Jacksonville Trout Are Everywhere

Monday, August 24, 2009
8/23 - FISH, caught everywhere.

Had Kirk M. aboard today. Kirk's fished with me many, many times before. BUT, usually in either the fall, winter or spring. So he's used to a bit of a different scenario. I don't think he's ever been on my boat when it's 90 degrees.

But he was in town, from Lima, Peru. Where the U.S. Navy has him spending a few years. And he's just thrilled with that, BTW. So fishing is an activity in which he has been severely lacking.

He wanted to go, but I thought I was going to be in the great state of Louisiana fishing for a week. So when I had to cancel on the La. trip at the last minute, I emailed Kirk and said, "I'm now open to fish Sunday the 23rd."

To my disappointment, I'll be possibly fishing the river here for a few more years, before I can fish the "oh so bountiful" Louisiana inshore waters.

We caught fish at every single spot we went too. There's no lack of bites. We even gave bottom fishing a try again. But was there after the big Redfish bite was about over. 20 boats of all sizes were jam packed into a small area. I initially went in there just to say HI to some friends. Instead we caught small Yellowmouth Trout. As we talked with my friends. And the big Red bite was about done, so when the current went wacky we moved on.

We did try the jetties, earlier. The water temp on the incoming tide was 75 degrees. We were one of 3 boats fishing the rocks. The tide was pouring in, and Kirk hooked a Ass-Hander! Probably a really big Jack. And it ripped him down the jetty and around the corner and then shut the door.

My Ugly Stik "Striper rods"....which are my new charter Float-rigging rods, got a super horseshoe put in the one that Kirk had in his hands, on this fish. Bowed up and drag smoking. It was super cool. But once the big fish hooked around the jetty. It was over, when the light 15# leader popped.

We were looking for some incoming tide Redbass, of course. But the jetties just didn't feel really right for some reason. And that cool water was suspect.

That was about it out there, so back down river we went. Yep, we did some back and forth stuff. But settled in around Blount Island to the Dames Point bridge area.

In the river we caught Speckled Trout about everywhere. But most of them were shorts, 14-12" Trout. Out of maybe 25 total we boxed a whopping six. A 14" Yellowmouth,. and two Mangrove Snappers.

But the really good thing is every spot we fished (Float-rig) we caught fish. Even a quick stop up in a shallow cove in 2 feet of water, we still caught Trout. Small ones, but they were Trout.
(we were looking for a red....even a pup red)

Hey, at least my Speckly friends are all over the place in the river. That's a good thing.

The ratio of keeper sized Trout was a bit of a bummer. I bought no less than 10 dozen live shrimp and at least 3 dozen died.....even after changing the water out with cool clean ocean water.
The incoming tide came very quickly this morning and by the time the tide turned and we had ebbing water again, and were on a decent bite good Specks, we ran out of live shrimp. That's summer for ya.....shrimp just don't want to live, as well as winter time. And I do all I can to keep everyone alive. I call my bait wells in the summer, the I.C.U - "intensive care unit"

We had keeper Trout from 15 inches to 20" being the largest.





Kirk thinks while he's here that we maybe able to sneak out around 3pm again this week, after he's done Navy business over at Jax NAS. I'm all up to that. Late afternoon falling tide bite? Yeah baby! Hmmm, I think I have a few "top water" spots I'd want to try.

C'C'mon.....Kirk!!!

Captain Dave Sipler's Sport Fishing
904-642-9546
charters@captdaves.com
JacksonvilleFishingReports.blogspot.com

Posted by Capt. Dave Sipler at 8/24/2009

Great Time Of Year For Variety

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 8/13 through 8/23/2009


Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and jumped a tarpon on several trips recently. The best action continues to be with trout on deep grass flats. We are also catching ladyfish and the occasional bluefish or Spanish mackerel on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Tarpon are feeding in glass minnow schools in the same areas. Snook and tarpon before dawn around lighted docks and bridge fenders are also a good option when there is a good tide.

Fen Sartorius and Steve Machen, both from NM, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, 8/14. They caught and released a few trout on flies deep grass flats near Buttonwood Harbor. Mark Desimone and his son Aaron, from Florida’s east coast, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday, 8/15. We worked some tarpon for a couple of hours in the morning, but didn’t get them to bite. We moved to deep grass flats near Buttonwood Harbor where ladyfish schools had glass minnows “balled up”. They caught and released trout and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails. Tarpon also joined the fray as they gorged themselves on glass minnows.

I attended the annual DOA Fishing Lures Writer’s Festival (www.doalures.com) in Stuart, FL from Aug. 16-18. The event pairs DOA Pro Staffers with outdoor writers from around the country for a couple of fun days of fishing and socializing. There were many noteworthy catches including snook of 25 and 30-pounds and numerous tarpon. The new 5 ½” BFL (Big Fish Lure) accounted for many of the big fish. We had a good bite on Tuesday morning when Capt. Pat Dineen, from Destin, FL, and outdoor writer, Pete Barrett, from Jupiter, FL fished with me. We caught and released numerous trout to 3-pounds and a couple of snook on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms while wading a flat in the Indian River near River Palm Cottages and Fish Camp. If you’ve never stayed at River Palm Cottages and Fish Camp (www.riverpalmcottages.com) you should check it out. It is “a cool place to stay”!

Justin Mills, from Bradenton, FL and his dad, Mike Mills from Pittsburgh, PA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Weds, Aug. 19. They caught and released trout on CAL jigs with shad tails near Buttonwood Harbor and Bayshore Gardens. I was the guest of my friend, Steve Gibson (www.kayakfishingsarasota.com), on a beach snook fishing trip near Englewood, FL on Friday, 8/21. Gibby is a master at beach snook fishing and kayak fishing in both fresh and saltwater. He had the hot hand that day catching and releasing 5 snook to 27” on DT Special flies.

Fly angler Dave Barger, from NY, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday, 8/22 and had a good trip. Dave was a student in my April ’09 Orvis Endorsed Fly Casting School at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters. We started our day at 4:30 AM and jumped a tarpon on my Grassett’s Snook Minnow fly around a bridge. Although this fly was designed for snook, it will catch whatever is feeding on glass minnows (tarpon, little tunny, trout, Spanish mackerel, etc). I tie the fly on a 1/0 Owner AKI hook when targeting larger fish.

We moved to lighted docks on Siesta Key where Dave hooked up a couple of times and landed a snook on a smaller version of the same fly. After dawn we hit the flats, where we caught a released trout, ladyfish, jacks and mangrove snapper with an Ultra Hair Clouser fly.

This is a great time of the year for variety (tarpon, snook, reds, trout and more). The best action is early in the day so you can have great action and be home for lunch.

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

Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report

Mosquito Creek Outdoors Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, August 22, 2009

By Captain Tom Van Horn

Classes and Events:
Angling Tactics for Success September 19, 2009 10 am - 12 noon at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Avenue in Apopka, Florida

October 10, 2009 1 PM - 3 PM Captain Mark Nichols from DOA Lures and Jerry McBride editor of Florida Sportsman Magazine at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Avenue in Apopka, Florida

As hurricane season progresses, conditions on the Lagoon Coast of Florida begin to shift which was the case last week. For the past month the summer doldrums have dominated our near-shore waters and the consistent southerly fetch combined with Coriolis Effect pulled the warm surface water off of the ocean and the lagoon out to sea creating an upwelling of cold water near-shore and extremely low water levels inside. Now that Hurricane Bill is progressing north in the open Atlantic, our winds picked up and shifted easterly and the seas have acquired a long period swell. These changing conditions will most likely warm the near-shore waters and allow ocean water to return to the lagoons which has already seen a 10-inch water level increase this week. Combined, these changed will set the stage for the development of the mullet run, just in time for snook season along the beach and in the inlets. It will be interesting to see how these shifting conditions effect fishing this coming week.

My adventures this past week combined involved fishing in the Banana River No-Motor Zone and in the Stuart area as well as the privilege to once again attend the DOA Lures Outdoor Writers Conference.



My first adventure was with Bill Petree from Sanford as we ventured out into the Banana River No-Motor Zone in my new Indian River Canoe rigged out with a new Kay-noe Stabilizer system. My plan was to first target snook along the shoreline, but the extremely low water conditions made the shoreline unfishable even in my canoe. We then shifted our attention to the deeper edge of the bar on the west shoreline, but again I made a bad decision by misjudging the wind direction and speed. The easterly winds had just begun to develop and increase and our position on the windward shoreline made fishing conditions tougher as well as pushed rafts of floating wagon grass in our direction. My primary goal of the trip was to help Bill learn how to spot and fish for redfish, which we accomplished despite the low water levels and changing conditions.



On Saturday I participated in what I hope to be the First Annual Merritt Island Derelict Crab Pot Cleanup. Over 50 volunteers met at the Haulover Canal ramp, and together we remover 79 abandoned crab traps from the Lagoon. After the tally was complete, Lois Reed collected the most traps at eleven, and she was awarded a fully stocked tackle box and a new fishing rod and reel donated to the event by Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka Florida.



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. The setting for the three day show was 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. 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 several snook over 30 pounds.

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
http://www.irl-fishing.com
407-416-1187 on the water
407-366-8085 land line

For all of your outdoor needs, visit Mosquito Creek Outdoors at www.mosquitocreek.com, it's where your adventure begins.

Good Chances At Multiple Species

Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters

Capt. Chris Myers


Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report August 23, 2009

The past two weeks have offered some very good fishing opportunities except for a few days of windy weather caused by a passing tropical front. Nearly every day brings legitimate chances to catch multiple species such as redfish, black drum, seatrout, tarpon, snook, and jack crevalle.

Last Monday, Jim and his son-in-law Brian drove up from Melbourne to target large redfish in Mosquito Lagoon. Prior to spotting reds, we encountered a large school of black drum and Brian landed what would turn out to be the only fish of the day.



For the next six hours, we fished multiple schools of large redfish throughout the Lagoon. Unfortunately, they turned out to be easier to find than to catch. The most frustrating part of the day came when Jim made a perfect cast to a school of about 200 giant reds. Just as the fish were approaching his bait, a bird flew over the school. The water erupted as the shadow from the bird spook the entire group.

Wednesday, I went tarpon fishing with my friend, Capt. Drew. We did not see as many as I had found several days earlier but they were more willing to bite. Throwing a black and gold DOA Baitbuster, I got five bites, jumped three, and landed one.



The following day, I went back to Mosquito Lagoon to explore some areas for Friday's trip. I spent a couple hours looking for tarpon and finally found them in 8-10 feet of water. These fish were from 60-100 pounds but they were spread out over a large area making shots few and far between. After the tarpon quit rolling, I used a holographic DOA shrimp to catch redfish, snook, and trout.

Friday's trip was with Rob and Alan from Wales. Once they saw their first 100 pound tarpon rolling, they were intent on hooking one. Again, the fish were spread out and they saw many that were just out of reach. They both had several good shots but did not get a bite. They caught a couple jacks and ladyfish and then we tried for some snook. We saw a few but did not hook up. The flats offered multiple shots at redfish throughout the day and both guys caught trout on CAL jigs along the edge of the flats. At our final stop of the day, we found a hungry school of reds. They landed five all over 30 inches.





Saturday was a crab trap cleanup coordinated by the wildlife refuge. Over 75 abandoned crabs traps were recovered by volunteers. Recovered traps were found to contain snapper, sheephead, pinfish, and a variety of crabs.

Sunday, I traveled to Stuart in advance of the DOA Outdoor Writers Festival. I once again had the honor of being invited to participate as a guide in this annual event. A front had kicked up the winds and I was forced to hide in the backwater bays of the St. Lucie River. I saw none of the hundreds of tarpon that were there a couple weeks ago. I spent the day skipping a holographic DOA shrimp along the mangrove shorelines and caught 16 snook.

Monday brought more wind and limited our fishing opportunities. Stephanie, from Sport Fishing Magazine, and John, from Seaguar Fluorocarbon, were my guests for the day. The company was great but the fishing was tough. We Stayed near the shoreline in the Indian River most of the day. We ended up with only a few trout and a snook caught and released.

Tuesday, I hosted Blair Wiggins, of the TV show Addictive Fishing, and Will, from Frogg Toggs products. Facing another windy day, we decided to fish for snook and tarpon around the bridges of the St. Lucie River. Using the DOA Baitbuster and Terror Eyz, we all landed some large snook and lost several others.







This Thursday, Doug and his 11 year old son Chase hired me to show them how to catch more fish in Mosquito Lagoon. We saw hundreds of redfish and black drum roaming the flats. Chase, who fishes as good as many adults, fired off a cast with a silver mullet DOA CAL and hooked into his biggest redfish to date.



Friday's trip, Neal began by throwing a shallow running Baitbuster to some large redfish. He had several fish blow up on his lure as he worked it along the surface and even had a large red hooked up for a few seconds. Before he could land one, several boats drove by spooking the fish. We tried looking for tarpon but saw only a few. The flats, however, we alive with redfish and black drum. Neal had shots at hundreds of both and landed a red on a four inch CAL.


Mosquito Creek Angler Improvement Class

The next class will be September 19 at 10am. Capt. Tom Van Horn and I will be discussing strategies and tactics for fishing the flats.

Mosquito Creek Outdoors will also be hosting three Intoduction to Fly Fishing classes during September. The 17th and 24th are open to anyone while the 26th is a women's only course. If you are interested in getting started in fly fishing, contact the store at 407-464-2000. Space is limited for fly classes so call soon to reserve your spot.

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

Garmin GPSMAP 525

Garmin GPSMAP 525 Marine Navigator

Physical Charicteristics

• Slim, 2.9" Design
• 5" VGA Display
  
• Bright, Sharp, Colorful Graphics
• Resolution-480 X 640 Pixels
• Internal Antenna
• Waterproof *IPX7
• NMEA 0183 Input/Output **
  

* GPS case can withstand accidental immersion in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes

** Defines how data is transmitted between marine electronic devices

Maps & Memory

• Basemap With Realistic Satellite Imegery
• SD Card Slot- Add Additional Maps Without Connecting To A Computer
• Saved Waypoints And Favorite Locations- 1,500
  
• Saved Routs- 20
  
• Track Log- 10,000 Points, 20 Saved Tracks
  

Features

• Garmin Sonar Compatible
• CANet® Compatible
• Supports AIS (tracks target ships' position)
• Supports DSC (displays position data from DSC capable VHF radio)
• Audible Alarms
• Tide Tables
• Sun And Moon Information

Optional Features With BlueChart g2 Vision Card

• 3-D Map View
• Auto Guidance