Archive for the ‘Fishing Reports’ Category

Report by Mark Knowles

The 3rd of six HCKAC 2-man club tournaments for 2010 was held on June 19th.  15 HardCore teams braved early morning rain, a “not-so-great” tide, and late morning sauna-like conditions (90 deg F and 90% humidity) for this event.  Anglers were provided with an assortment of lures featuring Exude soft plastic baits including D.A.R.T., Rt Slugs, Shrimp, and cajun crabs.

BIG THANKS to the Mister Twister Co. and all of our sponsors for their support and donations.

All teams checked in between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. just before the 35 cent toll booth at Fort DeSoto.   After checking in, the teams departed in search of a slam.

Not long after launching, Mother Nature added her influence to the slam challenge. For those out in the open, winds picked up quickly to approx 20 mph and the skies darkened giving way to a 30 minute shower. Luckily, there was no lightning associated with the storm and most groups just fished right through it.

The morning shower passed and the teams “doubled down” with most throwing all of the Exude lures in the bag trying to get the fish to turn on.  There were many fish caught but only 2 teams were able to complete their slam. BTrain (Bobby) did manage to attract an adult manatee who seemed quite curious as to why there were so many kayaks on the water.

Upcreek (John) and Snookin (Eugene) had the hot hand of the morning landing a beautiful & healthy 35.2” Snook. Rumor has it that just after the Snook was caught by Upcreek that an estimated 30” Red was on Snookin’s line only to be broken off boat side. Two of Pinellas County’s very recent high school graduates Fishmaster892 (Merrick) and Redfish (Jesse) fished all the way down to the wire and brought home the only other slam of the day. Congratulations guys !

Final results of the day :

• 1st place ($300) Team FlatZtalkers (Upcreek & Snookin)   Snook=35.2   Redfish=19.5   Trout=20.6   Total=75.3
• 2nd place ($180) Team Skinny Water Culture (Redfish and Fishmaster)   Snook=26.5   Redfsih=27   Trout=18.25   Total=71.75
• 3rd place ($120) Team Slik n Cider (Limecider and SlikNik) Redfish=26.25 Trout=15 Total=41.25

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I recently had the privalege of attending the 2010 DOA Lures Outdoor Writer’s Festival in Jensen Beach.  The accomodations were provided by the River Palms Fish Camp and Cottages, which proved to be an excellent location this is centralized amongst the great snook fishery that the St. Lucie River had to offer.  The many fine sponsers in this event ranged from top manufacturers in the industry from Minnkota to Shimano.  Minnkota had a chance to showcase their Talon shallow water anchoring system, which was pretty impressive in my opinion.  I like the fact that everything is contained into one unit and is able to be unplugged and removed when needed. 

We also  got to test out a bunch of latest gear that spinning Shimano had to offer.  I got to fish the new 3000 and 4000 size Stradic Ci4 spinning reels and I was extremely impressed.  I will likely be replacing my Stradic Fi reels and adding the new Ci4 series reels to my arsenal.  The 3000 and 4000 Ci4 Stradics feature carbon fiber reinforcements, a bigger spool (2500 and 3000 have same body, but 3000 had bigger spool), and different handle knob.  I also had the pleasure of being able to fish the latest Stella 1000 on an ultra light G Loomis Trout rod.  The combo was refined, smooth, and extremely light weight.  I have been asked on many occassions if Stellas are worth the high price tag.  My answer is “definitely.”  Stellas are the flagship reels in the lineup and the top of the line reel in the industry.  The refinement in finish and smooth operation scream out Lamborghini Murcielago.  Catching a 5lb snook on this mini outfit felt like pulling on a fish twice it’s size… definitely lots of fun for catching smaller fish and plenty of power to cast a light DOA Shrimp a country mile.  I was also told to keep an eye out for Shimano’s new line of clothing and accessories as they will be releaseing an entire apparel filled with technical fishing clothes, rain jackets, and even lures amongst other surprises.  Starting with the launch of G Loomis’s new NRX series of rods, Shimano’s Terez rods and Ci4 reels, there will be great things to anticipate coming from Shimano/G Loomis in the next couple of years.  The new Ci4 Stradics will be released this September, while the NRX Series of rods will be released August 13th. 

The fishing was only bested by the comraderie.  We had a fun two days on the water.  I was fortunately paired up with my good buddy Capt. Eric Davis of the Vero Backcountry.  Capt. Eric and I fished together earlier in this year’s Maverick Boats Vero Backcountry Fly tournament.  This warm summer day, we were joined by a represntative from Shimano.  Our morning started strong as I pulled the hook on a big snook first thing while throwing a DOA 5.5 BFL.  We kept the streak going as we started pulling out plenty of snook and a few other surprises from underneith the docks using the venerable DOA Glow shrimp and DOA CAL shad tails.  I don’t know what the highlight of the day was as we caught about 30 or so snook, rescued a pigeon that was entangled in monofilament under a bridge, hooked some freshwater gar, and pulled the hook on a huge largemouth bass.  Despite the windy conditions and dirty water, I think we pulled off pretty well.  Upon returning to the docks, those who fished for bigger snook were successful bouncing the bottom with DOA Terroreyz and Shrimp as there were quite a few 40 inch class snook caught.  We had some bad ass BBQ that evening and then followed it up with a short fishing trip the following day.  Upon leaving the event, I was already looking forward to next year’s.  Thank you to Mark Nichols, DOA Lures, Minnkota, Shimano, and the rest of the sponsors for making these events happen. 

New Minnkota Talon

New Stradic 3000Ci4

they do eat from behind sometimes

Operation Pigeon rescue

Flounder caught on Stradic 4000Ci4, Teramar Rod, and DOA CAL

Snookzilla

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July 23rd 2010

Laura and Josh joined me yesterday for some afternoon Tarpon fishing. We were on the water at 4 and did not get off the water until it was dark at 9pm. It was not from the lack of trying but all we caught were a bunch of junk fish. I guess every time this happens I get to hear someone say “that is why they call it fishing not catching”.

All was not lost however. The weather was excellent so we were not getting beat up out there. Of course when fishing was slow all kinds of stupid conversation comes up. Regretfully I left the playsport at home however,  so did not get any on video. It would have been a nice addition to the SS boat confession series.

As the sun starting to set we ran across a bunch of bait. Josh gave it a try but failed miserably. Lauren being the fisher girl that she is wanted to throw the cast net. I thought the lighting was was awesome for some concept shots. It turned out pretty nice as the lighting couldn’t be much better.

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As I hammer down paperwork and prepare some presentations for important corporate meetings this week, I thank God that I had the opportunity to make a 5 day trip up north this last week to take a short break from the madness ahead and relax on a short sabbatical.  The first leg of the trip brought me to meet with my buddies Capt. Will Le (Native Fly Charters) and Capt. Ron Wilter for a few days of redfishing in the Space Coast (Mosquito Lagoon, Banana River, Indian River Lagoon).  Capt. Ron had a little local private fish camp that I was able to stay at named “the Wack”.  While on the water, we had some tough shots at many weary and emotionally distressed redfish but we were able to capitalize on feeding some of these Goonie redfish using custom tied redfish flies, Sebile Topwaters, and various DOA plastics.   I would have to say, if it weren’t for being able to throw a full clear Monic Fly line, some of the redfish I hooked would not have been possible.  Besides the great time I had on the water, time off the water was great as well as I got to experience a little of what a surfing community was all about and sample some of the fine cullianry delights the space coast had to offer… think Mango Mahi, fried soft shell crab, crab meat stuffed blackened grouper, Oak cHill chowder (gator tail, clam, and red chowder fixins), and some local Italian dining.  The Space Coast of FL from New Smyrna Beach to Cocoa Beach offers a great inshore fishery for redfish and trout.  I can’t wait to get back…

I almost had my fill on the first leg of my trip but there was more ahead.  I left “the wack” after a few days of redfishing and headed to the big snook central of FL near DOA Lures headquarters.  Stay tuned for more…

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July 20th 2010

Talked with Cavin from Colorblindmedia.com. He’s got some really good stuff lately. One of which is this video for Hogy Lures. They are in Key west tossing Hogy to Big Tarpon down in the Keys. They got some really nice footage of cool eats. With the keys water being clear they also got some excellent underwater footage as well.

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July 20th 2010

Just like the day before we woke up at 5am to have breakfast waiting at the gathering place. River Palms provided the lodge right on the water. DOA even had box lunches ready. It was a very cool setup with awesome hospitality.  I will have to revisit this place once the winds calm down a bit so I can get offshore some.

Speaking of the wind it cranked up on us even higher today, but today I got to fish with Blair Wiggins the host of the popular TV show Addictive Fishing and his friend Captain Greg Snyder. Using DOA shrimp and DOA cal jig heads we were out there before sun cam  up. The bite was excellent as the sun come coming up as it looks like everyone was hooked up with some snook.

During the action I decided not to fish as I wanted some  jumping shots. The only problem here is the surf was crashing with the east wind.  It was very “unsafe” for my camera to be out there wading in the rough seas. Taking a chance  I tried anyways. Many times I had to  hold the camera  above my head to avoid the splashes as the waves comes crashing in.

Once the sun came up though the bite came to an abrupt halt. The only thing we caught after that was a small snooklets. We packed it in about noon so every one could head home.

I left 3 camera bodies, 6 lens and a video camera in there. The pelican box is worth every penny.

2 slow shutter speed photos. Since the fishing was so so I just put the camera in S mode(shutter), turn the know down to like 20/s and got some cool blur effects.

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July 19th 2010

Today I’m at the D.O.A lures writer’s festival. The festival is an invite only gathering or writers, photographers, and sponsors involved with DOA. We gather at the River Palms Cottage here in Jensen Beach Florida. It is a very casual fun time where food, beer, is serve and on top of that the take us fishing for two days.

Today I got to fish with Captain Chris Myers. The Seargar rep could not make it today so it was Chris and I. We fished the bridges here with DOA terror Eyes. To me it didn’t look very fishy but Chris quick bangs out a quality snook to prove me complete wrong. The he bangs out another quality snook and this one was even bigger. Unfortunately he was attacked by a shark.

We decided to move on to another bridge to try the same tactic. Bouncing the bottom we DOA terror eyes. We caught lots of small snook and got another over slot snook. I tell you these guys here on the east has awesome snook fishery still. We worked some canals later and got a few more snooks, this time using the DOA shrimp.

About 1:30pm it was getting hot and I wanted to call it day. I’m sure we could have banged out a few more snook but we hard a party to go to and I wanted a shower and a nap.

DOA threw one nice part we free booze, BBQ chicken and pork tonight. I have to say the company and atmosphere here a River Palms has been awesome the last couple days. After the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas at ICAST, it was nice to chill out for a couple days on the water.

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According to several reliable sources, it is published that the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf has finally be capped off and the flow has gone from a small trickle to a complete stop this afternoon. The only thing left to hope for is that the cap will hold and final measures to completely seal off the leaking pipe will go through with success. Many lives in the northern Gulf coast have been impacted by the Oil spill that started April 20th. The recovery period will be along one but the road to recovery has begun with the end of the flow of oil. This is indeed a small light at the end of dark tunnel.

This is my first sigh of releif in the 85 strenuous days of watching the leak closely with just about every free second I had available. Luckily, the beaches and shorelines of my home waters in South Florida have not been impacted by this BP Oil Spill. Our waters are still pristine and full of life. With proper management and a movement towards a greener tomorrow, let’s hope we can avoid this same type of dissaster in the future.

From the Weather Channel:

BP: No Oil Leaking into Gulf from Busted Well
by The Associated Press , on Jul 15, 2010 4:00 pm ET

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A tightly fitted cap was successfully keeping oil from gushing into the Gulf of Mexico for the first time in three months, BP said Thursday. The victory – long awaited by weary residents along the coast – is the most significant milestone yet in BP’s effort to control one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.

Kent Wells, a BP PLC vice president, said at a news briefing that oil stopped flowing into the water at 2:25 p.m. CDT after engineers gradually dialed down the amount of crude escaping through the last of three valves in the 75-ton cap.

“I am very pleased that there’s no oil going into the Gulf of Mexico. In fact, I’m really excited there’s no oil going into the Gulf of Mexico,” Wells said.

The stoppage came 85 days, 16 hours and 25 minutes after the first report April 20 of an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that killed 11 workers and triggered the spill.

Now begins a waiting period to see if the cap can hold the oil without blowing a new leak in the well. Engineers will monitor pressure readings incrementally for up to 48 hours before reopening the cap while they decide what to do.

Though not a permanent fix, the solution has been the only one that has worked to stem the flow of oil since April. BP is drilling two relief wells so it can pump mud and cement into the leaking well in hopes of plugging it for good by mid-August.

BP has struggled to contain the spill and had so far been successful only in reducing the flow, not stopping it. The company removed an old, leaky cap and installed the new one Monday.

Between 93.5 million and 184.3 million have already spilled into the Gulf, according to federal estimates.

Source:

BP Oil Spill Stopped

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Nick and I had the plan in place. It was time for another short evening trip. We didn’t even have to leave work early. A late hill tide, crab flush and fairly calm seas was the recipe for tarpon, at least in our minds.

After meeting up at the marina at five thirty, we loaded up what little gear is normally brought for our “short trips” and moved out as quickly as possible. After heading out of the channel, Nick and I quickly figured out the plan for calm seas was out. The bay wasn’t filled with white caps but the rollers were like being in a washing machine, spaced out and with no particular pattern. The tide was moving out fast and the west sea breeze had kicked in. These conditions are par for the course when we fish. It never fails, but if successful, the ride is worth it. If not, you’re all wet.

Following an uncomfortable ride we make it to the Skyway Bridge and start looking for crabs. Having no bait is a bad feeling, so we scoured the waters for a few pass crabs to start fishing with; more would float by later. After agreeing that four was the magic number to start fishing with, the dip nets were out and the four crabs we needed had their claws removed and were in the livewell.

The boat was set up to account for the wind and tide and made for a great drift through the weedline, covering major ground. My first cast was out, taking the pass crab for a ride through the rough water, further out than I thought. Next thing I know, line is pulling off the spool and ripped through the skin on my thumb, barely allowing me to close the bail. After closing the bail with a bloody thumb, the battle began.

Being that a good amount of braid was already out, I had to regain some line and in between, try to keep the numerous jumps of the fish from throwing the hook. Nick drove me closer to the tarpon, threw it in neutral, and we let the fish do most of the work, pulling the boat against the tide, wearing her out. Mainly staying on top of the water and out of the channel, we made short work of this silver king after about twenty minutes and had her boatside for a few photos. What a stout fish! After reviving her, the boat was quickly positioned for another drift. That was crab number one.

On the second drift, Nick threw his crab out and I set up on the bow to look for more bait. After no luck I figured I would fish crab number three, as Nick had number two on his hook. On this second drift rolling tarpon were visible in the distance, and our crabs were heading right for them. Nick gets bit so I reeled in and cranked up the motor. After two jumps the fish spit the hook and swam free. That was a heartbreaker, but we had a good drift down. That was crab number two.

Nick and I made a few more drifts and had no luck. Not wanting to be out on the water too late, and thirsty for a few frosty beverages, the plan was one more drift through the weedline. I still had our third pass crab alive on my hook and he had placed the last bait securely on his hook. We worked our drift and were just about out of the strike zone when his phone rang. After a brief conversation with a loved one, Nick gets off the phone and we plan to call it a day, that is after Nick reeled in the fish that had his Redbone doubled over in the rod holder.

After getting out of the way and putting Nick on the bow, I drove around while taking pictures and chasing the fish down. This king made some great jumps but didn’t run as much as the first two. The girl liked the bottom of the channel more than the top of the water column, so Nick and I pretty much sat idle while he played tug of war. After some acrobatics by this hefty fish and a few leader grabs, she was boatside and released, again, after about twenty minutes.

Crab number four was gone, and crab number three got thrown back in the bay.

The wind had calmed down; we toasted with a couple of beers and reflected on another great trip. Riding back to the marina in calm seas with the sun just starting to set was the perfect ending.

Four crabs and three fish.

Check out my other ramblings at INSHOREINSIDER.COM

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July 11th 2010

Today I tried to do some Bass fishing with fly with Trent and Brad from Flint Creek Outfitters. I have heard so much about this bass fishing place in north Florida called Bienville Plantation. The place is suppose to be legendary for trophy bass. I have to say I was highly disappointed.  The place is run down and the lakes were overgrown with hydrilla plants. I mean we had to clear the motor and the trolling motor several time.

What once was a  place of stories is now a shell of what it once was. I mean there use to be combination gates, and guards to keep people out of these famed lakes full of thriving big bass. There are no more gates, I did not see any guards or grounds keepers. The ramp was full of hydrilla and I say 50% of the place we went to was unnavigable.  We caught one small bass and several blue gills in our almost  7hours of fishing. Hardly a place I will ever go back again not to mention it took us 3 hours to get there for Tampa.

White springs was the name of the small town. They only had one restaurant which was closed on Sundays. The place had a pretty cool history.  It held a big spring that was suppose to have healing properties.

White Sulphur Springs was considered to be a sacred healing ground and warring tribes could come to bathe in and drink the mineral waters here while putting aside their disagreements.

Don’t get me wrong, we had a great time but the fishing was very lacking and well under anyone’s expectation. I think the only shot I got that was any good was of the Praying Mantis that got on the boat today.

Like I alway say… “There’s no guarantee in fishing… ”

He Jump on my lens, friendly fellow.

Pretty much what we had to deal with most of the day.

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