Fishing Report 12/18/2007
Capt. Terry Frankford
The fish have really been hot in the Gulf of Mexico on the near shore artificial reefs with Little Tunny, and King Mackerel on lite tackle stealing the show. Inshore is a little different, client's aboard the Reelin & Chillin had to work for there catch, however hard work paid off on most all trips. Great fighting snook to twenty-six inches and Redfish to over twenty-seven inches were found around structure and mangroves. A few Sheepshead have been caught along with a couple Black Drum. Just a quick review of a few trips aboard the Reelin & Chillin this week:
Grandpa Rosy, son Todd, & Grandson Troy Rosenlund had a slow day at first, seemed all we could find was undersized Redfish. The day was completed with four snook being caught and released by all three anglers. Troy had the big fish of the day, a nice twenty-six inch snook he caught on only eight pound test line.Barney Sack & Dave Levine found some lite tackle action starting on the flats in Big Pass. We caught & released several Trout, and Ladyfish using white bait on lite tackle. Fun, however the dinner bell wasn't ringing. We headed for structure working docks off of St. Armand's and New Pass. By the end of the trip Barney had a twenty-five inch Redfish in the live well, and David a nice twenty-seven inch Redfish to top off the day. Great work guys.Pat Bryne and Merv Griffin headed out to the Silvertooth artificial reef off of Lido Key for some great lite tackle action. These two anglers had a ball with Little Tunny and King Mackerel ripping line off there reels. I would have to crank up the engine and follow the fish just to get more line back on the reel. Total count "landed" was five Little Tunny and three King Mackerel.The Jordan's had a fun day, however we were limited to inshore fishing do to weather conditions. Rob, Robb, Ben, and Elliott all caught fish, Betsy just enjoyed the show put on from the anglers, along with a group of about five Manatees that hung around the boat in New Pass for awhile. Rob picked up a Black Drum, and a twenty-two inch Redfish. Elliott caught a Red that measured in at twenty-seven inches, and Ben stole the show with "big fish of the day" a Redfish that was just over the twenty-seven inch limit that he released after a quick photo. 
Robb didn't land the big fish, however he was the Jack Crevalle king of the day for sure.Quick-Release Anchor set upAt times both inshore and near shore I find line being stripped off my light tackle reels at a rate that requires me to detach the anchor and follow the fish. This is necessary not only to get more line back on the reel, it's also necessary to keep the fish out of structure such as docks, crab buoy lines, other anglers fishing lines, and anchor rodes. I have one anchor, chain, and shackle for this purpose, and two different lengths of anchor line. Depending on where I'm fishing determines which length I will use. Inshore I carry a thirty foot section of line and for near shore reefs I carry seventy-five foot section. Length of line will vary depending on the size of your boat, mine is twenty-three feet. I attach a float at the boat end of each line, a large cork float for the inshore set-up and a small fender for the near shore set-up. When anchoring up I tie two half hitches, however only over the front horn of the cleat, this way I only have to grab the slack end of the line and pull to release the anchor. There are a few safety concerns, watch that angler, you don't want to gun the boat and possibly cause a fall. Also, keep an eye behind you when backing. It's very easy to get excited about the angler and his fish, losing site of what your about to run over. One nice benefit about using this set-up aside from the obvious being you just landed a big fish on lite tackle, is that you end up back in the exact location you just left and don't have the hassle of re-anchoring. Hope this tip helps you to have a better chance of getting that big one to the boat on lite tackle - Good Luck.Tight Lines & Good Times,
Robb didn't land the big fish, however he was the Jack Crevalle king of the day for sure.Quick-Release Anchor set upAt times both inshore and near shore I find line being stripped off my light tackle reels at a rate that requires me to detach the anchor and follow the fish. This is necessary not only to get more line back on the reel, it's also necessary to keep the fish out of structure such as docks, crab buoy lines, other anglers fishing lines, and anchor rodes. I have one anchor, chain, and shackle for this purpose, and two different lengths of anchor line. Depending on where I'm fishing determines which length I will use. Inshore I carry a thirty foot section of line and for near shore reefs I carry seventy-five foot section. Length of line will vary depending on the size of your boat, mine is twenty-three feet. I attach a float at the boat end of each line, a large cork float for the inshore set-up and a small fender for the near shore set-up. When anchoring up I tie two half hitches, however only over the front horn of the cleat, this way I only have to grab the slack end of the line and pull to release the anchor. There are a few safety concerns, watch that angler, you don't want to gun the boat and possibly cause a fall. Also, keep an eye behind you when backing. It's very easy to get excited about the angler and his fish, losing site of what your about to run over. One nice benefit about using this set-up aside from the obvious being you just landed a big fish on lite tackle, is that you end up back in the exact location you just left and don't have the hassle of re-anchoring. Hope this tip helps you to have a better chance of getting that big one to the boat on lite tackle - Good Luck.Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
