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Venice - Snook Alley - June 28th, 2008
supplied by: Tight Loops Flyfishing
RECORDED: 
90 °
FISHING: Excellent
JUNE 28, 2008
FLORIDA
I’ve been hitting the lights in Venice and Nokomis for snook before heading out to Tarpon Country and the fishing has been superb in those pre-dawn hours!
The snook are stacked up like cordwood, and there’s an incredible amount of bait in the water. Some of my regular clients—such as Dr. Mark Johnson and Mark Goodnight—have had a blast with these aggressively-feeding snook.
The tarpon bite remains quite good off the barrier islands from Captiva all the way north to Egmont Key in lower Tampa Bay. We’re finding them a few miles north of the Venice Jetty along Casey Key.
Some days have been better than others, of course, but there still are plenty of fish milling around. Pinfish and crabs are the food du jour—either artificials or live bait—IF you can find live crabs.
They’re in short supply this year, and bait shops are charging as much as $5 EACH!!!!
I’ve got Mote Marine tarpon specialist Dr. Aaron Adams Monday, then Frank Mariano again Tuesday. He still can’t stop talking about that 19-inch pompano he landed in Sarasota Bay last month.
Let’s hope he can start bragging about the 100-pound tarpon he expects to catch. And, of course it’s always a pleasure to learn more about tarpon from Dr. Adams.
My last trip is scheduled for July 7, then I’ll be heading home and will start guiding Michigan trout anglers on the 11th. Speaking of which…
MICHIGAN
Despite the predictions for more rain, the Manistee, Au Sable, and Pere Marquette rivers are getting back to normal after the torrential thunderstorms during the past two weeks.
Some of the water is still a bit tea-colored, and you DEFINITELY want to stay away from the South Branch for a while longer. But, the BIG NEWS is that Hex have started popping on some stretches of the Mainstream, and are just beginning on the Manistee between M72 and CCC Bridge.
There also are Gray drakes and Isonychias fluttering around, along with the usual cast of caddis, blue wing olives and sulphurs.
With luck, the Hex will still be in the air when I get home. If not, the big browns will start keying in on Hoppers during the daytime—which is actually my favorite time of the year to fish in Michigan. Lots of activity with large fish and gentlemen’s hours!
ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE
The BAD news is that Ghost’s left eye—which has had two serious injuries over the years because she’s absolutely fearless in the field—is acting up again.
Kate has been saddled with putting drops and lotion in Ghost’s eye SIX TIMES A DAY!!!!! Something Ghost DEFINITELY is not thrilled about.
“That dog KNOWS when it’s time for medication,” Kate said, “and she finds every possible hidey-hole to try and escape. It’s been a challenge, to say the least!”
So, I’m making an appointment Monday to take her to Dan Lorimer, who owns Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield. Dan treated Ghost when she poked a hole in that eye a couple of years ago. That’s also where she had her left knee rebuilt.
The GOOD news is that the puppy—year-old Heart—is absolutely crazy about birds. “He’s just plain crazy,” Kate says. “Every now and then his brain just goes sproing! But, he’s starting to settle down a little bit. Gotta remember he’s like an 18-year-old boy.
“Remember what YOU were like at 18, kiddo?”
Uh, let’s not go THERE!
MONTANA
Capt. John’s busy floating the Madison, The Park, and frequently the Missouri. So, if you’ve got plans to head out to West Yellowstone this summer or fall get ahold of Jacklin’s Fly Shop and for Gospo.
Tight Loops,
Capt. Tony
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Venice - Snook Alley - June 21st, 2008
supplied by: Tight Loops Flyfishing
RECORDED:
90 °
FISHING: Great
JUNE 21, 2008
FLORIDA
Tarpon still hold center-stage, as you can well-imagine at this time of year--although fishing the surf along the beaches for LARGE brood snook isn’t far behind in popularity!
It’s been an unsettled season for tarpon, I must admit. We’ve had early morning thunderstorms—like the one that postponed my Thursday trip with Dennis Sandwith and Jim Dalton into Friday.
When we met at the Higel Park ramp the sky was filled with lightning bolts. “Guys,” I asked, “what are you doing tomorrow at this time?”
“Fishing with you!” they replied in unison. Right. And, we did run out of the Venice Jetty after Jim tagged two nice snook, boating one.
Almost immediately after anchoring off Casey Key some tarpon popped up. Shots were taken, but no “hits” were recorded. However, the chop started to build and the boat started rockin’ so I pulled the plug.
We convoyed down to North Port and cruised around the Myakka River. Long on expectations, but short on results. The guys had a lot more shots, but those *%#@*#!!!!! fish wouldn’t even suck down a live crab!
Go figure! Ah, well. We’ll keep plugging away at ‘em.
There are Spanish mackerel off the beach, too. And redfish in Lemon Bay are big and hungry. In fact, I’ll be poling those flats Monday morning with Jim McGinnis and his brother.
There are some pompano around, too, and some really fat sea trout are cruising the grass flats.
MICHIGAN
Water levels are still high, so most folks are stripping streamers hoping to entice some large brown trout into making a mistake in the tea-colored water.
Reports are favorable if water levels and flow start to drop, but forecasts are calling for more rain this week. There have been brown drakes, mahoganies, sulphers and the usual caddis on the water.
Hex have “reportedly” been sighted in a few spots, but don’t take THAT ONE to the bank.
It could be a week before any REAL Hex show up. In fact, I’m likely to “Hit The Hatch” when I get back to Michigan just after the 4th.
Speaking of which, check your schedule and get with me for Hopper or Hex fishing. Don’t forget, July and August hopper fishing produces some of the finest daytime angling of the year on the Au Sable and Manistee rivers!
ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE:
“BONEHEADED PUPPY!” was the header on Kate’s message to me this morning. Here’s what she had to say:
“Okay--so the dogs come in from their bedtime walk, and Heart, bounding up the steps, leaps into his accustomed crate. Seeing that Ghost wanted to get in there, I told Heart to go to the other crate, which he did. Then, for some reason, before I could close the door to Ghost's, the puppy leaped back across the bed and got into the same crate with Ghost.
“I think I stood there frozen for a split second before the dustup started. Felt like an eternity.
“Lemme tell ya, that crate was rockin' and rollin'. Lots of snarling and whimpering. Now that I think about it, it reminded me of Sarge and Beetle Bailey going round and round--I can just see all the stars and exclamation points and clouds of dust!
“Once I got them quieted--and I don't remember how I did, except to keep saying That's enough, that's enough, it's okay--we reached a standoff. Heart was huddled in a back corner of the crate, Ghost in front. I tried to get her to come out, but she didn't want to turn her eyes away from him. I know that she wanted him to leave first, but of course that just wasn't physically possible. I think if he could have evaporated himself through the wire, he would have.
“All I could think to do was to go get a Mr. Patterson (ed. note: Meaty Bone biscuit) to lure them out. I brought it up, sat on the bed, and kept saying Okay, it's alright now, everything's okay. I certainly was not about to stick my hand in there to grab Ghost. Even in pandemonium, I'm not that dumb.
“There was no further snarling or whimpering while I went downstairs; I think Heart was afraid to even breathe at that point.
“Finally, after a fair amount of soothing talk, Ghost tentatively wagged her tail and then finally came out, followed by Heart, who shot over to the other crate.
“Calm now has been restored. Doesn't appear to be any blood or any injuries; just a lot of sound and fury.
“Ever since Ghost reclaimed that crate several days ago I have tried to remember to close the door on that one while they're out for their bedtime walk, to avoid scenes like this. However, being a busy mom, I can't always remember every detail.
“So now the question is, will Heart have learned that's no longer his bedtime crate, or will he still try to get in there?
“Stay tuned for the next exciting episode!”
Later, Kate reported “Pals Again: They’re playing together out in the pen.”
WHEW!
Boneheaded Puppy is RIGHT! Jumping into the crate with Ghost was NOT a smart move—which Heart now FULLY realizes!
MONTANA
Haven’t heard from Capt. John, but he’s rowing the rivers out west so give Jacklin’s Fly Shop a call if you plan to head out that way this summer.
Tight Loops,
Capt. Tony
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Venice - June 12th, 2008
supplied by: Casey Key Anglers & Outfitters
RECORDED: 
90 °
FISHING: Excellent
June 2008 Fishing Report
It’s Tarpon Time!!!!
Tarpon- Tarpon season is here! The tarpon bite has been very good so far and excluding the weekends not alot of boat traffic. The tarpon are all up and down the coast right now. For live bait, pass or blue crab on a circle hook has been producing. Tim O’Brien from Venice landed his first tarpon off Casey Key on a pass crab while fishing with shop manager Kevin. Captain Jamie has reported good mid morning success on dark color flies off the beaches south. Dark and bright color toad flies and other flies that ride high in the water column have been producing. Use your trolling motor sparsely and take your time setting up. 12wt fly rods with floating and sinking lines for the fly guys. Heavy spinning rod with 250-300 yds of 30 or 40lb braid rigged with 60 or 80 lb fluro leader to a circle hook for the spin guys.
Snook- Beach snook fishing continues to pick up. Shop regular Steve Sudia shattered his 8wt this week on a big snook off Caspersons beach. The small snook have been going for small baitfish patterns on a 2 or 4 hook size, and the big snook for big flies in the 1/0 range. Spin guys cannot go wrong with a skitterwalk, 17mr in halo chart. , doa shrimp and jigs. Night snook action will still be hot all summer, especially around the full and new moons. Baitfish flies will be the ticket. Manasota and Caspersons Beach will be a good place this summer.
Trout- Wow! What a difference a year makes! The trout have made a great comeback following the red tide of a few years past. Thanks to everyone who caught and released trout! It made a big difference. Nice trout over 20” have been caught around the Venice area, something we could not say in years past! Top water flies early in the am or pm, chart. And white clousers over the grass flats have been working very well. Skitterwalks, Topdogs, 17mr in halo chart. Have been working well for the spin guys.
Reds- While beach snook fishing, keep your eyes out for big redfish mixed in with the snook. Shop Manager Kevin ran across a big school of bull reds mixed in with big snook on the northern end of Casey Key.
Best Of The Rest- Pompano and ladyfish are off the beach. Stacy Adams from Venice caught a nice pompano on fly off Casey Key while beach snook fishing.
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Venice - May 24th, 2008
supplied by: Casey Key Anglers & Outfitters
RECORDED: 
88 °
FISHING: Great
MAY 24, 2008
FLORIDA
What a madhouse the past two weeks have been!
Steve Sendek, DNR fisheries biologist for the Grayling area, and steelhead guide Vince Bode drove back to Venice with me from Michigan on May 10.
Yep. We did it—drove straight through in 23 hours, zonked out for three hours and went fishing the afternoon of May 11.
The wind definitely was not kind to us during the four days they fished with me. We saw plenty of tarpon in the Myakka River (THAT name’s going to pop up a LOT in this report) with many, many shots and three “grabs.”
The guys still had the mindset of using the “Yankee Trout Lift,” though, and took the flies away from those tarpon immediately. Much to the anguished wails of Mr. Bode, who has a personal vendetta against the elusive Megalops atlanticus.
That was on Monday.
Tuesday we started to run outside Stump Pass but immediately turned back. Seas were WAY too rough. Steve and Vince had a field day on the flats in Lemon Bay, though.
We lost count of how many fish—and how many different species of fish—they caught. Both really focused upon using the strip-strike, though, instead of the YTL.
Wednesday produced some dandy snook under the lights in the early morning hours, but once again the wind wouldn’t let us get outside.
After a welcome day off, Tom Ladimir and Wally Hedman joined me once again. The Myakka was as flat as a pool table and we expected it to be crawling with tarpon in the 25 to 70-pound class.
Brother, were we wrong! Absolutely nothing showed. Zip. Zilch. Not a wriggling fin anywhere in sight.
So, I Bugged Out. Stump was still too rough, but the guys said what-the-heck, let’s go catch SOMETHING. So, that’s just what we did!
Frank Mariano and wife Diane met me at the Thompson ramp on Longboat Key just before noon on Monday, and we scoured Sarasota Bay. Stuck one here, stuck one there, stuck yet another one over yonder.
The highlight of the trip was Frank’s 18-inch pompano, which dragged him around Bishop Point for quite a long time before I finally could slip the big, long-handled “Manly” net underneath it. He had been pretty pleased with the 18-inch trout he’d caught a while earlier, but that pompano made his day.
“Great day,” he said when we parted company. “I’ve never hooked a fish as strong as that pompano. What a thrill!”
The next day I was more of a counselor than guide for Shane Smetak. He’d called me the previous week lamenting the fact that “I can’t catch any fish down here in Florida.”
“Back in Illinois, I can catch smallies all day long. Down here I get bites but I never hook anything. Eight hours I’m out there, and I don’t hook up. It’s frustrating.”
We agreed to take his boat, and I’d observe and consult.
The most evident issue, as Shane had warned me, was his 26-foot
T-top center console boat. Perfect for cruising the family offshore with its twin 225s, but hardly suitable for inshore flats fishing.
When we stopped for bait, I examined Shane’s gear. It was equivalent to shooting jackrabbits with a .418 Rigby! WAY too big. So, we bought some size 1 hooks and a dozen live shrimp and headed up the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).
I pointed out a couple of spots where he could fish, then we cut into a small bay that’s been kind to me over the years.
As God is my Judge, with his gear downsized to proper tippet and hook sizes, Shane caught a fish on his first cast! A lizardfish, true, but an actual fish that was brought aboard and released.
There soon followed several ladyfish, and finally a very respectable 18-inch trout before the black clouds and lightning drove us off the water.
“Wow!” he said. “I can’t believe my gear was too big. I actually thought you were going to tell me it was too SMALL.
“I read everything I can, and watch all the cable shows. They all say big bait for big fish, so that’s how I geared up.
“You sure proved THAT wrong!”
Shane eliminated his major issue last week, though. He found a flats skiff at a reasonable price, so NEXT week we’re going to get it properly rigged and then go fishing. His days on the flats definitely are destined to become a lot more fruitful and relaxing.
My ophthalmologist, Mark Johnson, went up the ICW with me the following day, but the fishing was tougher than I anticipated despite the perfect weather. We hooked a couple ladyfish and trout, but the redfish and snook just wouldn’t come out and play.
Mark’s a true Workaholic, though, so ANY time he gets to spend on the water fishing is a joy to him.
Frank Boiteau and Dan Ferraris each assaulted the Myakka with me on Thursday and Friday, respectively. Both had a lot of shots at tarpon. Especially Frank, who had a grab but wasn’t psychologically ready and never set the hook.
It was one heckuva boil, though! That tarpon sloshed the water right next to the boat like he was thrashing around in a bathtub.
Naturally, Frank beat himself up the rest of the day.
Dan, on the other hand, was frustrated because several really good shots were completely ignored by these regal Silver Kings. And, with good reason. I mean, one pod of poons were barely more than a rod-length from the boat but completely ignored the fly!
Have I ever mentioned that I hate fish?!?
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Venice - May 4th, 2008
supplied by: Casey Key Anglers & Outfitters
RECORDED: 
83 °
FISHING: Great
MAY 4, 2008 MICHIGAN I brought Kate, Ghost, and Heart back to Michigan last week and what a whirlwind it’s been! I spent the first two days getting the house put back together—removing vizqueen window coverings and installing screens; sweeping up thousands of dead ladybugs and flies (somebody please tell me where the duece they COME from!); cleaning out the garage so I could get to the riverboat for yesterday’s float trip. You know—“fun stuff.” Next came the vehicle days—a spring tuneup for Kate’s Jeep to make sure it’s running right during the next two months that I’ll be chasing tarpon (more on that in a minute), then a new blower motor for my Tahoe. Tomorrow, it’s the setters’ turn. Spring Tuneup time for Ghost—who’ll be 11 years old on the 15th—and Heart—who’ll be 11 MONTHS old on the 13th. If Kate lets him live that long! This puppy is SOME piece of work! Absolutely EVERYTHING has to be tasted, tested, torn, dragged through the house, and generally given a thorough examination. In fact, one of the first things I did when we got back to Deward was “Puppy-Proof” the house. For instance, I have the December 11, 1941 edition of the St. Louis Post -Dispatch “WAR EXTRA” proclaiming war on Berlin and Tokyo—among many other old newspapers. PRESTO! Up into a closet until the pup’s curiosity settles down. He’s gonna be one heck of a bird dog, though! He’s very intelligent, watches everything Ghost does, and is quickly focusing in on his field commands. By the time grouse season opens Sept, 15, I think he’ll be just fine! OK—back to the fishing! Did a float trip down the Au Sable yesterday with Jim Sansoterra and his son, Mark. Originally from Detroit’s Grosse Pointes, Jim retired to San Jose four years ago. Mark, who followed Dad into the investment banking business, is in downtown Chicago “and I only fish once a year, so bear with me.” It had rained hard the previous two days, so the river was swollen and tanic. Perfect streamer conditions, although we did get a pretty fair smattering of Hendricksons and black caddis just before we pulled out at McMasters Bridge around 4pm. No rises, however. Which was very unfortunate, since Mark finally had “dialed-in” his casting stroke and was tossing a pretty nice line. Weather forecast is so-so for the next few days. Fishing Tuesday, though, then again Thursday with Mark Noel and his dad. I think we’ll hit the fly-only water between M72 and CCC Bridge. With luck, the water will be dropping by then (unless the weather-pukes get it right and we get more rain Tuesday and Wednesday) and we’ll do the dry-fly thingy for which the Manistee is so famed. Without luck, it’s Streamerville! FLORIDA Capt. John’s been having shots at a lot of tarpon, but to use National Football League jargon most of his clients had the PUP problem—Physically Unable to Perform. “They just couldn’t make the cast,” he told me a few minutes ago. “We did run up into the Myakka River, and back into a little creek by the West Wall and caught some baby poons in the 15 to 20-pound class and they were cool with that. “We also got some huge snook along the West Wall (the head of Charlotte Harbor where the Myakka meets the Peace River flowing in from the East), and caught redfish and trout in the Myakka Cutoff (behind Hog Island). “We got into some really big snook under the lights early in the morning, so the guys were pretty happy. “There were a pretty fair number of poons in Gasparilla Pass early in the morning but we never hooked up on one. Saw some hookups, though.” I talked with Capt. KO after getting off the line with John, and he told me that Lemon Bay—as it has been most of this season—has been excellent. “There are large schools of big redfish cruising the Bay,” he said, “but you’ve gotta hunt ‘em. They keep moving north and south, east and west. But when you find them, brother it’s great! “There are tarpon offr Manasota Key. Again, you’ve gotta look for them. But the pods hold a hundred or more fish. And they’re eaters.” “Another thing nobody’s talking about very much are the little tunny (false albacore) that are hanging around Boca Pass (The Battleground). Guys have been coming into the bait shop, where I work part-time, talking about it. “Throw anything that’s white and you’ll be into fish. These guys said they caught tunny till their arms fell off!” In case you’ve never had the pleasure of hooking a false albacore, these fish truly are a fly angler’s dream come true. I absolutely LOVE ‘em. People always ask me what’s my favorite fish to catch. “Well, tarpon, of course,” I reply. “Then I guess it’s a toss-up between jack crevalle and little tunny.” Both are vicious and voracious—so it’s an absolute bar-room brawl when you get into “poundage” fish. Both run in schools, so you usually hook the proverbial “boatload.” Neither are very edible, so after carefully keeping their very sharp teeth away from fingers, toes (if they slither from your grasp), or other important personal body parts they are gratefully released. The thing that sets them apart is the way they fight once hooked. Jacks are like Rocky Marsciano. They come out swinging and they keep slugging it out with you until somebody simply can’t take it any more. BANG! BING! BANG! Under the boat. Around the trolling motor shaft. Slicing against the trim tabs. Anything to wear out an under-gunned or under-musceled angler. Tunny, on the other hand—well, let me tell you about one that Tom Spence hooked. Tom and his son were down from Minneapolis and it was just before Christmas and they REALLY wanted to fish and the tunny were running just outside Stump Pass. Except the waves were ALSO really running. Tough fishing, but we could see baitfish body parts flying through the air and birds diving and water churning. Except standing still and making a decent was was nearly impossible. Tom was holding onto the poling platform. Not quite green, mind you, but looking a bit “uncomfortable.” Then it happened. A huge school of tunny materialized 10 feet behind the boat, thrashing the water like an out-of-sync washing machine. “Cast, Tom!” I yelled. He did. And a tunny immediately ate the olive-over-white lead-eye fly I’d tied on for him. Within 15 seconds, Tom’s reel was into the backing. One hundred and five feet of Royal Wulff Bermuda Triangle saltwater line had vanished that fast. “Oh, my God!” he said. “I can’t. I mean…I can’t, stop…this fish.” It was like a serious bonefish launching off Contents Key. I threw the Hewes into gear and we gave chase. Tom finally got some fly line onto the reel and looked smug. “He’s done for now,” he said confidently. ZZZZZZZZZZZZ. The tunny had “sounded.” True, were were only in 23 feet of water, but line kept peeling off the reel. Tom kept cranking. “Got him,” he said. ZZZZZZZZZZZZ. The tunny sounded again. And again. And, yes, again. It took 25 minutes for Tom to land that 9-pound, 24-inch fish. I’ll be back in Venice the evening of May 11. Wanna go fishing?
Tight Loops,
Capt. Tony
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Venice - April 11th, 2008
supplied by: Casey Key Anglers & Outfitters
RECORDED:
84 °
FISHING: Good
Tarpon came up! Tarpon went down!
Spanish ate a fly, Spanish went away!
LOTS of nice redfish, though. And BIIIIIGGGGG snook cruising the mangroves in Lemon Bay. I’m talking double-digit-POUNDAGE fish. And the redfish are pretty darn big, too.
Okay. That’s the general overview.
Now for the specifics.
Ever since Capt. John boated a 150-pound poon a bit over a week ago, we’ve been looking and looking and looking.
John Freeland, one of my longtime regulars, was with me off Casperson Beach last week and we SAW some deep fish (down in 21 feet of water), but they wouldn’t take a fly—even on a sink-tip line.
We hooked a couple shark, though, and that was a lot of fun while it lasted—which wasn’t very long, frankly. But one of them ate a 12-inch trout that we’d hooked right NEXT to the boat!!
Neat to see it inhale the trout, swirl and Biiiiiiiiiiiig!!! go away that fast. I guess, in hindsight, the trout wasn’t all that thrilled with the way things went down. Tough when you’re the baitfish in life rather than the top dog!
I fished Jeff Kesling, a dentist from Boise, on Wednesday in Sarasota Bay and we scored a smallish Spanish, some ladyfish, several largish sailcats, and a miscellany of other things.
Since his conference didn’t start for another couple days, he split a trip in Lemon Bay with one of my regular clients, Bill Riccardi, and they had a very nice time catching a lot of different fish.
Especially one respectable redfish out of the several they had shots at—and lost—along with shots at some VERY large snook. This was a Guide’s Workout Day. I poled the boat around the mangroves and docks and oyster bars for a couple of hours, sight-fishing for a bunch of big “Loners.”
Finally, the guys opted to give me a rest, and we drifted the deeper grass flat for trout, ladyfish and a couple small jacks. We ran up to Fork Creek for a while, but it seemed barren. So, we ran back south and hammered a few more fish before it was Game Over.
I took Mark Goodnight and his son, Caleb, out looking for tarpon this morning but Casperson let us down. Sort of.
We didn’t hook any tarpon or shark, but there was a plethora (dontcha just LOVE that word?) of other fish—including a four-pound Spanish that Caleb played beautifully.
I really thought that was the harbinger of GREAT things to come. I immediately envisioned swarms of Spaniards, Kings and bonito literally attacking my Hewes Redfisher. Alas, it was not to be!
Finally admitting defeat, we ran back inside the Venice Jetty and went north to catch a bunch of ladyfish, which Caleb thought was great fun. They caught singles, they caught doubles. We laughed with the easy good humor of a pleasant day of fish-catching.
Mark, a Realtor from Charlotte, and Caleb, a junior at a branch of UNC, are back off to North Carolina Sunday. But Mark, who’s fished with me before (his parents bought a condo on The Island 30 years ago), left with a warning.
“This May, I’m comin’ back for tarpon,” he said. “Plan on it!”
Okay, Mark. I will!!!
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Venice - April 3rd, 2008
supplied by: Casey Key Anglers & Outfitters
RECORDED:
84 °
FISHING: Great
FINALLY!!! (I hope!) The Relentless Winter of ’08 just MIGHT be coming to an end. At least, down here on the Gulf Coast.
Forecasts of 80-degree days, and nights in the mid-60s, should finally keep water temperatures consistently in the mid-to-high 70s. That means the long-awaited migration of Spanish and King mackerel, along with those marvelous bonito, finally will come to beaches near us.
While obviously not as brutal as conditions in the Midwest and Northeast—where snow and ice have battered winter-weary citizens all through March—southwest Florida had its own lingering winter.
Because the water temps kept bouncing up and down like a basketball, every day on the water was an adventure.
In my last report, I wrote of the Harnett Family adventure. Dave and sons Matt and Trevor caught about 75 fish in the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) around Venice and Nokomis in about four hours.
Quite a day, eh?
Since then, results have been up and down.
For instance, Dave D’Angelo and his son, Tom, managed only a couple of snook and a jack crevalle on his night trip with me, and the next day Tony Mollish, his son Tony, and friend Bill Gamber, didn’t fare much better in Lemon Bay. At least, I don’t consider a half-dozen fish a spectacular outing.
On the other hand, two days later—after heavy wind postponed my trip with Jay Ricketts—John Kimpel, Peter Kennedy, and Skip Cutrell nailed a bunch of snook and a few small sea bass.
Three days after that, again after strong wind and rain, Rod Peters, his son Anthony, and HIS wife, Andrea, had a lot of fun boating a pompano that was barely within the 20-inch slot limit, one “rat” redfish, a sheepshead, and a whole BUNCH of ladyfish.
And yes, boys and girls, that means Lemon Bay is back on a hot streak again!
George Elsener and his son “King George” got into a bunch of ladyfish the following day, then Tony Newman, his son Tony (who I nicknamed TJ to avoid confusion), and Jerry Brantner tore up Lemon Bay’s ladyfish. Pompano, snapper, sea bass, and even a sea robin added to the mix.
Lon Sears and his son, Trent, along with pal (I’m NOT making this up!) Rusty Buick didn’t fare so well that evening in the ICW, however.
We were looking for snook—and found them. It’s just that the only three we managed to put hooks into never got into the boat. The one thing we DID land, though, is a VERY weird creature that not even the expert Fish & Wildlife biologists could identify for me!
Perhaps someone has a name to put with this reddish-brown invertebrate that moves along the surface of the water at night by flapping a sort of, well, flap of “skin.”
After a rather merciful day off, I was back in Lemon Bay with George Gernot, who’s married to one of Kate’s oldest and dearest friends, Luci. Longtime readers of these scribbles might remember that last summer Kate, Luci, and another old pal, Diane Ford held their own ??th class reunion.
George dubbed their meeting in Pennsylvania’s “antiques country” the Girls Gone Wild weekend. Well, it certainly wasn’t as wild as the “real” GGW—at least that’s what they insisted when they got back home—but they admitted to have had lots of laughs.
Anyway, Luci was in Orlando for a school administrator’s convention so she arranged a day on the water with me for George. “I don’t care if we even catch a single fish,” George said. “I’m just grateful to be away from the phones, and not listening to the worst aspects of humanity.”
George, you see, is a divorce lawyer!
So, it was with great glee that he lathered his pale Irish skin with a couple bucketsful of SPF45, then reeled in fish after fish after fish.
“Let’s go home,” he finally said. “Luci and I want to take you two to dinner.” And the ribs at Gold Rush, on the Island of Venice, were excellent, I’ll have you know.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of introducing Kiefer (15) and Tierin (14) O’Connor, along with their grandfather, Lawrence O’Connor, to the wonderful art of fly fishing.
Their grandmother, Maggie—who’s also a fly angler—arranged the trip especially for the boys, who are on a 16-day spring break from their studies in Winnipeg.
We spent two hours next to the shop (Casey Key Anglers & Outfitters) casting on dry land before launching the boat at the Casey Key ramp to poke around the ICW.
It was tough going with the fly rods because of the wind, so finally the boys started chucking spin gear and ultimately doubled-up. Tierin ended with one fish on fly and four on spin. Kiefer managed two fish.
Grandpaw Lawrence waved the fly rod around some, but mostly was interested in watching the lads land fish. I’m not sure about Kiefer, but Tierin DEFINITELY is now into fishing.
“We hardly ever fished before,” he said at one point, apologizing for a line snarl that quickly came unsnarled. “This is neat. I’ve caught more fish today than I’ve ever caught in my life.”
And I “caught” a new angler!
photos
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Venice - March 20th, 2008
supplied by: Casey Key Anglers & Outfitters
RECORDED:
83 °
FISHING: Good
Brothers, sisters, in-laws, outlaws, even babes-in-arms trooped down to the boat ramp at Higel Park on the Island of Venice Saturday morning.
All to watch “Dad” (Dave Harnett) get the surprise of his 60-year-old life!
“Hey, Doc,” I yelled, while casually leaning back on the console seat of my Hewes Redfisher 18, with my feet propped up on the casting deck. “You wanna go fishing?”
Naturally, he looked around at everyone. Puzzled by the question. “But in my head, just before you said that, I was thinking to myself—there’s a charter captain waiting for his client,” Dave told me later.
“Sure you do!” I continued. “Because I’m your birthday present. Well, not ME, really. The boat. C’mon. Let’s go fishin’.” At which point everyone broke out in a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
Dave dutifully hopped on board along with his youngest child, Matt (who had booked the trip), and eldest child, Trevor (there are two sisters separating them) and off we went.
Nearly five hours later, they were back at the dock with tired arms and happy smiles. It was mercifully one of those no-brainer days in the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) around Venice.
Without the need to exaggerate one iota I can tell you that the three of them boated 70 fish (“I’d says more like 75,” Matt proclaimed), mostly using the jigs I’d tied using my “Champagne Gobi” fly pattern. You can look it up on the Photo Gallery and New Fly Pattern dropdowns.
But it was such a crazy day that Matt kept hooking fish (they were mostly all ladyfish) even when the jig he was using had been shredded to the point where it was a bare hook.
“They even chewed the red paint off the head,” Matt crowed. “Man, this is unbelievable! I’ve NEVER had a day of fishing like this!”
Ah, the words a guide loves to hear. Especially since Matt continued, “since Dad has the condo here (since 1979), you’ll be seeing a lot of us over the next 30 or 40 years!”
Uh-huh. MORE music to a guide’s ears!
Earlier in the week, Charlie Wells and his son, Bruce, had fun playing with spotted sea trout in Lemon Bay before Bruce had to fly off to London, where he works three weeks out of each month.
“It gets hectic sometimes,” he said, “but London’s a great place and the people are really nice. Except some of the older folks still grumble that us Canadians and you Yanks should still be part of the Empire.
“I don’t hear that from the younger people, but it amazes me to hear the 80-somethings say that.”
He also mentioned that a half-day of fishing in England costs $600USD! CRIKEY, mate! “And finding a place to fish is pretty hard even at that.”
Strong wind forced me to keep Bob Strayton and his son Rob inside Fork Creek for most of our trip the following day, but the snook and snapper co-operated nicely so everybody had a good time.
Bob had planned a trip with me last month with his son-in-law Bruce, but once I got out into Gasparilla Sound the boat was rocking like a yo-yo we went home.
Steve Sherman joined me on his fourth annual outing on Thursday. He couldn’t decide whether he wanted a shot at redfish, trout, and pompano during the day, or snook under the lights. So, we did both!
Steve, who was absolutely THRILLED to get away from the massive snowfall Syracuse has been hit with this winter, met me at 3pm and we headed to Lemon Bay.
After boating a variety of species we drove to Casey Key and dropped the boat into “Snook Alley,” where he caught a very feisty jack crevalle before getting into the snook.
Mike Thomas, who was another victim of mechanical failure (the helm on my steering failed), and then high winds the previous Sunday, brought his pal Ken Ayres along this time and they also hooked a wide variety of fish in Lemon Bay.
Sunday was a lot of fun. My Florida vet, Dean Ebert, brought his 12-year-old daughter, Natasha, in search of redfish. Dean (“I want FOOD”) grew up in Poland, Ohio, not far from my home town of Niles.
Must be that Youngstown Thing. Dean doesn’t see the logic in spending time and gasoline fishing or diving if you’re going to come home empty-handed.
“Now we’ve gotta stop at Publix before going home,” he said as we parted at the Indian Mounds ramp.
“Well, here’s what you do,” I replied. “Take Natasha into the store with you. Get the fish out of the case and toss it to her. That way, when you get home you can truthfully say yep—she caught it.”
Natasha giggled. Dean just smiled.
photos
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Venice - Snook Alley - March 18th, 2008
supplied by: Tight Loops Flyfishing
RECORDED:
80 °
FISHING: Excellent
MARCH 18, 2008
FLORIDA
Brothers, sisters, in-laws, outlaws, even babes-in-arms trooped down to the boat ramp at Higel Park on the Island of Venice Saturday morning.
All to watch “Dad” (Dave Harnett) get the surprise of his 60-year-old life!
“Hey, Doc,” I yelled, while casually leaning back on the console seat of my Hewes Redfisher 18, with my feet propped up on the casting deck. “You wanna go fishing?”
Naturally, he looked around at everyone. Puzzled by the question. “But in my head, just before you said that, I was thinking to myself—there’s a charter captain waiting for his client,” Dave told me later.
“Sure you do!” I continued. “Because I’m your birthday present. Well, not ME, really. The boat. C’mon. Let’s go fishin’.” At which point everyone broke out in a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
Dave dutifully hopped on board along with his youngest child, Matt (who had booked the trip), and eldest child, Trevor (there are two sisters separating them) and off we went.
Nearly five hours later, they were back at the dock with tired arms and happy smiles. It was mercifully one of those no-brainer days in the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) around Venice.
Without the need to exaggerate one iota I can tell you that the three of them boated 70 fish (“I’d says more like 75,” Matt proclaimed), mostly using the jigs I’d tied using my “Champagne Gobi” fly pattern. You can look it up on the Photo Gallery and New Fly Pattern dropdowns.
But it was such a crazy day that Matt kept hooking fish (they were mostly all ladyfish) even when the jig he was using had been shredded to the point where it was a bare hook.
“They even chewed the red paint off the head,” Matt crowed. “Man, this is unbelievable! I’ve NEVER had a day of fishing like this!”
Ah, the words a guide loves to hear. Especially since Matt continued, “since Dad has the condo here (since 1979), you’ll be seeing a lot of us over the next 30 or 40 years!”
Uh-huh. MORE music to a guide’s ears!
Earlier in the week, Charlie Wells and his son, Bruce, had fun playing with spotted sea trout in Lemon Bay before Bruce had to fly off to London, where he works three weeks out of each month.
“It gets hectic sometimes,” he said, “but London’s a great place and the people are really nice. Except some of the older folks still grumble that us Canadians and you Yanks should still be part of the Empire.
“I don’t hear that from the younger people, but it amazes me to hear the 80-somethings say that.”
He also mentioned that a half-day of fishing in England costs $600USD! CRIKEY, mate! “And finding a place to fish is pretty hard even at that.”
Strong wind forced me to keep Bob Strayton and his son Rob inside Fork Creek for most of our trip the following day, but the snook and snapper co-operated nicely so everybody had a good time.
Bob had planned a trip with me last month with his son-in-law Bruce, but once I got out into Gasparilla Sound the boat was rocking like a yo-yo we went home.
Steve Sherman joined me on his fourth annual outing on Thursday. He couldn’t decide whether he wanted a shot at redfish, trout, and pompano during the day, or snook under the lights. So, we did both!
Steve, who was absolutely THRILLED to get away from the massive snowfall Syracuse has been hit with this winter, met me at 3pm and we headed to Lemon Bay.
After boating a variety of species we drove to Casey Key and dropped the boat into “Snook Alley,” where he caught a very feisty jack crevalle before getting into the snook.
Mike Thomas, who was another victim of mechanical failure (the helm on my steering failed), and then high winds the previous Sunday, brought his pal Ken Ayres along this time and they also hooked a wide variety of fish in Lemon Bay.
Sunday was a lot of fun. My Florida vet, Dean Ebert, brought his 12-year-old daughter, Natasha, in search of redfish. Dean (“I want FOOD”) grew up in Poland, Ohio, not far from my home town of Niles.
Must be that Youngstown Thing. Dean doesn’t see the logic in spending time and gasoline fishing or diving if you’re going to come home empty-handed.
“Now we’ve gotta stop at Publix before going home,” he said as we parted at the Indian Mounds ramp.
“Well, here’s what you do,” I replied. “Take Natasha into the store with you. Get the fish out of the case and toss it to her. That way, when you get home you can truthfully say yep—she caught it.”
Natasha giggled. Dean just smiled.
ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE
Heart celebrated his nine-month “birthday” last week. MAN did he celebrate. Of course, that’s really nothing unique.
He bounces off the walls. He jumps over my comfy chair-and-ottoman. He even has been seen using the living room coffee table as a launching pad onto the futon.
Ghost, who I had feared would have long-since shredded this interloper, mostly takes it all in stride. Occasionally, she gets exasperated and head-butts him the way she did when he was a mere pup.
But the FUNNIEST thing is when Heart grabs a sofa pillow or something and Kate tells her, “Ghost! Get him!” At which point she runs over and glares at Heart until he abashedly drops whatever contraband he’s been illegally chewing.
Then she either menaces him for a few seconds, or chases him around the house until he drops onto the carpet and rolls over onto his back.
What makes it particularly hilarious is the fact that he’s now taller and heavier than she is. He even jumps clear over her back when they’re tussling in the back yard. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how long this routine continues.
But those of you who know Ghost are aware that she’ll never back down. Ever.
Well, I’ve got to tie some flies and jigs for tonight’s snook trip.
Tight Loops,
Capt. Tony
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Venice - February 29th, 2008
supplied by: Casey Key Anglers & Outfitters
RECORDED:
75 °
FISHING: Good
YIPPEEEEEE! Sam Povinelli finally got his “food” Sunday morning, thank goodness!
Those of you who are long-time readers of these fishing reports know that Sam and his son, Ron, have fished with me pretty regularly for the past couple of years.
And, beginning with Sam’s 91st birthday present trip, Sam has focused upon one immutable goal each outing: Catching Dinner.
“You better find us some food, Tony,” said Sam, who turned 93 two days before our latest trip, when we met at the Books-A-Million parking lot Sunday morning. “Rose is still mad at you.” Rose is his 88-year-old wife (who also fished with me on her 86th birthday).
His son, Ron, looked at me and shook his head. “You KNOW you can’t win,” he said. HIS son, Ron junior, just grinned.
Well, turns out I DID win. Sort of. With an assist from Ron. Who looked at me and whispered, “You realize I saved your ass!” as we were heading back to the ramp with a just-keeper spotted sea trout and a three-pound bluefish.
See, I had planned on getting some live shrimp for Sam to toss (this was strictly a spin-fishing trip). But although Ron prefers to cast a fly rod, he’s also an excellent spin-angler, and had run over to West Marine for a little tub of the new Gulp New Penny artificial shrimp.
“This something new,” Ron told me, “and I’ve never seen an artificial bait attract fish like this stuff.”
Turns out, he was right. That’s what the guys used, and that’s what caught the various species that we boated—including the two keepers that SAM hooked and landed.
I haven’t heard yet how Rose prepared the bluefish, but Sam assured me that she has a recipe “that’s delicious.”
“Okay, Tony,” Sam said as they climbed off my Hewes Redfisher, “I’ll tell Rose not to be mad at you any more. Maybe you DO know where the (edible) fish are!”
I grinned and looked at Ron. “Want me to dress those fish?”
He looked at Sam, who was slowly walking down the dock, then looked back at me. “Naw! Let HIM clean them.” Just then the bluefish lurched and Ron added, “I just hope it doesn’t BITE him. Neither one of us would ever hear the end of THAT.”
Oh, yeah! Probably the BEST part of the trip was when I walked to the end of the dock to say goodbye to Sam.
"So, you gonna give me a free trip on my hundreth birthday?" he asked with an absolutely straight face.
Ron's shoulders slumped and he shook his head.
I grinned and replied, "absolutely, Sam. And I'll be looking forward to it!"
The day before, Ellen and John Cheesborough, from Raliegh, NC joined me and Ellen had a blast catching snook and ladyfish in and around Lemon Bay. John got in on the act, too.
The only disappointment was that the baby tarpon that hang out in one of my favorite spots decided they didn't want to participate in the day's fun.
Ah, well. Such is the life of a fishing guide.
Yesterday, Jay Tinley joined me in Lemon Bay, intent on catching redfish. So, that’s precisely what we did. Sort of. See, Jay only boated one. But we saw plenty, including a very large one that looked as orange as a goldfish!
There were plenty of BIG snook around the mangroves, too.
After poling the skiff around the shallows for a couple of hours, we went into deeper water and Jay landed trout and ladyfish until I suggested we go look for pompano near Stump Pass.
We only hooked one, but I later found out from one of Englewood’s commercial fisherman (who supplies fresh fish to several area restaurants) that “The Gut” of the Pass was absolutely loaded with Pompano.
We’ve got a harsh cold front moving in that’s supposed to drive daytime temps down into the low 60s, so I don’t plan on getting back onto the water until Saturday.
I’ll be meeting Bob Fanter, from Des Moines, and his son-in-law at the Kingfish ramp up on Anna Maria Island around noon. The air and water should be nice and warm again by then, and the fish should be in an eatin’ kinda mind.
I hope!
Tight Loops,
Capt. Tony
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