Sarasota Bay yields record trout day for this writer



This monster seatrout weighed in at 9 pounds and was 29 inches in length. The fish was caught on a MirrOlure MirrOdine.



Give credit to the kayak.

I discovered the mother lode of large spotted seatrout on an outing back in November as I was slowly poling along a grass edge in Sarasota Bay. As I was pushing my Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5 down the edge, I noticed large seatrout.

A friend of mine in his 18-foot flats skiff was in the area, so I didn’t want to fish just then. I sat down and paddle off to another spot.

A couple of hours later, I returned. Casting a MirrOlure MirrOdine, I caught and released 17 spotted seatrout from 2 to 5 pounds. That’s a great catch anywhere.

I talked with my friend later that day and told him about the trout.

“Yeah,” he said, “we saw them, but we couldn’t get them to hit a thing.”

That’s pretty typical when you’re talking kayak vs. skiff. The stealthiness of the kayak usually wins every time. Those trout didn’t even know I was there.

The big trout have been in that spot since October. My clients and I have been catching and releasing large trout over the past 5 months. Jason Beary from Warren, Pa., had a good day with me the last week of December, catching trout to 4 pounds on MirrOdines.

Bill Koenemann of Fort Wayne, Ind., had a good day on big trout. Dick Combs of Bartow, Fla., didn’t land any monsters, but did catch five trout of more than 4 pounds.

Wade Collier of Longboat caught a 5-pounder – the largest trout of his life.

I’ve caught a number of trout, including a 6-pounder. But I knew there were larger trout at the spot. I hooked a monster on the last trip of a recent outing, but lost the trout when the hooks pulled after a 3-minute battle.

The heaviest spotted seatrout I’ve even caught was a 6 ½-pounder. I caught that fish in March of 2007 in Pine Island Sound. I used a jerk worm on a slightly-weighted hook.

A year ago, Chuck Linn of Oklahoma caught three monster trout in one morning. They ranged in size from 6 ¼ to slightly more than 7 pounds.

That, I told him, was the catch of a lifetime.

“We don’t catch three trout that size in year … let alone in one morning,” I said. “Make sure you buy a Lottery ticket on your way home.”

I had the catch of a lifetime on March 11. And it was almost by accident. I’d caught and released five redfish to 26 inches the day prior and I planned to target them again. But, as I always say, you can’t predict what’s going to happen on any trip by what took place the day prior.

I caught reds, but only two. And they were small, 15 and 18 inches.

So, I changed plans. I paddled to my big trout spot, anchored the kayak and got out. I began wading and casting a MirrOdine on a light spinning rod.

Didn’t take long before a monster trout grabbed the lure. I could tell this was no ordinary trout as it took line and made runs.

I backed the drag off. You don’t want a tight drag because that often will rip the hooks right out of a trout’s tender mouth.

When I finally saw the fish, I could hardly believe what I saw. It was the monster I’ve been look for in my 41 years in Florida.

I carefully slipped the Boga-Grip into the trout’s mouth and then removed the hooks. The fish measured 29 inches and weighed 9 pounds.

It was by far the largest trout I’ve ever caught.

After releasing the fish (it swam off right away), I began fishing again. Ten minutes later, I hooked another monster. I didn’t figure it was as large as the first, but it was hefty.

But when I got the first glimpse of the fish, I could see it was another impressive trout. This one was 28.5 inches and weight 8 ½ pounds.

I caught two more impressive trout, a 7 ¾-pounder and a paltry 6 ¼-pounder.

I’m not sure what’s going on, but it just might be an upswing in the cycle. A friend of mine caught a trout weighing more than 9 pounds a day earlier.

I believe I found a spot that is attractive to big trout. There’s a shallow, grassy flat where they can search for food. There’s deep water immediately off the edge for safety. The area also features a lot of bait and plenty of cover.

I think the trout must spawn in the area. The big fish that my clients and I have been catching are fat and full of roe.

The three monster trout Chuck Linn caught on March 24, 2011 were very thin and obviously roed out. What I caught were pre-span trout. Linn caught post-spawners.

No matter. The area obviously is a haven for big trout. It has been producing even since I found the fish last October.

The best days seem to be those in which there’s a low tide or negative low tide at daylight. The fish hit during the first few hours of the incoming tide.

I look for more big trout action throughout this month. I addition, redfish, flounder, pompano, bluefish and Spanish mackerel should cooperate.

It’s a great spot.

February was gator trout month around Sarasota Bay

Dick Combs of Bartow, Fla., shows off one of the many 'gator' trout caught by Southern Drawl clients in February.

February was gator trout month around Sarasota Bay. Southern Drawl Kayak

Fishing clients caught a number of spotted seatrout to 25 inches or more.

Steve Coates had a good outing on Sarasota Bay. We totaled 30 trout to 5 pounds, 2 flounder and a pompano on MirrOlure MirrOdines and D.O.A. CAL Jigs with gold and copper crush paddle tails. Most of the fish came just south of Whale Key on the edge of a grass flat.

Fly fisher Dick Badman of Pennsylvania did well in the same area. We caught and released 30 trout from 2 to 5 pounds on Clouser Deep Minnows, MirrOlure MirrOdines and CAL Jigs. We also managed flounder and ladyfish.

Bill Koenemann of Fort Wayne, Ind., fished the same area with good results. We totaled 30 spotted seatrout to 6 pounds on MirrOdines worked along grass edges.

Jon Freyer of Ludington, Mich., had a fine trip. He landed four redfish to 28 inches, trout to 5 pounds and flounder. In addition, we caught pompano and ladyfish. Most of the fish came on D.O.A. 4-inch jerk worms on 1/16-ounce jigs head and CAL Jigs with gold or copper crush paddle tails.

Dick Badman joined me again and did fair. The action slowed down somewhat. Dick landed a number of spotted seatrout on Clouser Deep Minnows.

Daulton Roberts of Enid, Okla., a fly-fishing guide in Arkansas, had a good day, catching trout to 17 inches, flounder and pompano on Clouser Deep Minnows.

Wade Collier of Longboat Key had a monumental day, catching his largest seatrout (5 pounds) and largest flounder (22 inches) on MirrOdines and CAL Jigs.

Dick Combs of Bartow, Fla., landed five trout of more than 24 inches on MirrOdines, plus a plethora of smaller fish.

We also had a couple of trips to the Peace River. Dave Robinson of Sarasota caught snook to 26 inches, bass and gar on topwater plugs and jigs. On another trip, we landed snook to 30 inches, bass, gar and small redfish on topwater plugs and jigs.

We anticipate the large trout continuing to cooperate and will target them over the next month. In addition, we look for bluefish and Spanish mackerel to show up.

Beach snook season is fast approaching. The action should heat up in May and continue through August as snook to more than 20 pounds can be found in the surf.

The folks from Native Watercraft were in town and accompanied me on a trip on Sarasota Bay. They videoed the outing and produced a short clip on kayak fishing. Take a look at http://www.nativewatercraft.com/video.cfm?id=78

We’re happy to announce that we’ve been added to the Pro Staff at Aqua-Bound Paddles. We really appreciate Aqua-Bound’s support.

Please visit www.aquabound.com to view their selection of great kayak paddles. For those who reside in Sarasota, you may purchase Aqua-Bound Paddles at Economy Tackle, 5018 S. Tamiami Trail.

As always, we would like to thank our sponsors: Native Watercraft, D.O.A. Lures, Peak Fishing, Aqua-Bound Paddles and Go Fish! Sportsmans Sunscreen.

Steve Gibson


Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

(941) 284-3406

I'm on Native Watercraft Television

The folks from Native Watercraft were in town to shoot some video.

Here's one segment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4orM20exrE&feature=youtu.be

We're now a member of the Aqua-Bound Pro Staff

I am happy to announce that I have been selected as a member of the Aqua-Bound Paddles Pro Staff.

Aqua-Bound is a premier paddle manufacturer and offers a variety of paddles to meet the needs of kayak anglers and recreational paddlers of all skill levels.

I conduct kayak-fishing seminars throughout Sarasota and the state each year. One of my messages is that prospective kayak anglers should buy the best equipment they can afford. It makes no sense to purchase of good kayak, but select an inexpensive paddle. That’s like putting economy tires on your Porsche!

For my use, I selected Aqua-Bound’s Surge Carbon Kayak Paddle. It’s strong, very light (24.5) ounces and attractive. Mine will be 230 cm in length.

Please check out the Aqua-Bound website at http://www.aquabound.com/.

January offers hot snook and redfish river action

Al Ewert of Connecticut shows off a hefty Myakka River snook that he caught on a D.O.A. 4-inch jerk worm and jig.

For the most part, January was a good month for clients of Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing.


Concentrating on the Myakka River, clients caught a variety of fish, including snook, redfish, largemouth bass, spotted gar, Florida gar and tarpon.

The year started with repeat client Al Ewert of Connecticut. Using a D.O.A. CAL 4-inch jerk worm on a 1/16-ounce jig head, Ewert connected quickly on a hefty river snook. We were fishing my deep-water pattern of which few anglers are aware. I discovered this pattern by accident.

In addition, Ewert caught small redfish, bass and gar. We added a 35-inch snook at mid-morning.

John Garcia, a fly angler from California, and his cousin, Daniel from Sarasota, had a good day, but had to fish hard to succeed. Garcia managed a pair of nice snook and a 28-inch redfish on fly. Daniel caught gar and a 3-pound largemouth bass.

On a busman’s holiday, I hit the river and landed 7 snook to 33 inches, 2 bass to 2.5 pounds, a 28-inch redfish and a gar. All fish were taken on a CAL Jerk Worm and jighead.

John Mallia and Jim Hoffman of Buffalo, N.Y. joined me for two tough days of fishing on the river. But the persistent and hardcore anglers succeeded. Mallia managed snook to 28 inches, gar and a bass. Hoffman connected on snook and bass, but lost a hefty snook at the side of the kayak.

The following day was tougher. The group managed one 25-inch snook, 5 bass to 2.5 pounds, 5 gar, a ladyfish and a small tarpon – all on jigs.

Key to the river success is persistency. Those who keep their lures in the water usually are rewarded. It’s tough fish, but can pay off in quality fish.

Dick Badman of Pennsylvania joined me and had a very tough day. Snook, bass, gar and tarpon were absent. However, we did land a 32-inch redfish.

John Mallia and his son, J.D., fished Palma Sola Bay and did well. The duo managed 55 spotted trout, 10 flounder and several ladyfish on CAL Jigs with gold paddle tails.

John Skivington of New York fished the Myakka River and had a smattering of success. Snook had lockjaw, but he caught bass and several gar. We also caught a small redfish and a plethora of ladyfish.

Dick Badman of Pennsylvania fished Sarasota Bay and did well. Casting flies, Badman landed spotted seatrout, ladyfish, Spanish mackerel and pompano. We were fishing the deep grass off Stephens Point.

Tom Miller of New York joined me for a river outing and had a good time. He caught a few bass and hooked a gar. In all, we totaled five largemouth to 3 pounds and a few ladyfish.

Mike Green of Cartersville, Ga., and I got out on the water at 4:30 a.m. and had a good day. He caught two snook – the first of his life – and several spotted seatrout on fly around dock lights. After daylight, he managed a number of spotted seatrout and ladyfish. We also landed a nice pompano.

Woody Calloway of Legacy Paddlesports, videoman John, Bobby Harless of Punta Gorda, Mark Lozier, a Native Watercraft-endorsed guide from Virginia Beach, Va., and Dave and Lisa Harper of North Port fished with me off Stephens Point. We caught a load of small spotted seatrout, ladyfish, flounder and Spanish mackerel on jigs.

River action slowed down toward the end of the month, but we expect it to improve – if we get some cold weather.

If not, we’ll concentrate on fishing the deep grass in Sarasota Bay.

A good alternative is to get out on the water a couple of hours before daylight to fish around dock lights. On a solo trip, I landed a redfish and spotted seatrout on my first two casts. I later lost a snook at the side of the kayak. After daylight, I caught spotted seatrout, ladyfish, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, pompano and bluefish.

Freshwater trips also are an option. The Manatee River is producing good catches of big bluegill and hefty channel catfish.

Lake Manatee is yielding bluegill, shellcracker, speckled perch, a few bass and large channel catfish.

I would like to thank my sponsors: Native Watercraft, D.O.A. Lures, Go Fish! Sportsman Sunscreen and Peak Fishing.

The season is booking up nicely. Please book your trips at your earliest convenience to assure your day(s) of fun on the water.

For those of you who enjoy social media, you can get daily fishing reports from me on Facebook and Twitter. Please “friend” me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @gibby3474.



Steve Gibson


Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing


www.kayakfishingsarasota.com


http://gibbysfishingblog.blogspot.com/


(941) 284-3406

Myakka River pictorial

Cold weather often means hot fishing on the mighty Myakka River



Jim Hoffman of New York shows off a fine Myakka River snook caught on a D.O.A. CAL 4-inch jerk worm.



Cold is not the reason I moved to Florida in 1971.

No, I moved to escape it.

However, we do experience a bit of cold weather in the winter.

But I’ve learned to deal with it. In fact, I’ve learned there can be some mighty fine fishing when the weather’s a tad chilly.

When the water temperature dips into the low 60s or high 50s, you can usually find me on local rivers. That’s because snook and several other species move up rivers in the winter, seeking warmer water. And when this happens, fishing can be very productive.

I most often fish the Myakka River, a picturesque stream that begins in Polk County and meanders through Sarasota County before emptying into Charlotte Harbor.

I conduct 6- and 8-hour trips on the river. This trip is for serious anglers, but newcomers will enjoy the fishing and the scenery!

Most often I launch at Snook Haven, a well-known spot located at 5000 E. Venice Ave., near Venice. It’s about a mile west of Interstate 75.

I like to paddle downstream to a series of deepwater spots that usually hold good numbers of big snook. In addition, anglers will get a shot at redfish, largemouth bass and some big spotted and Florida gar.

I usually use medium to medium-heavy spinning tackle, 15-pound test braided line, 20-pound fluorocarbon shock leader and a D.O.A. 4-inch CAL Jerk Worm on a 1/16-ounce jig head. This lure out-produces others lures by far.

I encourage fly anglers to use 8-weight outfits and 20-pound leaders. Most sinking baitfish patterns will produce.

Fishing on the river isn’t fast. But what it lacks in numbers, it make up for in quality. For example, we caught snook exceeding 30 inches on seven of our first nine trips in 2012, including five snook of more than 35 inches. Largest snook was a 37-incher.

We target the big fish on deep ledges and drop-offs. You’ll find many other anglers casting lures toward the banks and fallen trees. While this approach does work, you’ll catch more and bigger fish when working the deeper water.

A River Slam is any three of the above species. Catch all four and it’s a Grand Slam. Add a tarpon and you’ve got something really rare – a Super Slam.

We’ve had several River Slams in 2012 and even a couple of Grand Slams. I came within a redfish of a Super Slam on Jan. 10. I got the tarpon, but didn’t land a redfish.

Fly fishing can be good. John Garcia of California caught snook and landed a 28-inch redfish on fly. Dick Badman of Pennsylvania has landed snook.

Key to success is keeping your lure or fly in the water and not losing focus. It’s tough fishing, but persistent anglers are usually rewarded.

Sometimes, anglers catch their biggest fish first thing in the morning. Sometimes, it’s a mid-day. And at others times, it’s during the final hour.

We call 10 fish “par” on the river. Anything more is icing on the cake.

In addition to fine fishing, there is a plethora of wildlife to see on the river. Alligators, blue heron, otters, raccoons, wild hogs, whitetail deer, ibis, red-tailed hawks and other wildlife are commonly seen.

You don’t have to be alarmed by alligators. Wild gators don’t like to get close to humans. And during cold weather, we usually only see them “sunning” themselves on the banks or sand bars during the warmer afternoons.

Fishing the Myakka River during the winter is one of my favorite endeavors.

I think you’ll like it, too!