Fishing Forum
- 07/27/10 Trout-bite is hot-SW FL-Bonita Beach
- 07/26/10 Cobia????
- 07/26/10 'Hoo's in the box
NOAA will re-open 26,388 square miles of Gulf waters to commercial and recreational fishing on Thursday....
Web Exclusive
Remote Renezvous The captain gently eased off the two throttles of the vessel Outpost. It coasted slowly to a silky stop over the cr... More... |
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Conservation
Law Could Impose New Taxes on Fishin Law Could Impose New Taxes on Fishing Guides And Charter Services Florida Guides Association president Capt. Pat Kelly attended the me... Friday, 18 June 2010 More... |
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Rigging Station
The tightest knot isn’t always the b In the shallow water world of backcountry angling where artificial lures reign supreme, proper presentation is eve... More... |
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Fishing Reports
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Jacksonville - 07-29-10
July 29th, 2010 Summer is in full swing with heat indexes often above 100 degrees. Paradoxically, the water temperature along the coast has been quite cool due to some kind of thermocline/inversion....
St. Lucie Inlet 07-29-10
July 29th, 2010 Two weeks of twenty to thirty mile an hour winds and a tropical storm. Have kept us in port until last weekend. The offshore best bet has been in the Pusbutton Hill...
Tampa Bay 07-28-10
June 28th, 2010 If you want to catch a fish, now is the time to do it. If it's in the water, it's biting. Change is the norm these days. We've seen a lot of change the past few weeks, and...
Naples, Ft. Myers, and Bonita Beach 07-26-10
July 26th, 2010 Tuesday, Daniel Wallace and friends fished with me. Seas were predicted to be two-to-three feet, but they were much rougher than that. We headed to the reefs and decided...
Cabo San Lucas 07-26-10
July 19-26th, 2010 Weather: This week started just the same as last week with highs in the low to mid 90's and the nighttime lows in the low 80's. My how things can change! On Saturday...
Press Releases
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The 12th Annual Summer Slam Shootout
For Immediate Release The 12th Annual Summer Slam Shootout Fort Myers, Fl. – July 25, 2010…The Summer Slam Shootout part of the Caloosa Tournament Series that initiated public fishing tournaments...
IslandMind Releases Two New Designs For It's Own Latitude and Longitude Island Gear
For Immediate Release IslandMind Releases Two New Designs For It's Own Latitude and Longitude Island Gear. Ocala, Fl.- July 22, 2010 -- Today IslandMind released two new designs for its custom...
Adjustable buoyancy compensation, Glo-Pro Lures Chemical luminescent internal lighting.
For Immediate Release Adjustable buoyancy compensation, Glo-Pro Lures Chemical luminescent internal lighting. It took years of rigorous field testing, trial and errors to develop one of the most...
TOPWATER CLOTHING COMPANY announces the launch of its new and unique style of fishing attire for men, women and children
For Immediate Release TOPWATER CLOTHING COMPANY announces the launch of its new and unique style of fishing attire for men, women and children Scottsdale, Arizona, Feb, 2010- TOPWATER CLOTHING...
Nav-Tracker Tracks Stolen Boat In The Bahamas HydraSport Recovered 8 Hours Later
For Immediate Release Nav-Tracker Tracks Stolen Boat In The Bahamas HydraSport Recovered 8 Hours Later FT. LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA (USA) - A 33-foot HydraSport equipped with the Nav-Tracker 1.0...
Pro's Tips
Fabulous Fillets
What you need to know from the moment you unhook to the moment you cook your catch.
Fabulous fillets start long before you begin preparing your favorite seafood dish. Any fresh fish you are not planning on eating within a few days MUST be properly frozen in order to maintain the fish’s freshness and delicate flavor.
Wicked Winter Kings
Trick Serious Smokers…
As a southwest Florida guide and professional king mackerel tournament angler, catching success is always on the forefront of my agenda. Indeed, whether it’s daily chartering or competing against the best-of-the-best on the Southern Kingfish Association Tournament Trail (www.fishska.com), the task of turning big fish is always a tall one.
Bucktail Jigs… Oldies but Goodies!
March 8th, 2010
Recently, at the Frank Sargeant Outdoor Expo, a fan walked up and asked me what my “Top 5” confidence baits would be for fishing inshore. I thoughtfully considered his question for a moment… then confidently replied “A top water plug, 3” soft plastic paddle tail, ¼ ounce gold spoon, Mirro-dine twitch bait, and probably a small bucktail jig…
It’s Good To Be Cranky
When all else fails, throwing crankbaits under the right scenario often results in jolting strikes.
There’s no denying the fact that crankbaits are extremely versatile offerings with numerous fish-attracting attributes. While these long-standing artificials are a hit with bass anglers, these shallow diving lures also deserve a spot in every inshore angler’s tackle bag. Similar to their ability to effectively imitate a fleeing predator in freshwater, crankbaits evoke the image of a wounded baitfish in saltwater.
A Winter-time weapon the “Tube bait”
When water temps start plummeting during the “dead of winter”, inshore fishing can get very tough. Since fish are cold-blooded, their appetites are generally suppressed during colder periods… this creates quite a challenge for those of us who enjoy throwing artificial baits. In fact, it requires us to painfully slow down our presentations and choose bait profiles that appear natural and easy for game fish to catch. The tube bait has always been my “go-to” lure when confronted with these demanding conditions!
White Knuckle Nightmares
Rough Inlets Create Unexpected Uncertainties
If you’ve spent enough time on the water you’re well aware that conditions can change in a matter of minutes. Far too often small to mid-size boaters head out under picture perfect conditions only to return to an inlet that appears unsafe for even the largest of vessels.
Go GREEN
Increase Your Inshore Score With Underwater Dock Lights
In today’s day and age, going green is more important than ever. Do your part to help the environment and invest in a green underwater dock light! It is no secret that lights attract fish, as anglers have been illuminating Florida’s waterways for decades. Until the recent introduction of technologically advanced underwater dock lighting systems, anglers would typically mount a lantern or halogen light above the waterline.
Fall Dolphin Tips
As a native Floridian and professional fisherman for the most part of
my life, I have definitely caught my fair share of dolphin. In south
Florida, as a mate or captain on any offshore charter boat you quickly
realize one of the most popular questions that customers ask, “how’s
the dolphin fishing”? It seems as though everyone wants to go home with
a couple bags of fresh mahi fillets and you really can’t blame them.
Cast A Country Mile
Tips For Increasing Distance
You’ve been stalking a foraging pod of oversized redfish for the better part of the morning. The school has been just out of casting distance but the curious reds are starting to meander a bit closer as they tip and tail their way towards your skiff. You find it difficult to wait any longer and as your patience runs out, you cast what seems to be a perfect laser right off the bow.
Malfunction Junction
You just hit the dock after an exciting day on the water when you notice your two-piece rod won’t come apart. You’ve tried pulling it with force but the situation remains the same. What can you do to separate the stuck pieces?
Head Offshore In A Kayak
Get Rigged & Ready!
The ever-increasing popularity of kayak fishing has brought about a literal fleet of various kayaks to choose from. As the plastic armada draws in more and more anglers, major manufacturers could not help but take notice.
05 - Navigating With Your Mobile Phone
An Increasing Number of Applications Turn Your Mobile Phone into a Chartplotter
One of the most useful applications for a mobile phone is software to help with navigation. Whether you are on the water or on land, the addition of a GPS and a navigation program can turn your phone into a small chartplotter, giving you an onboard backup and a mobile navigation aid for the dinghy or on shore. For more information on adding a GPS, see Adding a GPS.
Baitfish Profiles
Funky Fiddlers
Dedicated anglers often go to extreme lengths to satisfy their angling appetites. Many of the acts die-hards perform on a regular basis are likely viewed by the general public as peculiar or half-witted.
Bull Minnows
Who say’s size matters?
If you’re a dedicated flounder pounder then there’s no need to tell you the beneficial attributes of a lively bull minnow, however, if you’ve been on the hunt for a trophy doormat and need an edge to come out on top, look to these thumb-size bruisers to keep you connected. A slow-retrieved bull minnow just may be your ticket to success. While far from glamorous when compared to a prickly pinfish or flashy finger mullet, there’s no denying the fact that bull minnows deserve ultimate consideration for die-hard inshore anglers—especially those who enjoy battling hefty flatfish.
Liquid Love On The Go
Whether transporting, storing or actively fishing, portable baitwells keep you hooked up.
It should come as no surprise that shore-bound anglers have a huge disadvantage when compared to their fellow brethren equipped with modern vessels. That’s not to say that as a shore-bound angler you can’t be successful—you just need to have a few tricks up your sleeve.
Breathe
Maximize Your Baitwell’s Efficiency
It was a steamy dawn along the mainland of Mexico as I boarded a rickety panga in hopes of battling the Pacific’s most powerful pelagics. We pushed the wooden skiff off the beach and battled the shorebreak en route to the local bait boat. We dumped two 5-gallon buckets of seawater into the front bulkhead and with the addition of a dozen frisky goggle-eye we were on our way.
Statewide Tips For Hitting The Live Bait Jackpot!
In today’s day and age, there are a plethora of artificial offerings that assist in enticing your favorite game fish. Vertical jigs, soft plastics, flies, topwater and trolling lures…and the list goes on and on. However, after all is said and done, live bait is still extremely hard to beat.
Lighten’ Up for Ballistic Baitfish
Around the state, countless backcountry anglers invest a great deal of time and money procuring their own live bait, yet I can’t tell you how many times I continue to see guys fishing small baitfish no longer than my index finger on tackle better suited for live-lining large blue runners.
Big Mack
It’s common knowledge that Spanish mackerel are highly regarded among inshore anglers for their great light tackle sporting attributes as well as tasty table fare. If you spend most of your time scouting inshore arenas then you may not be aware of their amazing ability to entice savage strikes from behemoth billfish.
Bust Your Bait: 7 Top Tips
Live bait is king! It doesn’t matter where around the peninsula you ply your craft, live bait certainly plays a key role in every angler’s success. Without question there is always a place and time for artificial baits, but day-in and day-out, NOTHING will out-produce a ‘livie’ frantically flipping for freedom. Even the most modern technology can’t duplicate the irresistible come-eat-me vibration omitted from a struggling baitfish. Tournament competitors will go as far as paying up to $10 for each offering; another testament to live bait's fish-catching ability.
Go Big or Don’t Go!
Survey the captains at your local charter dock, and I guarantee the majority will tell you that rigged-ballyhoo are without a doubt, the most popular, effective and versatile blue-water offering of all-time. These ‘go-to’ baits are popular with skippers around the world for one simple reason; they catch quality fish!
Pinfish Palaces
Catching all the bait you need is as easy as 1, 2, 3!
Mangrove snapper…gag, red and goliath grouper… seatrout… snook… redfish… tarpon of all sizes…cobia…flounder…these are just some of the many species that will, without a moment’s hesitation, pounce on a properly presented pinfish. This enticing member of the porgy family has become so popular in fact, that in some inshore regions shrimp, a staple of Florida’s shallow-water fisheries, have taken a back seat to “pins.”
Weedline Wonders
Prime baits are right where they are supposed to be.
With the exception of a few essential oceanic oases' including reefs, wrecks, ledges, pinnacles, and underwater seamounts, the open-ocean is a rather desert-like expanse of barren blue water. In this extreme saltwater environment, well-formed Sargassum weedlines harbor an extraordinary amount of marine creatures. These floating ecosystems are the basis of life and provide structure and sanctuary in a rather featureless topography.
Got Crabs? - Will you be ready when crab-crunchers appear within casting range?
Got Crabs? - Will you be ready when crab-crunchers appear within casting range?
If you regularly target permit, tarpon, bonefish, cobia, or redfish, you probably already know that silver-dollar size crabs make up a large portion of these great shallow-water game fishes diet. The crunchy crustaceans I am referring to are blue crabs and brown crabs, the latter of which are commonly referred to as ‘pass crabs’ because they are most often seen swimming in and out of local passes.
Boat Reviews
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