The Snook Fallacy

The rumor come true, the FWC has announced that they will reopen snook to harvest in September. 

Very little celebration is heard from this one.   In fact, there is predominantly confusion and dissent on this one.  Decimated by a freeze in January 2010 where daytime temperatures did not reach 50 for four straight days, the long and slow recovery process was stunted by a first spawn failure in 2010.   The actual regeneration of a species that, in the Tampa Bay area, lost over 95% of the total population- is a slow and methodical process.

The decision to open this species to harvest could not come at a worse time.   There are a significant number of "slot" size fish that could legally be removed from the population.   Those would be trophy size fish in the near future that we would be able to enjoy (again, and again, and again) which will become large breeding female fish in the near future.

This decision is particularly disappointing when you find out that the state officials utilized zero of the guide resources available to them.   None of the premier guides I talked to have stated that anyone from the FWC contacted them to ask about their observations.    In general, the overall feeling is that there are some reasons to be encouraged about the species but overall, the recovery is a long way from complete.   The massive population we enjoyed for a long time is not restored.  Locations that "would" have hundreds and hundreds of pre-spawn fish have a few dozen.   

Personal decisions will determine the future of this species, regardless of what their final rulings.   If you know what I do, you would not even consider killing a snook.   If people continue to practice great release techniques and put back every fish, the species will return to 2009 levels much quicker.  Don't let a baffling bad decision make all the difference:  Spread the word.   Let all of your fishing friends know.   Have them talk to the guides and very experienced local anglers about this situation.  I believe that if you do your research, you will decide that you will not be killing any snook when "the season opens."  Do not let their bad decision dictate the future of a resource that belongs to us all.

 You like to eat fish?   Harvest one of the other species that are abundant.   Eventually, snook will return to a level where I would classify it a sustained fishery again.   That time is not here.

Neil Taylor
www.strikethreekayakfishing.com
(Cell) 727-692-6345
LivelyBaits@aol.com

 

 

    

 

 

FW: Capt. Brian Caudill

 

 

From: Capt. Brian Caudill [mailto:brian@captbrian.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 13, 2013 6:19 PM
To: 'jsapubs.tampa@blogger.com'
Subject: Capt. Brian Caudill

 

The Snook have really turned on since the tropical storm we had last week. The trout have bitten well too. Here is a 40 ½ Snook my friend Bill Rapp caught today with me on his 40^th birthday! Nice fish Bill! Happy Birthday!

 

Capt. Brian Caudill

727-365-7560

www.captbrian.com

brian@captbrian.com

 

Outdoor Staff Writer – Tampa Bay Times

Capt. Brian Caudill

The Snook have really turned on since the tropical storm we had last week. The trout have bitten well too. Here is a 40 ½ Snook my friend Bill Rapp caught today with me on his 40^th birthday! Nice fish Bill! Happy Birthday!

report 6-3 / 6-10

 

Near Shore Structures are Summertime Hot-Spots

 

                With our water temperature approaching the mid-80's, mid-day fishing especially on the shallow grass flats can get pretty tough. As we approach mid-summer conditions it is imperative to search out those areas that provide good tidal flow, depth and structure.  Structure is a relative term; a deep depression just off the edge of a flat, or a deep trough cut through the sand along the pass shoals can both be considered structure. Some more obvious structures would be jetties, beach breakers, and of course the many artificial reefs that line our coast.

 Some of the most productive fishing this time of year happens around our pass jetties. These massive structures will hold all kinds of bait, making them a natural stopping point for just about any predator that swims by. Current is usually always present and fish like snook and tarpon will stage up and wait for their meals to come to them, so free-lining your baits with the current makes for a deadly presentation. Redfish can also be found working the bottom part of the water column, a medium sized pinfish or a chunk of fresh ladyfish fished on the bottom will let you know if there are any redfish around.

Near-shore mitigation reefs provide excellent habitat for a variety of game fish, these shallow reefs can be found from 50 to a couple of hundred yards offshore. They will hold trout, flounder and cobia and tarpon. Using light tackle and small pilchards will work for the trout , mackerel and flounder, while bigger live baits will attract the attention of the tarpon and cobia.

This is the time of year when we start to see lots of fry-bait in the water both off the beach as well as deeper flats inside the bay. Fishing around these schools of fry bait can be really good, often you'll find schools of Spanish mackerel busting through the clouds of micro-baits. Live chumming with pilchards will quickly switch the fishes' attention to the bigger baits,

 

Capt. Tyson Wallerstein

Flats Monster Inshore Fishing
(727) 692-5868
capt.tyson@hotmail.com
www.Flatsmonster.com

Tarpon report

Well here we are smack in the middle of Tarpon season In Tampa Bay and the bite has been hot. Fish have been spread out roaming up and down the beaches in search of food. I have found most of my success using a Threadfin Hearing suspended under a float or a free lined bait. Using a trolling motor or drifting into the schools will prove to be a stealthy approach that will produce more fish. We have also found some good numbers of fish in the passes around the new and full moons in search of those little pass crabs that flow out with the strong outgoing tides that typically occur in the afternoon. Which ever type of fishing that you prefers we can put you on the fish. To book your next fishing charter in Tampa Bay call now 813-727-9890

Capt. Jason Prieto
Steady Action Fishing Charters
  www.steadyactionfishingcharters.com Captjasonp@aol.com

Co Host:
Tampa Fishing Outfitters Radio
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Sunday from 7 to 9 AM

Outdoor Writer:

Tampa Tribune South Shore
Onshore/Offshore Magazine
Gaff Magazine

Capt. Brian Caudill

   Hi everyone. Welcome to my latest fishing report! Florida has made it to summer and the days are heating up quick. We are starting to see the typical pattern of afternoon thunderstorms sweeping across the mainland, westward out into the gulf. Most of my charters begin early and ending before the threat of these strong storms occur. Also, for those of you in the Tampa Bay area, please read my article in the 'Captains Corner' featured in the sports section of the Tampa Bay Times newspaper. Others can see it online. There is a daily report by various local captains. My article is featured bi-weekly around the 4th and 20th of each month. Now to the fishing...
   Snook are a major focus for many of my trips. Although they have bitten pretty good, the numbers aren't what they will be throughout this month as they continue to move out to the beach for spawning. They are in the swash channels and around the passes. Rock jetties are holding them too. Many of the Snook out on the Gulf coast are the larger females. The males are the smaller fish, 28 inches and under. I have been using grunts caught in a pinfish trap to entice the larger fish to eat. Sardines will also do the trick on most Snook. Be ready to lose a few to structure and broken leader. The big fish have a knack for wearing through leader and finding that sharp rock or piling to break loose!
   Trout have been on the edge of the grass flats nearer to the passes. I like a swift moving tide, casting into the sandy holes lining the flats. The sardines are more exposed and vulnerable to the Trout and become an easy target. A handful of chummed baits usually gives away the location of Trout. Watch for the swirls as they come up to eat the free meal and put your baits in the vicinity. Many times you can just let your bait flow through the area and wait for the pull. The beach swashes are also holding Trout. These tend to be the bigger females, also spawning like the Snook through the summer months along the beach!
   Redfishing has been most productive on the higher falling tides. I have focused on the mangroves using pinfish for bait. The falling tides allow us to catch fish tight to the mangroves, and as the tide lowers, brings them out of the treeline onto the flat. The fish have ranged for 20 inches all the way to oversized 30 plus inches! Reds have been moving around a lot lately so be prepared to switch gears for another species if your favorite spot doesn't pay off.
   Tarpon are rolling up and down the beaches and in Tampa Bay. Small live crabs are the most preferred by these big fish but a sardine or threadfin will get hit too. I like to set up in a known path of the Tarpon, usually a hundred or so yards off the shore line. Large spinning reels with 50 - 80 lb. line and at least 60 lb. leader. A 4/0 - 7/0 circle hook, depending on the size of your bait. I will fish on the bottom and under a float or balloon with 6ft of leader to the hook. I always tell my clients that the waiting is a part of it. The hardest part is landing a 120 pound fish! That is the reward for the all of your patience!
   This summer looks like a good one! Gag Grouper open on July 1st. Although the warm water will likely push them out to deeper waters, there should be some keepers within my range. Snook, Trout, Tarpon and Redfish will surely be the targets all summer. Don't let the weeks slip away! Call now or e-mail me to get your day booked. You won't regret it! Let's go fishing!
Capt. Brian
www.captbrian.com
727-365-7560

Redfish save the day!!

With all the wind and rain lately, it has been tough to get out to do some serious Kayak fishing. However I did get out today. No luck with the Big Trout so I resorted to trying to find some Redfish. I searched around the spoil islands West of Dunedin Marina and found a couple small schools, which were in a feeding mode. I had some small Pinfish ( 2" - 2-1/2" ) for bait. I use 20# Fluorocarbon leader ( 5' - 6' ), a #1 Owner ( Mutu Light ) circle hook and a #5 split shot, just above the loop knot (@ the circle hook ). Then attach a small Pinfish , tail hook ( above the anal fin ). Cast as far as you can ( I prefer 7-1/2' or 8' rods to help cast farther ). Try to find a school of Mullet and cast near them. If the school of Mullet is large you may have to move several times to cover the school and hopefully find Mr. Redfish. Using the method I described , today, I caught and released 4 Redfish ( 22" - 28-1/4" ). Pretty good day considering the weather.

If you are interested in getting a custom fish measuring board, contact me : bobsch@tampabay.rr.com or cell: 727-946-0689.  Tight Lines.  Kayak Bob

Kayak Fishing Tampa Bay

Ben enjoyed his first kayak fishing outing with a great view of the Skyway bridge yesterday.

 

Things have heated up: Not just with the scorching humidity and the blazing sunshine- the action inshore has been excellent the past couple of weeks.

 

New hatches of baitfish have flooded the flats, joining more mature baitfish schools creating a formula for wild action for a number of species.   Bypassing acres of ladyfish, we have enjoyed a mix of topwater and light jig fishing for trout and redfish before sunrise.   That action has sustained well into the morning.

 

The shift midmorning is back to trout in deeper waters or flounder in the sand patches.   Trout action has been OK but the bulk of the spawning fish have vacated the flats and have been on the beach swashes instead.   Flounder action has stayed at a strong level after a fast start this spring.   The big difference has been that they are now spreading out across the entire region instead of being concentrated in specific locations.

 

Redfish were located in the best numbers I have seen in 2013.   Sometimes fickle, we have followed the schools until we have intercepted them feeding.   Jigs have been better than pretty much anything else but suspending twitchbaits have also worked.

 

The clients have enjoyed their time seated in the Native Watercraft in pursuit, throwing their 12 Fathom and Mirrolure products on my St Croix/Daiwa combos.   The best lure choices have been the Tog Dog Jr and Mirromullet XL for topwater lures and the 12 Fathom mullet (any color) or the SlamR (Rootbeer, pearl white, white glow.)   Aforementioned twitchbaits:  Try the Mirrolure "Mirrominnow".   The Mirrodine is supremely popular but the Minnow is mimicking the size of the baitfish very well.

 

With approaching weather and water temperatures staying at around 80 degrees, the "spring feed" should extend for a few more weeks before summer trends begin to dominate the shallow water scene.  The beauty of the situation around Tampa Bay:  We have a ton of fish here right now.    They are supercharged with all the baitfish schools and they are filling their bellies.

 

Call if you would like to reserve a date to go!

 

 

Neil Taylor
Owner and Guide: www.strikethreekayakfishing.com
PH: 727.692.6345
Email: Livelybaits@aol.com
"Something violent is about to happen!"

It's Inshore Slam Time

There’s no better time of year to catch an inshore slam of snook, redfish and seatrout than right now.  Snook have gathered in good numbers on Pinellas County Beaches.  In many of these same locations, winter’s large seatrout can be found…having exited from the inside of St. Joseph’s Sound as summer approaches. As big tides push up into the mangroves, solid numbers of redfish move in to take advantage of the cover provided by these shorelines and to dine on one of their favorite meals…small crabs.  On a recent outing, a 37 inch snook greeted the second cast of the day with a powerful run, eventually succumbing to a persistent angler. Just 500 yards down the beach, another area yielded a limit of large and tasty seatrout, all caught within the next hour.  As mid day approached, it was back into the mangroves of Caledesi Island for a double digit catch of upper slot sized redfish. The icing on the cake was a quick trip out to one of the local passes, where a 34 in snook provided the perfect conclusion for the day.

Stewart Ames

Gone Fishing Charters

"Gulp Magic"

Yesterday I set out to catch a 'monster' Trout, however, little did I know that the Trout have left the area. My next choice was to search out some Redfish. It was almost 11:00 am and the tide was at its highest stage so I started searching through the artificials, which was all I had taken along, for a likely candidate. I pulled out a bag of Gulp Pearl White Jerk Shad -5", but there was one Sardine color in the bag also. So I attached the Sardine Jerk Shad to a 1/8th oz. Red Pumpkin Jighead tied it to my 20# leader and started looking for a 'mullet school'. I was searching around the spoil Islands West of Dunedin Marina. I soon came upon a 'mullet school' and began fancasting to locate the fish and hooked up on a 26-1/2" Redfish on the third cast. Over the next hour or so I relocated several times to keep up with the 'mullet school' and each time I relocated I hooked up on another Redfish. I caught 5 ( 23" - 27-1/2 "), released 4 and kept a 26-1/2" to take home for dinner. That was a first for me, 5 Redfish on the same lure. It was petty beat up but the Redfish didn't seem to mind. The Redfish, minus one, are still out there. Don't be too conservative. Try some thing new and stinky for those elusive Redfish  Kayak Bob.   

If you are interested in obtaining a custom fish measuring board like the ones in the photos, please contact me: bobsch@tampabay.rr.com or cell: 727-946-0689