Florida Keys Fishing Report 7-30-10

Thursday, July 29, 2010
Wow..what a week....



We apologize for the blog being down for the last week. Our first pic are two lovely kids, Jordan and Justin from St. Augustine, Fl. holding two good sized dolphin, the rest were sliced up and ready for dinner.



Out on the Capt. J.R. we had a fine family from Houston, Tx. Little guy; Justin-3yrs. old, Michael, 9 years old 'I caught the biggest fish'. Kayla, daughter 17, Michelle and Bill the proud parents...way to go guys..Now that is what I call family bonding...



Out on the Gold Reserve this great family from the east coast caught a nice 28# dolphin and some skipjack and blackfin tuna.



On the Dee Cee, Dawn and Marty Werti and Clay Cassa(not in pic) are from far away Ft. Myers, Fl. bringing home several dozen dolphin....that is how Dawn keeps her awesome shape...



Out on the Killer White we had the Irvins family (with sidekick funnyman firstmate Danny) bringing home dolphin, tuna, and barricuda..



On the Gold Reserve Mike and Steve bringing their kids Mikey and Victor for some good ole male bonding. These kids were so proud of their catch. I would be too. Way to go boys. They braved the bad weather, it downright poured on them...but it was worth it, dad's had a great time.



Killer White had Bill, Spencer, Zach, and Craig from Windsor, Ontario, Canada. 'had a great time at sea'. they brought back a nice variety pack..



Hailing from West Palm Jonathan, Brad, Amanda and Brook fishing on Gotcha bringing home load of dolphin. 'had a good day'



Out on the Yabba Dabba Doo Jacy Villa and Cassio Sasaya caught a nice rack of dolphin. said it was beautiful weather and were very satisfied with captain and mate...



On Capt. J.R. these two boys, Danny Lorrada and Shale Silva along with Douglas and Al had a great time. 'it was a little slow and rough on ocean but we are proud of our catch'



We had Gold Reserve coming back with angler(unfortunately I did not catch his name) and rack full of tuna and barricuda.
We also had the Gotcha out with anglers from Miami, Tallahassee, and NJ saying there were big waves out but still caught rack of tuna and dolphin.
Killer White coming home with tuna tuna tuna, the seas were rough but anglers had a great time.
Sassy Lady coming home with loads of dolphin.
Sassy Lady had a 350# blue marlin brought up by two 12 year old buddies on 30# gear. Josh and Chris for two hours fought the marlin..said it was a thrill of a lifetime.. I wish I had a picture for that...way to go boys...you made your mom proud.
If you would like to spend some quality time with your family, fishing is a great option. we offer clean, safe environment. And would love to have you aboard. Call us anytime 305-433-9942...as always....tight lines....

Nikki Holiday Isle Offshore 800-327-7070 Etc 642

Holiday Isle Resort and Marina
84001 Overseas Highway
Islamorada, FL 33036
305-664-2321 ext. 642
Direct: 305-433-9942
www.holidayisle.com
kharper@holidayisle.com  

Posted by Let's Fish at 6:12 AM

Amelia Island Fishing Report 7-26-10

Monday, July 26, 2010
Fast and Furious
Jeff Haskins was in town with his family, visiting from Tennessee, and scheduled to take in an Amelia Island backountry fishing trip for him and his two sons, Lucas and Jacob. We met at and left from the south end boat ramp at 7am this morning and ran up the Amelia River to the mouth of Jackstaff. I had been kicking around where to fish this morning with the tide coming in and expected to peak at around 10:30am. The oysters were still showing so we anchored up at the mouth of Jackstaff and began to fish the 1/4oz Sure Catch jigs with a live shrimp attached. After only a few casts the guys were hooking up. Jeff caught a feisty Redfish then Lucas had a major battle on his hands with something big that he fought expertly for 10 minutes. The fish went from bow to stern and back again then under the anchor rope.
Lucas passed the rod to me and I threaded the rod under the rope and then back to Lucas...and then I slipped and almost went overboard with one leg in the water and one around the trolling motor! Luckily, Lucas was there to lend one hand, with the rod in his other, and we got me back on board! The fish eventually broke itself off, but it was good practice because it wasn't long before Lucas had on a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. He fought this one to the boat and the waiting net.





While all this was going on, Jacob hooked up with another Redfish and battled it to the boat, then Jeff had a Bonnethead Shark take his bait and the fight was on! After playing the fish like a pro, we soon boated the 4' Shark for pictures and release.



This went on for about two hours with Sharks, Jack Crevalle, Redfish, Trout and Flounder being caught, photographed, and released. It was a beautiful morning and the fish were biting! We eventually moved around to the Nassau River, fished Bubblegum Reef briefly, then headed down the Nassau to troll the marsh grass. They guys continued their catching ways, pulling in more Redfish, Trout and another Flounder. We left them biting, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Capt. Lawrence Piper
The Anglers Mark
Amelia Island, Florida
904-557-1027
lwpiper@comcast.net
theanglersmark.com

Florida Keys Fishing Report 7-28-10

Monday, July 19, 2010
Islamorada, Sportfishing Capital of USA....



We had a wonderful few days. The winds have begun to pick up out of the east, the dolphin are biting hard, and the Yabba Dabba Doo with anglers Bert, Jason, and Scott from Coral Springs Florida bringing home a coolerful of dolphin. They had 'great fun', 'it was a little rough'.



On the Sassy Lady hailing from Orlando and San Antonio Tx. anglers Dave Lewis (in blue shirt) was Capt. Butch's coach when Butch played softball in Saudi Arabia). Zach(youngest) has been fishing with Butch since he was 9 years old. Jeff and Garrett bringing in dolphin, and tuna....





Out on the Killer White anglers from New York, Miles, Peter, and Paula 'had great fun' catching dolphin. 'Little rough when wind picked up but had a great time.' Killer White out day before with a great group. These guys know how to fish...no messing around. Come on and join us. Our captains offer full days, 3/4 days, and half days. When you get back on the dock, the captain filets the fish for you to take home and enjoy. Call us here at Holiday Isle Marina at 305-433-9942...

Nikki Holiday Isle Offshore 800-327-7070 Etc 642

Holiday Isle Resort and Marina
84001 Overseas Highway
Islamorada, FL 33036
305-664-2321 ext. 642
Direct: 305-433-9942
www.holidayisle.com
kharper@holidayisle.com 
Posted by Let's Fish at 6:16 AM

Jensen Beach Tarpon Are Everywhere

FISHING 7/17/10

          Tarpon in the river, inlets, surf it seems they are every where, why not it is their time.  At times they will eat what ever is in their way, and then there are the days where you can not get a look.  Look to go down in size, throwing that Crystal Minnow, look to the next size down, 3 ½” or if you are using the DOA bait buster try the small TerrorEyz, all your favorites come in a small size and that may be the secret.  With these small baits and heavy leaders a loop knot is mandatory or the bait just will not work.  These little baits can not pull the bigger leaders, that loop will let them work with out pulling the leader.  Tarpon at the Jetties, at surf edge north of FT.Pierce, south of Bath Tub to the Inlet, playing in the Cross Roads, plenty of them and the early hour seems to be most productive.

           At the surf plenty of big Whiting chased by plenty of big Snook.  If there is no action at the beach site you have chosen move, north or south because you will find them.  These fish have been there into the late morning a little piece of shrimp will find them.  If your target is Snook take the barbs off the hooks and go fish, please release them in the water.  Heard about a few Blues this week and some nice Snapper off the Hobe Sound beach, one thing they all had in common was the time, early.

            River, fish early or low light, water is warm and clear up my way.  If you can see them they can see you, long cast early using top water after sun up move to the channels.  Lots of slot Trout, small Reds, plenty of Snook and the good thing is that they have been hungry, breakfast.

           Bonita and more Boneheads, if you can get bait through them one may find a fish. Seas were not to polite this week with 3 to 4 being called all week with a strong east wind just maybe some Dolphin will blow our way.  For the moment most anglers were going deep looking for the Black Fins, playing with a few small Dolphins and coming in with King Fish of medium size, perfect for the grill.  Good Mutton bite for the bottom anglers, Cobia swimming around the boats, but not eating and this was reported from several locations.

          Yes, summer makes me lazy and the fish feel the same way……till next week where is the sun blocker??

Snook Nook Bait & Tackle
3595 NE Indian River Drive
Jensen Beach, FL
(Just South of the Jensen Causeway)
(772)-334-2145
(Since 1949)
E-Mail: henry@snooknook.net
www.snooknook.net       

Tampa Bay Tarpon

This past week was a lot of fun. I had a new baby girl! Well, my wife actually delivered her but was there to hold my wife’s hand :)  Plus, we jumped over 15 tarpon, landed some cobia, hooked some sharks, put several sea trout in the cooler and caught more mackerel than myself or any of my clients could count! What and awesome week!

Tampa Bay fishing has been great! Tarpon have again stolen the show. If you have a little patience, there’s nothing from stopping you from catching a fish of a lifetime right now. We’re hooking between 3 and 7 tarpon per trip with many being in the low 100lb range. Inbetween tarpon bites we’re also getting a good mackerel bite, some grouper, a few snapper and also a few cobia.

We’re fishing the Sunshine Skyway bridge in St. Petersburg for the most part right now but there are also some tarpon spread out along several area beaches. Threadfin herring has been the ticket to the best bite and we’ve been starting the charters early in the morning to try to beat the heat and to also beat the afternoon thunderstorms.

If you ever wanted to hook a “silver king” now is the time. The fish will be here until at least early October but the sooner the better as migratory fish will begin leaving the area in a month or so while resident fish will move up into the bay.

Call 813-300-2147 to book your Tampa Bay tarpon fishing charter today!


Tampa Bay Fishing
Captain Clay Eavenson
813-300-2147
http://www.captainclay.com/
gofishing@captainclay.com

Panhandle Fishing Report 7-23-2010

Report for 07/22/2010

Salt Water

PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND INSHORE
State Waters out to 9 miles are still open for fishing; while Federal Waters have been closed. There is still plenty of good fishing within the 9 mile limit, bring along some chum to get them off the bottom and turn the bite on. Good sized Snapper are out there waiting for you. They will hit frozen bait readily, but larger live baits seem to get larger Snapper and you might find a Grouper as well. Amberjack are a good bet and the chum works well for them also, there is nothing like getting them to the top and sight fishing for them with light tackle. Your larger wrecks and bridge spans will hold better sized fish. Plenty of King Mackerel and Bonita around, free line a live bait while drifting, or troll a deep diving plug or duster with a cigar minnow, you should have no trouble getting in on the action. Beeliners, Triggerfish, White Snapper, Black Seabass and Black Snapper are all out there as well, so be ready to change tactics when your other limits are filled. Also, be sure to look close at any weed lines or floating debris for Mahi Mahi, they will hit a good buck tail jig or gold spoon but again you may have to chum to get them turned on.

ST. ANDREWS BAY SYSTEM
Mangrove Snapper are all over the jetties right now in large numbers. They will hit a live shrimp or Menhaden. Rig it real light to make it look like it is drifting with the current. Spanish mackerel and Bluefish are still here, and you’ll find them following the large schools of Menhaden and other baits. Just look for the birds diving, they’ll give their location away. Troll Mackerel trees or cast Gotcha Plugs, spoons and Spec rigs for them. Large Red and Black drum will be hanging in deeper water with a good current, pinfish, finger mullet, LY’s and Pilchards make a great bait for them. Trout and smaller Redfish are a good bet at daybreak or dusk in the grassy flats. If throwing a top water wears you out, use shrimp under a popping cork or free line a live minnow. If you find some potholes in the grass fish on the bottom and drag the bait real slow looking for Flounder. Bull Minnows, finger Mullet and pinfish make good baits as well as a Gulp! bait on a jig head.

PANAMA CITY BEACH SURF & PIER
The King Mackerel bite has been very good at the pier. Ladyfish and Bluefish are plentiful and easy targets for the kids so you should be able to keep them interested. With a little more skill you can get in on the Sheepshead that are hanging around the pilings. They love fiddler crabs and live shrimp but they are real good at stealing bait without getting hooked. There has been plenty of bait around the pier lately which is keeping the action hot. It is still likely to see a Cobia, they seem to be on their way back away from the spill area. Tarpon are also a decent bet, they will be following schools of larger bait, look for their tell tale roll. Shark fishing at night has been producing some nice catches. Fishing in the surf will likely produce some of the same catches listed above if you can get a bait out there where they are. In a little closer you may catch Pompano, Whiting and the occasional Redfish cruising the beach. There have been a lot of small Sharks getting caught too, so don’t forget the pliers.

DESTIN
Fishing is still great.
Snapper are still biting well but it is unfortunate that they close Friday July 23rd.
Kings have been very good trolling along the beach and on near shore reefs as well a few off the Okaloosa island pier.
Amberjack have been plentiful even though you can only fish state waters.
We have heard of some red and gag grouper coming from the wrecks along the west beach.
In the bay, plenty of reds on the flats and around all the bridges on any tide change. Trout are biting in the early morning and later afternoon on the flats and then at night around dock lights.
In the surf there are plenty of ladyfish, hardtails and a few blues during the day. At night there is a good supply of small sharks.

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.

ICAST 2010

Mosquito Creek Outdoor's Indian RiverLagoon Coast Fishing Report
July 22, 2010


By Captain Tom Van Horn

Upcoming Classes, Seminars and Events
Saturday August 7th  9 a. m. to noon at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 S. Washington Ave. in Apopka Florida. Free seminar on "Snook Fishing Tactics" instructed by Captains Chris Myers and Tom Van Horn.  Special guest instructor Steve Chapman from Fishing Florida Radio. Come learn the secrets to catching snook, and become a more successful angler.

First half hour is basic instruction and after the class is open forum.

For the past week or so, my angling adventures led me away from the Indian River Lagoon Coast of Florida to ICAST Convention in Las Vegas, and the DOA Lures Writer's Conference in Jensen Beach, Florida.



ICAST
Although ICAST, the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades produced by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), dose not involve wetting a line, it's always one of my favorite off the water fishing adventures, and when combined with the DOA Lures Outdoor Writers Conference in Jensen Beach Florida, it made for a very exciting week.

The ICAST 2010 trade show was conducted from July 14-16, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas with over 7,000 representatives from the sportfishing industry gathering to see the latest innovations in tackle, gear and apparel and to network with the world sportfishing community. ICAST is the sportfishing industry's premier trade event where tackle dealers, media and manufactures gather, interact and review what's new in the industry and its feature event is the New Products Showcase.

Over two hundred exhibiting companies entered 750 tackle products and accessories into the New Product Showcase where both the media and buyers vote on this year's innovations and at the 2010 showcase, fourteen companies took top honors.

This year the G.Loomis NRX was voted by buyers and media as the most innovative product in the ICAST 2010 New Product Showcase in both the freshwater rod category and the overall "Best of Show." In addition, other showcase winners were G.Loomis, Lowrance-Navico, Pure Fishing, Sebile Innovative Fishing and Shimano American Corporation. Listed below are the 2010 Showcase winners:

2010 ICAST New Product Showcase Award Winners

Line - Rapala - Sufix 832 Advanced Superline

Kids Tackle - Pure Fishing - Pflueger-Spinning Combo-Apprentice

Eyewear - Maui Jim Sunglasses - Guy Harvey Collection

Apparel - Frabill, Inc. - FXE Stormsuit

Combo - Ardent/Lamiglas - C400/XC704 Fishouflage Bass

Electronics - Lowrance-Navico - Lowrance Elite-5 DSI

Fishing Accessory - Adventure Products, Inc. - EGO S2 Slider Landing Net

Giftware - Boating Expressions, Inc. - Fishfenders

Soft Lure - Koppers Fishing & Tackle Corporation - Live Target Hollow Body Frog

Hard Lure - Shimano American Corporation - Waxwing Sub-Surface Swimming Jig

Marine - Minn Kota-Johnson Outdoors, Inc. - Talon-Shallow Water Anchor

Freshwater Reel - Shimano American Corporation - Stella FE

Saltwater Reel - Shimano American Corporation - Trinidad A

Freshwater Rod - G.Loomis - NRX

Saltwater Rod - Shimano American Corporation - Terez

Tackle Management - HYI, Inc. - Openwater Tackle Backpack

Terminal Tackle - Sebile Innovative Fishing - Soft Weight System

Overall Best of Show - G.Loomis - NRX

Next it was off to Jensen Beach, Florida to attend the DOA Writers Conference.  One of the great perks about being a fishing guide and an outdoor writer is getting invited to event such as this and I have to tell you, my good friend Captain Mark Nichols and his dedicated staff of employees and guides know how to host an event.

River Palms Cottages



The setting for the three day show is the River Palms Cottages in Jensen Beach, which was just like stepping into a tropical paradise.  The low-key resort presents the feel of a far away tropical island and the exotic flora and lagoon beach draws all of the life's tension from your bones as soon as you step foot on the premises. For those of you reading this report, there is no need to travel thousands of miles and spend thousands of dollars to escape to a tropical paradise, simply book a few days at the River Palms instead.


Although my escape was quite and enjoyable, strong easterly winds made fishing conditions tough, but with the support of the DOA Pro Staff Guides and some hardcore anglers, we still managed to catch quite a few snook over 30 pounds.  The big females were holding up in the inlet near the "Hole in the Wall", as they fell victim to the big Terror Eyz in the rootbeer/gold glitter color bounced on the bottom during the falling tide.  For me, I managed to catch four snook from 18 to 24 inched fishing docks with a ¼ ounce CAL Jig in the Stark Naked color.
All snook were cought, photographed and released, and documented in the Snook Foundation's Angler Action Program.


In closing, I would like to also thank Ocean Kayaks, Minn-Kota, Costa, Shimano, Eagle Claw, and Flambeau for co-sponsoring the event and my guides, Captains John Young and Mike Peppe (http://www.tarpondancer.com) for putting me on fish despite the blustery conditions.


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 land line

Visit Mosquito Creek Outdoors at www.mosquitocreek.com, it's where your adventure begins.

Apalachicola Fishing Report 7 22-2010

Photo of Rob Wilkins holding a redfish he caught yesterday with Capt. David Heinke

Today at 6:00 pm NOAA will have made smaller the federal waters closed in the Gulf of Mexico - This is a step in the right direction folks! We are so very fortunate not to have been literally affected by spilled oil yet, although we have felt the effects of the threat of oil. But I'm not going to talk about that now!

Lets talk about the good news instead! How would you feel getting back to the dock from a Bayfishing trip this week with Capt. Jr. Holland or Capt. Kelly Butler after having caught 75 to 150 fish? Or what about jumping that first ever Tarpon on a fly rod? It's just as exciting to hook up & jump your 10th or 50th fish! Our anglers have had a great summer so far and it's not over yet! All things considered, we don't even get started on the fall fishing patterns until after the middle of September or so. Until then we'll be catching sharks & tarpon, redfish & trout, and everything in between.

And speaking of Fall fishing, if you stayed away this summer for fear of the worst, why not come on down and stay a week or so and do some Redfishing in cooler weather with us? We are looking forward to a good fall season and plan to be plenty busy. Group trips are already booking up.

Please keep Gulf Coatal Communities in your thoughts & prayers and our fresh, safe seafood on your dining room table!

Kathy Robinson
Robinson Brothers Guide Service
Apalachicola, Florida
850-653-8896 or 877-6-REDFISH
www.FloridaRedfish.com

Homosassa Fishing Is Action Packed

Tails and Teeth!!!!!
Report Date: July 13, 2010



Checkout Tommy with this Black Drum. Just before he landed this Drum he also managed to put a 60+lb Tarpon in the air. Not bad for 13!!!

The warm days of July have already provided many anglers with early surprises this month. Huge schools of feeding Redfish, an abundance of scallops in shallow water and the early arrival of many hard fighting sharks in some of the deeper waters and holes have provided many Nature Coast Anglers with tons of action packed angling experiences. July’s light winds and slight chances of rain have allowed the fishing and scalloping grounds off of Crystal River and Homosassa to reach a pristine gin clear state, and when conditions like this arrive “Look Out” because the skies the limit when it comes to angling opportunities. With the water reaching such a clarity tons of sight casting opportunities have led to some trips of a life time. Just ask 13 year old Tommy who recently spent the day fishing with myself and his grandfather. On this trip Tommy caught and released a number of Redfish, Speckled Trout, Jack Crevalle, Bluefish, Snapper, Shark, Black Drum, and he was even rewarded with a Hook Up of a 60+lb Tarpon. What a Day!!!!!



Steve made a great cast to this 34" Redfish. 10 minutes later both of these boys were smiling!!!!

Obviously, Tommy’s trip will be one that he will not soon forget, but there have been a few other Red Hot anglers that will have some fishing stories to brag about including myself. Schools of 100 plus fish are not all that rare in the grand scheme of things when you think about the saltwater fishing world. Schools of 100’s (in some cases 1000’s) of Jacks, Bonita, Black Drum, Spanish Mackerel and even Tarpon happen all through out the year Nature Coast. But if you have ever been fortunate enough to come across 100+ Redfish in knee deep water this would definitely be a spectacle that an angler would never forget. In recent weeks the backcountry areas of the Crystal River and Homosassa have been inundated with some of the largest schools of Redfish this year may see. And with most boaters focused on scalloping this fishery should see a complete lack of pressure for quite some time. On a recent back-to-back trip both Cathy Stone and Steve Earheart both set personal bests when these big schools of Reds came rolling their way. Because most of these fish are way outside of the slot limit I like to use a 4/0 Circle Hook with Cut bait. The circle hook ensures a proper corner of the mouth hook up which allows these big breeding Redfish to be set free practically unharmed.



Cathy had her work cut out for her when she layed in to this PIG of a Redfish. At 33" this beat out here previous best Redfish by a few inches. Great Job!!!!!!!

As good as the Redfishing has been the most action packed fishing to date has to be the Shark fishing. Sharks can be targeted up and down the Nature Coast but my favorite method of Shark fishing is anchoring up just off a shallow clear flat adjacent from a deep hole and setting out a good chum slick. Chumming with sardines, ground mackerel, and even hanging Bluefish or Bonita over the side of the boat will always get the attention of Mackerel, Bluefish, Speckled Trout and especially Sharks. Bonnetheads, Spinners, BlackTips, Hammerheads, and Bull sharks are the most common sharks this time of year and it is not unheard of to hook up with one of each during a day of Shark fishing. If you have never tried Shark fishing there are very few instances in the world of fishing that are more exciting than hearing the ZING!!!!!!!! of the fishing line coming off a reel when a hungry shark comes calling. Not to mention Shark steaks are one of the more underrated seafood delicacies.



2 Nice Black Tip Sharks for the Grill!!!

Now with all of this talk of Sharks I hope I have not deterred anyone from jumping into the water and enjoying some of the best Scalloping the Nature Coast has seen in years. For over 3 weeks now the Scallop season has been open off of the Crystal River and Homosassa areas and it seems that as the weeks move on the scalloping only continues to gets better. The excellent scalloping can be accredited to strong recent tides of the moth. As the tides move in and out the scallops hitch a ride on many of the floating grasses. The good news to be reported for Scallopers is that there are NO!!! Jellyfish to speak of on the scallop grounds. In recent years jellyfish have been one of the real challenges for snorkeler’s pursuing the tasty scallops but up to date the waters are jellyfish free and should continue to be for quite some time.

So with the weather warming and the fishing and scalloping heating up why not incorporate a fishing/scalloping adventure with Red Hot Fishing Charters during your summer break. We can custom build a trip that can surely suit your needs and wants. If you’re interested in creating an inshore fishing or scalloping memory please feel free to give Red Hot Fishing Charters a call today!!!

Capt. Kyle Messier
(352) 634-4002
kylemessier@yahoo.com
WWW.REDHOTFISHINGCHARTERS.COM

Ft. Lauderdale Deep Sea Fishing 7-12-2010

It’s been another week of pretty good fishing. The kingfish and bonita have been biting just about every day. The snapper fishing has been a little more hit and miss. We caught them a couple of days but then the current picked up and they stopped biting. No big grouper this week but we did have a couple of lucky anglers catch a couple of big hammerhead sharks. The dolphin fishing is still very spread out with only a few reports of fish being caught of any size, mostly smaller ones. Well, that’s all for now. Hope to hear from you soon.

Reel Work
301 Seabreez Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
954-522-9399
1-877-524-9377
Email: lauderdalefishing@gmail.com
Website: lauderdalefishing.com
Fort Lauderdale Deep Sea Fishing

Sarasota Tarpon Thinning But Aggressive

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 7/4 through 7/17/2010


Fishing continues to be good in the coastal gulf for tarpon and in Sarasota Bay for trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and more. Fly anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action towards the end of the week of 7/4. Conditions were poor early that week with rain and overcast skies, however they improved to near perfect at the end of the week and tarpon responded favorably.

Jerry Poslusny, from Rochester, NY and Jay Peck, from Spencerport, NY, tarpon fished with me on Thursday and Friday, 7/8 and 9. Jay is a fly fishing guide for trout, salmon and steelhead in upstate NY and couldn’t wait to pull on a big tarpon! They jumped 3 tarpon off Longboat and Lido Keys and got a couple of them to the boat, including one that Jerry caught and released that was 100-pounds or more. Another fly angler fished the same areas with me on Saturday. We had more than 20 shots at fish and a couple of bites but didn’t hook up.

Gary and Tyler Mintz, from CO, fished several days with me this past week. Tarpon on a fly was our goal, but we fished Sarasota Bay on Monday due to rough conditions in the coastal gulf. They caught and released trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel near Bishop Point on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on sink tip fly lines and a popper/dropper combo consisting of a Bubblehead popper and a Clouser fished on a floating line.

With a similar forecast for Tuesday, we headed for more protected waters of the Peace River where we had a few shots at tarpon in the 20 to 30-pound class. However, conditions improved so much by 9 AM that we headed back to Sarasota to fish the coastal gulf. We had numerous shots at tarpon in the coastal gulf off Sarasota over the next couple of days and several hard follows, but no bites.

It all came together for them on Thursday when Tyler made “the right cast to the right fish”. He hooked up with an estimated 75-pound tarpon on a black Deceiver and fought the fish for about 45-minutes. The fish broke off on a jump close to the boat, but we’d already had our fun! Another fly angler jumped and landed a similar size fish, also on a black Deceiver, in the same area on Friday.

Although tarpon schools have thinned to more singles, doubles and small schools of fish rather than large schools, they are aggressive now. This should hold up through July or into early August. Tarpon are also beginning to move to inside waters where you may find them on deep grass flats or around bridges. DOA baits on spinning tackle, especially those that land gently such as the DOA shrimp and CAL shad tails, will also work well for tarpon during July. Fish the flats for trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and reds early in the day for the best action.

Tight Lines,

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

Fly angler Jerry Poslusny from Rochester, NY, battles a tarpon off Siesta Key caught and released on a black Deceiver while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Jensen Beach Fishing Report 7-10-10

FISHING....07/10/10



            Beautiful weather, warm temps, and flat water, can it get any better?  Lake Atlantic was very kind to anglers, one to two foot seas and that would be big, so every body was out and the catch list was long.  So was the list of boats, lot of boats and a few fish each but it was a beautiful week end.  The Black Fins were out in 250’ and some were of good size, trolling small feathers. Problem was after three the forth was eaten buy a shark, the fight and the run drew the sharks to the area, solution bring in the lines and move on.  Dolphin were all small, two here and two there, not a bunch but they were out there, again the man in the gray suit shows up. Kings were in sixty feet, a lot in the twenty pound class eating sardines and the sharks were with them. Mutton and Yellow Tail Snapper kept the reef anglers busy, Amber Jacks to test your equipment and again sardines top the bait list.  Not a lot of fish per boat but enough. Lots of comments on Sharks both inside and out, look before you reach out for that catch, look before you put your hands on that leader, we get upset when we loose a catch but you are in his house, careful. Action zone was 80’/125’ both north and south of the inlets, baits were not a problem, just lots of boats. Please give every body lots of room, pay attention to what in front of you.

          Inlets and beach were busy, lots of Whiting, Snook, Tarpon, big Jacks, just a lot of fish that will test your equipment.  Lots of good size Whiting on small pieces of shrimp, bring that bucket of ice you want to keep your catch as fresh as possible. Now about the Snook, if that is your target take the barbs off the hooks and if the fish takes the bait deep cut the leader and let them have the hook.  These fish are after the Whiting, they are your toes, Yozuri crystal minnow, D.O.A Bait Buster, Gulf Stream Red Tail Hawk will find the fish and plenty of them; take the barbs off the hooks.  Slide them across the bottom, fish in the trough or put that little Whiting back where you caught it and hang on. Tarpon have been south of Bath Tub beach, and the south Jetty in Ft Pierce, big fish, do not bring a knife to the gun fight.

           Trout fishing early has been excellent, lots of nice fish on top water lures or a shrimp on a popping cork, knee deep. Bite is early, before sun up till maybe mid morning.  Fish the grass edges; work your bait down that line from Bear Point south to Boy Scout Island, early, low light.  Late morning look deep, the channel edge, four feet, work your bait slow across the bottom.  Tarpon, low light, cross roads north to the Stuart causeway, north side of the Jensen causeway and Mud creeks are holding fish and I have no idea why there is none in between. But plenty of big Jacks every where in between so do not set your equipment down.  Fishing has been good but you have to fish early, low light and cooler water is the key.

           So where is the camera????????

 Snook Nook Bait & Tackle
3595 NE Indian River Drive
Jensen Beach, FL
(Just South of the Jensen Causeway)
(772)-334-2145
(Since 1949)
E-Mail: henry@snooknook.net
www.snooknook.net      

Fishing Mongolia

This wasn’t our first trip fishing for Taimen in Mongolia.  My husband Lee and I had fished with Sweetwater  Travel Company in Mongolia in June of 2008 with great success.  We each caught a fish over  50″, which may have been world records, so this time we decided we would come prepared to record any monster we might catch, knowing very well that a repeat of our luck on the first trip was not too likely.  Frontiers had booked this June 2010 trip and helped us plan a follow-on itinerary through Irkutsk, Lake Baikal, Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Mongolia is an interesting country with beautiful women and changeable weather.  We arrived in Ulan Batar  through Seoul, Korea, and had planned a day of recuperation before heading to the camp on Monday, but found that we would be flying to Moron on Sunday, the next day, and then driving over the mountains to reach the camp, actually adding one day of fishing to our trip.  Weather did not permit us to fly into the closer  Erdenbulgan.  We left UB in 85° weather and were surprised when the flight attendant said the temperature in Moron was about 38° and sleeting.  New snow had fallen in the mountain passes and the almost non-existent roads were even more difficult to follow.  After  five and a half hours of driving, we arrived in camp past midnight  to warm soup, cold beer,  and a group of  fishermen enthusiastically  talking about taimen.  Charlie, one of our guides, had photos on his computer of the 53″ taimen Lee caught in 2008 and the 57″ I caught that trip with him as our guide. Our ger was cozy  and warm when we finally entered it after talking late into the night.
 We knew the program:  don’t get up too early, as one of the Mongolian camp staff will silently enter your ger about 6 a.m.,  re-light  your wood stove;  letting you wake to a warm ger and hot water in the tank; coffee ready by 7; breakfast  at 8; guide and river assignments; get your rods setup  and head for the river.  Rigging rods the first morning took  a little time,  and Charlie loaned us an additional rod so we could each have  two taimen  rods, one set up with  Jim Teeny 300 sinking line and one with floating line as well as two  six weight rods set up for grayling and lenok.   Our guide for the day, Gana, put a white, green and red streamer on the borrowed eight weight rod I was to use with my favorite 3N Abel reel, set up with a 16 lb. tippet .  Lee made certain we had the certified scale, a tape measure and cameras in the boat.
We didn’t get to the confluence of the Eg and Ur Rivers until almost 1:00 p.m.   The Ur River is a wide slower flowing river that ends where it meets the Eg, which is a fast flowing river that comes out of Lake Hovsgol to the northwest.   Gana set us up so that we were anchoring, casting, drifting, with me near the motor casting to the Ur and Lee near the anchor, casting to the drop-off on the Eg.  After six or seven  minutes I had a good strike, but it got off.  Another six  or seven minutes and another good strike but couldn’t keep it on, either.   Well, I was getting nervous that I was doing something wrong, but Gana reassured me that I should just keep fishing.  Another six or seven minutes, another strike and  it did not get off!  When this monster surfaced we all gasped at the size of the huge circular jaw and the gleaming white throat, reminiscent of the great white in Jaws.   Two more times it surfaced, shaking its head, trying to spit out the fly as we drifted and Gana guided us to shore.  I remained in the boat, while Gana successfully netted the fish from shore on the second try.   A 30 minute battle. Thought my reeling hand might fall off.  What elation!  58 inches long, 24.5 girth, 47.5 weight.   If accepted by IGFA, a new world record!
The rest of our week passed with more “normal” results, Lee had several taimen in the 30 and 40 inch range, while I was relegated to catching some of the smallest taimen ever seen, including one about 19″ as part of a Mongolian Grand Slam (taimen, grayling and lenok in one day).  On the afternoon of the  last day, we drifted with our guide  Bayaraa through the same water at the confluence of the Eg and Ur where the monster (and a number of other good fish) was caught, this time Lee casting to the Ur and me casting to the Eg,  my fly occasionally hanging up on the rocks along the drop off.  Bayaraa was about to come help me get my fly off another rock when I sensed some movement, another rock? movement, a fish!  When this taimen surfaced, we could see the entire body and a beautiful, huge, red-orange tail.    Bayaraa guided us to shore where we landed a 50″, 36 lb taimen.  What a way to start and end a trip!  
Marles Frankman.

Bonefish Are Plentiful In Lower Keys

Key West Fishing Report
July 5, 2010



The shallow waters have been kind to us the past few weeks. Plenty of big tarpon are still abound and traveling the ocean and backcountry edges of the flats.

We've been getting out early to get the best bite on calmer days and have been successful.

Bonefish are plentiful all over the Lower Keys. It's still a great time for the Grand Slam (tarpon, bonefish, permit) and it will be all the way into the fall months.

The Gulf Oil Spill has of course been a concern for us, but the center of the spill is 475 miles away. The latest NOAA reports put us farther away from damage, it changes constantly but after this much time things are still in our favor and our waters are clean and fishable.

September and October are both terrific months for fishing the flats in the Keys. The warmer weather starts to taper off and there are permit, bonefish and smalller tarpon (with some larger ones mixed in). It is a terrific time to fish here and provides some wading opportunities that are accessible by boat.

You can reach Captain Justin Rea at 305-744-0903 or email justin@flyfishingthekeys.com

Capt. Justin Rea
Sugarloaf Key, FL 33042
www.flyfishingthekeys.com
justin@flyfishingthekeys.com
305-744-0903

Treasure Coast Fish Catch Fire

July 12, 2010 - Warm Days and Hot Fishing

Summer weather has firmly established itself along the Space and treasure Coasts out side of Orlando - calm, warm seas in the morning giving way to gentle easterly sea breezes and even warmer condition later in the day with the threat of daily thundershowers in the afternoons. Redfish feed shallow in the calm mornings and move off to the deeper drop-offs and potholes later in the day. And now that normal patterns have finally returned to the area, the fishing caught fire as well. We start our individual reports with a spectacular catch.

Some fellows are born great fisherman and other have the honor thrust upon them. We are not sure which applies to Larry Zimmerman from the Villages near Ocala, Florida but his feats on the water the last two years are becoming legendary. Celebrating his 49th anniversary, and staying on Cocoa Beach last week, Larry joined Capt. Rocky on the Banana River for some laid-back fishing. Redfish were the target de jour and they did not disappoint. While catching nine of bronzed beasts on the half day charter, a giant appeared to turn the day from really good to the stuff of which legends are made. Pictured below are Larry and an unbelievable 58 inch redfish. The monster took a four inch pogy in only two feet of water and spent the next hour and half towing Larry, the guide and 17 foot, 6 inch flats boat up and down the flats. Six times Capt. Rocky had to raise the PowerPole and chase the brute in order to keep enough line on the reels but in the end, it was Larry Zimmerman who emerged the victor thus securing his place among the greats in local fishing lore.




The second day of Larry’s two day charter package was also a titanic success. Changing venues from the Banana River near Cocoa Beach, Larry and Rocky headed for the clear grass flats of the Indian River near Titusville. This time using live and cut mullet, the action started almost immediately with another monster redfish. Instead of chasing the fish from the boat, this time Larry opted to wade after the fish in the shallows. Pictured below is Larry with another trophy redfish. After live releasing the first monster it took less than fifteen minutes for the next one to join the fray. This fish was able to strip the reel bare so quickly that no adjustment could be made. There were other redfish caught on the day along with several fine trout. The end of the half day charter was spent chasing and sight-fishing waking black drum along the grass flats.




The tarpon bite has slowed a little in the past week, mainly due to the lack of rain. However, Brent was able to bring a beautiful fish boat-side on a trip with Capt. Peter for a quick photo before release. Brent was invited on this fishing trip (his first saltwater excursion) by Bill Pesci, and the targets for the day were tarpon and snook. The anglers sight-fished schools of tarpon early in the morning, and were able to get bites on live mullet. When the tarpon bite slowed, Capt. Peter switched over to sight-fishing for snook under docks on the Indian River. Live pogies worked best on the snook, as they turned down everything else. Pictured is Brent with his first tarpon.




Due to the slow tarpon bite, Capt. Peter has been fishing schools of redfish in the Banana River. These schools are in shallow water and make for excellent sight-fishing. These schools of reds have been between 15 to 50 fish in number, and are ranging in size from 25” to 35”.

On Monday of the days this week, Capt. Peter had a trio of fishing fanatics from Georgia aboard his boat. The first couple of hours was spent sight-fishing some larger schools of reds. The anglers got to fish over eight different schools of redfish in the crystal clear water. At one point, there was three different schools within casting range around the boat. When the wind picked up a little and the schools of redfish laid down for the afternoon, Capt. Peter moved into some mangrove coves that produced good numbers of upper to over-slot redfish for the remainder of the trip. Pictured are Jeff and Jake’s double hitter and one of the nice upper slot fish.





Returning the scene of the crime only two days later, Capt. Rocky guided Kim from Titusville and Shawn, his son from Orlando on another half day redfish safari. Despite the overwhelming presence of the reds in the same waters several days before, for some reason, they had completely vacated the area. After searching in shallow, medium and deeper waters it became apparent that no redfish would be spotted on this charter. However, there were still trout and a dozen or more were caught on the day using live shrimp and large poggies cast-netted from several migrating schools in the area. Other fish caught included ladyfish, bluefish and gafftopsail catfish which had been following the poggy schools.


Mike and Devin Hinton from Ohio, along with her cousin Aaron Hubbard from Tampa, Florida spent a glorious day of fishing with Capt. Rocky in the Banana River last week. Launching from Ballard Park in Eau Galle, the foursome were making the long trek to the Cocoa Beach/Merritt Island areas when they spotted massive schools of glass minnows being trashed by birds and schools of predatory fish. Over the next hour, trout, ladyfish (later used for redfish as cut bait) and gafftopsail catfish came to boat one after another. Fearing the once ample supply of live poggies would be exhausted in the middle of the river, Capt. Rocky cranked the engine and headed for the shallows in search of redfish and trout. Devin scored first with a fine 26 inch trout (see picture) and Mike boated the first redfish which measured just over the slot. Several redfish and one miss on a huge redfish later the crew decided to concentrate on the bigger, memory-making monsters with the remaining baits. Good decision! Pictured below are Mike and Devin holding a heavy 42 inch brute requiring a group effort to subdue and cousin Aaron with his 41 inch beast which anchored the day … and what a wonderful day it was!







On another trip fishing the schools of redfish in the Banana River, Capt. Peter was joined by Bill Flack and his grandson, Andrew. The purpose of the trip was to fish many different flats and islands within the Banana, and experience the unique types of fishing and scenery. Bill and Andrew landed a sizeable trout and redfish, with most of the reds being over the slot limit. Pictured are Bill with his biggest red to date - a healthy 15lber – and Andrew with a nice over slot red.





Chuck and Mason Theurer recently fished two days with Capt. Peter – with one of the days being spent fishing in the FLFA Junior tournament. The tournament was Mason’s first fishing competition. With Mason on the bow of the boat the whole day, Capt. Peter pushed poled after schools of redfish for the most of the morning. Mason did a fantastic job casting to fish, and landed a handful of redfish…including the largest redfish in the tournament at 33 inches, and the second largest fish in the event. Mason also made some casts count, when schools of trout and ladyfish started crashing schools of glass minnows on the surface, where he quickly landed both species. Mason’s dad, Chuck, took video of most of the tournament, and caught some really awesome footage (the first cast to a tailing school of 50 redfish in 1 foot of clear, glassy water will get your heart pumping every time).
The second trip, was spent chasing schools of redfish early in the morning, and then fishing shallow water docks later on. The schools of reds were cooperative in the morning, with Capt. Peter fishing two schools (one school had a couple of dozen 26” fish, and the other school was much larger with at least 50 fish ranging from 25” – 35”). Both chuck and mason were on the bow this time, and they sight-fished the entire day. They left the schools to sigh-fish some shallow water docks near Cocoa Beach around 10am, and were able to entice a couple fat redfish into biting. The docks tend not to hold schooling fish, but singles here and there. This is a different style of fishing than that of chasing schools, but is equally as fun. Pictured are Mason posing with his biggest tournament redfish and Mason with a fish that came off of a dock.





Posted by Rocky Van Hoose on July 13, 2010 at 08:36:53 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

Everglades Fishing Report 7-12 10

Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Everglades Fishing Charters Fishing Report July 6/10





Fishing still remains good. The afternoon rain isn't affecting us as it usually starts raining after we get in. I am doing quite a few 3/4 days to make sure we do however get in before the rain.

Tom Pusateri and his family came to fish in the Everglades over the 4th of July weekend. They wanted to catch a mess of trout for dinner then try to land a tarpon or two. We did just that....we caught our limit of nice trout up to 22 inches....then to jump 7 tarpon landing 1, so i guess the tarpon won that day.



July Orick and her 2 daughters wanted to fish while the guys played golf, so we did a 3/4 day. They also wanted a mess of fish to eat and try their skill on tarpon. Between the 3 girls, they caught trout and lots of them, snook and jumped 5 tarpon landing 1. Way to go girls.



Fishing will continue to be good through out the summer months....even with the rain around we will be jumping and landing tarpon, snook, trout and many more species.





Like I always say....come on, pick up that phone, give me (Capt Becky)a call (239-695-2029) and lets get you booked for that fishing trip of a lifetime here in the Everglades National Park. We are OIL FREE and the fishing is great.

Captain Becky Campbell  
239-695-2029
www.evergladesfishingcharters.com/
CaptainBecky709@aol.com