Tarpon were on fire in Boca Grande on the Super Moon last week.  Over four nights the boat went 21 for 53.  The land ratio was lower than we like, but we had an issue with leaders breaking.  Think we got an old spool of leader that would break as soon as you put some heat on the fish.  When we switched the leaders out we started to get the fish to the boat.  Most fish were in the 100lb to 120lb range with a couple going around 150lb.  We even had one Tarpon jump the bow of the boat just missing the person fighting it.  Can’t wait for the New Moon next weekend.

Gulf to Bay Fishing Club Tournament

• Tournament:
• The tournament will consist of three (3) one month tournaments with a 1 day championship fish off for top 10 points earners.
• 2 divisions, Inshore and Offshore.
• Every member is eligible and encouraged to fish both inshore and offshore divisions.
• All fish must be caught on hook and line only. No nets, traps, or spear fishing allowed.
• No restriction on bait/lures used.
• Points:
• Points awarded in each division are based on total inches of eligible fish photos submitted.
• 100 for first, 99 second, 98 third, etc.
• Everyone starts with zero points each month, but monthly points earned are cumulative for championship qualification.
• Monthly awards in each division for top three point earners and one person drawn from remaining entrants.
• Entrys:
• All tournament entries will be via a comment on the monthly Tournament Topic in the Fishing Repots category on the Club Forum located at either www.gulf2bay.com or www.feedingfrenzysac.com.
• Cutoff for entries is 8 PM last day of monthly tournament.
• Each person may submit up to 5 fish per division monthly, with a maximum of 2 fish per specified species and 1 wildcard.
• Note: Due to FWC restrictions on removing Tarpon and Goliath Grouper from the water they are excluded from the tournament and cannot be used as wildcard fish.
• Each entry must include member name, specifics on each fish entered, total inches, and photos.
• Example:
• Name:  Joe Club member
• Redfish: 24”, 26 ½”
• Trout: 22”, 21”
• Wildcard: Snook 43”
• Total: 136 ½”
• Photos:
• Photos of fish on a standard fish measuring device must clearly show head, tail, and total length of fish.
• Measuring fish:
• Place head of fish at 0” with the fishes belly facing you. (Belly to Belly)
• Fish length determined using FWC measuring guidelines for specific species and rounded down to closest ½”.
• Example: A 23 ¾” fish is rounded down to 23 ½”.
• Previously submitted fish may be upgraded, culled, during the month by editing original comment.
• Inshore division species:
• Redfish
• Trout
• Wildcard
• Offshore division species:
• Grouper (any except Goliath)
• Snapper (any)
• Wildcard
• Tournament dates:
• Month 1, 1/18/2012 through 2/19/2012
• Month 2, 2/20/2012 through 3/18/2012
• Month 3, 3/19/2012 through 4/15/2012
• Championship fish off:
• Date: TBD
• Boundaries:
• West coast Florida waters only.
• Northern – Fort Desoto Park to upper Tampa Bay.
• Southern – Charlotte Harbor to southern end of Pine Island.
• West – As far west and you care to go.
• Body of water fished must be accessible via boat from main west coast bays. No land locked bodies of water.
• Inshore waters:
• Inside the passes and within casting distance of the shore. Generally 100’ or inside the first sandbar.
• Offshore water:
• Outside the passes and more than casting distance from shore. Generally 100′ or outside the first sandbar.
• Administrative:
• Rules may be adjusted monthly as needed to promote a fun and competitive tournament.
• Any issues or disputes not covered by these rules will be resolved by the tournament committee and the decision will be final.

I read somewhere that people are looking for less bragging and more information in the fishing reports. So for 2012 I’m going to take a new tone with my reports. Less look at what I caught and more information on when, where, and how I got, or didn’t get, them. Ok so maybe there will be a little bragging, and I’m not going to give specific locations, but hopefully enough information you can use it to find similar locations on your home waters.

I am by no means “God’s gift to Fishing” but hopefully I can pay back a little bit of what I’ve learned from you all. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think about the post format.

With the cool mornings and negative lows I waited until the tide was coming in before I hit the water. It had been a week since my last trip and had no info on fish being caught. But I figured they would be staging outside the flats/bars waiting for the tide to come in so they could move up and feed. First spot was the ticket when I got a decent Red on a spoon in the first 10 minutes. I spent the next three hours working a couple hundred yards of water and picked up 9 Reds to 28″. I had the boat positioned in about 3′ to 4′ of water and was casting to the 1′ to 2′. Every fish came on a spoon worked slowly just above the bottom. I told a buddy about the fish and he came back late that afternoon and fished the top of the flat. They got 15 Reds in an hour. His out of town guest even called to thank me. He was so excited about the day.

Went back to the same spot the next morning. Same technique produced a couple smaller Reds right away. Then Flipper showed up and the bite stopped. But the good part about him showing up is he pushed the fish and I got to see how many were around. Turns out there were a couple hundred Reds there. Many more than I had seen or caught. Not sure what this cold snap we have had has done with those fish, but you can bet I’ll check the area out on my next trip.

Location: Sarasota Bay, edge of flat/bar
Day(s): Saturday 12/31/11 and Sunday 1/1/2012
Partner(s): All by myself
Time: 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Tide: negative low incoming
Water Temp: 64 to 68 and Keys clear
Conditions: Sunny and warm
Lures: Spoons, soft plastics, Sebile Stick Shadd

Last Redfish of 2011

First Redfish of 2012

Christmas Eve and it is in the 70’s with 70deg water when my buddy’s Jeff, Jeff, and I went in search of some early presents.  Sarasota bay has been full of mullet fisherman so we started in an area they don’t usually fish looking for some unmolested Reds.  I managed one small Red, but that was it.  Time to move to where the mullet and mullet fisherman are in hopes of something to pull back.

We got lucky and found a spot with no fisherman and what looked like a million mullet.  We were all throwing something different, Jeff a soft plastic, Jeff a Sebile Stick Shadd, and a spoon for me.  Jeff picked up a little Red on the Sebile and then followed it with a 26” Gator Trout.  When that Gator figured out it was hooked it went airborne, mouth open, just like a Snook.

Well I may be slow, but not stupid, and switched to a Sebile, while Jeff stayed with his soft plastic.  A couple cast later I’m hooked up to a big 23 ½” Trout of my own.  Jeff finally gets into the act with a Red on his soft plastic.  A few minutes later Jeff and I get our first Red double of the day.  I followed my 29” fish with a perfect 26” 7/8” tournament Red.  At this point Jeff switched over to a MirrOdine and put 26 ¾” tournament size Red in the boat.

Then things got wild.  First Jeff hooks up with a big Red.  A few seconds later I get blasted by my own Red.  Then Jeff gets nailed.  A triple of monsters.  Lucky for Jeff and me, Jeff lost his fish.  So we only had two monsters to deal with.  Jeff’s Red measured in at 31” and my fish was 31 ½”.  A 62 ½” double and almost a 90”+ triple.  What a way to end the day.

I did a Home Inspection last Friday at a home on the water on Longboat Key.  Turns out I left a flashlight there and the owner was heading back to Chicago before I could get back to get it.  I arranged for them to leave it on the dock and I would pick it from there.  Tried to get to it Sunday but the wind was just too bad.  Tuesday afternoon was my next chance.  And since I’ll be on the water I might as well take a rod just in case. Right?

On the way over I drifted a flat that had more mullet on it than I’ve ever seen.  Figured there had to be a Red in there someplace.  But all I could get was a Trout.  On the way to the dock I put some of the information I picked up from an article on fishing docks in the winter to the test.  Took a few casts before I felt the thunk and pulled out a nice Snook on 1/8oz jig with a DOA New Penny CAL Tail.  Went and retrieved my flashlight and hit the same dock on the way out.  But the wind and tide were just wrong from this direction.  I remembered how to position my boat and got setup correctly and sure enough first cast got me the Red to complete the slam.  Then slid out to a flat and picked up three more Reds on a spoon.

And the best part is the trip is a write off since I was working!!!!!

My buddy Nate and I snuck out for a few hours fishing last Thursday. We hit the water at the bottom of the tide and headed to an area of pot holes looking for Reds.  When we got there we were the only boat fishing and we had them all to ourselves.  We managed 18 Reds and 6 or 8 Trout.  Most came on spoons, with a few on a jerk bait or MirrOminnow.  I managed the big fish at 28 1/2″.

Last Saturday is a good example of why you should get out whenever you can.

When my buddy Jeff got to my house before dawn this morning things weren’t looking good for our fishing trip.  The wind was howling, it was cold, pretty good chance of rain, overcast, and the bay is full of mullet fisherman.  Figured we were up anyway, so we went fishing.  First couple of spots produced a Sea Robin, a Puffer, and a couple Trout. We could also see the area we wanted to fish and it was covered up with mullet fisherman running the flats.  You can bet we were second guessing our decision.

Eventually the mullet fisherman settled down allowing us to move up on the flat and hunt the Reds we wanted.  First couple of drifts nothing but follows and short strikes.  Then the wind laid down, the sun came out, and the Reds started to feed.  In an hour and a half we each boated 8 Reds and several Trout.  Jeff got all his on soft plastics and I got all mine on a spoon.  Remember those mullet fisherman?  Well some more moved into the area and spooked everything and the bite shut down. So we called it a day.  Not a bad 4 hours on the water.

I may need to upgrade the photographer. What do you think?