Weekly Fishing Report

Posted Feb 17, 2012 by The Tampa Tribune

Updated Feb 18, 2012 at 12:43 AM

By JIM LEE

Freshwater

Bass catches were excellent but have slowed a little while the moon fills out. High numbers of males are in some areas indicating bass may get to go on the beds if the coming front is mild. Speckled perch catches have been very good. Some are in the grass and some are still staging to spawn.     

KISSIMMEE CHAIN: Grape Hammock Fish Camp, (863) 692-1500: Speckled perch have been off a little with average catch in the 8 to 10 fish category. The specks are large and full of roe. Winds over the weekend wrecked a couple of bass tournaments, however one angler took an 8 pound bass in the river.           

LORIDA-ISTOKPOGA: Trails End Fishing Resort guide service, (863) 655-0134: Bass action has been good. Bass in the 6, - 8-, and 9 pound range are being caught. Specks were off a little this week. But those that were caught were good size fish. Some had spawned out, while others were still full of roe. Minnows and jigs are the baits to use. This is one of the best lakes where Limits of bass and specks can be taken in the same day.             

LAKE OKEECHOBBEE: Roland and Mary Ann Martin’s Marina & Resort, 800-473-6766: Bass anglers unite and to the big ‘O”. Good bass catches with bass up to 8 pound common. No report on speckled perch.       

LAKE ROUSSEAU: Captain Frank Bourgeois, (352) 666-6234: This Lake is in the pre spawn mode. Lots of smaller males are being caught. The females should be on the beds soon unless it gets way too cold.                       

LAKE PANASOFFKEE: Pana Vista Lodge, (352) 793-2061: Bass are on the beds. Some big bass have been caught and they range in the 3-, 7, - and up to 10 pound fish. Speckle perch are sparse, but you can catch a few. As spring approaches, we have only a couple of months before bluegill and shellcracker will be back on the beds and this is a great lake for these fish.   

Saltwater

Inshore fishing is fair with some snook, short redfish and some speckled trout and silver trout. Sheepshead are thick, but not the really big ones. Mostly males are being caught. Some whiting are also being caught in the Kitchen area and the upper bay. Some snook are being caught. Flounder are still being found.

Offshore you can keep grunt and black sea bass. All grouper are illegal according to NOAA. They are illegal, but they are so plentiful, anglers are throwing back gags up to 24 inches.                             

10,000 ISLANDS: Captain Corey McMillin, (239) 695-4420: NO REPORT.                           

SARASOTA: Captain Rick Grassett, (941) 350-9790 or (941) 923-7799: Sarasota Bay was the hot area this week. Trout and redfish are being taken in shallow waters on both fly and jigs. Several in-slot trout were taken in Sarasota Bay early in the week. Another trip took three reds and several trout are in shallow water running from 2 to 4 pounds. Another fly trip took 12 trout and 2 redfish.                       

RUSKIN: South Shore Bait & Tackle, (813) 641-2010: Snook are us with good numbers reported. Catches of silver trout, speckled trout, flounder, redfish and sheepshead continue to be taken in this area. Trout and redfish are a little undersized, but plentiful. Live bait rules.         

SKYWAY AREA: Captain Sergio Atanes, (813) 973-7132: Sheepshead are still us. Catches of 30 to 40 sheepshead persist, keeping anglers very happy. Add in a trout and a few black drum and you have the set up for a great day on the water. Live shrimp and a shrimp tail on a jig work well for both sheepshead and reds…             

LOWER TAMPA BAY: Captain Tony Frankland, (813) 915-8541: Fish the back country creeks for snook in the warmer weather. Sheepshead are around structure and the docks. Fish the grass flats for trout, but don’t’ expect them to be too big. There are a few keeper size redfish. Jacks and lady fish will round out the day.                                                     

UPPER TAMPA BAY: Cody’s Bait & Tackle, (813) 884-3100: Trout and redfish are the main events here. A few snook can be found, but they are usually small. Fish Canal A for reds and snook. Fish the mouths of the creeks for redfish. Fish the grass on the Western area for trout too…               

SOUTH PINELLAS: Captain Paul Hawkins, (727) 560-6762: Redfish, trout and pompano are in the area for the taking. Redfish catches improved this week. Trout generally are smaller, but fish the drops, channels and deeper spots for keeper size trout. .                                   

FISHING PIERS: South Pier, (941) 729-0117: Expect the unexpected. Pier fishing offers most of the current species being caught in the bay. Fish the pier for Mangrove snapper, trout, redfish, perhaps a flounder and even a stray grouper. But you can’t keep the trout until January. Grouper are off limits. 

MID-PINELLAS PARTY BOATS: Offshore bottom fishing from Hubbard’s John’s Pass Marina and Kingfish dock, (727) 393-1947: Gag grouper are not in season just as the bite gets good. Red grouper are available by the ton, but most all are short fish. The ration of keepers to undersize fish is 1 to 100. Gray snapper are big and there are plenty of them. Go offshore for a deep sea fishing extravaganza. Fish the deeper waters for great mangrove snapper catches. Black sea bass, porgies are also on the list.           

GANDY BAIT & TACKLE: (813) 839-5551: The Gandy Bridge is closed to fishing. However, Gandy Bait and Tackle is the place to go in this area for live bait and tackle and information. The upper bay action is picking up. Mangrove snapper, whiting and sheepshead are moving up into the bay. Weedon Island is producing more snook than expected.                 

CLEARWATER TO DUNEDIN: Captain Brian Mathey, (727) 667-8291: If you get to the spoil islands before the hoards of other boats, you will most likely find some nice trout. Fish the deeper waters surrounding the spoil islands for trout.             

TARPON SPRINGS: Captain Rich Knox, (727) 376-8809 or (727) 808-6688: The water temperature is 55 degrees. Fish artificial lures and jigs for trout, but they are a little slow. By 3 P.M. the water Temperature was only a few degrees hotter. Redfish were not to be found. White bait was found, but no fish at the white bait. 20 trout were taken out of the deep holes.                 

KEATON BEACH (PERRY): One More Cast guide service, (850) 584-9145: NO REORT. 

HERNANDO BEACH: Captain Frank Bourgeois, (352) 666-6234: There are lots of gag grouper offshore.  Reports of no gag grouper in this area are false. There are lots of keeper size gag and some red grouper being caught in 40 feet of water. Fillman’s Bayou and Chassahowitzka back water areas are where the reds and trout are being caught. The trouble is that you need a shallow draft boat these days with the low tides. Fish the high tides only or you may have a problem. Homosassa is another good trout and redfish area. Fish Homosassa area, but watch for rocks. All grouper have been placed off limits. 

WEEKIWACHEE: Captain Steve Soults, Angling Adventures (352) 686-0853: Good grouper and grunt catches in 25 and 30 feet of water off Bayport. Black sea bass are also being caught.                           

FLY FISHING: Fly fishing for trout and redfish is at an all time high. Get out there with a Clouser on the end of your string and go thrash the water.

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Back to winter fishing mode

Posted Feb 15, 2012 by Tribune Sports

Updated Feb 15, 2012 at 12:46 PM

BY RAY MARKHAM

A week ago, air temperatures were hitting the 80s and fishing was on the brink of moving into a spring pattern for many species. But with the cold front that blew in over the weekend, major changes in temperature did just what it was expected they would do. Fish shut down in most areas and the bite tapered off to a trickle. It’s not that no fish would eat, but only those that were found in areas where warm water pockets existed, were among the ones that would feed. Warm areas were in the mid-60s early in the week, but lows were found in the mid-50s, and fish in those cold areas had lockjaw.

Trout would eat in the morning, but they would only eat exceptionally slow-moving lures like a CAL Curly tail jig or a DOA Shrimp. The most productive color seemed to be night glow with gold holographic glitter, (#309). The Curly tail jig’s flexible tail will move with even the most subtle current. But the most natural presentation of them all has to be with the DOA Shrimp. This lure looks natural just sitting on the bottom motionless. No movement of this lure can give fish the impression that the small crustacean is just trying to hide on the bottom by blending in with its surroundings and not moving. A slight twitch of the rod tip will slightly hop the lure off the bottom, and as the lure slowly sinks back to the bottom, most fish will eat the lure on the fall. This is where the combination of a sensitive rod and braided line couple to produce hooked fish.

Anglers reported an early morning bite on redfish, but my observations were totally the opposite. Reds in the Terra Ceia area preferred to hang in the shallows until the water warmed up, and then feed around mid-afternoon.

Ray Markham runs the Flat Back II out of Terra Ceia, specializing in fishing with artificial lures, and can be reached for charter at (941) 228-3474.

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High winds spoil another weekend

Posted Feb 13, 2012 by Tribune Sports

Updated Feb 13, 2012 at 03:30 PM

BY RANDY ROCHELLE

Just when you thought winter was over it was safe to go back offshore, another strong front rolls though and blows out another weekend. As of now, the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday look decent, but by Friday the wind may pick back up.

Mangrove snapper should continue to be a good bet for those willing to burn the fuel to run out to the 90-foot-plus mark. Places to target will be wrecks, areas of hard live bottom, rock piles and the Pipe. Recent reports from divers say there good numbers of mangos on ledges in 40 to 70 feet of water, but most are smaller fish. They also reported that the gags are stacked up, which is good news when the season reopens in July. On a recent trip to a wreck in 50 feet of water, we found schools of cigar minnows, a few small snapper, short amberjack and lots of little grouper, but little in the way of anything to put in the bow. For those who like to dive, you shouldn’t have too much trouble bagging a limit of hog snapper in 40 to 60 feet.

Before this latest front blew threw, I was thinking we might have an early kingfish run as schools of bait fish have started to show up. Although waters temperatures dipped back down a bit, they will quickly rebound if we see more of those nearly 80-degree days. Then maybe, just maybe, we’ll start seeing a few kings show up in late February or early March. Until then, mangrove snapper and amberjack will be a good bet, though you more than likely will have to burn a little fuel to get out to where they are.

Capt. Randy Rochelle runs the “Gotta Go” out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at (727) 365-3218.

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Don’t be deterred by cold surge

Posted Feb 12, 2012 by TBO.com

Updated Feb 12, 2012 at 11:16 PM

BY MARK COOK

Before the latest cold blast this weekend, freshwater fishing was on fire with reports of bedding bass and excellent speckled perch catches. But par for the course, Mother Nature came in with one of her ill-timed cold fronts which has made the last two days difficult to find fish. To make matters worse, in addition to the cold came blustery winds, making it dangerous for those with small boats to even leave the ramps.

But the cold snap isn’t expected to last long and by the middle part of the week fishing should start to rebound and pick back up to the pace we had seen before Saturday’s front.

Before the cold, Lake Kissimmee bass were biting nearly everything thrown their way. Reports of bedding fish in as little as 20 inches of water were common and after weeding through the smaller protective male bass, the females were in the mood for food. With the cold snap, the bigger females have more than likely moved just off the spawning areas in the first deeper bottom contour. With the sudden drop in water temperatures, their metabolism will be much slower so it will be crucial to creep your baits along considerably slower than prior to the front.

I am still waiting on reports from the Medard Reservoir that reopened Jan. 1. With the loss of the legendary Turley Creek Bait and Tackle, the go-to source for updates is gone. I would imagine with the Medard being catch-and-release only for a while, that fishing pressure hasn’t been too bad. If you have been to Medard since the reopening, email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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Mackerel starting to show near beaches

Posted Feb 11, 2012 by The Tampa Tribune

Updated Feb 11, 2012 at 04:45 PM

BY BILL MILLER

Spanish mackerel have arrived along our beaches. This appears to be the early scouts, with the major migration not far behind.

Captain Billy Miller and I both limited out our parties with Spanish fishing just off Blind Pass on the early morning outgoing tide. Although I haven’t heard any reports, my guess is the same thing is probably happening in front of other local passes like John’s Pass, Hurricane Pass and Clearwater Pass.

These early arriving mackerel can be here today and somewhere else tomorrow. There was a lot of bait in the Gulf, and the diving birds helped us locate the schools of hungry macks.

Early in the week, I went down to Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound with Eric Bachnik to film the first episode of my new TV and Internet show, “Fishing with Bill Miller.” Captain John Ochs guided us, and we caught 30 trout and two redfish on topwater lures.

I was using a She Dog that has a high-pitched rattle, and Eric and John were using a MirrOmullet XL that is a little smaller and has a lower-pitched sound to it. After falling behind my partners 10 fish to none, I switched to their lure and started catching fish.

On this particular day, sound and shape seemed to matter; some days it does not. Many of us have favorite lures we always start with, but if the fish are not keying in on it, don’t be afraid to try another one.

Jonathan Grantham and his father Jim went out with me this week, and we had a mixed bag of action. We started the day catching mackerel in the Gulf and then moved inside and had a nice day on the flats catching speckled trout, silver trout, bluefish and assorted other flats fish using DOA Deadly Combinations and Lil Johns.

Captain Bill Miller hosts “Hooked on Fishing” on Bright House Sports Network, Channel 47. To book a charter with captain Bill or his son captain Billy, call (813) 363-9927.

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Fish are slamming baits down south

Posted Feb 9, 2012 by The Tampa Tribune

Updated Feb 9, 2012 at 04:55 PM

By FRANK SARGEANT

Captain Van Hubbard reports from Lemon Bay that 73-degree water temperatures have snook active, along with everything else. He was able to catch white bait (scaled sardines) a couple of months early, and he managed to bring seven grand slams to the boat in a single day—a slam is a snook, a redfish and a trout on the same trip. Hubbard advises chumming lightly with live bait and fishing them unweighted on spinning tackle around oyster bars, potholes and outside bars; http://www.captvan.com.

From Lake Okeechobee, captain Angie Douthit reports excellent crappie action, mostly in open water early and around the weeds at mid-day. Areas to try include Kings Bar, Taylor Creek, the Kissimmee River and several locations on the North Shore. Small jigs and minnows do the job. Douthit says the bass bite is on, with topwaters, soft plastics. Rat-L-Traps and spinnerbaits all effective. Tampa anglers Artie Shaw and Mike Laroche got a fish weighing more than 7 pounds, along with a lot of others on a recent trip. Some of the better areas including Kreamer and Rita islands, the West Wall, parts of Observation Shoal, Monkey Box, some parts of the North Shore, Kings Bar and J&S; .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Water is coming up fast at Rodman Reservoir, but there’s still a good chance for a 10-pound bass there for those who run wild shiners under the hyacinths. The giant baits are available at bait shops in Orange Springs and Salt Springs near the lake, northeast of Ocala.

Tribune correspondent Frank Sargeant can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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April weather for February fishing

Posted Feb 7, 2012 by Tribune Sports

Updated Feb 7, 2012 at 02:17 PM

BY RAY MARKHAM

I know the calendar says we’re pushing mid-February, but I’m wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Water temperatures have been into the 70s, and that’s usually not something I see until late March or early April. Bait schools are scattered on the flats on high water, but hang in deep water much of the rest of the time. Schools of bait are also on beaches. This abnormal weather pattern is making fish set up housekeeping in places that they aren’t normally residing this time of year.

We’re catching fair numbers of speckled trout ranging from 15-18 inches. Lower Tampa Bay spring trout range from 18-30 inches and usually show up from March through May in the lower Tampa Bay area. Top-water lures are productive for these big fish, but a top-water bite is still pretty tough to get going on a regular basis. Subsurface lures that work the bottom of the water column, like CAL Jigs with Shad tails, MirrOlure soft plastic Lil’ John jerk baits and DOA Shrimp are still top producers in soft baits.

The approaching full moon is pushing water up higher on high tides and draining the flats on the low tides. Low negative tides have pushed fish off flats and into channels and in holes on the flats. Outside sand bars are occasionally holding pompano that will readily take a Doc’s Goofy Jig, DOA TerrorEyz, or a CAL Shad. Dragging a jig on the bottom will put a few flounder in the boat.
Redfish continue to find shallow mud flats or sand bottoms to hang on during the mid-day sun. An Eppinger Rex spoon cast well beyond the resting fish and allowed to settle before a retrieve will catch these fish when the lure is worked slowly.

Ray Markham runs the Flat Back II out of Terra Ceia and can be reached for charter at (941) 228-3474.

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Trout, reds good shallow-water options in Sarasota

Posted Feb 6, 2012 by Tribune Sports

Updated Feb 6, 2012 at 05:23 PM

BY RICK GRASSETT

Anglers fishing with me caught and released trout, reds and sheepshead in shallow water and trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay on flies recently.

A client waded several bars on both sides of the Bay and caught and released a pair of reds and an over-slot trout on a fly on one trip. A couple of days later, we caught and released a couple of sheepshead to five pounds and several trout, including a six pounder. The big trout was caught and released on a fly with a 6-weight rod! A couple of other trips produced trout, blues and Spanish mackerel on flies on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay.

Capt. Jim Klopfer, of Adventure Charters, reported good action with silver and speckled trout, flounder and whiting in deep dredge holes and canals around Bird Key on live shrimp. His anglers also caught blues in Big Pass on jigs and plugs.

Next week’s negative low tides in the morning should concentrate reds and trout in potholes of Sarasota Bay. Fishing shallow grass flats for reds and trout and deep grass flats for trout, Spanish mackerel, blues and pompano should be good options.

Rick Grassett runs the Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key. For more details, contact him at (941) 923-7799 or visit his websites: http://www.flyfishingflorida.net or http://www.snookfin-addict.com

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Winter trout season is under way

Posted Feb 4, 2012 by The Tampa Tribune

Updated Feb 4, 2012 at 04:31 PM

BY BILL MILLER

The winter trout season is well under way, with good catches coming in up and down the Suncoast.

Captain Billy Miller is catching lots of slot-sized and oversized speckled trout in Boca Ciega Bay and the Fort DeSoto area. Silver trout, the cousin of the speckled trout, are solid along the Gulf beaches, with catches of 100 to 150 during a half-day not uncommon. Tandem soft plastics are the hot lure for specks and silvers.

The spoil islands of St. Joseph Sound are holding lots of monster trout, according to captain Brian Caudill. Caudill likes free-lined select shrimp as his go-to setup. Also included in the catch have been bluefish and pompano.

Redfish are still around Tarpon Key at Fort DeSoto. Walt and Brian Rector caught nice slot-sized reds there using live shrimp and watermelon-colored Lil Johns.

The redfish bag limit is one per person south of Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs. The bag limit is two per person north of Tarpon Springs.

Bait has moved around the Skyway fishing piers, and anglers are taking advantage of it. Lots of little tunny are being caught off of the deep ends of the pier by anglers tossing silver spoons. On the outgoing tide, big Spanish mackerel up to 24 inches are being caught.

Kris Stein caught and released a 150-pound dusky shark off the Redington Pier using a big hunk of kingfish for bait.

Captain Bill Miller hosts “Hooked on Fishing” on Bright House Sports Network, Channel 47. To book a charter with captain Bill or his son captain Billy, call (813) 363-9927.

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Trout bite still on fire

Posted Feb 3, 2012 by The Tampa Tribune

Updated Feb 3, 2012 at 04:47 PM

BY BILLY NOBLES

Thank God for a lying ground hog. Our buddy Phil saw his shadow, and that means a few more weeks of winter. Here in Florida, with water temperatures approaching 70 degrees in February, the bite is on.

Captain Mike ran a trip this week in Clearwater, and he reports that they couldn’t find a spot that wasn’t holding trout. The average size was around 18 inches. Don’t tell anyone, but he caught them on the DOA CAL Shad tail, with a white body and a chartreuse head. Go figure, I think that’s the only color he owns, but it works.

Captain Stephen Markovich reports that on Tampa Bay the large trout are back, along with large schools of redfish and — wait for it — huge black drum. The bait is still plentiful at the Skyway piers, but be careful, as the demolition is still going on. You don’t want to skewer your vessel on a submerged piling.

Offshore is absolutely on fire with the grouper bite. It’s a shame we can’t bring any home, because the red and gag seasons are closed. There are still plenty of other species you can bring home for dinner, though.

The amberjack bite is unreal, and they are a blast on light tackle. At around the 100-foot range, look for rock piles, as these hot spots are holding mangrove snapper. That’s if you can get past the red snapper. What a problem to have.

Catch Billy Nobles and Mike Anderson on the “Reel Animals Fishing Show” on Saturdays from 6:30-7 a.m. on WFLA, Ch. 8, and from 6-9 a.m. on 970 AM, and on Sundays from 7-9 a.m. on 620 AM. To book a charter, call 1-866-GAMEFISH or visit http://www.reelanimalsfishingshow.com.

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