02/26/05 (date on pictures was off by one day) Capt. Chris and I picked up Don and Jody at South Harbour Marina today, saturday, at 11:00 for a 1/2 day fishing trip for bottom fishing. The wind was from the NE at a steady clip and we figured we would be blown out. But suprisingly we found the seas rather calm inside. Only problem was the watwer temp. was 48* and my hopes of finding any good black bass in this close to shore was not too good. Well over the years I have loged some spots in close that I haven't tried in several years. Well, sharks, sharks , sharks,and I mean sharks were everywhere!!! But finally I fine-tuned the boat on one spot, dropped anchor and kept moving the boat up a few feet at a time with the windlass until "bingo" we were pulling in keeper black bass two at a time. It didn't take long till we had two limits of bass in the box. Another GREAT day of saltwater fishing!!! Check out pic's on my site. Till next time, FISH ON!!!! Capt. Butch & Capt. Chris Foster. YEAH RIGHT SPORTFISHING CHARTERS, Southport, NC. (910) 845-2004. www.yeahrightcharters.com

02/20/2005 First of all, I would like to let you know that my son, CHRIS FOSTER who has been my 1st. mate since birth is now a USCG CERTIFIED CAPTAIN. So now on our charters, you will have the personal attention of two captains. On Satuuday, the king mackeral bite was on SE of the tower. I personally couldn't make it, had other commitments, but I know some who did and they did good. I went there the next day only to find a bunch of boats looking for kings and all reporting they were only catching bonito. I had Matt Ferace, Ryan Jordan, Kevin Parolari, and Orman ( OJ) Carolan on board so we elected to go to the bottom. We had a good haul of big black bass, beeliners, a triggerfish, big grunts, and even though we caught a few sharks, the spot we were fishing was not infested with spiney dogfish as a lot of places are right now. The black bass kevin parolari is holding is a 4.94 pound NC citation which we had weighed and he will be receving a recognition certificate for that catch. Matt Ferace got his tuna (bonito) can't tell you what he said that did for him, he might tell you if you ask him, but I will leave that up to him to tell. He's the one in the middle picture. We had a beautiful day, calm seas, and a good group of fisherman and we all had a good time!!!! I would say a great start to a new fishing season!! When I get better at using this new digital camera, I hope to be able to post pictures with my reports other places besides on my web site. The reason they are on my site is because I didn't put them there, Chris did! Don't forget, the GULFSTREAM will be heating up in the next few weeks, if you would like to take the ultimate fishing trip, call soon, the prime dates are going fast, and when they are all booked, they are gone till next year!! Got to go get ready to go fishing, till next time, FISH ON!!! CAPT. Butch Foster CAPT. Chris Foster, YEAH RIGHT SPORTFISHING CHARTERS, Southport, NC. (910) 845-2004. www.yeahrightcharters.com

February 18, 2005
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith

The Red Tide has backed off some in the last few days and the fishing has picked up. The artificial “I” reefs off Lido beach in 25 to 30 feet of water are packed with large sheepshead and small schools of bluefish. You may also hook an occasional keeper size gag grouper, snapper or flounder. Large live shrimp fished on the bottom has been working well.

Longer offshore trips have been finding plenty of snapper and a mixed bag of reef fish in 50’ plus depths on natural and artificial bottom. Live shrimp is still the bait to have if you want a lot of action. I would still take some pinfish along.

We found the action on the bay very good in some spots and null in others. Fishing the grass flats at Country Club Shores and using the DOA ¼ ounce shrimp, we had trout on every cast for most of the trip. We used both the float and the free line method. Most all of the trout were under size but an occasional a keeper was caught along with some bluefish and flounder. Some nice trout and redfish were also taken north of Longbar and the Buttonwood Harbor area.

We have not had a major fish kill on the bay due to the red tide this year, but I do feel it is causing the fish to move around to avoid the bad spots. You may need to do the same to find the fish this weekend.

Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com

when fishing virginia premier smallie rivers try using a 3 in slugo brown and pearl are my favorite but blue and pearl works quite well to. throw towards the bank and let the current bounce the minnow imatation down the bank results are crazy. 100 fish a day not uncommon if you use this bait and tatic other people will be catching a few but not like you do. this is no lie feel free to email me with any questions on good spots along many rivers in va.

2-11-05 Don't have a lot to report, but there has been some reports of some wahoo biting in the stream. The weather has been hit and miss lately. You have to be ready to go at a moments notice to cash in on the good weather. This weekend doesen't look too bad at this time. If it holds up and you can get out, the black bass are chewing really good and there are some nice sized ones out there also.I Have a seminar on March 2nd. at BOATERS WORLD in wilmington at 7:00 PM. It has been brought to my attention by all the e-mails I get that a lot of fisherman don't exactly know just how to put all the pieces together to make a real successful day of bottom fishing. There are a lot of instruction on grouper fishing, trolling for kings, etc., etc., but this will be a seminar to explain the basics and offer some tips on bait and tackle to get you started. Once you have this knowledge, the other bottom fishing will come a lot easier. I will also show how to sit at your kitchen table and find good bottom fishing structure and have the numbers before you ever get in the boat!! If your not busy, come on out and participate and ask some questions. We have been working on the "YEAH RIGHT" this week. Have been up dating all her safety equiptment, installing a new 8 man SOLAS A life raft and new 406 EPIRB this year along with all the other USCG required gear and having it inspected to pass USCG regulations. When the fish start chewing down, we plan on crashing their party!!!! Start getting ready now for the up coming fishing season, it is closer than you think. Remember, there are only so many fishing days in a year, and when they are all booked, they are gone till next year!! If you are intrested in a gulf stream trip this year in the peak fishing time, mid march to early may, call early, we are filling these spots fairly fast. Also, if things stay on coarse, we will be geared up for the bluefin tuna fishing next winter!! This is shaping up to be what I think will be an exciting fishing season on the "YEAH RIGHT" this year. We are equipping her with new, bigger, better tackle this year to cover virtually any fish you have the desire to catch!!!! Come join us for a day of fishing that you will remember for a long time!! Till next time, FISH ON!!!! Capt. Butch Foster, YEAH RIGHT SPORTFISHING CHARTERS, SOUTHPORT, NC. (910) 845-2004. www.yeahrightcharters.com

Catch your own Fresh Bait
Nothing catches fluke better than fresh live bait. It is worth the effort to catch some before fishing. Purchase a small seine net and drag it along the edge of any beach. You should be able to capture a nice selection of killies, spearing or other small offerings that fluke can’t resist. A small cast net with ¼ inch mesh will also work well for those a little more adventurous and it works without having to get wet.

DIRTY WATER? MAKE IT SMELL
When fishing in dirty water, (brown-tide or wind churned) fresh dead or live bait will produce better than artificials. In these conditions the fish will feed by smell rather than by sight. Natural bait produces the scent to attract the fish. If you insist on using artificials, then add a scent to them. Bunker oil is a good one to try. Chumming also will bring the fish to your offering. Anchor and chum with bunker or clam. Use fresh bait on the hook. You can catch any kind of fish that swims using this technique.

FLUKE BELLY DANCE
After catching your first legal size fluke, fillet the white belly side. Cut this fillet into strips about 5 inches long and tapering to a point on one end. Use these strips in combination with spearing or smaller strips on a bucktail. Fluke belly is an excellent fluke bait. Its is really tough and will last for quite a while on the hook. For added attraction, split the tapered end to create a fluttering action.

NETTING FLUKE


Fluke should be landed with a net. Fluke have a bony mouth and very often the hook will not penetrate or encircle a bony area but be lightly embedded in soft tissue. If you try to lift the fish into the boat, the hook will surely pull out. A net is therefore a must when trying to boat a large fish. The trick to netting a fluke is to net it headfirst. A fluke looks like a clumsy fish but is capable of a great burst of speed. If you try to net it from the tail end it will rapidly swim away from the net and probably pull the hook. To net it properly, the angler should steer the fish toward the boat allowing it to stay submerged about 1 to 2 feet below the surface. The net should be kept at ready just above the surface of the water. As the fish is pulled headfirst toward the boat the person with the net should quickly thrust it into the water and scoop the fish headfirst. Do not put the net into the water as the fish is approaching or it will see the net and dart to the side to avoid capture. When the net is in the water it produces so much drag that it cannot be moved quickly enough to catch up to the fluke. Next time you hook a big one remember, a quick scoop headfirst will put it in the boat.

I may be just 14 but i knw how to fish believe me. if you want to catch the big inshore fish that havent been biteing alot lately then i advise that you use a silver spoon , jerk it slowly. they have been nailing the spoons for me lately especially the big ladyfish. Shrimp works good under the docks for the snook and reds cuz they seem to be staying under and near obstacles alot, but you have to skip it right under the docks but it will be successful! Me and my friend david took my canoe out along the mangroves staying way up on one side of the estuarie and casting across to the other. we used the spoons caught two reds and 16 ladyfish in that one spot you just gotta be quite and slow realing with the spoon. When you want the sheepys use live shrimp into a deep maangroved area. They nibble so it is hard to hook them just let the bobber go under for awhile till you jerk it for the hook that works well. trout go for basically everything but lately love the golden flat tail jigs with sparkles or the shad tails. Trout are going crazy so watch your catch , when i caught a 9'' trout a 23'' came up and swallowed the basterd whole took the catch and left me with my jig. Snook ''WILL NOT CHASE ANYTHING'' soo you have to use something that is moving so your basically screwed unless you take 1 of those bobbers with the black things on each side
and cut it in the middle and put the black things in again it should make 2 bobbers but only use 1 cuz it is small and works better with the bait-which will be a ''dead''fiddler crab DONT LET IT TOUCH THE GROUND! i am about done now so have fun and good luck fishing plz give me some replies to tell me if it is good info.

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