JANUARY 24, 2003
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! Fishing
this past week was moving along pretty smooth until Friday and
Saturday when an “Artic Express” blew through Florida,
bring freezing temperatures that have definitely put a strain
on our snook population. Water temperatures were in the mid
50’s and the freeze has put the fish into the danger zone.
Actually, reports were coming in about a “snook kill”
in some of the canals on Anna Maria Island. So far, that’s
all I’ve heard of, but I’m afraid that over the next
few days, we will be hearing about more problems.
Low water temperatures have slowed the flats activity. Redfish
have slowed down quite a bit. The areas that have been producing,
like hard bottom, oyster bars and shallow grassy flats that
have been productive are not now. I think the fish have
moved into deeper water to have a better comfort zone. Trout
more than likely will doa the same thing until we warm up some.
Actually, we are starting a warming trend, but another
front is poised to roll through on Monday. This one, however
isn’t supposed to be so severe as the past few days.
Before the cold weather blew through, I was spending more time
a little further north in Terra Ceia and Miguel Bays, catching
some small redfish, trout, loads of ladyfish and a few snook
in the canals. Mepps Timber Doodle Spoons and Mister Twister
Exudes, RT Slugs were very effective and once we warm up again,
things will pick up.
As I’ve said before so often, structure at least structure
in a decent amount of water will be a steady source of action
during the winter. Seasoned docks, the ones with barnacles,
oysters, etc, rock piles and under cut ledges of the Inter Coastal
Waterway are all areas that will hold fish and may make your
day, when other areas may not produce.
Shrimp is the bait of choice, actually small pieces of shrimp
will produce much better for sheepshead, black drum and mangrove
snapper. Other baits like sand fleas, barnacles and fiddler
crabs will all work. The drawback to using them, is you
have to find some to fish with. Here’s a picture of a nice
kingfish caught by Bill Packer, while fishing with Capt. Thom.
GOOD FISHING AND STAY WARM, CAPT. THOM SMITH FLATS LADY CHARTERS
941-795-6711 & 941-776-1187 e-mail <mailto:tesmls@infi.net>tesmls@infi.net
JOIN ME EVERY SATURDAY MORNING IF YOU CAN FOR “ON THE WATER
WITH CAPT THOM”, 1490AM FROM 8:30-10:00.
ALSO, REMEMBER THE BRADENTON HERALD FISHING COLLEGE WILL BE
AT THE CIVIC CENTER ON SAT. FEB 8TH. I WILL BE ONE OF
THE FACULITY GIVING A SEMINAR, AND I’LL HAVE MY BOAT AND
LOTS OF GOOD INFORMATION. IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION,
OR YOU MIGHT WANT TO TALK ABOUT A CHARTER, CALL ME AT 941-795-6711.
JANUARY 19, 2003
This past week has been a difficult week for me. Three days
down with the flu, temperatures near freezing, dropping water
temperatures to 56 to 60 degrees, depending where you fish,
throw in some extra low low early morning tides and all of these
have added to our problems and limited my time on the water.
After saying that, my Fishing Report will be part educated
prediction and part actual fishing reports from both my customers
at Angler’s Repair, and reports from “Guide Friends”.
Redfish are still scattered, but when you find them, they can
be in small little pods or in some cases, nice schools of 50
or more. Most of these fish have been on the small side
from 15 inches to 20 inches or so and occasionally some larger
fish up to 25 inches, but the majority are small. Target areas
including channels that have some hard bottom or rock along
the bottom and grassy flats that has live or dead grass that
the reds and trout can use for both warmth and a positive food
source, by feeding on some of the little critters hiding in
the dead grass.
Trout action has been fairly steady. Some decent size fish up
to 20 inches or so are available by drifting over the potholes
and grass flats working Mister Twister Exudes in and around
and over the grass and sand holes. With the wind that
seems to be continuous, you may want to hang a sea anchor to
slow your drift down and allow you to work the area over more
thoroughly. You can buy your sea anchor at your local
tackle store, but a five gallon bucket hung over the side will
also do the trick.
Snook are having a tough enough time with the frigid water temperatures,
so you may want to leave them alone until it warms up some.
If you need to feed the family or just want to put a meal on
the table, fish the structure which is the closest thing to
a sure thing to produce some filets. Seasoned docks, rock piles,
edges of the Intercoastal Waterway that may be undercut and
artificial reefs will all hold sheepshead, mangrove snapper,
black drum, flounder and redfish.
It’s basic fishing, a stout rod with some backbone, 12
– 20lb. test line, a little weight to hold your bait in
place, a hook (I prefer a Kahle Style hook in a # 2-4-6 size),
and a bucket of medium size shrimp will do the trick.
GOOD FISHING, CAPT. THOM SMITH, OF FLATS LADY CHARTERS &
ANGLER’S REPAIR, Bradenton 941-795-6711 e-mail <mailto:tesmls@infi.net>tesmls@infi.net
IF YOU CAN’T JOIN ME ON SATURDAY MORNINGS FROM 8:30 TO
10:00 FOR “ON THE WATER WITH CAPT THOM”, PLEASE FEEL
FREE TO CALL ME, TOLL FREE 1-877-331-1490 AND TELL ME
YOUR FISHING REPORT, OR ASK A QUESTION.
JANUARY 4, 2003
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU. I HOPE THIS YEAR
IS A GREAT YEAR, AND THE FISHING IS GOOD!!!
Finally trout season has opened up, giving us another fish to
target. Cold fronts, wind, lots of rain and 60 degree water
temps have made fishing difficult to say the least. I’ve
been using the wind to drift deeper pot holes and grass areas
using both live shrimp and artificials, like Mister Twister
Exudes and Slimey Slugs, to catch some really nice trout in
the 16 to 22 inch range. Bluefish and a few pompano have
been a nice surprise in the same type areas. Maybe even a bonita
may show up. (As the one I caught, pictured).
Redfish have been hit & miss, but we have been catching
a few in the 15 to 24 inch range. The majority of these fish
have been coming from shallow water spots that have a dark mud
bottom or dead grass that they are using for warmth. The
stomach contents of the ones we’ve cleaned contain crabs,
but they seem to be eager to take an artificial or live shrimp
also.
Snook Are “Out of Season” until Feb. 1st and even
with the cold water temperatures, there still are some snook
willing to feed. Residential canals on both the Islands and
on the mainland are where I would target. You can try
canals that have big boats in them, as big boats draw more water
and the deeper the water, the warmer the water temp. A
lot of times, the stern end of the boat will wallow out a deeper
hole, where the fish like to lay. When fishing the early morning
hours, try to target a stretch of seawall that the sun light
hits first thing in the morning.
Another thing to look for is a sprinkler system in someone’s
yard that turns on first thing in the morning. The water sometimes
runs off of the seawall into the canal and even though it’s
fresh water, it also adds a little bit of warmth that the fish
might use to warm up, and it may also provide a food source.
A lot of times, I’ll cast up onto a lawn and let the lure
drop off of the seawall into the water. The fish will normally
be very close to the edge and be fooled into thinking that a
crab or something good to eat just showed up. In situations
like this, the fish may be as close as they can be to the sea
wall, so by dropping it in close like that, they may be coaxed
into eating. By casting two or three feet away, it will require
more energy for the fish to chase it and they may not be willing
to move.
Winter and the cold water temperatures that come with the season
certainly change the conditions and what fish may normally be
available to catch. I’ve talked about it before and probably
will continue until things change, but in the winter time the
only constant is structure fishing. Docks, piers, pilings, rocky
areas will all produce sheepshead, mangrove snapper, black drum,
flounder and a few reds. Silver trout and whiting may
be available just off the beach and can be caught without the
use of a boat. Deep holes over grass in Tampa Bay and
in the Manatee River will provide a mess of fish for the cooler,
but with all the rain caused by El Nino conditions, the regular
spots in the Manatee may be a little to fresh to have any concentration
of the little critters.
White jigs and small shrimp would be the best baits of choice.
GOOD FISHING, CAPT. THOM SMITH OF FLATS LADY CHARTERS &
ANGLER’S REPAIR, Bradenton, Fl 941-795-6711
& 776-1187 e-mail <mailto:tesmls@infi.net>tesmls@infi.net
JOIN ME EVERY SAT. MORNING ON 1490AM, FROM 8:30-10:00 FOR “ON
THE WATER WITH CAPT. THOM”. CALL ME TOLL FREE, WITH
YOUR FISHING REPORT. 1-877-331-1490
DECEMBER 29, 2002
El Nino conditions with the rain, wind and cold weather that
occurs when another front rolls through have made fishing conditions
difficult to say the least. Snook being Out of Season until
Feb. 1st and spotted seatrout still Out of Season until Jan.
1st has narrowed the species to target to just a few.
Snook, because of the water temps being in the low 60’s
to high 50”, are fish I do not target, because by just
catching and release could stress the fish to a point where
it may not be able to recover and would die.
Trout are fragile, but by little handling of the fish and a
quick release with a dehooker, you can quickly send the fish
on it’s way with little or no stress. This past week, I
was able to get out Thursday and Friday afternoons and take
advantage of the incoming tide. “Catch & release”
spotted sea trout made up the bulk of the catch. Thursday, we
fished south of Longbar and by drifting the potholes in 2 to
4ft. of water, and I was impressed with the size of the trout.
The majority of the fish were in the slot and a few measured
over 22”.
Mister Twister Exudes in the golden bream and watermelon seed
color did the trick, rigged a couple different ways. Both
ways worked great. The most effective ways that I’ve found
are 1st by using a 1/8 ounce or ³ ounce jig head or by using
a Mister Twister “keeper hook”. You can either bounce
the lure up and down or use it as a jerk bait and make it dart
back and forth will produce for trout, redfish, bluefish, snook
and even an occasional flounder.
The Exudes are injected with scent and sometimes very soft,
but with the keeper hook, it’s best to actually screw the
keeper into the head of the plastic to make it a lot more durable.
There are still a lot of fish available on the flats, but it
may be hit & miss until you get onto a productive stretch
of grass and sand that may hold a school of fish. I look for
dark bottom areas that may have some dead grass laying in there
that the fish may use for a food source and for warmth.
Structure fishing is my other target area for winter fishing.
Sheepshead, mangrove snapper, flounder and some reds are the
target fish. Docks are usually the primary target and you want
to look for the “seasoned” docks in a decent water
depth. By seasoned, I mean an older dock with growth of barnacles
or oysters on it. That is a good food source for sheepies
and other species. If you fish these areas, you must get your
bait, (this time of year, it is usually shrimp), up under the
dock by casting or using the tide to help move the bait into
the pilings where the fish are hanging out.
Stout tackle is a must. A rod with a backbone, line from 10
to 20lb test, floracarbon leader, a small strong hook, a little
weight and you should be in business.
GOOD FISHING, CAPT. THOM SMITH, FLATS
LADY CHARTERS & ANGLER’S REPAIR 941-795-6711 776-1187
E-MAIL <mailto:tesmls@infi.net>tesmls@infi.net and “ON
THE WATER WITH CAPT. THOM” 1490AM radio every Sat. from
8:30 – 10:00. Call me toll free 1877-331-1490.
DECEMBER 24, 2002
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF YOU!! Due to the Holiday Shopping,
(Ho Ho), etc, I’ll make this short and to the point. I’ll
be back next week with a good long report for you!
Right now, the fishing is very good. The weather is what you
have to watch out for. Wind mostly, and the rain at times. The
water temperature is still in the 60’s, so a good tip is,
look for the dark muddy bottom, the areas with structure, and
where you find dead grass on the bottom. The fish will
head for these areas for the warmth.
Snook and Trout are both Out of Season, so they are catch &
release. Remember to try not to touch the trout, as they need
to be handled as little as possible. Your areas with structure
will hold sheepshead at this time. Redfish are still just about
anywhere. Tidy Island, the Manatee River, the edges in Terra
Ceia Bay, and on down to Sarasota Bay, are all good places to
find them. The snook pictured was caught by Bill Packer, BEFORE
THEY WERE OUT OF SEASON!
GOOD FISHING, CAPT THOM SMITH REMEMBER
TO JOIN ME EVERY SATURDAY MORNING FROM 8:30 – 10:00 ON
1490AM FOR “ON THE WATER WITH CAPT. THOM”. If
you can’t listen, and want to give me a Fishing Report,
or have a question, call toll free 1-877-331-1490
NEED A SPECIAL GIFT??? GIVE A GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR A GREAT CHARTER,
AND JOIN ME ON MY NEW 20-20 ACTIONCRAFT! (Flats Boat). Boy,
Santa was good to me!!!!
DECEMBER 7, 2002
Cold fronts, sometimes two a week have kept us guessing about
what’s going on with the fish. With my boat being down
for the past week, I’m going to pass on fishing information
supplied to me by customers in the shop and Guide Friends, about
what’s happening throughout the area. Trout are Out
of Season, so remember to “catch & release” them.
Trout are fairly plentiful on deeper grass flats, in pot holes
in deeper water and in canals with mud bottom. If you do have
to target them, take care when you release them. Use barbless
hooks or a quick release device that quickly sends them on their
way.
Redfish seem to be readily available throughout the area, both
on the flats and around docks. On the flats, the water
is very clear and clean, so most of the time a long cast may
be required to get close to the fish. Live shrimp will work,
but to cover a lot of ground, artificials like Mister Twister
Exudes in a variety of colors will do the trick. Gold Spoons
like Mepps Timber Doodle and Johnson Silver Minnors are capable
of long casts and can be worked quickly to search for fish.
Reds can be found from Joes Bay to the north, Miguel Bay,
some hard bottom areas in Terra Ceia, The Seven Pines shoreline,
Palma Sola and on down to Long Bar and Tidy Island.
Snook have been a little difficult and are feeling the cooler
water temperatures. The smaller fish are more likely to feed
around creek mouths, canals and some of the deeper docks, but
usually that doesn’t happen till the sun warms the water
up a bit and gets them moving around. With the water temperatures
in the low 60’s, the only constant is the old winter standby,
sheepshead! By targeting structure, docks, bridges, piers, rock
piles and old sunken boats, you are almost sure to catch a mess
of fish.
A positive by-catch around these type of places can be mangrove
snapper, black drum, flounder, a red or two, and occasionally
a gag grouper. Live bait, small shrimp, pieces of shrimp and
sometimes a pinfish will get you a hookup. Tackle should be
stout enough to muscle a fish out of the rocks or out from under
a dock. As I mentioned earlier, the fronts that keep pushing
through have a real affect on which days are fishable and the
ones that due to the wind and rain are unfishable.
Hopefully next week, all my information for you will be “First
hand”. GOOD FISHING, CAPT THOM SMITH OF FLATS LADY
CHARTERS & ANGLER’S REPAIR. 941-795-6711
& 776-1187 e-mail <mailto:tesmls@infi.net>tesmls@infi.net.
Call me with YOUR fishing report on the Radio
show, Saturday morning from 8:30-10:00, 1490AM “ON
THE WATER WITH CAPT THOM”. TOLL FREE 877-331-1490
or local 745-1490
NOVEMBER 30TH, 2002
Fridays trip began with 20 knot winds blowing out of the northeast
and 57 degree water temperatures, making for a difficult decision
what to do and where to fish. We started out fishing
the docks of Key Royale, catching a variety of fish, sheepshead
to 4lb, redfish to 19”, black drum and spade fish on shrimp.
In the afternoon, as the flats warmed up, we worked the LongBar
area and managed some nice redfish up to 26”, in the shallow
water. Mister Twister, Exudes in golden bream and baby bass
rigged with an 1/8oz. jig head and weedless, with a “Keeper
hook” produced the best results.
Sorry the report is so short, but with the wind, and the cold
temps, and the Holiday, I haven’t been out as much as I
usually am. Look for my “full report” next week. Hope
everyone had a very Happy Holiday.
See you “ON THE WATER WITH CAPT THOM”, AND LISTEN
TO THE RADIO, SATURDAY MORNINGS FROM 8:30 – 10:00AM
ON 1490AM.
GOOD FISHING, CAPT. THOM SMITH OF FLAT’S LADY CHARTERS
& ANGLER’S REPAIR, 941-795-6711 & 776-1187 E-MAIL
tesmls@infi.net.
NOVEMBER 16, 2002
Toward the end of this past week, the weather turned on us again
and only the hardiest or craziest of anglers decided to go fishing
the past few days. Rain wind and more wind made for tough
conditions to produce fish and with the temperatures dropping
into the low 50’s or even 40’s for the start of next
week, it should be interesting to see what’s still available.
Bait should still be around after a few days of warming up,
but if not, we’ll be working those artificials around structure
like docks, oyster bars, seawalls and potholes. Artificials
like spoons, gold and silver, Mister Twister Exudes, Cotee Grub
tails, DOA Shrimp or live bait will all work and produce. Redfish
over the past few weeks have been a bit scarce, but places like
Palma Sola Bay, around the canals on the south side and around
the islands and oysters, back in the bay should be holding some
fish. The deeper docks in the Manatee River, the northern shoreline,
especially the hard bottom areas have been holding some reds
along with some decent flounder.
Flounder have been getting more active on the hard bottom and
places that have hard bottom and soft coral. Spotted sea
trout are Out of Season and will be until Jan. 1st, so remember
to catch & release for now. Another option may be
silver or gray trout that seem to be getting more active over
deeper grass flats.
A white Bucktail or a Swirltail plastic jig are excellent choices
to catch a few. Snook will still be available around deeper
docks and near deeper areas like canals and marinas. We should
know pretty soon if all the action that was available just off
the beach will still be happening when the wind starts coming
out of a more easterly direction, allowing angler’s to
get out into the Gulf
I believe it all depends on bait. If the bait is still there,
or comes back, the Spanish mackerel and maybe even the kings
will be back to feed on them. Another front is supposed to come
through by next weekend, so with a day or so of warming up,
it looks like mid-week will probably be the best bet to get
out and find some fish. Here’s a nice Kingfish caught by
Bill Packer while fishing with Capt. Thom, just off the beach.
GOOD FISHING, WATCH THE WEATHER & STAY WARM, CAPT THOM SMITH
- FLATS LADY CHARTERS & ANGLER’S REPAIR 941-795-6711
& 776-1187 e-mail <mailto:tesmls@infi.net>tesmls@infi.net
& “ON THE WATER WITH CAPT THOM”
RADIO each Sat. morning on 1490AM, from 8:30 – 10:00 Call
me toll free at 877-331-1490.
NOVEMBER 8, 2002
Another front pushed through Wednesday of this past week,
cooling water temperatures down and the southwesterly winds
clocked around to the northwest, after the front passed through,
churning the Gulf up and mudding the water. That had an
effect on the bait, pushing it more offshore, so the feeding
frenzy of birds, bait and fish like kingfish, Spanish mackerel,
bonita and barracuda, just off the beach has really slowed down.
By Friday, the winds had settled down some and the anglers that
were able to get out to deeper water, reported kingfish, mackerel
and cobia and lots of bait, from about the Three Mile Reef on
out. Friday, water temperature at the Coquina Key Boat Ramp
was 66 degrees early in the morning and 70 degrees in the Gulf.
The only Spanish mackerel was just off the beach.
INSIDE: In Sarasota Bay, around LongBar, the redfish and trout
perked up as the flats warmed up. Redfish in the 23in
range were available along with trout, but remember, SEATROUT
ARE OUT OF SEASON until Jan 1st. Remember, it’s “catch
& release” until then. I recommend not targeting them,
because they are so fragile and a lot of times, just catching
them stresses them too much and they die. You may want to mash
your barbs down and use a single hook for a quick easy release.
Whitebait disappeared during the cold snap, but by Friday afternoon,
bait schools with some decent usable sizes were available.
Mister Twister Exudes Dart has been very effective on both the
flats and the beach. The past few I’ve used on a quarter
or eighth ounce jug head and it’s been great for working
the pot holes on the flats by twitching it through a school
of fish on the beach.
GOOD FISHING, CAPT. THOM SMITH OF FLATS LADY CHARTERS &
ANGLER’S REPAIR & “ON THE WATER WITH CAPT. THOM”
RADIO, EVERY SAT. FROM 8:30-10:00AM ON 1490AM. Join me and call
toll free - 877-331-1490 and let me know you read my fishing
reports.
OCTOBER 25, 2002
Last week, we had our 1st front of the year pushed through the
area dropping water temperatures into the mid seventies. The
cooler temperature seemed to turn everything on, both inshore
and offshore. Redfish and snook were very active feeding
on the bait schools up on the flats. The snook feel the urge
to fatten up for the cooler winter months ahead. Reds
were schooling and fairly easy to find, but as our weather warmed
up, the fishing has slowed in the back country, at least in
this general area.
This past week on the low tide, we spent a lot of time wading
the pot holes on the Rattlesnake shoreline, from Miguel Bay,
south to Terra Ceia Point. The holes produced a lot of
trout and small snook, but very few redfish. The large schools
of reds that were around a week ago are hard to find now. Reports
from the Bulkhead / Seven Pines area, seem to indicate better
redfish action. I’ll be checking the shoreline and
some places to the south in Sarasota Bay next week.
The weather channel is predicting another front to move through
this upcoming week, dropping the temperatures more to normal
for this time of year. Bait is still available but a little
more difficult to find, at least the larger more usable sizes.
OFFSHORE: Offshore and in Tampa Bay, large Spanish mackerel
are fairly easy, kingfish from schooly size up to about 30lbs
are being caught from just a few hundred yards off the beach
out as far as the bait schools go. The Three Mile Artificial
Reef and the hard bottom around the Five Mile Reef mark are
where the bait is thick and the kings, Spanish mackerel, bonita
and sometimes cobia feed on the easy pickings.
Techniques vary, but by anchoring up and chumming, can produce
some pretty good results. Trolling also works and is sometimes
preferred, because if it’s rough, it may be a little more
comfortable to be moving and dragging a bait or artificial spoon,
like a Mann’s Stretch Series Plug, a King Spoon or a spoon
of some sort through the bait schools. This should result
in a hookup.
Grouper and snapper fishing has improved in shallower water
and some decent fish are being caught. It seems that most
of the grouper are undersized. Mangrove snapper action has been
fairly steady with a lot of the fish being in the 15 to 19 inch
range. The bottom guys will always target the grouper, snapper,
but right now, the emphasis is on kings and big mackerel for
most anglers finshing in the Gulf.
Tampa Bay is also holding some nice kingfish and Spanish mackerel.
In fact, there are some reports of a few twenty lb. kings caught
in mid Tampa Bay.
GOOD FISHING, CAPT. THOM SMITH, FLATS LADY CHARTERS & ANGLER’S
REPAIR, 941-795-6711 & 776-1187 E-MAIL <mailto:tesmls@infi.net>tesmls@infi.net
OR CALL ME ON MY RADIO SHOW. “ON THE WATER WITH CAPT.
THOM”, Saturday mornings from 8:30-10:00 toll free 1 877-331-1490
Give me YOUR Fishing Report.
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OCTOBER 19, 2002
The first cold front of the year blew through the area Tuesday
of last week, dropping lots of rain and our temperature into
the low 60’s in the early morning hours. This also dropped
the water temperatures from about 83 degrees to the mid seventies.
After the front, the northerly wind made it difficult to find
a comfortable place to fish that actually held fish. By Thursday
afternoon, the wind had clocked around to a northeasterly direction
that helped a lot. The redfish and snook, before the front were
on the bite and the weather didn’t seem to have much of
an effect on their appetite. The redfish are still aggressive
and in the schooling mode. Redfish activity is good in
a lot of different spots, throughout southern Tampa and Sarasota
Bays, like the standard places, Longbar, Buttonwood Harbor,
Tidy Island and Sister Keys.
Longbar is a great falling tide spot, Sister Keys and Tidy Island
are excellent on a high water period, especially up against
the mangroves and the white sandy holes, close to the shore.
The same goes for Prices Key at the mouth of the Palma
Sola Bay and the flats and little keys further up in Palma Sola,
near Flamingo Cay. The Bulkhead area near Seven Pines on a high
tide and over the bar, towards the Manatee River are active,
as the tide falls, and before the front, snook were active in
this spot!
In Terra Ceia Bay, the southern shoreline on a high tide and
the deeper holes as the tide drops out is where you’ll
find snook. On the outside of Rattlesnake, back up the shoreline
to Big Miguel Pass, a big school of reds have been working for
the past month. The school is loaded with a variety of
sizes from oversized to keeper size fish. Basically, redfish
are probably the most abundant and easiest to catch right now,
from Cockroach Bay to the south.
Snook are feeding heavily putting on body fat for this winter.
A lot have moved back inside to deep structure, like docks seawalls
and the entrance to canals. There are still fish on the flats,
but it seems like in my area, the larger ones have moved into
the type areas I have described. Night snook fishing always
produces more keeper or larger fish when you target places that
have a good tidal flow, decent water depth and a light is always
a plus.
Bait is back, the way it was before the front, plentiful in
a variety of sizes. I really enjoy pitching artificials and
Mister Twister Exudes in a variety of colors work for me. I
have my favorite color and just recently it’s been chartruse,
pear and pepper. I’ve caught some quality snook,
trout and redfish. In the Homosassa So. Redfish Tournament,
it worked for me with a lot of reds, the only problem being,
they were oversized. This past week, that color rigged
with a 3/0 keeper hook, produced a 26”, 9lb redfish.
Larger trout should be available soon. The trout are everywhere,
but decent size is hard to come by. The drop in water temperature
has really turned the Spanish mackerel and kingfish on. The
kings were here before the front, by probably were pushed south
by the storms in the past weeks.
Right now, the Gulf is loaded with action from just off the
beach to about the Seven Mile range. Saturday, during
my radio show, Capt. Jim Zacharias from Cortex called in from
on the water with a fish report. They had just caught a 30lb.
king about 200 yards off the beach and the action was hot and
heavy with a combination of Spanish and kingfish.
Other offshore things going on include bonita, cobia and a few
anglers are still concentrating on grouper. But here locally,
kingfish are the main focus for the offshore folks. All in all,
fall is here and the fishing is great. Hire a Guide, WE need
the work!!!!
GOOD FISHING, CAPT. THOM SMITH OF FLATS LADY CHARTERS, ANGLER’S
REPAIR AND “ON THE WATER WITH CAPT THOM”, every Saturday
morning on 1490AM from 8:30-10:00. Call me toll free -
877-331-1490 and tell me YOUR Fishing Report. 941-795-6711 &
776-1187 e-mail <mailto:tesmls@infi.net>tesmls@infi.net
SEPT. 20, 2002
This weeks report is going to be on the short side, as I have
been in the Shop most of the week, and could only get out to
fish one day this past week. Redfish have been the main
attraction and the most cooperative. The Seven Pines area near
the Bulkhead, Terra Ceia, Miguel and Joes Bays have all been
excellent areas, especially on the extra high midday tides.
The fish have been right up in the mangrove roots and
oysters on the shoreline.
A lively whitebait or pinfish should get their attention and
by using a technique I use in this type of a situation, which
is to keep a live bait that really doesn’t want to stay
back up under the bushes, back there. I’ll use a slip sinker
above the leader and a quality swivel, (normally I tie line
to line), to act as a stopper for the weight. The slip sinker
serves two purposes. First to hold the bait where you cast it
and second, for the line to slip through it so the fish feels
very little resistance when they pick the bait up.
Low tides should produce too, but I haven’t been able to
get out during low tide periods because of the time of day or
the afternoon storms that seem to show up at that low tide time
of the day. Snook are becoming a bit more aggressive in
the backcountry of Miguel Bay and it seems like any little indentations
in the mangroves is holding at least a few snook.
Trout are plentiful on just about any grass flat in a few feet
of water. The problem has been size. It’s been easy
to catch one after another, but to catch a keeper size or larger
is difficult. Artificials like the Cotee Swirltail or Chubby
Grub in chartruse Glow or Silver will produce. Mister
Twister Exudes will work also, but I prefer to use them more
for snook and reds, due to the scent that they release and the
quality of fish that they catch.
Big Spanish Mackeral are still all over Tampa Bay feeding on
the bait schools. A lively whitebait or any artificial with
a little flash will work on the macks. BAIT is still easy
on just about any patch of grass. A variety of sizes are available
and a lot of times, they’re mixed together with the peewees
on top and the larger bait down deeper in the grass.
GOOD FISHING, CAPT. THOM SMITH OF FLATS LADY CHARTERS, ANGLER’S
REPAIR AND “ON THE WATER WITH CAPT. THOM” RADIO SHOW
ON 1490AM, EVERY SAT. FROM 8:30-10:00AM. 941-795-6711 E-MAIL
tesmls@infi.net
ALSO XPLORES (Xplores.com) AND THE XPLORES FISHING TEAM. (I
will be fishing the XTREME CHALLENGE / SO. REDFISH TOURNAMENT
IN HOMOSASSA THIS COMING WEEKEND). I’ll let you know how
we do.
SEPT. 14, 2002
Lots of rain from a tropical depression and eventually, Tropical
Storm Hanna made this past week very difficult to spend any
time fishing or even just getting out on the water. With
the storm gone, this next week should be a lot better with some
4 tide days and big high tides as we move toward a full moon
on the 21st. The better tidel flow should have a flushing effect
on all the freshwater flowing out of the Manatee River and various
creeks.
Redfish are in their schooling process in a few different areas.
LongBar in Sarasota Bay, the flats between Prices Key
and Flamingo Cay in Palma Sola, especially the oyster bars on
the northern shoreline, all have some very large oversized fish
hanging close to the bars and on the higher tides, the backside
of Prices, reds are being caught from right up and into the
mangroves. The Seven Pines area behind the Bulkhead is an area
producing snook, trout, redfish and some pompano on lower tides,
the snook and reds move out and over the sand bar and fall into
the deeper holes on the river side. Terra Ceia and Miguel
Bays are also excellent areas that are holding redfish and again,
by pitching a live bair or artificial like a Mister Twister
Exude, rigged weedless into the oysters and mangrove roots,
you may hook up on a oversized red or snook, that’s taking
advantage of the extra water and new areas, to look for a meal.
In Tampa Bay near Miguel Bay, the most productive time is on
the lower tides when the fish drop off the flats into the pot
holes and by wading from hole to hole, it’s a lot of fun
to check out each hole and bend a rod. In this particular place
you never know what you may hook into. It may be a larger fish
that on a higher tide could be a lot of trouble for a wader,
but in the low water, it will contain the fish in a smaller
area. Snook since the season opened have mostly been on
the small size with a few larger slot size available on the
flats and open water.
Larger snook tend to move into a structure tuype of an area,
docks, piers and bridges are all excellent places that will
hold big snook. If you fish at night, focus on the lights by
working the edges and shadow lines for the possibility of a
hook up Mackeral and some bluefish have been working the bait
schools in Tampa Bay and just off the beach. Also, mangrove
snapper are still available in the Intercoastal Waterway and
around the Skyway Pier and the artificial rees throught the
area.
Bait at least before all the rain was readily available, so
if it’s not back right now, it will be shortly in all the
regular p[laces. The Skyway, the Bulkhead and the Key Royale
Flats as well as a lot of the grass flats around southern Tampa
Bay.
GOOD FISHING, CAPT. THOM OF FLATS LADY CHARTERS & ANGLER’S
RELAIR, AND “ON THE WATER WITH CAPT THOM”, my Sat.
morning radio show on 1490AM from 8:30 – 10:00. REMEMBER
TO CHECK OUT XPLORES.COM for a great line of FLOATING FISHING
TOOLS.
