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The best action is still well offshore, kings, snapper and grouper. Due to the wind and high seas, this has not been an option for me as well as many others. Bay fishing is almost at a stand-still and the cold front did not help.

Sheepshead and drum are picking up and can be found around most structures. Sheepshead prefer crustaceans and sea worms. Drum just like something old J. You may find yourself in a school of boiling bluefish but catch one or two and they are gone. Normally, bluefish will fill the passes and give us plenty of action to fill in the lean days on the bay. This may still transpire!

Snook are still being caught but may move to freshwater as the water temperature drops.

The extra long Redtide this summer and the extended warm weather this fall have effected our fishing. Mother Nature rules and is full of surprises! The voids will probably be filled with different species and/or different patterns as other fish rise to the top of the food chain. I look forward to it as Nature's way of applying a fresh coat of paint, new for a while but eventually returning to its normal appearance.

The best fishing is still well offshore! We found plenty of gray snapper (mangrove), a few keeper scamp, large porgy and sheepshead. We also had plenty of nice size gag grouper around but had trouble putting a keeper in the boat on our last trip. We used large live shrimp and fished on the bottom. It was a good day at Table Rock! Table Rock is a five foot ledge in the Cuda hole area and it is well known. The area has plenty of ledges from two to seven feet high. It is in approximately fifty feet of water and just about makes the federal line, over nine miles offshore. Take a compass course of 240? to 245? out of New Pass and that should get you there.

Kingfish have been strong about twenty miles offshore and the large grouper are good at forty to fifty miles. The hard part is catching the bait before you make the long run. The baitfish has been very hard to find.

Bay fishing has improved with a few nice trout and snook being caught, but you will need to work at it. If this warm weather continues throughout the winter, we may see some unusual behavior as far as the fishing goes.

It has been all about getting well offshore if you want some good action! Coastal and inshore fishing has been feeling the effects of a slow to leave Red-tide. Maybe this weekend's cold front will change things around.

We had been able to find fish at depths between 40 and 80 feet, 10 to 20 miles offshore. Hard bottom, artificial reefs, brakes and any good looking bottom has held some fish. Kingfish, blackfin tuna and grouper have preferred the deeper water. Snapper, some grouper, little tunny and an occasional kingfish has been the action around the 40 to 50 foot depths.

Live bait is best but trolling will work to find the kings. Live Spanish sardines, cigar minnows, pilchards, pinfish, grunts and large live shrimp for the snapper have all worked. The wind has been up for the last few days and has made it a hard ride for long offshore fishing but that will pass.

I have not been able to get out since last Monday and this was partially due to the weather. The Weatherman is calling for NE winds, 10-15 mph this weekend. If this comes to be, we will have flat water along the beaches and on the east side of the bay. Offshore won't be too bad, if the wind stays under 15 mph.

I would expect fishing to pickup where I left off. Monday I found plenty of gray snapper up to three pounds, gag grouper to thirteen pounds and a few fish we could not stop. This was all at M-5 using large live shrimp for bait. We saw plenty of baitfish around M-5 all day long but we did not need it. I am sure that some fresh caught pinfish on stout rods would have produced some big fish. At that time, we still had some Red Tide offshore and I was not sure they would live in the baitwell. We also caught some spadefish, grunts, sheepshead and triggerfish but the bait stealers were at a minimum. I understand that the spadefish have become very active since Monday. You should find action on any of the "M" reefs and on good bottom in 40 to 50 feet of water.

Cobia have been running along the beach and hanging around any structures, the "I" reefs for a start. You can expect some down time between hookups as the pods of cobia come and go. Be ready to cast to the follow ups and make the most of the time you have them around the boat. Cobia will eat everything, but I like to use large live shrimp. Cobia will take a free line or bottom rig and sometimes they have a preference. So, I keep both going until I see what works. Fishing the bottom will work well and fills in the time between cobia pods if the bait stealers are not too bad. On the bottom, you have the possibility of catching snapper, grouper, flounder, sheepshead and many other species. The larger snapper and gag grouper should move in to shallower water soon.

I don't have much to offer on the bay fishing, but if the wind is up and out of the NE I would suggest fishing the east side of the bay. Steven's Point grass flats would be a good place to start if you are looking for trout. The passes on the change of tide would also be a good place to try for pompano, bluefish or mackerel.

The Cobias are back and have been moving along the beach reefs. For the last few days the cobia action has been better than it has been in the last few years. We did well in eighteen feet of water using large live shrimp, both free line and on the bottom. The action was very good until about 10:00 AM and then it would slack off. During that time we would see many schools of Spanish mackerel frothing the surface and feeding on very small baitfish. They did not seem to be interested in the large shrimp, but I am sure they would have taken a small jig.

Further offshore at the (M) reefs in forty feet of water, gray snapper (Mangrove) were on the bite and taking live shrimp. However, it was necessary to put up with a lot of triggerfish stealing your bait. Large gag grouper have started to move in to the (M) reefs and surrounding areas. They are responding best to large plugs. Trolling deep and running plugs far behind the boat at 4-5 knots has produced gag grouper up to twenty pounds. This is the normal time for the gags to move inshore, but they are often overlooked due to the kingfish run. The kingfish action has been sparse at best. The grouper will also take live pinfish and grunts, but it has been hard to keep them alive because there is still some Red tide still hanging around offshore. The gags also like the live shrimp but have trouble getting to it fast enough and/or your tackle is too light to hold them when fishing for snapper.

There was not much to hold me on the bay this past week, so I will pass on that.

Fishing is getting back to normal with plenty of new fish coming in to fill the void left by the Red Tide. Mangrove snapper have been plentiful around the 40' depths offshore. The artificial reef M3 has been a hot spot but you can find fish on most structures, both artificial and natural at the 40' depth. It is best to fish the snapper with light line, 10-12 pound test, 30 to 40 pound test mono leader, 3/0 hook and a 1/4 to 1/2 ounce of lead. I like to use large live shrimp and just fish a few inches off the bottom. A few king mackerel have also been caught in this area during the past week and we have our eyes open for a run on kings.

The inshore (I) reefs have also been active but are inundated with trigger fish. This makes it very hard to keep a bait on long enough to catch other fish. We were able to find a few snapper and to see an occasional cobia come to the boat. It is also time for the gag grouper to start moving into the shallow water.

On the bay, it has been trout on the grass flats (mostly shorts), redfish and snook around the docks (in limited numbers). There have been plenty of large ladyfish in the passes. The bay has also held some Spanish mackerel, bluefish, pompano, flounder and snapper. Live shrimp and small jigs have worked well on most of the open water.

Bay fishing has improved over the past week. Most of the good fishing was on the East Side of the bay around Steven's Point. The grass flats held plenty of small sea trout and a few keepers with plenty of large ladyfish to keep the action going. We also found a few pompano and flounder on the grass flats. The people working hard in the backwater managed a few redfish and snook. On the west side of the bay near New Pass, the Middle Ground is holding plenty of tiny baitfish that are sporadically attacked by large schools of bluefish and ladyfish. The bluefish have preferred the incoming tide and have averaged 2-3 pounds.

Due to the effects of the Redtide, live shrimp has been the best bait, they have been large and living better in the bait well.

Offshore fishing is another story! Plan to run offshore twenty miles to get past the Redtide and miles of floating dead fish. The boats making the trip are coming back with lane snapper and red grouper but it has been a rough ride with 4-6 foot swells. No one knows how long the tide will last or how much it will spread. It never really leaves it just stops blooming.

The Red Tide has put a halt to most of our Bay fishing but that can change at any time, for better or worse. The best Bay action was for trout at Buttonwood Harbor marker and north along the grass flats. The NE corner of the bay had plenty of small redfish along the drop-off. Live shrimp will survive well during a Redtide and should be available at the bait shops.

Offshore, the (M) reefs have been clear of the Red tide and holding fish. That could change but for now the Spanish mackerel, barracuda and mangrove snapper with an occasional keeper size grouper have been the prevalent fish. I found plenty of baitfish (Spanish sardines, cigar minnows)hugging the bottom around the structures. This bait did not always show up well on the bottom recorder but bouncing a Goldhook rig off the bottom produced plenty of nice big baits. Large live shrimp will also work on the mackerel and snapper.

Longer runs offshore of 30+ miles are still producing some nice Blue water fish, but make sure you pickup some live bait on the way out.

Offshore fishing for Spanish mackerel is still the best action. The artificial reefs (M) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 have consistently been alive with mackerel, little tunny, barracuda and sharks. In fact, half of the mackerel and tunny that are hooked are eaten by the cuda and sharks on the way in. This can get wild and caution should be used when boating a fish so that a cuda will not follow it into the boat. Live pilchards have been about the best bait but trolling small spoons has also put plenty of fish in the box.

Normally I would fish for Spanish mackerel without a steel leader and just use a 4/0, 202, gold, long shank hook with 30-40 pound test mono leader. With all the toothy critters around and a few large kings still being caught, I would change to a six inch, #3 steel leader with a 3/0-4/0 heavier style hook. Capt. Brian Martel (Midnite Son) caught two kings on (I-2) but the in close action was short lived.

If you hit a day when the mackerel seem to be in a slump, take all your leader off and use a lighter hook. You may lose a few more fish this way but it is better than no action at all.

Bottom fishing has produced some snapper and grouper but you need to feed a lot of smaller fish to get a good one. Live bait (shrimp, pinfish or whitebait) is what you need to do much good. Fish the bottom with very little weight, less than an ounce and 40# to 60# test mono leader. I use 12 to 20 pound test line and lock the drag down as tight as I can. You do not have the option of letting a fish run when fishing deep structure.

Large Spanish mackerel have been the main action offshore in the forty to sixty foot depths. Pulling hardware or live bait has produced mackerel in the five pound class. You can also expect to lose a few to barracuda and sharks that are also plentiful in the area. Little tunny have also been in the mix and they like the small live shrimp. Most of the baitfish around the (M) reefs was to small to use. However, we did find plenty of larger baitfish in thirty feet of water as the sun got higher. Bottom fishing on the (M) reefs was active but it was mostly small fish. The best action has been in the fifty and sixty foot depths.

Dolphin fishing has been excellent at about thirty miles or more offshore. Look for the grass or any floating debris to find the dolphin. Trolling will work but I like to drift and cast to the fish. Once you get the first fish on, I feel that it gives you a better chance at holding the school around the boat. On the way out, you can catch some nice baitfish at about twenty miles offshore. Lately, with the calm water, the offshore runs have been a pleasure.

Inshore fishing reports have not been to good, but I do expect the big trout to start soon. We could also find the mackerel moving into the bay. Try to fish first and last light for the best results.

I know it has been a while since my last report but with all the bad weather and slow fishing when we did make it out, I didn't have much to say.

Unless you were running forty miles offshore, the bay fishing seemed to have a lot more action. Grass flat action was non-stop just off of Steven's point! Trout and ladyfish made up most of the action but we also caught some pompano, mackerel, jacks and small sharks. Most of the trout were just under 15". We used live shrimp and a smaller hook due to the size of the shrimp at this time of year.

Snook, redfish and mangrove snapper had some bright spots around the docks on little Sarasota Bay during the past week. Live pilchards, pinfish and shrimp worked well. The snapper were very hot at times and some would go two or more pounds.

Tarpon can be found at first light around the New Pass bridge fenders. You may want to try a live crab for bait but they are finicky.

This weather should be over soon and we should start seeing some of the large summer trout up on the flats. The snapper fishing should pickup offshore along with some nice grouper. I am also looking for a summer Spanish mackerel run. It will all come together if the weather cooperates.

Surely this weekend, not many of us got out to fish but we have had some of the best fishing of the year until the rain came. We had plenty of kingfish action about a half mile SW of M-7. Many were short but we also caught some nice twenty and twenty-five pounders. In with the kings were Spanish mackerel to five pounds, little-tunny, barracuda and some nice sharks. Free lining and drifting with live pilchards worked best but live shrimp also worked. We found plenty of bait on M-5 and then moved off to M-7 to fish. The M reefs themselves had plenty of snapper on them, but the Goliath grouper can be a problem in getting your snapper up to the boat.

If you did not want to make the run out to the "M" reef, the "I" reefs had plenty of Spanish mackerel on them. We had no problem getting our limit of mackerel on live shrimp on the "I" reefs. I did not use steel leader here, just 40# monofilament leader and a 3/0 hook. The smallest shrimp produced fish as well as larger shrimp. Free line the shrimp. If you go too deep, the jacks will get it.

The snook action was good on the bay. Fishing along the rocks at the mouth of the passes produced plenty of snook. Tarpon action had good days and slow days and most of the action was well south of Big Pass.

Big kingfish are still being caught around M-7! The larger kings are hanging around the large schools of baitfish within a half mile of the reef structure. Smaller kings are around the structure but the barracuda will probably cut them in half before you can boat them. On the structure, we found plenty of ten pound amberjack, little tunny, barracuda, shark and some nice permit. M-5 was also hot with the same action. There are plenty of mangrove snapper on the bottom but you can hardly get them past the jewfish (Giant grouper). We had three jewfish at a time coming up for our AJ's. We had plenty of baitfish around the reefs but you needed to work your bait rigs across the top to catch them. You will need to bring some crabs or shrimp if you want try for the permit.

Dolphin have been plentiful 30 to 40 miles offshore but we did find a school just inside of M-7. You need to keep your eyes open for them this time of year.

My tarpon fishing has been less than satisfactory this year. The tarpon had a late start and then we had west winds that made the beaches very choppy. We also have had cloudy water and that makes them hard to see if they are not on top. We have been able to find them but they have been coming up only once and giving us no time to setup on them. The crabs have been small due to the lack of rain. Need I say more?

The bay has been good for seatrout and snook but the reds have been on the slow side. Live shrimp and whitebait have been doing the trick but it has also been a good time for artificial baits.

One of the big problems on the (I) and some of the (M) reefs, is the large numbers of bluerunners. They are good to eat, please take my bluerunner.

The Tarpon have finally shown up in good numbers. What took them so long? It was probably the cold water, but they are here now. You did not need to go far because Lido beach had plenty to keep you busy. The tarpon were not Greyhounding, so you needed to look for the dark spots or shadows to find them. Afternoon had been best. This was probably due to the position of the sun and being able to spot the shadows easily.

I fished every day for the last three weeks, but until now I had very little to write about. The last good fish we caught was a 35 pound king mackerel caught by Joe Bodnar on the 3rd of May. We caught the king on artificial reef (M-1). Joe free lined a Threadfin herring on spinning tackle and also caught some other nice fish. You can see the photo of Joe's king on my web site.

The fishing then dropped off along the coast and on the Bay. This was probably due to high pressure and an overload of blue runners. The coastal waters have been and still are loaded with all kinds of baitfish. Goggle-eye and 6" baby bluefish are some of the newcomers and are all mixed in with the large schools of bait.

All of the artificial (M) reefs are holding fish now. Spanish mackerel, kingfish, permit, barracuda, little tunny and snapper on the bottom. Drifting live bait for all but the snapper is working well. Live shrimp has been best for the Spanish and snapper with live crab and shrimp for the permit. Live baitfish works for the big kings and cuda. Little tunny will take it all.

The (I) reefs still have too many blue runners on them but it can be a lot fun for the kids. The (I) reefs are still the best place to look for cobia.

On the Bay grass flats, we found some nice trout and Spanish mackerel. Snook are also being caught in the surf, passes and around some docks. A few redfish are also being caught but I would not want to spend my day looking for them.

As the front approached on Wednesday, the fishing peaked out and Gulf and Bay fishing was at its best. It was not hard to limit out on seatrout using live shrimp along Country Club Shores. Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, jacks and plenty of smaller trout kept the action non stop all day long.

Offshore the king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, barracuda, little tunny and jacks gave plenty of action on the artificial reef (M1). There was plenty of live baitfish on the reefs and live shrimp also worked if you wanted more Spanish mackerel.

Friday brought strong N to NE winds, but we got out to the (I) reefs just off the beach. We had plenty of small fish action and also found some nice flounder and Spanish mackerel for the box.

The trout were on the bite on the flats just outside of Selby Gardens plus it was out of the wind. Drifting live shrimp on a popping cork worked.

This week we will be looking for Kings, Spanish and snapper offshore, cobia along the beaches and trout and mackerel on the bay.

Although there were plenty of kingfish around the (M) reefs, some of the boats fishing the tournament had to travel as far north as Clearwater for the big ones. We have had plenty of baitfish around the artificial reefs and barracuda for added fun.

Mangrove snapper has been the main fish for deep water bottom fishing. Snapper over four pounds are being caught on live shrimp in 50' to 80' feet of water. Amberjack are also plentiful on the deep structures offshore.

Bay fishing has been on the slow side due to the fronts, wind and silty water. We did catch a 43" cobia in Big Pass this week and found some big spotted and silver trout on the grass flats off of the Ringling home. Along with the trout, we caught an occasional Spanish mackerel, pompano, ladyfish and jacks. The bay structures are holding a few black seabass, sheepshead but mostly small grouper and snapper.

More snook are showing up around the docks and we have been getting numerous sightings of tarpon on the bay and along the beach.

Good weather and good fishing have been the word! By Saturday the kings were chewing as fast as you could get a live bait in the water. The baitfish were plentiful from the (I) reefs out to the (M) reefs in 25 to 50 feet of water. The (M) reefs are also holding plenty of mangrove snapper and some nice grouper. You should have no problem limiting out on snapper when using live shrimp for bait. Barracuda are also thick around the (M) reefs.

Cobia action was good on the (I) reefs and along the beach. They were taking any live bait on the bottom or on the top or whenever you least expected them to. The cobia had plenty of follow ups, so be ready for a second hookup. We also found some nice flounder and gag grouper on the bottom at the (I) reefs.

Spanish mackerel are also being caught from the Bay out to the (M) reefs. Small King mackerel like Spanish mackerel also have spots when you first catch them so make sure you can tell them apart before you keep anything under 24".

The Bay fishing has been OK. Some nice seatrout are coming in from the grass flats and an occasional pompano, Spanish mackerel, gags and small cobia. Snook fishing has been best at night. Actually we are getting a large variety fish at this time, too many to name them all. Not knowing what you are going to hook next is the best of it.

We were able to limit out on gag grouper at least one day this week while fishing the Bay. The best days were on the windiest days of the week in Zwicks channel. We caught grouper up to eight and a half pounds on live pinfish free-lined over the structure in the channel. I was able to catch plenty of pinfish on the grass-flats just north of Country Club Shores and on the windy days, found plenty of trout in the same area.

Spanish mackerel and pompano have started to show up in the passes but have not been consistent. It should get better. By the end of the week, the inshore fishing was slow for all species.

Kingfish are still hot offshore! Most of the kings are on the small side and have been caught by trolling hardware. The big kings have been up to 40 pounds and live bluerunners have been the best bait. The kings have been moving around so don't look for a bus ride. It is good to keep your eyes and ears open when the kings are running.

Bottom fish is still good offshore and trolling the bottom for grouper is producing some nice fish. Grouper will
follow the kings picking up what falls to the bottom.

Kingfish are still on the bite but due to the wind and high seas, they have only been for the hearty. Most of the kings have been in about sixty feet of water, about 12 to 15 miles offshore. Some kings have also been found on the (M) reefs in forty feet of water. Plenty of large pilchards have moved onto the (M) reefs and can be caught with gold hook rigs.

Gag grouper have moved inshore to the (I) reefs and on the Bay. The keeper size gags (22" or over) are taking large live shrimp, pinfish and small crabs. They are hanging out on any deep structure, reefs or channels on the bay. You will want use at least twenty pound test line and lock the drags down for the best results although twelve pound test will work.

Pat Ricciardi of Longboat Key caught a 29" gag grouper off the beach in 18 feet of water. She caught two more on the bay in an 8' deep canal on twelve-pound test using live shrimp.

The cobia are thickening up along the beach and are taking live bait on top as well as on the bottom. Fish the structures for them and be patient, they like to come and go.

Sheepshead are at their peak and are on all the structures. Offshore, we have caught them up to 8 pounds. Live shrimp has been our main bait but they will eat any crustacean. They are also very territorial and will hit a lure to run it off.

Saturday turned out to be a pretty good day for most of us. We spent the day bottom fishing offshore on the artificial reef M-1. It was still a bit bumpy and wet when running. Using live shrimp, my three guys managed to fill a large two man cooler with a nice variety of good eating reef fish. Nothing over 5 pounds came in the boat, but we broke a few lines, had some crushed hooks and one 7' G. Looms rod was snapped in half by a fish.

Further offshore, I could hear via VHF that some of the boats were doing well and some were not. The kings were schooled tight and in 50 to 60 feet of water. Due to the sea conditions, hardware and deep trolling worked best but you had to be on the fish, close was not good enough.

I did not hear much from the inshore boats that were fishing the flats and back water. A couple of good trout here and a couple there, but nothing you could stick with. The water was still a little muddy on the bay and along the beaches. We didn't find much on the (I) reefs in 25-30 feet of water either.

The King mackerel have started! Kings have been caught around the (M) reefs in forty feet of water and it looks like this weekend may be a winner. One of the tricks to getting the early kings is too free-line large live shrimp. I like to use 12 pound test line, 40-50 pound test mono leader with six inches of #3 solid wire and a 3/0 hook. If it is windy and the drift is fast, I may add a small splitshot. To attach the wire to the mono, my first choice would be an Albright knot but a small swivel will work.

The live shrimp are also good for the snapper and other fish on the bottom. For the snapper, we anchor off the structure and fish straight down, no casting. I like to use 10-20 pound test line with 40 pound mono leader, 3/0 hook and no more than a 1/2 ounce of lead. If you want to target the grouper in the area only, you may need to use live baitfish and a heavier tackle. The grouper are there but the action is slower. Grouper love shrimp but have trouble getting to it before all the other fish.

Permits have also turned up on the (M) reefs and they only eat shrimp or crabs on top or mid water. If you see the schools on top, cast into them with a free-lined live shrimp.

Cobia are being caught on the (I) reefs and the bay. Smaller snapper and some nice size trout are also being caught on the bay. You can find sheepshead and snapper around rocks and most any structure. Trout are on the flats and along channels. If the weather works with us, it looks like it may be a good weekend.

Kirk DeHaven of Virginia started off the week by catching and releasing a 60 pound cobia on 12 pound test line. We were anchored over a pile of rocks north of New Pass in 18 feet of water. Free-lining live shrimp on spinning tackle and throwing a big green fly via fly-rod produced very little for about 3 hours. Then Kirk had a hard strike on a live shrimp and his spinning rod was bent double with the line screaming off. As the spool emptied past the halfway mark with no sign of slowing down, I knew I had to pull the anchor up. Even if the fish stopped now, there were just too many crab trap pots between us and the fish. Cobias do like to run wide. With Kirk on the bow and me at the helm, it took Kirk about 20 minutes to bring the fish to the boat and release him.

The week was filled with large variety of fish and plenty of action. The larger mangrove snapper have moved in to the 40 foot M reefs but it takes live shrimp to catch them. Large schools of 8-10 pound jacks have moved into the bay. Spanish mackerel and cobia are scattered around the bay and (I) reefs. Pompano are in the passes and snook around the docks at night. Sheepshead is plentiful on most structures. Long offshore trips are finding plenty of amberjack in 100' plus structures. Keeper size grouper are mixed in with every thing else but hard to target. Tripletail are being found around some of the crab trap markers.

Unless they started today, the only fish we have not seen is the kingfish. The kings can start at any time now but I think we need to tell them that.

It all broke loose this week with plenty of good action from the Bay to the deep Gulf. Spanish mackerel, pompano, bluefish and a few cobia were being caught in the passes on jigs and live shrimp. The grass flats were not as hot but you could find a few large trout. I found the best action along the beach fishing some rock piles in 18 feet of water. For the first two or three hours of fishing, the Spanish mackerel action could not of been any faster. Every live shrimp was immediately taken as it hit the water and the mackerel ran up to 4 pounds. After going through about 150 shrimp, I started to raise a blister on my hand from my fish release tool. As we moved on to the afternoon, the mackerel action slowed and we started to get a variety of fish. An occasional cobia or grouper would hit. Most of the cobia was just short but we got 25" gag grouper. Mangrove snapper, sheepshead and some spotted seatrout 16-18 inches long were also caught. With the mackerel, it made a nice mixed bag of fish.

Further offshore at the Cuda Hole in 45 to 50 feet of water, the action was very good. Fishing natural bottom with live shrimp you could find plenty of Large Mangrove snapper, hogfish, porgy and an occasional keeper size grouper. Larger grouper were better fished with larger baitfish. No kingfish run yet, but we are all looking for them. There have only been a few sightings so far. The deep offshore structures at 100 feet plus are holding plenty of Amberjacks.

Our week was spent fishing the (M) and (I) artificial reefs. The artificial reef M5 was holding flounder from 13 to 18 inches and they were taking live shrimp fished on the bottom. All of the (I) reefs seem to be holding sheepshead. They are also taking live shrimp fished on the bottom. Both areas are occasionally giving up a keeper size grouper. The grouper will take live shrimp if they can get to it in time. A better bait for the grouper is a live Threadfin herring fished on the bottom. We have been able to catch plenty of herring just outside of the New Pass Gulf marker.

Yes, it is time to stock up on the gold hook bait rigs. We have plenty of baitfish from the beach out to M7 in the 50 foot depth. As the water temperature creeps to 70 degrees, we have kingfish on the horizon. The Fall run is about due and a few have been seen in deep water. The Gulf is full of baitfish and this should bring the kings in.

Some nice keeper trout have started to bite along Country Club Shores and a few pompano along the beach. Nighttime fishing for snook has been good but you may find them mostly small. Day time fishing on the bay has not been good but shows signs of picking up soon.

I had an afternoon trip on Thursday and the weather was perfect as I was cruising to the docks. The morning fishing reports coming over my VHF were not that good. There were no fish at all on the bay and only a few small fish well offshore. It had also been windy during the morning hours and the water was rough for the offshore boats. This has pretty much been the story for the last few weeks.

During the week, some of the sheepshead around the docks had started to take bait and there was even a short lived run of redfish. When leaving the dock that afternoon and like all the other guides, I was just interested in getting a bend in the rods and not the species. We all picked different destinations and stayed in contact via VHF. Some went north and south on the bay, some went offshore to the 60 foot depth. I opted for the inshore artificial reefs in 25 feet of water.

I anchored directly over a pile of undocumented cement rubble in what I call the Lost reefs. We had been fishing for about an hour without a good bite of any kind for us or anyone else. Then a report came in from the boat that was twelve miles offshore. Mangrove snapper averaging 3 pounds were on the bite. This sure sounded good but before we could make a move, a 12 pound spinning rod was bent double and the tip was pounding to go deeper as the angler held on with both hands. The drags are locked to keep the fish from getting back to the rocks and this makes the strikes very hard. The angler boated a nice 24" gag grouper. Immediately after that, a 4 pound sheepshead was boated and two big fish were lost. Then the action stopped. We did not want to move offshore for the snapper in hope of catching more grouper where we were. The action did start up again and we boated some 5 pound sheepshead but the grouper we hooked got back in the rocks and were lost. The anglers wanted the sheepshead and were happy to stay in this spot. The action started and stopped and would last only about 10 or 15 minutes. We also caught some small but keeper snapper and some short grouper.

Other boats that came out to fish this area also caught some nice fish. My four anglers caught enough fish for a nice cook-out before returning to the north. You need a lot of patience at this time but you can make the inshore fishing work. The offshore is still better at this time but the inshore fishing is picking up.

Although a few snook, sheepshead and sea trout have been caught on the bay, the action is still offshore. The 40' depth seems to be the starting point on both the artificial reefs and natural bottom. This is due to the cold and cloudy condition of the water inshore. We have had some calm weather that has allowed us to get well offshore but that will change soon.

Anything fished on the bottom from small live shrimp to cut bait has been working. The target fish have been grouper and snapper and the further you get offshore, the better the ratio of keeper fish. You can stay between the 40' to 60' foot depths and have a good day. It is not real hot, but productive and fun. Some of the other fish being caught are Key West grunts, triggerfish, sheepshead, red grouper and porgy.

On the bay you can find the snook and sheepshead around the docks. Some of the snook look a little played out due to the cold water.

This past week brought us some beautiful weather. The Gulf was like glass and the temperature was in the seventies. We had only a morning fog to slow us down. The further offshore you went, the better the fishing would get. You could catch a large variety of fish all day long at the Cuda Hole, but the bigger snapper and grouper would bite early in the morning and late afternoon. As fishermen went further offshore, they found the larger snapper and grouper on the bite throughout the day. From the (M) reefs in 40' to the (D) reefs in over 100' of water, good catches were reported from around and on the reefs. A good bottom recorder will help because most of the fish are on natural bottom around some of the artificial reefs. We also found sheepshead, porgy, Key West grunts and little tunny.

That’s all history and we have a new week ahead of us. Maybe the bay and inshore reef fishing will pickup. I hope so! We don't always have such calm seas that let us get offshore. I would expect the sheepshead, trout and drum fishing to improve but Mother Nature writes the script, not me.

With the Gulf temperature down to 52 degrees, some of our fish species tend to get lethargic in the cold water and the snook have started to go up river. The trout, redfish, black drum, flounder and shepherd will hang in there. The trout are schooling up in the deep channels, like Zwicks channel that is just north of New Pass. Live shrimp or tipped jigs will work.

Redfish and black drum will be around the docks in Zwicks channel and many of the docks throughout the bay. When you find one, look for more in exactly the same spot within two feet. Cast to the pylons and under the docks and boats. Use a small split-shot and let your bait sink to the bottom. I use mostly live shrimp but other live bait will work also.

Sheepshead and flounder may be found around any structure and fished on the bottom with a small split-shot. Sheepshead feed on crustaceans and sea worms. I use live shrimp for both sheepshead and flounder. The fishing is still slow due to the weather. Grouper and snapper are still offshore but hard to fish for with a small boat and only fun for the hardy on a big boat.