Lovin’ the Live Bait
We west coasters are so blessed to have live baits available to us throughout the year. I have fished all over the United States, most of the Caribbean, and some of central America and one thing I have learned is how fortunate we are to have live bait available to us year round. I consider the west coast of Florida a true bait mecca. With more than a dozen highly productive bait species available virtually year round, we are living in a live bait fisherman’s paradise. Read More
A Bridge To Success
Bridges are some of the best fish habitats worldwide. Like an oil rig attracts fish offshore, similarly bridges attract everything from baitfish and crustaceans to apex predators. Tampa Bay is home to four of Florida’s largest bridges including the state’s second largest, the Sunshine Skyway. Along with the 4 major bridges that span Tampa Bay are numerous smaller bridges that connect residential areas. Bridges are favorite hangout spots for fish for a multitude of reasons. Read More
October Wrap Up! Everything is Biting!
The last month of fishing has been one of the best so far this year and I only see the action getting better in November. Offshore fishing has been as good as I have seen it in years, and the inshore action has been strong as well. There has been a great Trout pattern in the upper bay with lots of Trout in the 20 to 27 inch range. The south shore of Tampa Bay has been on fire as well.
Captain Robbie Burns has been seeing the Redfish and Snook showing up thick in their normal fall spots. Read More
Upper Bay Redfish!
Right now we have a lot of Redfish in Tampa Bay, the only problem is that they are still in transition moving into their fall/pre-winter time homes. For the most part I am focusing on areas with oyster beds or Mullet activity on the higher tides, and looking for tailing fish on the open flats on the lower tides. It is important for me to stay fishing even on my days off, to ensure I stay in tune with the Redfish habits and patterns. Read More
Offshore Fun with Friends!
Last weekend I had some free time, so what did I do, Go Fishing! Courtney was begging me for some tasty fish to eat, so I called some friends and we all headed west for some offshore grocery shopping. We sabikied up some live bait and cruised through calm seas as the sun came up behind us. We pulled up to our first spot and decided to make a drift before anchoring up. The first bait down got hammered almost instantly and it was non stop action from then on. Read More
Offshore for Some Drag Screaming Amberjack!
Last weekend I got a call from Dean who wanted to take his son and his buddies out for some offshore fishing before they all went off to college. He requested nice weather, a nice boat and some fish that would wear out the boys and I had just the plan. Sunday we ran offshore on the big Cabo yacht and were greeted by calm seas and sunny weather.
After some bottom fishing to put some fish in the cooler for dinner, it was time for the guys to battle some Amberjack, Read More
Multi-Species Day! 7-22-11
My clients had 2 goals today. Goal number 1 was to catch their first slot size Redfish, goal number 2 was to catch their first Snook. I picked them up just after sunrise to catch the remainder of the tide and made the run to our first spot. At first I was getting worried the fish weren’t going to show due to lack of moving water but after a little chum it was like clockwork.
They came out of their hideouts ready to ambush our baits. Within the first 30 minutes all 3 guys had the slot Redfish goal checked Read More
Grocery Store Fishing! 7-20-11
You know how people say not to go grocery shopping when your hungry? The same rule applies to fishing in my case! Summertime offers a lot of different species to target, most of which make great table fare. We started the day off in the backwaters working mangrove shorelines for Redfish. We scored big with nonstop action of slot sized Reds.
Although Redfish are quite tasty, we still believe conservation is key and we limit ourselves on what we keep. We moved out Read More
Summer fishing as hot as the weather!
It’s been awhile since our last report, fortunately due in part to long days of great fishing. The fishing has been great and as we transition from spring to summer patterns, you never know what kind of action you’ll encounter. Tarpon are still roaming the Bay, Snook are really active along the beaches and passes, the Redfish bite has been great, and the offshore fishing has been on fire!Chicago Boys Tangle with Tarpon!
Last weekend I had the Chicago crew down again for their annual guys fishing trip. This year the group added another “Mike” to make 3 and 2 days to their trip. They showed up ready to fish, unfortunately Mother Nature threw a wrench in our plan blowing winds 20-30 Knots on the first two days. So instead of trying to get on some Tarpon from the start, we spent the first two days ducking in and out of rivers and estuaries catching everything from Trout, Ladyfish and Jack Crevalle to Snook and Redfish. Read More