December 12, 2007

I can’t say enough about our fishing for the last few months.  Especially for December that can be a slow month for fishing in Sarasota.  Fishing the artificial “M” reefs just off of Lido beach in 25 to 30 feet of water, we have had plenty of action.  We have seen Kingfish to over 40 pounds and plenty around 30 pounds.  At the same time, it is not hard to get one smaller for eating.  Spanish mackerel are also plentiful.  Saturday morning I saw a run of large redfish in with the kings.  One other guide boat jumped two tarpon while fishing for kings.  Bluefish and little tunny have been very active.  Mix in some sharks and barracuda chasing your fish and you have the picture.  Live shrimp, pilchard and herring have been all working.  Spoons and jigs have done a good job.

On the bay in the Middle Ground grass flats, I found plenty of Spanish mackerel, bluefish, trout and Ladyfish.  I fished the deeper grass on the east side of the flats.  Using live shrimp, we kept very busy except when the porpoises came in to feed on the fish.  Even then we still caught fish.  Some pompano have been caught in different spots around the bay.

Enjoy & Protect

November 25, 2007

The artificial “I” reefs are still hot and getting better.  There are small and large kingfish to forty pounds, small and large Spanish mackerel to five pounds, lots of bluefish, sharks and some cobia.  We have had plenty of green backs (herring) for bait on both the Alan Fisher and Lynn Silvertooth reefs.  Just don’t forget the gold hooks.  Live shrimp and pilchards are also working.  Dragging hardware has also worked but I don’t do that.  Don’t drop your bait rigs too deep, the reef is covered with small gag grouper that will pull your light rig in the rocks.

On Saturday, yesterday, I had Kevin Leczkowski from PA out for six hours and he got his first kingfish.  It was a 48” whopper caught while drifting with a greenback sardine on a free-line.  The fish almost took all of the 300 yards of twenty pound test mono.  We had to run up on the fish to get some line back and Kevin soon turned the big fish.  If the fish looks a little small in the picture, it is because Kevin is 6’ 7”.

Kevin wanted to boat the fish himself while I took the pictures and then get him back in the water quickly. He grabbed the fish by the tail and got him in on the second try.  “Wow, he said, this fish has got to go forty pounds”. Then the fish started to thrash and Kevin went down, hence the split in the bottom photo.  We did not want to take the time to weigh the fish.

The coastal waters are looking very good with plenty of baitfish and for now, undersize grouper.  I caught a few yellowtail snapper on my bait rig.  The “M” reefs are also holding fish but the goliath grouper can be a problem for bottom fishing.

Enjoy & Protect

October 12, 2007

Inshore artificial reefs are holding kingfish to 20 pounds, little tunny to 18 pounds and large and small sharks.  There are also schools of jacks, some bluefish and Spanish mackerel.  The action was not real fast yesterday and live bait was the key for most of the fish I saw caught.  Trolling will work, but in this shallow water, 25 to 30 feet, it will soon knock the fish down and out of the area.  The greenbacks have been easy to catch on gold hook rigs and the beach has plenty of whitebait to net.

The action on the bay has been fast but most of the fish have been small.  Some large barracuda have been seen on the Middle Ground grassflats.  Some keeper size trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel have been caught on the grassflats.  The variety of fish being caught now is very large and you might hookup with anything any place.  Redfish are moving around the docks and are a good possibility.

It is the Fall run and a good time to go fishing.

September 29, 2007

Spanish mackerel have moved in thick along the beach artificial (I) reefs.  Along with the macks are bluefish, little tunny, and jacks.  Live bait, jigs, and spoons are all working.  Spoons work best when trolling with a small planer to keep your line from twisting.  I find Diamond jigs the most durable when casting. A small peace of mackerel belly strip will enhance your strikes.  All jigs will reduce line twist if not bent.  Free-lining live bait will produce the most and largest fish most of the time.  I never use wire or swivels when fishing for Spanish mackerel or bluefish.  Wire will slow down your strikes and swivels will get you cut-off by other fish in the school.  The following fish thing it is just some scraps dropped by the hooked fish.

The bay fishing is still good for trout, redfish, and bluefish.  The variety of fish you may catch is extensive but most are small.  I like the live shrimp for redfish around the docks and the DOA artificial shrimp for the grass-flats.  The DOA lasts longer and gives the larger fish a chance to find it.  If you can net some whitebait and free-line it out, you will get plenty of action from most of the species.  However, not from the ones like pompano that only eat crustaceans.

The weather has been mostly good for morning fishing and that is a good time to go.

Enjoy & Protect

September 8, 2007

Bay fishing is still pretty good!  Small black-tip sharks and bluefish are hitting well in open water on live whitebait.  Chumming up the water with a little live bait (sardines) will pickup the action.

Working around the docks with live shrimp has produced some very nice redfish.  Pilchards and deep running lures will also catch redfish and snook around the docks.  Normally I like to use a small splitshot with live bait and let it sink to the bottom and sit for a little while before I move it.  You need to be flexible on this because it is not always the same.

Fishing on the grassflats with the DOA 3” shrimp has produced a large variety of fish including some very nice sea trout.  Garrett Laue is pictured with a nice 18" trout.  The grassflats are loaded with very small fish of all kinds that will steal your small live shrimp in a heart-beat.  They go after the DOA lures but it takes them a lot longer to destroy it which gives you more time to hookup with the bigger fish.  Mangrove snapper are hitting very fast on the live shrimp but only one out of 12 will make the 10” limit.

Enjoy & Protect

August 26, 2007

Bay fishing is still good!  The only problem is getting the bait to the larger fish!  All of the grassflats seem to be covered with small snapper, grouper and trout that seem to be more numerous than the pinfish and grunts.  This is a very good time to start your younger kids fishing. It will keep them and you busy.

We are catching nice size trout, redfish, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and keeper size snapper by using sturdier bait instead of the small live shrimp you find in the bait shop this time of year.  I mostly use artificial baits at this time and the DOA 3” shrimp is my favorite.  If my people can get a DOA in the water, they will catch fish on it.

With a little more skill, you can find success with more durable lures like tandem Love lures, 52M R&W Mirrolure, Buck tails and many of the spoons and plugs we all have in our tackle box.  Let them sink and work them just above the bottom grass.

The best live bait this time of year is Pigfish fished on popping cork with just an enough leader to reach the top of the grass, but not be enough to hide in it.  Fresh caught pigfish are very noisy in or out of the water when hooked and will call the fish in.  After your float goes under, you need to give it some time before setting the hook hard.  You also need to make sure the line is tight between you and the fish before setting the hook.

For redfish and maybe some snook, you’ll need to fish around and under the docks.  There are not a lot of reds on the bay, but there are some very big ones.  Don’t be surprised if you snap a few lines.

I would like to thank you all for the very nice emails I have received about my website.  I would also like to know of any improvements you might like or things that don’t work.

Enjoy & Protect

August 12, 2007

Bay fishing has been very active during the last couple of weeks and has kept us busy most of the time.  Some of the fish being caught are spotted sea trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, jacks, small grouper and flounder with some redfish and snook around the docks.

Occasional hookups with tarpon, shark, and cobia have been adding to the excitement.

Most of the trout have been just undersize but plentiful with a few over 20”.  The grass flats are holding large schools of very small baitfish that are attracting the fish.  The fish will feed on and off but the time of day has not been predictable.  In other words, first light may be good or may be dead slow.

I have been fishing with only artificial, 3” DOA shrimp and when we find the fish, everyone hooks-up.  Look for feeding birds or any top-water disturbance.  You may see a lot of ladyfish and jacks hitting the baitfish but along the edges you may catch trout and other species feeding as well.

Some of the hotspots for us have been the grass flats off of Stephen’s Point on the east side of the bay, south of Whale Key and along the shoal on the west side of the bay, south of Bishops Point and the marina and also the Middle Ground grassflats just north of New Pass.

I use 12 pound test line and a 30 pound test clear mono leader most of the time but also keep 40 and 20 pound test mono leader on hand if needed.  With the DOA shrimp, I fish them very slow, three short snaps and let it sink.  If I find it snagging in the bottom grass, I move a little faster or put on a Clacker or popping float, still using the three short snaps, then let it sit.  You want to hear the Clacker when you snap the line.  This will bring the fish to your bait.

For live bait on the bay, I use two types of hooks.  Both are by Eagle Claw and both hard to find.  First and for most live bait fishing is the 202 Aberdeen, Gold in the 4/0 size found at Economy Tackle in town and J&M Hunting Supplies & Marine on the web. The other hook is the L253 3/0 for larger and hard mouth fish like sheepshead, redfish, snook, and cobia.  They can be found at Bass Pro.

Enjoy & Protect

July 29, 2007

The Spotted Seatrout has been the top action on the open bay and on most of the grass-flats!  The Redfish and Snook action around the docks and channels has been spotty but fish are being caught.

Last week we caught trout up to 23.5”, Bluefish over 3 pounds and an occasional Spanish mackerel, not to mention lots of Ladyfish.  Using only the 3” DOA shrimp for bait, we seemed to be able to catch more keeper trout than the live bait fishermen.  The shrimp are poor now and the white-bait is iffy for trout.  Small pigfish (grunts) fished with a float is a killer for big trout but pigfish are hard to find at this time.  Some of the bigger trout tried to take the small snapper as we were bringing them in.

One of the hotspots on the bay has been Whale Key.  Watch for the birds feeding along the shoal and you will find all kinds of fish feeding below them.  It is unusual to see a lot of different species chasing the baitfish at the same time during midday.

Snook and tarpon can still be caught along the beach.  First and last light is best.

Offshore in about fifty feet of water, there have been plenty of barracuda hanging around the artificial reefs.  A few nice mangrove snapper and permit have also been caught in the same areas.

Enjoy & Protect

June 24, 2007

We have been busy catching fish for the last month, but not always the fish we planned on.  Redfish have been around the docks, not hot 24/7 but worth looking for.  Most have been oversized but still fun to catch.  A few snook, sheepshead, black drum and snapper were also around.

We have a mixed bag on the grass-flats!  Seatrout, Bluefish, Spanish mackerel, jack and an occasional pompano are some of species being caught.  Let’s not forget the ladyfish.  D.O.A. shrimp and live shrimp are working well along with whitebait for blues and mackerel.

The tarpon have not been good to me this year however I did see one day that was good for boats with a tower.  The water was cloudy and bumpy.  The tarpon were chewing but staying down so that you needed a tower to see them.  That day, if you could see them, you had them.

Offshore at the “I” artificial reefs, we found some hogfish and lane snapper but the reefs were covered with Tomtate grunts and small triggerfish.  It was much better further offshore in 40 feet of water and on hard bottom.  Here we found plenty of small sharks, gag grouper and mackerel but no Tomtate grunts.

Enjoy & Protect

May 14, 2007

Redfish have been cooperating around some of the docks on the bay and as many have been over the slot as under the slot.  We also caught large and small sheepshead in the same areas.  Live shrimp with a stout 3/0 hook and 40 pound test mono leader with a small split-shot just above the hook has worked well.  I use at least 12 pound test line and a very tight drag.  Letting the fish take line under the docks is not an option.  Cast to all the pylons and just under the docks.  Make sure you don’t have a pylon between you and your bait that a large fish can drag you around.  Keep the line loose. Let the bait sink to the bottom and sit until you see the line start to move.

Haig, Mike, and Ani Sarajian did well on reds last week, up to 31.5” and limits in the slot.  We found our reds west of the ski ramp.
 

On the grass flats and in the passes, we caught lots of ladyfish but also some Spanish mackerel, bluefish and pompano all on live shrimp.

So far, the tarpon and cobia have been spotty along the coast and it sounded like LTs were hot well offshore.  Mackerel have also been good at times and there were still a few kings around.

Enjoy & Protect

March 12, 2007

Mack-Attack!  Kings offshore at the “M” reefs and Spanish on the bay!  The kingfish have been hot offshore at most of the “M” reefs, 8 to 12 miles out.  By most methods, trolling or live bait, spoons, plugs, deep or flat have all worked.  The reefs are also holding plenty of baitfish for your gold hook rigs.

On the bay, large Spanish mackerel came in strong this weekend.  The average size is about 2 to 3 pounds and hitting very well on live shrimp and whitebait (pilchards) on a free-line.  Of course jigs and spoons also work on mackerel.

The mackerel were in the passes and along the edges of the grass-flats in deep water.  I used live shrimp for bait so that we would have a chance at any pompano or permit that might pass by.  We also caught some cobia to 30” and I would expect to see some larger ones along the beaches soon.  We also had plenty of small bluefish in with the macks.

Spotted seatrout have started to school-up in some of the deeper holes around the bay.  Most of the trout have been undersize, but it is good to see them back.

Enjoy & Protect

February 26, 2007

I have had very little to report this month.  Fishing has been very slow for most of us!  The “I” reef just off the beach in 25 to 30 feet of water has been the most consistent with large sheepshead and small bluefish.

Sheepshead feed on crustaceans and mollusks, dead or alive but not on fish.  Small live shrimp, crabs or sea worms as well as barnacles and oysters are good bait.  Some anglers will use a shovel to scrape the barnacles off the bridge pylons to start the fish feeding. 

It is not uncommon to catch a six pound sheepshead on the “I” reefs, but they can be hard to hook.  The saying goes “You need to set the hook before they bite” and that has a lot of truth in it.  The sheepshead has a mouth full of big teeth, similar to a sheep but biting very gently, crushing the bait rather than pulling and jerking.  You need to raise the pole up and down very slowly and when you feel any resistance, set the hook very hard.  Sometimes it will be just a snag but when the fish are biting well, it will be just a matter of timing.  A very sharp and stout hook is needed because they have a very hard mouth.  I use a Lazer Sharp, O’Shaughnessy L253 3/0 hook that I can only find in this size at BassPro.

This hook will penetrate the sheepshead jaw and can be hard to get out.  When the fish are biting fast, I close the barb so that I can get the hook out faster.  I also use about 3’ of 30lb mono leader with only a splitshot to get it down.

The bluefish are no problem!  They eat everything any time, any place.

On the bay, it has been very slow!  There have been the occasional pompano, snook, redfish, and seatrout but seldom a second fish. That would be a good day.  When the water starts to warm up, I would expect the fishing to pickup.  We have plenty of baitfish and crabs on the bay to hold some nice fish.

I am having a new boat built and it should be finished by March 15^th.  The boat is a Panga 22’ and you can see what it will look like on my website.

Enjoy & Protect

January 4, 2007

Pompano have been showing up in the back-water on the bay.  Drop-offs along the grass-flats and docks have been the hot spots, but they don’t stay long in one spot.  Live shrimp or tipped jigs have been working best.  Use DOA shrimp or small live shrimp if you can find them or just cut the big ones up and tip your jigs.  Bluefish have been in and around the passes, the artificial “I” reefs and grass flats.  A few Spanish mackerel have been mixed in with the bluefish.

Sheepshead fishing is picking up.  You can find some on any structure, inshore or the coastal reefs.  They only like crustaceans or mollusks. They don’t eat fish, so shrimp will make good bait.

Snook and redfish are possible but not plentiful around the bay.

Cobia is just beginning to show along the coast but have been mostly less than 33” long.  Checking the crab trap floats for tripletail is still a good idea.  You want to free-line a live shrimp for tripletail.

Further offshore at the “M” reefs, kingfish have been picking up the action.  Live fish or trolling is working.  This should be the last of the kings as the Gulf cools down.  The Spanish should stick around.

This is the first time that the bait shrimp have been too large for regular fishing.  They are just right for large snook, redfish, grouper and Capt. Bob’s dinner.

Enjoy & Protect