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Big snook bite.

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It feels good to finally know the weather is going to be good and the bite steady. The only downside of good weather is with it comes the crowds. But after 25 years in this business, you learn to cope with it. Right now bait and fishing is easy, and should stay that way or several more weeks. I started early again today and arrived on the bait flat at daybreak and was happy to again see an empty flat. I started chumming for the pilchards and seen the telltale flash within minutes, I threw the net and the first throw yielded 100 pilchards all 4 to 5 inches. Those who know know this is “snook candy” and I knew today’s trip was going to be a good one. 

Bait was so easy I moved up my pick up time by an hour, the guys from JSM industries were right on time and off we went. If there was one drawback to the day, it was we would have slower tides than we have been having. But that just meant adjusting where we would fish, I fish areas that have pinch points when the tides are slow as it forces the water to move through the narrower areas. I started on small rock piles that have gaps in them forcing the water through them, we started with a bang, all 4 guys hooked big gator trout on their first baits in the water. The bite stayed steady for about a half-hour until the tide stopped, we then moved into an area I fished yesterday during the incoming and smoked the Trout, Snook, and Jacks. The result was the same today with several more nice trout, and a couple of bigger snook. 

Once the tide got a little higher I ran to a spot I had been saving until I could catch the right bait, and today I had it. We eased in and got set up, I told the guys to be ready there were some big Snook on this flat and be ready to turn them when they hit. It was a spectacular show and looked like someone dropping bowling balls in the water as the big girls were crushing the baits. The first 3 fish could not be stopped, but the next 3 came to the boat, all very respectable fish of 30, 35, and 33 inches. We had some jacks join in the buffet and for an hour the drags got a severe workout from both species.

It was getting close to the end of the day so we started back, I had one more spot in mind on the way. It was a small creek mouth that was always good on high incoming water, we arrived and got set up but the tide had slowed and the bite was good but not what I expected. We ended the day pulling on a few more snook, and some smaller redfish.

I am finally taking a day off tomorrow so myself and my better half Terri can go and look at some hunting land. I don’t take many days off but this time of year the weekends are a zoo on the water, so a lot of times its better to just fish the weekdays. Time to pack the truck and get the boat ready for Sunday!

 

Till tomorrow, tight lines 

Fishing Report – Tampa – New Port Richey – Tarpon Springs

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WOW is all I can say to the fishing I have experienced over the past 3 months! It has been that long since my last report and for that I apologize, but I have literally been on the water everyday since March 20 until about a week ago. Needless I was whooped, especially with most of those 3 months spent doing battle with the mighty Tarpon down in Boca Grande! photo(4)

What a year it was in Boca Grande, there were more fish in the pass and surrounding areas than I have ever seen, and there were very few days that the Tarpon did not want to play. Along with the Tarpon we saw the rejuvenation of the snook population on the beaches and passes of south west Florida. They are not back completely but with the state keeping them closed for one more year at least, we are going to have a great year next year with them.

The season went by very fast as things tend to do when your busy. It seems as just yesterday I was fishing with Chris Pile and his family ( one of my first tarpon trips this year) and next thing I knew I was dropping my boat back in the Cottee river looking for reds and snook back home. Alot happened in between those two bookends but the one I am very proud of is what we were able to accomplish as  team Millers Ale House in the 2012 PTTS. For the 4th year in a row we were crowned Team of the Year, meaning week in and week out for the 5 week season we were the best out there! We have a great team and plan on at least 4 more!

Now on to the important stuff…..Whats going on out here in the water. Well one thing is for sure…it’s HOT but that doesn’t mean you cant catch fish. Actually the opposite is true, you just have to fish when the fish are feeding, and unlike the spring the feeding times are much shorter. You will want to get an early start, be on the water and ready either before or right at daybreak. Once the sun gets up the water gets hot and the fish will shut down. You will also want to fish on the best tides, in the summer high tide is king and if you can get an incoming in the early morning you are golden!

If your looking for redfish don’t expect to find big bunches of them around, concentrate on finding areas that have shade and deeper water and you will find some. The deep docks around Gulf Harbors are a good senerio to duplicate this time of year. If you are fortunate enough to have a high incoming tide first thing in the morning, look along the flats that have some hard bottom. The reds will use this time to get out in the cooler water and feed.20120714_141617

If you are looking for Trout your best bet will to get off the shoreline a good bit. The deep grass flats in 7 to 10 feet of water is where you want to be, you can drift and trow jigs with Mirro Lures Lil Johns and the DOA shrimp work great for this. Where you catch a few throw a marker buoy over and drift that area again. The Flats about 2 miles off of Hudson and Gulf Harbors are great areas for this.20120324_134421

The Final third of the trio is what most people are looking for in the summer. The Snook….they make it very convenient for the family this time of year. The biggest population of Snook will still be out on the beaches, you can bring the family out and beach the boat then start walking down the beach casting into the surf and catching snook. The one think you will want to key in on is the size of the bait that is on the beach, match the hatch and you should have no problem get your rod bent.photo(1)

This is the hottest time of the year to be out in the sun so make sure you have plenty of water and sun protection on board when you go out for a day of fishing.

Her are a few photos of what we have been catching the past few months, hope you enjoy them and if your ready to go fishing or scalloping give me a callphoto(7)

Pesca Mayo 2012 021photo(3)20120726_090541DSC00238

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Fishing Report – New Port Richey – Tarpon Springs – Tampa Bay

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In case you have not been outside for the past couple of weeks….. Spring is in the air!! the fishing has been very good all winter long with the lack of cold air this year, but know that the days are getting longer and the water is starting to warm up the fishing has exploded. The best part is the crowds have not figured it out yet, and it doesn’t seem to matter what tide or water level you have for that day…the fish are just flat out eating!20120215_140802

In the Tarpon Springs area the bait has been very thick and easy to get, the redfish have been very happy to eat it so far this year. I have been fishing deep holes and rock bars to catch some very nice fish, the good thing is that they are is good size schools so when you find one you find a bunch. The snook were a little slow to start this year but have really gotten hungry the past few days. I have had several days with big snook busting on chummers and our hooked baits. The good thing about the snook is they are still way in the back country areas and there are only a couple boats that can even get to them right now. So they should be a captive audience for a few more weeks! 20120222_11222120120223_114800

Ussally the big ticket this time of year is our big gator trout, they are around and I am catching some very nice ones, the numbers are not what they normally are this time of year. it is usually 50 to 60 a day, and so far this year if we catch 20 to 30 we have done good. The ones we are catch though are solid fish that are very aggressive and love the big baits we are catching this time of year. I have been waiting for the water to get to 70 and it has made it there. The fishing is very good right now and the tide doesn’t seem to matter, as long as it is moving. I have been doing VERY good on the lowest part of the tide as the fish are captive in some of the holes, and they do not pass up a free meal. We are just at the beginning of some of the best fishing of the year so dont wait….It is time to get out there!20120229_093305

Before you know it it will be time to catch tarpon, I have 4 days left during May The 8,9,15,16. June is completely full and July is getting there, so if you want to tangle with some Giant Tarpon this year NOW is the time to book!! 20120229_08455920120229_094203

Fishing Report – New Port Richey – Trouty kinda day

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When I woke up on Sunday morning it was 55 degrees with a 15mph northeast wind, It was suposed to get warmer and the winds were going to subside. At least thats what the weather man said. Needless to say when we pulled into Hooters 5 hours later it was 50 degrees and the wind was blowing 20 to 25 out of the north. The good news in all this is that I had one of my best clients on the boat that day, and I told him that the Trout love this kind of weather. He looked at me like I was crazy, but despite the weather Rob and John had a very good day catching nice gator Trout around Anclote Island.  rob2

With the north wind we had a very low tide, I was able to get my Banshee Extreme into all the holes and troughs where the trout were hanging out. We were throwing a new bait by Mirrolure called the lil john and it absolutly killed them. We caught around 75 nics trout and a few Blue fish and small Reds mixed in. Although the wind was increasing and the temprature was falling we didnt notice as we were busy catching fish. We lifted the Power Pole one time all day, and that was to head in. They kept 10 nice trout on the last day of the season for the fryer and the rest went back with a sore lip. There should be at least another month of great trout fishing in the Tarpon Springs area, so now is the time to go.

Capt. Greg DeVault

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Fishing Report – Tarpon Springs – Still Chilly

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With a favorable forecast from our weatherman it looked as if this weeks charters were in for some good fishing. We started on Saturday morning, the 26th of January with ice on the boat. The sun was out but it did not stay out long, the forecast was for temperatures to reach the mid 70’s, that was a joke, as a cloud deck moved in about 11am the temperature fell and so did the fishing, we were able to catch about 10 or so Trout before mother nature shut us down. Monday and Tuesday were much better days as the sun shined brightly and started to warm the water we had been fishing from the low 50’s to around 57. A long time client Kevin met me at the ramp and we were off, we started at Anclote Island off of Tarpon Springs, here we caught several Trout to about 23 inches. When they were done with those we went and tried to get the Reds to eat, we saw several good schools but could not get very many to cooperate. Tuesdays charter was a new client and we decided to use artificals and try to get the Reds from the day before to feed. We fished out of the  Ranger Banshee so we could be as quiet as possible. Most of the fish have been of the New Port Richey coast so we did not have to go far to find them. As soon as we arrived we saw the first school moving on some shallow rocks, we were throwing Exude darts rigged weed less and like the day before the fish did not seem very interested in our offerings. However this day was a little different as the tide came in the water started to warm up and the fish began to feed a little. We were able to boat around 12 nice slot Reds before the tide and the bite ended. I have a couple days off to get ready for a full week of charters next week in Charlotte Harbor out of the Airboat, hopefully we are closing in on spring and some of the best fishing of the year.

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