Fishing Report for the Clearwater Area
July 30th:
Tom, from NJ, came aboard the Salt Aire on Thursday looking for some hot summer time action. Not only did he find some hot weather conditions, but the fishing was off the charts. We started out in the morning on the flats as the tide was high and water was a little cooler, an awesome combination to catch fish.
Tom landed a nice 26 inch Redfish and followed with another a few minutes later. We lost several other reds and saw others meandering in the flats. They still looked a little lethargic as their feeding was not very aggressive. We moved on to the outside of the pass as the tide had started out. I set up on some rock jetties where the snook have been spawning. Tossed out several large live green backs up near the rocks. it wasn't long till Tom's reel was screaming. The fish went down one side of the jetty then down the other. Tom was an experienced fisherman and handled this large female snook just right. We measured, weighed and took some pictures, then sent her on her way. Nice spawner size fish at 35 inches and just over 12 lbs. Next I relocated just outside the pass where Spanish Mackerel are always a sure bet. Didn't find any mackerel, but did find some of the largest Ladyfish I have ever seen. These fish were long, skinny and high flying leapers, close to 30 inches and had to be 6 to 8 lbs. Also they knew how to rip line off the reels. I mentioned to Tom that he needs a trout to complete his west coast slam. Snook, Redfish and Trout. So we headed inside to explore a few trout locations. First stop rendered half dozen small fish and completed Tom's slam but we wanted a larger trout. After a few more stops and a few large yellow tail jacks, a mackerel and a shark, we settled down in a cut between two flats. I hooked up two large 4 to 5 inch green backs on the two rods hoping for the theory of larger baits means larger fish. Soon Tom's bait got hit. The fish came to the surface immediately and shook its head just as trout do. You could tell it was a nice size fish and moments later proved to be 19 inches. Nice slam Tom. A total of 80 inches, that's the length of all three fish. We finished the day looking for some Mangrove Snappers. This is the time of year to target mangroves as they are stacked up on most structure inshore or offshore. We lost a few fish in the structure and called it a day.
Our success came from different tide levels at various locations. Whether its cooler water from an incoming tide or moving water in or out, that's where you want to be.
Capt Gary Burch
AllCatchCharters.com
captgary@saltaireinc.com
727 458-6335
Friday, August 14, 2009
Biscayne Bay Bonefish
Miami Bonefish
Mark Strickland from Arizona joined me for a full day of fishing on Friday August 7th. We decided to start at 7:00am and I had hoped the wind would die down before the morning started. I had to re-rig most rods because the previous trip was targeting large Barracuda and Sharks on the flats. When I checked the NOAA weather buoy at midnight after rigging the rods for Permit and Bonefish, I knew the 21knot reading was no good knowing we had 7 hours to go before the first Shrimp was cast off the deck. All you can do is make the best of it…
With this heat, the summer shrimp have not even resembled the normal size. I bought 5 dozen shrimp that looked like the “Sea Monkeys” I used to order out the back of my Aqua Man Magazine. What does a guide do with Sea Monkeys? Buy another 3 dozen from a different bait shop in hopes to find a few that are DOA sized and plan on making Bonefish Boogers with the rest.
We hit our first spot early in the morning and we found a few schools of large bonefish pushing along their normal track for this flat. Unfortunately, we were not able to get a hook-up. On to the next flat we found nothing but sharks cruising in mere inches of water… so low that I knew we would be hard pressed to find any bonefish or Permit and decided to move on. The 12-14mph wind we were experiencing was gradually picking up and I could tell the morning calm was over and we would soon be in 20mph winds. We took off for another area with no shots on the second flat.
We came in the front side of what I call the Bahamas Flat and scooted along the mangrove shoreline. Nothing! I headed out to the middle of the flat with a full moon incoming tide blazing across the flat and staked off. A little shrimp chum goes a long way with fast moving current and soon we had Bonefish all around the boat. 2 hours later and we had boated 7 small Bonefish, several Bonnet Head Sharks, Bar Jack and one humongous Box Fish, which Mark thought was pretty interesting. I was hoping some large bones would get chummed in for Mark but we made up for size in numbers. Not many anglers catch 7 Bonefish in Miami’s Biscayne Bay. Not only did we catch 7 but we lost another 5 so there was some pretty good action and I noticed Mark laughing at a double header and how fast the rods started going off. I was happy and Mark can now add Bonefish to his repertoire of caught fish.
Later in the day, we found a very large school of Aresenicker Bonefish, but trying to get a good distance cast into the 20mph winds with “summer shrimp” was as hard as Hugh Hefner on Viagra.
All in all we made the best of a day that the weather man was calling for 5-10 and Mark Strickland was as nice as they come.
Your Bonefish Guide,
Capt Tom Weber
Florida Native Charters
www.floridanativecharters.com
tom.weber@floridanativecharters.com
(954) 536-6646
Mark Strickland from Arizona joined me for a full day of fishing on Friday August 7th. We decided to start at 7:00am and I had hoped the wind would die down before the morning started. I had to re-rig most rods because the previous trip was targeting large Barracuda and Sharks on the flats. When I checked the NOAA weather buoy at midnight after rigging the rods for Permit and Bonefish, I knew the 21knot reading was no good knowing we had 7 hours to go before the first Shrimp was cast off the deck. All you can do is make the best of it…
With this heat, the summer shrimp have not even resembled the normal size. I bought 5 dozen shrimp that looked like the “Sea Monkeys” I used to order out the back of my Aqua Man Magazine. What does a guide do with Sea Monkeys? Buy another 3 dozen from a different bait shop in hopes to find a few that are DOA sized and plan on making Bonefish Boogers with the rest.
We hit our first spot early in the morning and we found a few schools of large bonefish pushing along their normal track for this flat. Unfortunately, we were not able to get a hook-up. On to the next flat we found nothing but sharks cruising in mere inches of water… so low that I knew we would be hard pressed to find any bonefish or Permit and decided to move on. The 12-14mph wind we were experiencing was gradually picking up and I could tell the morning calm was over and we would soon be in 20mph winds. We took off for another area with no shots on the second flat.
We came in the front side of what I call the Bahamas Flat and scooted along the mangrove shoreline. Nothing! I headed out to the middle of the flat with a full moon incoming tide blazing across the flat and staked off. A little shrimp chum goes a long way with fast moving current and soon we had Bonefish all around the boat. 2 hours later and we had boated 7 small Bonefish, several Bonnet Head Sharks, Bar Jack and one humongous Box Fish, which Mark thought was pretty interesting. I was hoping some large bones would get chummed in for Mark but we made up for size in numbers. Not many anglers catch 7 Bonefish in Miami’s Biscayne Bay. Not only did we catch 7 but we lost another 5 so there was some pretty good action and I noticed Mark laughing at a double header and how fast the rods started going off. I was happy and Mark can now add Bonefish to his repertoire of caught fish.
Later in the day, we found a very large school of Aresenicker Bonefish, but trying to get a good distance cast into the 20mph winds with “summer shrimp” was as hard as Hugh Hefner on Viagra.
All in all we made the best of a day that the weather man was calling for 5-10 and Mark Strickland was as nice as they come.
Your Bonefish Guide,
Capt Tom Weber
Florida Native Charters
www.floridanativecharters.com
tom.weber@floridanativecharters.com
(954) 536-6646
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Sarasota Tarpon Not Bad For August
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 7/31 through 8/12/2009
Anglers fishing with me the past couple of weeks on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught reds and had a few shots at tarpon. Although I was gone on a family vacation for most of this time frame, fly anglers continue to have anywhere from a few to more than a dozen shots at tarpon in the coastal gulf off Sarasota and Manatee counties per trip. Not bad for the middle of August!
In addition, Sarasota Bay is still producing great action on deep flats for trout, Spanish mackerel and bluefish with jigs and flies. Snook fishing before dawn around lighted docks and bridge fenders with flies has also been a good option. Reds, mixed with large blues and jacks, are beginning to school in Sarasota Bay but have been tough for anglers to get on.
Capt. Tom Stephens, Sr. from Bradenton, FL, and his son-in-law, Brian, from Riverview, FL, fished Charlotte Harbor and Gasparilla Sound with me on Tuesday, 8/11. We worked some juvenile tarpon from 10 to 30-pounds for a couple of hours first thing in the morning. Although we had a couple of “bumps” on DOA TerrorEyz and DOA shrimp, we didn’t hook up. We moved to skinny water, where they caught and released a pair of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails. This was a trip that I donated to the Sarasota chapter of Coastal Conservation Association’s fund raising banquet last fall, which raises money for their conservation efforts.
Tarpon numbers are diminishing along the beaches, but anglers are still seeing as many as 20 tarpon per trip and getting shots at many of them, which I feel is still worth the effort. They are also starting to show in areas of Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor, so anglers fishing those areas should be prepared for big fish. A good option this time of the year is to fly fish for snook before dawn, hit shallow or deep flats at first light for reds, trout, blues, pompano and more. Since tarpon are least affected by warm water, you could spend some time tarpon fishing at mid day when the light and visibility are best. This is a time of the year when you might get a “super slam”-tarpon reds, snook and trout on the same trip.
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
Anglers fishing with me the past couple of weeks on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught reds and had a few shots at tarpon. Although I was gone on a family vacation for most of this time frame, fly anglers continue to have anywhere from a few to more than a dozen shots at tarpon in the coastal gulf off Sarasota and Manatee counties per trip. Not bad for the middle of August!
In addition, Sarasota Bay is still producing great action on deep flats for trout, Spanish mackerel and bluefish with jigs and flies. Snook fishing before dawn around lighted docks and bridge fenders with flies has also been a good option. Reds, mixed with large blues and jacks, are beginning to school in Sarasota Bay but have been tough for anglers to get on.
Capt. Tom Stephens, Sr. from Bradenton, FL, and his son-in-law, Brian, from Riverview, FL, fished Charlotte Harbor and Gasparilla Sound with me on Tuesday, 8/11. We worked some juvenile tarpon from 10 to 30-pounds for a couple of hours first thing in the morning. Although we had a couple of “bumps” on DOA TerrorEyz and DOA shrimp, we didn’t hook up. We moved to skinny water, where they caught and released a pair of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails. This was a trip that I donated to the Sarasota chapter of Coastal Conservation Association’s fund raising banquet last fall, which raises money for their conservation efforts.
Tarpon numbers are diminishing along the beaches, but anglers are still seeing as many as 20 tarpon per trip and getting shots at many of them, which I feel is still worth the effort. They are also starting to show in areas of Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor, so anglers fishing those areas should be prepared for big fish. A good option this time of the year is to fly fish for snook before dawn, hit shallow or deep flats at first light for reds, trout, blues, pompano and more. Since tarpon are least affected by warm water, you could spend some time tarpon fishing at mid day when the light and visibility are best. This is a time of the year when you might get a “super slam”-tarpon reds, snook and trout on the same trip.
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
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
N.E. Florida Fishing Report 8-09
Ahoy there Anglers,
Don't forget, starting back on August 1st, you now need a "shore bound license" if you're fishing in salt water from shore, bridges, private docks, etc. There are a few exceptions so check them out to see if you qualify and if not then be proud you'll be putting a little something back into the resources like the boating anglers have had to do for years now to help improve our fishery.
During this time of the year when it's pretty hot out there in the sun, a lot of people hear you should be taking in a lot of liquids to stay hydrated. That's very true but, the liquids you should be taking in mostly is water or Gatoraide. Cold drinks/sodas and beer help to dehydrate you without you realizing it. You can become dehydrated quickly which could really cause you some problems especially if you're out there all alone on your boat. Plain water helps your body regulate it's own temperature and also helps your muscles work.
Be very careful while watching other boaters as they are running the waterways close to you. The FWC arrests an alarming amount of people driving their boats while intoxicated, (BUI, Boating Under the Influence) throughout the entire state of Florida. As I read the FWC's newsletter each and every week of the violations across the state I am concerned about how many are BUI arrests. We all have to watch out for the people who are under the influence and be ready to take evasive action just in case they don't see you or they think they are far enough away from you and they're not !
CREEKS:
The redfish are so off an on here lately and I believe it has everything to do with the water temperature being so high right now. Although some days we can really catch them and when that's happening I'm watching my barometer on board my boat and can see that it's fluctuating up and down and has fired them off then the very next day it's hard to get them to bite. Just like this past week. Wednesday we couldn't get but a few and a couple were really nice sized ones but they just didn't want to feed much then the very next day we caught our 4 keepers and one keeper flounder by 8:15 am and then went on to catch a few more keepers and a few shorts. Being on the water every day I get to see fishing at it's best and at it's worst and you can really never tell what it's going to do during the hotter summertime months of July and August. As this time of the year gets in full swing I just can't wait until the end of September, and all through October, November and December when you can catch loads and loads of fish of several species. It's coming! I can people are getting excited about our fall fishing as my October and November dates are filling up already.
Some real nice spotted trout are being caught now but you really have to target them early and throughout the morning. By noon they slow down and the afternoon bite during this hear is almost non existent. There are more and more flounder being caught finally. It's way past time for these guys to have shown up but I think they're finally here. Jacks and ladyfish are a blast on lures. If you're slow on the reds try these guys to bring up some excitement.
A few tarpon are showing up in the creeks now and they seem to have been a little late. Just not near as late as the flounder were.
RIVER:
Yellow mouth trout, whiting, small croakers, mostly bait-sized, and 4 to 15 pound black drum are in the river while fishing on the bottom. Spotted trout are along the grass edges and rock banks when the tide is in the higher phases and moving. You need moving water to make them feed.
Redfish are along the grass edges also and on the bottom in the same drop offs that the black drum are feeding in. Jacks, some small but some are 12 to 15 pounds are being seen chasing the bait fish out of the water right out in the river. Just look for the birds diving and see where the water splashes before the bides hit the water. Top water lures on these fish is really fun.
JETTIES:
Tarpon, jack cravelle, a lot of bull redfish with a few slot-sized mixed in, black drum, whiting, sea bass and some yellow mouth trout are all feeding out at the rocks lately. While you're out there, keep your eyes peeled for some nice cobia coming right up to your boat. We've had them swim right up and under the boat about a foot or two below the surface. We saw one about 40 pounds last week but couldn't get a bait in front of him in time. Kingfish are also just off the jetties. A lot of sharks of various kinds are at the mouth of the river this time of the year. You'll have to put up with them if you fish out there but they sure are fun. Pound for pound they can put up a fight that matches no other. They are absolutely great steaked out on a grill.
MILL COVE:
Tarpon, jacks, lady fish and spotted trout are the main characters feeding in the Cove. A few nice redfish and a few flounder are making their way to the baits in there also. Whiting and yellow mouth trout off and on, (and I really mean off and on) in the entrance.
OFFSHORE:
Kingfish are the main guys being targeted all along the beaches and especially South down to the Red Tops. You can also catch quite a few at the closer in reefs. Dolphin are the next in line with quite a few per boat being reported. Cobia next and the cobia this year are doing better than the last 10 to 15 years. Watch out though. Since there are so many the SAMFC will probably say they're endangered. But, let's don't forget the red snapper. Red snapper all over the place at many of the reefs offshore. No problem with catching your limit in a short amount of time.
SURF:
Whiting, a few pompano and black drum are being caught in the surf with an occasional redfish mentioned. Sharks are always in the surf come summertime so be on the lookout for these guys. Don't wade-fish with bait on you. Keep the bait out of the water back in your cooler.
That's about it for this report. Please keep your trash out of the waterways and take a kid fishing. The smile you'll see on their face will stay in your memory for a long time. They are our future. Let's help them gain a healthy respect for the sport we all love. We need more stewards of the water.
Thank you,
Captain Vic Tison
Co-Host of WOKV's 'Just Fishing' Radio Show, Saturdays 6:00am to 8:00am United States Coast Guard Licensed Captain International Game Fish Assoc. Certified Captain Regional Director for the Florida Guides Assoc. Member of the National Assoc. of Charterboat Operators Member of the American Professional Captain's Association Sponsor of The Inshore Saltwater Anglers Club
Vic2Fish & Adventures, Inc.
P O Box 28208 Jax., Fl. 32226
904-699-2285
Web Site http://vic2fish.com
Don't forget, starting back on August 1st, you now need a "shore bound license" if you're fishing in salt water from shore, bridges, private docks, etc. There are a few exceptions so check them out to see if you qualify and if not then be proud you'll be putting a little something back into the resources like the boating anglers have had to do for years now to help improve our fishery.
During this time of the year when it's pretty hot out there in the sun, a lot of people hear you should be taking in a lot of liquids to stay hydrated. That's very true but, the liquids you should be taking in mostly is water or Gatoraide. Cold drinks/sodas and beer help to dehydrate you without you realizing it. You can become dehydrated quickly which could really cause you some problems especially if you're out there all alone on your boat. Plain water helps your body regulate it's own temperature and also helps your muscles work.
Be very careful while watching other boaters as they are running the waterways close to you. The FWC arrests an alarming amount of people driving their boats while intoxicated, (BUI, Boating Under the Influence) throughout the entire state of Florida. As I read the FWC's newsletter each and every week of the violations across the state I am concerned about how many are BUI arrests. We all have to watch out for the people who are under the influence and be ready to take evasive action just in case they don't see you or they think they are far enough away from you and they're not !
CREEKS:
The redfish are so off an on here lately and I believe it has everything to do with the water temperature being so high right now. Although some days we can really catch them and when that's happening I'm watching my barometer on board my boat and can see that it's fluctuating up and down and has fired them off then the very next day it's hard to get them to bite. Just like this past week. Wednesday we couldn't get but a few and a couple were really nice sized ones but they just didn't want to feed much then the very next day we caught our 4 keepers and one keeper flounder by 8:15 am and then went on to catch a few more keepers and a few shorts. Being on the water every day I get to see fishing at it's best and at it's worst and you can really never tell what it's going to do during the hotter summertime months of July and August. As this time of the year gets in full swing I just can't wait until the end of September, and all through October, November and December when you can catch loads and loads of fish of several species. It's coming! I can people are getting excited about our fall fishing as my October and November dates are filling up already.
Some real nice spotted trout are being caught now but you really have to target them early and throughout the morning. By noon they slow down and the afternoon bite during this hear is almost non existent. There are more and more flounder being caught finally. It's way past time for these guys to have shown up but I think they're finally here. Jacks and ladyfish are a blast on lures. If you're slow on the reds try these guys to bring up some excitement.
A few tarpon are showing up in the creeks now and they seem to have been a little late. Just not near as late as the flounder were.
RIVER:
Yellow mouth trout, whiting, small croakers, mostly bait-sized, and 4 to 15 pound black drum are in the river while fishing on the bottom. Spotted trout are along the grass edges and rock banks when the tide is in the higher phases and moving. You need moving water to make them feed.
Redfish are along the grass edges also and on the bottom in the same drop offs that the black drum are feeding in. Jacks, some small but some are 12 to 15 pounds are being seen chasing the bait fish out of the water right out in the river. Just look for the birds diving and see where the water splashes before the bides hit the water. Top water lures on these fish is really fun.
JETTIES:
Tarpon, jack cravelle, a lot of bull redfish with a few slot-sized mixed in, black drum, whiting, sea bass and some yellow mouth trout are all feeding out at the rocks lately. While you're out there, keep your eyes peeled for some nice cobia coming right up to your boat. We've had them swim right up and under the boat about a foot or two below the surface. We saw one about 40 pounds last week but couldn't get a bait in front of him in time. Kingfish are also just off the jetties. A lot of sharks of various kinds are at the mouth of the river this time of the year. You'll have to put up with them if you fish out there but they sure are fun. Pound for pound they can put up a fight that matches no other. They are absolutely great steaked out on a grill.
MILL COVE:
Tarpon, jacks, lady fish and spotted trout are the main characters feeding in the Cove. A few nice redfish and a few flounder are making their way to the baits in there also. Whiting and yellow mouth trout off and on, (and I really mean off and on) in the entrance.
OFFSHORE:
Kingfish are the main guys being targeted all along the beaches and especially South down to the Red Tops. You can also catch quite a few at the closer in reefs. Dolphin are the next in line with quite a few per boat being reported. Cobia next and the cobia this year are doing better than the last 10 to 15 years. Watch out though. Since there are so many the SAMFC will probably say they're endangered. But, let's don't forget the red snapper. Red snapper all over the place at many of the reefs offshore. No problem with catching your limit in a short amount of time.
SURF:
Whiting, a few pompano and black drum are being caught in the surf with an occasional redfish mentioned. Sharks are always in the surf come summertime so be on the lookout for these guys. Don't wade-fish with bait on you. Keep the bait out of the water back in your cooler.
That's about it for this report. Please keep your trash out of the waterways and take a kid fishing. The smile you'll see on their face will stay in your memory for a long time. They are our future. Let's help them gain a healthy respect for the sport we all love. We need more stewards of the water.
Thank you,
Captain Vic Tison
Co-Host of WOKV's 'Just Fishing' Radio Show, Saturdays 6:00am to 8:00am United States Coast Guard Licensed Captain International Game Fish Assoc. Certified Captain Regional Director for the Florida Guides Assoc. Member of the National Assoc. of Charterboat Operators Member of the American Professional Captain's Association Sponsor of The Inshore Saltwater Anglers Club
Vic2Fish & Adventures, Inc.
P O Box 28208 Jax., Fl. 32226
904-699-2285
Web Site http://vic2fish.com
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Big Everglades Pompano
This is the first day I have been back on the water since my vacation. It was a very nice day as the fishing and weather was great. Paul, Ray and John have been comeing over for the last five years to fish with me for whatever is biting. These guys went to school together and make a fishing trip like a short reunion. The exception is that this year John's wife Heidi came along. So the four of them showed up at the dock early as to catch the tide right.
Our first stop was the flat cause they love to take there limit of trout home with them. Surprise, surprise we started to catch nice big pompano. (10 of them) These pomps were 3-4 pounders and can put up a great fight. While catching pompano we also caught trout, ladyfish, mackerel and bonnet head sharks. I think today we actually caught the biggest bonnet head shark that I have ever seen. When that spot started to slow, we moved to try some snook fishing. By this time is was time for lunch. We gave snook fishing about 20 min. but nothing happening. We went over to a flat close by to try for more trout and did catch a couple and 1 pompano, but the water was dirty and we started catching quite a few cat fish. The rain started to build up for the afternoon and was getting close to us so we headed back to the north (closer to home) and went to the flat we were catching the pompano to start with.
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Wow, what a lot of ladyfish (poor man's tarpon). Ladyfish everywhere. You couldn't get a bait through the ladyfish to catch any thing else. Well, they did have fun trying to land them as they jump a lot and is a challenge to get them to the boat. We call them poor man's tarpon cause they look like a little tarpon and jump like a tarpon. Spending more time in the air then the water. The rain was right on our backs so we decided to call it a day. As we were headed back Paul say he sure was hoping for a redfish. With that in mind I stopped at the next island and said okay guys five minutes. They all jumped up grabbed their rods, baited up and Paul got one on the first cast. Nice keeper size redfish for the grill. Then Ray got one about the same size. We hated to leave but that storm was coming up on use fast and it's not fun being on the water in a thunder storm. We did get several pictures before the rain came in. So until next time "come on down cause the fishing is great and the weather is fine"
Posted by Captain Becky Campbell at 9:00 PM
Captain Becky Campbell
239-695-2029
www.evergladesfishingcharters.com/
CaptainBecky709@aol.com
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