| Fishing Guide / Author |
Fishing Reports for Local Area - Location |
    
CaptainIDS (Captainids)
New member
Username: Captainids
Post Number: 22
Registered: 9-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, September 05, 2007 - 10:05 am: | |
Are you a Licensed Coast Guard Captain?
This is for you
http://www.captainids.com/ |
Captain Rob Salimbene (Mangroveman)
New member
Username: Mangroveman
Post Number: 4
Registered: 3-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 27, 2007 - 3:39 pm: | |
Fishing on the bay has hit its summer swing with Snook being my primary target. I have been working flats and beaches early in the morning before the sun gets too high. Most of the fish I am getting are averaging 24 to 30 inches with a couple being slobs in the low 40's. I have been throwing topwater early, then switching over to livebait as the water temp warms up in the afternoon. Redfish are still going strong in the upper bay for anglers using chunked lady fish and live pinfish. Fish around oyster bars and shady mangrove points for best action later in the day. Tarpon are still off the beaches with most catches coming around sun-up and sun-down. Work these school very slowly and deliberatly with either a live pass crab or a large live threadfin. With the weather being as hot and humid as it is, try to keep your trips short and to the point. Have a plan ahead of time, so that you are not keeping yourself and your crew sitting in the sun longer than needed. Good luck...and Tight lines....Captain Rob |
Captain Rob Salimbene (Mangroveman)
New member
Username: Mangroveman
Post Number: 3
Registered: 3-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, May 03, 2007 - 8:00 am: | |
Fishing the bay during April was great....we were consistently have 20+ snook trips and multiple redfish days. The key for the snook has been trying to get the most natural presentation possible. The fish have been ranging from about 3 to 15 pounds with 3 for the month goin over 40inches. The fish are staging in the passes, so the key is to find moving water and present your bait in the most natural way possible. I have been using 20lb leader and a No.1 circle hook. Keep an eye on the tides and work the new and full moon periods and you should be rewarded with great snook action. Livebait is plentiful, so catch a well full of greenbacks and put the artificials away for a while.
May = Tarpon Time in Tampa Bay. The poons havent showed up just yet, but there are a few straglers here and there. The first full moon of May should be the start of a great Tarpon season that should last through the month of July and into mid August. Pass crabs are the ticket for bait, and they can be netted up floating on the outgoing tides. The snook fishing will continue to improve also but remember that the season is closed May 1 - September 1 so revive your catch and let them swim to fight another day. About mid May the snook will begin to congregate around the beach-like areas to begin to spawn....work these areas slowly, as to not spook the whole school, and you could be on some of the best snook action anywhere in the world. Live greenbacks, or threadfins are hard to beat for bait. Here are a couple of Snook from a recent outting.....
[IMG]http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e82/Glove2424/Snook2.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e82/Glove2424/Snook.jpg[/IMG] |
Captain Rob Salimbene (Mangroveman)
New member
Username: Mangroveman
Post Number: 2
Registered: 3-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 02, 2007 - 7:45 am: | |
The bay area has been on fire over the last month and will only continue to heat up!! My main target the last couple weeks has been snook, which are moving out of their winter areas and heading toward the passes to fatten up before the spawn. These fish have been very aggressive, attacking live whitebait almost as fast as you can put it in the water. I have been fishing incomming tides, and have been freelining my baits on a NO. 1 circle hook.
Another species that is coming on strong right now in the bay area are the spannish mackeral. They are here thick, following the bait schools up into the bay. A live greenback works well for these fish, rigged on a NO.1 longshank J hook. I use the long shank hook because it prevents the mackeral from biting through the line, and I feel it helps me land more fish. Please be courteous of others fishing the mackeral schools, start your drift well upcurrent of the fish and let them work towards you....turn your engine off, and use a trolling motor or drift through the school casting as you go.
As for the upcomming month of April...the fishing is goin to stay hot...and with the coming of the famed "Silver King" anglers in Tampa Bay will be out in full force. Toward the end of April and the beginning of may look for the Tarpon to arrive. These fish stop around our beaches, bridges and passes on thier annual migration along the gulf coast. When targeting these fish use heavy tackle, 50LB braid connected to 60LB leader and a 6/0 circle hook. Keep heavy pressure on the fish, get them to the boat quickly, take a photo and then revive and release them. The more we all do to conserve this fishery the better it will be in the coming years.
Also in April, Snook will continue to make a strong showing. They will begin to move from the passes and toward the beaches to spawn. April and May are prime months in Tampa Bay to catch a trophy snook. However, just like Tarpon, make sure you release them carefully, because those trophys are often times our breeders that keep our stocks plentiful for the coming years. |
Captain Rob Salimbene (Mangroveman)
New member
Username: Mangroveman
Post Number: 1
Registered: 3-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 8:48 am: | |
Fishing around the Tampa Bay area has been heating up along with the temperatures. The fish are beginning to move from the back country winter hideaways to the outside flats following the warming water. We have been having great catches of Snook, and Sea Trout. Best bet for both of these species is to net up some whitebait(greenbacks) and then pitch them into the pot-holes on the flats during moving tide phases. Another great option for Sea trout is a DOA shrimp under a popping cork. Sheepshead are around all the bridges and structure around the bay. These fiesty fish are great table fare and are very entertaining to catch. A small NO.4 hook, with pieces of fresh shrimp and a split shot is the preferred method of catching these toothy critters. Overall the fishing around the bay has been great, and will only get better this month as the air temperatures stabilize and begin to warm up. Get out there and wet a line, today could be the day you catch that trophy.
Captain Rob Salimbene
Mangrove Man Charters
www.mangroveman.com
863-899-0984 |
Ed Caum (Scububba)
New member
Username: Scububba
Post Number: 1
Registered: 3-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 11:51 am: | |
I'll be down in Tampa/Clearwater on the 25th. How's the bite? Water temp looks like its coming up. Topside 75-80 out on the water? |
christian stephen kimber (Lug)
New member
Username: Lug
Post Number: 1
Registered: 3-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 12, 2006 - 1:50 pm: | |
I was wondering if any of you guys/girls could give me some advice/tactics on your fishing styles over there.Me and my family are coming over for a holiday in Tampa and want to do some fishing inshore from boat and pier and beach.
Any idea's help welcome |
brett ha (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 28, 2005 - 9:34 am: | |
hey there just wondering can you catch permit fish in tampa.thanks |
CHARLES DAVIS (Chickdaddy23)
New member
Username: Chickdaddy23
Post Number: 1
Registered: 1-2005
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 17, 2005 - 10:14 am: | |
TROUT FISHING IN WEEDON IS RED HOT ON THE OUTSIDES OF THE CHANNEL WITH A LIVE SHRIMP DRIFTING IN A MOVING TIDE |
Captain Chuck MacIntyre (Captchuck)
New member
Username: Captchuck
Post Number: 6
Registered: 9-2003
Rating:
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 14, 2004 - 4:39 am: | |
Vortex Charters Fishing Report
07-14-2004
Captain Chuck MacIntyre
Vortex Charters of Tampa Bay
www.vortexcharters.com
With a high-pressure system dominating our weather pattern, the light winds have allowed us runs into the Gulf 30+ miles lately.
Fishing ‘roll-offs’ at depth changes, we have found some nice schools of Red and Gag Grouper. These ‘roll-offs’ represent an area where the depth drops up to 10 feet in a hundred yard distance. By sabiking up beeliners for bait, we filleted them into strips 4 inches long. This cut bait was just what the doctor ordered, as many baits rarely reached bottom before being attacked.
We also lost a couple of fish that could not be identified, mainly because they broke the line so fast. Shark or BIG Grouper? We will never know!
Inshore, the flats are still holding Trout with most fish cooperating in the early morning hours. Once the sun comes up, the 3-4 foot depths reach a temperature of 90-94 degrees.
This heated water will cause the fish to move into deeper holes, so switching gears in the afternoon is a must.
Tight Lines!
Capt. Chuck
www.vortexcharters.com
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saltydog (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: 
Votes: 11 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, July 05, 2004 - 11:20 am: | |
I end up in Florida on business usually a couple of times a year and end up jumping on a party boat if I can sneak in a day. Last time did fine in keys. In June, just went on a boat out of Johns Pass near Tampa. Whatta boat. The fishing, the crew, and just the general attitude of Hubbard's Marina people was about the worst that I've experienced.
Almost no decent fish caught, the mates and captain took my cell phone because it might have a GPS in it (did not), and then after a day of lousy fishing the mate got in my face demanding a tip.
Next time I'm in Tampa, I'd like to try another boat - prefer an open charter but a better party boatwould also work. Any recommendations?
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Captain Chuck MacIntyre (Captchuck)
New member
Username: Captchuck
Post Number: 5
Registered: 9-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 09, 2004 - 4:27 am: | |
Vortex Charters Fishing Report
06-09-2004
Captain Chuck MacIntyre
Vortex Charters of Tampa Bay
www.vortexcharters.com
With Summer’s heat starting to set in, there’s no better time to fish than at night.
With the sun below the horizon, there are a multitude of angling opportunities, if you play your cards right!
I had a couple of college kids last Friday night that just wanted to catch a few fish and relax. We set out about 7PM with 5 dozen ‘select’ shrimp and hopes of bent rods.
The night started out slow, but these 2 managed a couple of nice Sheepshead and a couple of fish that just ran off and broke the line.
Once the moonlight took over, we set up on a dock light that was adjacent to a pass with strong tidal flow. There, we found some very hungry Seatrout, catching and releasing 12 that exceeded 15 inches in length.
Offshore, the bite was slowed somewhat by the full moons’ effects. I believe these fish can see during this phase and eat all night. When anglers show up in the morning, most Grouper have had their fill. We did catch over 20 Grouper Saturday morning, but most were too small to keep. Luckily, we battled and released 3 sharks that made for a great all-around day out.
Tight Lines!
Capt. Chuck
www.vortexcharters.com
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Captain Chuck MacIntyre (Captchuck)
New member
Username: Captchuck
Post Number: 4
Registered: 9-2003
Rating:
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - 4:41 am: | |
Vortex Charters Fishing Report
05-26-2004
Captain Chuck MacIntyre
Vortex Charters of Tampa Bay
www.vortexcharters.com
On Saturday, Winter Haven residents Telly Cardarelle, Randy Howg, and Shane Hron
hopped aboard to do some Grouper fishing. With a steady 15mph southeast wind, we rode the swells to a spot 17 miles from shore. Fishing in 54 feet, Shane was hot, getting 3 in the boat in quick succession. Telly answered next with a Red Grouper that nearly made the 20 inch minimum. After about another dozen catch and releases, Telly had one for the dinner table. With the wind picking up, we decided to head over to the South County Reef to try our luck at King Mackerel fishing.
After we jigged up a well full of bait, we set out the lines. Randy got things going first, battling a 30+ pound King that was grabbed by a Shark before it could be gaffed.
All Randy could do was watch as the Shark ate the King in one swipe, leaving Randy just the head to reel in. Shane was up next and his King was destroyed by a Barracuda.
All told, we lost 6 Kings to Sharks and ‘Cuda’s. The boys from Winter Haven evened the score by hooking and releasing a 5 foot ‘Cuda on the last pass.
(see attached picture)
Tight Lines!
Capt. Chuck
www.vortexcharters.com
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Captain Chuck MacIntyre (Captchuck)
New member
Username: Captchuck
Post Number: 3
Registered: 9-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 4:33 am: | |
Vortex Charters Fishing Report
03-24-2004
Captain Chuck MacIntyre
Vortex Charters of Tampa Bay
www.vortexcharters.com
With Spring upon us, it’s time to break out a pole and go fishing!
This past week, we enjoyed “Chamber of Commerce” postcard weather along with some fantastic fishing.
Inshore, the Spanish Mackerel are tearing things up! Fishing with Herb Gingold, friend Dave and their daughters Sunday, they boated more than a dozen Macks, 3 keeper Seatrout, a large Sheepshead and a 5 pound Drum.
Saturdays’ inshore trip mirrored Sundays’ as Gordon Nelson and friends Patrick and Roxanne kept themselves busy reeling in Trout after Mackerel.
Just about any pass and pier is holding these gamesters, with most fish being taken on hand-picked shrimp. In order to get the bite going, we smashed up a few dead shrimp and tossed them into the falling tide. Within minutes, we had the Macks swarming behind the boat.
Snook are also starting to move around. We hooked and lost 2 in successive trips last week. With the abundance of bait starting to show up, it won’t be long before these linesiders are prowling your favorite flat.
The word on the water has now concentrated on Kingfish, as the major push should be here any day now.
I hope to be reporting skyrocketing Kings in next weeks’ report.
Good Fishin’ to ya!
Capt. Chuck MacIntyre
www.vortexcharters.com
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Captain Chuck MacIntyre (Captchuck)
New member
Username: Captchuck
Post Number: 2
Registered: 9-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 25, 2004 - 4:13 am: | |
Vortex Charters Fishing Report
02-25-2004
Captain Chuck MacIntyre
Vortex Charters of Tampa Bay
www.vortexcharters.com
With Spring-like weather starting to settle in and a new moon to help with the tides, fishing this past week was a good barometer for things to come.
With light winds dictating calm seas on Saturday, we fished in 60 feet of water catching numerous Gag and Red Grouper, with a couple tipping the scales at 10 pounds.
Mixed in with them were Mango Snapper, who continue to put on a strong show at the latter end of Winter. Scamp, my all-time favorite, also joined the fray, but were too small to keep. The size limit on Scamp is 16 inches.
Inshore, Trout and Sheepshead are still the headliners. The trout are hanging on the edges of area grassflats, being taken with small grub-like jigs and ‘select’ shrimp.
Ladyfish continue to spoil the bite as nearly every bait is consumed by these voracious feeders after a few Trout are landed.
The Sheepshead have been feeding heavily near the Skyway, where rockpile in 10-12 feet have provided the most action.
With scattered reports of Threadfin Herring offshore, the Spring King bite should be just weeks away!
Good Fishin’ to ya!
Capt. Chuck MacIntyre
www.vortexcharters.com
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Captain Chuck MacIntyre (Captchuck)
New member
Username: Captchuck
Post Number: 1
Registered: 9-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 08, 2004 - 5:12 am: | |
Vortex Charters Fishing Report
01-07-2004
Captain Chuck MacIntyre
Vortex Charters of Tampa Bay
www.vortexcharters.com
With warmer than average January temperatures, you would expect the Gag and Red Grouper to be excellent. But slow moving tides and a full moon dashed any hopes of filling the boat this past week. On 2 successive trips to 60 feet, we fished desperately to get 3 keepers, with only a few shorts to fill the gap between bites. Luckily, my clients bagged a couple of hogfish and Mango Snapper, making the trips somewhat worthwhile.
The inshore trips were quite the opposite. On three inshore trips, my clients kept busy catching some of the largest winter Seatrout I have seen in a long time. Three and Four pounders were the norm, with 2 fish tipping the scales at 5.5 pounds. These are not your typical year-round Trout, but the yellow-mouthed variety that invade our area as the cold sets in. We fished in residential canals using large free-lined shrimp, swithing to 4 inch DOA’s after the live bait ran out. It didn’t matter as the Trout seemed to eat everything we threw at them.
Good Fishin’ to ya!
Capt. Chuck MacIntyre
www.vortexcharters.com
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Captain Fred Kremer (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating:
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 25, 2003 - 4:32 am: | |
Tarpon Springs Report
All of my fishing this week was in the Tarpon Springs area. The water south of the Anclote River continues to be much clearer than to the north. The Ozona area is extremely clear with large bait schools around the various spoil islands. If you’re a live bait angler, it should be easy to fill your live well in one or two throws. Fish feeding on the bait schools can be seen slashing through them. Find the bait, you find the fish.
This week I went shallow early in the morning, fishing my usual favorite topwater baits, the 5M750 Mirrolure and any of the Top Dog series. The larger fish are in very shallow water early and are loners. Undersized trout are schooling fish, and you can stay on them for as long as you want. The larger ones that are slowly moving into the shallow flats to feed are usually by themselves. Trout are very sensitive to any handling, so if you’re not going to keep them, be sure to handle them as little as possible. I keep them in the water, get out the pliers, and release without touching them at all. This will insure a much higher survival rate. Also, large schools of jacks are all over the flats and are an exciting catch. Cobia have also been seen and caught.
DOA shrimp imitations are also very productive, either under a float or just fished close to the bottom without a float. I start by fishing two different colors to see what they prefer that day. Again, soft plastic jerkbaits are deadly on the flats fish. Reds seem to prefer something in red with gold or silver fleck, while the trout and snook seem to like the crystal or pearl colors.
November is right around the corner, and is traditionally one of the best flats fishing months of the year.
Captain Fred Kremer
Strictly Artificial Fishing Charters
www.strictlyartificial.com |
KURTUSONTHACASE (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 15, 2003 - 9:52 am: | |
ALLS IM SAYING IS WEEDON ISLAND /RIVEREA BAY - INCOMMING TIDE AT NIGHT FREELINE SHRIP OR PIN FISH ----HOLD ON |
Captain Fred Kremer (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 13, 2003 - 4:47 am: | |
Upper Tampa Bay Report
All my fishing this week was in the Upper Tampa Bay, where the water is very off-color. By using scented baits and chum block, we were able to get the fish coming our way. Anchored, the chum block was deployed for about a half hour, then we drifted down the chum line using DOA Deadly Combination rigs with a rootbeer/gold fleck shrimp, which seemed to be the only color drawing strikes. White Captain Mike’s spoons in the ¼ oz. size also worked for us.
Some anglers chose to try the flyrod, and were quickly hooked up with trout and ladyfish, which provide an exciting catch on the light tackle. Seaducers in yellow w/red head as well as a Deceiver in white w/green back were deadly on trout. The ladyfish didn’t seem to have a preference and bit almost every fly tossed in their direction.
Look for the action to increase as the water temperatures fall, even slightly. Reds are schooled and prowling on the south shore of the Bay.
Next week’s report will be from the Tarpon Springs area of west-central Florida where the water is much clearer due to less runoff than in the Upper Bay.
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Captain Fred Kremer (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating:
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, September 27, 2003 - 5:24 am: | |
Tarpon Springs Report
This week, all my fishing was in the Tarpon Springs area, both north and south of the Anclote River. The water south of the river seems much clearer than the water north of the river mouth, although fish were caught in both directions.
The lures of choice were the DOA Deadly Combination with a root beer/gold fleck ¼ oz. shrimp, Saltwater Assassin Crystal Shad soft plastic jerkbait, DOA CAL jigs with pearl body with pink tail, and the venerable Bomber Long A in black back and silver sides. All of these lures caught fish, but the lure that consistently caught the largest fish (trout, redfish, Spanish mackerel, grouper) was the Saltwater Assassin Crystal Shad.
I was drifting in 3-4 feet with the wind and trying to stay over the best grass bottom. I like to find crab trap lines and drift the traps. The traps are baited with fish to attract the crabs, but the scent that attracts the crabs also attracts bait and fish. If you’re ever at a loss as to where to fish, my advice is to find some crab traps and start there. Do not bother the traps!!! Luckily, the trap line I was drifting was set in the same direction as the wind, so it was fairly easy to stay near them. If not, use your trolling motor to stay in the vicinity, or anchor if you don’t have an electric motor. As the day progresses, move to some deeper water and use the old chum bag trick to attract fish to you. You won’t be disappointed, and you never know what will appear in the slick.
Captain Fred Kremer
Strictly Artificial Fishing Charters
813.920.6291
www.strictlyartificial.com
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Captain Fred Kremer (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, September 18, 2003 - 4:16 am: | |
Dealing With The Conditions
The water in upper Tampa Bay continues to be coffee colored due to several factors. When conditions are this way, I first of all try to find the clearest water I can. You’d be surprised at how different the visibility can be in different areas on the same flat. I drift or get on the trolling motor to find these areas. Better water clarity means more fish.
Even if you find clearer water, it’s not of the ideal variety, but there are a few tricks you can use to increase your catch. I use two main methods, sound and smell. By sound, I mean creating a disturbance which will “call” the fish to your lure. The Cajun Thunder weighted float with a DOA shrimp under it has been producing for me. I give the float a sideways pump with the rod, creating a load splash and click. The shrimp is pulled to the surface and then gently descends to the bottom, triggering strikes. I haven’t found a color of the DOA shrimp that the fish don’t like. This week we caught larger trout and redfish with this method. Just insure that you keep most of the slack out of the line before striking and be ready!
Scented lures are also a plus in limited water visibility, so combining the sound with the scented lures insures success. The fish can’t hit what they can’t see or smell, so it just makes sense that combining these two factors in your lure presentation will trigger strikes.
Fishing in west-central Florida will continue to improve with the coming of fall, and dropping water temperatures. The Gulf is still at 85 degrees, but will drop with cooler evening temperatures.
Captain Fred Kremer
Strictly Artificial Fishing Charters
www.strictlyartificial.com
813.920.6291
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Captain Fred Kremer (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 7:56 am: | |
Pick A Pass
The best bet right now seems to be the passes between the barrier islands in the Gulf. Either tide seems to work, and Spanish mackerel are abundant in these areas. With nothing much going on the flats, except smallish seatrout, the passes can provide almost constant action for these toothy critters.
There are several fishing techniques that work, and I’m sure there are others that can be successful. For the bait fisherman, anchor your boat, toss over the chum block in a mesh bag and drift your live baits back into the chum slick. Spanish mackerel respond very quickly to the smell, seeking a meal. Most of the baitfish on the flats seem to be on the smallish side, but the mackerel don’t seem to mind. Use a mono or fluorocarbon leader and a long shank hook to prevent cutoffs.
For those into lure fishing, my favorite for Spanish mackerel is the #00 Clark spoon, which is a diamond shaped lure with a red bead at the front which I troll behind the boat. The #00 is a very small spoon which, I think, resembles a glass minnow to the fish. You can vary the size of the spoon, and most will work. I’ve even used a regular plastic soda straw cut into about a two inch section, threaded onto the leader and then attach a small treble hook. This is a really inexpensive lure you can create that seems to work as well as the spoons. My favorite soda straws are the white ones with red stripes.
Vary the speed of the boat, and add weight to get the lures down a bit if you’re not getting any strikes.
Captain Fred Kremer
Strictly Artificial Fishing Charters
www.strictlyartificial.com
813.920.6291 |
Captain Fred Kremer (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 6:20 am: | |
Try Different Presentation Techniques
Most of my fishing this week was in the vicinity of Weedon Island, chasing redfish there. The water is still very off color, making fishing a bit more difficult using lures. We never did get the redfish going, but the trout were there, although most were below the slot limit. They did make for nice outings, though.
We started out fishing DOA shrimp lures under a Cajun Thunder, which is the larger, weighted version of the Equalizer made by Precision Tackle. This rig is fished by doing sharp pulls on the rod, resulting in a popping action on top of the water. I attach the lure to the float with about 18 to 24 inches of fluorocarbon leader. The lure is pulled towards the surface, then settles to the bottom. The fish are attracted to the popping sound, and see the shrimp or other lure diving towards the grass. You can use typical jigs under the Cajun Thunder or just about any subsurface lure. I like the DOA shrimp imitations in various colors. The glow and fluorescent orange do well for me. When the fish hit the lure, the Cajun Thunder float goes under, and all you have to do is pull. We caught trout and ladyfish with this rig.
I then switched to fishing jigs with pearl bodies w/red or pink tails in the typical jigging fashion, ie, the yo-yo jig fishing method, with no hits. I knew that the pearl bodies were the size and color of the baitfish I had seen, and couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t working. I tried moving it fast, slow, but then tried just swimming it along on top of the grass. Wham! Too fast and it rode too high in the water to get bit, too slow and it caught in the grass. But, when it was retrieved with absolutely no jigging motion just above the grass, it produced a lot of trout. The lesson is to try different retrieve techniques to see what will work. Don’t just stay with what you’ve done in the past, it might not work this time.
Very early in the mornings, I had success using Bagley’s Finger Mullet topwater lures and Mirrolure 5M750’s.
Captain Fred Kremer
Strictly Artificial Fishing Charters
www.strictlyartificial.com
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Capt. Fred Kremer (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating:
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 25, 2003 - 7:57 am: | |
Early Morning Bite
This week’s fishing was concentrated in the Tarpon Springs area, getting on an early morning topwater bite, then, as the sun gets higher, going to subsurface lures. My favorite lures all did well on trout, redfish, snook and even grouper on the flats. It seemed that the bigger fish were in very shallow water, very early in the day.
If anglers are willing, I like to get them out of the boat to do some wade fishing. It’s amazing how close you can get to fish when you’re afoot, rather than presenting a higher profile in a boat. Not everyone is interested in this type of fishing, and I respect that, but those that do really enjoy it. And, if they don’t have a boat back home, it’s a technique they can do when the fishing bug hits.
Some of my favorite topwater lures are the 5M Mirrolure series in different colors. The “5 series” is a double prop lure, three treble hooks, four inches long, and creates quite a commotion on top. This lure can call fish from quite a distance, when they come to investigate what’s going on with all that noise. My all-time favorite is the “750” color, which hardly resembles any type of fish I’ve ever seen! It has an orange belly, green fluorescent sides and a black top. This lure has been around a long time, but still produces more than any other I’ve ever used. I usually take off the middle treble hook, and others, so I’ve heard, take off the front propeller. I leave it on. Other colors I like in this lure are the 11 and 41 colors. The 11 color is white with a red head, and the 41 is silver/white with a black back, seemingly resembling a finger mullet. This type of lure also comes in a smaller size, the 21M, which is three inches long with two treble hooks. It comes in all the above colors, too.
As the sun gets higher, the topwater bite usually subsides, and that’s when I go to the subsurface lures, mostly the Exude and Bass Assassin (Saltwater), which are soft, plastic jerkbaits. These are exception redfish lures, and it seems like all fish like them. I use the light colors when it’s sunny, and the darker colors when it’s cloudy. The action on these is very erratic, resembling a wounded baitfish, almost irresistible!
Captain Fred Kremer
Strictly Artificial Fishing Charters
www.strictlyartificial.com
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Captain Fred Kremer (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating:
Votes: 3 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2003 - 3:49 am: | |
Rainy Weather, Murky Water
Well, west-central Florida has had its share of rain for what seems like weeks. With the influx of all this fresh water, the water on most coastal flats is the color of coffee with cream. This, plus the red tide on the coast has dampened some of our fishing opportunities. A friend of mine, commenting on the darkened water, said that all it means is that it will be more difficult for the “rookies” to catch fish. I guess he meant that those who don’t know murky water fishing techniques will not fare well.
What to do when the water isn’t of the clear variety? I rely heavily on the scented lures. My favorite is the Exude, by Mister Twister. They have a saltwater series that seems to work best for me. Their soft, plastic baits emit a natural scent trail that the fish can find and follow. Exude isn’t the only scented lure on the market, but I’ve had my best luck with them.
Since the water is stained, the ability of the fish to actually see a lure from any distance is, of course, very limited. So, go to the scented lures and move them in contact with the bottom very slowly. You don’t want to move it quickly like you might in clearer water. Leave a scent trail for them to follow and make sure to slow down, so when they find it, it’s in their strike window for a long period of time. I’ll actually let the scented baits sit motionless on the bottom at times. I tend to go with the darker colors in the murky water. You’ll be amazed at how many strikes you’ll get when it’s not moving at all.
Captain Fred Kremer
Strictly Artificial Fishing Charters
www.strictlyartificial.com
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Capt. Dan Hicks
Unregistered guest
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 03, 2002 - 9:28 pm: | |
Subject: Report
December fishing can be hot, if you’re at the right place at the right time.
Most flats species are on fire and as I write these words my mind begins to wander with anticipation of what will come during our next trip, will that big cobia show up again when there’s a rod ready? What will we catch tomorrow? Just a few of the reasons we like to fish.
As this article makes its way to paper the Snook are feeding aggressively as they follow their migratory path to the backwater areas and rivers, feeding on just about anything that they think they can catch and swallow. Many are still on the flats; being fashionably late in the arrival to their coldwater haunts and others as proven through time are always early for the party and are co-inhabiting the nearly freshwaters of our local rivers and tributaries.
Redfish are being caught in fair numbers around some of the areas docks and residential canals; most of the large schools have dissipated by now on our end of the bay and will be more commonly caught while snook fishing.
Cobia are thick on the flats right now and are being taken on live pinfish and imitation eels as well as a variety of slow sinking mirrolure plugs while sight casting to the shark looking bruisers of the shallows. Most are being targeted by looking along the many shoals and sandbars along our vast area shorelines.
Speckled Trout are being consistently caught around the cleaner flats with some tidal movement on both live bait and a variety of artificials including the ever popular tandem rigs (two jig heads tied in line with some form of grub or curly tail) while worked over depths of three to eight feet. With the larger trout being similar to snook in their feeding habits most will be found in shallower waters around some type of current break and that could be anything, sandbars, riprap shorelines and rock piles will hold a large portion of the toothy gamesters.
Their brethren the silver trout have been schooling up in deep water haunts such as ship turning basins like the one at the inflow of the Weedon island power plant, the channel leading from the Gandy launch area and the Westinghouse basin to name a few.
The Gag Grouper bite is hot on the tide one hour before and after slack water and one need not travel to the skyway area to produce fish, there are various hidey-holes scattered along the entire length of the shipping channel along both sides of the Gandy area including the port and it’s shallower surrounding waters.
Pompano action has been unusually hot as of late and will begin to subside as waters begin to cool.
Bait has been an easy target as we’ve had only light cold fronts so far.
Expect to find bait headed for deeper waters as the water temperature begins to drop.
Look around the big bridges for bait in the lights pre-dawn or chum with golf ball sized lumps to allow it to sink and bring the bait from the deeper water during daylight hours.
Best of the rest:
For the best shot at Gag Grouper fishing time you trips with the tides try to be ready to fish one hour before and one hour after the slack and within the bay it’s only a short run from any area to potential grouper bottom. Trolling will take it’s fair share of fish and downriggers are the most controlled method but also the most expensive, planers will work and take some getting used to but once you have figured out the set-up you can try a variety of spoons and plugs (shallow lipped).
Some anglers are fans of large lipped diving plugs alone without the planer; all will work if you’re in the right place at the right time.
Expect to catch large trout in shallower water, take a real close look at the outside edges of Weedon island on lower tide stages and you should be amply rewarded with some trophy class fish. And while you out try a power plant for sharks and cobia, and the same rules apply look at the shoals and areas of tidal disturbance and will find fish hugging the contours. If you spend enough time at some of them you will find sizeable quantities of permit and pompano that will readily take a doc’s goofy jig or piece of yellow/chartreuse jig tail on a quarter ounce head.
Backwater holes and dark mud bottom will hold snook by the numbers but getting them to eat however will be a different story, some times the most effective way to entice a strike will be to use artificial baits such as the DOA shrimp in a glow color to entice a reaction strike. Using the famed and patented ” Ramil twitch” which has produced in three local tournaments is guaranteed to produce results and make a believer out of any fisherman worth his salt. HO HO Whoa, hold on tight and Merry Christmas.
www.fish-tale.com
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Capt. John Sackett
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 29, 2001 - 9:03 pm: | |
Subject: the latest action from www.AnglingAdventure.com
Once again, my apologies…
It seems like a real shame that about half of my reports this year have started out the same way, with me apologizing for the delay in getting them written, but I guess the good news is that it means I’ve been real busy. No, it has all been the good kind of, on the water, rippin’ the lips off fish kind of busy, but 2001 sure has been busy in one manner or another. Between all cobia hunting we did last winter, the snookin’ we got in through early spring, the kingfish action we saw all the way into July, and of course the incredible tarpon action we had from the end of February through the middle of July, it’s been a really busy year. On the down side though, the majority of the delays I’ve had getting these reports out have been due to technical difficulties! In one season I have managed to nuke, a desktop computer system, a laptop computer, and even an outboard motor! None of those failures were ever explained as far as what caused them, but boy oh boy, it’s been a pain in the a-- dealing with them. Okay, enough excuses, time to get on with the report!
Offshore action is hard to beat!
With water temperatures inside of Tampa Bay and the even shallower bays adjacent to it, reaching clear into the mid-nineties at the height of the day, beating the heat has been a big priority. Three tactics designed to do so, are of course to fish the lower light periods of the day, fish the strongest incoming tide you possibly can, or of course, just head offshore a bit to more temperate waters. It is this last recommendation that I’ll focus on here.
Now by fishing offshore I don’t necessarily mean that you have to head 80 plus miles out into the Gulf (although that’s exactly what I did last weekend), in fact you can get into plenty of action within 3-5 miles of the beaches themselves. Just off our area beaches find yourself alongside a wreck, a reef, or just some good live bottom, and you never know what might happen. What you better plan on though to capitalize on these opportunities, is to bring along plenty of tackle. You’re going to need some light spinning gear to have fun with the snapper and mackerel, you’ll need some medium weight gear for the permit, and of course if it’s a wreck you’re fishing on, you better bring the heaviest stuff you can get your hands on for the goliath grouper that undoubtedly live within it. It’ll take everything from 9/0 heavy hooks, down to the little 1/0 snapper sized ones, and it’ll take your favorite fishing line from 8 pound all the way up to 80 pound test, but it’s been well worth the effort lately.
Now if you are a little more adventuresome, and have a boat capable of wandering safely a little farther from home, this is the perfect time to go deep! Sure, going deep is a relative thing and it takes a 30 mile run just to find a hundred feet of water in our part of the Gulf, but once you get to a hundred feet or more, the Gulf is an awesome place to be! Sure those anglers fishing nearer to shore will catch plenty of action right now, but if you are looking for some extra-large fish to take home for supper, head for the blue waters and enjoy. Okay, all those “little” snapper inshore eat well too, but as I said if you want extra-large fish for supper, deeper is better. Look at another advantage to this strategy, you can clean 10 nice mangrove snapper from our inshore waters back at the dock to yield 10 pounds of filets, or you can clean one 17 pounder from further offshore to aquire the same amount of meat. It sure is faster to clean one than it is ten! That was exactly the strategy that we utilized aboard my 34 foot Baja last weekend when I had the pleasure of fishing with Glen Gee, his wife Lynn, and two of their buddies Troy and Scott. Talk about bringing home some meat, we ended up catching and cleaning half a dozen or so mahi (and caught and released at least another dozen while they were swiping the bait we were freelining back to the yellowtails) up to about three pounds, a pile of beautiful yellowtail snapper in the 2-4 pound bracket, 5 mutton snapper from 10-17 pounds and a rare treat for our area, a 46 pound cubera snapper as well. Add to all of that delicious snapper, the extreme fatigue that comes with the dozen or so amberjack we landed from 25-34 pounds and you have the makings for one heck of a trip!
While that was the tally for just one trip, keep in mind that almost anything is possible out there in the blue waters. Just last month, Dr. Ryan Magnus managed his best kingfish ever while we were trying to sneak up on a school if blackfin tuna, Capt. Chris Seger chalked up another beautiful sailfish, and the Morse family got the pleasure of eating a pair of beautiful 20 plus pound mahi-mahi that we hauled aboard my Baja back around August 1st! Then again, when you consider the fact that Doc’s kingfish went 32-34 pounds and that he caught it with a 12 pound Crowder spinning rod, a 1/0 Owner SSW hook and only 30 pound mono leader, you know that almost anything is possible! Fall is coming and the grouper will again be taking center stage in closer to shore, but in the mean time if you can devote a full-day effort to it, my advise is to “go deep”.
There is still flats fun too…
Back up in the shallow water there is a whole lot of fun to be had too, but you can’t expect to find it in the same places you would when the water was only in the 80 degree range. Like I said above, use the top of the tide to get the coolest possible temps, or do your flats work during lower light periods. The snook are of course one of our most temperature sensitive species, so you can expect that their mood will be one of the worst when it comes to co-operating with anglers desires. Sure you’ll find a whole bunch of them hanging around your favorite flats, but it’ll take more than a little effort finding them at the exact time that they are willing to feed. Better bet may be to hunt yourself some redfish. August and September are the months when the reds will school up in some of the biggest herds of the year, and the sight of copper colored water all around your skiff can be unbelievable. On a good day, you can get into 20 plus fish in the 30 inch range and beyond, but if you get truly lucky and find a herd of unmolested fish you may end up with catch totals of double that! Okay, finding those fish can be a hit or miss type of proposition, but if you’d like more of a sure thing, and you want to stay a whole lot cooler too, my recommendation would be to book yourself a shark trip.
Obviously the shark population has gotten a whole lot of exposure in the press lately, so no one really doubts that there are plenty of sharks out there, but we think that we’re doing all the beach goers a favor by interrupting their feeding patterns just a bit with our catch and release style mood control tactics. The recipe for success is fairly straightforward, just take some smelly bait (bonito, mullet it doesn’t matter much which you prefer), anchor up where your favorite flats drains into deeper waters just as the sun is setting, use your favorite 20-30 pound spinning outfit, and wait for jaws to come calling. This is heavy duty battle time if you hook a big boy, but even the little blacktips, blacknoses, lemons and hammerheads in the 4-6 foot range that frequent our flats will be more than entertaining on the right gear. You can reasonably expect that you may get spooled if something in the 8 foot plus range shows up, or for that matter when a tarpon grabs your smelly stuff and takes off so fast that you never even get the anchor untied, but that’s the kind of adrenalin rush that we all love to fish for anyway, isn’t it? My preference is an 8 foot Crowder rod like the ones I use through tarpon season, matched to one of Penn’s new “liveliner” model spinning reels with 300 hundred yards of 30 pound power pro line tied to a six foot section of 80 pound mono, and finally to a couple feet of 90 pound test wire and a 6/0 hook. Then it time to just sit back and relax. Fortunately, if the tide is running pretty good, they probably won’t keep you waiting too long!
Lastly, when it comes to inshore fun in the heat of summer, you may want to hunt just as much as fish. I’ve said it before, and I’m sure I’ll say it again, but there is something about sightcasting that can be just out of this world! Two target that are worth hunting right now are the permit and the cobia. First permit, second cobes. The permit potential is right here, right now. It’s not the kind of action that we had a couple of years ago with thousands of fish happily swimming over nearly every rockpile in the area, but it can be incredibly rewarding to hunt singles and pairs as they work along to edges of the shallowest flats. Then again, who’s not to say that you might be hunting for pairs when the motherload shows up? A big school of perms to anglers in the west central part of Florida isn’t measured by the score, or even the dozen. A big school to us number well into the hundreds, and oftentime into the thousands. There’s nothing quite like the sight of these monster schools, or the laughter that will often accompany the double and triple hook-ups, but one things for sure, you won’t be there when they do show up if you’re not out there hunting for them! The cobia aren’t going to show up in huge schools right now like you might find them during the winter months, but the singles, pairs and triples that you will find more and more frequently as mid September nears and passes, can be awesome! Best yet, when you find them on slick calm, muggy mornings like Capt. Billy Nobles does, chances are they’ll be cruising just below the surface. Talk about being in sightcasting heaven… This is about as good as it gets.
A look ahead…
Well, I already touched on the invasion of cobia that we’ll be chasing up in the bays, I talked about the permit potential that’ll last through Halloween, and I talked about the grouper that once again will come marching in from the depths of the Gulf, to the waters just outside, and even inside our area bays, what more could you want? Okay, how about some of the best snook action of the year from mid September through mid November, or for that matter our fall kingfish run. If you’ve never experienced a fish that takes drag so fast that your reel can actually go silent, you’ve got to come and do some light tackle kingfishing with us. We’ve got a lot to look forward to, so get in touch with us real soon and we’ll set aside a day for you.
Like my friend Capt. Mark always said,
“Catch ‘em up”
Capt. John Sackett
http://www.AnglingAdventure.com
captsackett@anglingadventure.com
(941) 920-4891 Mobile
(877) 269-FISH Toll Free Reservations |
Capt Dan Hicks
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 25, 2001 - 9:24 pm: | |
Subject: fishing report
Oh boy! Fishing is finally returning to normal and that goes for catching as well.
Back are the days of large quantities of fish to eagerly await your baits.
If you and your tackle have taken a break for the summer it’s time to get things in order again. Check your rods and guides as well as re-spool your reels with fresh line, I prefer 10-20 lb test power-pro as it wears longer is stronger and more sensitive than any mono out there and has no ill effects on my tackle. Beware of the tension on your drags as you can overload a rods capacity, however if you are fishing around structure there is nothing better. Its abrasion resistance is incredible.
Once every thing is in order it’s time to hit the water as most of the shorelines around Tampa bay are teaming with fish at one tide or another.
Redfish are well into their “push” and should be a fairly common catch. Areas such as Weedon Island, Fourth Street and Culbreath Isles are producing their fair share of these bronze copper colored gamesters and most are found milling around with schools of mullet in various open salt and pepper grassy areas as well smaller more isolated backcountry bays and are feeding on small crustaceans and bait fish such as ?? Mullet, pinfish and whitebait. Shrimp can be excellent redfish bait if you can stand the pinfish pecking at and killing them constantly. But seem better suited to cooler climate fishing at different times of the year.
These areas are consistently producing large numbers of a variety of species and will continue to do so for the remainder of the year.
Look for Snook to be feeding best along shorelines with an abundance of patchy grass while resting in the potholes focused on letting the tide bring unsuspecting morsels to them for a quick and easy meal.
Trout will begin to become more consistent in the three to five foot depths and as they say the best bet is to “match the hatch” small pinfish and whitebaits can be outstanding, however you will have the ability to cover a larger area of water with artificial baits.
Snapper are everywhere! Just about any structure in Tampa Bay has a resident population of Snapper and your absolute best bet to fool them is whitebait on the small side coupled with 2 to 3 ft of 25 to 30lb fluorocarbon leader with a small yet sharp hook in the range of # 1- # 4 and using only enough lead to get on the bottom and hold. No room for steel leaders here as snapper seem to have very good eyesight.
Anchor uptide and chum with live and cut greenies to sweeten the deal and fire a bait down and get ready. Use your imagination; almost any structure; rocks, docks, seawalls and bridges are all productive with a good tide.
Cobia are still on the markers in good numbers but most of them are a little beat-up as just about every one has bounce everything in their arsenal off the tops on their heads in an attempt to entice a bite.
Pinfish, greenies and artificial baits will al work and you will have a greater chance at hooking them when keeping your distance from the markers while making your presentation.
The water temps are still a little warm so make sure your there on the best of moving tides as that is when the action will be the best, Live bait will certainly speed things up a notch in most areas.
There are gobs of bait in the bay; almost all of the Gandy area flats are loaded with plenty of useable bait.
Using an 8 to 10 ft. net thrown properly with a little jack mackerel, cornmeal and menhaden oil goes a long way and makes quick work of the gathering process saving time while trying to bait up for the day.
Gandy Bridge anglers have fair tidal height and flow on the weekend of the 8th and 9th in the early morning as well as the weekend of the 22nd.
So get those baits loaded up early and begin your journey to your favorite spot and make you best presentation.
For those of you who enjoy artificial baits, get out early and beat the crowds as your best chances to catch fish are going to be before the flats have been marauded and most of the fish spooked, they’re quite weary as it is without the weekend crowds running the over especially if you are trying to “fool” them with a plastic creation.
Don’t forget the docks as they are going to hold fish just about all year long (warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer) a mix of the above baits will produce fish at a variety of locations. Some will produce better than others and unfortunately there is only one way to distinguish the great docks from the not so great docks, Time on the water and nothing else short of someone telling you which ones are productive will provide you with the information you need.
www.tampabayangler.com/fishtalescharterservice.htm
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Capt. Sergio Atanes
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, July 31, 2001 - 10:22 pm: | |
Subject: Tampa Bay Fishing Report
Tampa Bay Fishing Report
Here a few tips on where to fish after the rains, look for runoff where snook and reds will concentrate. Her a few hot spots to get you started. Redfish Creek at Port Manatee, Salt Creek just before the bend starts, oyster bar east of the Weedon Island Pier.
Mackerel will hang just outside of the Skyway Bridge for a few day until rain water empties, best bet look for small grouper around the ships channel makers 1 and 2, mangroves are a sure bet at the start of outgoing tide. Good fishing and tight lines.
Capt. Sergio Atanes
Cell (727) 420-3039
Night (813) 973-7132
www.reelfishy.com |
Capt. Dan Hicks
Unregistered guest
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, July 31, 2001 - 6:51 pm: | |
Subject: August fishing report
If keeping cool is on your agenda this month you may be in luck. The nighttime bite has been strong and will continue into the months of August and September.
There are many areas in the Gandy bridge region that have been producing numbers of fish at night while fishing the lighted docks. Culbreath isles, Mariner, Snell isle, and Coffeepot to name a few have been some of the most productive on a good moving tide.
Choice baits have been live whitebaits and pinfish as well as a few artificial baits such as the D.O.A. glow and natural shrimp, Bubba’s Jigs shad tails and sinking Mirrolures such as the 52MR 18 and 21.
If angling during daylight hours is your thing get an early start if it’s consistent action you want. Early a.m. incoming tides have been the most productive. Tide charts with moon phases may be conveniently found within the covers of this magazine.
Weedon island and 4th street bound anglers have been catching the big three Snook, Trout and Redfish while using same baits listed above with live white bait the number one choice for quantity’s of fish. More experienced anglers may choose to use artificial baits to make the most of the early bite (no valuable time spent looking for and netting bait.)
Another bait option to consider during those times when the grass is everywhere you want to fish would be many of the soft “jerkbaits” made by many manufacturers rigged “weed less” with a worm hook. They come in a variety of baitfish imitating colors and sizes.
Tarpon have scattered through the bay and will begin to gather in the backwater and upper bay areas very soon and will require less hunting to get a shot at a feeding fish.
Redfish have begun to school in some of their more usual haunts, look for areas of patchy grass and good tidal flow to hold these dogged fighters and with a little patience and the right bait and presentation you may find the “tug” you have been looking for.
Snook have been and will remain in areas that also present good tidal flow, structure and food. Areas such as the “mud hole” at Weedon Island can be productive
Areas such as the big bridges spanning the bay area waters, most of the spawning activity will come to an end soon, however the fish will remain in a summer pattern for some time.
Numbers of smaller and medium sized fish can be found in shallower waters located on area grass flats and shorelines as well as nearby oyster bars, getting them to cooperate will require moving water and the correct baits and presentations.
Trout can be found over the deeper area grass flats ranging from 3-10 feet deep. Concentrating your efforts in areas of clean water and good tidal movement will greatly improve you catch ratio regardless of which bait you choose to use. All of the above baits will work well when tossed to the edges of the pot holes and sandy areas as the fish will spend a great deal of their time waiting for an easy meal to happen by.
Cobia have been on the various channel and range markers throughout the bay area and have been eating the usual baits such as artificial eels ,6-8 “ curly tails and just about any thing live such as greenies and pinfish.
As usual, getting them off the marker is the hard part. Stout tackle with the appropriate line and leader(25 to 30 lb line with 40 to 60 lb leader) are in tall order here where the name of the game is stop’em or pop’em !
P.s. Buy good strong high quality hooks. I’ve had these fish straighten some hooks like a paperclip when applying this much pressure!
The big Drum can still be located on the bridges and can more readily be found on or near the slack tides.
Choice baits include crabs and flat-sided artificial baits such as Rattletraps in ¾ oz. Chrome paired with fairly stout tackle 20-40 lb gear.
Pompano fishing has been very consistent as of late fishing the bridge pilings near the bottom with doc’s goofy jigs and fiddler crabs weighted with a split shot or two to get it down.
What to look for:
Fishing patterns will remain much the same as the month of July. The water will continue to stay very warm and the best bite will continue to be early a.m. or evening / nighttime.
Cobia will continue to be found on area channel markers and other structure.
If you are after cobia try your luck on the same markers for tripletail as well. They generally take a live greenback suspended three to four feet below a cork.
Tarpon can and will be found in some | |
