.We made a short move and found a school of bigger redfish and Debbie made short work of a 21 pound 38 inch fish.Debbie sight cast to another nice redfish using a 5 inch CAL in greene for her third red of the day. She caught a few trout throwing 3 inch CAL tails and some Capt. Joe's Shredders on jig heads to finish the day.Spots are still available for the Ladies only fishing seminar at Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka. Myself, Capt. Tom Van Horn, Capt. Rodney Smith, and others will be giving seminars designed to help women get the most out of the fishing experience. Registration is free but reservations are required. Visit http://mosquitocreekoutdoors for more information.
Captain Chris Myers
321-229-2848
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com/
cmyers@floridafishinglessons.com

Native Sons Are Having Hot Summer Fishing

August 20, 2007 -

The Fishing is Scorching Hot
Okay, it’s been hot in central Florida over the past several weeks, the hottest I can remember, and I do not mean just the temperatures - the fishing has been scorching hot too! Since we have already dealt with how to beat the heat in a past fishing report, let’s focus on the adventuresome and fortunate anglers who have recently braved the summer sun with Native Sons guides during the last several days.First, there was a group from Louisville, Kentucky consisting of Craig and Julie, his fiancée, along with brother-in-law Troy who fished with Capt. Rocky on the NASA flats Monday morning. Even though the group had only 2 and ½ hours to fish before needing to rush to Orlando in order to catch their flight home they had a blast chasing redfish, petting manatees and generally just enjoying the beauty of God’s creation. Pictured below is Julie with her big redfish.Second, Tyra and Cliff, a father and daughter team from Orlando, fished with Capt. Peter in the same waters several days later and connected with 8 redfish weighing up to 18 pounds. They were sight-fishing the bronzed brutes from a number of large schools roaming the shallow, clear water in the morning hours. Pictured below are Tyra and Cliff with two redfish caught simultaneously.Also fishing the NASA flats in Titusville with Capt. Peter were Kenny and Jack Vitek of Orlando. This was one of those special trips where the anglers were able to cast to large tailing redfish in calm, glass-like conditions. They caught 7 reds up to 20 pounds and probably saw close to 300 fish on the day. They also caught 75 plus schooling trout up to 18 inches, 2 jacks, and several ladyfish by throwing jigs into ‘potholes’ in crystal clear 5ft. water. By the way, this was a half-day charter which ended at noon. Pictured below are Kenny and Capt. Peter with one of their redfish – note the calm, glassy water in the background.Finally, Capt. Roland, in an obvious moment of temporary insanity, agreed to take five teenage boys on a charter to Ft. Pierce last Friday morning. The boys (Chris Brennan, Chris Hubbard, Jeff Fitzgerald, Jordan Clark and Josh Jones) had a blast wading, swimming and frolicking along the spoil islands of the Intercoastal Waterway. They also caught 2 snook, 8 trout, 1 redfish, and one decent mango snapper between the horse-playing. Basically, it was, as one described it, ‘a kook free for all.’ Pictured below is Chris Brennan with his 32 inch snook.
Posted by Rocky Van Hoose on August 21, 2007 at 08:21:30 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

Charlotte Harbor Outfitters August Report

AUGUST Fishing Report 2007
It's that time of year for anglers to hit the water and be ready to endure beads of sweat rolling down their face. This month brings afternoon thunderstorms, sweltering hot weather, and hot fishing. The big tarpon are in somewhat of a transitional mode. Various pods of fish will be in the upper reaches of the harbor and can also be found on the beaches and in and around Boca Grande Pass. Riley pictured above with Capt. Jason poses with a nice tarpon. During the same outing, his dad Kevin got in on the action. Find deep holes that stand out from the rest of the bottom throughout the harbor to look around for the silverking. Canals, bridges, and beaches will also show off some tarpon. Large swim baits, DOA baitbusters, and live blue crab and threadfins will also do the trick. Get the fish to the boat as quick as possible with the water temperature being so high, and make sure the fish is revived before release. A hotter bite can usually be found when it is raining or just after, but pick your days carefully and make sure there is no lightning present.Snook, snook, and more snook. They are everywhere. They will readily eat live bait or artificial lures. Find areas with a swift current, shady points, deep mangroves, structure such as docks, sand bars, just about anything is holding snook right now. Come prepared with tackle that can handle decent size snook or when fishing thick cover. Same applies with the tarpon, get the fish released quickly and revived well. David caught his first nice keeper snook while fishing with Capt. Tim. Redfish will start to school and can be found in many places. East wall, west wall, Pine Island, and Gasparilla Sound. A lot of fish will be over the slot limit with an equal amount within the slot range. Soft plastic lures can entice a bite as well as shrimp, live baitfish, and cut bait. Early in the morning they are willing to hit a top water plug. Find thick grass bordered by sandy bottom, mixed sand or potholes it doesn't matter. Some tides this month will reach extreme lows, others will be flood tides. Move near the mangroves on higher tides, and on extreme lows venture to shallow grass flats where redfish will tail and feed. Fellow friend and angler Chris Rudl captured a few shots showing just how shallow redfish will go. With his new camera, he has taken some amazing shots..... There isn't a whole lot more that can make your blood rush than seeing the sites in the above pictures. Stealth is a key factor when redfish are that shallow.That's it for the month of August. Get out on the water, bring a lot of fluids to drink, and be safe with all of the storms and lightning. Oh and catch ya some fish!Tight Lines from the CHO Guides

Charlotte Harbor Outfitters

Captain Tim White

941-916-4009

tqwhite@hotmail.com

Captain Chuck Jenks

239-825-8791

chuckjenks@hotmail.com

Captain Jason Dill

941-628-2847

jdill30@hotmail.com

Guest Report, Half Hitch Tackle, Panama City

Report for 08/17/2007

Salt Water
MEXICO BEACH/PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE - Bottom fishing is still good; however, larger fish are caught around the thirty-mile mark. Live baits are bringing them up, but cut bait and frozen mackerel/cigar minnows work well. The king mackerel bite is strong with and lot of fish are caught over the inshore wrecks by putting out a flat line while bottom fishing. Reports say larger king and a few Wahoo are being caught beyond the number thirty buoy and south over the hard bottoms. Trolling big drone spoons or dusters with cigar minnows will produce for you in this area. Reports also say trolling further offshore in about 110’ of water is consistently producing Wahoo. Yozuri Bonita baits Panhandlers and blue & white Island skirts with a fresh ballyhoo will do the trick.
ST JOSEPH BAY - The trout report has not changed much with good fish caught at first light and late afternoon around the middle grounds and the flats between Pigs Island and pompano point. They are hitting on topwater lures like the Zara Spooks. The redfish are still biting, and using live LYs or finger mullet along the edges of the grass will work well. Sheepshead are cruising the wall at the PSJ marina and up the intra-coastal canal. Catch a few fiddler crabs and put them on a short shank live bait hook for this species. The flounder are now at their summer haunts. This means you can catch them in the sand outside the grass flats and in the little deeper sand holes in the grass flats. Bull minnows Carolina rigged with a size 1 circle hook using fluorocarbon leader material and just enough weight to cast.
PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND BAYS - The King Mackeral bite is still spotty. They are very spread out so troll large areas to find a concentration. 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. Tarpon are showing up in smaller numbers now. There are fewer fish but they seem to be more willing to bite. Use live mullet, pin fish, pogies, cigar minnows or menhaden on a 7 to 10/0 circle hook with 60 to 100# fluorocarbon leaders and 20 to 30# main line. The Wahoo bite has remained good and they are being found in greatest numbers far offshore 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 out there but you have to find them. 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 has been steady. Best catches have been in the 100 to 200 foot areas on mainly hard bottom. 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 going strong. 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. Half Hitch Tackle
ST ANDREWS BAY SYSTEM - Flounder are still being caught on drop-offs in the bays and on the edges of grass flats. 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 early and late in 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. Redfish are all over the jetties right now. Gulp, Gold Spoons, 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! Half Hitch Tackle
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
For Bass, fish wild shiners along the grass lines, or if you want to use an artificial, your best bet would be shallow running jerk baits and topwater along the shore. Shell cracker and Bluegill bite is going strong. Half Hitch Tackle
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.

Half Hitch Tackle

850-234-2621

2206 Thomas Dr

Panama City, Fl 32408

www.halfhitch.com/

Captain Rogers Weekend Update

Weekend Update!
The fishing remained solid on Saturday. I was joined by Don Beverly, Lloyd Beverly and Jake. Don and his brother own Harrell and Beverly Transmission Service in Sanford. They maintain my Exterra and do a great job. The fishing was a little slower but we did manage to land 7 redfish today. We had to work hard for the fish. We had shots at some real big reds, but they did not want to play. We had a lot of fun and some good laughs today.Sunday produced a windy day. I was joined by long time clients Ted and Rick Haines and their friend Paul Zirakian. We were on a school of big reds right away, but they did not play. Finally after an hour or so of great effort by the guys Paul was rewarded with a 25 pound redfish. We left that school and fished another school for 2 hours. The fish were out of their minds and would not eat today. We landed a few trout and hooked a ladyfish. It was fun as always and we had a great time. Sometimes the fish don't cooperate. September is a HOT MONTH! Call 407-405-0819!
19 Aug 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

Mosquito Lagoon Producing Big Reds For Capt. Rogers

The Bite is Hot and The SLOBBERKNOCKERS Are Chewin'
The bite is great and my clients have landed 3 redfish over 40 pound since Friday. Two of the fish pushed close to 50 pounds. Keith York landed one that was real close and so did RJ Barnica. Using the weight formula the fish was 49 pounds. RJ is only 9 years old. That is the second largest fish ever caught on my boat. Heck, I have never landed one that big. Plan your trip now with one of the most booked guides on the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Lagoon. I average 20 charters per month. We are averaging 12-15 redfish per day and a whole bunch of trout. There is a reason for that, I LOVE SEEING YOU CATCH FISH! WE HAVE FUN AND THAT IS THE MOST IMPOTRTANT THING! THE PHOTOS TELL THE STORY! BOOK NOW FOR SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER. I HAVE 12 DAYS ALREADY BOOKED FOR SEPTEMBER AND 11 ARE REPEAT CLIENTS! SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER ARE AWESOME MONTHS! CALL TODAY 407-405-0819Tight Lines and Good Fishing!Captain David
14 Aug 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

Fishing The Indian River Lagoon With Captain Charlie

August 16, 2007
Inshore:I have always believed that the most rewarding part of fishing is taking kids out on their first adventure. Watching their faces light up when they catch a fish really makes your day. I had the pleasure of having a young man on the boat this week that did just that! Eleven year old, Sam Van Ornam, was on the boat this week with his dad, Tom Van Ornam and Pam Hargrove. You could see the excitement in Sam on the way to the first fishing spot of the day.
We were fishing with live shrimp and Sam caught his first fish in a matter of minutes when we arrived. While it was only a large pinfish, he was so excited at that first catch and I could see the determination that he wasn't done for the day. He was rewarded a short time later with another fish on and I told him it was a large fish this time. Sam fought and battled the fish all the way to the boat. He was astonished when he saw a 29" spotted seatrout that weighed 9-10 pounds. Sam became a veteran angler after that and caught a number of fish the rest of the day, even giving dad some pointers before the day was finished. Congratulations Sam!!
Trout and snapper were our targets this week. The heat and water temperatures have kept the shallow flats on the quiet side, so we have fished the edges and drop offs recently with some good results. Live shrimp on corks have produced some nice trout for us in the 20" range. Pigfish or pinfish can also bring you some good catches. I fished both north and south of Fort Pierce with good luck. We caught fish during the mornings into the heat of the day. Pam Hargrove managed to get a 20" trout to the boat while a four foot shark chased it and almost had it for lunch. Jerry and his sons also had some good luck with trout this week.
Snapper have continued to bite along the channel edges. Jerry Lyman and his two sons, Joe and John, caught dinner in a short time along the channel. Most have been 1 to 1 1/2 pounds this week. Black drum were also biting, but were just short of slot size. Live shrimp, again, was the best choice of baits.
I fished the flats a few hours at first light this week and found snook and trout chasing bait until the sun came up. A five pound pompano hit a jerk bait early one morning this week along the edges of the flats. Top water is always productive in the early hours. Once the sun rises, head to the edges in deeper water for the best results.
Tip of the Week:
Kids! They are our future and the future of fishing in the area. They're eager to learn and the rewards far exceed the effort you put into teaching them fishing skills. Young Sam made my week and I still smile with pride at his success. This sunday will be the first Teen Anglers Tournament of the new school year and I am anxious to begin the new season with them. If you want to see what it's all about and have a boat, contact Capt. Joe Ward at 772-201-5770 if you would be interested in volunteering to help take the kids fishing. It's a great time and you can help nurture the future of fishing on the Treasure Coast!
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 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.}

Florida Keys Fly Fishing With Captain Beighley

Bob's August/September 2007 Column

Fly Tackle – Mine or Yours? After a fly fishing customer books a trip with me, I usually get the question “What flies and fly rods should I bring for my trip to the Keys?” I always tell them they are welcome to use my flies and my rods so everything is ready to go when they get here. Early in the morning with the sun rising and tailing fish to be found is no time to be stringing up rods and making leaders. Customers also do not have to lug their equipment through the airport. Many customers insist that they would like to use their own stuff. I get that. After all, they spent a lot of money on their rods and reels, and there is something to be said for catching a trophy fish on a fly that you tied yourself. This time of year we are primarily targeting baby tarpon, permit, bonefish, barracuda and sharks. For baby tarpon, I like to use an 8 to 10-weight rod. Generally, I use a 10-weight rod for permit when the winds are up to help cast the heavy flies we are throwing. A 10-weight rod helps turn over the longer leaders usually used for permit fishing. In summer the winds are typically calm, and we usually use lighter flies in order to not spook the already spooky permit. The wind speed is the factor in deciding whether to use an 8 or 10-weight rod. For bonefish, I like a 7 to 9-weight rod. I prefer the heaviest rod you can get away with for bonefish so that you can land the fish quickly. In the summer, we get higher water temperatures. I think it’s too hard on the bonefish to fight them to complete exhaustion. For sharks I like 10 to 12-weight rods. For barracuda I like 8 to 10-weight rods. Eight-weight work for smaller flies, and 10-weight rods help turnover the heavier cuda flies. Many of the people working at our local fly shops are very knowledgeable and will help point you in the right direction as to what flies to choose. To start off with, I would not go looking for the newest and greatest fly pattern. I believe it was Flip Pallot who said a time proven fly properly presented will fool them most of the time. I agree. I would use a time proven classic. If possible, buy or tie your flies with weed guards. Weed guards often help prevent you from getting snagged on the bottom and are easily cut off with pliers or nail clippers if you feel you do not need them. In regards to what colors to choose for your flies, it depends on the fish. For sharks, life jacket orange is hard to beat. For tarpon, I like darker flies in darker water and brighter flies in clearer water. When permit and bonefishing, I like to match the color of the bottom I am fishing. More and more I seem to be choosing flies that have dark and light colors so I am covered either way, as the bottom often changes constantly as you pole down a flat. You can not have too many different weighted flies in one fly pattern. To determine which weight to use on your fly, look at your surroundings on the flat. How windy is it? A heavy fly plopping down next to a bonefish or permit will not be tolerated when the water surface is like glass. A lighter fly would be a better choice. What is the current water flow? If the current is ripping, a lighter fly could quickly drift by a fish without being noticed. With strong current, a heavier fly would most likely be a better choice. After you tie on a fly, toss it overboard and watch how quickly it sinks and how far it drifts before it hits the bottom. This way you will have a better idea how far to lead a fish when the shot comes. This is just general information to help get you started. Nothing will prepare you better then simply spending time on the water watching your surroundings and observing how the fish react to your offerings. This process is never truly mastered, and that is what makes our sport so fun and challenging.

Captain Bob Beighley

305-748-4398

www.doublehaulcharters.com

doublehaulcharters@hotmail.com

Guest Report From Roy's Bait House, Flagler Beach

Best Bait Right Now LIVE MULLET

Pier & Surf - Mantanzas Inlet - On Sunday They Caught 8 King Mackeral from Pier. There has been lot's of small fish biting .Flounder Heavy At Inlet on Live Mullet

Intercoastal Water Way - Chuck Kaszuask & JR. 3 trout to 20", Last Year's Winner Of Redfish Tournament Greg Wilk 24" Black Drum While Fishing For Redfish, Wes Cooper 6lb 8oz 27" Trout & 5lb 5oz Black Drum 22"Under Hwy 100 Bridge Fishing For Snook, Robert Cassesse 6lb 3oz Redfish 26 1/4 ", Alan Norman 3lb 9oz Redfish 23", Bob Rees Last Years 2nd Place Winner With A 4lb 7oz Trout, John Cody 25" Redfish 5lb 1oz On Live Mullet, Mike Martin 2 Nice Mango Snapper , 1 Trout. For The Guy's Who Want To Eat Shrimp Go to SOUTH DAYTONA AND GET YOUR LIMIT IN 1 Hr. With 12ft Cast Net. Remember Roy's Redfish Tournament See roysbaithouse.com.

Offshore - Most People Have Been Waiting For Cooler Air ,Very Hot In Ocean. Bob Quatero 2 Snapper , 1 Cow Dolphin , 5 King Mackeral. There Was A King Mackeral Tournament But Have No Report's other then the PIER.

ROY WILL BE ON VACATION TILL AUGUST 26TH IN THE KEY'SGOOD LUCK FISHING NEED MORE INFORMATION LISTEN TO SAINT AUGUSTINE FROM THE WATER 1420 am RADIO THURSDAY AT 7PM
Logged
Fresh Bait: Live and Frozen


Roy's Bait House Will Be Closed On August 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 2007Reopen On Friday August 24th at 8 amFlagler County Adult EducationSaltwater Fishing Class By Captain Rob Ottlein to Sign Up Call 447-1510 fee is $32.00 Class # 2279 This is a 4 Week Class 2 PM to 4 PM On Wednesday First Class is 9/19/07
Roy's Bait House
386-439-2200
105 N 2nd StFlagler Beach, FL 32136
www.roysbaithouse.com

Sarasota Bay Report By Captain Frankford

Fishing Report 08/08/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford
Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin Charters have been catching many species this week including Redfish, Trout, Pompano, Ladyfish, Sheepshead, and Mangrove Snapper to name a few. Trout are really starting to come back in the north Sarasota Bay area and Redfish are still around structure like docks and mangroves. Snapper are also hanging around structure and on grass flats in water between four to six feet.
Here are a few fish stories to enjoy from anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin this week.
Kim Bastin and family Kim, Julie, and Jami all had great action with Ladyfish, Trout, and best of all Pompano. Three Pompano were landed that provided fantastic light tackle action - 10lb test line and a Pompano equals a great battle for the angler. Also, Pompano are super on the table so these anglers completed the day with fun and food.
Chris Autiello, son Zach, daughter Gabby, and Chris Giordano had a slow start with a great end on a morning charter. Starting out we did manage a few Trout and Ladyfish, however they were few and far between. We kept moving around to different grass flats hoping to find a little faster paced action with no luck. I decided to move to structure in mid Sarasota Bay and it paided off. Before we new it we had four Reds in the livewell all caught in the last hour of the charter.
David Potts, wife Ann, and daughters Gill, and Jess had some great action on the grass flats. All enjoyed catching Trout and Ladyfish using corks with a live shrimp underneath. Then we headed to some docks and David picked up a nice Redfish that he decided to release and a few Mangrove Snapper were also caught and released.
Eric Moore, wife Vanessa, daughter Erica, and sons, Eric, Bryce, and Braden all had an action packed day on the flats and around structure. All anglers caught and released plenty of Trout, Ladyfish, and Jacks with Eric Sr. landing a Jack that went around five plus pounds. This made for a great fight even though Eric was NY Giants 1988 first round draft pick and retired from the Miami Dolphis in 1995 you still need finesse to catch a fish this big on light tackle. Then later in the afternoon Eric Sr. also caught a nice Redfish to complete dinner for the evening.
David Wright, son Chris, friends Fran Schaap, and Daryl Quinn had a good day on the bay. Lots of fish, however not to many keepers. The big event was when Chris flipped a big hand-picked shrimp under a dock and a thirty inch Redfish decided to eat. We had to pull anchor and back away from the dock with the intention of getting into open water to fight the fish. We managed to do so and the Red was caught and release after a quick photo.
Bait used inshore on these trips was live shrimp, free lined or with a Billy Bay Aggravator cork when necessary to keep the bait from getting into the sea grass. At times depending on current or wind conditions when free lining shrimp I would add a split shot sinker to keep the bait in the target zone. I used a number four MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species tied to a twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader that went to ten pound test line on the reel. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action.
Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
http://www.charterfishingsarasota.com/

terry.frankford@verizon.net

Fishing Pinellas Co. With Captain Ames

July / August Fishing Report - 7/09/07
Fishing during June lived up to expectation with many good sized snook coming to the boat. Most of these were sight fished in shallow water, the most exciting way to catch a big snook. Sometimes these fish hit with a vengeance…other times they lazily come over, eat your bait and sink back to the bottom until the sting of the hook sends them off on their first run. Although snook will maintain their current positions in July, the heat will likely slow fishing down during the day. Evening fishing in or near the passes will continue to offer the best opportunity to catch really large snook. There should also be fish available in the swash channels, although these will be smaller. Baits of choice continue to be pilchards, threadfins and, for larger the larger specimens, ladyfish.

Redfishing slowed a bit in late June. With that in mind, it’s time to start fishing in the shade. When fishing docks, it’s important to throw up under them into the shadow area. Well placed casts are much more likely to be rewarded than casts along the perimeters. Another challenging summer option for redfish is fishing the mangroves on a high tide. First, it’s important to understand that, in many areas, the water line continues 15 to 20 feet up under the mangroves. Mangroves provide excellent protection for redfish as well as an abundance of food in the form of crabs and small baitfish. Casting baits into the shaded pockets created by mangroves can produce quality fish. Go into an area where you suspect redfish will be, throw your bait in a “pocket” and let it sit. If there’s a redfish in the neighborhood, it will eventually find your bait. Then pull hard to clear the fish from the mangrove roots. Redfish will eat almost any bait but compact, easy to cast offerings such as cut bait work best for this type of fishing. Although I have not run into schools of reds on the flats in the last few weeks, I expect they are still out there.

Small trout are abundant on the flats at this time of the year with an occasional larger fish showing up. Drifting a grass flat with jigs or bait can produce good numbers of fish and may represent a great choice when fishing with the kids.

Reports of tarpon in our area have been good lately. Although I have not been fishing them, I have spoken to people hooking fish off of the north end of Honeymoon and in under the Sand Key Bridge. There have also been a good number of fish in the Fred Howard Park area the first thing in the morning. Typically, live baits like whitebait or pinfish are thrown at these fish. Another option is to set up off the beach a few hundred yards and place dead mullet or shad on the bottom and wait for fish to swim through. I did spend a few weeks in Boca Grande this last month and will probably be running trips for both beach and pass fishing down there next May and June. Let me know if you’re interested in fishing tarpon next year so I can start to plan my schedule to accommodate everyone.
As fishing conditions will not change significantly until the weather begins to cool in later September, my next fishing update will not be until the beginning of September. Good luck and good fishing.

Captain Stewart Ames
727-421-5291
http://www.captainames.com/
sames001@tampabay.rr.com

Sarasota To Charlot Harbor With Captain Grassett

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 8/1 through 8/12/2007

Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, redfish, trout, ladyfish, bluefish, tarpon and jumped several other tarpon during the past couple of weeks. The best action has been fly fishing for snook before dawn. In addition, we were still getting shots at tarpon on the beach until August 9th and currently in Sarasota Bay with live crabs, DOA Baitbusters and flies. Not bad for early August!
Fly anglers Stuart and Dave Sprouse, from Knoxville, TN, fished Gasparilla Sound with me on Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 1 and 2. They had fast action with snook before dawn on my Grass Minnow snook fly. One morning we released 6 or 7 snook to 24” and had shots at tailing reds and laid up tarpon. The next morning we released about a dozen snook to 27”. We also fished deep grass flats in Gasparilla Sound where they caught and released trout and ladyfish with Clouser flies.
I spent a couple of days that week fishing in Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, the Peace River and Charlotte Harbor for tarpon. Anglers jumped 3 tarpon to 20-pounds with DOA TerrorEyz and had several other bites on Estaz Marabou flies and DOA shrimp in canals. We didn’t find any large tarpon at all in the open waters of the Peace River or Charlotte Harbor, which made me wonder if they were still on the beach.
Ken Schumacher, from IL, fished with me on Tuesday morning and caught and released his first snook with a fly. I went out along the beach to hunt for tarpon after the trip and found them, although not in large numbers. I had 6 or 7 shots with flies in 2-hours, enough to make it worthwhile. I went back on Thursday, found the numbers similar and caught one, a 70-pounder, with Shubat’s Mr. Blackie. It was a perfect fish- 6 or 7 jumps, one good run, back on the fly line and landed in about 15 minutes!
On Friday morning, a fly angler fishing with me worked some tarpon in Sarasota Bay near Bishop Point, but we couldn’t get close enough for a good shot. Another angler fishing close to us caught a 100-pound fish with a top water plug on baitcasting tackle. We went out along the beach at mid morning when the sun was right and didn’t see a single tarpon. What a difference a day can make!
On Saturday morning, I went back to the spot in Sarasota Bay where we saw tarpon the day before with Joe Larosa, from North Port, FL. It took a while for the fish to show, but as soon as ladyfish schools started breaking on the surface, tarpon started busting them. Joe hooked up with an estimated 110-pound fish with a live crab under a float and had her alongside the boat in about 30-minutes. He finished the morning off with a 26” redfish caught with a CAL jig with a rootbeer/gold grub. A nice morning!
Best options in the next few weeks should be large tarpon in Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor. Juvenile tarpon in the 15 to 20-pound class should also be a good option in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda canals. Catch and release snook fishing before dawn around lighted docks and bridge fenders and reds, trout and more on the flats after daylight should be another good plan.

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