It is the end of another year and holiday season. I hope everybody had a wonderful 2012 and your holidays were filled with good days on the water and happy times with friends and family.
As winter cold fronts come down the state, the fishing conditions will change in a big way. Strong winds, cold water and extreme low tides will make the fishing tough, and some days will push your patience to the limit. One key to a successful fishing trip is to slow down and gear down. Cold water is a lot clearer than the warmer water of the summer months. Fishing in the winter months can be very rewarding with light line and small jigs or live shrimp.
Targeting large trout and redfish will be a great choice for shallow water fishermen. Look for the fish to cruise the flats and sit in the potholes in north Sarasota Bay around Longbar, Bishops Point and the flats inside Longboat Pass. Snook will be moving into their winter residences like creeks and canals. The snook will already be super stressed from the cold water, so I like to stay away from them and catch other fish in the bay.
This past year flounder have made a big comeback on the flats and deeper holes. CAL jigs and Gulp shrimp fished over a broken bottom flat with sand and grass produced big doormat fish. Look for this pattern to continue throughout the winter along with some nice pompano coming in both Big Pass and New Pass. Small jigs and ball jigs in yellow or pink tipped with a piece of shrimp or a cut piece of Gulp works really well and can put a nice meal on the table. Watch for some mackerel to come into the passes when fishing for pompano. Spoons and plastics fished fast and erratic will get a mackerel’s attention. A short piece of wire will keep you from losing a lot of those lures from their sharp teeth.
Black drum and sheepshead can make a great trip for the family and the kids. Around oyster bars you’ll see them hanging out in the gin-clear water, but they are very hard to catch in that situation. Bridge pilings and under docks are a perfect spot to catch these fish. Small chunks of shrimp on a 1/0 circle hook works well on sheepies. Give the kids something exciting to see by dropping your baited line down by the pilings and let them watch the fish strike your bait. A sure trick to get their attention and get them involved. If you’re going fishing and the kids are begging to go, too, take them with you.
It’s a great thing watching your child catch their first fish, or even their hundredth! Start the kids off with fish they can catch a lot of in a short amount of time. If you get a kid interested in the sport you’ll have a buddy for life and it’s a great family activity. Remember to make sure the kids are outfitted with lifejackets that are age and weight appropriate for safety.
I hope 2013 brings you many happy days on the water and lots of wonderful family memories.
My Mission is Good Fishin’!
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Contact Info: Capt. Bruce BurkhartCasual Lies Fishing Charters(p) 941 922-3675(w) casualliescharters.com
January and February bring us our two coolest months of the year. Typically we receive several cold fronts accompanied by high wind. We just hope the cold fronts don’t bring any frost. It’s this time of the year that we spend a lot of time in the backcountry where we’re able to duck away from the elements.
Each January and February it’s necessary to keep an eye on your tide charts, because we have some extremely low tides around both the full and new moon during both months. If you get caught in a -.5 low tide that you did not anticipate, it could surely ruin your day! Be extra careful with the morning low tides January 8th - 14th and 25th - 28th and on February the 7th - 12th and the 21st - 25th! Wind direction also affects the tides dramatically. A north or east wind will make the tide lower and longer than expected as it blows the water out and delays its return.
Days when the fronts are absent, the sun is shining, and the thermometer gets up into the mid 70s can mean awesome fishing! Daytime air temperatures average 77 degrees in January and 76 degrees in February. Water temperatures average 66 degrees both months.
The shallow grass flats are alive with trout, bluefish, ladyfish, jacks, Spanish mackerel, and pompano. You can use many different types of artificials on the flats for all of these guys. Among my favorites are DOA jerkbaits and shrimp, both in rootbeer color. You can also use 3/8-ounce bucktail-type jigs tipped with a very small piece of shrimp.
The oyster bars hold sheepshead and redfish. If presenting natural bait, they both like to eat crustaceans like shrimp and fiddler crabs. Fish for the reds on the oyster bars on the beginning of the incoming tide, and fish for the sheepshead on the second half of the incoming tide.
The backwater bays and rivers hold trout, snook, mangrove snapper, ladyfish, and other enjoyable species. When fishing for snook, it’s hard to beat live baits like pilchards and threadfin herring. Snapper will gladly accept pieces of shrimp, and the ladyfish will eat just about anything you throw in the water.
I have developed a Species Availability Chart relative to the backwater and nearshore areas I fish in the Everglades National Park. You can see it at www.CaptainRapps.com
CaptainRapps@Gmail.com239-571-1756
Hailing out of Chokoloskee Island Park Marina, Chokoloskee, FL
Capt. Rapps has been fishing the Chokoloskee area for just over 20 years. He offers expert guided, light tackle, near-shore, and backwater fishing trips in the Everglades National Park, and is happy to accommodate anyone from men, women, and children of all ages, experienced or not, and those with special needs. Pete and his professional guides are extremely patient and love to teach. You can book a charter online 24/7. See
Well, it’s a new year and if the fishing is as good as it was in 2012, we’re all in for a big treat.
For many anglers, fishing colder weather makes the decision to get out of bed and hit the water challenging. However, in many cases the fishing can be very productive with a few key points to focus on.
The months of January and February are great months to literally pick your species to target. Whether you’re a nearshore/offshore angler, or you’d rather stalk the flats for redfish, snook and trout, these two months offer many opportunities.
There are a few things to keep in mind regarding both offshore and inshore. For the offshore angler, it becomes easier to get on a good bite without having to run 20 to 30 miles into the Gulf of Mexico. During the cooler months the Gulf’s surface temperature typically stays in the mid 60s and provides excellent fishing near wrecks, artificial reefs and ledges. The cooler water temps tend to drive the fish in closer to shore with strong numbers of grouper, snapper and pelagics. I like to run to my favorite gathering spot for a couple cast nets full of pinfish and go and drop them down on a knocker rig to pull on some hefty grouper. And on the way out, drive by every crab trap float I see to check for tasty tripletail. Make sure to check your regulations for the seemingly ever-changing grouper limits. That will add some peace of mind when you’re bowed over the side of the boat with another giant gag grouper.
Now, many times the weather won’t allow for much of a run into the Gulf and you need to concentrate on inshore species. Some of my favorites are redfish and pompano during these months. With most winds blowing from the north or northeast, it’s a good idea to find an area that’s a little leeward from the wind. Just keep in mind that with winter low tides and a strong north or east wind, the tides will be much lower than normal. However, you can use this to your advantage. Areas to focus on are sand holes surrounded by grass flats. During these winter low tides the fish tend to get concentrated in those sand holes and with the right presentation, the fishing can be exceptional.
I prefer to use light tackle, such as my Shimano Crucial rod and Shimano Stratic CI 4 reel. A light braided line like 10-pound PowerPro works very well when casting long distances with small artificials or shrimp. I will typically start out using a Slayer Inc. paddle tail on a ¼-ounce jig head and slowly retrieve it through the edges of the sand holes. One clear advantage I’ve found with the Slayer Inc. paddle tail is the range of speed in which it can be retrieved. A slow presentation is key during the cooler months and the paddle tail makes for a good all round wintertime bait.
As for the pompano, the Bomber Nylure jig works great. I choose the ½-ounce model for casting distance and my retrieve consist of sharp snaps of the rod tip to cause the jig to hop erratically. Look for areas with hard bottom, especially areas that have crushed shell. Now, as you might imagine, these key areas will have other inshore species to target as well, such as trout, snook and flounder.
As I wrap up this forecast, I can’t help but think of all the opportunities that await. I encourage you to try different things and different areas. That is how you’ll learn and become even more efficient on your next trip.
Live in the Zone!
Contact Info: Capt. Jay WithersSilver Lining Charters(p) 941 204-2559(w) captainjay.com
The New Year is here and we’re looking at another great winter. Fishing in the west-central region has been especially productive. Trout have taken the forefront as they invade just about every grass flat, and redfish continue to run in great numbers. Sheepshead are starting to move around residential docks, bridges and artificial reefs, and don’t forget about those huge schools of black drum milling around on the flats. Fishing in the New Year will be awesome!
In Tampa Bay we have a great winter fishery. One of my favorite species to target is sheepshead. This is one of the best fighting and eating fish there is and they are plentiful this time of year. They love structure, so you’ll find schools around every other piling and dock. Just look for heavy barnacle growth. One method is to scrape the barnacles with a shovel (this will act as chum), then simply drop your line as close to the piling as possible and hold on. I like to use a 1/8- or ¼-ounce jig head matched with 20-pound fluorocarbon leader. This, tied to your Fins 4-pound PRT main line will be the perfect rig. Artificial reefs are great areas to target, too, and there are plenty throughout the bay.
Trout is another species that’s plentiful in Tampa Bay. Trout like the colder water temperatures and they don’t spook off from artificial baits. Fishing for trout is very simple. Find a flat with healthy grass and good tidal flow, start up tide and just drift. As you drift, make casts with your favorite plug or soft plastic. My favorite rig for trout is a 1/8-ounce Texas-rigged weedless hook and a Z-Man pearl white PaddlerZ. Work your bait according to the depth. Another great set up is a Cajun Thunder with a Z-Man 3-inch ShrimpZ. Just pop the cork and trout can’t resist this technique. One last tool that will help slow your drift on windy days is a drift anchor or sock. Remember to handle trout with extreme care, as they are a delicate fish.
Redfish are also plentiful in the winter. Most of the big, over-slot fish have pushed off to deeper water, but there are plenty of slot fish that hang around throughout the winter. I like to target residential canals and docks. They make great winter homes for redfish and many other species. A tail-hooked live shrimp is a great bait to use. I like to down size my leader to 20-pounds, due to the gin-clear water, and use a #1 Daiichi Bleeding circle hook. A slow approach works best and this is why my bait of choice is shrimp. Artificial baits also work well and you can cover more area in less time. Soft plastics are a favorite of mine and you can’t go wrong using Z-Man JerkZ baits soaked with Pro-Cure bait scents.
Cobia are another favorite of mine in the wintertime. They’re great fighters and can get up to 50 pounds. I like to use live pinfish on a 4/0 Daiichi circle hook with 40-pound leader. Your rod and reel size will depend on the size of the fish you are catching. There are plenty of areas to target cobia, but my favorites are the warm water outflow areas from power plants. Their outflow water holds at a steady 75 degrees all winter, which attracts manatees and rays, and cobia are usually right behind them. Sight casting is a common method or you can anchor up and create a chum slick.
Whatever species you decide to target, with a little planning and patience, you should be in for a great time and good fishing in Tampa Bay. Tight lines!
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Contact Info: Capt. Jason PrietoSteady Action Fishing Charters(p) 813 727-9890(w) steadyactionfishingcharters.com
Outstanding angling opportunities await you in the pristine waters of Southwest Florida. Cooler water temperatures afford boaters in the “bay boat” class and above to target quality offshore pelagics that have moved much closer to the beaches to spend the winter months in warmer nearshore waters. Many of my charters this time of year are within sight of land in the calm Gulf waters, which allows for maximum fishing time and far less boat riding. Dinner fish are abundant, with amazingly tasty table fare like flounder, mangrove snapper, gag and red grouper, tripletail and many others in the nearshore range of 30 to 60 feet of water. Most offshore anglers keep it simple and troll for grouper this time of year. When trolling, my go-to bait when working any of our published reef structure is Bomber Saltwater Grade’s CD 30 in various colors from red/white to their new toxic mullet pattern. For those who prefer bottom digging, it’s tough to beat a conventional knocker rig armed with cut sardines/mullet/ladyfish, squid or live pinfish.
Nearshore angling is also exceptional during the winter months. Most days are mild and very pleasant while chasing Florida game fish. Expect lower than usual bay/backcountry tides with this edition of GAFF, due to the winter north/northeast wind patterns, so a good GPS/chart combination is a great idea if you are new to the area or visiting.
Targeting grass flats with scattered sand holes is the primary method of success for locating a myriad of species like trout, redfish, flounder, and others. I like to work the perimeter of each sand hole with Bomber’s Paradise Popper popping cork, with a live shrimp or scented soft plastic. Also, on those windy days, don’t forget about the “old faithful” sheepshead. They taste great and are likely to feed on any old dock or structure using a simple jig head with shrimp combination. The water will be much clearer and cooler than usual and slowing down your presentation of artificials will do the trick to entice a strike. Trout and cruising redfish are the primary wintertime inshore species, and it’s not uncommon to catch 100-plus fish onboard the Tail Chaser Charter Boat. Fishing is great – come on down.
Tail Chaser Tip: New technologies in the rod/reel industry should make you consider upgrading your equipment this year. My clients are thrilled that I recently outfitted my boat with PENN’s Battle series reels (4000-6000 models), mounted on their new graphite Legion rods. They are raving about the increased castability, flawless drag system and crushing backbone strength of the new rods. 2012 is going to be a great year. FISH ON.
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Capt. Chris O’Neill owns and operates Tail Chaser Charter Services in Englewood, Florida (The Tarpon Capital of the World). Capt. Chris specializes in shallow-water adventures that put his clients within “tail chasing” distance of tarpon, goliath grouper, sharks, redfish, snook, etc. From April through August, it is not uncommon to hook a Boca Grande Pass tarpon in the morning, a 400+ pound goliath grouper before lunch, then end your day with a 500-pound bull shark. August through March offers world-class, shallow-water, backcountry fishing for snook, tarpon, tailing redfish, and plenty more. Capt. Chris is the founder and co-host of SW Florida’s No. 1-rated “live from the water and in-studio” syndicated radio show (Reel Saltwater Outdoors), broadcasting six days a week. The show has become a big hit for SW Florida anglers that want to get a real-time snapshot of what’s biting and how to catch them. His sponsors include: Bomber Saltwater Grade Lures, Pure Fishing, PENN, Ingman Marine, Gasparilla Marina, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Buchans Landing Resort, Freedom Hawk Kayaks, Sampan Screenprint and WENG/WSRQ Talk Radio.Contact info:Capt. Chris O’Neill(p) 941 270-7867(w) tailchasercharters.com(e) chris@tailchasercharters.com(w) youtube.com/tailchaserfishing(streaming radio) wengradio.com
It’s a winter fishery here in Southwest Florida, and January and February bring our two coolest months of the year. We normally receive several cold fronts accompanied with high wind. We are now spending a lot of time in the backcountry where we can duck away from the elements.
Do yourself a big favor and keep an eye on your tide chart because we have some extremely low tides around both the full and new moons during both months. If you get caught in a -.5 low tide that you did not anticipate, it could ruin your day! Be extra careful with the morning low tides Jan. 7-12 and 19-25, as well as Feb. 4-10 and 17-22. Wind direction affects the tides dramatically. A north or east wind will make the tide lower and longer than expected as it blows the water out and delays its return.
The days when the fronts are absent, the sun is shining, and the thermometer gets up into the mid-70s can be awesome fishing! Daytime air temperatures average in the mid- to upper-70s in January and February, while water temps average about 66 degrees.
The shallow grass flats are alive with trout, bluefish, ladyfish, jacks, Spanish mackerel, and pompano. You can use many different types of artificials on the flats for all of these guys. Among my favorites are DOA jerk baits and shrimp, both in root beer color. You can also use 3/8-ounce bucktail type jigs tipped with a very small piece of shrimp.
The oyster bars hold sheepshead and redfish. If presenting natural bait, they both like to eat crustaceans like shrimp or fiddler crabs. Fish for the reds on the oyster bars on the beginning of the incoming tide, and fish for the sheepshead on the second half of the incoming tide.
The backwater bays and rivers hold trout, snook, mangrove snapper, ladyfish, and other fun-to-catch species. When fishing for snook, it’s hard to beat live baits like pilchards and thread herring. Snapper will gladly accept pieces of shrimp, and the ladyfish will eat just about anything you throw into the water.
I have developed a species availability chart relative to the backwater and near-shore areas that I fish in the Everglades National Park. You can see it at www.CaptainRapps.com
CaptainRapps@Gmail.com 239-571-1756
Well, the holidays have come and gone and we start yet another year that will bring us great fulfillment with spectacular fishing opportunities. Starting off the year in the west central part of the state you can expect cooler water temperatures along with more frequent and harsh cold fronts that will make some tough fishing—but if you do a little planning and fishing around a changing barometer, you can have some very productive days.
Trout has to be the most targeted fish during the cooler months of January and February. This is a great time to dust off the artificial tackle bag and start tying up your favorite trout rig. Trout fishing is fun and fairly easy. You just need to find a flat that has healthy grass and good tidal flow. Drifting a flat is a very productive method when fishing trout. (A drift sock will help slow your drift on windy days.) I really like to use soft plastics when fishing for trout and my favorite rig is a Z-Man paddle Z pearl white bait matched with a 1/8-ounce jig head. You can also have good success with a 5-inch Z-Man Jerk-Z with a weedless rig.
Sheepshead are also a highly targeted species and also make for great table fair. Sheepshead can be a tricky fish to catch as they have very hard and small mouths. I’ve found that using No. 1 Daiichi circle hook matched with the adequate amount of weight and tipped with a small shrimp works great. Fishing sheepshead is pretty easy; just find structure. Sheepshead are on just about every dock, bridge, marker or artificial reef in Tampa Bay. You can also find them on the flats around creeks and troughs but they do seem a bit pickier. A sheepshead bite is very subtle, so using a light rod with a sensitive tip matched with some 4-pound Fins Windtamer braided line will help you feel the soft bite.
This time of year will also bring big black drum on the flats that school up in the hundreds. These big beasts will show up roaming the outer flats and bars feeding on shrimp among other crustaceans. Finding the big schools is the hard part, but a stealthy approach will keep the school in place and make for a great day of catching. Shrimp is great bait for black drum, but I prefer artificial baits. I like the root beer color Z-Man Paddle-Z matched with a heavy 3/8- to ½-ounce jig head. Black drum on the flats can be fun and they reach sizes up to 50 pounds.
Cobia and bonnethead sharks are also plentiful in the area around Tampa Bay’s warmer water power plants. This is a great area to go when you’re fishing on the coldest days of the year, as water around that area will stay in the 70s, which draws the fish. I like to use a pinfish or a shrimp suspended under a popping cork and hang a small chum bag over the side to create a scent to draw in the sharks. Both bonnethead sharks and cobia will make for a great fight on those really cold days. Tight lines!
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Capt. Jason Prieto is owner and operator of Steady Action Fishing Charters, Inc. He is a full-time charter captain in Tampa Bay and its surrounding areas. He operates his charters out of a custom rigged Canyon Bay 2470 bay boat rigged with the finest accessories to put you on the fish. He is an outdoor writer for various magazines in the area and is co-host to Outdoor Fishing Adventures on ESPN radio 1040 AM Saturday mornings from 8 AM to 10 AM. Some of his sponsors are Canyon Bay Boats, Power Pro, Daiichi Hooks, Calusa Nets, Ace Trailers, American Premier Rods, and Daiwa.Contact Info:Capt. Jason PrietoSteady Action Fishing Charters(p) 813 727-9890(e) captjasonp@aol.com(w) steadyactionfishingcharters.com
It is sad seeing 'ol 2011 leave...such a phenomenal year of great charters, amazing weather, and so much good luck last year I wouldn't know were to start! The big snook, tarpon, and everything in between chewing like crazy is going to be dearly missed. Unless we roll into 2012 and it rocks even harder!
Locally, we've had a plethora of baitfish and juvenile game fish and it is not too far-fetched to think we may be in for a banner year. Inshore fishing has seen its ups and downs in our area, as the circle of life underwater goes on. Our snook population, which was brought to its knees two winters ago, is now on its strongest rebound I have ever witnessed in my 30 years of being in Southwest Florida. Lots of juveniles in the nursery grounds are showing that our snook are spawning a year.
Wintertime catch and release style will be excellent during the cooler days in January when the sun comes out and warms that black mud bottom of the Caloosahatchee River just enough to wake them suckers up! You can catch these by downsizing your tackle and fishing much slower than normal. Fishing lighter leader like 20-pound Yozuri pink fluorocarbon will help present that light bait perfect in that 30-inchers eyes. I love fishing light bucktails tipped with shrimp, which allows me not only to target snook but nearly every other species of carnivorous fish in saltwater. It's such a good all-around bait for the cooler months so don't be afraid to hop that jig so slow that it may rest motionless on the bottom for a couple of seconds before hopping it again!
With seatrout coming back into season I'm sure a lot of y’all will be targeting them for the broiler, and there’s no better time than on our cool mornings. Big trout love cool, calm mornings to go out and feed on top. Fishing soft plastic jerkbaits in pearl white on the surface or a Rapala Skitter Walk is all you'll need. Just know that only one of your keeper trout in the box can be over 20 inches, because this time of year you'll be catching plenty of oversized ones!
Our inshore redfishing will continue to be sweet on our better tides with evening negative low tides being best for tailing fish. Texas rigged shrimp fished on 15- to 20-pound leaders will knock out these spooky shallow water fish in any conditions. Fishing from Chino Island to Pineland Marina with these northeast winds we will be experiencing for a couple of months will help you find shelter from the wind and plenty of fish.
If you find those super-slick calm days and want to shoot offshore, don't think about it, just do it. Fishing in our Gulf for all of our bottom fish is continuing to be red hot. Big grouper, cobia, and sizeable amberjack can be found on nearly all of our nearshore wrecks and ledges. Keep an eye on our ever-changing ridiculous grouper regs so you aren’t boarded by our friendly FWC officers and find yourself with a hefty fine. It's still pretty awesome to catch a 30-inch gag even if you have to let it go.
With plenty of big mangrove snapper and cobia around it's no problem to bring home dinner. Fishing live pinfish on 50-pound braid is my "go-to" for wreck fishing. This combination works great for working over a big cobia when fishing structure. Whenever fishing wrecks, try to fish in the areas adjacent to the structure rather than trying to drop down right on top of it. If you can get those big predators to pull of the wreck a few feet before hooking them, you have a much better shot at getting them to the boat. With our insane springtime fishing around the corner, it’s time to get out there and warm up the tackle and go fishing – because in South Florida fishing is always good! Tight lines and good times!
Capt. Chris was raised in Fort Myers and is the son of Scott Rush, owner of San Carlos Marine. He grew up in South Florida and the Florida Keys. Experienced in all of SW Florida’s waters as a backbay and offshore guide, Chris runs his business simply by word of mouth. Word spreads quickly when your customers are boating 20lb+ snook and landing 100lb+ tarpon on fly. Chris has the patience to provide advice and coaching for everyone from children to CEO’s. Chris spends more than 280 days guiding and fishes 20+ tournaments annually.Born and raised in SW Florida, Capt. Lacey is a 4th-generation native. She learned how to swim before she could walk and could shoot a spear gun before she could read. Lacey is an experienced diver and spearfisher with hundreds of hours spent underwater. She has spent her life operating boats up to 35’ in some of the toughest conditions. Her hard-working spirit, good ‘ol southern hospitality and values are what you’ll love about fishing with Capt. Lacey! Rush Charters can accomodate up to 6 anglers on their offshore boat, 1-4 on their Ranger bay boat, and as few as 1-3 anglers on their Ranger flats boat. With both captains, they can accomodate parties of up to 8 customers. Come experience the RUSH of a lifetime with Rush Charters! Contact Info: Capt. Chris & Capt. Lacey RushRush Charters(p) 239 482-0193 Office(p) 239 980-1436 Lacey(p) 239 229-5388 Chris(w) rushcharters.com
Just today, as I was sitting down to write this forecast, the phone rang and a potential customer called to ask for information on fishing in September and whether or not it was a good time of year to bring his son down to fish. Then he asked if anything was in season… I just had to think to myself, what's not in season?It isn't just a good time of year to be fishing - it is freaking spectacular! Over the years I’ve found myself enjoying fishing in the fall almost more than any other time of year. Our numbers of just about every fish species we catch are high in September and October. Our inshore fishing will be rocking, especially for the big, knarly, spawning redfish. When our reds are schooling up to spawn, their hunger level will be at its peak of the year. Catching these fish on artificals, especially topwater, is your best bang. Reds can be pretty rad this time of year, because "most" of the time they are really eager to eat. You'll find these fish on the edges of flats during falling water and up on top of the oyster bars on high tide in southwest Florida. Snook fishing will continue to be boiling hot up until we get those northernly fronts pushing there nasty selves down upon us warm-weather-lovin’ folks. If you want to yank one out of the mangroves, pitch a live pilchard. This time of year we like to load up on lots of bait so we have the ability to really lay the chum on hard. Before it cools off those bruisers will be easy to spot as they start smashing chum on the surface. Mixed bags of trout and pompano can be caught on the flats along with Spanish macks. Look for the balls of glass minnows along the beaches that we get this time of year, and in those pods you'll find the silver kings still happy to put on a show for our customers. These big girls are still around throughout the fall and can be targeted with much success. Offshore fishing will be on like crazy with grouper season poppin' open in September, so we can start thinning out these overpopulated tastey little critters. I hate to guarantee anything in the fishing world, but a limit of gags is as good of a guarantee as we can give anyone on a charter. We are just seeing so many of them around while fishing and spearfishing that we feel super confident on an amazing year for them. Fishing for these pit bulls on 50-pound PowerPro and a hand-sized pinfish will do the trick everytime. Along with grouper, cobia and permit will still be found in great numbers on some of the sweet offshore numbers we have out there. With such a variety of extremely good fishing to be had, southwest Florida is the place to be as the high-pressure systems start to stir up north. Come book a trip with us and get ready to fall in love with early fall!Tight lines and good times,
Capt. Chris & Capt. Lacey Rush
Capt. Chris was raised in Fort Myers and is the son of Scott Rush, owner of San Carlos Marine. He grew up in South Florida and the Florida Keys. Experienced in all of SW Florida’s waters as a backbay and offshore guide, Chris runs his business simply by word of mouth. Word spreads quickly when your customers are boating 20lb+ snook and landing 100lb+ tarpon on fly. Chris has the patience to provide advice and coaching for everyone from children to CEO’s. Chris spends more than 280 days guiding and fishes 20+ tournaments annually.
Born and raised in SW Florida, Capt. Lacey is a 4th-generation native. She learned how to swim before she could walk and could shoot a spear gun before she could read. Lacey is an experienced diver and spearfisher with hundreds of hours spent underwater. She has spent her life operating boats up to 35’ in some of the toughest conditions. Her hard-working spirit, good ‘ol southern hospitality and values are what you’ll love about fishing with Capt. Lacey! Rush Charters can accomodate up to 6 anglers on their offshore boat, 1-4 on their Ranger bay boat, and as few as 1-3 anglers on their Ranger flats boat. With both captains, they can accomodate parties of up to 8 customers. Come experience the RUSH of a lifetime with Rush Charters! Contact Info: Capt. Chris & Capt. Lacey RushRush Charters(p) 239 482-0193 Office(p) 239 980-1436 Lacey(p) 239 229-5388 Chris(w) rushcharters.com
September and October are two great months to fish the Everglades National Park. In September, daytime air temperatures will average around 91 with water temps hovering around 86. In October, daytime air temperatures will average around 87 with water temperatures around 81. Typical to our summer months, your best opportunities will be early in the morning until the sun really heats things up. I, for sure, will be wearing my signature Coolibar hat to shade the hot sun! By lunch time the bite will drop off drastically. We still get early day storms, which will cool things off a little and produce a late-afternoon/early-evening bite. October will bring a much welcomed cooling trend, which will help prolong the bite throughout the day.
We are seeing some fantastic schools of large live bait pour into the area. The influx of bait is nature’s way of telling the fish that it’s time to fatten up because believe it or not, fall is on its way. If live bait is your thing, the large thread herring and big pilchards are here and they are following the tides. They will be close to the shorelines at high tide, and will be out just a little deeper during the low tides. Look for them around the Indian Key and Picnic Key areas. In a lower tide, go off shore just a little to find the tide line. Look for the birds and you will be rewarded with the best bait around. If you cannot get on the bait in a reasonable amount of time, look for some nice 4- to 6-inch finger mullet near shore for some fantastic snook candy.
Snook are around in good numbers. The big mommas are feeding on a good-moving, out-going tide around the outside barrier islands. They will begin their annual move to the inside this time of year, and can also be targeted around the “close in” back waters, before heading way back in the late fall. Try those live baits for your best numbers. Artificials are always fun and Gulp shrimp, DOA Baitbusters, and a good topwater plug will produce. Snook season will open again, but remember how many fish were killed in the big freeze last winter. I personally saw entire bays of dead, belly-up snook in January. We hope everyone will be releasing even the slot-size snook to help build up our stock over the next few seasons. There are plenty of other good-eating fish out there!
The trout are around the shallow grass flats in good numbers. The key to catching them is to hit your favorite spots the last hour or two of the incoming tide. Most of your bites will happen in the 3- to 5-foot depth range. They will hit artificial baits just as well, if not better than some live bait. I prefer a 3/8-ounce bucktail jig that has a little flash in the hair. If you have some shrimp, put a real small piece on the jig hook and the smell will drive the trout insane. Also, try a popping cork with a live shrimp or a DOA shrimp, or in calm waters, nothing beats the explosion of a topwater strike.
The fall is one of our best times of year for consistent reds. To some, there is no better sight than a school of tailing reds on an oyster bar. I prefer to fish for them with live pilchards or thread herring, either naturally on a circle hook, or under a popping cork. Live shrimp work well under a popping cork, too. Of course, many artificials are equally as good. I really like a Gulp new penny shrimp on a 3/8-inch red jig head, or a gold Johnson spoon. Shark are around the shallow flats and river mouths in big numbers. We are catching a good amount of bull, black tip, lemon, nurse, bonnethead, sharpnose, and spinner sharks. Any cut bait or larger live bait will work great. I especially like to use mullet or ladyfish. Hook your bait up to an 8/0 circle hook, tied to about 4 to 6 feet of 80-pound wire leader, let your line out and hang on. When they are around, it won’t be long until you have a customer! Other fun targets are around feeding on all of the live bait in the area. For some drag-screaming action, you can usually get into some nice schools of mackerel, bluefish, larger jacks, and ladyfish on jigs or live bait.
Hailing out of Chokoloskee Island Park Marina, Chokoloskee, FL, Capt. Rapps has been fishing the Chokoloskee area for just over 20 years. He offers expert guided, light tackle, near shore, and backwater fishing trips in the Everglades National Park, and is happy to accommodate anyone from men, women, and children of all ages, experienced or not, or those with special needs. Pete is extremely patient and loves to teach. You can book a charter right online 24/7. See his online availability calendar, booking info, videos, recipes, seasonings, and first-class website at www.CaptainRapps.comContact Info: Capt. Pete RappsBackwater Fishing Charters(p) 239 571-1756(w) captainrapps.com(e) pete@captainrapps.com
Tampa Bay and its surrounding areas offer miles of backcountry and shallow water flats that provide excellent light-tackle inshore fishing. Going into the months of September and October, weather starts to cool things down. With mild weather brings cooler water temperature, good water clarity and better shallow water fishing. You will also see cold fronts on a more frequent basis, which brings wind and high pressure. Preparing and planning a few days ahead will always help increase your catches. Going into September one of the first things that comes to my mind is snook. Although we are still recovering from the devastating snook kill from last year, we are starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. More fish are being seen and caught in Tampa Bay and it will only get better as we go through yet another spawn cycle. This is a transition month for snook as they are on a post spawn and getting ready for fall. During the hotter part, which is the beginning of September, fishing for snook can be challenging. Water temps are still very high and they are coming off their spawn. I have always had better luck fishing toward the latter part of September and going into October. This is the time frame where fish go from their summer patterns to fall. Good places to fish during this time frame are the outer flats and troughs. Live greenbacks are my favorite bait to throw for snook. A frisky greenback with a Daiichi 1/0 tied to 25-pound Ohero fluorocarbon leader will be a deadly combination. As you get into the later part of fall, redfish are one of the hot topics in the Tampa Bay area. Although redfish are here year round, October is the best month. You will see vast schools of fish on various flats milling around in search of whitebait, pinfish, shrimp, and crustaceans. Since redfish are spooked easily you will have to use a stealthy approach, light braided line and a good long cast (Fins 10-pound Windtammer is my preferred line). Fishing mangrove lines and oyster bars will be a good choice on a high tide. As the tide begins to fall you want to move to deeper flats, potholes, and troughs as fish, too, will move there when the tide falls. As weather really starts to cool down, you will notice the trout action will heat up. This is when I like to use artificials'. Find a flat with good tidal movement and healthy grass and you should be able to catch some nice trout. Using a 1/8-ounce jig head and your favorite soft plastic baits is a proven technique. One trick I recommend for trout is stepping your leader size down to 15-pound Ohero fluorocarbon. This always increases my strikes. Going into the fall months only one thing is certain, no matter what species you target, you will have a good fight and there are plenty of options. There are still schools of mackerel around the markers and artificial reefs, and shallow-water grouper fishing inside the bay on ledges and good hard bottom is always fun. A few tarpon will also be hanging around in the river mouths leading into the bay. Let’s face it; fishing right now is some of the best of the year.
Captain Jason Prieto is owner and operator of Steady Action Fishing Charters, Inc. He is a full time charter captain in Tampa Bay and its surrounding areas. He operates his charters out of a custom rigged Canyon Bay 2400 bay boat rigged with the finest accessories to put you on the fish. He is an outdoor writer for various magazines in the area and is Co Host to Tampa Fishing Outfitters Radio on ESPN radio 1040 AM Sunday mornings from 7am to 9am. Some of his sponsors are Fins Braided Line, Daiichi Hooks, Calusa Cast Nets, Z Man Lures, Tampa Fishing Outfitters Tackle Shop and Daiwa. Contact Info:Capt. Jason PrietoSteady Action Fishing Charters(p) 813 727-9890(e) captjasonp@aol.com(w) steadyactionfishingcharters.com
Fall fishing in southwest Florida provides some of the best in-shore and near-shore opportunities available in the state, especially if you enjoy fishing with artificial bait. I particularly enjoy throwing big topwater plugs at schooling fish, and this edition of GAFF offers the best opportunities to make that happen.
In my opinion, it is truly hard to beat getting on the water at sunrise and “walking the dog” with baits like Bomber’s Badonk-A-Donk 4-inch topwater plug, and watching it explode as the fish comes up and smashes it. Patience is the key to successful topwater action, and it pays to cover a lot of water to find the best fish.
Hordes of redfish and snook will be found schooling throughout the estuary, and are eager to feed as they chase the abundant bait pods that have flooded the area. Fish around the outer perimeter when targeting bait schools to find the largest feeding fish.
If you enjoy fishing with live bait, now is the time. Baitfish like pilchards and various sardines are easy to find and catch with a net. The water remains warm, so keeping plenty of aeration and not overloading the well is important to preserving fresh, lively baitfish. Throwing handfuls of wounded pilchards towards your target area is a great way to find fish. Chumming up an area with this method, then throwing plugs or a fly once they begin feeding, provides incredible artificial lure action. With the abundance of bait in our area in the fall, sometimes they need a little “coaxing” to begin feeding, and techniques like this work very well.
Our nearshore Gulf waters will be wide open with a myriad of gamefish to target. Football field-sized schools of bait will be found from one to three miles from the beach and you’re guaranteed to find fish feeding voraciously throughout the water column. Bonito is at the top of my list, followed up by large Spanish mackerel when fishing the beach in early fall.
After one of the best tarpon seasons Boca Grande Pass has seen in years, tarpon continue to roam our waters, and it’s not uncommon to encounter rolling fish from the US41 and I-75 bridges in upper Charlotte Harbor at sunrise, or in the pristine shallow bays of Bull and Turtle throughout the day. Artificials' like DOA’s Baitbuster work well, but it’s tough to beat a large threadfin hearing or pilchard freelined ahead of the schools.
Giant Goliath grouper are also found in huge numbers, and are feeding heavily in preparation for their migration offshore when the water cools. Many GAFF readers have booked with me to chase this Volkswagen bus-sized fish, and this edition continues to shine with opportunities to catch this challenging mammoth species that averages from 100 to 500 pounds.
Fishing is exceptional this time of year. I invite you to take a look at my website and all of the exciting videos, then make plans to visit our area this season to see what “Old Florida” is all about. FISH ON.
I am very fortunate to live and fish daily in the epicenter of the world’s best tarpon fishing hole during this edition of GAFF Magazine. So far, this year’s tarpon bite has been the best we’ve seen in years, and it’s expected to get even better through June. Daybreak begins onboard the Tail Chaser Charter Boat in awe as endless pods of 100 or more of these beautiful fish surface and gulp air in and around the pass as the sun rises in the background over the east side of Charlotte Harbor. Most of our outstanding readers have seen television shows featuring the spectacular tarpon fishery Boca Grande Pass has to offer, but rarely do you see the outstanding action that occurs throughout the day along our Gulf beaches from Boca Grande north to the Keys of Sarasota. The majority of my June tarpon charters play out along the beach, sight casting live crabs or threadfins from the tower of my versatile 24-foot Pathfinder bay boat. There are many advantages of fishing along the beach, but having an entire pod of well over 100 tarpon all to yourself is serene and truly hard to beat. The key to finding and hooking up with a beach tarpon is patience. Using a trolling motor along with getting ahead of a migrating school and turning off the big motor cannot be stressed enough. Another great tip is to use multiple slip corks freelined around the boat when you have tarpon schooling in the area. Hanging live baits around the boat under the corks with 8 feet of 60-pound fluorocarbon leader and a 7/0 Mustad Demon circle hook is a deadly technique when chasing the giant silver king.When not in pursuit of tarpon, my typical summer day begins guiding guests to countless snook under dock lights and area bridges well before dawn. Many anglers enjoy fishing under the stars without the heat and hazards of the sun. Night fishing is what I call “easy fishing,” typically producing 50 or more snook in two or three hours of sight fishing to mobs of hungry snook. Tying up to private docks and making excessive noise is a no-no, so be smart and you will have a great time catching lots of fish. Pitching live pilchards into the feeding frenzy zone is great fun and the easiest way to catch countless snook in this setting. Work lures and live baits utilizing the flow of current and work them from the shadow into the light, just as it would naturally present itself. While the majority of our local captains are on the hunt for tarpon, the pristine backcountry waters in our area are left alone to the fish. Translation: no pressure equals world-class, early-morning inshore fishing for big snook and redfish. It is not unusual to steer my guests into a backcountry honey hole on the way to Boca Grand Pass and throw a Bomber Saltwater Grade Badonk-A-Donk topwater lure as the sun rises. The sheer exhilaration of witnessing a big push of water and a giant snook or oversized redfish blasting the world’s best topwater lure into the air is extremely hard to describe. Cast the Badonk-A-Donk lure in their vicinity, give it a twitch, twitch, walk-the-dog and it’s FISH ON!Besides the aforementioned world-class fishing opportunities, we have a multitude of other species to target. It simply does not get any better than this folks.If you are on the hunt for “WOW” fish, this is the time. If you are considering a charter, I invite you to visit my website at www.tailchasercharters.com or give me a call (941) 270-7867.
May and June are here and the water temperatures have finally warmed up into the upper 70’s to mid-80’s, and summer fishing has begun!The snook have moved out of the backcountry where they were hanging out all winter. You will see them in the river mouths and nearshore island areas. Fish for them on the outgoing tide with artificials like DOA TerrorEyz and Gulp shrimp, or try some live bait like finger mullet or pilchards.Redfish are around in good numbers and all of those little “rat” reds we have been catching all winter are finally reaching 18 inches. They will gladly accept live bait like pilchards, threadfin herring, and shrimp. Also be sure to try a Gulp shrimp on a weighted jig head. Look for reds around oyster bars, especially during the last part of the incoming tide.If you get out to the shallow wrecks, look for larger schools of permit. They will happily feed on small live crabs, artificial crabs, and jigs. Cobia are available on the same wrecks. Bring a few live finger mullet out to these guys for a little drag screemin’ fun!The flats are alive with speckled trout this month. Drift grassy areas in the 3- to 5-foot depth range on the incoming tide. Try bucktail type jigs tipped with a small piece of shrimp for some fast action. Also try all types of soft plastic jigs, spoons, and top water plugs. Trout will happily hit live baits like shrimp and pilchards.Tarpon have arrived and can be found on the nearshore flats and river mouths. I like to fish for them with live baits like mullet, ladyfish, and large pilchards or threadfin herring. I use a larger circle hook like an Owner 7/0 or 8/0 depending on the size of the bait, tied to 6 feet of 50-pound fluorocarbon leader, with 40- or 50-pound braided line on a Baitrunner spinning reel. When a Tarpon takes your bait, grab the rod, point the tip directly at the fish, click the reel into gear, and hang on! Remember to keep the tip pointed at the tarpon as it jumps. This allows the fish to peel drag as it flies out of the water. I used to say “bow” to my clients when they hooked up, but I recently had a customer run to the front of the boat with the rod bent in half as the fish jumped, which tore the hook out of its mouth. He thought I wanted him on the bow of the boat, and did what he thought I was asking. Now I just say “point” to the fish.
A question that I’m pretty sure I answer even more than, “How deep is it here?” is, “When are the best months to go fishing around here?” And like a broken record, I say May and June. Without fail these two months are the absolute best for targeting just about every single species of fish we have swimming in our local waters. The tarpon and snook spawn goes into full swing, which is the start of some red-hot fishing.Our precious snook fishery is on the rebound, and the big old tough female Caloosahatchee River snook are still around and fattening up to spawn! The resiliency of our fishery never seizes to amaze me. Mother Nature always seems to fix whatever problems, natural or unnatural, we throw her way. With the onslaught of tarpon season in full swing, Capt. Lacey and I are so very happy to report that our silver kings look fat and happy, even after their migration through the Deep Horizon disaster! These fish surely encountered the mess in the Gulf, and from all signs on my end, they migrated unscathed. We are sticking a lot of fish this year (and plan to keep sticking through May and June) on small ladyfish and mullet. Dropping these baits on the outgoing tides near our bridges and passes equals dynamite on the poons. You know what we like about poons and full moons? Well, full moon night fishing has been phenomenal for these fish. They let their guard down at night as the boat traffic subsides and the fishing pressure relaxes. Daytime fishing for redfish will be excellent, especially with so many folks targeting poons. The flats will have less boat traffic, and having a pristine morning of chasing tailers without getting blown out is more of a possibility. Warm water means these fish will be willing to really smash plugs, and fishing top water Yozuri lures is just about as much fun as you can have with the copper-clad crab crunchers. Keeping an open mind and game plan is always smart in the late spring. You can be chasing reds in the morning and poons at noon on the beach, as long as you make sure to pack the right tackle. The rod lockers in my Ranger Cayman 191 are packed this time of year with everything ready to go, from light tackle to tackle capable of whacking big Goliath grouper under structure. With the inshore bite being so good, we forget how rockin’ the offshore fishing is. We can finally justify the $500 bills in fuel now that we can bring home some grouper nuggets! These fish are ever so thick around all of our offshore structures. Catching a limit of gags shouldn’t be a problem, especially if you have a few hot numbers in the 20- to 40-foot range. Dropping a buck tail tipped with a live sardine is going to be your best bet in tempting that grouper to bite. Be ready for that big cobia, too. June is my favorite month to have these big, hard-fighting fish come up in the chum slick. Keeping a live eel or two in the well from Shack Baits at Punta Rassa will help you get that hard-to-bite cobia in the box! Good luck to all y’all this spring and may all your tarpon dreams come true. Watch for Capt Lacey’s world record tarpon on fly coming this June. I’m feeling it this year, baby. Women’s 10-pound tippet record is going to be yours!
Fishing has gotten off to a great start this year. Weather has been good and back to normal. Although the snook population is still way down, I think they are starting to make a nice recovery. Our trout fishery is as good as I’ve seen it with fish on just about every flat. Redfish numbers are also as strong as I’ve ever seen and should only get better. This time of year is one of the best! There are so many species to catch and the weather is also great! Now is the time to go fishing.You can expect to see the snook fishing really take off going into the two best months of the year. My favorite bait is greenbacks, aka, snook candy. Snook cannot resist a frisky greenback under a popping cork or on a freeline. Remember, the water is still clear so use 3 feet of 25-pound fluorocarbon leader and a No. 1 Daiichi Bleeding circle hook. Another method that works really well when the weather starts to get really hot and the snook start to slow down is cut bait. This is one of my favorite ways to target snook when the heat arrives. Remember, snook season is closed until September in our region. Practice a good release! Make sure to revive the fish correctly. Redfish are also in full swing this time of year. There are huge schools milling the flats in search for all types of food. Using a stealthy approach is a must. Most fish have been caught a time or two, so you really have to be quiet and stay as far away as possible. This means you need to make a long cast, so braided line is a must. I like to use the 6- to 20-pound Fins Wind Tamer. This will enable you to make long casts so you can stay back away from the fish. Cut bait is my favorite bait, but if you want to use an artificial, you can’t go wrong with the DOA shrimp. Trout are also a great species to target. They make great table fair and slot limits are between 15 to 20 inches, so it’s easy to catch keepers. They are easy to catch on both artificial and live bait. Trout are fairly easy to target and they don’t seem to mind a little bit of noise from the boat. This is a great fish to target with young kids. My personal favorite bait is the 4-inch DOA CAL matched with a 1/8-ounce jig head. Locating a grass flat with good tidal flow is a great place to start. Potholes, troughs, and creek mouths are all productive trout spots.Tampa Bay is a great area to target the shallow-water grouper. There are multiple artificial reefs, ledges, fish havens, and lime rock bottoms throughout the bay. Live bait is my preferred method for grouper. A simple knocker rig or even freelined bait will work well, depending on the water depth and tidal flow. Another proven method is trolling the edges of the shipping channels with stretch 25 or 30 plugs. You can also use a downrigger or plainer.Tarpon is our last species we’ll be targeting during May and June. Most bridges and passes will be holding good numbers of fish, and you can find pods swimming the beaches. My favorite baits for tarpon are the pass crabs that flow in and out with the tide. You simply net the crabs with a long-handle net as they flow out of most passes. Big pinfish and threadfins are also good bait and are a little easier to find. Heavy tackle is a must. I like 6 feet of 80-pound fluorocarbon leader with 50-pound Fins PRT Braided line. Remember that tarpon are catch-and-release and make sure you take your time when reviving these fish, especially the big ones. Tight Lines!
Gin-clear water and stealthy, shallow water fishing is the name of the game in the Charlotte Harbor Estuary this time of year. Wade fishermen and kayak anglers have a definite advantage when stalking easily spooked species during the winter months. January and February offer wonderful fishing opportunities, but plan your outings between cold fronts that typically occur every four to five days in southwest Florida. Your best bet is to be very familiar with your local weather forecaster and try your luck just before or shortly after a front blows through. The next two months will also give us many days of negative tide conditions that require additional consideration when planning locations for your trip. Also, days with excessive north/northeast winds lessen the water depths in our bays considerably, sometimes as much as one foot less than mean low water.Wading to your favorite sand hole is a great way to find concentrated redfish during these cooler months. Once you learn how to fish the ultra-low winter tides, you will find that it’s much easier to find fish. Of course, the need for a skinny-water boat or kayak factors into the process. I typically use cut sardines, shrimp or plugs this time of year. I especially like to throw the new Bomber Saltwater Grade Badonk-A-Donk SS (slow sinking) lure when fishing open, shallow-water flats. This life-like, rugged little lure is capable of withstanding incredible jaw-crushing strikes without component failure, enabling my clients to not only attract a strike, but more importantly, fight and land the fish. Don’t forget about trout and sheepshead. The winter and spring months put these two fine-eating fish in the cooler on most days. Sheepshead will take up residence near coastal dock structures in preparation for their spawn. I like to use the smelliest frozen shrimp I can find to get sheepies to bite. Use a 1/8-ounce Chartreuse long-shank jighead, tipped with the frozen shrimp. Fish vertically along structure and prepare to lose plenty of bait to these snaggletooth thieves. Tail Chaser Tip:Fish leeward points and passes on windy days. Fish the muddy-bottom shorelines of Bull and Turtle Bays to find warmer water. These areas provide sanctuary to wintertime snook and redfish. Trout can be found in the 4- to 6-foot depths along most grassy flats, primarily in and around the isolated sand holes. -----Capt. Chris O’Neill owns and operates Tail Chaser Charter Services in Englewood, Florida (The Tarpon Capital of the World). Capt. Chris specializes in shallow-water adventures that put his clients within “tail chasing” distance of tarpon, goliath grouper, sharks, redfish, snook, etc. From April through August, it is not uncommon to hook a Boca Grande Pass tarpon in the morning, a 400+ pound goliath grouper before lunch, then end your day with a 500-pound bull shark. August through March offers world-class, shallow-water, backcountry fishing for snook, tarpon, tailing redfish, and plenty more. Capt. Chris is the founder and co-host of SW Florida’s No. 1-rated “live from the water and in-studio” syndicated radio show (Reel Saltwater Outdoors), broadcasting six days a week. The show has become a big hit for SW Florida anglers that want to get a real-time snapshot of what’s biting and how to catch them. His sponsors include: Bomber Saltwater Grade Lures, Pure Fishing, PENN, Ingman Marine, Gasparilla Marina, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Buchans Landing Resort, Freedom Hawk Kayaks, Sampan Screenprint and WENG/WSRQ Talk Radio.Contact info:Capt. Chris O’Neill(p) 941 270-7867(w) tailchasercharters.com(e) chris@tailchasercharters.com(w) youtube.com/tailchaserfishing(streaming radio) wengradio.com
January and February bring us our two coolest months of the year. We normally receive several cold fronts accompanied by high winds. For instance, on January 11th of last year, the temperature got down to 32 degrees accompanied by wind gusts to 22 mph. February 11th was not much warmer at 42 degrees with wind gusts at 26 mph. Because of this, we spend a lot of time now in the backcountry where we can duck away from the elements.Keep an eye on your tide chart because we have some extremely low tides around both the new moon and full moon during the months of January and February. If you get caught in a -.5 low tide that you did not anticipate, it could ruin your day! Be extra careful with the morning low tides January 1st through January 3rd, and the 17th through the 22nd. The same goes for February 1st through February 3rd and the 16th through the 18th! Wind direction affects the tides dramatically. A north or east wind will make the tide lower and longer than expected as it blows the water out and delays its return.The days when the fronts are absent and the sun is shining and the thermometer gets up into the mid 70s, can produce some awesome fishing! Daytime air temperatures average 77 degrees in January and 76 degrees in February. Water temperatures average 66 degrees both months.The shallow grass flats are alive with trout, bluefish, ladyfish, jacks, Spanish mackerel, and pompano. You can use many different types of artificials on the flats for all of these guys. Among my favorites are DOA jerk baits and DOA shrimp, both in root beer color. You can also use 3/8-ounce buck tail type jigs tipped with a very small piece of shrimp.The oyster bars hold sheepshead and redfish. If presenting natural bait, they both like to eat crustaceans like shrimp or fiddler crabs. Fish for these guys on the oyster bars during the upper end of the incoming flood tide.The backwater bays and rivers hold snook, mangrove snapper, ladyfish and other fun to catch species. When fishing for snook, it’s hard to beat live baits like pilchards and threadfin herring. I’ve had great results using HighRoller brand top water lures like the original HighRoller or RipRoller in greenback or shad patterns. Snapper will gladly accept pieces of shrimp, and the ladyfish love jerk baits and buck tail jigs.I have developed a Species Availability Chart relative to the backwater and near shore areas where I fish in the Everglades National Park. You can see it at: www.CaptainRapps.com Tight lines, and remember to make someone giggle today!
Capt. Pete Rapps hails out of Chokoloskee Island Park Marina in Chokoloskee, Florida, and has been fishing the Chokoloskee area for over 20 years. He offers expert guided, light tackle, near shore, and backwater fishing trips in the Everglades National Park, and is happy to accommodate anyone from the novice to the hardcore seasoned pro. Pete is extremely patient and loves to teach. See his online availability calendar, booking info, videos, and first-class website to learn more. Contact Info: Capt. Pete RappsBackwater Fishing Charters(p) 239 571-1756(w) captainrapps.com(e) pete@captainrapps.com
Thank you Poseidon. You may have kicked our butt last year, but not this year! I may be going out on a limb here, but since we haven’t had cold weather, hurricanes, fire or floods as bad as we had it for the last eight years, I am predicting we are on an upswing! As bad as losing 85 percent of our snook population, along with a lot of other flats species due to the cold snaps of 2010 was, we here in Fort Myers remain as resilient as ever… despite the last few year’s economy, terrible hurricanes, “Charley” in general, and let’s not forget billions of gallons of oil leaking into our fragile ecosystems! Other than all that minor stuff, our area has remained as strong as ever. Some businesses are limping and some folks may not have money for a fishing charter, but that doesn’t mean the big ol’ grouper and snook are taking a break! Our area still remains strong with healthy grass beds, lively mangroves and beaches teaming with baitfish and predators big and small! This winter has been great for inshore and offshore species. Fishing the near shore wrecks during our winter months can be awesome. Mangrove snapper up to five pounds and hard-fighting cobia will still be able to be targeted in between our winter blows. The days following our cold fronts give us beautiful east winds, which give us leeward island fisherman a break! Fishing will be great from Sanibel Island to Boca Grande Pass. Big gator trout will be done spawning and will be ready to start fattening up! We catch a lot of big trout in shallow water, mainly in sand holes in 3 to 5 feet of water, fishing with live pilchards and Gulp shrimp on a popping cork. Early morning and late evening is when you have the best chance of catching a monster trout. Nice redfish can be found tailing on January’s low tides from Panther Key to Wood Key in Pine Island Sound. These flats hold lots of nice redfish this time of year that can best be caught with a sly approach, whether that be wading or push poling a boat into position! Fishing lightweight baits on 10-pound PowerPro and 20-pound fluorocarbon leader will help you present the baits to the fish before they know you’re there! I would recommend a Texas-rigged shrimp and a young lad on the polling platform pushing you through Pine Island Sound as your best bet these next few months. The flats of Pine Island Sound and Sanibel Island are truly a fisherman’s paradise. Whether it’s with RushCharters or another fishing guide service in Fort Myers, I encourage everyone to come experience the awesome flats of Southwest Florida! The oil leak has been capped and the fishing is great. Y’all need to come fish with us; offshore, inshore and everything in between is going to be fun! I hope y’all stay warm during this harsh, cold winter here in Southwest Florida with its 80-degree weather and white, sandy beaches and fish that are begging to be caught! -----Capt. Chris was raised in Fort Myers and is the son of Scott Rush, owner of San Carlos Marine. He grew up in South Florida and the Florida Keys. Experienced in all of SW Florida’s waters as a backbay and offshore guide, Chris runs his business simply by word of mouth. Word spreads quickly when your customers are boating 20lb+ snook and landing 100lb+ tarpon on fly. Chris has the patience to provide advice and coaching for everyone from children to CEO’s. Chris spends more than 280 days guiding and fishes 20+ tournaments annually.Born and raised in SW Florida, Capt. Lacey is a 4th-generation native. She learned how to swim before she could walk and could shoot a spear gun before she could read. Lacey is an experienced diver and spearfisher with hundreds of hours spent underwater. She has spent her life operating boats up to 35’ in some of the toughest conditions. Her hard-working spirit, good ‘ol southern hospitality and values are what you’ll love about fishing with Capt. Lacey! Rush Charters can accommodate up to 6 anglers on their offshore boat, 1-4 on their Ranger bay boat, and as few as 1-3 anglers on their Ranger flats boat. With both captains, they can accomodate parties of up to 8 customers. Come experience the RUSH of a lifetime with Rush Charters! Contact Info: Capt. Chris & Capt. Lacey RushRush Charters(p) 239 482-0193 Office(p) 239 980-1436 Lacey(p) 239 229-5388 Chris(w) rushcharters.com
What a year 2010 was. We have seen record-setting cold temperatures that would kill more snook than ever before, the worst oil spill in US history and one of the most inconsistent weather patterns I have seen for some time. But through all of that, we’ve had some of the best fishing I’ve ever seen in the West Central area and I look for 2011 to be even better.As we enter the New Year, cold weather and fronts are the main obstacle. The key is to plan your trips around them by fishing on days with a moving barometer. Mix this with good tides and you will have some great fishing. Sheepshead are one of the most targeted fish as they move into Tampa Bay to spawn. Sheepshead can be a bit tricky to catch, but they are great fighters. I like to use a 1/0 Daiichi bleeding hook with a 3/8-ounce egg weight. Sometimes you can use less weight depending on tidal flow and water depth. When you’re looking for good areas to find sheepshead, just look for any type of structure. Artificial reefs are great places to start and are easy to locate. Docks and bridges are great as well.Trout is another species that I love to target this time of year. Just about every grass flat is holding good numbers of trout. I like to use artificial baits when fishing for trout; you will be able to cover more ground in less time. Soft plastics are my favorite type of artificial bait, specifically the 4-inch DOA CAL baits matched with a 1/8- to 1/4-ounce jig head. These have proven to be super rigs for trout. Live shrimp under a Cajun Thunder is also a great way to go. Good areas to start are potholes, channels in a grass flat and creek mouths. Fishing around good tides will also improve your chances of catching fish. You will find the best tides of the month around your new and full moons. If you’re a night fisherman, then you really want to fish around the full moon. Remember, if you’re in the North Region, trout season is closed, but the South Region will be open. Redfish are another species that is plentiful in the later winter months. Most of your rivers, creeks and docks hold lots of redfish. Most reds are relatively small, but occasionally you will find some big breeder fish. Docks are a great area to fish for reds in the winter. I like to use a live shrimp under a free line, or if the dock has deeper water, add a 1/8-once split shot. Since you’re fishing around structure, you need to have the right tackle for the job. This is where braided line is a must and will be the difference between catching and loosing the big redfish. I like to use the 10-pound FINS Windtamer braided line. Whatever species you decide to target, plan your trips around the tides and weather, and practice some of the techniques mentioned above—and you’ll find yourself doing more catching and less fishing!-----Capt. Jason Prieto is owner and operator of Steady Action Fishing Charters, Inc. He is a full-time charter captain in Tampa Bay and its surrounding areas. He operates his charters out of a custom rigged Canyon Bay 2470 bay boat rigged with the finest accessories to put you on the fish. He is an outdoor writer for various magazines in the area and is co-host to Outdoor Fishing Adventures on ESPN radio 1040 AM Saturday mornings from 8 AM to 10 AM. Some of his sponsors are Canyon Bay Boats, Power Pro, Daiichi Hooks, Calusa Nets, Ace Trailers, American Premier Rods, and Daiwa.Contact Info:Capt. Jason PrietoSteady Action Fishing Charters(p) 813 727-9890(e) captjasonp@aol.com(w) steadyactionfishingcharters.com
This time of year is why we live and fish in Florida. Cool evenings and pleasantly warm days offer the perfect mix for angling adventures in our region. Our inbound flow of seasonal residents is in full swing, resulting in plenty of great new inventory and energy in our local bait and tackle shops. Without a doubt, this is the best time for backcountry, bay and nearshore fishing in Southwest Florida.Thousands of hungry, oversized, migratory snook that survived last winter, have staged in the rivers and backcountry estuaries seeking warmer dark-bottom waters and a food source to hold them over for the January and February cold snaps. Our mature snook stocks faired well against last winter’s record cold temperatures and we are expecting a full recovery of the fish we did lose. Snook are very aggressive and eager to take live and artificial baits. I’m throwing Bomber’s new Saltwater Grade Badonk-A-Donk SS (slow sinking) lure in natural mullet or pinfish colors until mid morning on a 7-foot Ugly Stick medium-heavy rod, rigged with Penn’s Battle BTL 4000 reel, spooled with 30-pound Spiderwire Invisibraid. This deadly combination is guaranteed to handle tackle-busting oversized snook and redfish. Please handle snook properly, avoid lip-holding devices and perform a quick pic, revive and release.November is redfish month on all of my charter boats. Big oversized reds are abundant and motivated to chew in open water sand holes. Try rigging a live pinfish on a 4/0 Owner light wire circle hook with a small split-shot placed 3 inches above the hook. Another Tail Chaser tip is to trim the pinfish’s tail in half, which will slow him down. Redfish are generally lazy and will always strike wounded bait first.To complete our Charlotte Harbor Slam, spotted sea trout are everywhere. The 4-inch Badonk-A-Donk topwater lure in silver mullet or citrus scale colors will wreak havoc when targeting upper-slot trout. The low pitch frequency emulates our local grunt baitfish population and triggers vicious strikes when you walk-the-dog across open water grass flats. Try a slower twitch-twitch-pause, walk-the-dog retrieve and hold on when the lure gets blasted out of the water right before your eyes.Nearshore voyages provide world-class opportunity fishing. Head out of your nearest pass and keep your eyes open for diving birds or boiling water from the huge schools of migratory bonito or Spanish and king mackerel that are feeding on football field sized schools of bait. Beef up your tackle and bring light wire for leader to prevent unnecessary loss of gear, especially with toothy mackerel. Targeting and hooking bonito is not difficult, but fighting them is a different story. Be prepared for long runs and a tough fight!For the most up to date SW Florida fishing information, tune into my syndicated “live from the water” Reel Saltwater Outdoors Radio Show daily, or in studio on Saturday’s via live-streamed Internet at www.wengradio.com. Monday through Friday at 7:25 a.m, or Saturday’s from 12-2 pm. Archived podcasts of each 2-hour Saturday show are also available on the website. As I get the latest Tail Chaser Charter Boat (24’ Pathfinder Tournament Edition w/custom tower) on plane in search of skinny water sight fishing opportunities, I smile and say to myself, “Fish on, fish on.” Make plans to visit our area to see what “old Florida” is all about. We offer affordable waterfront lodging with dockage, so grab the kids and come on down.
Capt. Chris O’Neill owns and operates Tail Chaser Charter Services in Englewood, Florida (The Tarpon Capital of the World). Capt. Chris specializes in shallow-water adventures that put his clients within “tail chasing” distance of tarpon, goliath grouper, sharks, redfish, snook, etc. From April through August, it is not uncommon to hook a Boca Grande Pass tarpon in the morning, a 400+ pound goliath grouper before lunch, then end your day with a 500 pound bull shark. August through March offers world-class, shallow-water, backcountry fishing for snook, tarpon, tailing redfish, and plenty more. Capt. Chris is the founder and co-host of SW Florida’s #1 rated “live from the water and in-studio” syndicated radio show (Reel Saltwater Outdoors), broadcasting six days a week. The show has become a big hit for SW Florida anglers that want to get a real-time snapshot of what’s biting and how to catch them. His sponsors include: Bomber Saltwater Grade Lures, Pure Fishing, PENN, Ingman Marine, Gasparilla Marina, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Buchans Landing Resort, Freedom Hawk Kayaks, Sampan Screenprint and WENG/WSRQ Talk Radio.Contact info:Capt. Chris O’Neill(p) 941 270-7867(w) tailchasercharters.com(e) chris@tailchasercharters.com(w) youtube.com/tailchaserfishing(streaming radio) wengradio.com
Yeehaw! The fall fishery is finally here in the Everglades National Park, as November and December roll in with cooler air and water temperatures that we haven’t seen since last spring. One of my favorite things about fall is we aren’t as focused on the eminent doom of afternoon thunderstorms that the summer months brought. Daytime air temperatures will average around 83°F in November, and 78°F in December. Water temperatures will average 73°F in November, and 68°F in December.Schools of large bait typically flood the shallow near shore waters, making morning bait gathering the quickest and easiest this time of the year. The pelicans have migrated back into the area to take advantage of this big bait run, so just keep an eye out for them working the bait pods of 4- to 5-inch pilchards and threadfin herring. If you are into fishing with live baits, prepare your cast net by soaking it overnight in a 5-gallon bucket of water with 1/2 cup of fabric softener added to it. It is a cool trick that will bring the net back to life and make the monofilament lines softer and more limp, which will make it easier to throw and open. Be sure to thoroughly rinse your net out with fresh water after the soak.If throwing the cast net is not for you, more good news is here. The tiny 1-inch long summer shrimp are gone, and the bait shops are now being supplied with nice 3-inch shrimp on a regular basis. I like to take some of these along for the ride on every trip. I either use the shrimp as live bait, or cut them into pieces to tip my jigs.Redfish are here and you can fish for them using a variety of ammunition—both artificial and natural. Try live shrimp or pilchards under a popping cork on the outside oyster bars or grassy shoreline areas, preferably on an incoming tide. As far as artificials go, get yourself some Cotee Liv’ Eye jig heads along with Glitter Shad bodies. I like the 3/8- or 1/2-ounce red heads, and combine them with the green/red lake bodies. Tie them to 3 feet of 20-pound fluorocarbon leader, tied to your 10- to 15-pound braided main line.Snook season remains closed, however you can still target them strictly for “catch and release” as they work their way into the back country for the winter. You want to fish for them in the back bays and rivers where the water is moving. You can target them on an outgoing tide as they stealthily lay on the eddy side of the points where the water is flowing, waiting for a snack to roll by. Use some of those live pilchards for a treat they can’t refuse. As far as artificials go, I like to use a 4.25-inch High Roller “RipRoller” Greenback lure. You want to use 40-pound fluorocarbon leader tied to 20-pound braided line. Other regular targets for November and December are:Spanish mackerel: These toothy little buggers will hit just about any jig, lure, or live bait you throw at them. Be sure to use a light wire leader.Pompano: These tasty little devils are coming into the shallow flats and cuts. Use a short-tailed jig tipped with a tiny piece of shrimp.Sheepshead: These little convicts are beginning to head inshore for the winter. They will find it hard to turn down a live shrimp on a small circle hook.Spotted sea trout: The season is closed November and December for these guys, so cross them off your food list. Tight Lines, and remember to make someone giggle today!
With massive fish kills due to the oil spill and the freeze of 2010, which killed off more than half of our snook population, one would naturally think that with less than a year to recover from all this devastation the fishing in south Florida would be pretty rotten. Well, here at Rush Charters, we’re proud – and a little surprised – to say fishing this fall has been extremely good and continues to get better! Northerly flows starting in mid September helped bring in the fall for us, and kept a large majority of those giant hurricanes out in the Atlantic. All of us on the Gulf coast are very grateful for that! I predict the late fall/early winter fishing will be excellent in the back bays. The redfish populations are exceptional this year, with big schools found on a number of bars and points in Pine Island Sound. Fishing the east wall of Pine Island Sound during these months will help keep you out of the wind when we have those northeasterly flows, and help you spot these schooling fish. Big trout are rocking this year with excellent catches to 30 inches being reported by most all of my fishing guide buds. These fish love eating big soft plastics and topwater plugs. It’s really quite amazing how these fish like to eat big baits. Seven and 8-inch soft plastic bass assassins rigged weedless with a belly weight fished slow and through the turtle grass on the bottom will get you hooked up. With this fall being so nice and stable in terms of the weather, I predict the tarpon fishing will also continue to stay good. Our fall run of tarpon usually likes to stay around till we get some cold blasts from the north. Looking for these schools feeding in the Spanish mackerel frenzies is your best bet. Fish them with medium-sized ladyfish or hand-sized pinfish on at least 40-pound braid and 80-pound Yo-Zuri pink fluorocarbon leader. When the weather allows, we love fishing offshore during November and December. The grouper run is really picking up with lots of keeper gags being caught on ledges and wrecks in 25 to 40 feet of water. Trolling for these fish with 50-pound braid and a Mann’s Stretch 25 in gold will be your best bet. Keep some wire in the boat so when you’re out there grouper fishing and you see those big smoker kings skying through the threadfin schools you’ll be ready! Dropping a blue runner back with a double stinger rig will entice any big king in the area. Good luck to everyone out there this winter and take advantage of the wonderful south Florida fishing we have!
Born and raised in SW Florida, Capt. Lacey is a 4th-generation native. She learned how to swim before she could walk and could shoot a spear gun before she could read. Lacey is an experienced diver and spearfisher with hundreds of hours spent underwater. She has spent her life operating boats up to 35’ in some of the toughest conditions. Her hard working spirit, good ‘ol southern hospitality and values are what you’ll love about fishing with Capt. Lacey! Rush Charters can accomodate up to 6 anglers on their offshore boat, 1-4 on their Ranger bay boat, and as few as 1-3 anglers on their Ranger flats boat. With both captains, they can accomodate parties of up to 8 customers. Come experience the RUSH of a lifetime with Rush Charters! Contact Info: Capt. Chris & Capt. Lacey RushRush Charters(p) 239 482-0193 Office(p) 239 980-1436 Lacey(p) 239 229-5388 Chris(w) rushcharters.com
Well, it’s already the end of the year and what a year it has been. We as anglers have had a lot of obstacles to hurdle this year with the record cold temperatures, oil spills, and economy, among others. The good news is in the west central we have had a great year of fishing and I look for 2011 to be even better as we start to see our snook populations rebound. November and December offer a good variety of fish to catch, but your success will depend on what Mother Nature brings us, as this is the time of year the cold fronts become more frequent and harsh. The key is to fish around the tides and a moving barometer. This will bring you fantastic fishing days.Redfish in November are still holding strong with big schools racing across the flats of Tampa Bay. I like to target most schools on a new or full moon, on an extreme high tide. This seems to be when the fish are active and aggressively feeding. On a full moon, the fish seem to feed more at night. Try to target mangroves and oyster bars with good tidal flow. This will improve your chances of catching the big reds. Since reds are easily spooked, I use ultra-light line to ensure a long cast. The No. 10 Fins braided line will help you make long casts to stay further off the fish.Snook is another great species to target in the later part of the year. As most fish head toward the rivers, they get ready for the winter months. It will not be our normal fall bite as we have had in years past due to the kill we had from the cold, but I suspect there will be some smaller fish hanging around at river mouths, creeks, and docks. They will be in search of greenbacks and that will be my bait of choice. I always use a Daiichi 1/0 bleeding circle hook to aid a safe release. Please remember to handle every fish with care and release it properly. Also remember they are catch-and-release through next year.Trout is another great species to target, and as it gets colder, the trout fishing gets better. This is a great time to break out the artificials. I like to throw jerk baits matched with a 3/0 Daiichi Butt Dragger weedless rig. Trout fishing is pretty easy; just find a grass flat with good, healthy grass and good tidal flow and simply drift across. Once you find an area and you catch one, anchor up and fish that area. More times than not you’ll find there are more fish.Grouper is another species that is really good inshore this time of year. I use a different technique than one would typically use while bottom fishing offshore. In fact, I use a number of techniques and baits. One is used with pinfish. I like to anchor up tide and simply drift the pinfish on free spool so he’ll swim down and eventually swim off the ledge. This will act as a natural presentation as the tide carries the bait past the ledge and the grouper will come out and whack the bait. The other is to use a light weight with a greenback. Still let the baits drift down with the tide, but the weight will assist when getting it to the bottom. The key is to use as light of a weight as possible. Exact weights will vary depending on the strength of the tide. Whichever species you decide to target, I know you won’t be disappointed. This time of year offers some of the best fishing the west central area has to offer. Tight lines!
There's something oh so sweet about early fall-a time of year most people overlook. Summer break comes to a close and school begins again. Weekdays present some of the most serene sights with almost no boats on the water, and seriously, just loads of fish still chewing hard. Along with some absolutely fantastic fishing has come the realization that our snook populations took a nasty hit by Mother Nature. These poor fish are showing up in a few places, and though they aren't completely wiped out, they are still on life support. Hopefully Mother Nature will give them a break this winter-they could certainly use one!
INSHORE fishing for snook is optimal during the low-light hours of the early morning or evening, but especially at night on the full moon. With the strong freshwater releases out of Lake Okeechobee, make sure you continue looking for them on the beaches and on the barrier islands until some cooler weather barges in.
The flats fishing is going to start getting really exciting with our redfish. Early fall is when our copper-clad crab-crunchers bunch up and do there thang! Beautiful balls of schooling redfish can be found on the bars of Pine Island Sound. Approaching these fish quietly and feeding them with a long cast will help you get multiple hookups before the school spooks. A super-fun technique we love to use on these fish when they are really schooled up is to take a Zarra Spook with no hooks and use it to tease up the fish. Once you get the hot feed going, whip a streamer fly right in there behind it. Eight-weight fly rods with a floating line and a tan and white deceiver will do the trick.
Another awesome fish that is still going to be around for several more months is the silver king. These tarpon have stayed in our bays and rivers in huge numbers for an unusually long time and we predict we will be releasing tarpon until late November this year. They've been blasting free-lined finger mullet while we're drifting around the passes on the outgoing tides.
OFFSHORE fishing for cobia and big mangrove snapper are what's for dinner this fall. We have some sweet spots that are really popular with the pelagics. Dropping a hand-sized pinfish on a 2-ounce egg sinker down to your favorite nearshore wreck will no doubt get you bit and doubled over the gunwale in no time! Some of these fish are real jumbos, so fish for them with at least 50-pound PowerPro on a heavy-action rod. They aren't usually known to run to the wreck for safety, but a big fish has a tendency to go deep and do big circles, which means he has a good chance of finding that rigging line on that shrimp boat down there.
On these same wrecks, oversized mangrove snapper to eight pounds can be caught if you're sneaky enough. Fish for them on 20-pound PowerPro with an 8-foot, 25-pound fluorocarbon leader and a small shiner on a #2 hook. Drift it back through the chum line with maybe a few split shots, and tide willing, you will knock them out.
Now that the kids are in school and we are only a few months away from a brutal winter, come look us up for some great fishing and good times with tight lines!
Captains Chris and Lacey Rush