This week has been the easy Grouper fishing we have been waiting for. Lots of keeper size GAG Grouper in all depths of water. We prefer the shallow waters closer to home that provide us more fishing time and less fuel expense. Even if you are not a meat hunter you can enjoy the tough fight a big grouper dishes out. In the shallow depths a fight to the surface is expected with line ripping lunges towards the structure on the bottom. Pretty exciting stuff! Most GagZillas continue to break lines and leaders on the rocks below. This line busting experience is what makes most anglers want to go back out and try again.
Best baits are still Threadfin Herring , Grunt heads, and chunks of Boston Mackerel.

Hernando Beach Fishing Forecast: Grouper season is almost at its peak. There will be great fishing in the near future for lots of Gag Grouper in close.
Sea ya on the water, book a trip soon!
Capt Rick Rodriguez
727-992-9494
www.gulfgrouper.com

This week has been the easy Grouper fishing we have been waiting for. Lots of keeper size GAG Grouper in all depths of water. We prefer the shallow waters closer to home that provide us more fishing time and less fuel expense. Even if you are not a meat hunter you can enjoy the tough fight a big grouper dishes out. In the shallow depths a fight to the surface is expected with line ripping lunges towards the structure on the bottom. Pretty exciting stuff! Most GagZillas continue to break lines and leaders on the rocks below. This line busting experience is what makes most anglers want to go back out and try again.
Best baits are still Threadfin Herring , Grunt heads, and chunks of Boston Mackerel.

Hernando Beach Fishing Forecast: Grouper season is almost at its peak. There will be great fishing in the near future for lots of Gag Grouper in close.
Sea ya on the water, book a trip soon!
Capt Rick Rodriguez
727-992-9494
www.gulfgrouper.com

Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith

Fishing is still good but the coming cold front may slow it down. A large variety of fish is showing up on the Bay and Gulf. Large bait-fish are hard to find offshore, but trolling spoons and plugs is doing the job for King mackerel and Spanish mackerel. Smaller white bait has been plentiful along the beaches and will work if you can net them.

Some nice grouper and snapper are starting to show at the fifty foot depth offshore. Live bait is best including shrimp for the snapper.

We have been finding redfish, large trout, pompano, mackerel, bluefish and flounder on the bay. The redfish have mainly been in the deeper water, like Zwicks canal and most of the other fish have been on the grass-flats.

Hot Grouper spots! Why a secret?

Like any place else, most of our area anglers are eager to share when, where and how they caught fish, but grouper is the exception! When fishing in saltwater, it is possible to catch a nice grouper any place in the Bay or Gulf.

Don’t expect anglers to give you their hot spots! Hot spots are what we call grouper stacked-up on the bottom. They also could be in, under or around a structure. In other words, it is a lot of keeper size grouper in a very small area.

An experienced grouper digger will take a few nice fish, put the spot, if new, in his GPS and move on to/or find another hot spot. This takes a lot of discipline because it can take a lot of time, work, and luck to find these spots. This way, the spot may be good for a month or much more. If he hammered the fish, it could be over in a day or so. The fish would just move to avoid all the outside activity. Due to the popularity of grouper, if he went public or shared the GPS location, he could expect to find the spot covered with dive boats and/or inexperienced grouper fishermen the next day. That could be the end of that hot spot. Some Grouper diggers will stop fishing or move out of the area if they see another boat coming towards them. Don’t stop and ask. 

Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com

The weather and water are cooler and turkey day is almost here. Inshore out of Hernando beach is hot. Redfish are spread through the entire area. Fillmans bayou,Centipede bay, and Higgenbotham Creek have all produced on the points with a moving tide as long as the mullet are present. We have been finding them in groups of 2 - 3 in 1 - 3 feet of water. Cut mullet,bluefish, or a live pinfish placed near the shore line where the mullet migrate by on a good moving tide is one of my favorite techniques. Try using a GULP crab on a 1/8 - 1/4 ounce jighead. Cast it to the edge of the mullet schools as they come by and let it lay on the bottom which is refered to as “deadstickin”. Mullet are key to the area you are fishing! If you don’t see them on arrivel to your spot you can still fish the area but keep searching until you locate them.

Big trout have been a little diluted but we are cathing good numbers. I believe these first few fronts are to blame. Live shrimp freelined or placed under a popping cork in 1 -4 feet of water works good. If the wind lays down for you a trip to cutters rock is a must. All The surrounding area of Cutters is producing trout,mackerel,jacks,and those big breeded reds. The grouper have also started to migrate to the shallow water. The entire area is producing keeper grouper in 6 - 20 feet of water!!

Tight lines!! Capt. Keith Tomlinson

Bulldog Fishin Charters

www.bulldogfishin.com

(352)238-3581

INSHORE:

Now that fall is in full swing around the Treasure Coast, you can find water temperatures dropping and windy conditions much of the time out on the water. We ended up canceling twice this week and I managed to get out one day that was not so blustery as the others. We can expect similar conditions as the cold fronts work their way through the area on an almost weekly basis now. It’s a great time to fish, but can be challenging on some days.

Let’s take this week to talk about changing conditions on the river and changing tactics as well. Water temps have begun to drop and that will drive most fish to deeper water, especially in the mornings. Deeper cuts around mangroves, docks and islands will be good places to start in the mornings as the water continues to cool off. As the sun rises and the water warms again, you can find the fish heading back up on the flats to feed and get warm again. Redfish, especially, can be found cruising the flats at high noon during the cooler months of the year. Pompano will be in the deeper areas from three feet and better. Small jigs or live shrimp will work well for them.

Slowing up your retrieve is essential to success this time of year. I like to take DOA shrimp or jerk baits and slowly work them across the flats or around the mangroves. The slower the better as the fishes metabolism slows down and they become lethargic as the water gets cooler. I like three to five feet of water this time of year. They will stay off the edges of the flats and move up onto them as the day wears on. Live or artificial shrimp on popping corks are wintertime fishing staples. I like to put one out the back of the boat while I fish artificials out the front. Gold spoons, suspending lures and jigs are all good lures when the water is cooler.

Fishing docks can be exciting where snook, reds and other species will be hanging to catch an easy meal drifting by. I especially like DOA shrimp for dock fishing. Fish it slow and let it settle on the bottom. When the water is cold, fish the drop offs, channels and docks. It’s a great time of year. Changing tactics for the cooler months will help you be more successful. Have fun out there!

This week on the river: Sand perch (mojarra) have invaded the inlet and the catwalks have been full of anglers fishing for them. They are a popular staple this time of year in this area. Live or dead shrimp will get you a feast right now. On the flats, snook, jacks and trout have been in the deeper cuts of the mangroves and flats. There are lots of jacks out there to keep you busy! A few pompano have been caught, but still waiting on them to arrive in numbers.

Tip of the Week: As the cold fronts signal that winter isn’t far off, it’s important to dress in layers on those cool mornings. Florida is famous for cold nights and hot days and layering can keep you comfortable throughout your day on the water. It can get challenging with the wind and cold, so prepare prior to getting on the water. It’s always cooler out there than at home.

As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby….it’s an ADVENTURE!!

Good Fishing and Be Safe,
Captain Charlie Conner
www.fishtalescharter.com

email: captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com

772-284-3852

Sight fishing for Redfish around Mosquito Lagoon has been the number one opportunity as of late. The waters are crystal clear and cooler water temperatures have pushed the bite into an all day event. While there have been some fish cruising shorelines, the best chance for catching good numbers has been deeper on the grass flats and around sand spots and sloughs. Search lures like swim baits and topwater plugs have been our choice to start the day working areas with good bait flow; once the sun gets up and we start to pick apart the flats sight fishing, we’ve switched to soft plastics on jigheads and swimbaits. If casting lures isn’t high on your list, or the winds are blowing too hard to sight fish (they normally do this time of the year) we’ve been throwing out chunks of pinfish and doing quite well. Either way we’ve been averaging about 10 redfish a day. Schools are starting to form and the falling water levels will help ball them up even more over the next month. A couple days ago on a falling tide cycle I found a school of 150 redfish in the 3-10lb range balled up and tailing in the corner of a bay. Top flies for fly anglers have been my crab fly, clousers, or a deer hair mullet fly I tie.

Sight fishing for trophy Spotted Sea Trout has to be running a close second lately. The cooler water has pushed loads of 5-13lb trout up shallow to spend the day sunning in sand spots. I’ve seen three fish lately that are easily 13-15lbs and one fish last week that was the biggest trout I have ever seen in Mosquito Lagoon (she could have broken the world record, estimating the fish was 15-17lbs and easily over 36 inches long…a trophy of a lifetime). Mullet pods and sand spots are where the action is. Soft plastics, plugs and/or live mullet are all you need. Top flies for fly anglers will be clousers, seaducers, or my mullet fly (heck any baitfish fly). I’ve landed a bunch of fish in the 4-6lb range lately, and two that were over 8lbs. Sight fishing for these giants trout will only improve as it gets colder and water levels drop.
The recent cooler weather moved all of the Snook, they aren’t spread out anymore. Several holes and shorelines between Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach, and Port Orange are filling with schooling snook. There’s also a few docks around deeper water that have fish on the right tides. Having a sonar/fish finder on my skiff really helps me find all the holes in the area, and the bite is on if you know where they are. On a few scouting trips recently I caught 5-10 snook (2-5lbs) each day, then pulled out a nice 9lb fish one night. Plugs, DOA lures, or live bait is the way to go.

The ever present Black Drum are still around. On a couple recent charters we caught 10-15 of them each day. But they’ve taken a back seat to everything else. Live shrimp has been the way to go for easy catching success. Tarpon are grumpy and gone. Well, not gone, I’ve seen a few small juveniles rolling, but they aren’t interested in eating. The big adult fish are migrating south for the winter. We might get a bite here and there through the winter, but for the most part we’re done with tarpon until March.

Good openings are available throughout November, Thanksgiving is generally busy so reserve dates as soon as possible. Book a trip with me now to experience some of the best fishing of the year. I look forward to fishing with you soon…386-212-4931.

Mid October was when we started seeing the occasional sailfish run through Fort Lauderdale, but within the past week, the sailfish bite has been consistent. These billfish are migrating from the North, heading South (our way, Ft Lauderdale), eating their way down. Generally, the bite is red hot from October - November. A few cold fronts have moved through the Ft Lauderdale area, triggering the bite.

The most common way to fish for sailfish is with live goggleeyes dangling from kites (No, not the kites you fly at the beach). The Lady Pamela II started off November right, catching 3 sailfish in one day this past weekend and it’s only looking to get better here in Fort Lauderdale.

Not only has the sailfish bite been going off, trolling for kingfish and slamming the mahi - mahi has been consistent, too. Wahoo, amberjacks and cobia are around offshore Ft Lauderdale as well. For the start of November, the mahi - mahi are still showing up in good numbers and the catches have been great. The dolphin are ranging anywhere from 6-9 lbs and we’re still averaging 5-10 fish per trip which is amazing.

The kings have been hit or miss (when it rains it pours?). One day the LP II will slam ‘em reaching their limit in no time, other days their isn’t a single kingfish in Ft Lauderdale. Live bluerunners or planners with fresh strips in 90-140 ft of water is the trick.

The Wahoo have been biting around full moons with north current ripping in 150-450 ft of water, averaging anywhere from 10-15 lbs.

Ft Lauderdale houses several artifical reefs and ship wrecks. When dropping a fresh, bloody bonito, bluerunner or speedo, it tends to works the best for the rod to bend over. It’s hard to say what your going to hook down there, maybe an amberjack, big grouper or the occasional bull shark?

Daytime Swordfishing is taking off here in Fort Lauderdale. Fishing in 1500-1800 ft of water with a variety of dead and live bait (Squid, Mackerel, Mullett and Tunas) on an electric reel, your likely to hook up with the Gladiator of the Sea. The swordfish is the toughest fighting fish in the ocean and with it’s cruel runs and deep dives, you won’t be dissapointed. The Lady Pamela II set sail last week during the day and hooked up with a 200 lb’er. With nighttime swordfishing picking up, you will find us out there frequently.

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
Lady Pamela II

Inshore fishing has been being ruled by Jack Crevalle. Large schools of Jacks have overtaken the Indian River and are hitting anything that moves or doesn’t move. Although most are in the 1-6 pound range some very large Jacks in the 30-40 pound range are also in the river as well. Snook fishing has been mainly a evening or night fishing trip here as of late. Live mullet pitched along sea walls, docks and rock piles will produce. Trout are out of season as of now, however some fantastic catch and release action can be found on the Flats in the area of the Power Plant. Tarpon are still being found in the backwaters in decent numbers, however these are primarily juvenille fish and range from 5-50 pounds. These are fantastic fish to catch as they are much more acrobatic than the larger of the species.

Smokin Em Charters has plenty of openings for the month of November on both the Offshore and Inshore boats. Yes, we have 3 boats that can cover your Offshore or Inshore fishing excursion. Check us out on the web at www.florida-fishingcharters.com

Capt. Gil

Smokin Em Charters

772-323-1827
www.florida-fishingcharters.com

Charter Boat Gulf Grouper Fishing Report
Hernando Beach
3 Nov 2008
Like all previous reports I will explain to the fishing community; Grouper fishing is very good here in the Hernando Beach area. We are catching GAG Groupers, Red Groupers, Grunts, Mangrove Snapper, and Spanish Mackerel. The water temperature is a perfect 73 degrees, perfect for bigger Grouper. Dead Threadfin Herring are still the best bait even though other baits will work. The water clarity is improving so live bait will begin to work more often than not. Preferred method is dead bait, 4 foot long leaders, and please match the circle hook size in proportion to the size bait you are using.

Sea ya on the water,
Capt Rick Rodriguez
727-992-9494
www.gulfgrouper.com

Hernando Beach Fishing Forecast:

Hernando Beach Fishing Forecast: More King fish will be in the area after the next cold front passes. Larger Gag Grouper will be pushed down also as the water temperature continues to drop. Fish slower and chum a little to get the Grouper bite going.
Sea ya on the water,
Capt Rick Rodriguez
727-992-9494
www.gulfgrouper.com

Today we stayed closer to the beach and did some light tackle angling. It was awesome action using live shrinp and chum. We had 4 dozen+ baits and everyone got eaten. Spanish Mackerel, Cero Mackerel, Yellowtail Snapper, Grouper, Blue Runner, YellowJack, Grunt, and Mangrove Snapper made up most of the catch. We did keep a few larger species for the table but most were released and or undersize. A few real bruiers took the line into the rocks and quickly gained freedom and lots of Macs cut offs. Generally hot action and a cool day.

The next few weeks should continue to bring this kind of bite if you pick the lucky timing with the fronts. They are unpredictable to some point so don’t ask me to pick them for you. I leave the luck game up to you.

Sea Ya,
Captain Ron Mallet