December 21, 2003:
This is the time of year that an old cliché "Good Weather, Good Fishing" comes into play and so on. The weather has been both good and bad for this December and the fishing has followed. The good news is that most of the species don’t leave, they just take a break and wait for the front to pass.

The action has been hot in the Cudahole area or any good bottom along the coast in 45 to 50 feet of water. Mangrove snapper and grouper (black/gag) have been on the bite. Live shrimp, pinfish and small grunts as always are the top baits for more fish but other baits will work too. It is shrimp for the snapper and fish for the grouper. Grouper love shrimp but the competition is stiff and the smaller reef fish are faster. Eight to twelve pound test line will work best for snapper but is often too light for keeper size grouper.

Spanish mackerel and bluefish were hot along the beaches but the water had gotten too muddy on my last trip.

On the bay grass-flats, we found some nice sea trout and ladyfish. Sheepshead are in the passes and around the docks and rocks. Bay fishermen are picking up a variety of fish especially if using live shrimp, but not too many of any one species. The larger snook should have gone up the river looking for warmer water by now.

December 14, 2003:
I did get out last week and the fishing was non-stop catching! Spanish mackerel and bluefish were taking live shrimp on a free-line and I am sure they would have taken small jigs and spoons. We kept 30 of the mackerel (split 4 ways) and released as many bluefish and some of the macks. All of the fish were small but legal size. The mackerel were running between 14 and 16 inches, bluefish, about 12 inches. We used light tackle, eight pound test line on Shakespeare 2052 reels. Some schools of little-tunny were blasting the large schools of bait fish all around the boat but we had no pickups. If they had, I am sure they would have stripped our light reels. This is no war story, but it was a fun day.

Snapper and grouper are still being caught in the Cudahole area. That is if you can find a nice day to run out.

December 6, 2003:
Although the weekend has brought us some bad boating weather, the fishing has been good to excellent! The bay grass-flats have had plenty of action with trout, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish and some bluefish. There has been limited action with redfish and small snook around the docks and back water.

We found plenty of Spanish mackerel, bluefish and an occasional cobia or small sharks along the beach. Live whitebait or artificial baits trolled or casting worked best. Chumming with live bait will keep the fish around the boat. There have also been plenty of baitfish schools running along the coast and offshore.

Mangrove snapper are hot at the Cudahole! The snapper have been averaging two to four pounds and are best fished with live shrimp on light tackle. I use eight to twelve pound test line with thirty to forty pound test mono leader and a split-shot, about a quarter ounce shot. This will make a big difference in the number of snapper you catch. If the current is strong, you may need to add more shot. You can’t let the fish run here due to the structure. If you begin to get broken off often, it may be grouper, so try a bigger rod. I like to fish the natural structure rather than the artificial reefs. I find less large predators to grab your fish on the way up. Jewfish and barracudas love to hang out on larger structures at the "M" reefs.

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November 8, 2003:
This has been a good Fall run for the Sarasota area. Kingfish, cobia, redfish, Spanish mackerel, blacktip shark, spinner shark, barracuda, seatrout and pompano are just some of the fish coming in. Some have complained the kings could be thicker and larger. They are if you use live bait. This year the kings are only three miles off the beach and we have plenty of baitfish in the same area that can be easily caught.

When rigging for the toothy critters, I use 6" of light wire with 4’ of forty-pound test mono leader and a 5/0 hook. I would kick it up a notch if looking for the larger sharks but most of the sharks’ hookups are on already hooked fish.

The "I" artificial reefs are hot but you would need to move further offshore the "M" reefs and beyond for better grouper and snapper fishing.

Remember that artificial reefs are good focal points but you could find fish at the same depth on any good bottom. This is good to remember if you find the artificial reefs overcrowded with boats. My first question is always "What was the depth of the water where you found fish"? Then I may ask " North or South"? This will give me a chance to try one of my spots at the same depth and not crowd nor advertise the giver’s exact location.

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October 18, 2003:
The fall run is on! Friday morning we found the water flat along the beach and the "I" reefs. Large kingfish, little tunny, barracuda and Spanish mackerel were smashing large schools of baitfish, including some little schools of small ballyhoo. Cobia and bull reds were also prowling the area. The Spanish were chewing hard on the closer reefs but the big kings were picky and probably feeding on the Spanish. We fished "Lost" reef and found some cobia. Bill Sjoblom landed a nice fish just under thirty pounds on light tackle. This cobia took a bluerunner on the way in.

Large kings up to thirty pounds were also caught around the "Cuda Hole". Snapper and grouper are regularly being caught in this area and most of the "M" reefs when using live bait on the bottom.

The fishing slowed for us around mid day but started to pickup with the Westerly in the afternoon. Bay fishing has been very good but not 24/7. Redfish, Snook, trout, Spanish mackerel and some nice pompano are being caught regularly but will have highs and lows. Snook and reds are showing up around the docks and behind Otter Key. The rest of our action has been on the grass-flats. Steven's Point and Country Club Shores have been two good spots.

October 10, 2003:
The cobia have been in this week and have been concentrated along the coast. The 20 to 30 foot depths have been hot but the grouper diggers well offshore have also been finding cobia. On Wednesday I took the George Spofford party out and had eight hours of cobia action.

We fished off of Lido beach on a rock pile I call Lost Reef in 25 feet of water. All of the other reefs also had cobia but we did not need to move. We used live shrimp and pinfish for bait but whitebait and small grunts are also excellent baits. If using shrimp or pilchards for bait, you will start catching lots of bluerunners, pinfish and grunts. This is good and should draw the cobia to your boat within an hour. Look for follow-ups and be ready to throw out smaller bait. Cobia may take the bluerunners but it is hard to set the hook when it is inside of the bluerunner.

I like to use 12-pound test line, doubled at the end with a Spider Hitch or Bimini Twist. To this I add three or four feet of forty pound test mono with a Blood Knot with a 3/0 or 4/0 semi stout hook at the end. Eagle Claw L-253, 3/0 is my favorite for cobia on light tackle. For now the cobia have been mostly deep and I have been using a ¼ ounce split-shot and dropping the bait straight down to the bottom. When we see them on top, I like to free-line or use a float. Cobias eat everything and chumming will work, both live and ground. Spanish mackerel action has also been fair in the same area.

Some nice grouper have been caught offshore but it is not consistent. Bay fishing has produced plenty of Spanish mackerel, bluefish and seatrout on the grass-flats.

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September 17, 2003:
The fishing is getting better! There are plenty of spotted seatrout and Spanish mackerel on the grass flats. Mangrove snapper are being caught along the rocks and docks in the passes. Cobias are starting to show up on the "I" reefs and rock piles along the beaches. It is not hot but much better.

Snook have been on the bite for sport fisherman and people chumming with live whitebait. First light has been a good time for most. The trout and mackerel have been taking live shrimp, whitebait, small pinfish or grunts, poppers or free-line. The snapper like to feed on the bottom or close to it. Live shrimp is the best but cut bait will work.

Along the beach in 20 to 30 feet of water, I have been finding cobia and some cuda. They have been following in any hooked blue runners or grunts. It is good to have a second rod ready with a larger hook. Flip or drop a live shrimp or fish in front of them and you should get a hook-up. You can also fish a live pinfish just off the bottom. This could also produce a keeper size grouper.

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August 22, 2003:
It has been several weeks of on/off Redtide and heavy rain with flooding conditions that caused a lot of run-off into the bay. The wind stayed out of the SW and brought us early morning thundershowers, which is not the norm for August. We have ended up canceling all of the August charters so far. The effect of the Redtide was modest and the fish were there, they just had lockjaw.

The snook fishing has been OK in the passes, especially if you do a lot of chumming with live whitebait. Also in the passes, some snapper and redfish are being caught. Trout and mackerel are spotty around the bay but are also being caught.

There have been large Spanish mackerel caught 12 to 15 miles offshore, just past the artificial reef "M-7". You can find some nice snapper well offshore around the M reefs but not much close in on the "I" reefs.

When the weather starts to get stable, the fishing should improve! It doesn’t look like this weekend is going to be it.

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July 12, 2003:
Both inshore and offshore fishing has been good to excellent but with plenty of stops and starts.

Mangrove snapper are being caught on the bay and in the Gulf out to the sixty-foot depths. The Gully area has produced the largest and the most snapper on live shrimp. The artificial "M" reefs are also holding fish but are overrun with jewfish that grab your snapper as soon you hook them. It is best to fish the natural bottom for snapper.

Spanish mackerel have been hot in the passes and out to the thirty-foot depths around the "I" reefs. King mackerel are still being caught in good numbers in eighty feet of water offshore.

Snook are being caught every day mostly in the backwaters and on live bait. You will also find that you may see plenty of them but they will not bite. This is what snook do best. Chumming might work but I don’t do that.

Tarpon are still on the beach and if you have the time to hunt them, you have a good chance of a hook-up. I also see the smaller ones on the bay mixed in with the big jacks feeding at first light.

Spotted sea trout are plentiful on the grass-flats when using live shrimp but the largest ones are being caught on live pigfish fished with a popping cork. The right sized pigfish are harder to find than the trout.

Cobia, pompano, bluefish, sharks and many more species are showing up from time to time while fishing the bay’s grass-flats.

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June 2003:
Sorry! I was just too busy to get a good report out.  Tarpon, cobia and some good offshore fishing was the norm.
 

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May 14, 2003:
The Tarpon are here! Tarpon have started to school and move along the beaches in eight to twenty feet of water. Large live baitfish or crabs will work once you find the pod.

Kingfish action has slowed down but could pickup again through June. We have found plenty of Spanish mackerel action from the beach out to the "M" reefs as well as some on the Bay. Mangrove snapper are beginning to show along the beach reefs and should get better offshore, around the Cuda Hole.

Snook and redfish are building up around the docks but trout and mackerel on the grass-flats are still the fastest action. Ladyfish and jacks with occasional pompano, bluefish, snapper and flounder are filling in. You do need to bring a ruler along.

The most productive baits have been live large shrimp or fresh caught baitfish. We are finding plenty of baitfish from the bay out to "M-7" in fifty feet of water. If I am not taking along small whitebait (Pilchards), I like to take live shrimp offshore. This is to have smaller baits for snapper and Spanish mackerel and possible permit. Permits only eat crustaceans, shrimp, crabs, etc. They should start to show up on the reefs.

May 3, 2003:
Yesterday was my first tarpon charter this season. We cruised up the beach along Longboat key but never saw the first tarpon. I have been seeing some at first light in the passes but they soon disappear after sunrise. We cruised up the beach for a little over three miles to a rock-pile in eighteen feet of water. We drifted our live crabs there in hopes of jumping a lone tarpon or cobia. Immediately we had two very large barracuda stalking us to see what we might hook. Barracuda are a smart fish and make a good living on hooked mackerel. The large cuda only come in this close when they have a good food source. We switched to the lighter tackle and free-lined live shrimp while drifting. We had a few hours of good action with large Spanish, small kings with very large barracuda attacking the hooked fish. We never did hold any of the cuda but had fun watching them attack our fish in the shallow water.

We still have plenty of action offshore at the "M" reefs. Kings, Spanish and cuda make up most of the action with numerous other species showing up from time to time. You can also find plenty of baitfish, most of the time, so don’t forget to bring some gold bait rigs.

Bay fishing is still very good on the grass-flats. Seatrout and Spanish mackerel are the most prevalent. Cobia, pompano, bluefish, jacks and ladyfish among others are also on the flats. Most of the trout are small but we will find pockets of large trout throughout the day.

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April 20, 2003:
Plenty of big kings are still being taken on the Seven! Kingfish have been caught on all of the artificial "M" reefs in forty to fifty feet of water. Artificial reef "M-7" has been the hot spot for both hardware and live bait fishermen. It is also crowded with boats. You will find plenty of sharks and barracuda to help you catch the kings and add to the fun. Live shrimp, pilchards, herring and bluerunners have all been good baits. Spanish mackerel, cobia and an occasional Sailfish have also showed up from time to time.

Bay fishing on the grass-flats has been good with a large variety of fish possible. Spanish mackerel and Seatrout are most numerous with pompano, bluefish, ladyfish, cobia and jacks jumping in at any time. One tarpon was hooked and fought for a half-hour on Stevens Point grass-flats last week. I have also seen some under the New Pass Bridge.

The average size of the trout has fallen. It is harder to find keepers but the number of mackerel caught has risen and many are about 24".

As always, I drift the flats and cast jigs or live bait. I have many options here depending on wind-speed/drift-speed and anglers skill, but anchoring is not one of them. My favorite method when using live bait is to cast a free-line in front of the boat's drift and slowly retrieve the slack line as the boat moves toward the bait. Leave enough slack in the line so as not to pull the bait but take enough slack up so that you can see the line move if a fish takes the bait.

For the less experienced angler, I use a Drag and Drop method. You let the line out behind the drift. Force about ten feet of slack line out at a time and let the drift of the boat take up this slack. Repeat this as soon as the slack is gone. Most pickups will occur when the line is slack and the shrimp is sinking.

April 11, 2003:
We finally got some bad weather so I could knock out a report. The fishing has not changed much in the last few weeks. Kingfish are still hot on the "M" reefs in forty to fifty feet of water. We also had a few good days in twenty-five feet of water off of Lido beach. Live bait is the top gun here. From live shrimp to bluerunners, all have produced plenty of kings. There are plenty of Spanish mackerel and large barracuda in with the kings. An occasional cobia and a few sailfish have also been in the mix at the fifty-foot depth.

Running further offshore to the 70+ depths has found grouper and snapper on the hard bottom and amberjacks on the artificial reefs. The Red tide is still a factor in keeping your bait alive. You still need to grab it wherever you find it because the bait is playing "Hide N’ Go Seek" out on the reefs.

Inshore on the bay, the fishing has been excellent! Not 24/7, but the best it has been in years. Seatrout and Spanish mackerel have been hot on the grass-flats. Along with them we found some pompano, bluefish, cobia and ladyfish. We did have a couple of slow days but left the bay Wednesday afternoon with the mackerel action very strong on the flats. We were fishing on Steven’s Point grass-flats and drifting with live shrimp. It was non-stop action with the mackerel and a few nice trout, bluefish and ladyfish mixed in. This day we got mackerel up to three pounds but recently we had gotten them up to six pounds. All of the grass-flats have had good fishing but not always at the same time so you may need to move around to keep up.

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March 21, 2003:
The Kings are in! King mackerel showed up in good numbers on most of the artificial "M" reefs a few days ago. Reefs 6 and 5 have been focal points but all of the "M" reefs show promise. The reefs are also loaded with barracuda to help eat the kings. Hardware and live bait are both working. Some other interesting fish caught along with the kings have been one sailfish, cobia to 30 lbs. and a jack crevalle to 35 lbs.

The bay grass-flats are still producing fine catches of trout with a few over twenty inches. Spanish mackerel, pompano, bluefish and a few cobia have been caught along with the trout while fishing the flats. Live shrimp seems to be the best bait but whitebait, jigs or flies are also working. Snook fishing has also picked up with some nice single fish for the sportsmen or numbers for the fishermen who chum.

Wind and rain have been a problem for the last couple of days on both the Bay and Gulf, but the weekend looks good.

March 15, 2003:
Where are the kingfish? The offshore boats are looking but only a few have been caught so far. They are overdue or better said; "It is time for them to show."

That out of the way, fishing has been excellent! The "I" reefs, particularly "I-2", the Allen Fisher in 30’ of water is hot. Spanish mackerel have been thick for weeks now and some of the macks have gone over five pounds. We have also lost a few to the barracudas. Some snapper and sheepshead are also being caught on the bottom. The mackerel are taking live shrimp or whitebait free-lined while drifting. Most fast moving jigs are also working.

Long offshore trips have been finding plenty of Amberjacks and some nice size snapper.

Bay fishing is the best it has been in years! We have been finding plenty of spotted seatrout on the grass-flats and by yesterday afternoon, we found as many mackerel with them. We are also finding large and small fish mixed together. At times we have found the pompano thick in Big Pass, south of the Twin bridges and along Country Club Shores. They are spread on the flats out and occasionally we hook one. Add hungry ladyfish to this and you can expect a busy day.

Along the beach, tripletail are being found on the crab trap markers and some cobia have also been seen moving along the beach and passes. The cobia are still not thick but possible.

Snook are being caught more frequently now but it takes a dedicated angler.

March 8, 2003:
The fishing is still improving. The sizes of the Spanish mackerel that are being caught on the Allen Fisher reef have increased. A few of the mackerel have made five pounds but the average is about two pounds. High barometer readings have affected the bite but it comes back. Live bait, jigs and trolling have all worked.

Mangrove snappers have also moved in to the (I) reefs. Nice size snappers are being caught on large live shrimp fished on the bottom. A quarter ounce split-shot attached six inches above a 3/0 hook works best. Small tipped jigs bounced on the bottom are a killer in the right hands. Don’t be surprised if you hook-up with a nice gag or flounder while fishing the Inshore reefs. Cobia is also a good possibility and has been caught, but is still not real dependable. That’s history and today could be the day they start strong.

The spotted seatrout is still going strong on the bay. Although we catch plenty of small trout, we have had no problem making our limit with fish between eighteen and twenty inches. Large live shrimp is the price we pay for this, but fly and jig fishermen are also doing well. Pompano, mackerel, ladyfish and bluefish are also scattered around the grass-flats and in with the trout. Most of the grass-flats are holding fish and I let the wind direction and speed dictate which flat I fish.

All of the fish are moving around the flats and sometimes in small pockets. When we find the fish in pockets, I will do short drifts over the pockets, making sure to make wide returns so as not to spook them.

March 2, 2003:
The fishing has gone up another notch! The "I" artificial reefs and especially the I-2 Allen Fisher has been run over with Spanish mackerel and bluefish. Cobia and large sheepshead to 5 pounds are also being caught on most of the other "I" reefs. Generally, the mackerel and bluefish have been small but quick to take a Diamond jig. They will take all small artificial lures but paint and skirts have a short life span with these toothy critters.

The cobia have had good days and slow days but well worth looking for. They may be on the top or on the bottom and prefer live bait. Shrimp or small fish will work. Sheepshead is found close to the structure and only eats crustacean or mollusk.

Spotted seatrout are still going strong on the bay grass-flats. You may be catching shorts and then run into a pocket of keepers with a possible of over twenty inches. Live shrimp has been best bait but artificial lures in the right hands have been a killer. Along with the trout, we have caught Spanish mackerel to four pounds and bluefish to three pounds. Pompano have also been scattered over the grass-flats.

Redfish and snook are being caught but the action is slow compared to the other bay action. If you target them, you will find them but my job is to keep the rods bent so I don’t have much input for now.

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February 23, 2003:
Inshore fishing is still excellent and offshore fishing is coming back! Spotted seatrout are the best they have been in years and are being caught over most of the bay. Along with the trout, we found plenty of ladyfish an occasional pompano, bluefish and Spanish mackerel. Natural and artificial baits are both working well but free-lined live shrimp will increase the variety.

Finding a hot spot on the bay at this time is more about wind direction and wind speed. Finding and drifting a grass-flat at a good angle with a fishable drifting speed is a big plus. Anchoring along the edges of the grass between Mote Marine and Bird Key has also been hot. Snook and redfish are being caught, but spotty.

Gag grouper and mangrove snapper are starting to pickup well offshore. No big numbers but some nice fish. The inshore artificial "I" reefs are still loaded with pinfish and small triggers. The Fisher and Roehr reefs are still holding a large school of very small bluefish. Cobia have been spotted and caught from Casey Key to Sarasota but with no consistency. Some of the pods have been reported to be large. Cobia can be on the bottom, out of sight as well as on the top. For now if you fish deep you will need to use a pinfish or grunt if you want to keep a bait on your hook for more then 60 seconds. Live shrimp will work if sight fishing.

February 15, 2003:
We had a week of good fishing on the bay. Sometimes we didn’t know if we were going duck hunting or fishing due to the fog and rain but it was a good week. Spotted Seatrout made up most of the action with Spanish mackerel, bluefish, pompano and ladyfish mixing in.

The fish were mostly on the grass-flats but would move around the flats and to the east or west side of the bay. I found enough fish in just two spots, Steven’s Point grass-flats and just north of Country Club Shores or the Rim Canal entrance.

We used only live shrimp, free-lined on eight-pound test line. Some other boats did very well on jigs or fly. Some of the largest trout we found were on the edge of the sandbar just north of the Rim Canal entrance. Redfish, snook and sheepshead are being caught now but are not major players at this time.

Offshore we found the "I" reefs covered with pinfish, triggerfish and other small fish. We did find a lot of bluefish on the Fisher reef,

"I-2" but most were undersize. We caught large blues on the bay, but not many. The boats fishing further offshore found it slow and the current very strong. Remember that this is only history and things can change quickly.

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January 24, 2003:
Fishing has been excellent throughout the month of January! The Bay fishing is better than it has been in years. Only the weather has held us down but this is normal for this time of year. The cold snap we are having today and tomorrow could be a problem for some species due to the water temperature dropping.

We have not needed to do much running to find fish. Zwicks channel has been good for pompano, bluefish and trout on a running tide, in or out.

Big Pass has been good on a change of tide before it gets too strong.

The grass flats just north of the Rim Canal’s south entrance has been a good place to limit out on sea trout. Live shrimp and tipped jigs have been working well. The live shrimp have been small but doing the job. You may want to drop a hook size to match the size of the bait. On the flats, we have been using a free-line with the live shrimp rigged with 8# line and 20# leader with a 2/0 long light wire shank gold hook (Eagle Claw #202).

The sheepshead are also getting hot. Look for them around any structure that is growing barnacles. Use only crustaceans or mollusks for bait and a stout sharp hook, (Eagle Claw L253).

Offshore there have been plenty of snapper and some nice grouper in 50’ to 90’ feet of water. The best bait is live shrimp for the snapper and live pinfish for the grouper. You can find plenty of large pinfish offshore but I also like to take some smaller ones caught from the bay. Fresh caught pinfish are much better bait.

January 3, 2003:
Inshore and offshore fishing has been very good! It is just a matter of getting the weather to cooperate. Offshore at the Cuda Hole area in 45 to 50 feet of water, the Mangrove snapper have been hot. Live shrimp fished on the bottom with a ¼ to ½ ounce of lead on light tackle is what it takes. Don’t be surprised if you hook a permit or grouper while fishing with the live shrimp. It is also a good idea to take some live pinfish and a heavier rod for grouper. A few keeper grouper are being caught in the same area. Trolling with Stretch lures has produced little tunny, bluefish, mackerel and an occasional kingfish.

We have started to find plenty keeper size sea trout on the bay. Yesterday I started late, 11:30 AM. Another guide boat had been fishing Zwicks channel on an out going tide that morning and did very well on trout along with a few pompano and bluefish. By the time we started, the tide had changed and Zwicks had filled with silty water. We found nothing but a few catfish. I could see the color change moving slowly east over the grass flats. We needed to get out of this silty water if we wanted to find fish. I just moved a little north to the entrance of the Rim canal and drifted the grass along the sandbar just north of the entrance. Here we found plenty of trout to 18" and an occasional pompano. We spent the rest of the afternoon here and had no trouble making our limit. Most all of the trout were over 15" and were fun on the eight-pound tackle. All we could get was very small live shrimp for bait. The shrimp worked very well when we kept a live one on the hook. We fished the bait free-line, no float no weight.

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