Inshore : February 3 & 4

Past two day's I have been fishing dual boat trip's with Capt. Steve Hatcher. Launching out of Caxambas Pass of the beautiful Marco Island. Six gentalman from to many northern places to mention in the report.

The weather was ideal with sunny skies, and mild temperature's in the mid 70's. A light SE breeze and a fair out going tide made the fishing consistent. Water temp. still in the low to mid 60's and fairly clean provided non stop action. I like to call it winter time action fishing!

While pompano stole the lime light for the table fare, trout were a close second. Along with the first two species, they caught plenty of blue fish, lady fish, and sheephead to fill in the gap's in between.

All fish were caught in or near the passes, with the exception of a few trout over the grass flat's. In fact one client named Shelby landed a macking trout that measured 26", that's quality anywhere! Along with the trout, we found a school of black drum in the 20 lb range, I bet there was over a hundred fish in the school. Unfortunately, we couldn't buy a bite, not even with a free lined shrimp. I believe they were in the mood for love, not food. I bet we caught over 30-40 fish each trip.

All fish were caught on tube jig's tipped with shrimp with either pink or tan head's. Bouncing the jig at a snail's pace, almost crawling it over the sanby bottom.

It's a great time to be on the water, no need for the early start, let the sun climb in the sky and warm thing's up a bit. The warmer the day, the hotter the action.Make sure you fish a day or two after the passing front's.

Until the next time, tight lines and screaming drag's to all.

Captain Jeff Legutki
Angler's Addiction Guide Service
captjefflegutki@aol.com
(239)293-1664

Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 1/23 through 2/3/2005



Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict have had good action with reds and trout on the flats and snook at night despite a couple of fronts within the past 10 days. The fastest action has been on deep grass flats with trout, ladyfish and the occasional bluefish.

Tom Lamb, from Geneva, Switzerland, fished north Sarasota Bay with me early last week. Despite water in the mid 50’s, Tom caught a pair of reds and several trout on CAL jigs with shad tails.

Fly fishers Dan Lagace and Dennis Aust, both from Tampa, FL, fished Charlotte Harbor with me last Wednesday. Dan and Dennis, members of the Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club, are both accomplished casters. Dan is a fly casting instructor known nationally for teaching anglers to cast with their non-dominant hand. The action was not fast, but they caught and released several trout and a redfish on a variety of flies in Gasparilla Sound.

The following day, Keith McClintock and Larry Stillman, both from Lake Forest, IL, fished the same area with me. We saw more reds and the action was faster that day. They caught and released 6 reds to 26” and about 20 trout to 19” on weedless-rigged CAL shad tails.

I was back down there again on Monday with Scott Heidler, from Hudson, OH, and Joel DeMarais, from Minneapolis, MN and the action heated up even more. We started the day in a heavy fog and Scott and Larry caught several reds and nice snook right away on CAL jigs with shad tails. We moved to a flat in Gasparilla Sound, where they caught 15 or more trout in the 18’’ class and Joel already had a slam by 10 AM. They finished the day with 7 or 8 reds to 27”, a 24” snook and more than 25 trout to18”. Nice day!

A trip the next morning in north Sarasota Bay was slow. Despite the water warming to the mid 60’s, we only caught a few trout, ladyfish and a bluefish.

Fly fishers, Don and Barbara Eckert from Ft. Lee, NJ, fished the ICW in Venice for snook with me that evening. The action was steady and we had a good evening. They caught and released more than 15 snook to 23” and a fat bluefish on Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies.

Since north Sarasota Bay was slow on Tuesday morning, longtime friends and customers, Norm and Francie Boardman from Sarasota, FL, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday afternoon. We had plenty of action with trout in the 16"-17" class and big ladyfish on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.

Next week’s negative low tides in the morning are favorable for reds and trout. Fly fishing for snook at night also remains a good option.



Tight Lines,

Capt. Rick Grassett

Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.

(941) 923-7799

E-mail snookfin@aol.com

www.snookfin-addict.com

February 4, 2005

INSHORE - The inshore fishing this past week has been hard with the cold water temperatures and plenty of wind to go along with it. I have been getting a few reports of trout to 6 pounds coming from the Midway Road area and along the flats to the south of Harbor Branch. The best bait has been a live shrimp. I got a couple of reports of redfish coming from the Queen's Cove canal's and from the local bridges. Most of the redfish have been caught on live shrimp.

Snook season is finally here with some nice fish being reported coming from around the Turning Basin and the area's bridges. The Roosevelt Bridge in Stuart seems to be hot spot down their way according to the reports I have been getting. Again, shrimp has been the most productive bait to use both at the Turning Basin in Ft. Pierce and the Roosevelt Bridge in Stuart.

The pompano bite has been scattered with most of the fish reported coming from 3 to 5 feet of water and caught on sand fleas. Start fishing around the bridges in the Jensen Beach area as this has been a good spot.

There are still plenty of sheepshead around just about any structure you can find. The afternoon bite has been better than any early bite. There are still some croakers and weakfish being caught the Jennings Cove area and a small live shrimp has been the way to go.

TEEN ANGLERS - Once again the monthly inshore fishing tournament has been rescheduled. It will be this Sunday -- February 6th at Jaycee Park. Teen's should be there are at 6:45am and ready to fish.

OFFSHORE - The sea conditions have been rough with only the bigger boats fishing. I did get reports of some small sailfish to the south of the St. Lucie Inlet and they were in 130 feet of water.

The dolphin that were reported were caught in 110 to 140 feet of water. All of them were caught on a skirted ballyhoo with the purple and black or a red and black skirt being the most productive.

The kingfish have been scattered from 70 to 90 feet of water. Most of the fish have been in the 20 pound range. I did get a couple of reports of cobia along the Eight Mile Reef out of the St. Lucie Inlet and a few wahoo in about 200 feet of water. Also, there were reports of blackfin's coming form about 185 feet of water and the most productive bait has been a split tailed mullet or a horse ballyhoo and fast troll it.

Along the beaches look for the birds and you will find the spanish mackerel and the big jacks. Try using light tacklt and you will have fun.

If you would like to report a catch, call me at 772-201-5770 or e-mail me at cward11605@aol.com. You cna also reach me on the web at www.captjoeward.com.

Capt. Joe Ward
Capt. Joe's River Charters

Well, the New Year is well underway, the temperatures have been cold, but the trout action has been hot!.Let’s begin offshore and work our way inside. Look for plenty of sailfish action between 120 and 180 feet where the water is a bit warmer. Trolled ballyhoo, split-tail mullet or drifting live baits will get their attention. While fishing this zone, you can expect some dolphin to bend those rods. Inside 6 miles (30-65 feet) kingfish and cobia are a definite possibility. Don’t forget those stinger hooks on your live greenies and watch your kingfish catch skyrocket. February brings plenty of manta rays in our area. Under the rays are where to target some nice cobia. Have a rod rigged and ready to cast. I like using a 2 oz. jig with a chunk of cut bait or a large white grub tail attached. We cast 20 feet in front of the ray and let the bait sink. Cobia are great fun and fantastic table fare. Use extreme caution when boating them. Have a cooler open and ready when you bring them aboard.

Near shore, Spanish mackerel action reaches its peak. Capt. Joes Jigging Spoons, Gulfstream’s flash minnows, green and chartreuse tube lures, Clark spoons, white bucktails tipped with shrimp all produce. We played around and caught fish on beef jerky last week so what does that tell you! There’s no need to cruise all the way to Peck’s Lake. Just keep your eyes open for birds and baitfish on top, and there you will find the macs. It’s more fun fishing away from the pack and you’ll probably boat more fish. It also allows you to be more sporting, using 6-8 lb. test, producing longer runs and better fishing. If the action slows down, before moving to another area, try allowing your bait to drop 20 seconds before retrieving. Many times these macs will sit near the bottom. When I have smaller groups of 3 or less, I like to troll the area. This seems to lessen cutoffs . For you small boaters, check sea conditions before departing. This month can spark northeast winds in a hurry.

Along the surf, bluefish action will dominate the scene. Normally, 2 oz. will hold the bottom using cut bait (mackerel, mullet, ribbonfish) while casting in the first trough. Whiting will also be in close. Small crappie jigs tipped with shrimp, claims or squid will catch ‘em. Usually when the bluefish are biting, the pompano are hiding. If fishing for pompano, try long-casting triple kayle rigs with a combination of sand fleas, clams and shrimp. There are plenty of beach accesses in our area. If you pull up to one and the water looks dirty, drive north or south for cleaner conditions.

Inshore, look for calm water when things kick up. Aboard Catch 22, I spend many hours on the east side of the Indian River. Calmer water always holds more baitfish, making this zone very fishable. The trout bite in February is excellent. Topwater lures up close and shallow, fishing early, will result in some great action. The mangroves on the east side or docks on the west side in the Indian River hold some gator trout between 7-9 lbs. Later in the morning and afternoon stay in 3-4 feet or near the spoil islands, throwing soft rubber baits or live shrimp. I use a combination of live and DOA shrimp and CAL lures in the grass flats during the afternoon hours.

Snook season opens February 1st and the majority will be deep, near area bridges and seawalls. Big baits like Gulfstream’s flair hawks and redtail hawks along the bottom are your best bet. You can also plant a mullet head deep and let it sit. Eventually something big will inhale it. Snook regulations remain the same with a 26-34 in. slot, 2 per person. The season for those linesiders remains open until June 1st. Choppy conditions pump up snook, making them more aggressive. When the water temperature drops, slow down your presentation. Snook get lazy and sluggish in cold water.

Area bridges hold plenty of sheephead and black drum on the bottom. Frozen shrimp on trollrites are at the top of the bait list. Most drum in the Indian River run 4-10 lbs., but the Roosevelt Bridge in Stuart historically holds bigger fish. Know your limits. Sheephead need to be 12” minimum from the head to the fork in the tail. Black drum must be at least 14” with one fish over 24”. Try the Indian Riverside Park dock for drum, sheephead and flounder. Fish the east end of the dock where its 6-8 feet deep. On the riverside, there’s plenty of action with flounder to 3 lbs. feeding on live shrimp along the bottom. Casting redfish jigs on incoming tide provides nice pompano action in this area too.

If you’re serious about flounder, take a ride north to Fort Pierce and fish the south jetty. Look for a sandbar and cast past it into the deeper water, dragging the bait up into the sandbar and watch the action. This month, flounder in the Sebastian area move south making the south jetty an excellent choice. Again, shrimp on trollrites work the best.

Last year tarpon made an early appearance just south of the Stuart Causeway and farther north just outside Big and Little Mud Creeks. It’s worth a try using live mullet, DOA terrorize and Baitbusters. In the grassy areas, a wide selection of trout, redfish, jacks, ladyfish, pompano, flounder, Spanish mackerel and bluefish are plentiful.

Tripletail remain scattered until March, but the first week of January produced 3 tripletail aboard Catch 22. Most of the early tripletail are under 5 lbs. but they still put up an excellent fight. We released 2 of the 3, all being well above the 15” minimum.

Want to load up on sheephead? Head to the St. Lucie Inlet and anchor up a half hour before low or high tide. This will give you about an hour of great fishing when the current is slow, allowing your bait to stay near the bottom. We fish ultra-lite on Catch 22, using 6 lb. test, with 12 lb. leader and small pieces of frozen shrimp on 1/0 quarter-ounce trollrites. Using a small hook and small bait will increase production. At high tide, look for a rocky bottom and you’re in the target zone. Marker #235 in the ICW is also a rocky area, holding plenty of sheephead in the winter.

Finally, Hell’s Gate in the St. Lucie and the Crossroads are hot on high outgoing tide. In Hell’s Gate, anchor up for pompano, mackerel and ladyfish or drift the Crossroads. The pompano bite has picked up in the inlet and near the quarter bridge. You can’t go wrong with sand fleas on the bottom. A buddy of mine caught 16 pompano last week near the house of refuge on late incoming using live fleas.

Capt. Bob Bushholz
(772) 225-6436
http://www.catch22fish.com

Good day fishing off Ramada Inn, VA Beach. Umbrella rigs, mojoes, spoons, and atomic lures. Look at that citation flounder and striper. Brought to you by the captain of the Sideliner.... Daddy JJ.

Wednesday 27th:" Night Fly Fishing"

Wednesday night I had the pleasure of fishing with old time friend Tom Shadley, owner of Mangrove Outfitter's. Our plan was to fish the dock light's of NaplesBay for some frozen snooksickle's. Being a January night, it was warm and muggy,so much condinsation in the air, you would think it was raining! Not a breath of wind, not a ripple on the surface. Not another boat on the water,the whole night in fact! Every light we came to had was stacked with snook. Nothing giant,but the number's were there.
Tom, the innovator he is when it comes to tying flies,brang a fly tied in polar bear. He had put a touch of dyed pink polar mixed with the white and some flash. This fly was a twisted version of the ole "DT",tied on a #2 mustad hook. Each cast caught the attention of every fish in the light, and they literally faught over the chance to eat the fly first! We must have caught six to eight fish a light.
The night was absolutely perfect,coditions were beautiful under a full night, not a cloud in the sky. Completely quiet,no other sound's aside from the snook popping helpless prey. The night was like one of spring time. All night long we kept saying how perfect the condition's were,two great friend's howling and hooting under the full moon. Having a blast, taking turn's on the front of the boat.
We must have caught over forty snook that night with a few blue fish mixed in for diversity.The biggest fish was probably no bigger than 27 inches. All night I threw my trusty 7wt. Thomas&Thomas;, Shadley made this rod for me back in 96'. Tom was using an 8wt. Sage, both with floating lines. Water was clear, so we fished light using 25lb. shock tippet. Tom's pink "DT" polar bear finished it off.
If you get the chance to get out and sample this fine fishery, take the oppertunity! It's areal blast,and you do not have to be a pro to get result's. Great way for the novis to get started and learn the ropes. Until next time tight lines and screaming drag's to all!

Captain Jeff Legutki

Kona Hawaii fishing report – Jan. wrap-up.

The good trolling bite is still happening in Kona. I could just about copy and paste last months fishing report in here because not much has changed. Mostly spearfish coming in followed by mahi mahi, striped and blue marlin, shibi and otaru but there’s yet another fish to add to the list this month. Ono (wahoo) are normally a summertime fish but we do get small runs from time to time in the winter. Mostly ono like to hang near shore but sometimes they wander the deep. Right now we’re having a deep water ono run.

The bottom bite slowed just a little and most (but not all) of the sharks have moved on. Baitfish along the ledge of the grounds are few between and not readily biting either. Live bait always out shines dead baits when bottom fishing. Two days ago Capt. Rennie Boyd was fishing near me and he called my cell to talk about what was going on. I had just landed an amberjack and it got shark bit on the way up. The Capt. Rennie decided he would switch to shark fishing. He called me later and said that three tiger sharks, each over 1000 lbs. were feeding near his boat. He had one hooked for a while but didn’t get it to the boat. He did catch and release a dusky shark about 400 lbs. though. Yesterday I fished that same area and hooked up one of those 1000 pound tigers. About an hour into the fight the three main gear screws sheared off and jammed the spool tight. I towed the fish around for a couple of minutes and then gunned the boat to break the line. It’s a fairly new reel but a fish like that really puts a strain on the tackle. Our disappointment was short lived. About 15 minutes later, trolling on the way home, we caught a 545 lb. blue marlin plus we already had a rainbow runner for the dinner table caught earlier in the day.

As of the end of 2004, I became the top sportfish catching captain in Kona for the 8th year in a row. Capt. Guy Terwilliger was my closest competitor and my hat’s off to him because he did it mostly by trolling and only some bottom fishing. It was a common site last year to see Capt. Guy flying one or more fish flags nearly every trip. When I talked to him a few weeks ago about his catch percentages, they weren’t very far below mine. A year ago this month I decided to put my money where my mouth was and offer $100 off your full day charter if we didn’t catch at least one fish. My 2004 stats for January were really suffering because I had already missed catching on three days. After making the offer, I only missed two more days the rest of the year. An extra $100 in the pocket sure is a good motivator!

See `ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
Kona Hawaii fishing

Just a little word of Advice to anyone that is smart enough to think. Big Brother (Coast Guard) in not playing any more with us off the coast of Carolina. They really cracked down on the 3 mile limit the other day and from what we heard 6 charter captains were wrote up for being over the 3 mile mark. Cold weather has pushed the stripers off shore 6 to 14 miles an into warmer water where the bait has gone, so clean up the gear, and wait. Don't chance the "Zone" just for a few fish. By the way, that was a $10,000 dollar fine per boat for charter captains. Think before you sink.

I just wanted to see if anyone knows how the inshore fishing is going at in Cherry Grove. Are the reds, trout, and flounder doing well. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

1-26-05 I met up with Dave, Chuck, Terry, and Deago, the crew from the Southport Wal-Mart this morning at 7:00 AM heading out for a day of bottom fishing. The weather man had led us to believe we would have warm temperatures and moderate winds, WRONG!!!!!.. We had cold conditions with rain and a stiff to strong SW to W wind. The fish were there, you couldn't drift and stay on the bottom even with 12 ounces of weight. We tried to anchor and the current was ripping so strong the anchor would crawl and you could not stay on the fish! We did manage to get a few black bass before calling it quits at 11:00 AM. But let me tell you this, if you have EVER wanted to catch SHARKS, now is the time to go. We were actually catching them 2 at a time on double drop bottom rigs!!! They averaged around 8 to 10 lbs. and didn't take long till they were thought of as a nucience. These bad boys will wear you out quickly when you catch them this fast!! The sea conditions got real nasty real quick. Thank goodness since they were predicting west winds, I decided to head west this morning so we would have a following sea to ride home in. That worked out really good. Hey, it wasn't the best day of fishing or weather, but, we all had a good time, caught enough for some fresh fish dinners, what else could you ask for!!! Till next time FISH ON!!! CAPT. BUTCH FOSTER, YEAH RIGHT SPORTFISHING CHARTERS, SOUTHPORT, N C (910) 845-2004. www.yeahrightcharters.com

Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report, 01-24-2005

Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters

In my last report we discussed how great fishing has been here on the Lagoon coast of Florida, and how the unusually warm weather had provided us with exceptional catches in all areas fished. Well, all good things must come to an end, and end it did, with the arrival of back-to-back artic fronts. As of the post, frost warnings are posted, but at least we’re not up to our stripping baskets in the white stuff.

On Thursday 13th of January, the last nice day before the arrival of the first front, I fished with my good friend Mike Murray. It was a real time decision to scout the upper St Johns River for American shad. As we approached our first spot, the mouth of the Econ Creek, the shad were so thick, they were flipping on the surface in 8 to 10 feet of water like a pod of pogies, and Mike and I boated over 20 fish in two hours throwing Hal Fly jigs on ultra light spinning gear. We then finished of the morning off with a nice lunch and a few barley pops at the Jolly Gator Fish Camp just north of the HWY 46 Bridge near Geneva. Add this trip to the great days of fishing before the front column.

My next adventure took me to the same location with Jerry Goldsmith, a hardcore veteran Florida fly angler. The reason I say hardcore is, only hardcore anglers and fools would have ventured out on a Sunday morning facing a 25-knot north wind and freezing cold drizzly rain. Although we were hardcore, the fish were wiser, choosing to lay low and stay warm. After about an hour of casting and shivering, we also wised up and returned to the ramp without seeing a fish. Clearly the fish had either moved up-stream or into deeper water, but with the numbers we experienced Thursday, I feel it’s safe to say we have an outstanding shad run ahead of us this year.

On January 19th, I fished a double boat charter with Captain Kevin Mulligan of Mully Charters. Our anglers were a business group who were hoping to fish Offshore, but their charter was blown out by snotty conditions. Our plan was to fish in wind protected deep-water locations, and we were rewarded with a good catch of sea trout, ladyfish, and small snook, all caught on live shrimp and DOA ½ ounce red shrimp.

On Friday the 21st, I was privileged to fish with Dan Bowden of Madison Wisconsin, and we were blessed with a beautiful warm sunny day with light west winds. Although it was a stunning day weather wise, the catching was non-existent. We covered the entire eastern shore of the IRL from the Max Brewer Bridge to the Rinker Canal, and we only had decent shots at a few redfish. We ended the boat ride with a grand total of three small trout, not a good day of catching.

My final day of fishing this week was on Saturday, where Bill Christian of Sanford North Carolina and his son Will joined me for a ¾ day trip on the Mosquito Lagoon. My plan was to fish the southwest shore of the lagoon to take advantage of the westerly winds of the approaching cold front. With the combination of cold air and warm lagoon water, we were greeted by some of the thickest fog I seen in years. I usually enjoy foggy conditions in the winter because they typically represent calm conditions, but our second major cold front was quickly approaching and our placid west wind would soon begin to scream. As we motored out of the Haulover Canal, our visibility was less than a 1000 feet, so we eased over to the western shoreline and fished as we waited for the fog to lift. Eventually we worked our way to the south end of the lagoon, but as soon as the fog lifted, the winds picked up, making sight fishing almost unfeasible. Again, we ended the day having only a few decent shots at quality fish, and we boating only five rat reds.

In a lot of ways, fishing conditions were tough this past week, but considering the fact we are still fishing, and not shoveling snow, we are truly blessed to live along the shores of the Indian River Lagoon.

As always, if you have questions or need information, please contact me.

Good luck, think warm thoughts, and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
http://www.irl-fishing.com
captain@irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085 Office
407-417-1187 On the water
866-790-8081 Toll free

January 24th 10,000 Island's
Coldest morning so far this year,when I woke up at 6:00am it was 35 degree's outside with a wind chill at 21-23 degree's according to my computer. Are you fricken kidding me, thank god I pushed my trip back to 11:00am.
Today I fished with one of my regular client's Mr. Len Judy. Today started out blustery and cold only to warm up as the day went on, as did the fishing. We started the day off bouncing Rip Tide's gold N glow jig's tipped with shrimp, in the first couple cast Len hooked into a ten pound jack to get the blood pumping. Shortly after that we proceeded to hook a solid 26" snook. Completely baffled to hook such large fish in the first dozen cast, in the first hole. We managed several nice trout with one measuring at 21", a mangrove snapper and another jack up to five pound's. All fish were caught with in a hundred yard's of each other.We decided to move to the outside to search for pompano but no such luck. I figure the water to be a little too dirty for those little golden nugget's. As we come to the end of the day, we stop at a cove that has been producing some nice red fish in the past. Low and behold on the last cast of the day, ole Len hook's a beautiful 27" red that weighed 10lbs. on the boga grip. This was a tournament winner here, hooked on a my own custom made jig. This fish was a bruiser and fought like Mike Tyson. This was probably the fattest red fish I had ever seen for only being 27". For such a nasty, cold blustery morning, turned out to be a fine day to be on the water. Until next time, tight lines and screaming drag's to all.
Capt. Jeff Legutki
Angler's Addiction Guide Service
Captjefflegutki@aol.com
(239) 293-1664

Cape Coral,Florida Fishing Report

Hi, Captain Glenn Grimes reporting for 1/22/05.The fog was heavy as we left for Pine Island Sound.Our first stop produced 2 nice gag grouper from 20" to 22"long.Plus 1 sheepshead and 1 mangrove snapper.We using were live bait jigheads tipped with live shrimp.On the next stop on a tree which blew in from hurricane Charley.This tree produced 2 gag grouper in the 18" to 20" range plus 1 nice sheepshead of 15"long.We had a number of breakoffs on that tree.Well we headed south for San Carlos bay where we caught 3 small redfish of 16" on jigheads tipped with shrimp.Last but not least found us at the power lines inside Matlacha pass where we caught 40+ seatrout.These trout were mostly sublegals of 14" but we did manage to put 6 of 16" to 18" nice keepers in the boat.We were using D.O.A. shrimp imitations fished under popping corks.Well thats it for this week.For more info log on to www.pine-island-fishing.com.
Thank you Capt Glenn

Southwest Florida Fishing Report for 1/17 through 1/22/2005



Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict had good action during the past week with snook, trout and bluefish. Reds, jacks and ladyfish rounded out the catch. The best action was fly fishing for snook and bluefish at night and trout on the flats of Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor.

My friend, Capt. Rick De Paiva from Ft. Myers, FL, joined me for an afternoon/evening trip on Monday. Yes, even fishing guides go fishing for fun. That’s why we’re in this business! We caught a few ladyfish and a trout or two on Clouser flies in Little Sarasota Bay just before dusk and then stopped by the Casey Key Fish House Restaurant for a “shore lunch” of fresh grouper sandwiches and seafood gumbo.

By the time we finished dinner, the tide was moving out good and snook were “popping” under the lights. We had non-stop catch and release action with snook and bluefish on a variety of flies for the next 3 hours. We weren’t counting, but I would guess we caught and released more than 30 fish including snook to 24” and a dozen bluefish to 3-pounds. DOA Fly Shrimp and Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies were the most productive.

The next afternoon, Steve Demarsh from Nokomis, FL, and Howard Davis, from Newton, MA, joined me for a trip in Little Sarasota Bay. They caught and released numerous ladyfish and a 19” trout on CAL jigs with shad tails. We also happened upon a big school of 4-pound jacks and caught and released several on jigs and a MirrOlure Top Dog, Jr. plug. Great action!

Sarasota winter resident, Harry Beaty, and his friend from back in Ontario, Canada, Paul Rotz, fished north Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. The water was cold at 55 degrees to start, but finally warmed to a toasty 57 degrees. Needless to say, the action was slow to start, too. They caught and released ladyfish, trout and a bluefish on CAL jigs with shad tails. Included in their catch were 3 slot-size trout from 17”- 20”. The best action was on the flats near Big Pass and Bishop’s Point.

Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Dave Kinnamon, from Milwaukee, WI, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Friday. The weather and water conditions were absolutely beautiful, although the water was still cold early in the day. They caught and released more than 20 trout to 23”, with 1/3 of the fish in the slot. They also connected with 3 reds to 24’ and a shark in skinny water. All fish were caught on weedless-rigged CAL shad tails with the best action being outside of Bull and Turtle Bays on trout and in Gasparilla Sound on the reds.

Fishing is largely dependent on weather this time of the year and we are expecting another front on Sunday. Fishing afternoons may be a better option following a front. Next week’s tides are favorable for reds and trout on the flats and snook at night.



Tight Lines,

Capt. Rick Grasset

Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.

(941) 923-7799

E-mail snookfin@aol.com

www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

talked with other fishing buddies wed.19 strippers bitting16miles south of rudy inlet mo-joes spoones andtomic lures fish were 33 to 40 pounds good luck tight lines. SIDE LINER.

January 15, 2005

Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith

It looks like this coming week will be a blowout! A few days ago, I was able to get on to some keeper gags just three miles off of Lido Key. I had not been out for a few days and the captains that had, told me that the gags had gotten hard to find.

We left the dock a little late that day but we passed the other boats by the bell buoy still catching bait for a long run offshore. We had plenty of large live shrimp on board and I had planned to fish closer in with light tackle. I went to a small two foot high ledge in about thirty feet of water that I call the grunt hole. The ledge runs about 200 feet parallel with the beach and then dog legs towards the beach at the north end. Close to the dog leg is my favorite spot.

I was glad I had my old X-16 paper recorder on board. My color sonar was in for repairs. Lowrance stopped making the X-16 paper recorder, so I baby it. My first pass over the ledge was one digit off of my GPS and the bottom was clear. I came back over on zero and saw the beautiful sharp inverted “V’s”. By their size, they tell me that we have a few large fish on the bottom with plenty of small dashes all around for the smaller grunts, etc.

I threw a marker buoy on the spot and started with a drift. The drift was slow and the water calm. I put two ¼ ounce split-shots on, just above the 3/0 hook. This was enough to take the twelve pound test lines with the live shrimp down to the bottom. You also need to lock the drags down when fishing grouper. We did not catch a keeper gag on the drift but found the fish hitting only close to the marker. I anchored the boat and fished that small spot. We soon had our first keeper gag. We spent the morning catching plenty of husky short grouper, numerous reef fish and one more keeper gag. We also lost some good ones. I checked via VHF with the boats fishing the “M” reefs further offshore and found that no keeper grouper had been caught that morning. I did see one six pound flounder come from that area. It wasn’t a great day anywhere that morning, but my group of four went home with enough grouper for one big fish fry that night.

The bay grass flats have been producing plenty of sea trout but most are small. Black seabass are one of the perks while fishing the artificial reefs in the bay. Black seabass are at the top of my menu for frying. We are also finding sheepshead, snapper, and gag grouper in the same areas. Live shrimp or DOA works for all.


Enjoy & Protect

SW Florida Fishing Report for 1/9 through 1/16/2005



Anglers on the Snook Fin-Addict caught and released a variety of fish during the past week. Fly anglers scored with snook and a bluefish while spin anglers connected with trout and ladyfish.

Fly anglers, David Schofield from Elmira, NY, and Rob Klein, from Boca Raton, FL, snook fished in the ICW near Venice, FL on Saturday evening. There were plenty of snook around the dock lights, but they were very finicky. They caught and released 3 snook to 22” and a 3-pound bluefish on my Grass Minnow fly. Rob scored with his first fish ever, a snook, on a fly!

Longboat Key, FL residents Merrill Zinder and Irwin Pastor fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday morning. We had fast action with trout to 19” and big ladyfish on CAL jigs with grubs and shad tails. The best action was at the Marina Jack flat and near Bishop Point.

Capt. Ed Hurst and I, along with Aledia Tush, owner of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, and several other CB’s staff members traveled to Crystal River on Tuesday afternoon for the annual Orvis Southeastern Guide Rendezvous and dealer meeting. We were treated to a Cuban Pork Roast on Tuesday evening where Orvis-Endorsed guides from Florida, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama swapped fishing stories over a cold beer. We reviewed new products for the current year and received pointers on fly casting instruction and guiding techniques.

Orvis Southeastern Regional Business Manager, Robert Bryant, and the Western Director of ELOG (Endorsed Lodges, Outfitters and Guides), Tom Evanson, joined me for a fly fishing trip in Sarasota Bay on Thursday. We were faced with 15 to 20-mph winds as a front approached but their casting skills were up to the challenge. They caught and released a pair of snook to 24” on my Flats Minnow fly near Buttonwood Harbor.

Friday morning was a wash out. I awoke to a downpour and 20 mph winds as the front pushed through our area. We rescheduled our trip planned for Charlotte Harbor until Saturday morning. Tom Lamb, from Sarasota, FL, fished Charlotte Harbor with me and although it wasn’t raining, we were faced with 15 mph + north winds and an overcast sky. The wind blew the water off the flats making it difficult to get to potholes or find a protected place to fish. Despite that, Tom did very well on trout near Cape Haze, catching more than 15 trout to 23” on CAL jigs with shad tails. The catch included 6 slot size fish with the biggest trout weighing in at more than 4-pounds.

Next week’s tides will be more favorable toward the end of the week as they become lower in the morning. Night snook fishing around lighted docks and bridge fenders should also be a good option.



Tight Lines,

Capt. Rick Grassett

Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.

(941) 923-7799

E-mail snookfin@aol.com

www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Capt. Larry Cohen's Key West Fishing Report - January 2005

With the Holiday Season and bad weather behind us it is time to get back to work. And that is exactly what we have been doing. The wind has mellowed and the flats have been lighting up with all kinds of opportunities. This is a great time of the year you never know what may lie just ahead of you 100yards up the flat.
So with all of that in mind you need to be able to react and sometimes QUICKLY. You will certainly want to keep a crab rod close by. This is the season for Cobia on the flats. So take a real good look at all of those stingrays. Another great target at this time is the Permit. They will seem to invade the flats after a cold front has passed, and with the temperatures on the rise

You can bet that some life long memories will be fulfilled. As an old stand bye for this time of the year of course is the Barracuda. The big boys tend to show in pretty good numbers and are sure to give your drag washers a workout. This time of the year also brings a lot of shots at Mackerel, Bluefish, Blue runners and some Large Jack Crevalle. In other words "Shark bait".

When the cloud cover invades the fats, and your visibility is impaired, a great backup plan is a must. So if the clients are in to it, we go for the big Sharks. Stop in a deep channel and catch your bait of choice. I have been throwing "Weedless Spoons" by Gator Lures. It has a slot to hold a plastic worm which works very well. After you have caught a half a dozen or so of your "Shark baits", it is time to get back to what I hope for you will be a serious work out.

Grab a big stick with a
reel that is capable of holding a lot of line, and a drag that will stop a freight train.
With a bit of luck, some wire leader followed up with about 6 feet of 80 lbs test mono tied to that big meat stick, you should be in business.

Above is a picture of a Jack Crevalle caught on a Gator spoon that is about to have a very bad day. The Lemon Shark to the right is responsible for turning out the lights out on this Jack Crevalle.

Fly Fishing:

For the fly fisherman this time of the year will also present plenty of opportunities. The Cobia and Jacks will follow those stingrays at this time. So keep a sharp eye for that tell tale sign of mud on the flat. Fly selection is not really a big factor. I have had both eat Tarpon flies to poppers and everything in between. The deeper channels will offer Blue Runners and Mackerel as well. However, a piece of wire is recommended for the toothy critters.

Now that the weather is cold up North and that Tarpon season is right around the corner. Please keep in mind that we are getting booked up quite fast, especially those Holiday weekends. As always, if you have any questions or would like to book a trip, please contact us.

Capt. Larry Cohen


Key West Flats Fishing
903 Eisenhower Drive
Key West, FL 33040

305-294-7670 home
305-923-7100 cell

LCohen4@bellsouth.net
http://www.keywestflatsfishing.com