Sarasota Fishing Report 10-30-2010

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 10/31/2010

Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released little tunny, trout, small gag grouper and a red on flies last week. The fastest action continues to be in the coastal gulf with little tunny. Spanish mackerel are also plentiful but we actually avoided mackerel schools in lieu of their much stronger cousins.

Capt. John Hand, of Redfish Landing Guide Service in Ruskin, FL, and Dr. Ben Estes, from Augusta, GA, fished the coastal gulf off Siesta Key with me on Monday. John was the successful bidder on the trip, which was donated to the Florida Council of Federation of Fly Fishers. They caught and released 4 little tunny in the 8 to 10-pound class and had a couple of other hook ups on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. We fished the west side of Sarasota Bay in the afternoon and caught and released a few trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies.

David and Linda Kornreich, from Orlando, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday and Thursday. David caught and released numerous trout to 18” and small gag grouper on Ultra Hair Clouser flies at Stephens Point. He also connected with a nice red on a spoon fly and after a couple of short, head shaking runs had the fish alongside the boat.

Good tides as we approach a new moon and this weekend’s front should make fishing good next week. Fish the coastal gulf for little tunny and Spanish mackerel when conditions allow it or fish Sarasota Bay for trout, reds, snook and more 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


 

Capt. John Hand, from Ruskin, FL, and Dr. Ben Estes, from Augusta, Ga, with an albie that Ben caught and released on a fly in the coastal gulf off Siesta Key while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report 10-29-2010

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Forecast, November  2010
by Captain Tom Van Horn


Upcoming Seminars and Events
Tuesday, November 2nd, 7:00 - 9:00 PM, Orlando Kayak Fishing Club Meeting (open to all) in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoor in Apopka Florida.

Saturday, November 20th, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers,  Basic fishing open forum, followed by "Preparing for the Shad Run & Crappie Season & Shad Derby Meeting" 10:30 - 11:30 AM in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida.

November's Fishing Outlook

As I sit down to write my November outlook, I can't help but think about all the wonderful fishing adventures I've experienced this month. It's truly a blessing to live in such a magnificent place. I'm also blessed to have an understanding wife and family who have demonstrated extreme tolerance in respect to my passion for the water and fishing. For the majority of my working life, I have taken a week off in November to do nothing but fish in Sebastian, and again mid month I will test their tolerance once more.



For a whole host of reasons, November prevails as one of the most productive months to fish the Florida East Coast. The mullet run is in full swing with waves of silver and black mullet migrating south down the coast. Currently, the inlets are jam-packed with bait increasing the diversity of species one can expect to catch. Along with this seasonal migration of bait come cooler temperatures and an influx of predators who seek warmer waters and an easy meal.

The ocean temperatures are still in the lower eighties, and once it begins to drop, look for an increase in the feeding activity of larger fish. The cooler waters and northeast swells act as a triggering mechanism signaling predation activity in preparation for the onset of winter. Listed below are some of the opportunities presented in November:

Cobia and Tripletail: As the water temperatures cool, look for cobia and tripletail on the Port Canaveral buoy line and on floating weed lines, both offshore and inshore. When you find a weed line, look for tripletail hanging just below the weeds. Small jigs or live shrimp work well in this situation. It is also important to keep a one ounce chartreuse jig rigged up and ready to throw to any cruising cobia.

Snook: Cooler waters will trigger the snook bite both along the beaches, and in the inlets. November is one of the best months to catch snook in the Sebastian Inlet.

Flounder: Ocean flounder have already begun to show up, and will greatly improve as the water cools. Good catches of flounder have been reported this week on the buoy line and inside the Canaveral Port.

Pompano: Schools of pompano will soon begin to move off the lagoon flats and invade the beaches in search of sand fleas (mole crabs) their favorite winter food.

Red Drum: Large redfish can be found feeding in the oceans inlets. These fish range between 20 to 30 pounds. They are great fun to catch, but need to be treated and released with great care and respect.

Jack Crevalle and Spanish mackerel: Schools of large jacks have begun to show up in the inlets and backwaters of the lagoon. They are easy to spot and catch. Look for birds and fish busting bait on the surface and throw top water plugs, jigs, or your choice of live bait.

Sea Trout:  Remember, sea trout are out of season from November 1st through January 1st   on Florida's east coast, so if you catch one, please handle and release it with extreme care

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
www.irl-fishing.com
captain@irl-fishing.com

  For all you outdoor shopping needs, visit Mosquito Creek outdoors at www.mosquitocreek.com

Indian River Fishing Report 10-29-2010

Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
Capt. Chris Myers
October 28, 2010


Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

With the fall baitfish run still in progress, the redfish are still feeding aggressively on mullet and other fish imitations. Many of the giant redfish are still spawning in deeper water. On the flats there are small and medium sized schools of redfish as well as singles and pairs. A few seatrout have been making an appearance along the sand bars and off the edges of the flats.

David had a successful day sight fishing Mosquito Lagoon landing several redfish on DOA Baitbusters and a few more on three inch CAL baits.



John and his son Dave had some shots at couple schools of giant redfish. Unable to quite get the large fly far enough, John switched to a spinning rod and quickly landed his biggest fish ever on a Baitbuster.



Unfortunately, the fish were spooked away before David could hook up. We moved up on the shallow flats and both guys had numerous shots at redfish with the fly throughout the day.

The following day, Ross spent an hour or so trying to reach another school of giant redfish with the fly. The mullet fly never got to the fish before they moved out to deeper water and vanished. The rest of the day was tough with shots few and far between.

Ellen and Mike fished with me last week in Mosquito Lagoon. Mike spent the morning casting at dozens of tailing and cruising redfish. His casting was a bit rusty but he was able to fool two reds on CALs. The newlyweds threw the DOA Deadly Combo around some mullet schools and caught and released over a dozen trout in short order.

Craig spent last Thursday casting flies to single and small schools of redfish. He had a couple bites and finally connected with one on a white and gold #4 bendback.



I got to spend a few hours on the water with my wife earlier this week. We managed to land several redfish on Baitbusters before clouds and wind sent us back to the ramp.





Although we had record high temperatures this week, that is bound to change soon. Cold fronts will begin to make there way to central Florida next month. The water level in the lagoon will begin to drop and the redfish will tail more and more each week. Clear water and tailing redfish will make for some great sight fishing.
Seminars

November 20 - 9:30am - Preparing for the Shad Run

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Apopka

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

Tampa Bay Fishing Report 10-2010

Tampa Bay and Tarpon Springs Fishing Report


October 6, 2010



Summer is over and sure enough, cooler weather has arrived. And none too soon I might add. I woke up to run a charter a few days ago and the thermometer in my truck said it was 60 degrees! Awesome! Highs have been in the low 80’s and humidity has been just about nil. In short, it has felt absolutely wonderful out on the water.



The fish have really turned on with the cooler weather as well. Redfish are beginning to school up in large numbers to get ready for their fall spawn. I’ve already seen and fished a few schools of redfish that number well over 1,000 fish. If you hit them at just the right time of the tide, you can really have a lot of fun catching over slot redfish right now.

Bigger trout are starting to show up and that’s a welcome change from the smaller trout that are typically around during the summer. We’ve had nemerous days recently with several trout being over 20″. We’ve even had a few trout over 24″ lately.



The redfish and trout bite should continue to get better and better. As the water temps drop (slowly) the redfish schools will get bigger and the trout will get larger.

If you’re looking to get out on the water to enjoy some great fishing, now is a great time to do so. We’re having the best weather of the year and the bite is getting better and better each day.


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

Clearwater Fall Fishing 2010

Falling into Fall!

10/25/2010

What a busy few weeks! We had a nice cool down for a while and that put the fish in a frenzy! There have been many trips and many fish caught so here is the lowdown on what is going on out here right now and what should be going on over the next month.
First, let's talk about the nearshore/offshore activity. When the tides aren't the best for inshore, we have had lots of activity within three miles. The Mackerel and Kingfish bite is going crazy. I have been on large Mackerel for the last month, some over 5 pounds! The Kings are mixed in as well as Bonito, Barracuda and plenty of Sharks. The Sharks are very aggressive, eating a lot of the Mackerel we are reeling in. I have been tying on some heavy wire leader and hooking the Sharks too. Sometimes that will calm them down a bit so we can catch our target fish! I am using longshank hooks with 40 or 60lb leader. Starting a chum slick is important. Once I get anchored, I will cut up a few baits and steadily chum. It doesn't take long to start getting a strike. This is all relevant to the water temps dropping into the high 70's and lower 80's. The Kingfish bite should continue to get stronger through the fall as long as we don't get too cold too fast.
Grouper reports are starting to get better too. The 20 foot range is littered with small Red Grouper and a few Gags. Out to 50 and 60 foot depths is where the majority of keeper gags are right now. They will begin to migrate in over the next few weeks. I have some good numbers within ten miles, once we get into the right water temps.



On the inshore front, there are lots of Redfish in the area. They are in large schools, in the deeper drop offs, adjacent to some of our passes. This tends to happen each year around this time. It is spawn season so many large Redfish will come in from offshore and hold in big groups. The only problem is that there aren't many schools of Reds on the usual flats right now. Since most are around the passes, there are several small or 'Rat Reds', on the flats. We have been corking baits through the potholes on the outgoing tides. It's nice to see the Redfish population holding steady, although, there were a couple weeks in September where the fish were just gone. They definitely respond better to the stronger moon phases.
Trout are still hanging on the deeper grass flats. Moving water is best. They are mostly smaller fish in these areas, with a keeper on occasion. The larger Trout are starting to show off of some of the spoil islands in Dunedin. Nothing like the winter fish populations will be, but still fun to get a couple here and there. I am still using live bait for all of the fish in this report. Threadfins, greenbacks and pinfish. As we get into winter and the bait starts to retreat, we will throw a mixture of jerkworms on 1/8 ounce jigheads. They work well now as well for locating fish. Once found, we can really get them going with a few handfuls of chummed baits. Then it's drags screaming and lots of smiles.
Don't wait to call me and set up your trip out on the water. The weather is great and we're all getting busy, so let's get you fishing and having fun. Call now at 727-365-7560 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              727-365-7560      end_of_the_skype_highlighting  or e-mail to brian@captbrian.com. See ya soon...

Capt. Brian

Capt. Brian Caudill
727-365-7560
braincandle2@yahoo.com
http://www.captbrian.com/

Sarasota Fall Fishing Is Excellent

October 25, 2010

Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith

It has been excellent fishing along the coast for the past week. We found
plenty of large Spanish mackerel and a few King mackerel along with some
keeper size cobia and flounder on the bottom. Fishing the "I" reefs in 25
to 30 feet of water using live bait like shrimp, pilchards and pinfish, we
found fish on the bottom and the top. Fishing was also good on the bay
grass flats with sea trout leading the way. Although most of are bay and
coastal fishing can be handled with 12 pound test line, it is a good idea to
carry some heavier stuff in the 20 to 50 pound test line when fishing along
the coast. During the spring and fall runs, you can often find big fish
within 3 miles off the beach. I have caught bull reds to 50 pounds, cobia
to 70 pounds, Kingfish, and cuda to 30 pounds, large jewfish, gags and black
grouper, sharks and rays too large to hold, and most tarpon are over 100
pounds. Of course you're not going to find these big fish just sitting and
waiting for you with open mouths. They are always possible, but you never
know when.

Mark Zisser and family from Missouri were visiting last week. Mark likes to
book a few or more trips with me, as he has done for the last 25 years. One
of the days I took Mark offshore 6 miles to fish some nice natural hard
bottom. The bottom is surrounded by a two foot break that the grouper like
to fan out and hide under. It turned out to be a shark day! It was shark
after shark, all kinds, all sizes on light tackle; the largest was a nurse
shark over 8 feet. Mark was the only one fishing and was using 12, 20, and
50 pound test outfits with different baits. This kept him running from rod
to rod all morning and me getting his other rods out of the way when he
hooked up. The last fish of the day was the big shark and was around 300
pounds. Nurse sharks are the least acrobatic of any of the sharks that I
know of, but they just keep on ticking. Mark caught the shark using a Penn
4/0 reel, 50 pound test mono line, 100 pound test mono leader and a 2oz
lead. The bait was a one and half pound live blue runner with a broken
tail. By breaking the tail I was able to use less lead to keep it down and
in place for grouper. Mark was fishing without a harness and the reel's
drag was set for grouper digging. So by the time he was bringing the shark
back to the boat from its third run and I was snapping pictures, Mark
hollered out "cut the #@!*% line! I will buy you a new hook". I knew then
that he had a good fight and had caught his largest shark to date.



Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com

Thank you!

Capt. Bob Smith
Phone: (941) 366-2159 Cell: (941) 350-8583
Email: capt.bobsmith@verizon.net
My Website: http://www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com

Amelia Island Fishing Report 10-26-2010

The windy conditions continued Saturday afternoon but my fishing party of Rob Eddy, Kristine Davis and their friends Jenny and Todd Underwood were not to be deterred.  We headed up to Jolley River with a great tide - the last of an outgoing - and began to fish the exposed oyster beds with the jig and shrimp combo.  We had only trolled a few yards and the anglers began to hookup with feisty, hard fighting Redfish.  The bite was fast and furious with a number of "double" hookups and even a "triple" of fish caught.  Rob, Kristine and Todd had caught fish, but Jenny was handicapped at the rear of the boat, so she had to persevere, which she did and soon boated a nice Redfish.  We anchored at the mouth of a small creek and more Reds and Trout were caught.  Then, Rob hooked up with something big and a battle was on!  He fought the fish expertly as the drag on the light tackle combo ripped out.  The fish went deep then went from the bow to the stern to deeper water.  Rob worked it in only to have the fish continue around the stern and back to the bow and shallow water, then it continued on around, heading deep again!  Rob was doing everything right, but the fish gave a small, crisp jerk, and broke itself off, never to be seen.  Ouch!  All anglers had caught plenty of fish, with me snapping away with the camera, but I had one angler proclaim that they only took pictures with fish over 40"!   We continued to fish Jolley, picking up a few more fish, then headed back to the shelter of Tiger Island.  The anglers caught another Red or two, then a Flounder to complete their Amelia Island Inshore Slam.  We hit a few more spots, but with the bite slowed, we headed in, 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 


Posted by Cpt. Lawrence Piper at 8:58 PM

Sarasota Fishing Report 10-25-2010

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 10/24/2010
 Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, snook, flounder, blues, Spanish mackerel and a red this week. Tim Graham, from Nokomis, FL, and Dale Vollrath, from Sarasota, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Mon, 10/18. They caught and released trout and a nice flounder and red on CAL jigs with shad tails.

Jon Roberson, from Cortez, FL, his brother and dad fished Sarasota Bay with me on Weds, 10/20. They had fast action at Stephens Point and near Buttonwood Harbor with numerous trout and about 6 bluefish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. Jamie Grow, from the Washington, DC area, night snook fished with me in the ICW near Venice on Friday evening, 10/22. He caught and released 10 or 12 snook to 22” on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.

 Action should continue to be good in both the coastal gulf for little tunny, Spanish and king mackerel and in Sarasota Bay for trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and more. As the water cools, fish will be on the move and feeding.

 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



Tim Graham, from Nokomis, FL, caught and released this big red on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing Charlotte Harbor with Capt. Rick Grassett.



Jamie Grow, from the Washington, DC area, caught and released this snook on a Grassett Snook Minnow fly while fishing the ICW at night near Venice with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Panhandle Fishing Report 10-22-2010

Report for 10/22/2010

Salt Water

PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND INSHORE
The Red Snapper season we have been waiting for is here (Oct. 1st thru Nov. 21st on Friday Saturday and Sunday only). The weekend produced some nice big Red snapper out in 100 plus feet, and in closer will still get you something to keep. Black snapper have been unwittingly helping to fill in for the Red snapper on the days you can’t keep the reds, so it is still worth going fishing during the week. There are still plenty of Kings and Spanish around to make a trolling trip productive. Work a tide line or watch for any kind of floating debris, it does not take much. Some very nice Gag grouper and Amberjack caught this past week. Their preferred baits seemed to be Bonita strips, grunts and anything butter flied. There were a few nice Wahoo caught high speed trolling. You might as well fish while you are burning gas!


ST. ANDREWS BAY SYSTEM
Looks like we may have the beginnings of Flounder making their way towards the pass. Some nice catches made last week and this cooler weather should turn it on. Speckled trout are definitely working the grass flats. A lot of “dinks” but every now and then an over slot fish will make your day (especially at daybreak or just after dusk). If you are using live bait in a grassy area, use a float of some sort to keep it up near the surface. Redfish are also starting their fall run, most of the ones you will catch in the pass and in deeper channels will be oversize, but it sure is fun! Still plenty of Spanish mackerel to be found, good sized ones too. They will of course hit a Gotcha plug or spoon as well as live bait. Either use heavy mono (50lb) or wire to prevent losing your plug or hook.



Picture sent in by Buddy Barron with this comment, "I have had a great two weeks fishing. Thank you Half Hitch Panama City Beach!! See you all soon!"


PANAMA CITY BEACH SURF & PIER
A lot of algae to deal with this past week, but lately it has moved closer to shore and you can get past it at the pier. Plenty of Spanish mackerel feeding around the pier and along the beach (out past the algae).A few King mackerel in close enough to catch. No reports of Flounder or Sheephead yet but it should not be long, a few more of these cooler nights should do it. Pompano are around (out past the algae) but they seem a little finicky. Persevere and you may still catch something to take home for your efforts.


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.

Jensen Beach Fishing Report 10-2010

FISHING 10/10/10



                            Finally a perfect week end, light breeze, cooler temps and fish biting from all location, perfect.  Cooler temps have made the fish hungry both inside and out, brought some winter species and I guess fall here. Oh well, I’ll deal with these changes. Let’s go catch a fish or maybe it is better said what would you like to catch.  Fishing out side has been Sails and Dolphin mix in a King or Black Fin and it all starts up close.  Sixty feet is where the first action zone started, plenty of Dolphin in the fifteen pound class eating trolled ballyhoo with a pesky Sail coming up on a bait as that big Dolphin was about to move on it. There were plenty of snake Kings (perfect for the grill) and a few Bonita’s to keep anglers on the move. Next zone was out to one hundred and fifty feet and that is where all of above were feeding but here you put Black Fins in the mix.  Put the Tuna feathers to work, small baits were the choice but there was plenty of bait both up close and deep, all species of baits but the Black Fins love those feathers. Plenty of Muttons and Mangroves for the bottom fans mix in a King and Cobia and don’t forget the small Dolphin all made for a great week end.

             Surf anglers had a great week with the Blue fish; one might think it is December the way they turned on. But there was plenty of Tarpon, Snook, small Pompano and the biggest Croakers I have seen.  All day long it was action and depending on your location it could be any of the above.  Still hearing about the mullet schools and Spoons top the bait list, that black back Wind Cheater a close second, if it looks like a mullet cast it. Shrimp for the Croakers, just a pitch, they are at your toes, hiding from the Blues and when using shrimp keep in mind and elephant will pick up a peanut so do not move away from your equipment.

              Trout were biting early, before sun up, good numbers, and good size eating about any thing we presented, after sun up had to work for them. Sliding soft rubber bait across the bottom found them but who was looking, Blues, Jacks, Tarpon, Drum and Pompano kept most busy. Lots of Black Drum, really big Drum at the bridges but it seems they were every where; shrimp, clams and crabs were their favored.  Problem with using clams was the Pompano were there first, what a problem.  Snook haven’t changed, low light, pick a bridge cast a Bomber lure or a Flair Hawk when it stops set the hook.  If you are a big Tarpon fan your days are numbered, it seems our cooler water species are showing in good numbers and usually means the big Tarpon will be on the move. Surf, Cross Roads, Bridges, entrance to the Pocket are just a few locations to check out.

              Lots of fish this week, looking forward to next week, do not forget the camera…………………………………….Henry

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   

Key West Fishing Report October, 2010

Key West Fishing Report For October2010


October is noted in Key West as the transitional month. The month that separates the summer from the winter here. October can be a bountiful harvest of the fish from summer leaving and the winter crew coming in and so far this month this is all come to be true.

So far with our first week of October we are getting some interesting weather patterns and high winds. Premature cooling has occurred but, I think this will certainly stir things up. One of the things to note about cooler temps is that there will be less of a threat of a last minute hurricane to muddy up our waters.

Flats fishing is still the game starting now through the November time period. Tarpon are still around but not in huge numbers. The baby tarpon are easy targets first thing in the morning but after about 9 am start looking out to the flats for your shots at huge bonefish and numerous permit. October is My absolute favorite time of the year to fish out on the Key West flats for the grand slam.

Just this last weekend I had some folks fishing the flats with me on Saturday and we managed several nice sized bonefish on a half day of fishing.

Out in the backcountry we are seeing fish on the edges of the channels and on the flats during the higher cooler water tides. The bonefish here in Key West are getting bigger, and bigger... We have been fishing a group of fish here in Key West that we have watched being brought up from little guys. These fish are now getting world class in size getting to the 8 - 10 lb range. What's more, there are plenty of them.

Deep sea fishing Key West will be interesting. With a transitional month you will get many different wind directions and some great moon phases. With the South Easterlies look for your dolphin bite to improve. On the Northerlies look for sailfish along the reef and black fin tunas cruising with the bonito. Don't forget the early season kingfish to brighten your day.

During the full moons of October, November and December look for your wahoo bite to go nuts. Live bait and trolling tactics will prevail here.. Have fun..

Days like today the winds are blowing 20 + from the NNE work the edge of the reef for sailfish hammering the ballyhoo. 30 ft may seem shallow but we have been seeing them right up on top of the reef.

The wreck and reef fishing get the weather and go get the fish. The long runs to the wrecks are a great way to make your day this time of the year. North Gulf locations are going to produce the late season black and gag groupers with the occasional mutton snappers and lots of other fun fish to fish for. Get out there with your favorite fishing guide and make it happen.

We have been fishing the gulf wrecks and finding some incredible cobia action early this year. Looks like we will have some nice sized studs show up and make for some great light tackle action and awesome table fare.

Give us a call. The fall is a great time to go fishing in Key West. I am very excited about the possibilities in all of it. Late in October Key West hosts the Fantasy Fest week long of partying and festivals something not to be missed if you have never attended. Dont drink to much though as we start early the next day and fishing will be red hot.

The time change this year is on November the 7th.

Thanks for stopping by.. and Keep in touch..

Capt Steven Lamp

5555 College Road
Key West, FL 33040
http://www.fishingkeywest.com
www.dreamcatchercharters.com
captstevenlamp@bellsouth.net
888-362-3474

Amelia Island Fishing Report 10-21-2010

Wednesday, October 20, 2010


Too Many Fish to Count!

Anglers Terri Rumler and Bobby Carty were visiting Amelia Island for their annual "get away from it all" and took in a backcountry fishing trip with me.  The weather was beautiful with a high of 80, a slight breeze, and only a cloud or two in the sky.  We headed up to the Jolley River and reached our first spot to fish the exposed oyster banks.  The tide had been coming in for about an hour.



Terri and Bobby were tossing 1/4oz jigs with live shrimp and it wasn't long before both were catching fish!   Zip Ziiiiip Zip, the drags would go, another Redfish had attacked the bait and the anglers worked them to the boat.  Fishing and catching was fast a furious for an hour or two.  Bobby switched to Gulp baits and we soon found out that it didn't matter what color or style he used, the fish were biting anything that was tossed out.  



In addition to Redfish, they caught Seatrout, Croaker, Snapper, and a small Puppy Drum.  Fish on! Fish on!,  we had a "double" and I was running back and forth to net each Redfish as we trolled the bank.  Eventually we moved on, coming back around to the mouth of Tiger Island, anchoring, and more fish were caught.  The bite slowed so we made one more stop at the eastern side of Tiger where we had a few bites and Terri found a couple of more Redfish.  With those in the boat, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!
Posted by Cpt. Lawrence Piper at 7:47 AM

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

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report 10-19-10

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, October 19, 2010
By Captain Tom Van Horn

Upcoming Seminars and Events

Saturday, October 23rd, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers, Basic fishing open forum, followed by "Fall Fishing Tactics Redfish, Trout and Flounder" 10:30 - 11:30 AM in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida.

Tuesday, November 9th, 7:00 - 9:00 PM, Orlando Kayak Fishing Club Meeting (open to all) in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoor in Apopka Florida.

Saturday, November 20th, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers, Basic fishing open forum, followed by "Preparing for the Shad Run & Crappie Season & Shad Derby Meeting" 10:30 - 11:30 AM in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida.

This Weeks Fishing Report
The weather this past week has been as good as it gets, with cool light breezes and sunny skies prevailing. In reviewing the long range forecast, these condition are predicted to remain through next weekend, so now is time to hit the water and enjoy these fall fishing conditions. On a side note, thus far in October we have received absolutely no rainfall, so our fire index is on the rise, so please be very careful with any outside burning.

On the inshore waters out of Port Canaveral this week, the mullet migration is still in full swing, with a number of varied species working schools of finger mullet streaming south along the beach. Many anglers are catching a mixed bag of jacks, bluefish, ladyfish and Spanish mackerel, with an occasional snook and redfish thrown in. Anglers are also doing very well on southern flounder within the surf and around the sandy drop offs within the Port.

In the lagoons, the schooling breeder redfish are still there, but the tightly packed of oversized fish are starting to spread out, but there are still a good number of slot size redfish pressuring mullet pods on the shallow flats and some really nice sea trout eager to take top water plugs fished around nervous pods of bait. Lastly, remember sea trout season closes on November 1st on Florida's east coast, so if you enjoy an occasional sea trout for supper, you have just a few weeks left to take one home for dinner.

Captain Tom Van Horn
407-416-1187
http://www.irl-fishing.com

For all you outdoor shopping needs, visit Mosquito Creek outdoors at www.mosquitocreek.com.

Keys Fishing Better Each Day

Tuesday October 19, 2010

Within the last few weeks we have seen a major temperature drop here in the Florida Keys. No longer are we having to endure the relentless humidity, no wind, and scortching heat to bend a rod. Yes, fall has finally come and the fishing is getting better each and every day. The opportunity to land a coveted Grand Slam is right now so grab your gear and get on the water.



Over the last four days I have been out fishing the back country flats and islands of the lower keys and seen hundreds of Permit, Bonefish, and Juvenile Tarpon. Some of them even tailing as they scower the shallow flats eating crustaceans and other small baits along their way. Just like always they are up for eating shrimp, crabs, and even flies if presented in the right way. Which as any seasoned angler knows is very critical to keep from spooking these ultra sensitive fish. Just remember because the water is so clear down here these fish see everything. So be sure to present you bait or fly way out in front of him, not too close to seal the deal. If the wind happens to be up while you are fishing you can get away with putting it a little closer. But in reality, the only way you know is by trial and error so don't get discouraged if you blow out a few schools of fish. Trust me when I say I have spooked every fish and hooked every tree a thousand times before I ever knew what was the right way of doing it.



The juvenile Tarpon fishing has been really good especially when trying to catch them on fly. These schools of fish (5-20) are residents along certain shorelines and can be found cruising and even rolling on calm days. But just remember Tarpon like it hot so if you have a cool morning you may want to save your tarpon fishing for later on in the day to let the temperatures warm a bit. The reason I say they are easier to catch on fly is simply because of the size of the fly (Small) and an anglers ability to cast it a long way. Light tackle spin fisherman find it harder to cast such a small shrimp a long way with no weight behind the bait. And if you put a lead weight with it you often end up spooking the whole school. So all you "Buggy Whippers" grab your 5-8 weight fly rods and give it a shot.



If anyone plans to come down to Key West be sure to keep in mind "Fantasy Fest" has started and will run till the end of the month. So if you are here to fish you may want to stay out of Key West and find something a little further up the keys chain.

Captain Rich Smith
(786) 299 - 4813
captainrichsmith@gmail.com
Everglades Fishing Website
www.Everglades-FishingGuide.com

Apalachicola Fishing Best Ever

"The Redfishing right now is the best it's ever been since I first dropped a line in Franklin County!" remarked Capt. Chris Robinson, enthusiastically. Chris has been fishing this area professionally for over 15 years, and with his dad & brother before that. He says that his anglers are catching not only good legal sized Reds but also the big boys as well. The weather has been fine, there are more white shrimp in the bay than in past years and the conditions have been extremely favorable. "The heck with the Keys - this is my favorite time of year for fishing!" That also holds true for the speckled trout catches.

Capt. Tommy Holland swears he could have caught 150 lbs of shrimp in his bait net the other day, if it wouldn't have torn it up. Running your boat through the shrimp causes them to "shower" about 50 feet to either side. Guides & Anglers are all smiling these days. Nobody has said exactly why all is well on the fishing front - maybe it's the early cool down we had or possibly it's the natural cycle of things. Or could it be that we were just due for some good fishing!?

Robinson Real Estate Company now has a branch office in downtown Key West- just off Duval Street behind Fast Buck Freddy's. Joan Kelley will be in charge of things here for us. She is uniquely qualified to be a "Robinson" due to her love of fishing, her long history with marina's plus she is totally plugged into the Real Estate market in the lower Keys. Our RREC website should be updated any day to reflect the change, but if you would like to get in touch with Joan, just reply to this email, or contact her directly.(see below)

In case you were wondering what happened to my usual fishing photo, for some reason it wouldn't upload (darn windows explorer) so you'll have to go to the Robinson Brothers Website to check it out. Note: Look for an email from me in the next week or so if you regularly fish with us in Apalach or the Keys with a reminder of your dates in 2011.

See you at the Seafood Festival the first weekend in November - I'll be in the Humane Society booth.

Kathy Robinson
Robinson Brothers Guide Service
118 Commerce St.
Apalachicola, FL 32320
850-653-8896  or toll free 877-6-Redfish (the H is silent!)
www.FloridaRedfish.com

Robinson Real Estate Company-Apalachicola
www.RobinsonRealEstateCompany.com
850-653-1653 or 850-653-7196
Robinson Real Estate Company - Key West
305-522-5604
JoanKelley@RobinsonRealEstateCompany.com

Sarasota Bay Fising Report 10-18-10

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 10/17/2010

Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel and albies on flies last week. John Evans and his son-in-law, Charlie, from the UK, fished deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay at Stephens Point and near Buttonwood Harbor on Monday and caught and released a few trout to 17” and a couple of Spanish mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. John Lacy, from Kentucky, also fly fished the same areas with me on Tuesday with similar results.

My brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, came down for a visit and we fished Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, joined us on Thursday as we fished the coastal gulf near Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island. We caught and released more than a dozen albies to 10-lbs on small white flies. Sharks and kings also joined the fray, skyrocketing on baits and cutting one of our albies in ½. A front pushed through that evening and on Friday it was much rougher. The rough water scattered bait schools and predators, but they were still actively feeding over a much broader area. Kirk and I caught and released 4 or 5 albies on Friday and almost landed a 25 to 30-pound king mackerel. We found a few tarpon rolling in bait schools so Kirk tied on a big, black Deceiver with a heavy fluorocarbon bite tippet. After only a few casts, the big king skyrocketed on his fly, almost jumping into the boat and screamed off more than 100 yards of backing. We got the fish alongside the boat, only to have it chomp through the leader. An exciting battle!

On Saturday, we fished with Capt. Rick DePaiva of Flynutt Charters in Ft. Myers, FL. He expertly put us on lots of cruising reds and snook and a few “tailers”. Kirk caught and released a big red and we hooked and lost a couple of others on flies. Capt. Rick is an excellent spin and fly fishing guide in the Pine Island Sound area and can be reached at www.saltwaterflyfishing.org .

Next week’s tides are favorable as we approach a full moon next weekend. With water temperatures now in the mid 70’s, fishing should continue to heat up especially in the coastal gulf waters.

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

 Kirk Grassett, from Middletown, DE, caught and released this albie off Longboat Key on a fly while fishing with his brother, Capt. Rick Grassett.-Rusty Chinnis photo.

Kirk Grassett, from Middletown, DE, caught and released this big red on a fly while fishing Pine Island Sound with Capt. Rick DePaiva (www.saltwaterflyfishing.org)

Panhandle fishing Report 10-15-2010

Report for 10/11/2010

Salt Water

PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE AND INSHORE
The King mackerel bite is great this week several anglers reported a full bag limit of nice kings. Reports say the catches were not typically over or even near wrecks but in open water areas. The key to locating these fish was scanning the water for working schools of baitfish disturbing the surface and of course, diving birds. Further offshore, Dolphin and Wahoo have been drilling high speed trolling lures.

Flounder are running throughout St Joe Bay and its surrounds. Shore fishermen are enjoying the cooler weather and the flounder are too. Redfish catches remain sporadic, but again this week many slot size reds were caught on live baits like finger mullet and LYs. Trout seem to be restless, early morning is still your best bet, but with cooler temperatures we may see their migration into the creeks bayous and canals sooner than usual.

Beef up your leader system this time of year, the bluefish are devouring everything presented to them and so are the Spanish mackerels. Lastly, we are beginning to see an increase of pompano catches along our beaches and a welcome change in action from whiting catfish and small sharks.

PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND INSHORE
The Red Snapper season we have been waiting for is here (Oct. 1st thru Nov. 21st on Friday Saturday and Sunday only). Lots of Red snapper are hitting the docks, good sized ones too! There are plenty of Bonita, Hard tails and King mackerel running along the second sand bar, or following large schools of bait. Some nice Wahoo and Bull Dolphin catches coming in from out in the blue water. Some days that is closer in than others but generally around 20 to 30 miles out. Gag grouper are biting well, and larger baits are yielding larger fish. They will come out of their hole for a red lipped grunt or a butterflied hard tail. Trigger fish are a good bet where you find grouper and squid works well for them, remember the new limit on them, 14” now not 12”.

ST. ANDREWS BAY SYSTEM
Flounder are showing up at the dinner table more and more, and these cooler temperatures will get them moving even better. They like rocky areas and a mix of grass and sand. Trout are a good bet up in the grass early and hiding behind a drop off during a falling tide later in the day. Drift a bait , live or artificial under a popping cork in the grassy areas, or flip a bait upstream of the drop off and wait for it to drift and sink down to where they are hiding. Reds are feeding on finger mullet and LY’s and are not as interested in much else, so your best bet is to cast net some of what they are after and offer it up. I am not saying they won’t hit something else but they will jump on a finger mullet or LY. Still plenty of Spanish mackerel to be found, good sized ones too. They will of course hit a Gotcha plug or spoon as well as live bait. Either use heavy mono (50lb) or wire to prevent losing your plug or hook.



PANAMA CITY BEACH SURF & PIER
Lots of large Spanish mackerel, Ladys and Bluefish feeding on LY’s around the pier. Some King mackerel are getting caught just about everyday. The water has had a little algae these days but nothing extreme. No reports of Flounder or Sheephead yet but it should not be long, a few more of these cooler nights should do it. Pompano are starting to show up in the surf but not the fall run we are looking for yet. While prospecting for the first scouts of Pompano, some nice catches of Whiting have been had so it’s not a waste of time. Current water temp is around 83 degrees at the beach and it is dropping slowly each night.

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.

A Once In Every 823 Year Event!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

10/12 - OCTOBER.....the start of the BEST!

This October has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays, all in one month.  It happens once in 823 years.

And along with cooling water & air temps. Isn't it time for you to go fishing?

I say it every single year. Yeah, I know July is vacation time. But it's also sweating to the oldies time. Especially this past July. Dang, I remember it like yesterday. Sitting along the lil' Jetties in the river with a dad and two sons at 8am bottom waiting for a big Redbass to eat our bait. There was not a single "puff" of breeze, the river water was dead flat. And as we breathed, we all were soaking wet with sweat. The humidity must have been 100%.

I couldn't take this but maybe 30 minutes, and when I said, "Hey, let's go run & gun some Shrimp boats and see what the Blacktip Sharks are up too. So we get some air movement"  The two boys on board couldn't reel in the lines we had out fast enough!

That's why Vacation Time, should be NOW!!!!!

It's so funny, because even though my crew may have their sight set on a big Redfish and instead we went Sharkin'. They always ask..... "Capt. Dave, so when is the best time to catch Reds?" At the end of the day.

And my standard reply is FALL & SPRING. Which of course does not corelate to when it's stereo typical vacation time of course. Kids out of school, and all that jazz. But, it's hot as all get-out in Indiana. And even hotter here....But it's vacation time, you know! And for some reason people think summer is the best time of year in Jax for fishing. It maybe in Indiana. But not the best, here.

Sure we sat out alot of sweaty days and did catch big Reds in that heat. I posted the photos all summer of Jr. Anglers and their fish.

But, when the days shorten, the water isn't 87 degrees any longer,  is the TIME of year I look forward too all year long.

Yep, RIGHT NOW.

Local river temp on average now: 76-78 degrees.....only to get better / cooler.



The best way to break a good sweat now:  Ask George



George M. last October with big "light tackle" Redbass.

C'C'mon...Let's go.

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

charter@captdaves.com

Also, River Cruises / Tours / Dolphins / Birds and "park to park rides", via boat. (Ft. Caroline to Kingsley Plantation) availible. Link: http://www.captdaves.com/Cruises.htm
Posted by Capt. Dave Sipler - JETTYWOLF

Amelia Island Fishing Report 1012-2010

Sunday, October 10, 2010
Bear and Redfish



Carol and I took in a day of "fun" fishing and brought along our dog, "Bear", for the trip.  We'd had to wait an a AC technician to check out our unit so we didn't launch the boat until around 1pm.  We headed out to the jetties and tried our luck with a whole crab on the bottom with some serious heavy tackle, but after not getting any bites for about an hour, we came back to the mouth of Jolley River.  We anchored and dropped the heavy tackle with crab again. No bites here so we headed up Jolley to fish the oyster lined banks.  Carol's first cast with shrimp on the bottom produced a hard fighting feisty Redfish!  It wasn't long after the first when she hooked up again and had another Redfish in the boat.  I knew I had to get started so I started tossing a 1/4oz jig tipped with shrimp and soon I was hooking up, too! 



We fished the bank for about two hours and ended up with 12 Redfish and we also had a nice 15" Flounder to go with them.  The weather was beautiful and the fishing was great, another great day to be out on the water!
Posted by Cpt. Lawrence Piper at 8:20 PM

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

Sarasota Bay Fising Report 10-11-10

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 10/10/2010

         Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released little tunny, Spanish mackerel, snook, trout and reds on several trips during the past week. The best action was with little tunny near the mouth of Tampa Bay. Ron Foust, from Knoxville, TN, fished there with me on Monday and caught and released more than 10 little tunny on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.

            Christian Wolfe, from Wilmington, NC, and his grandfather, Lloyd, fished Siesta Key docks and near Stephens Point in Sarasota Bay with me on Friday morning. They caught and released a couple of snook, several trout and Christian nailed a 27” red, all on CAL jigs with shad tails, to complete his slam close to the end of the trip. Everette Wolfe, from Knoxville, TN, and his son, Kirk, from New York City, fished deep grass flats at Stephens Point on the east side of the bay and near Buttonwood Harbor on the west side. They caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel, jacks and ladyfish on Grassett Flats Bunny flies.

            Action should continue to improve as water temperatures drop. In Sarasota Bay, fish docks for snook and deep grass flats for trout and Spanish mackerel for the best action. Little tunny and Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf should also be a good option.

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



Christian Wolfe, from Wilmington, NC, with a big red he caught and released on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report 10-11-10

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, October 9, 2010
By Captain Tom Van Horn


Upcomming Seminars and Events

Saturday, October 23rd, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers,  Basic fishing open forum, followed by "Fall Fishing Tactics Redfish, Trout and Flounder" 10:30 - 11:30 AM in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida.

Tuesday, November 9th, 7:00 - 9:00 PM, Orlando Kayak Fishing Club Meeting (open to all) in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoor in Apopka Florida.

Saturday, November 20th, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers,  Basic fishing open forum, followed by "Preparing for the Shad Run & Crappie Season & Shad Derby Meeting" 10:30 - 11:30 AM in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida.


This Weeks Fishing Report

Fall has arrived on Florida's Indian River Lagoon Coast, and showing up right on cue with the cooler weather is the fall bait run.  Finger mullet were as thick as love bugs on your bumper this week out of Port Canaveral, and the blustery breezes and heavy seas we experienced last week have settled down making fishing conditions the best I've seen since the beginning of hurricane season.  In addition to the gorgeous weather, extreme new moon tides have elevated water levels in the lagoon, and increased tidal flow in and out of the inlets.



The breeder redfish are also in a heavy spawning mood with breeder schools showing up in all of the traditional locations of the inshore lagoons and the inlet passes.  These schools are moving around a lot, but they are easy to locate during calm conditions, and they will aggressively strike most mullet imitation lures like the DOA Bait Buster or Rapala Skitter Walk when they are not pressured heavily.  It is also important to let these fish do their thing, so if you find a school of large breeders, be respectful by stepping up your tackle size to reduce stress and catch one or two fish, revive them properly, and than move on and target  another species.  I know this is easier said then done, but if they are spending all of they energy running from a trolling motor instead of getting jiggie, we will have a smaller class of fish in the years to come.



Friday, I had the pleasure of fishing a magnificent day out of Port Canaveral with my good friends Keith and Chris, and we opted to target the mullet run along the beach, and man did we hit it just right.  One of my favorite stiles of fishing the run is pitching live finger mullet from the boat up into the first trough along the beach, and with the winds out of the northwest, I could easily and safely maneuver Three Quarter Time within casting distance to the shore.  As the mullet schools passed along the beach, they were consistently getting busted by a varied list of predators, and the action at first light was fast a furious. Although we caught a large number of species including flounder and a five pound redfish head the bite did slow down around 10 am, and we failed to connect with any snook.  The rigs we were using were a simple one ounce slip sinker rig with a split shot crimped to the line about 12 inched from the # 3 circle hook, keeping the heaver weight off of the hook and giving us the extra weight to facilitate a longer cast as the majority of our fish were caught on the very edge of the shoreline.

In closing, now is the time to fish the mullet run, the fish are here and the weather is nice and our window of opportunity will not last long.

Good Luck and Good Fishing,



Captain Tom Van Horn
407-416-1187
http://www.irl-fishing.com


 For all you outdoor shopping needs, visit Mosquito Creek outdoors at www.mosquitocreek.com. 

Dunedin Fishing Report 10-2010

 October Tampa Fishing Report
Monday, 04 October 2010 13:49 | Written by Stewart Ames 



As September comes to a close, most Tampa fishing guides are eagerly awaiting the return of larger schools of redfish.  Unlike a normal September when redfishing tends to heat up , fishing has been strangely quiet in the Dunedin / Palm Harbor Area over the last month.  Inshore waters got excessively hot this summer however and this may have pushed good numbers of fish out into the gulf. Recently cooling water temperatures should bring these hard fighting fish back inside St Josephs Sound, however.  Supporting this theory, several larger schools of fish have been sighted in the last week.  For greatest chance of success, fish higher water on the strongest tide days, when redfish will move shoreward looking for dinner.  A broad range of baits will entice these fish, however the best choice right now might be a whole small finger mullet, about five inches long, as these baits are being seen everywhere.  One of the best areas to secure these tasty redfish morsels is in against mangrove shorelines, where these juvenile mullet will give their presence away by flipping or by jumping clear of the water when pursued by predators.  One toss of the cast net should secure 15 to 20 baits minimum.  Live finger mullet are best fished whole under a bobber but can be fished as cut baits as well. Fish mangrove points and near shore potholes on the high tides for best success.



Other inshore opportunities still include both trout and snook.  Trout can be found outside on near shore rocks just off of local beaches as well as in swash channels immediately adjacent to local passes. When you get to your spot, chum generously with whitebait and look for trout in hot pursuit of these offerings. Most baits are caught at the surface so it will be evident if trout are there.  Fish are also holding inside our barrier islands on flats that drop off into deeper channels.  Unlike winter trout fishing, you'll have to sort through a fair number of short or borderline fish to find the keepers but fish in excess of twenty inches are available. Live whitebait will produce best.  Use fifteen pound flourocarbon leader with a 1/0 Owner Mutu Light Circle hook for best results. Snook are still being seen and occasionally caught around gulf passes.  The fish tend to be fewer in number and smaller in size than during the prime snook months of May / June / July but thirty inch plus snook are still present. As colder weather approaches, it is logical to expect these fish to leave over the next month or so.



The shorter days of October promise to ignite Tampa fishing opportunities on near shore reefs and rock piles. The arrival of our first "cool" front has already dropped water temperatures to the eighty degree mark. Large mackerel in the three to five pound range 0918rogercmackhave been present for the last three weeks and have provided great, light tackle sport. 



Small patch reefs and rock piles just a mile or two off the beach will hold these fish.  A favorite technique of Tampa fishing guides is to chum heavily with whitebait when arriving at their preferred area of hard bottom.  Any self respecting mackerel in the neighborhood should show up within fifteen minutes.  By using long shank hooks and short steel leaders made of 30 lbs Malin Hard-Wire, you'll prevent most "bite offs" and can often experience non stop action.  Cast unweighted pilchards back into your chum slick and hang on.  Mangrove snapper typically enter the picture in October as well...although they have yet to show in any quantity inside of ten miles.  Last year was the best year for these delectable fish in recent history and, with a little luck, their abundance will be repeated this year.  Any day could be the day that they show up.  An interesting sidelight to the mackerel fishing has been the almost daily presence of great barracuda. Once the mackerel are chummed up and in full swing, barracuda have been showing up, cutting these fish in half at boat side.  Be prepared for this event with a heavier spinning rod spooled with thirty pound line and a sixty pound wire stinger rig (hook with a trailing treble hook).  If a small mackerel is subsequently landed, keep it alive and quickly deploy it on this larger rod under a balloon.  The ensuing battle on medium spinning tackle always promises to be exciting.  These fish will occasionally jump, always take at least a couple of powerful runs and make for a great picture. The year's first kingfish have been caught and although there are not a lot of fish in close yet, it shouldn't be long.  The same "ballooned" mackerel is an exceptional bait for kings.  The blistering first run will separate them from the barracuda.  Blue runners and large whitebait can also be deployed on this larger outfit and will occasionally attract a cobia or spinner shark in addition to the kings and "cudas".  The variety of species available makes these trips some of the most exciting Tampa Fishing Charters of the year...especially since a trip back inshore on the high tide might yield some nice redfish...icing on the cake.  Good luck and good fishing.

Captain Stewart Ames
Gone Fishing Charters
US Coast Guard Licensed Captain
Member Florida Guides Association
sames001@tampabay.rr.com
(727) 421-5291

Last Updated (Monday, 04 October 2010 17:32)

Florida Keys Fishing 10-8-2010

Wednesday, October 6, 2010



Great Florida Keys fishing out of Holiday Isle Marina in Islamorada
Janet and Henry Lowery along with Kathy and Brian Obrien had a nice catch of dolphin, mackeral and this big cobia caught by Henry. "Every time we fish the Dee Cee we kill 'em.", they said. Despite some wind the group said they had a great day fishing and have been doing here at Holiday Isle for years.
Posted by Let's Fish at 4:30 PM

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