Captain Pete Rosco's Kandlefish Lure

About every other week I get a fishing report from Phil at Capt. Pete's Bait & Tackle in Naples. The other day he was telling me about how he had gone fishing with Capt. Pete a few days before and landed one of the biggest red groupers he had ever caught after he had tied on one of Capt. Pete's Kandlefish Lures. "Whats a Kandlefish Lure?", I asked. Phil began to tell me how Captain Pete Rosco is a biologist and has worked as a fishing guide in Alaska, the Pacific North West, the Great Lakes, and here in the Gulf of Mexico. He had wanted to develop a lure that was versatile enough to catch fish any where around the world in any kind of fishing environment. What he came up with was the Kandlefish. A full body "jigging spoon" that can be used in either fresh or saltwater and will imitate an injured bait fish whether it is cast, vertically jigged, or trolled. With sizes ranging from 1/6oz - 6oz, and 10 sizes in between, this lure can "Match the Hatch" and be fished any where from just below the surface to 300ft. The lure is so versatile, Capt. Pete has written the K-Fish Tech Guide. www.yellowbirdproducts.com/pages/kandlefishTech.html . This guide gives detailed instructions and tips on how to use the Kandlefish in any situation you could think of. It also gives some of the best general fishing advice I have ever seen online or in print in a short, easy to read and easy to understand format.

Now is the best time to fish in Florida!

The best fishing of the year is RIGHT NOW in Florida! Water temperatures have risen from the 50's to around 70 in most of the state and this is sending huge schools of bait fish migrating northward. Where there is bait, there are predators! On the Gulf Coast side of the state, Spanish Mackerel and King Mackerel have moved at least as far north as Homasassa. Grouper and Snapper are following the bait into shallower water. Cobia are starting to show in good numbers in the Panhandle and along the beaches and grass flats farther south. Trout, Redfish, and Snook are red hot on grass flats all along the Gulf Coast. On the Atlantic side, high winds have kept most boats at dock. When the winds lay down you can expect outstanding fishing all up and down the coast. Sailfish, Dolphin, and other Billfish will be hot from Palm Beach all of the way through the Keys. Wahoo, Dolphin,and King Mackerel are migrating north. Snook, Trout, and Redfish are biting very well up and down the coast and should only get better. Pompano, Whiting and Flounder fishing is good and only going to get better.

Dunedin Casuway, Trout Fishing is Hot!

I was just talking with Pat at the Dunedin Fishing Center in Dunedin. He tells me that the fishing is great on the Dunedin Causeway right now and he expects this weekend will be off the charts! There are tons of spanish mackerel around. Pats customers are catching them using Gator Spoons and Gotcha Plugs. Spanish mackerel will be most active where there is a good tidal flow and schools of bait fish. A fast moving lure will produce hard hitting strikes and short, reel screaming runs on medium to light tackle. Redfish can be caught from the causeway or around area oyster bars and mangrove lined spoil islands. These are the smaller rat red, as the bigger fish have moved on. Live shrimp are hard to come by, so cast net white bait or use Berkly Gulp . The pet beach on Honeymoon Island is producing pompano. Sand flees and pompano jigs are the best baits. Silver trout and speckled trout are on fire! Wade the north side of Dunedin Causeway starting at the first bridge. Berkley Gulp baits or jigs tipped with a small piece of frozen shrimp will produce lots of trout if you can not find live shrimp. For more information contact;
Dunedin Fishing Center
727-738-5628
243 Bayshore Blvd
Dunedin, FL 34698

Jacksonville Beach Pier

I spoke with Fay at Jacksonville Beach Pier a short time ago. She tells me that high winds are making the conditions rough, but for those willing to brave them the fishing is good. Large sinkers, 4-5 oz, are a must today. Fishing off of the south side of the pier Fays customers are catching some nice bluefish, silver trout, whiting, and quite a few pompano. Live shrimp and sand flees are the baits of choice, cut fish and squid will also work. For more information contact;
Jacksonville Beach Pier
904-241-1515
503 1st St N
Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
www.jacksonvillebeachpier.com

St. George Island

I spoke with Survivors Island Bait & Tackle on St. George Island this afternoon. They tell me that the fishing is excellent! Redfish, flounder, and speckled trout can be found in good numbers on the back side of St. George Island and in Apalachicola Bay. Shrimp are the best live bait, Equalizer plugs are the best artificial. On the beach, pompano, whiting, and spanish mackerel are all biting very well. Sand flees and pompano jigs are the best bait for pompano and whiting. A Gotcha Plug is hard to beat for spanish mackerel. There was a report of a cobia being caught offshore yesterday. For more information contact;
Survivors Island Bait & Tackle
850-927-3113
28 W Pine Av
St. George Island, Fl 32328