Gibby's Fishing Blog

Myakka River pictorial

2012-01-11T14:01:00.000-08:00

Cold weather often means hot fishing on the mighty Myakka River

2012-01-11T13:47:00.000-08:00

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!

Newcomers guide to the exciting world of kayak fishing

2012-01-11T13:14:00.000-08:00

Fishing from a kayak is fun and exciting for newcomers and veterans alike.

Welcome to the thrilling and wonderful world of kayak fishing!

Newcomers will be amazed at the ease and productivity of fishing from a kayak. On average, even inexperienced anglers will catch more fish while fishing from a kayak than they will from a motorized vessel. The reason is kayaks are very stealthy – and the fish do not know you’re around.

I use Native Watercraft Ultimate 14½-foot kayaks, so there’s no need to fear capsizing. The kayaks are so stable that I often fish while standing up. I don’t allow clients to stand because of obvious liability issues, but the kayaks are very stable.

I supply kayaks, safety equipment, rods, reels and all lures. I also supply fly rods, flies and leaders for those who prefer to fly fish.

During warm weather, I suggest anglers wear a long-sleeve fishing shirt, cap or hat, shorts and footwear that you don’t mind getting wet. Most of the time, we do not wade. However, your feet will get wet getting in and out of the kayak.

If we choose to fish while wading, tennis shoes and sandals are not good choices. They will fill with sand and shell. In addition, they pull off when wading in soft mud.

Wading anglers should wear “flats boots.” They are similar to dive boots and are made for wading anglers. I use Orvis wading boots: http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=03JQ&dir_id=758&group_id=11059&cat_id=5421&subcat_id=6047.

Believe it or not, but it does get chilly in Florida. For winter fishing, I usually wear a long-sleeve shirt, fleece-lined vest, long fishing pants and wading boots. If it’s going to warm up by mid-morning, I wear shorts.

I supply sandwiches and drinks on all-day trips. Anglers supply their own food and snacks on shorter trips.

Rain gear often comes in handy. I carry an extra rain jacket and also have a few inexpensive ponchos for clients.

Sunscreen should be applied prior launching and should be reapplied a couple of times while out.

I use spinning tackle and braided line. I will show you how to cast and work with braided line.

I usually drift while fishing from the kayak. It’s important to make sure the bow of the kayak is pointing in the direction of your cast. When drift fishing, I rest the paddle on my lap in order to make quick bow adjustments.

We anchor and fish occasionally. I have anchor trolleys on the port (left) side of each kayak. Simply clip the anchor line to the O-ring on the trolley and position the anchor (I’ll tell you) at the proper place along the kayak. By using the anchor trolley, we can face the direction we need to cast at all times.

You may bring your own equipment, but I suggest you use mine. My tackle is rigged and ready to go for local conditions and species.

I tie my own flies and leaders. Flies are designed for area fish in a variety of conditions.

I use D.O.A. Lures for the most part. In addition, I use MirrOlure products, topwater plugs and a few spoons.

After you book your trip, I will call you the afternoon/evening prior to your trip to discuss time and place to meet. Clients often follow me to our launch site and are able to leave as soon as the trip is over.

I require a 50-percent deposit to guarantee your date. I will refund the deposit within two weeks of your scheduled trip – provided I can book another trip to replace it.

Although I have no control over the fish, I can assure you that I will make sure your trip is everything you expect. I place an emphasis on fun.

Thank you for your interest in Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing!

December started slowly, but heated up with trout and snook

2011-12-31T05:42:00.000-08:00

Dick Badman of Pennsylvania shows off a fine Myakka River snook, one of seven caught and released on the day.

December was one of the more memorable months in Southern Drawl history – although it certainly didn’t start out that way.

The month included some of the best spotted seatrout, flounder and snook fishing we’ve ever experienced. Bluegill and speckled perch action wasn’t too bad, either.

The month began with repeat client Dave Sutton on Michigan pursuing his passion – bluegill on fly rod. I’d scouted Lake Manatee the day prior and done very well, catching hand-sized bluegill, shellcracker, speckled perch and channel catfish on my Myakka Minnow, nymphs and popping bugs.

I’m not sure what happened, but the next day was really tough. We caught fish, but not nearly as many. We had to work extremely hard and ended up with a fair catch of bluegill, including several hand-sized fish. Best flies included the Myakka Minnow, poppers and nymphs.

Regular client Dick Badman of Pennsylvania fished with me in early December and we did well on spotted seatrout, flounder, redfish and sheepshead. An avid fly fisher, Dick caught more than 30 trout, plus a hefty flounder and a sheepshead on my Big Eye Baitfish. Sheepshead are rare on fly. We fished Palma Sola Bay.

Dick joined my again and we fished Stephens Point in Sarasota Bay. Using the Big Eye Baitfish Fly on a 6-weight TFO TICRX, Dick caught a plethora of spotted seatrout, ladyfish, Spanish mackerel and bluefish.

Repeat client Jason Beary of Pennsylvania had a banner day. We fished Buttonwood Harbor along western Sarasota Bay and experienced some of the finest spotted seatrout action I’ve ever seen. We caught and released more than 50 trout between 3 and 5 ½ pounds. In addition, he landed Spanish mackerel and bluefish. Jason hooked a big redfish late in the day, but lost it after a 5-minute battle. We used Big Eye Baitfish Flies, Gibby’s Duster, MirrOlure MirrOdines and D.O.A. CAL Jigs with gold paddle tails.

Dan Byers of Colorado was next. We tried Buttonwood Harbor, but found slow action. A cold front had moved through and evidently moved the fish. We loaded up the kayaks and headed for Palma Sola Bay. It was a good move. We caught plenty of spotted seatrout to 16 inches, flounder to 15 and ladyfish. Action was very fast. Our lure of choice was the CAL Jig with gold or copper crush paddle tails.

Dick Badman joined me the next day. We opted for the Myakka River. Because the temperature had been dipping into the 40s at night, I suspected snook might have made their way up the river.

I knew after two casts I was right. We launched at Snook Haven and found most of the action about a mile down the river.

We caught and released seven snook to 36 inches on GIP Flies and D.O.A. 4-inch jerk worms on 1/16-ounce jig heads.

River fishing isn’t fast, but often produces large fish, including snook, redfish and largemouth bass. The action should be good through February and is a favorite of mine.

I’ve found a pattern than I’m not sure if anyone else has discovered. And it has produced good catches of all three species over the last year.

We have taken snook to 36 inches, redfish to 28 and largemouth bass to 6 pounds – all on the same lure.

This is the coldest time of year in our area, but it often means hot fishing. When the daytime highs reach the upper 60s or low 70s, it’s time to hit the river. We dress in layers, and usually remove our jackets by mid-morning.

In addition to fine fish, the river offers really gorgeous scenery.

We anticipate good river action on snook, redfish and bass in January. In addition, the deeper grass areas of Sarasota Bay should produce trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and pompano.

January also is a great month for freshwater fishing in The Everglades.

Upcoming seminar schedule:

Jan. 21: Redfish Tactics and Techniques, 12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m., Flying Fish Outfitters, 820 Albee Rd., Nokomis.

Feb. 11: How to Tie the Myakka Minnow, 10 a.m. – noon, Flying Fish Outfitters, 820 Albee Rd., Nokomis.

Happy New Year to all. May fish and fun be in your future.

I would like to thank my sponsors: Native Watercraft, TFO Fly Rods, Go Fish! Sportsman Sunscreen and Peak Fishing.

I hope 2012 is as good as 2011.

Hope to see you on the water.

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

(941) 284-3406

Redfish, trout and flounder action heating up around Sarasota Bay

2011-12-03T05:49:00.000-08:00

Sarasota Bay redfish on a D.O.A. CAL Jerk Worm

Redfish action is heating up along the east and west sides of Sarasota Bay.

I recently caught and released 19 reds from 15 to 24 inches on D.O.A. CAL Jigs with gold paddle tails, D.O.A. 5.5-inch jerk worms and gold spoons near “The Elbow” in north Sarasota Bay.

In addition, I’ve been picking up pompano, snook, loads of spotted seatrout and a surprising amount of flounder.

I had a great outing near Buttonwood Harbor on the west side of Sarasota Bay. While paddling through the Longboat Key rim canal, I noticed a bunch of mullet on a flat to my north. So, I altered course and started to fish. I caught and released 25-inch reds on gold spoons.

After that, I headed out into the bay and fished a grass edge on the south side of Whale Key. I caught at least a dozen trout from 20 to 24 inches on the MirrOlure MirrOdine. The great trout action was interrupted by a fast-approaching storm. Since discretion is the better part of valor, I paddled back to the launch.

I took Graham Peterson and Bill Rittle of Sarasota out on a windy day. It wasn’t too bad in the morning, but kicked up significantly by 10:30. Prior to that, we caught spotted seatrout, ladyfish, gag grouper, redfish, snook and a few flounder – all on CAL Jigs.

We paddled back south and fished a channel heading into Bowles Creek. We anchored on the lee side of a mangrove island and cast jigs into the channel. We landed snook, spotted seatrout, ladyfish, flounder and pompano. We encountered some toothy fish (mackerel, bluefish), but didn’t land any. The “razor cuts” on our leaders were the giveaway.

Freshwater fishing has been good. Two trips to Lake Manatee produced 110 bluegill (at least 50 were hand-sized), shellcracker, speckled perch and channel catfish. Fly choices included No. 10 poppers, No. 12 nymphs and my Myakka Minnow.

This action should heat up in December, with speckled perch taking the forefront.

Flounder action has been very steady. In fact, I believe you could catch 20 or more -- if you targeted them. D.O.A. CAL Jigs with gold paddle tails bounced slowly across the bottom of sand holes and sand bars have been producing flounder to 21 inches.

When we fish the deep grass off Stephen’s Point and Whale Key in Sarasota Bay, we’ve been getting bluefish, pompano, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, gag grouper and plenty of spotted seatrout.

Buttonwood Harbor has been producing steady redfish action – especially when mullet are abundant on the flats. When that happens, a gold Johnson Spoon has been producing reds to 26 inches.

Spotted seatrout action has been hot on the southside flat at Whale Key. Two trips there produced 50 trout from 2 to 5 pounds. Most of the fish were taken on the MirrOlure MirrOdine. The MirrOlure MirrOmullet also has been working.

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

(941) 284-3406

Little tunny: Love at first bite!

2011-11-29T09:04:00.000-08:00

Capt. Rick Grassett of the Snook Fin-Addict in Sarasota shows off a fine fly-rod little tunny caught in the inshore Gulf of Mexico.

There are several wonderful things about fall in Florida: The air and water begin to cool; The rainy season is over and a tri-named fish shows up in the inshore Gulf of Mexico.

When little tunny (also known as bonito or false albacore) are around, Capt. Rick Grassett of the Snook Fin-Addict (http://snookfin-addict.com/) in Sarasota is a happy camper. LT’s, as they are sometimes called, are one of his favorite fish.

“They’re everything you want,” said Grassett. “They are strong, make fast and exciting runs and they’ll eat an assortment of lures and flies.”

When Grassett has a rare day off in the fall, he’ll head into the inshore Gulf of Mexico and begin scouting for little tunny. He prefers the area south of old Midnight Pass, but he has a number of spots which can and often do produce. Top areas include Point o’ Rocks off Siesta Key, just north of the Venice Inlet, the area between New Pass and the Colony Beach Resort on Longboat Key and just north and south of Longboat Pass.

“They can be spread out or you might find them in a particular area,” said Grassett, who operates out of C.B.’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key. “You just have to find them.”

On a recent trip, Grassett launched his Action Craft flats skiff at Ken Thompson Park on City Island near Sarasota and headed out New Pass.

“I heard there were some little tunny in this area yesterday,” he said.

Grassett slowly motored north, looking for signs of fish along the way. He looks for baitfish on the surface and/or diving birds.

“I’ve been getting into fish south of Midnight Pass,” he said. “Let’s try there.”

There were no diving birds or baitfish along the way. But as he neared the northern tip of Casey Key, Grassett saw a flock of diving birds about a mile away.

“There they are,” he said. “Looks like busting fish below them.”

Those busting fish were little tunny and Spanish mackerel. Although you might find both species mixed together, that’s not always the case. It wasn’t in this instance. Under one bait school it was mackerel. The other had little tunny.

“You can tell by watching the busts,” said Grassett. “Mackerel don’t make much of a disturbance and they’ll often jump.

“Little tunny really disturb the water.”

For this action, Grassett prefers fly tackle. He advises 8- or 9-weight rods and sinktip lines (to get the fly down a little. The reel must be capable of holding 200 yards of backing.

Leader should be at least 6 feet of 20-pound fluorocarbon. No need for fancy tapered leaders here.

“I’ll use a short length of wire if there are a lot of mackerel around,” said Grassett. “That keeps the bite-offs down. Plus, it doesn’t seem to bother the little tunny.”

As far as flies go, he uses his Grassett’s Snook Fly. Most any small baitfish imitation will work.

“Size is important,” Grassett said. “Sometimes the little tunny get keyed into a certain size bait and won’t even look at your fly if it’s too big or too small.

“Figure out what they’re feeding on and adjust accordingly.”

Of course, spinning enthusiasts can get in on the action. Grassett advises medium to medium-heavy rods and reels in the 3000 to 4000 sizes.

“You need at least 250 yards of line and a smooth drag,” he said.

A ¼-ounce white bucktail jig is about all you need. However, plastic-tailed jigs and Diamond Jigs also will work.

“You can use an assortment of plugs, but there’s really no need,” said Grassett. “It’s not much fun breaking off a $10 lure.

“Keep it simple.”

Little tunny aren’t considered great eating, so Grassett releases all he catches. That they aren’t prime food discourages some folks from pursuing them.

“That puzzles me,” said Grassett. “Little tunny are among our sportiest fish.”

Grassett said recently he suggested one of his clients give them a try, but got a strange reaction.

“I told him they were around and that they’re great fly-rod fish,” he said. “But all he said was ‘Didn’t you tell me they aren’t good to eat? Why would anyone want to do that?’ “

To each his own.

Tarpon and bonefish aren’t considered food fish in the United States, but that doesn’t stop a legion of anglers from pursuing them.

We only have occasional bonefish. And tarpon season is over.

But we do have little tunny. And they’ll stick around until the water gets too cold. That’s when they’ll head for their winter waters in the Caribbean. They’ll return in late winter or early spring.

“I wish we had them year round,” said Grassett. “They’re really great fish.”

Spotted seatrout have a lot of fans around the Sunshine State

2011-11-29T08:55:00.000-08:00

Spotted seatrout action has been hot and heavy around Sarasota Bay and other area waters.

Snook arguably are Florida’s most-popular backcountry fish.

But spotted seatrout aren’t far behind.

Trout are plentiful, usually very cooperative and fairly good on the table.

They’re every man’s fish.

Fortunately, those of us who reside in or near the Sarasota-Bradenton area are smack dab in the middle of some of the finest seatrout fishing around. When other species have lockjaw, you can usually count on trout.

The outlook wasn’t so good just a few years ago. Red tide, a pesky algae bloom which periodically invades area waters, killed thousands of trout in Sarasota Bay and adjacent waters. The dreaded tide showed up in December of 2004 and lasted until January of 2006.

Many local charter operators put self-imposed moratoriums on killing seatrout for at least a few months. As a result of that moratorium and the fact that trout are very prolific, the species rebounded with gusto.

Tackle for spotted seatrout should be relatively light. Most often, I use a light spinning rod and 8-pound test braided line. I employ about an 18-inch length of fluorocarbon for a shock leader.

My No. 1 lure is a D.O.A. 1/16-ounce CAL Jig with a gold or copper crush paddle tail. D.O.A.’s Deadly Combination is a close second. I also use the MirrOlure MirrOdine and the Rapala Skitter Walk on occasion.

I most often fish Sarasota Bay. Favorite spots include the deep grass off Stephens Point, the deep grass off the sand between the Ringling Mansion and Whitfield Avenue and the deep grass off the southern side of Whale Key near Buttonwood Harbor.

I prefer to drift those areas and I avoid anchoring – unless the wind is strong.

Most often, I’ll start randomly casting with a jig to determine where the fish are located. Experience tells me to concentrate on edges or holes in the grass. I will target areas of broken bottom or sand holes within a grassy area. I don’t like to fish bottoms of solid grass.

To see the grass, a quality pair of polarized sunglasses is necessary.

Tide really isn’t a key factor when fishing over deep grass. As long as it’s moving one way or the other, I’m fine.

I prefer to use the lightest jig head possible. I don’t want my jig rocketing to the bottom and tangling in the grass. I want a slow fall.

I’ll cast my jig out, allow it to sink, reel in the slack and work it. Jigging and reeling are two separate actions. Many people make the mistake of reeling and jigging at the same time.

Trout (and other species) will hit the jig as it falls 99 percent of the time. That’s why using braided line and a sensitive graphite rod is important. When you feel the slightest hit, it’s time to reel up any slack and set the hook.

I’ve fished with anglers who insist on using monofilament. I don’t have any problem with their choice, but I’m convinced it’s not nearly as sensitive and I am sure a lot of hits go undetected. In addition, monofilament stretches so much that it’s often very difficult to set the hook. There’s no stretch in braided line.

One of the keys to successful trout fishing is to fish where there’s a food source. I constantly scan to water to look for baitfish. Inevitably, whenever I find glass minnows or pilchards on the surface, I find spotted seatrout below.

I also look for predator fish blowing up on minnows.

This past year has been very good in terms of large trout. Florida’s southwest coast is not considered prime territory for “gator” trout. That honor goes to the east coast. However, my clients and I have taken several trout from 6 to 7 ½ pounds this year.

One angler, Chuck Linn of Oklahoma, managed three behemoths in one morning. His first trout was a 4-pounder and we thought that might be the catch of the morning. So, I took a photo of Linn and his fish.

His next trout was a 6 ¼-pounder that he caught on a topwater plug. I took his picture and then walked back to the kayak to put the camera up. But I didn’t get 20 feet away when Linn said he had another monster trout. This one weighed 6 ½ pounds.

I took his photo again and began walking back to the kayak. He hooked another gator.

His third monster trout of the morning weighed 7 ½ pounds.

All of that action took place on the grass flat along the south side of Whale Key on the west side of Sarasota Bay. I’ve taken several impressive trout (although none as large) since that time.

I also managed to catch a 7-pounder over the deep grass off Stephen’s Point in September.

I don’t keep spotted seatrout because they’re not my favorite fish to eat. I find them rather soft-fleshed. However, if you want to keep a couple for dinner, remember the bag limit is four per person per day. Slot limit is 15 to 20 inches. One fish in the limit may be more than 20 inches.

The season is closed in this part of the state in November and December.

Tides are important, but not the panacea of saltwater fishing

2011-11-29T08:51:00.000-08:00

A tailing redfish searches for food a low tide.

Good tide, bad tide. High tide, low tide.

The only really bad tide around these parts is one that’s preceded by a rosey color.

Last time we had a hint of that rojo demon in these here parts was back in 2006 when the infamous bloom lasted 13 months and virtually wiped out the trout population in Sarasota Bay. But that was then, and the trout have rebounded quite well, thank you.

While our daily tides are important when it comes to fishing, they’re not the end-all some might think.

I was talking with Capt. Jack Hartman of Sarasota Fishing Charters and he said he doesn’t really care what the tide is doing when he heads out to fish.

“All I care is that it’s moving,” said Hartman.

And that is the crux of the matter. A moving tide is a good tide.

I’m not saying tides aren’t importantl. However, I do think many anglers put too much emphasis on the tide. In fact, first thing most clients want to know when we head out on a kayak-fishing trip is what the tide is doing?

And when I talk to various groups around the state, the No. 1 question without a doubt is about the tide.

“What’s your favorite tide?”

I think an understanding of the tide is important. In this area, we usually have four tides each day: two high and two low. They’re called “semi-diurnal” tides.

Tides are caused by the gravitational interaction between the sun and moon. We have the biggest tides around the new moon and the full moon.

That’s really all you need to know.

Think of the tide as a large conveyor belt that moves food. When the tide is moving, food is flowing with it. And fish are feeding.

Conversely, when the tide is slack, there’s no or little moving food. For the most part, fishing slows.

Additionally, when the tide is strong, fishing often is better.

The bane of fishing is the one week a month when we have only two tides a day. They are lengthy and seemingly take forever to ebb and flood. The flow is slow and not much food is moved. Fishing action usually slows down accordingly.

Of course the tide is important when you head out to fish. What the tide is doing has a bearing on where you’ll fish and for what species you’ll target.

If I want to try my luck on tailing redfish, I’m not going to do it unless we get a negative low tide. There can be redfish all over a particular flat, but you won’t see any tails piercing the water’s surface if the tide is high.

I try to avoid super high tides. It’s my feeling that those big tides allow the fish to swim most anywhere. The fish spread out and are much more difficult – in my opinion – to find. Fish such as redfish and snook likely will be 20 feet back in the mangroves, making them extremely tough to coax out (without the use of live chum).

On a perfect day, I like to fish the last couple of hours of an outgoing tide and first couple of hours of the incoming. And I wouldn’t mind at all if that low tide was negative. If I showed up at my favorite flat to find parts on it high and dry, I’d smile.

I think reds, snook and trout stage in deeper water at the edge of a flat and wait for the tide to flood. When it does, they’ll swim onto the flat and begin the feed. They remain on that flat until the tide begins to ebb. That’s when the fish will work their way off the flat and back to deep water.

So, I try to start fishing along the edge of the flat when the tide’s going out or beginning to trickle in. As the tide rises, I’ll move up on the flat.

This works for me and others.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is the tide doesn’t read the tide chart. Just because it’s supposed to be high at 10:31 a.m. doesn’t mean it will.

A few years ago, I was the guest speaker at a fishing club in Bradenton. Just before my talk, the club conducted its business. One of the items on the agenda was to set a date for the club’s monthly tournament.

Naturally, one of the members pulled out a tide chart and began searching for the best tides.

“March 20 looks pretty good,” he said.

Club members unanimously voted to hold their tournament on that date.

I asked why?

“Because there will be a strong incoming tide that day,” I was told.

I looked out the window at a great view of Sarasota Bay and asked what the tide was supposed to be at the moment?

“High.”

I said, “Look out the window. It’s dead low.”

So much for tide charts.

A strong, northeast wind had pushed the tide out and kept it out.

How many times have you been on the water and the tide was supposed to be flowing one way but was going the opposite?

I’m going fishing regardless of the tide. Makes no sense to me to plan a trip, ready the equipment, relish in the anticipation and then get up that morning, look at the tide chart and decide to stay home because of a bad tide.

And more times than I can remember, I’ve had some really exciting days when I wasn’t supposed to.

Social media a good way to keep informed

2011-11-18T09:18:00.000-08:00

Social media is a relatively new phenomenon. It’s fun and can be very informative.

I am on Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook is pretty cool because it allows you to find friends from the past, classmates and relatives. It also allows you to connect with those with similar interests.

Twitter is cool because it’s pretty immediate. In addition to following athletes, anglers and personalities, I get the latest news – right now.

If you’re on Facebook, please send me a friend request.

You can follow me on Twitter @gibby3474.

I often “tweet” up-to-the-minute fishing reports right from the water.

Here are the lures that will produce for you in salt water

2011-11-18T08:19:00.000-08:00

Client John Meuschke caught this fine Sarasota Bay redfish on a D.O.A. CAL Jig with gold paddle tail.

Most anglers carry way too much tackle. I’m quite guilty.

At the end of most fishing days, I could put all the lures I used in my shirt pocket.

That probably applies to you, too.

What I do now is to carry one small Plano plastic tackle box with the lures I might use that day.

Lure fishing is quite effective. I haven’t used live bait in so long that I have no clue what the price of shrimp is? I saw a bumper sticker a few years ago that summed up live bait quite nicely.

It read: “Fishing with live shrimp is like sleeping with your sister. It was OK when you were 5 years old.”

While I have nothing against live bait or those who use it, I just don’t feel the need to do so. I catch plenty of fish, and all are taken on artificial lures.

Here are my favorites. They work for me.

D.O.A. CAL Jig: This is my No. 1 lure. It’s a great fish-producer and excellent prospecting lure. I prefer the red, 1/16-ounce head. I like D.O.A.’s paddle tails in gold and copper crush. The paddle tails are very tough and you’ll only use two or three over the course of the day.

D.O.A. Shrimp: I prefer the 3-inch size. It’s very versatile and appeals to a variety of fish. My favorite colors are night glo and gold flake. These artificials work very well when fish alone or a part of D.O.A.’s Deadly Combination. The Deadly Combo is a popping cork, leader and D.O.A. Shrimp. Leader length depends on the depth of the water. You can buy them pre-rigged or construct your own. The Deady Combo also is very easy to use. Cast it out, allow the shrimp to sink, pop the cork and repeat. When the cork goes under, reel in the slack and set the hook.

Using the shrimp alone is not for everyone. You need to work is extremely slow. I find it really effective on calm days. It’s also a great sight-fishing lure. I also like to use it when work under and around docks and other structure.

D.O.A. Jerk Worm: The 4-inch jerk worm is my go-to lure in winter when I’m targeting snook, redfish and bass on local rivers. I put the worm on a 1/16-ounc jig head. Will take a variety of fish. I use the 5-inch jerk worm on the flats when I’m look for redfish and snook. I most often put it on a 1/16-ounce jig head or rig it weedless on a slightly weighted hook.

Zara Super Spook Jr.: You don’t want to hit the flats without a topwater plug. The Spook Jr., casts easily and is simple to work. You want to “walk the dog.” I produce that action by keeping my rod tip low. I real and twitch the lure. Key to success is not setting the hook when a fish strikes. You don’t want to set the hook until you feel the weight of the fish.

MirrOlure MirrOdine: A great lure when fish are feeding on white bait. I like to use it on a light spinning rig. I cast it out and work it erratically. Has wonderful action. Last time I used it, I caught a bunch of seatrout from 20 to 23 inches.

Johnson Silver Minnow: It might be marketed as a “silver” minnow, but I like it in gold. Works great for redfish. It’s also a great prospecting lure. It’s easy to cast and work. Simply cast it out, start your retrieve just before the lure hits the water. Just reel. If there are reds in the area, you’ll find them. Will also entice snook and seatrout. I like the 1/8-ounce version in colder weather when the bait’s smaller. I go to the ¼-ounce spoon during the warmer months.

There you have it.

Let me tell you where the action is

2011-11-18T07:34:00.000-08:00

The Mighty Myakka Minnow is a go-to fly when fish are feeding on small minnows.

This Everglades bass fell for a Myakka Minnow.

I started fly fishing when I was in junior high school. I didn’t have a fly rod, but I’d somehow cast a popping bug far enough with a spinning rod to catch a few panfish.

I got my first fly rod a few years later and fell in love with the sport.

For many years, my arsenal consisted of a light fly rod, floating line, leader material and several white or chartreuse popping bugs. I caught plenty of fish. When bluegill, bass and other species quit hitting the poppers, it was time to go home.

Although I mainly fish saltwater these days, I still get out to a nearby lake or river every once in a while. And I’ve learned a that when the topwater bite subsides, it’s not the end of the day. In fact, it’s only just beginning – if you go subsurface.

Sometimes the topwater bite will last most of the morning. I’ll stick with it as long as the fish are willing to rise and take a popper. There really is nothing quite like a topwater strike! But you can’t force the fish to take a popper.

When that bite ends, I will switch to a No. 12 bead-head nymph under a strike indicator or my Myakka Minnow. The results often are amazing.

The nymph (I call it Aunt Sara’s Homely Daughter) is simple to tie, easy to cast and extremely effective. I use a strike indicator for a couple of reasons: 1. to keep the fly off the bottom; 2. to detect strikes.

Although fish occasionally will pull the strike indicator under, most often strikes are subtle. Sometimes the indicator will just twitch. At other times, it won’t move when you work the fly.

If it does anything out of the ordinary, set the hook.

The Myakka Minnow, a fly I created a few years ago, is most often tied on a No. 10 hook. I tie it in a variety of colors, including gold, black, copper and silver. It’s a very, very effective fly whenever fish are feeding on small minnows.

There are days when it’s the only fly I use.

Last year, I was fishing a client on the Manatee River. He wanted big bluegill. Two casts into the morning, I landed a really big bluegill on the Myakka Minnow. I caught several over the next 15 minutes.

My client was using a popping bug and getting no action. I suggested he use a Myakka Minnow and he agreed. So, I tied a black Myakka Minnow on his leader.

He made two casts, cut it off and tied on the popper.

Meanwhile, it kept producing for me.

He had no confidence in a fly he’d never fished before.

The Myakka Minnow was created after a frustrating day on the Myakka River. I caught a few fish on poppers, but not many. Bass and bluegill were feeding on small minnows along the edge of the river. Every time they’d send minnows flying, I’d cast the popper in the fray.

And every time I came up empty.

When I got home, I sat down at my tying desk to come up with a small minnow imitation. I came up with a prototype and used it the next time I fished the river.

It worked very well.

I’ve refined the design over the years. The fly is one of my top producers. It works extremely well in The Everglades.

No matter what fly you use, just remember that when the topwater bite ends it’s not time to head home.

Put on a subsurface fly and watch the action improve.

Fishing good in fresh and salt waters

2011-11-18T06:38:00.000-08:00

Redfish action has been good in Sarasota Bay.

I have been fishing so much that I haven’t had a lot of time to write.

Since today’s a weather day, I’ll make time.

Fishing has been very good – when the weather allows.

On Thursday, I launched my kayak at Buttonwood Harbor and experienced very good action. As I was paddling along the Longboat Key rim canal, I noticed a lot of mullet on the grass flat just to the north. I interrupted my plans and detoured to the flat.

Casting a 1/8-ounce gold Johnson Silver Minnow, I caught a pair of upper-slot redfish and lost a couple of others.

Mullet are one of the most important keys when it comes to finding redfish. I don’t think the reds feed on the mullet, but I do think they feed on anything the mullet stir up: shrimp, crabs, worms, baitfish. Whenever I’m prospecting, I won’t even fish a flat if there are no mullet around.

When that bite subsided, I headed out into Sarasota Bay to fish an edge that has been very good to me over the last six months. I started out with a few small trout, but quickly discovered a pattern that resulted in several really nice trout.

Rather than position my kayak in deeper water and cast to the edge of the grass, I moved up onto the flat and cast out toward the deeper water. I was using a MirrOlure MirrOdine, a real trout killer. I caught and released 20 spotted seatrout of more than 20 inches. They ranged from 20 to 23 inches and were just clobbering that lure.

My success was interrupted by a storm that was heading my way. Discretion was the better part of valor, so I paddled back to the launch.

Earlier in the week, I spent a couple of days on Lake Manatee, one of my favorite bodies of water. It’ lightly fished and usually yields good catches.

On Tuesday, I landed 80 bluegill on No. 10 poppers, No. 12 bead-head nymphs and my Myakka Minnow. About 25 percent of the bluegill were jumbo. I also caught shellcracker, speckled perch, largemouth bass and channel catfish.

The action fell off drastically the next day – even though conditions were virtually the same. I cast a popper for about 30 minutes and didn’t get a hit. I started catching fish on the nymph (I call it Aunt Sara’s Homely Daughter), but really had to work for them. I landed a nice channel cat that nearly took me into the backing of my 1-weight fly rod.

I only caught 30 bluegill, but at least half of them were large. I didn’t get any bass, shellcracker or speckled perch.

The beauty of Lake Manatee, which is located 9 miles east of Interstate 75 off State Road 64 is that it’s very lightly fished. I suppose that’s because there’s a 20-horsepower limit on outboard motors or because it’s a tough lake to fish for those who aren’t familiar with it.

I launch near Lake Manatee Fish Camp (23745 State Road 64 East) and most often paddle under the bridge and fish the eastern end of the lake. I’ve found over the years that anywhere you find trees along the shoreline is where you’ll find the fish. In addition, you’ll catch some really nice panfish around most of the docks.

On Monday, I fished the east side of Sarasota Bay and paddled nearly to Long Bar. I caught and released 7 redfish from 15 to 23 inches, 15 trout to 18 and a nice pompano. The fish were taken on a 1/16-ounce D.O.A. CAL Jig with a gold paddle tail.

I had fished the same area a week early and caught 12 reds to 25 inches and some very nice seatrout. In addition, I found good numbers of snook in sand holes. I didn’t get any snook, but I stored the information in my mental notebook.

I look for some good action over the next month. Seatrout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and pompano should be in good supply on the deep grass along the east and west sides of Sarasota Bay.

Redfish should cooperate

on the flats and the edges.

Snook will begin moving up creeks and rivers as the water temperature cools.

Starting in late December, I will begin fishing the Myakka River. Last year, I did well on snook to more than 30 inches, redfish to 25 and bass to 6 pounds. Best lure was a D.O.A. 4-inch CAL jerk worm on a 16-ounce jerk worm.

Bass fish is also good farther up the Myakka, with catches of 30 or more fish a day common.

October fishing included a variety of species in Sarasota and Tampa bays

2011-11-01T04:14:00.000-07:00

Redfish cooperated fairly well in October in Sarasota and Tampa bays.

October is a great month to fish in Florida, offering a variety of saltwater species. In addition to spotted seatrout, redfish and snook, other species arrive to add flare to the catch.

Flounder action was surprisingly plentiful around Sarasota and Tampa Bays. Best locations included Buttonwood Harbor and southern Tampa Bay. D.O.A. CAL Jigs with gold or copper crush paddle tails provided a bulk of the action. However, we picked up a few flatties on Clouser Deep Minnows.

Speaking of flies, I came up with a new baitfish pattern that I created using Enrico Puglisi brushes. I named the fly Gibby’s Duster. The Duster was spectacular in its debut on an outing into the Gulf of Mexico with Capt. Rick Grassett of the Snook Fin-Addict in Sarasota. I caught and released four false albacore to 9 pounds. Rick landed four on his white snook fly.

The fly also did well on a couple of outings in Tampa Bay, producing some fine spotted seatrout. Fishing a channel on the outgoing tide, the fly interested trout to 21 inches. I had caught a good number of fish on Clouser Deep Minnows, but the Duster accounted for the largest fish.

I participated in the 7th annual Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers/Coastal Conservation Association Fall Fly Fishing Challenge. Rick Grassett and I co-founded this fine event in 2004.

During pre-fishing, I landed fly-rod slams the two days prior to the event. A fly-rod slam is snook, trout and redfish. The first day, I caught maybe 50 trout to 21 inches and a 22-inch snook out of a Tampa Bay channel on the outgoing tide. The fish took Clouser Deep Minnows and Gibby’s Duster. Six hours later, I completed the slam with a 24-inch redfish on a Dupree Spoon Fly.

The following day, I returned to the channel and caught five dozen trout to 22 inches on Clousers, Dusters and Todd’s Wiggle Minnow, a topwater fly. I had hoped the get a snook and redfish there, too. That didn’t pan out.

As the outgoing tide stopped, so did the bite. So, I paddled into Mose’s Hole (you can only get there via kayak) and spent an hour casting a Dupree Spoon Fly. I caught a 24-inch snook and 28-inch redfish.

I was confident heading into the tournament.

Of course, the weather took a nose dive. The wind was blowing 12-16 mph out of the north. The sky was overcast and it was drizzling as I arrived at the Tampa Bay channel. I caught 35 trout to 16 ½ inches, but no snook or redfish.

I paddled to Mose’s Hole, but couldn’t find any snook or reds. I did managed several trout, including a 20-incher that increased my total inches of the species.

I ended up winning the Trout Division of the tournament with 156.75 inches. It wasn’t what I had envisioned, but I was satisfied.

Last year, I won the Snook Division with more than 100 inches.

Nate Swartz and Sam Swartz fished with me earlier in the month and had a good day, despite strong wind and trying conditions. They caught a good number of spotted seatrout, ladyfish and flounder – all on D.O.A. CAL Jigs with gold paddle tails.

This month, we look for good action on trout, redfish and snook. In addition, pompano, bluefish and Spanish mackerel should show up in increased numbers. We’ve been catching the latter trio, but sporadically.

Best spots have been the deep grass patches off Stephens Point and Whale Key in Sarasota Bay.

November gets very busy, so we encourage early bookings to assure you get in on the action.

As always, I’m available for fishing and fly-tying seminars. I spoke to the Englewood Fishing Club on Oct. 13 before a good turnout of enthusiastic members.

I have been in contact with Flying Fish Outfitters in Nokomis (a great fly/tackle shop) and I am planning a couple of fishing seminars and a fly-tying session.

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

(941) 284-3406

September was good month; October prospects look better

2011-09-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

John Mallia of Lancaster, N.Y., paddles through a mangrove tunnel on the way to Mose's Hole off southern Tampa Bay.

Randy Honaker Jr., of Tampa shows off a hefty trout.

September was a very good month for Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing.

Redfish, spotted seatrout, flounder, bluefish and snook were consistent and provided thrilling action.

Regular client John Mallia of Lancaster, N.Y., had a couple of good trips early in the month. We fished Sarasota Bay off Stephens Point the first day and Bishop Harbor and Mose’s Hole off southern Tampa Bay the next.

Day one in Sarasota Bay yielded quite a few spotted seatrout, ladyfish, redfish and flounder. Trout ran from 13 to 19 inches. Redfish went from 17 to 22 inches. Most of the fish were taken on D.O.A. CAL Jigs with gold or copper crush paddle tails.

The trout were caught in the deep grass off Stephens Point. Redfish came from the channel leading into the Crosley-Horton Estate just north of the Ringling Mansion.

That area has been providing steady redfish action on topwater plugs and CAL Jigs.

The next day, we fished Bishop Harbor and Mose’s Hole off Tampa Bay. Mose’s Hole is a seldom-fished remote area only accessible via mangrove tunnel. Mallia caught a bunch of spotted seatrout to 18 inches and a redfish. We also managed snook and ladyfish.

Most of the action took place on Bomber topwater plugs, CAL Jigs and Rapala Skitter Walks.

Randy Honaker of Centerville, Ohio, his son, Randy of Tampa, and Justin Pfaff caught spotted seatrout, ladyfish and sugar trout on what turned out to be a very slow day off Stephens Point. The fish were taken on Gibby’s Big Eye Baitfish flies, Clouser Deep Minnows, CAL Jigs and D.O.A. Deadly Combinations.

Gary Herbert and Dean Panse of Michigan had an outstanding day in Sarasota Bay near Buttonwood Harbor. They combined to catch 35 spotted seatrout to 19 inches, 13 flounder to 17, five redfish to 24, ladyfish, croaker and sugar trout.

CAL Jigs and D.O.A. Deadly Combinations produced all of the fish.

The highlight of the day came at mid-morning when a mama manatee and her calf swam up to Herbert’s kayak and allowed him to pet them.

We have been encountering manatees on most every trip to the Buttonwood Harbor area.

On solo outings, I have been catching and releasing redfish to 32 inches, spotted seatrout to 7 pounds, flounder to 19 inches, bluefish to 5 pounds, croaker, ladyfish, sugar trout and snook to 30 inches.

The weather is beginning to cool. The water temperature is dropping and fish are starting to feed.

I look for very good action through October and into November.

Pompano, Spanish mackerel and bluefish are here, but their numbers will increase daily as the water cools.

I have openings in October, a great month to fish. The best thing about October is there aren’t many people around and there’s little competition.

The Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers and the Sarasota Chapter of Coastal Conservation Association will hold their 7th annual Fall Fly Fishing Challenge Oct. 29.

The catch, photo and release event will feature an Open Division, for guides and anglers fishing with guides (all anglers are eligible to compete in the Open Division), and a Fly Angler Division (no guides).

In the Open Division, eligible species include snook, redfish and spotted sea trout. Those in the Fly Angler Division will fish for a variety of species, including snook, redfish, spotted sea trout, bluefish, ladyfish, flounder, snapper, jack crevalle, pompano and permit based on a point-per-inch system.

Entry fee is $50 and includes an awards BBQ at the Ken Clark Auditorium, 3000 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota. Applications are available at area tackle shops or on line at http://ccaflorida.org and http://mangrovecoastflyfishers.com.

Call Rick Grassett at 923-7799 or Steve Gibson at 284-3406 for information.

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

(941) 284-3406

Snook, redfish and spotted seatrout provide fun

2011-09-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

John Meuschke of Sarasota shows off an oversized redfish that he caught on a D.O.A. CAL Jig.

John Meuschke's flounder.

Despite very hot and humid conditions, fishing remained steady.

Fishing before daylight and early morning in Sarasota Bay, Bishop Harbor and Tampa Bay, clients managed snook to 32 inches, redfish to 25 and spotted seatrout to 26 ½ on a variety of lures and flies, including D.O.A. CAL Jigs, D.O.A. Deadly Combinations and Schminnows.

John Meuschke of Sarasota had a good day in and around Buttonwood Harbor, catching a plethora of different species. He caught spotted seatrout to 19 inches, flounder to 18 and redfish to 32 on CAL Jigs.

Redfish are schooling on the flats and can make for fast action – if you can find them. These fish are mainly oversized and will hit most anything tossed their way.

Snook, spotted seatrout, flounder, ladyfish and redfish have been cooperating in Mose’s Hole, a secluded spot off Tampa Bay only accessible via a mangrove tunnel. This is a fun spot that has been providing steady action on both the incoming and outgoing tide.

We traveled south to Charlotte Harbor and launched at Ponce de Leon Park. Our target was tarpon. We found them and jumped a 125-pound fish on a D.O.A. Baitbuster.

We returned to the harbor and fished with Capt. Rick Grassett of the Snook Fin-Addict. Tarpon were plentiful in the Peace River and adjacent canals, but not very cooperative. We jumped three fish on D.O.A. TerrorEyz. We anticipate tarpon fishing to improve this month.

Tarpon in the harbor, canals and river range in size from 10 to more than 100 pounds. You never know what size tarpon will hit your lure or fly.

Action has been steady in Sarasota Bay off Stephens Point. We’ve been getting snook and spotted seatrout before daylight on flies around lighted docks.

After daylight, we’ve been drifting the deep grass and getting spotted seatrout to 26 ½ inches, pompano to 3 pounds, bluefish to 3, ladyfish and flounder on CAL Jigs, D.O.A. Baitbusters and Gibby’s Big Eye Baitfish Fly.

The sand bars along southern Tampa Bay have been yielding redfish, spotted seatrout and a surprising amount of flounder. Top lure has been the D.O.A. Cal Jig with copper crush or gold paddle tail.

Sight-fishing can be very productive on the sand bars. The water is clear and shallow and the bottom is white sand.

In addition, there are bonnethead shark and blacktip shark available on the sand bars.

We’ve also seen a few tailing redfish at low tide.

Bishop Harbor off Tampa Bay has been producing decent numbers of snook, redfish, flounder and spotted seatrout.

Temperatures should start to drop later this month. And that should result in a flurry of action. We anticipate schools of large redfish on the flats, spotted seatrout over the deep grass, snook around dock lights and flounder in sand holes.

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

(941) 284-3406

Fall Fly Fishing Challenge set Oct. 29

2011-08-29T07:03:00.000-07:00

Co-Tournament Director Rick Grassett

The Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers and the Sarasota Chapter of Coastal Conservation Association will hold their 7th annual Fall Fly Fishing Challenge Oct. 29.

The catch, photo and release event will feature an Open Division, for guides and anglers fishing with guides (all anglers are eligible to compete in the Open Division), and a Fly Angler Division (no guides).

In the Open Division, eligible species include snook, redfish and spotted sea trout. Those in the Fly Angler Division will fish for a variety of species, including snook, redfish, spotted sea trout, bluefish, ladyfish, flounder, snapper, jack crevalle, pompano and permit based on a point-per-inch system.

Entry fee is $50 and includes an awards BBQ at the Ken Clark Auditorium, 3000 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota. Applications are available at area tackle shops or on line at http://ccaflorida.org and http://mangrovecoastflyfishers.com.

Call Rick Grassett at 923-7799 or Steve Gibson at 284-3406 for information.

Coastal Angler Sarasota-Bradenton a good source of information

2011-08-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

NOTE: Here's the latest article I wrote for the Sarasota-Bradenton edition of Coastal Angler Magazine. Check out Coastal Angler at http://coastalanglermag.com/sarasota/?page_id=77

Sarasota guide Rick Grassett with a Tampa Bay redfish caught on fly.

For many coastal Florida anglers, there are two seasons: football and redfish.

Ironically, those seasons parallel each other, beginning in August and heating up in September.

This month kicks off redfish and football. And that’s great news for saltwater fishing enthusiasts throughout Southwest Florida.

The action begins when sexually mature redfish school up in preparation for their annual spawning migration into the Gulf of Mexico. These breeder reds leave area bays and estuaries and will not return. They’ll do their thing out in the gulf and then spend their lives in other areas.

Their offspring, however, will grow up in the bays and estuaries. They’ll remain there until they reach sexual maturity and then repeat the same ritual as their parents.

In this neck of the woods, redfish rarely exceed 35 inches in length. Oh, you’ll hear about occasional 37 to 40-inchers (my personal best is a 37-incher taken at the mouth of Turtle Bay off Charlotte Harbor), but the real behemoths of the Sunshine State reside in the surf of the Atlantic Ocean or in the Indian River-Mosquito Lagoon area near Titusville on the east coast.

Locally, any slot redfish (18 to 27 inches) is a good one. And those over the slot are generally a welcome surprise.

Key to success during “school season” is directly related to your ability to find the schools. That can be done in several ways.

Years ago, I was fishing with guide Greg Penix of Lakeland on Gasparilla Sound. Our mission on that beautiful September day was to find a school of reds. We motored from the Charlotte County boat ramp at Placida to a spot where the guide had found a school of reds the day prior.

While he was slowly poling his flats skiff over the turtle grass, a nearby pleasure boat was on plane and heading toward a local eatery. That’s when the school of redfish gave itself away.

“They’ll show themselves when they’re disturbed,” Penix said. “They get a little nervous.”

And when 100 large reds move, they displace enough water that keen eyes can easily detect.

“I’ve even seen them move when a jet flies overhead,” said Penix said.

With that in mind, some anglers will move under power along the edge of a flat to “pop” a school of reds up. There’s a question about the ethics of such practice, but we’ll leave that debate to others. We’re neither advocating nor condemning such a practice.

Of course, humans are born with the three best “fish finders” in the world: eyes, ears and brain.

If you take your time, you can see the reds move or detect a slight color change in the water. Reds often will show up as a coppery mass.

Often, you can hear redfish exploding upon mullet, whitebait and other morsels.

And if you can remember where the fish were the day prior or even the year before, you’re ahead of the game. Around the local area, you’ll find school reds on the flats from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor.

School reds aren’t the least bit particular about what they eat most of the time. If you can cast it, they’ll eat it.

Top lures locally include gold spoons, jerk worms, topwater plugs, and artificial shrimp. Fly anglers won’t go wrong with poppers or minnow, crab and shrimp imitations.

Those who like to hurl live bait will score on shrimp, whitebait, finger mullet, small crabs or even chunks of ladyfish.

Medium to medium-heavy spinning or baitcasting equipment is called for in this scenario. Fly fishers won’t want to go much light than an 8-weight rod (full floating lines and at least 9-foot leaders if the water is shallow).

Redfish don’t have teeth, but they love to put their noses in the thick grass to “leverage” a hook, lure or fly out of their mouth. With that in mind, it’s imperative to have at least a 20-pound fluorocarbon or monofilament shock leader.

There are those days when these seemingly simple fish can become quite picky. Witness a bountiful trip I had a few years ago with guide Brandon Naeve of Grand Slam Charters in Nokomis.

As I stood on the casting deck of his flats skiff, a large school of obviously feeding redfish was heading our way. As the fish neared, I cast a Prince of Tides fly to the edge of the school. I was positive it would be inhaled as soon as it hit the water.

Wrong!

“They want a white fly,” Naeve said. “Tie one on if you want to catch a fish.”

Stubbornly, I made at least a half dozen more casts – all of which were ignored.

I then tied on a small white fly.

Instant hookup.

The fish were feeding on small pinfish and were keyed into them.

If you’re looking for a redfish meal, you might want to ignore school reds. Most are much larger than the 27-inch maximum size limit.

That’s no problem for most area anglers.

The flats can be somewhat crowded on Saturday morning as anglers hunt for oversized redfish. But the crowd usually dwindles by mid-day when the University of Florida, Florida State University, the University of South Florida football teams get set to kick off.

August heat can make for some hot fishing

2011-08-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

Last August yielded this Charlotte Harbor tarpon via a D.O.A. TerrorEyz.

The humid, sultry days of August scare off most Florida anglers.

Don’t let the heat beat you down.

There is some fine fishing this time of year – if you’re willing to get up early and hit the water before daylight.

I have been fishing Bishop Harbor for the last two weeks and doing pretty well. I’ve been getting some nice snook, redfish, spotted seatrout and a surprising amount of flounder on topwater plugs and D.O.A. CAL Jigs.

Best bet is to hit the water early and cast a topwater plug anywhere you can find mullet and/or baitfish. The morning bite usually lasts until about an hour after dawn.

On several occasions, I’ve taken Slams (snook, trout and redfish) very quickly.

I’ve also been fishing Mose’s Hole, a pristine area only accessible via kayak. To get to the hold, you have to paddle through a picturesque mangrove tunnel.

First time I fished Mose’s Hole, I caught six snook and four redfish. Since, then I’ve taken a number of redfish, bigger trout, flounder and some monster ladyfish.

I also have been fishing in Tampa Bay and poling the productive sand bars. The white sand and clear water can make for some exciting sight-fishing! I have caught a few redfish, spotted seatrout and flounder. There are plenty of bonnethead shark cruising the bars, but I haven’t hooked up.

I plan to drive to Punta Gorda to look for tarpon in Charlotte Harbor. If I get a calm day, I’ll bet I can find them. First trip down a year ago, I was met by tarpon all over the place. It was strange. I saw tarpon tails and fins in almost every direction I looked.

The tarpon there run a variety of size. Many are 20 to 40 pounds, but you’re also likely to hook into one of 100 pounds or more.

I use medium-heavy spinning gear, 20-pound braided line and 50-pound mono shock leader. Lure choices include D.O.A.’s TerrorEyz, Baitbuster and Swimming Mullet.

Flies also work well when conditions are right. When I get a fly-fishing opportunity, I use dark flies on a 9-weight rod with a sinktip line.

We should start seeing schooling redfish any day. They group up this time of year in preparation for their spawning migration into the Gulf of Mexico. I often find schools of 100 or more redfish, most of which are well over the slot limit. All it takes to hook up is to get your fly or lure near the school.

Beach snook fishing this summer has been, um, crappy. We’ve had a lot of west wind and rough conditions along the beach.

My best day has been seven snook.

I did take newcomer Jim Asaph of Englewood out and he caught two of the nine snook he hooked. They were the first snook he’d ever caught.

Asaph, a spin angler, caught his fish on a D.O.A. Shrimp.

The heat really doesn’t get to me. Usually, I’m too busy fight fish.

Anyway, I’m most often off the water by noon.

July fishing has been productive on a variety of species

2011-07-22T03:36:00.000-07:00

Josh Milby fishes near Buttonwood Harbor just as the sun begins to rise over Sarasota Bay.

Jim Asaph of Englwood shows off a Button Harbor seatrout.

The Southern Drawl Family took a two-week vacation at the end of June. We visited family in Michigan and spent several days in New York City.

It was the first vacation in a long, long time in which I did not take a fly rod or spinning rod. I didn’t fish the entire two weeks.

But I certainly was refreshed when we returned.

Business made a surprising upturn in July (normally a slow month). And the fish certainly were cooperative.

I fished Jim Asaph of Englewood and he had a good day on his first kayak fishing trip. We fished Buttonwood Harbor off Sarasota Bay and caught spotted seatrout to 22 inches, flounder, ladyfish and redfish. We caught a surprising amount of slot trout (15 to 20 inches). Most of them came while drifting the deep grass in front of Whale Key.

We caught most of our fish on D.O.A. CAL Jigs (1/16-ounce head), with gold or orange crush paddle tails. The D.O.A. Deadly Combination and MirrOlure MirrOdine were also effective.

Mike Milby of Washington, D.C. and his son, Josh of Lakewood Ranch, joined me for a 6-hour outing in the same area. We totaled more than 50 trout to about 20 inches, four flounder, ladyfish and three redfish. All came on CAL Jigs and Deadly Combinations. We fished a grass edge just south of Whale Key and the deep grass in front of Whale Key.

Joe Bradley of Michigan made his kayak-fishing debut a couple of days later. We anchored on the north side of the Buttonwood Channel and caught spotted seatrout and ladyfish on CAL Jigs with orange crush paddle tails. We then fished the grass edge just south of Whale Key and did well on trout and ladyfish. The Deadly Combination also produced a few trout.

I did a solo scouting trip in the same area and totaled 60 trout to 25 inches, ladyfish, jack crevalle, bluefish and flounder, using CAL Jigs, Deadly Combos and MirrOlure MirrOdines. My biggest trout came from just off the north side of the Buttonwood channel.

Tarpon are starting to show up in and around Buttonwood Harbor. I’m seeing them every trip, but haven’t hooked any.

In addition, there are at least four manatees in the Buttonwood area. They like to “investigate” the kayaks.

Beach snook fishing has not been great – for a variety of reasons: rough water, dirty water and low tide. I’m hoping things improve because I’ve get several trips in the book.

Freshwater fishing is on the back burner. Our rainy season has started and local rivers are running high and fast.

Next month, we anticipate bull redfish to begin schooling. Last year we found them in the Buttonwood area and in southern Tampa Bay. When we find a school, it’s usually automatic. The fish will hit most anything you cast.

As always, I’d like to thank m sponsors: Native Watercraft, D.O.A. Lures, Go Fish! Sportsmans Sunscreen and Peak Fishing.

Also, just wanted to let you know that I’ve begun writing for the Sarasota-Bradenton edition of Coastal Angler Magazine ( www.coastalanglermag.com/magazines/2011/sarasota/). My first article is scheduled to appear in the August edition of this growing publication.

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

http://www.coastalanglermag.com/magazines/2011/sarasota/

(941) 284-3406

Snook the best bet in the surf; trout cooperating in the bay

2011-06-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

Dr. Craig Amshel of Apollo Beach battles a bonnethead shark at boatside. (Photo by STEVE GIBSON)

We’ve been fishing mostly Sarasota Bay or fly fishing along the beaches for snook over the past month.

I would rate the fishing a 5.5 or 6 on a scale of 10.

In Sarasota Bay, we’ve mainly been concentrating around Buttonwood Harbor and
Stevens Point.

In Buttonwood Harbor, we’ve been getting spotted seatrout to 23 inches, flounder to 16, bluefish to 3 pounds, Spanish mackerel and, of course, plenty of ladyfish. All are being caught on D.O.A. CAL Jigs with gold paddle tails and D.O.A. Deadly Combinations.

At Stevens Point, we’ve been fish dock lights before daylight and getting snook to 24 inches and a few spotted seatrout trout on flies (Schminnows and Gibby’s Duster Minnow). After daylight, we’ve been fishing the deep grass off Stevens Point in Sarasota Bay and getting spotted seatrout to 25 inches, ladyfish, flounder and a few bluefish. All are hitting Gibby’s Big Eye Baitfish Fly and D.O.A. CAL Jigs with gold paddle tails.

Steve Legore of Anna Maria Island joined me on an outing in Buttonwood Harbor. We caught plenty of fish, but most were small. We managed to catch spotted seatrout, flounder and ladyfish on D.O.A. CAL jigs with gold paddle tails and D.O.A. Deadly Combinations.

Todd Dawson of Manatee County and Dr. Craig Amshel of Apollo Beach joined me for an outing in Buttonwood Harbor. The action wasn’t spectacular, but it was consistent. They caught spotted seatrout to 19 ½ inches, ladyfish, flounder and a 3-foot bonnethead shark – all on D.O.A. CAL Jigs with gold paddle tails.

Mike Texidor of Miami did a beach snook trip with me along Casey Key and caught his first saltwater fish on fly rod. Mike, a repeat client, caught a snook and a ladyfish on my D.T. Variation and Tom’s Greenback. The fish were plentiful, but very tough. Mike probably cast to more than 300 snook in calm and clear conditions.

Beach snook action is improving. I fished with Ken Taylor of North Port this morning and did well in trying conditions. We combined for nine snook on Gibby’s D.T. Variation and D.O.A. Shrimp. All of the snook were small. We fished the surf along Manasota Key.

I did a freshwater outing on the Manatee River and had a good time. We caught a number of largemouth bass and bluegill on Myakka Minnows. We also hooked seven larger channel catfish and landed one – all on Myakka Minnows.

I do tie D.T. Variations and Myakka Minnows commercially. They’re $48 per dozen (plus postage).

They’re great flies and I’ve been using them for years. If you would like to purchase them, please let me know.

I took a busman’s holiday this week and fished with my friend Rick Grassett of Snook Fin-Addict Guide Services. We fished the inshore Gulf of Mexico and had shots at 300 tarpon or more. Rick hooked one and fought it for 25 minutes before the hook pulled. He also had a couple of other tarpon eat the fly, but didn’t hook up.

This is fantastic tarpon fly fishing. I encourage all of you to book Rick if you’re desire to hook a tarpon on fly.

You can reach him at (941) 350-9790. You need to book him at least a year in advance for tarpon season (May-July).

I am sending this report out early because Kathy, Morgan and I and leaving on a 2-week vacation. We’ll spend part of it in Michigan and some in New York City. Kathy (our travel agent) has our NYC trip already arranged. We’re staying on Times Square and we’ll see Mary Poppins on Broadway, tour the NBC studios and take a bus/boat trip around the island.

As always, I would like to thank my sponsors: Legacy Paddlesports, D.O.A. Lures, Go Fish! Sunscreen, Temple Fork Outfitters, Peak Fishing and Economy Tackle/Dolphin Dive.

If you’re on Facebook, please send me a friend request. You can also follow me on Twitter @gibby3474.

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com/

http://gibbysfishingblog.blogspot.com/

(941) 284-3406

Gibby's Myakka Minnow is one Mighty fly

2011-06-07T11:28:00.000-07:00

Gibby's Myakka Minnows appeal to a variety of fish.

I am really astounded by the success of my Myakka Minnow.

It’s a fly that looks really good, casts extremely well and, most importantly, catches fish.

I took Randy Honaker of Centerville, Ohio to The Everglades late in May and he caught a load of fish – most all on the Myakka Minnow. Honaker caught a few bass and panfish early in the day on poppers. But he made the switch to the MM when the topwater bite ended.

It was fish after fish after fish.

I created the Myakka Minnow about six years ago.

Here’s the story:

The Mighty Myakka Minnow was born out of frustration. I’m sure you’ve been there.

Imagine a day on the water with fish busting minnows throughout the morning. But after several hours, you still have nothing to show for your efforts. You cast into the spray of minnows, but your offerings are ignored repeatedly. The fish are so keyed into the tiny minnows that they ignore everything else.

Although the scenery is nice and weather gorgeous, it sure would be nice to feel the tug of a largemouth bass or hand-sized bluegill.

This happened to me several times while fly fishing on the Myakka River near my home in Sarasota, Fla.

After one unproductive outing, I decided to try and come up with a fly which would imitate the minnows the fish were so excited about.

I knew that the fly had to be no more than an inch long. It had to look like a minnow. It had to sink. It had to have large eyes.

After a few hours of trial and tribulation, I came up with a workable prototype and couldn’t wait to give it a try.

Next time out to the river, I had several Myakka Minnows in my box and one tied on my 4-weight fly rod. It didn’t take long to realize that I’d hit a home run. I picked up bass, bluegill, stumpknocker and tilapia while blind-casting. I kept my eyes open for scattering minnows. When I saw fish attacking minnows, I’d cast the Myakka Minnow into the fray.

Success is so sweet!

Over the years, the fly has worked very well and achieved a national reputation of sorts. It’s a pattern the Flymasters of Indianapolis featured in their Intermediate Fly Tying Class last spring. I’ve had email inquiries about the fly from interested anglers all over the country. I’ve even sold hundreds of them.

The fly isn’t a magic fly. But it does work very well when small minnows are the main food source. Then, it seems to be magic.

In fresh water, the fly has produced bass, bluegill, shellcracker, stumpknocker, redbreast sunfish, speckled perch and tilapia. Capt. Rick Grassett of Sarasota caught a nice brown trout on the Myakka Minnow in Montana. I have caught barramundi on it. You can tie it on larger hooks and go after saltwater fish. It has resulted in spotted seatrout, snook, redfish, mangrove snapper, jack crevalle, ladyfish, Spanish mackerel, tarpon and little tunny.

Capt. John Hand of Ruskin took a couple of No. 1 Myakka Minnows with him on a trip to Nicaraugua. He was targeting guapote (rainbow bass) and mojarra. He caught both.

“The Myakka Minnow was the only fly they’d hit,” said Hand. “And my guide said he’d never seen either species caught on fly.”

I’ve discovered exotic species in the Florida Everglades absolutely love the Myakka Minnow. Used to be that I’d catch oscar and Mayan cichlids on poppers. But when the topwater bite ended, that was the signal to go home. However, I’ve learned it’s really the signal to tie on a Myakka Minnow. The fly has taken thousands of exotics over the years.

It’s a fun fly to fish and an easy fly to tie.

I’m sure there are similar flies out there somewhere, but the pattern was born in my head. I’ve never seen a fly like it in any shop or catalog.

Tie and few and see what you think.

What works best for me is to cast it out, let is sink for a couple of counts, then work it in erratically. I like a couple of 2-inch strips and a pause. But you’ll figure out what works best for you.

If you do not wish to tie them, I gladly take orders. I sell them by the dozen. They’re $48 per dozen, plus shipping.

Give me a call at (941) 284-3406 or email me at steve@kayakfishingsarasota.com.

Myakka Minnow

Hook: No. 10 WR-004 White River Nymph Hook (from Bass Pro Shops)

Thread: Fine mono

Tail: Clipped marabou

Weight: 6-8 turns of .20 lead wire

Body: Bodi-Braid by Spirit River

Eyes: 3D Prism Stick-On

Coating: Devcon 2-Ton Epoxy

Instructions

Step 1: Put hook in vice and attach thread on the hook shank near the point of the hook.

Step 2: Tie in a small amount of marabou and clip to about ¼ inch.

Step 3: Tie in .20 lead wire and wrap 6-8 turns.

Step 4: Tie in Bodi-Braid at the hook point and wind up to just behind the eye of the hook. Wind back to about mid-shank, then forward again, building up a minnow-like body. Whip finish.

Step 5: Add eyes, coat with epoxy and allow to dry.

I have a fly rotisserie to turn my flies while they dry.

The reason I use Devcon 2-Ton Epoxy rather than 5-minute epoxy is that it allows me to do about six to eight flies at a time. If you use a 5-minute epoxy, you can do one fly at a time.

It’s a quick and easy fly to tie. And it will result in fish.

My favorite color combinations are gold body and chartreuse tail, black body and black tail, copper body and charteuse tail and silver body and chartreuse tail.

Fishing has been good along the beaches, in The 'Glades and Sarasota Bay

2011-05-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Randy Honaker of Centerville, Ohio caught this largemouth bass on a Myakka Minnow in The Everglades.

There still are a few Mayan cichlid left in The Everglades.

The good news is fishing has been red hot in The Everglades.

The bad news is we’ve only got a little more than a week left before the weather will be too hot and the rainy season starts.

The water is very low in The ‘Glades. And that makes for excellent fishing. The fish are concentrated in canals and very cooperative.

I ventured down a week ago and caught “who knows how many fish?” I mean the action is so fast and furious that it’s impossible to keep even a semi-accurate count. I caught largemouth bass, bluegill, shellcracker, stumpknocker, gar and Mayan cichlid.

The fact that I caught a Mayan cichlid is good news. The record freeze of 2010 wipe out a majority of the exotic species in The Everglades. Prior to the freeze, a trek south usually resulted in several hundred Mayan cichlid and oscar. I haven’t caught an oscar in two trips, but I have read reports there still are a few around.

I figure it will take a couple of years for the exotics to rebound.

My Myakka Minnow has been accounting for a majority of the fish. Just cast it along the shoreline, allow it to sink for a second, then strip it in – and hold on!

Randy Honaker of Centerville, Ohio fished with me on Wednesday and had an excellent day. Honaker started the day using a No. 10 popping bug – a fly on which he’d never caught a fish. He scored quickly and often, connecting on a variety of fish. His largest was a 2-pound largemouth.

He then switched to the Myakka Minnow for the rest of the day and caught more fish than he could keep track of. He caught a number of bass to 3 pounds.

Trips to the Everglades make for long days, but I enjoy them because of the fast action and numbers of fish. It’s rare when you make more than five casts without getting a fish. Often, fish will come on five or six casts in a row.

When we’re not fishing in The ‘Glades, we’re walking the beaches and sight-fishing snook.

Honaker joined me this week and had a good day. He caught one snook, four spotted seatrout and a couple of ladyfish. He had another snook hooked, but lost it. And he had a number of snook try to eat his fly.

The fly of choice for beach snook is my Gibby’s DT Variation.

There is a good population of snook in the surf, with fish ranging from 20 inches to 20 pounds or more.

Greg Earl of Sarasota fished with me earlier in the week on Sarasota Bay. He’s a new kayak angler and wanted to learn to area. We caught a good number of spotted seatrout, jack crevalle, Spanish mackerel, flounder and ladyfish. What was impressive is that Earl usually uses live bait and he caught all fish on D.O.A. CAL Jigs with gold paddle tails.

I’ve also been taking redfish to 25 inches on the grass flats on D.O.A. 5.5-inch jerk worms on 1/16-ounce jig heads.

June’s outlook calls for improved snook action along the beaches and at night around lighted docks. Spotted seatrout, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, jack crevalle and a few bluefish will provide action over the deep grass flats. Redfish will be the main targets on the shallow flats.

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

http://gibbysfishingblog.blogspot.com/

(941) 284-3406

Consistent fishing is the name of the game around Sarasota Bay

2011-05-03T08:26:00.000-07:00

Charlie Pike shows off a Sarasota Bay redfish.

Fishing has been consistent for a variety of species around Sarasota Bay.

We’ve been taking good catches of spotted seatrout to 4 pounds, pompano, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, ladyfish, redfish, snook and even a few jack crevalle.

Charlie Pike of Englewood had a good outing on his first kayak trip. Pike, who has limited saltwater experience, caught a fine bunch of spotted seatrout and redfish near Buttonwood Harbor off Sarasota Bay. He caught most of his fish on D.O.A. CAL 4-inch Jerk Worms on 1/16-ounce jig heads and D.O.A. CAL curly tails on 1/16-ounce jigs heads.

Repeat client David Ginberg of Marietta, Ga. had a steady day, catching spotted seatrout, redfish and ladyfish on Sarasota Bay near Buttonwood Harbor. All fish were taken on D.O.A. CAL Jigs with gold paddle tails.

Neil Hart of England and his son-in-law caught a variety of fish, including spotted seatrout, pompano, sailcats, lizardfish, pinfish, grunt, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, flounder and jack crevalle. All of the fish were taken on D.O.A. CAL jigs with gold paddle tails.

Mike Jensen of Illinois did well while fishing around Stephens Point in Sarasota Bay. Jensen, a repeat client, caught spotted seatrout, ladyfish, Spanish mackerel and bluefish on CAL Jigs with paddle tails.

Mike Teixidor of Miami experienced a good day on Sarasota Bay, catching a load of spotted seatrout, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, ladyfish and flounder – all on D.O.A. CAL Jigs with paddle tails. He lost what we think was a bull redfish while fishing around lighted docks before dawn.

Interestingly enough, three clients hooked and landed stingrays on three successive days – something that’s never been done in recent memory!

I fished with my good friend Capt. Rick Grassett of the Snook Fin-Addict Guide Services and we had a fine day. We fly fished for tarpon in the inshore Gulf of Mexico. We saw 50 tarpon and had good shots at 20 or more. Rick hooked up on a single fish and landed it after a 35-minute battle. The fish took a Mr. Blackie Tarpon Fly. We used a 12-weight fly rod and sinktip line.

Beach snook fishing is heating up. However, rough conditions have made sight-fishing tough. That will improve as the weather settles.

I made a scouting trip the last week of April and caught a pair of snook on Gibby’s D.T. Variation, the best snook fly going. I also landed a spotted seatrout and a Spanish mackerel.

Beach snook fishing is the ultimate when it comes to sight-fishing. Clients often get shots at more than 200 snook a morning.

We use 6- to 8-weight fly rods, sinktip or floating lines and Gibby’s D.T. Variation.

The season really heats up this month. Peak times are June, July and August.

We’ve got a few days left for guided beach snook trips. Please book now in order to secure a day.

Business has been so good that we haven’t had a chance to fish fresh water. However, we’ve heard reports from the Everglades that bass and panfish action has been really hot, with catches of 200 or more fish common.

We hope to get down there in the next couple of weeks.

Hope everything is going well for everyone.

Send me a friend request on Facebook (gibby3474). Follow me on twitter: @gibby3474.

Thank you for your support.

As always, thanks to our sponsors: Native Watercraft, Temple Fork Outfitters, D.O.A. Lures, Go Fish! Sportsmans Sunscreen and Orvis.

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

http://gibbysfishingblog.blogspot.com/

(941) 284-3406

Gator trout Sarasota Bay surprise; beach snook coming soon

2011-04-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

Snook will hit the surf soon. Peak season is June thru August along Florida's West Coast.

Something’s going on around Sarasota Bay that has me stumped. But I’m not questioning it one iota.

In fact, I hope it continues.

Gator trout have invaded the bay. They’re trout unlike any we’ve ever seen.

A couple of weeks ago, I had Chuck Linn of Oklahoma out for a 6-hour trip. The Oklahoma angler had little saltwater fishing experience.

“I fished the Steinhatchee area a few years ago and caught small trout,” he said.

Smallest trout he caught on this outing was 4 pounds.

That 4-pounder was his first fish, and we thought that would be the highlight of the day.

We were both wrong.

Fishing in 18 inches of water off Whale Key along the west side of Sarasota Bay, Linn caught and released three monster trout, ranging from 6 ¼ pounds to slightly more than 7 pounds.

That’s three trout off more than 6 pounds – in one morning!

To put that in perspective, I’ve been fishing the area for 35 years. During that time, I’ve taken two trout of more than 6 pounds. One was caught in 1990 in the warm-water runoff of the Crystal River power plant. The other was caught in March 2007 in Pine Island Sound.

Other anglers are experiencing similar success. Fellow MCFF club member Rick Grassett has been leading clients to gator trout on both fly and spin tackle. One of his clients caught and released a 6-pounder on fly near Selby Gardens in Sarasota Bay.

What’s going on?

Who knows?

Why question?

Just enjoy.

It won’t be long before I put the kayaks in the garage. Beach snook season almost is here. Guiding clients to snook on the fly is one of my specialties and I enjoy it very much. I’ve been doing this for more than 25 years and my success rate is good.

This 7-pound spotted seatrout was caught on a topwater plug in 18 inches of water. The fish was released.
Beach snook fishing is one of my favorite things to do. It’s sight-fishing at its best. During a typical morning, clients will see more than 200 snook and sometimes more than 400 snook, ranging in size from 20 inches to 40 inches.

I’ve conducted Beach Snook Seminars throughout the area, including at least three to MCFF members. One thing I emphasize is there is no need to wade. In fact, wading is taboo. Yet when I visit my favorite stretch of beach, I routinely see beach snook anglers “waist deep” in the water and casting to the west.

Truth is most of the snook are behind them.

While you will see snook lying on the bottom 20 to 25 feet out, those usually aren’t feeding fish. Most of the snook that are actively feeding are found within 5 feet of the dry sand, cruising parallel along the beach.

My best day took place in August of 2009. During that beautiful morning, I caught and released 15 trout from 25 to 40 inches, three redfish to 32 and jumped three giant tarpon.

I usually use a 6-weight TFO TiCRX rod, 20-pound leader with a 25-pound shock tippet. Fly of choice is Gibby’s D.T. Variation, a fly which has accounted for more than 5,000 snook over the years.

Why argue with success?

Beach snook action begins heating up in May and runs through August.

If any of you are on Facebook, please send a friend request.

Also, if you are on Twitter, you can follow me @Gibby3474. I routinely “tweet” fishing updates.

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

http://gibbysfishingblog.blogspot.com/

(941) 284-3406

Oklahoma angler has the day of a lifetime on Sarasota Bay

2011-03-26T14:33:00.000-07:00

Oklahoma's Chuck Linn battles a beefy trout in shallow water.

When Chuck Linn hooked, fought and landed a 4-pound spotted seatrout first thing in the morning, it figured to be a good day on Sarasota Bay.

Of course, every day on the bay is great; some are just better than others.

Spotted seatrout are common in Sarasota Bay and catches of 50 or more are common. But most range from undersized to maybe 24 inches. Slot limit for trout is 15 to 20 inches.

Linn, an Oklahoma native, kept casting the 3.5-inch Bomber Ba-donka-donk, a mullet-looking topwater plug. And he kept hooking trout. But these trout dwarfed his first fish. He landed a trout that weight slightly more than 6 pounds on the Boga Grip. He added a trout of more than 7 pounds a little while later. And he capped his morning with another trout of more than 6 pounds.

Chuck Linn shows off the first of three huge spotted seatrout.

We usually don’t catch that many “gator” trout in a year.

But large trout seem to be the norm this year around Sarasota Bay. In January, a local angler landed a 9-pounder.

Twice over three days, Capt. Rick Grassett of the Snook Fin-Addict guide services had clients land trout of 6 pounds or larger.

“We’ve been hearing about large trout for quite some time now,” said Keith Tennant, who works at Economy Tackle in Sarasota.

Obviously, it’s just a high point in the cycle. But who cares? We just hope to get in on the action a few more times before it ends.

Usually, there aren’t many large trout taken along Florida’s Southwest coast. We have a lot of trout, but don’t encounter many large fish.

It’s different along the state’s East coast, where 10-pounders are fairly common.

One thing I’ve always known is that most of the larger trout are taken in very shallow water. That held true for Linn. His trio of titanic trout was taken from 12 inches of water.

The largest trout I’ve caught was a 6 ½-pounder in March 2007. I caught the fish on a jerk worm in Pine Island Sound while fishing for redfish with Capt. Danny Latham. I landed a 6-pounder in 1990 while fishing the warm-water runoff at the Crystal River Power Plant. I used a Cotee Jig.

Linn bested my record easily – in just a couple of hours.

While I don’t expect this action to go on forever, I do think it will last at least another month or two.

If my clients want a lot of fish, I can take them to the deep grass areas where they will catch plenty of small to slot trout. If my clients want big fish, we’ll catch a low tide and head for the shallows. They might only catch five fish, but there could be a monster or monsters in the group.

I told Chuck Linn his 4-pounder probably would be the fish of the day.

I was wrong.

I apologized to Chuck.

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing montly report

2011-03-26T04:37:00.000-07:00

Denton Kent caught a nice snook on fly.

Matt Fleischhauer of Illinois landed a dandy pompano.

Chuck Linn of Oklahoma shows off one of three monster trout he caught on topwater plugs.

It doesn’t seem possible, but March is almost gone. Wow!

Fishing has been really good over the last month, with a variety of species cooperating in both fresh and salt waters. Anglers fishing with Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing have been getting spotted seatrout to 7 pounds, pompano to 3, redfish to 9, snook to 6, bluefish to 2, flounder, ladyfish and a load of other species.

In fresh water, we’ve been getting some big bluegill, stumpknocker and bass to 2 pounds on fly.

Fly angler Dave Sutton fished with me and wanted to target bluegill. We managed to catch a bunch on the Manatee River. We used popping bugs, nymphs and, of course, my Myakka Minnow. All fish were taken on light fly rods and floating lines.

We launch out of Ray’s Canoe Hideaway and usually paddle upriver. We then float back and fly fish along the way. The scenery is gorgeous and fishing often very good.

The trip of the month in salt water was on March 24 when Chuck Linn of Oklahoma joined me for a 6-hour outing on Sarasota Bay. Chuck connected on a 4-pound spotted seatrout right off the bat on a topwater plug. We figured that fish might be the day’s top trout.

Wrong!

Chuck caught a number of larger trout, including a pair that went slightly more than 6 pounds and another that weighed 7.

What a day.

In addition, Chuck caught and released a small redfish and lost a bull red.

It was a nice trip on a beautiful day.

The day prior, Jerry Amato of Sarasota and Cleveland, Ohio joined me and caught a good number of spotted seatrout on flies and jigs. Jerry also added a number of leaping ladyfish.

On March 21, repeat clients Mark Fleischhauer of Illinois and his son, Matt, fished Sarasota Bay near Stephens Point. Action during their six-hour outing was pretty steady. They caught spotted seatrout to 18 inches, ladyfish, flounder, Spanish mackerel and pompano. All of the fish were taken on D.O.A. 1/8-ounce CAL Jigs with gold paddle tails.

John Kis of New York, another repeat client, fished Stephens Point with me on March 20. John tried fly fishing for snook around light docks just before dawn, but didn’t connect. The tide just wasn’t conducive and the fish weren’t hungry.

However, he still managed plenty of spotted seatrout, ladyfish, Spanish mackerel and bluefish on CAL Jigs.

Denton Kent, a winter resident, fished his second trip with me and had a fine day. Denton started the day with a 23-inch spotted seatrout on fly before daylight. He then added a 27-inch snook and another large trout before dawn.

During the day, Denton caught and released a plethora of fish, including spotted seatrout, ladyfish and Spanish mackerel. He might have caught some other species, but I can’t remember!

Fly angler John Garcia of California fishing Stephens Point with me on March 12 and had a very consistent day, catching spotted seatrout to 4 pounds, ladyfish, Spanish mackerel and bluefish.

John Garrity of Toledo Ohio and his son joined me for a “windier-than-expected” day on Sarasota Bay. The wind was expected to blow around 6-12 mph out of the south. But, as usual, the wind didn’t read the weather report. Still, they managed to catch spotted seatrout, ladyfish, flounder and Spanish mackerel on CAL Jigs.

Avid fly fisher Chris Bentsen of Redmond, Wash., fished the west side of Sarasota Bay on a windy day. He wanted to target redfish and managed one small red on a spoon fly. He also caught some spotted seatrout and ladyfish.

APRIL FORECAST: The wind should lie down a little and the fishing should actually improve. I look for spotted seatrout, ladyfish, pompano, bluefish and Spanish mackerel on the deep grass flats.

Large redfish action should be good on the shallow grass. In addition, I anticipate larger spotted seatrout on the shallow grass.

Snook will be available at night and before dawn around dock lights. This is a great chance for fly anglers to get a snook. We also get spotted seatrout and an occasional redfish around the lights on fly.

Freshwater fishing should improve drastically. Bluegill, shellcracker, stumpknocker and bass will be the prime targets.

Also, snook will begin to hit the surf. Prime day for sight-fishing snook in the surf is Mary through August. This is sight-fishing at its best and my specialty. I’ve been guiding anglers to snook in the surf for more than 20 years.

These trips book up quickly, so I suggest that you book your trip early.

As always, I’d like to thank my gracious sponsors: Native Watercraft, D.O.A. Lures, Temple Fork Outfitters, Peak Fishing and Economy Tackle.

Please feel free to email or call me if you have any questions.

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

http://gibbysfishingblog.blogspot.com/

(941) 284-3406

Deep grass, canals and the flats are paying off for kayak anglers

2011-03-10T06:42:00.000-08:00

Bruce Butler shows off an oversized snook that was taken on a D.O.A. CAL Jig and gold paddle tail in Sarasota Bay.

I am amazed at the productivity of kayak fishing. That’s probably why I decided to devote myself to the sport years ago.

On average, we catch more fish while fishing from kayaks than we would if we were out in a powerboat.

The reason is simple: The fish do not know we’re there.

Of course, it’s all variable.

Over the past month, we’ve been doing fairly well in a number of situations. When the wind allows, we’ve been concentrating on the deep grass areas of Sarasota Bay off Stephens Point, Bishop Point and Whale Key.

On these trips, we’ve been getting lots of spotted seatrout to 19 inches, pompano to 2 pounds, bluefish to 2 and Spanish mackerel to 3. Most of the fish are being taken on D.O.A. CAL Jigs (1/16 and 1/8 ounce) and gold paddle tails.

Fly anglers have been using my Big Eye Baitfish fly and doing well on the same species, too.

Randy Honaker of Centerville, Ohio scored the biggest trout of his life on fly near Buttonwood Harbor. He also landed his largest ladyfish and first-ever flounder on fly. In all, Honaker caught and released at least 20 trout.

Chris Bentsen of Redmond, Wash., wanted to target redfish on fly – and he did. We didn’t encounter any large fish, but he did land a 16-incher on one of his spoon flies near Buttonwood Harbor. Bentsen probably could have caught a decent amount of spotted seatrout and ladyfish, but opted to concentrate on redfish.

Dave Sutton of Michigan joined me for a freshwater outing. He wanted to target big bluegill on fly rod. We selected the Manatee River and launched at Ray’s Canoe Outpost. The day wasn’t fast and furious, but it was steady. We caught 25 bluegill to 10 inches on poppers, nymphs and my Myakka Minnow. We also landed a couple of bass to 1 ½ pounds.

Wind has been problem. That’s to be expected. It’s March! However, determined anglers can still catch fish.

Fishing with Bruce Butler of Ozello, Fla., we caught and released snook to 32 inches, spotted seatrout to 19 and a number of small redfish on CAL Jigs and paddle tails.

Regular client John Garrity and his son joined me on a windy day along east Sarasota Bay. The wind wasn’t too bad when we started and wasn’t expected to kick up until early afternoon. We figured we could get out, fish and beat the wind. But it started blowing much earlier than predicted.

What to do?

We anchored on the lee side of an island along Bowles Creek. We fished the channel and landed spotted seatrout, sugar trout, silver trout, Spanish mackerel and flounder. The flounder was the largest I have seen in a quite a while.

All fish came on CAL Jigs.

There has been quite a bit of interest in my Everglades trips. Unfortunately, I have decided not to book any – at least for this year. Last year’s cold weather killed a majority of the exotics – oscar and Mayan cichlid. We could catch plenty of bass, bluegill, stumpknocker, shellcracker and speckled perch, but we can catch those species closer to home.

We might start doing Everglades trips in 2012.

Beach snook fishing is just around the corner. We start walking the beaches and sight-fishing the surf for snook in May. The season runs through August.

On most mornings, my clients will see at least 300 snook, with many going more than 20 pounds.

We use 6-, 7- and 8-weight fly rods, sinktip or full floating lines and 12-pound leaders with 25- to 30-pound shock tippets. Fly of choice is Gibby’s D.T. Variation, the only fly you’ll ever need in the surf.

This is classic sight-fishing at its best.

Last year was expected to be down because of the snook kill caused during the 2010 winter. But the numbers of snook along the beach weren’t down at all in the areas we fish.

If you’re interested in a beach snook outing, I’d suggest you book your trip early in order to get prime times. Cost is $200. I will take an extra angler for $35.

I supply all fly gear, but you’re certainly more than welcome to use your own.

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

(941) 284-3406

It's little wonder the Native Ultimate is so popular among kayak anglers

2011-03-10T06:37:00.000-08:00

My new fleet of Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5 hybrid kayaks. Their stability is unmatched.

Of course, selecting a kayak is a personal thing. What’s good for one angler might not be good for another.

With that in mind, I’ve witnessed an interesting phenomenon over the last year. I’ve seen the sales of Native Watercraft’s Ultimate 14.5 skyrocket, while other brands have stayed the course or even plummeted in sales.

Why is that?

Well, I’m probably not the right guy to explain this because I’m a Native Watercraft-endorsed guide. I can try to provide an objective opinion, but, of course, I’m biased.

I hooked up with Native Watercraft in 2007 shortly after the company unveiled its Ultimate line (http://www.nativewatercraft.com/ult_14.cfm) of fishing vessels. The Ultimate isn’t your typical “sit-on-top” fishing boat. It’s more correctly called a “hybrid.” It’s sort of a cross between a kayak and canoe.

Some argue it’s not a kayak at all. I don’t care. They can call it an apricot and I’ll still keep fishing out of it.

What attracted me was the Ultimate’s spacious interior, its tunnel-hull design and that fact that I could stand up and sight-fish. Imagine the advantage you have when you can actually stand up. The boat also tracks extremely well and is efficient.

I was fishing out of a Heritage Redfish 14 at the time. I owned three of them and they did the job.

Since Heritage and Native Watercraft were owned by the same company (Legacy Paddlesports), I was allowed to purchase an Ultimate and fish out of it. The lone caveat was that my clients still out to fish out of the Heritages.

A couple of years later, Native Watercraft invited me to join its guide network, a hand-chosen group scattered across the country.

I jumped at the chance.

I had discovered the Ultimate was the ultimate.

So, I sold the Heritages and bought two additional Ultimates.

I guess part of the gig as an endorsed guide is to sell the boats to the clients. At least we’re supposed to extol their virtues so the clients go out and buy them.

I don’t have to say a word; they sell themselves.

They’re certainly the most comfortable fishing kayaks on the market today.

When it came time to upgrade my fleet, I put the three older Ultimates up for sale. All were sold in less than two hours. And I had a waiting list of more than 20 hopeful anglers – just in case one of the buyers backed out.

None did. One of the buyers was from Sarasota, one from Tampa and one from Daytona Beach. They all bought their boats sight unseen and no one even tried to haggle the price.

You can paddle your sit-on-top. You can pedal in your Hobie.

But you’ll never fish out of a more comfortable kayak than Native Watercraft’s Ultimate.

And my clients are all the proof you need. I’ve had anglers up to 82 years of age and no complaints.

The fish don’t always bite as often as we’d like, but we don’t have sore rear ends at the end of the day.

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

http://gibbysfishingblog.blogspot.com/

(941) 284-3406

Pattern changes as the weather heats up

2011-02-25T04:32:00.000-08:00

Ken Taylor of North Port, Fla., is a happy angler after landing this fine Sarasota Bay pompano.

The pattern has changed – just as we suspected it would with the advent of warmer weather. We’ve left the deeper channels and other winter haunts and are now fishing the backcountry shallows and offshore grass areas.

As a result, we’ve been taking loads of spotted seatrout, plus Spanish mackerel, bluefish and pompano. That action should only heat up as we move toward spring.

This fishing can be fast and fun. When it’s going on, we often find hits on most every cast. And it doesn’t matter if you’re spin fishing or fly fishing.

When using spinning rods, we’re most often casting D.O.A. CAL jigs with gold paddle tails. We employ 20-pound fluorocarbon leaders – until the blues and macks show up. We’ll then go to heavier shock leaders.

Although a majority of the trout are 20 inches or less, there are some big girls out there. A friend of mine, Capt. Rick Grassett of the Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, recently took a 6-pounder off the deep grass.

The bluefish often will top 5 pounds. Pompano will go better than 4 pounds. Most of the mackerel will range from 2 to 4 pounds. However, last spring, I took a 7 ½-pounder!

Randy Honaker of Centerville, Ohio joined me recently and caught a number of spotted seatrout. He also had shot at bluefish and Spanish mackerel, but didn’t connect. He had one fish that took line and made the fly line “rooster tail” through the water.

The next day, Russ DesErmia of Bradenton and his father, Bruce DesErmia of Traverse City, Mich., had a better day. They combined to land a bunch of spotted seatrout and Spanish mackerel. I think they also caught a couple of bluefish. All were taken on CAL Jigs.

Randy Honaker fished the west side of Sarasota Bay and was able to make a couple of casts to tailing redfish. He didn’t connect, but it makes your knees knock and your heart beat faster when you see those tails sticking out of the water.

Later that morning, we managed spotted seatrout to 21 inches, a redfish and several ladyfish. The highlight of my day was a squid that I took on a CAL Jig.

Ken Taylor of North Port fish the deep grass with me and did very well. We got into tailing reds early, but the fish didn’t tail very long. We caught jigs and topwater plugs in the shallows off Whale Key and landed four redfish and a trout. When we finally got out to the deep grass, we managed 45 trout, several ladyfish and a couple of fine pompano.

As the weather warms, snook will move out into the bay. When that happens, anglers fishing with me will get a shot at a snook or two just before daylight on either flies or jigs. That’s an added benefit!

In fresh water, we’re getting big bluegill and largemouth bass.

Beach snook season is just around the corner. The action will begin to heat up in May and run through August. This is “sight fishing” at its best. My anglers usually get shots at 300 or more snook of a morning, including fish of 20 pounds or more.

Please book your beach snook trips early. My schedule tends to fill up quickly.

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

http://gibbysfishingblog.blogspot.com/

(941) 284-3406

There are no sheephead in Sarasota Bay, but plenty of sheepshead

2011-02-17T13:41:00.000-08:00

The fish at right is a sheephead. It is not found in Florida or Sarasota Bay.

The fish at right is a sheepshead. It's common throughout Florida's salt waters and is a popular fish in Sarasota Bay.

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing report

2011-02-06T05:29:00.000-08:00

The D.O.A. 4-inch jerk worm on a CAL jig head has been producing some very good action on the Myakka River.

For the past two weeks, we’ve been fishing the Myakka River, a diverse and interesting stream that meanders through Sarasota County and empties into Charlotte Harbor.

We’ve been launching the kayaks at Snook Haven and fishing downstream, catching snook, redfish, largemouth bass and gar. We’ve taken “river slams” on most outings. A river slam is a snook, redfish and bass.

The D.O.A. 4-inch CAL jerk worm on a CAL 1/16-ounce jig head has been the ticket to success. We cast it out, let it sink to the bottom and then jig it slowly in.

The lure has resulted in snook to 29 inches, redfish to 23 and bass to 15. We’ve also landed gar to nearly 20 pounds.

The river offers exciting fishing and great scenery. There’s nothing quite like hitting the river and daylight and paddling downstream to our favorite fishing spots.

The banks are lines with cabbage palms, palmettos and stately oaks.

The allure of the river is you never know what you’ll catch. Most hits feel the same, but you might hook a 15-inch bass on one cast or a 20-pound snook on the next.

Capt. Jack Hartman of Sarasota fished with me in the upper river on a bass trip. We’ve combined to landed 40 bass to 2 ½ pounds. Most of the fish came on Culprit 7.5-inch red shad and crawdad worms. Bass were holding around fallen trees and drop-offs.

Dave Robinson of Sarasota caught a pair of snook to 24 inches and a bass on the D.O.A. jerk worm.

On a solo outing, I caught and released five snook to 25 inches, redfish to 23 and bass to 15. All fish came on the D.O.A. jerk worm.

On a recent outing, I discovered a new pattern for me. Usually, we target the shoreline, casting around fallen trees and other structure. I was doing exactly that one day when my wife called. While we were talking, my kayak started drifting toward the opposite shoreline. I made a cast into the middle of the river and immediately had a hit. I set the hook and was fast into a snook. I lost the fish – a 20-incher – at the boat.

On my next cast into the deep water, I hooked a fish that I couldn’t handle.

After our conversation ended, I decided to give the new “deep-water” pattern a try. It resulted in eight more fish – six snook to 27 inches an two nice bass. Over the next few trips, I caught more snook and bass, plus several nice redfish.

This river action should continue for at least another month.

I expect spotted seatrout, pompano, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish action to pick up on the deep grass flats when the water temperature hits the mid-60s. It’s 62 right now, so that shouldn’t take long.

Redfish action on the flats is expected to improve – especially around the low tides.

If you like to cast a light fly for freshwater fish, the Manatee River is your place. There, we catch plenty of “hand-sized” bluegill, plus a few shellcracker, largemouth bass and channel catfish.

Please give me a call at (941) 284-3406 to book your outing.

The worst trip you’ll have will be pretty darn good!

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

http://gibbysfishingblog.blogspot.com/

(941) 284-3406

Myakka River pictorial

2011-02-02T12:24:00.000-08:00

Enjoy!

Snook, redfish and bass slamming lures in the Myakka River

2011-02-02T12:13:00.000-08:00

This 29-inch snook fell for a D.O.A. 4-inch jerk worm on a CAL Jig Head.

Fishing has been very interesting on the Myakka River. Most days, we’re able to take a river slam: snook, redfish and largemouth bass.

Not bad.

The beauty of the river is you never know what you’re going to catch. Could be a 2-pound largemouth bass on one cast and a 20-pound snook on the next.

Every cast could result in a monster fish.

Those fishing the river should realize that the fish don’t jump in the boat; you have to work for them. Key is keeping your lure or fly in the water. The more time you’re lure is in the water, the greater your chances of hooking up.

We’ve been launching at Snook Haven, 5000 East Venice Ave. It’s located about a mile west of Interstate 75 off River Road. The place is quaint. In addition, the restaurant there serves up some decent grub and they offer live entertainment on Thursdays and Sundays. You can also hop aboard a large pontoon boat to take a tour of the river.

We usually launch long before Snook Haven opens. We’ve been paddling downriver about a mile.

We’ve discovered a new pattern that has been paying dividends. I won’t divulge it here, but just say we’re taking snook, bass and redfish in areas you normally wouldn’t cast.

Today, I took Nick Walter, the former outdoors editor of the Bradenton Herald, out for a morning of fishing. Walter now is writing outdoors stuff for www.bradentonpatch.com.

I showed him my new pattern and it worked pretty well for the second day in a row. We caught quite a few bass to about 2 pounds. We also caught and released a small snook. The highlight of the outing was a monster snook that I hooked. It towed my kayak and made five jumps. The snook was so large it couldn’t get its body out of the water.

Walter figured the fish to be 39 or 40 inches. I estimated it at 30 to 32. It wore through the leader before I could land it.

Not to be dismayed. You can’t lose a big fish unless you first hook one.

Every day is different. On Tuesday, I landed four snook to 24 inches, four redfish to 22, four bass to 15. In addition, I hooked and lost a couple of big gar.

I landed a 29-inch snook on Monday and two smaller fish. In addition, I caught and released three redfish and several bass.

I’m taking most of my fish on a D.O.A. avocado flake 4-inch jerk worm on a 1/8-ounce CAL Jig Head. The key is to slowly hop it across the bottom.

In addition to fish, we’ve been seeing a few alligators, raccoons, otters, osprey, great blue heron and night heron.

The Myakka River is my favorite place to fish this time of year. It’s a great place to fish for snook, and there’s always the chance you’ll hook a monster.

Even if you don’t land a fish (that won’t happen), you’ll have a wonderful time. The river, which has been declared a scenic body of water, is one of the most picturesque streams in the state – if not country.

I expect fishing to remain steady until we get two weeks or so of warm weather.

Until them, you can find me on the Myakka River.

Once plentiful jack crevalle are now in short supply

2011-01-30T06:56:00.000-08:00

Kayak angler Walter Hamm of Sarasota, Fla., admires a jack crevalle

Jack crevalle used to be a constant on every fishing trip.

You might not catch snook, redfish or spotted seatrout, but you could always count on jack crevalle.

They’re a rare catch these days.

I remember looking out over Sarasota Bay several years ago and seeing several schools of jack crevalle attacking baitfish. They seemingly were everywhere.

Talk about a fish made for fly rod …

Jacks will hit a variety of flies. They’ll put up a great battle, no matter what size rod you’re using.

I remember a trip I made in March of 2006. I had an angler from Marietta, Ga., and the fishing wasn’t so hot. The wind was up and it was tough to fish. We caught a few ladyfish in the perimeter canal of Longboat Key. Late in the morning, the wind let up a little and we were able to get out into Sarasota Bay.

We anchored the kayaks, got out and waded. Wasn’t long before I saw a large wake heading our way. I looked around and didn’t see any boats, so I knew it was probably fish. But it was such a large wake that I had no clue what it was.

When the wake got to within casting range, I instructed m client to cast. He did. And so did I.

I hooked up immediately and knew I was into a really big fish. I could see the fish in the school and they were all jacks of 25 pounds or more. I handed the rod to my client and watched as he tried to fight the fish.

The big jack made a long run, and I wasn’t sure my client would be able to stop the fish. He finally did, but I knew he was in for a long battle.

Forty five minutes later, he had the big fish within 50 feet. But that’s when the line went limp. I figured the big jack had broken the line, but I was wrong. The hook on the jig had straightened.

I waded back to the kayak and grabbed another rod. This was a heavier rod with a topwater plug tied on.

I didn’t think the jacks would return. However, I looked down the bay and saw the wake again approaching. I pointed it out to my client and we were ready when it neared. We both cast into the school. Again, I hooked up.

I handed the rod to my guy and watched as the big jack took the line. I don’t think that fish even knew it was hooked. There was little we could do as we watched the line peel off the reel. We were too far from the kayaks. I told him to put all the pressure he could on the fish, but it was useless. Just before he lost all of the line, I instructed him to grab the spool, point the rod at the fish and hold on.

The line broke at the leader. We lost the plug, but saved 300 yards of line.

My client didn’t land either jack, but he was a happy camper. He’d never battled fish so large.

I don’t know if that will ever happen again?

I’m not sure why there are so few jacks around, but I’ve been told the commercial fishing industry is doing a number on them. The commercial guys have created some sort of market for them and apparently are wiping them off the face of the earth.

Jacks aren’t considered good to eat by most folks, so they’ll get not protection. The Coastal Conservation Association won’t go to bat for jacks. Nor will any other organization.

And that’s too bad. Jack crevalle are part of the chain. They’re also great fish to catch and release.

My clients didn’t catch a half dozen jacks last year.

I’m afraid we’ve lost them. I’m hoping it’s just a down cycle, but I’m probably wrong.

Let me know what you think? Are you catching lots of jacks? Is there a shortage in your area?

If you’re not catching them or seeing them like you used to, then start talking to your fishing buddies about it.

We need jacks. We can’t let them be netted to obliteration.

Beautiful Myakka River offers great snook fishing for kayak anglers

2011-01-23T05:08:00.000-08:00

Jack Hartman of Sarasota, Fla., battles a small Myakka River snook that he fooled with a MirrOlure MirrOdine.

I have added a new trip to my arsenal. During the winter, I’ll be taking those interested to fish the Myakka River, a tidal river that begins near the Hardee-Manatee County line and empties into Charlotte Harbor.

Designated as a Florida Wild and Scenic river, the Myakka is home to some fine winter snook fishing. In addition, largemouth bass, bluegill, speckled perch, gar, redfish, spotted seatrout, tarpon and other species inhabit the river.

One of the great things about fishing the Myakka is that you never know what’s going to hit your lure or fly. You might hook a 5-pound bass on one cast. It could be a 20-pound snook the next.

We usually launch at Snook Haven, a quintessential Florida riverfront restaurant/bar located at 5000 East Venice Avenue, Venice, Fla. Telephone number is (941) 485-7221. To get there,take Interstate 75 to exit 191. Head west about a mile and turn left at the Snook Haven sign.

There’s a $5 launch fee, but Snook Haven usually is closed when we arrive. So, we pay the fee when we’re done fishing.

We like to fish the outgoing tide. That’s when snook and other species seem to bite the best. We also have good luck on the slack tide. The incoming tide usually isn’t so great.

We begin fishing just as soon as we launch, targeting fallen trees and stumps along the deeper sides of the river. Generally, the outside bends of the river are deepest.

For this fishing, medium, to medium heavy tackle is best. We load our reels with 15-pound braided line and use 25-pound fluorocarbon leader.

Our lures of choice include Bagley’s Bang-O-Lure, D.O.A. 5 ½-inch jerk worm, Bomber Long A, D.O.A. Shrimp, and D.O.A. BFL.

Fly anglers won’t want to have anything less than an 8-weight rod in their hand. Floating and sinktip lines are preferred. Those using floating lines will want at least a 9-foot 12-pound leader with 25-pound fluorocarbon shock tippet. For a sinktip line, use a 6-foot, 12-pound leader with a heavier tippet.

Cold is the key. The colder, the better. The river is an excellent place during times of nasty weather. And nasty weather often means decent snook action.

Snook migrate up the Myakka when the water begins to cool in late fall. They’ll remain in the river until spring. Snook are not very tolerant of cold water, so they move up coastal rivers in search of warmth.

I first began fishing the Myakka in the 1970s. During those days, I was targeting mainly largemouth bass in the portion of the river that runs through Myakka River State Park. I began targeting snook in the 1980s.

One trip that stands out was when Capt. Rick Grassett, Capt. Jonnie Walker, Capt. Roy String and I fished the river on a cold, overcast December day. We caught several hefty snook on plugs and soft plastics. Top snook went about 12 pounds.

I also fished the river a couple of times with Dave Miller of Bass Tamer Guide Services (941) 915-9073. Miller is a bass guide who fished Lake Istokpoga and other lakes most of the year. If we have a severely cold winter, he’ll head for the Myakka.

No matter if I catch fish or not, I love fishing the Myakka. Her banks are lined with stately oaks and cabbage palms. It’s the way Florida looked hundreds of years ago.

A great thing about the river is that you won’t encounter many boats. And if you do, they won’t be speeding. It’s slow or idle speed throughout Sarasota County.

Most days, however, we don’t see other anglers.

We do see wild hogs, deer, osprey, bald eagles and maybe even an alligator or two.

The worst trip I’ve ever had on the Myakka was pretty darn good!

This winter hasn’t been too terribly bad, but we’ve had our share of cold weather. Snook are up the river and they’re blasting topwater plugs, jerk worms and suspending plugs.

If you’re looking for something different, you might want to give the Myakka River a try.

Give me a call at (941) 284-3406. I’ll be glad to introduce to the river. You’ll enjoy kayaking the river and catching snook.

Buying a new kayak is a memorable and nerve-wracking experience

2011-01-22T05:48:00.000-08:00

The author poles his new Native Ultimate 14.5.

Buying a new kayak certainly is a wonderful wracking experience. The anticipation makes sleep the night prior quite difficult.

The purchase is the culmination of days or even months of research. You’ve finally settled on the brand and model that is perfect for you.

If you’re located in or near Sarasota, then you’ll want to buy your kayak from Economy Tackle/Dolphin Dive, 6018 South Tamiami Trail. The store is one of the largest kayak dealers in the country. They handle my favorite kayak, the Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5 (http://www.nativewatercraft.com/).

You can buy your kayak loaded with all of the necessities. Or you can purchase a basic model and rig it yourself.

The latter is the most fun. I like to start with a basic kayak and turn it into a fishing machine. Your imagination is your only limitation.

For me, simple is best. My kayaks aren’t the most tricked out by any means. However, they’re quite functional, very comfortable and great fishing machines.

My kayaks don’t come with rod holders. I prefer to attach rod holders to a milk crate. The crate holds most of my tackle and I place it directly behind me. I can reach back and grab a tackle box or rod. In addition, the rod holder has slots for pliers, knives and de-hooking tools. Everything is easily within reach. You can ask your grocer for a milk crate or buy an office crate at Staples, Office Max or other store.

My most important addition is an anchor trolley, a simple device that allows you to anchor and then face any direction you need. The system is simply two pulleys and a line that runs between them. The line is connected to an O-ring.

You can buy a commercial kayak anchor, but I’ve found them pretty worthless. I use a foam-cover, hand dumbbell that I purchased at Walmart. They’re very functional, work great and will hold in most any wind. Mine weigh 5 pounds.

There’s a structural tube toward the bow of my Ultimate. I cover it with a foam pool noodle. I lay my rod against it when I’m paddling or changing flies. The foam protects and cushions the rod.

I did buy a bow spray skirt for my Ultimate and it’s a fantastic addition, deflecting spray and keeping errant wakes from entering my vessel. I also have a waterproof bow bag that fits neatly in the bow of my kayak and under the spray skirt. In the bag, I keep extra wading shows, rain gear, first-aid kit and other essentials.

I also added a paddle holder to the starboard side of my kayak. I holds my 9-foot Paddle Pole when I’m paddling. When I’m standing and poling my boat, I place my paddle in the holder.

I stand and pole my kayak quite often. It’s a great way to “sight-fish” reds, snook, spotted seatrout and other species. You’d be surprised how many more fish you’ll see when you’re standing in your kayak rather than sitting.

When I first started kayak fishing years ago, I figured I’d paddle to my favorite spot and then get out and wade. Didn’t take me long to figure out that you’re more stealthy in the kayak than you are out of it. So, I rarely wade these days.

Another thing that I discovered is that I catch more fish out of my kayak that I did wading or when fishing from a powerboat.

If you’re contemplating purchasing a kayak and need help, please feel free to call me at (941) 284-3406. And remember Economy Tackle in Sarasota holds free Kayak Demo Days twice monthly at Ackerman Park every other Saturday. Call Economy at (941) 922-9671 for demo dates and directions to Ackerman Park.

Remember, today’s kayaks are fishing machines that are very stable and easy to paddle. They’re not the sleek, tipsy boats that might be in your mind.

One good way to see if kayak fishing is for you is to go out with a kayak guide.

That’s me!

Spotted seatrout have been providing a bulk of the action

2011-01-19T08:47:00.000-08:00

John Mallia of Buffalo, N.Y., lands a hefty spotted seatrout on a D.O.A. CAL Jig with gold paddle tail.

Randy Honaker of Centerville, Ohio is a happy fly fisher.

I have been fortunate to have found a bunch of cooperative fish.

For many, fishing has been tough because of cold weather, cold water and wind.

My clients and I have been able to fish a somewhat protected spot and catch a bunch of fish. Over the last six weeks, clients are averaging between 40 and 60 fish per outing, including spotted seatrout to 24 inches, ladyfish, redfish, flounder, sheepshead and sugar trout.

The action has been very consistent and steady.

John Mallia of Buffalo, N.Y., fished with me twice and did well each time. Mallia caught and released plenty of spotted seatrout and a few redfish, flounder and ladyfish. Most of his fish came on a D.O.A. CAL Jig with a gold paddle tail.

Mallia tried the fly rod on one outing and caught 20 spotted seatrout on my Big Eye Baitfish.

Randy Honaker of Centerville, Ohio had an excellent outing. Honaker, an avid fly fisher and excellent caster, managed 40 spotted seatrout to 17 inches on Clouser Deep Minnows.

On another outing, Honaker caught and released a small snook and had several other follow-ups and short strikes and a pleasurable outing on the Myakka River. He was using Clouser Deep Minnows.

Ken Taylor of North Port, Fla., had a very good outing. Taylor, who might be D.O.A. Lures biggest fan, caught and released 75 spotted seatrout on a 1/8-ounce CAL Jig with gold paddle tail, 4-inch D.O.A. jerk worm on a 1/16-ounce jig head and a D.O.A. Shrimp.

I fished the bay on my own one day and had a really good time. It was a day in which the big trout were on a good feed. I managed 80 trout, including 25 of more than 20 inches. The biggest fish was a 25-inch trout. All came on the CAL Jig with gold paddle tail.

I even caught three redfish, including a 25-incher.

The Myakka River is a great place when the weather is bad. It affords us a chance to get out of the wind.

Snook move up coastal rivers during the winter to seek warm water. The Myakka River annually gives up a number of large snook.

We use heavier tackle than normal. We prefer medium-light to medium TFO spinning rods with 25-pound fluorocarbon leaders. We’ll cast D.O.A. 5 1/2-inch jerk worms, CAL Jigs, 4-inch jerk worms and D.O.A. Baitbusters.

Fly anglers won’t want to cast anything lighter than an 8-weight. Sinktip or floating lines work well. Flies of choice include Clouser Deep Minnows, Big Eye Baitfish, Gartside Gurglers and Puglisi patterns.

In addition to snook, we also encounter largemouth bass, Florida gar, tarpon and an occasional redfish and spotted seatrout.

You just never know what might take your lure or fly.

Scenery is quite amazing on the river. The banks are lined with stately oak trees and cabbage palms. Alligators often will sun themselves on the banks during the day.

My schedule is pretty hectic these days. If you’re interested in a trip, please contact me as soon as possible to assure yourself a day (or two).

When the water temperature moves up into the 60s, I look for pompano, bluefish and Spanish mackerel to be plentiful on the deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. In addition, spotted seatrout, ladyfish, jack crevalle and even gag grouper will be available.

For intrepid anglers, we’ll hit the water before daylight and cast for snook around lighted docks as the weather warms up.

Last time out, I caught a redfish, snook and spotted seatrout (a Saltwater Slam) on fly before dawn.

As always, I would like to thank my generous sponsors: Legacy Paddlesports (Native Watercraft), D.O.A. Lures, Temple Fork Outfitters, Peak Fishing and 7Eye Sunglasses.

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

http://gibbysfishingblog.blogspot.com/

(941) 284-3406

D.O.A. Lures really are 'deadly on anything'

2011-01-19T08:20:00.000-08:00

Ken Taylor of North Port, Fla., perhaps D.O.A.'s biggest fan, lands one of many spotted seatrout on D.O.A. CAL Jig.

Disclosure: I am sponsored by D.O.A. Lures.

Opinion: D.O.A. Lures (http://www.doalures.com/) are the best on the market.

Of course, there are some who will say that my opinion is based on the fact that D.O.A. sponsors me and that I get them for free.

Wrong!

Few things are free and D.O.A. Lures are not free. I get them at a reduced price because I’m on the water 200 days a year.

It’s nice to get them for a good price. I go through quite a few because I use them when my clients are spin anglers. The D.O.A. CAL Jig is simply the best on the market. The jig head is quality, from the paint to the eyes to the ultra-sharp hook.

Most often, I use the 1/16-ounce jig head. I like it because it doesn’t bomb to the bottom. So, we’re not always tangle up in the grass and other debris. I’ve found that it makes a lot of sense to go as light as I can in most fishing situations.

I like to couple the jig with D.O.A.’s paddle tails. I prefer the paddle tails because they’re tough, appeal to the fish and vibrate nicely through the water. My colors choices (in order of preference) include: gold glitter (313 on the D.O.A. color chart), night glow (305), copper crush (321), root beer/gold tail (411) and avocado/red tail (412). I use gold glitter at least 80 percent of the time – especially in clear water.

If the water is deep and/or the current strong, I’ll switch to a 1/8-ounce jig. It gets down just a little better.

The jigs have been awesome over the last six weeks. My clients and I have been averaging 100 spotted seatrout per trip – most on the CAL Jig.

I also like D.O.A.’s 3-inch shrimp in night glow, gold glitter, glow/goldrush belly (309) and stark naked (420). This size is perfect for the bay and for sight-fishing snook in the surf during the warmer months.

What works best for me is to fish the D.O.A. Shrimp the same way you’d fish a live shrimp. I cast it out, allow it to sink to whatever depth I want, then SLOWLY work it back. I’ll simply raise my rod tip to slowly move the shrimp along, then lower it and reel in the slack.

As Mark Nichols, originator of the D.O.A. line, has often said, “When you think you’re fishing it slow enough, then slow down some more.”

The hit often feels like a “thump.” It’s akin to a bass taking a plastic worm. When you feel the hit, make sure there’s no slack in your line, then set the hook.

The D.O.A. Shrimp is magical when fished under a cork. D.O.A. packages the duo and calls it the Deadly Combination. And it is deadly.

A few years back, I had Chad Pennington, now a quarterback with the Miami Dolphins out in Sarasota Bay. We were fishing the deep grass off Stephens Point and using Deadly Combinations. The two of us caught 80 spotted seatrout and 16 Spanish mackerel.

It was a wonderful day and a testament to the effectiveness of the Deadly Combination.

The beauty of the combo is that you won’t spend time getting your lure out of the grass. In fact, you don’t even have to worry about it.

Here’s how you fish it: Cast it out, allow the shrimp to sink, reel in slack and “pop” the cork once or twice. The cork creates a disturbance on the surface and the beads on it click and clack. Fish in the neighbor hear the commotion and swim up to investigates.

That’s where they see the shrimp. And they usually inhale it.

When the cork goes under, reel up and slack and set the hook.

Years ago, I work in a local tackle shop. We sold live shrimp, but there were times when we would run out or could get any. Anglers would walk into the shop with their bait buckets in hand only to be told we had no shrimp.

“Damn, now I’ll have to go home and mow the lawn.”

Most would shrug, turn around and walk out.

That’s when the proverbial lightbulb in my head was lit.

I walked over to the tackle aisle and grabbed a bunch of D.O.A. Shrimp. I arranged the packages on the counter. When a disgruntled shrimp angler would discover we had no live shrimp, I’d point to the D.O.A.’s.

“You don’t need live shrimp,” I’d say. “You can use these.”

I’d explain how to use them, and at least half the people walked out with one or more D.O.A.’s to try.

I sold 96 D.O.A. Shrimp that day.

D.O.A. Shrimp are great for sight-fishing. I love to toss one in front of a snook or redfish. They’re also wonderful when fishing around and under docks. You can actually “skip” them deep under docks. The shrimp are effective for fishing potholes and deep grass.

The Baitbuster is an interesting lure. It’s a mullet or large baitfish imitation that comes in three models: shallow runner, deep runner and trolling.

Capt. Rick Grassett of the Snook Fin-Addict Guides Services in Sarasota and I visited Nichols in Stuart a few years ago and did quite well on the Baitbuster. Fishing the St. Lucie Inlet, we totaled a dozen snook from 5 to 17 pounds.

Nichols was disappointed and apologetic.

“What’s the problem?” Grassett asked.

“Well, you guys didn’t get a 20-pounder,” Nichols replied.

What he didn’t realize is that it was the best snook outing Grassett and I had ever experienced at the time.

And all of the snook hit the D.O.A. Baitbuster.

I fished D.O.A. products the other day on the Myakka River. I caught a nice snook on a 5-inch D.O.A. jerkworm (root beer with gold flake) and several fish on a 4-inch jerk worm (root beer with chartreuse tail) on a 1/16-ounce jig head.

Late last summer, I launched my kayak at Ponce de Leon Park at Punta Gorda and was greeted by tarpon everywhere. I jumped eight and landed one. Every tarpon hit a root beer TerrorEyz.

The D.O.A. line of lures is simple the best going.

Try them.

Lack of etiquette on the water is quite common

2011-01-13T12:55:00.000-08:00

I’m no snooty elitist. Nor am I holier than thou.

John Mallia of Buffalo, N.Y. caught a load of trout despite the traffic.

I am a reformed smoker, but I don’t care if you light up in your home or car.

I am concerned, however, about the lack of etiquette on the water. I’m talking about those who move in on an area you’re fishing.

Seems to happen all the time.

I was out the other day with a client and we were drifting down the edge of a channel, casting into the depths. A powerboat with three anglers aboard passed right in front of us, cut the engine and began fishing 20 feet away.

Unbelievable!

I would never paddle in front of anyone and then start fishing.

It was funny, though, when they didn’t catch any fish. They watched as my client reeled in trout after trout.

“They’re killing ‘em,” one said.

No, we weren’t killing the trout. We were releasing them. We do not kill fish to eat. We realize our fish would probably cost around $376 a pound based on the cost of our equipment, boats, vehicles and what have you.

If we wanted to eat fish, we’d head out to a pretty nice seafood restaurant and have someone prepare it for us.

We kept catching trout after trout. The fellows in the boat just couldn’t stand it. They started the motor, put it in gear and headed up the channel toward us. When they got to within a cast, they cut the engine and started fishing.

At the point, I’d had about enough. I wasn’t going to get into it with the morons, but I was going to get away from them. So, we paddled down the channel about 100 yards and started fishing.

Of course, we started catching, too.

After about 15 minutes, the boaters could stand no more. They allowed the current to push them toward us. I watched in amazement as they neared.

“I can’t believe you’re going to drift right through where we’re fishing,” I said to the skipper.

I got no response.

They did indeed drift right past us and right over the spot where we were fishing.

On another occasion, a guide, obviously on a scouting mission for his next day’s charter, anchored on the other side of the channel about 50 feet up from us.

No problem.

He tossed out a live bait and then set the rod in a holder. He picked up another rod and began casting a jig.

He watched in amazement as my client caught a dozen or so nice trout.

When he couldn’t stand it any longer, he lifted the anchor, started his outboard and motored out into the channel. He moved down the channel from us, then cut the engine and literally threw out the anchor.

He was now anchored in the middle of the channel (I think it’s illegal to anhor in a marked channel?). To make matters worse, the chop was banging against the underside of his bow. The noise wasn’t going to increase his production.

Meanwhile, we’re still catching fish. Our kayaks make virtually no noise. The fish don’t know we’re there.

I just wish my powerboat brothers would get on the clue bus. Respect others on the water and try to quiet things down a bit.

They’ll not only make people happy, but they’ll also start catching more fish.

February is the time for pompano, bluefish and Spanish mackerel

2011-01-05T14:06:00.000-08:00

The Big Eye Baitfish Fly is indestructible and quite productive.

Cold weather means cold water.
And cold water means we don't have a lot of variety in out fishing.
Until the water warms, spotted seatrout, redfish, ladyfish and flounder are pretty much what are available.
That will change when we get a few days of warm weather.
I look for pompano, bluefish and Spanish mackerel to show up in mid-February. And when they do, fishing over the deep grass in Sarasota Bay should be really hot. There were days last year when we took more than 50 fish per outing.
The blues averaged 3 pounds and we caught several around 6 pounds. Pompano went at least 2 pounds and several approached 5. Spanish mackerel ranged from 2 to a whopping 7 1/2 pounds!
This action is available on spin and fly tackle. Spin anglers should use medium-light rods, 10-pound braided line and 25-pound fluorocarbon leader. Top lures include the D.O.A. 1/8-ounce CAL Jig with gold paddle tail or D.O.A. Shrimp (glo or gold flake). I also like to use the Deadly Combination (D.O.A. Shrimp under a popping cork).
This is also prime time for fly anglers. I like a 6-weight rod, sinktip line and 6-foot, 20-pound fluorocarbon leader. My fly of choice is my Big Eye Baitfish, a nearly indestructible fly that is irresistible to many species.
I designed the fly with toothy critters in mind. It's made entirely of synthetics and will last all day, providing your leader isn't cut by a big blue or feisty mackerel.
The Big Eye is easy to tie.
Recipe:
Hook: No. 2 Mustad 34008
Thread: Fine mono
Body: Flexi-chord
Wing: White Fish Hair topped with chartreuse Super Hair.
Eyes: Medium or heavy Orvis Crystal Dumbbell Eyes.
Coating: Devcon Two-Ton Epoxy.

Clouser Deep Minnows will work, but they usually are history after one blue or mackerel.
When the blues, pompano and mackerel are here, we often hit the water about an hour before daylight to get in a little snook action around lighted docks. These fish are suckers for small, white flies.

But it will be trout, redfish, ladyfish and a few flounder until we get a warming trend.

Kayak stealth is the real key to fishing success

2011-01-05T13:34:00.000-08:00

Ask around and you’ll probably discover fishing has been good, but catching tough!

Jason Beary battles another fish on fly rod.

Abnormally cold weather again is the culprit.

However, there are areas where fish congregate during the cold and make for easy pickings if you know where they are and you’re stealthy enough to take advantage.

My clients and I have been averaging 100 fish per outing over the last six weeks. That includes a low of 20 fish and a high of 250. Most often we’ve been getting at least 60 fish. The totals include mostly spotted seatrout to 22 inches, but we’re also getting flounder, redfish and ladyfish.

The action has been steady on both spin tackle and fly rod.

I’ve watched amazingly as those in powerboats visit the same spots, fish for 10 minutes and then head off for a honey hole 10 miles away. They usually show up, make a dozen casts and are gone.

What they don’t realize is their large boats give away their presence. The hull displaces a tremendous amount of water, sending out fish-alarming pressure waves. Also, their outboard motors are danger signals to the fish. Ditto for electric trolling motors.

I’ve even seen professional guides “throw” their anchors in the fish-holding holes.

Meanwhile, my clients are usually catching fish and enjoying steady action.

I’m convinced it’s mostly because the fish don’t know we’re there.

I had a fellow out from near Buffalo, N.Y., the other day. He has fly fished for steelhead and salmon around his home, but had never caught a saltwater fish on fly rod. After doing well on spin tackle, he wanted to try the fly rod.

He caught 20 spotted seatrout.

We had anchored along the edge of a channel where we had located a school of trout. We caught fish after fish because they had no clue we were there.

Many years ago, I figured I’d use my kayak to get to my favorite wading spots, anchor the boat, get out and fish. Didn’t take me too long to figure out I was less stealthy wading than I was in the kayak.

I rarely wade any more.

During November’s MCFF/CCA Fall Fly Fishing Challenge, I caught enough fish to win the Snook Division and Trout Division. You could only win one division, but it felt good to know that I’d caught that many fish.

I caught seven snook around one dock. I never had to make a cast of more than 25 feet.

Again it was a case of the snook not having a clue I was there.

And that makes a big difference.

Kayaks the key to fishing success

2011-01-01T12:46:00.000-08:00

John Kis of Westchester, N.Y., had a field day on spotted seatrout, catching and releasing more than 50 fish.

I’ve always believed that we catch more fish from kayaks than when fishing from powerboats. It stands to reason because the fish don’t know you’re even there.

Jason Beary of Warren, Pa., with one of his 50 spotted seatrout.

This has been proven time and again. It has been especially true over the last two weeks. While many have struggled, my clients and I have been doing very well.

Despite the cold, we’ve been averaging 50 spotted seatrout per outing over the last two weeks. The trout are ranging from 13 to 22 inches, with most in the slot (15 to 20 inches) and over.

D.O.A.’s 1/16-ounce CAL Jig with a gold paddle tail has been the hot ticket. We’ve also been picking up a few fish on MirrOlure’s Tiny MirrOdine and a gold/glo D.O.A. Shrimp.

Fly anglers have had a tougher time. However, Jason Beary of Warren, Pa., caught several trout on a pink-and-chartreuse Clouser Deep Minnow and my Big Eye Baitfish Fly. The trout are on the bottom, so a slow, deep presentation is necessary. I would imagine a 300-grain sinking line would be a good choice.

Beary switched to spinning tackle in late morning and started getting hits on nearly every cast. The trick is to allow the jig to reach the bottom and then hop it slowly. The fish are cold and don’t want to expend a lot of energy chasing down the lure.

If you miss a hit, the key is to keep working the jig. Usually, you’ll pick up another in short order. I’ve lost as many as four fish on a cast before hooking and landing the fifth.

My wife, Kathy, joined me on New Year’s Day for a short outing. We only fish two hours because the wind started to blow and made things tough. Because of the wind, the incoming tide was really cranking. We anchored on the edge of a channel and worked the deep water. I switched Kathy to a 1/8-ounce CAL Jig in order to make it easier to get to the bottom and stay in contact with the lure. In two hours, we caught and released 20 trout to 21 inches.

Dr. Jon Smalley and his wife, Dr. Sharon Smalley, of Connecticut joined me for a half-day outing on Christmas Eve. The Smalley’s totaled 40 trout to 20 inches on CAL Jigs.

Jon Kis of Westchester, N.Y., fished a six-hour trip and did very well. He caught more than 50 trout to 22 inches on CAL Jigs. In fact, we anchored at the first spot and caught fish or had hits on nearly every cast for two hours.

We’ve found the fish to be extremely sensitive to noise and big boats. Several powerboats have fished the area and we’ve seen very few fish taken. A couple of times, we’ve seen powerboats literally “throw” anchors into the channel. Once anchored, you could hear the waves hitting the underside of their bow.

It was no wonder the fishing slowed noticeably!

Capt. Rick Grassett of Sarasota joined me for a friendly day of fun fishing recently and did well. He caught a few fish on fly before giving in to the wind and picking up a spinning rod. Rick and I totaled more than 80 trout to 22 inches, 12 ladyfish, four small redfish and a couple of flounder – all on D.O.A. CAL Jigs with gold paddle tails.

The cold hasn’t slowed the fishing much. The wind, however, has made it tough to get out on some days.

If you want to get in on this action, give me call. I’ve got a few days open over the next three weeks.

Happy New Year!

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

(941) 284-3406

Fishing has been good in between cold fronts

2010-12-18T09:56:00.000-08:00

Spotted seatrout have been providing a bulk of the action.

December fishing has been a matter of dodging fronts and scraping ice off the kayaks.

During any warming trend, we have been finding excellent spotted seatrout action in Palma Sola Bay. Most of the fish are being caught on D.O.A. CAL Jigs with gold paddle tails, MirrOlures Tiny MirrOdine and Clouser Deep Minnow flies.

The trout have been ranging from undersize to 22 inches. There have been outings where a majority of the trout run from 17 to 22 inches, with few small fish.

Tide is the key. Most of the action has been taking place along channel edges on the incoming tide.

Redfish are making their presence known, too. Most are small, but we have taken a few in the slot (18 to 27 inches). Reds are holding along channel edges and around docks. D.O.A. CAL Jigs are the ticket to redfish success.

Flounder also are cooperating. A slowly worked jig along the bottom is a sure way to find flatties.

Dave Robinson of Sarasota fished with me and we totaled more than 50 trout, 10 redfish and several flounder. We used CAL Jigs, jerks worms and MirrOdines.

Dick Badman, a winter visitor from Pennsylvania, caught some really nice trout on Clouser Deep Minnows.

I took a busman’s holiday on Friday and did well before the wind started to blow. Started out with eight trout and a flounder on my first 10 casts. Ended the day with 30 trout, two flounder and two reds.

I look for good action between fronts. A warming trend should spark bluefish, pompano, Spanish mackerel and spotted seatrout over the deep grass flats in Sarasota Bay.

Even though the water temperature plummeted to 53 degrees, I haven’t heard of any substantial snook kills. We don’t need any more cold weather.

My calendar is filling up, so figure out what date(s) you’d like to fish and let me know.

I would like to thank my sponsors: Native Watercraft, D.O.A. Lures, Temple Fork Outfitters.

Happy Holidays to all!

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

(941) 284-3406

Fishing has been good despite the cold weather

2010-12-17T03:58:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty impressed by the fishing, considering the freezing weather we've experienced over the last two weeks. There has been ice on my windshield nearly every morning.
A week ago, I fished with Dave Robinson of Sarasota and totaled 28 spotted seatrout, eight redfish and a pair of flounder. Many of the trout were in the slot or slightly over (slot limit is 15 to 20 inches).
On Thursday there was ice on the kayaks when I pulled out of my driveway to meet Dick Badman of Pennsylvania. We fished Palma Sola Bay and did well, catching and releasing 20 trout to 21 inches and a flounder. Most of the fish were taken on a 1/16-ounce D.O.A. CAL Jig with a gold paddle tail. The MirrOlure Tiny MirrOdine also produced a few fish.
I'm thinking the action should really improve if we get a few days of warm weather.

Southern Drawl's November fishing report

2010-11-25T05:09:00.000-08:00

Todd Dawson landed this fine pompano on a D.O.A. CAL Jig with gold paddle tail.

We’re at the beginning of some fine fishing over the deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay.

Over the last week, we started catching good numbers of spotted seatrout, bluefish, pompano, ladyfish, gag grouper and a few Spanish mackerel.

Stu Black and Peter Sullivan of Ontario joined me for a 6-hour outing in Sarasota Bay off Stephen’s Point. It was a memorable trip because Stu caught his first fish on fly rod, a fine spotted seatrout.

The duo combined for a good catch of spotted seatrout, ladyfish and a couple of bluefish. Pompano were conspicuously absent.

Fly fisher Joe McColl of Tampa and a nice bluefish.

That changed the next trip when fly fisher Joe McColl of Tampa joined me. We fished off Stephen’s Point and had steady action on spotted seatrout, ladyfish, bluefish and pompano. We managed blues to 3 pounds and pomps to 2 ½. Most of the spotted seatrout were small.

Small trout had been the name of the game until Todd Dawson of Bradenton and his son, Andy, fished with me. Again, steady action was the name of the game. They caught spotted seatrout to 22 inches, bluefish to 3 pounds and pompano to 3. I managed a trout that went 24 inches. What luck!

Bob Parker, past president of the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers in Sarasota, and I fished early in the week and did well. Parker managed spotted seatrout, gag grouper and a nice Spanish mackerel. I landed spotted seatrout, bluefish, pompano and ladyfish.

Top fly has been my Big Eye Baitfish. Everything seems to like it!

Sam Buehrer of Ohio fished Buttonwood Harbor and off Whale Key with me an had fun on light spin tackle. Buehrer landed a bunch of spotted seatrout and ladyfish, plus a nice Spanish mackerel and a 4-pound pompano. All were taken on D.O.A. CAL Jigs with gold paddle tails.

Brian Green of Ontario and his buddy, Keith, fished with me on a very windy and tough day. Brian did manage 12 spotted seatrout and a small redfish on fly.

This action is just the beginning of what’s in store. An approaching cold front should really heat up the bite.

Last December was excellent for pompano, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and spotted seatrout.

If you’ve never caught a pompano on fly, now is the time. They pull hard and make determined runs.

A good option is to book a 6-hour trip and get out before the sun comes up. That way, you’ll get a shot of snook under the lights. When that action subsides, we’ll head out to fish the deep grass.

My new fleet of 2011 Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5s has arrived and I’m thrilled. They not only look sharp, but also fish great!

On a side note, I want to let everyone know that my wife, Kathy, is recovering nicely from her recent surgery after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She didn’t feel too hot for a week, but now has returned to work and feels very good.

If you’re interested in tailing redfish, Pine Island Sound is the place on those days when the wind cooperates and we get a negative low tide. In addition, spotted seatrout, snook and tarpon are possibilities in the Sound.

I also do freshwater trips on local lakes and streams for bass, bluegill, shellcracker, speckled perch and channel cats.

December is booking up, so choose a day and let me know.

Again, I’d like to mention my terrific sponsors: Native Watercraft, TRO fly rods and spinning rods and D.O.A. Lures.

Happy holidays to all.

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

(941) 284-3406

Fishing just getting better and better in Sarasota Bay

2010-11-23T01:57:00.000-08:00

A beautiful Sarasota Bay pompano that fell for Gibby's Big Eye Baitfish Fly

I had an inkling fishing was getting ready break loose.
On Monday, I took Bob Parker of Sarasota out on the inaugural voyage of the new 2011 Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5s. Fishing was very good.
We fish the deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay and caught a variety of fish: spotted seatrout, pompano, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, ladyfish and gag grouper.
Action was steady.
November and December on Sarasota Bay can be very good.
Top fly, as usual, was my Big Eye Baitfish.

New fleet is here and ready to fish

2010-11-21T11:28:00.000-08:00

The new fleet of camo Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5s.

Picked up my new Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5 fleet today.

Wow!

The new boats look great.
Native Watercraft made some nice changes for 2011. They removed the cup holders on the port and starboard gunwales, did away with the elbow pads and old handles.
They added new handles, a new drainage system and a new color: camo.
The inaugural cruise is tomorrow morning. Bob Parker and I are going to launch on Sarasota Bay and fly fish off Stephens Point.
I may not be able to sleep tonight!

No wonder my Ultimate 14.5s were so easy to sell

2010-11-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

Two of my old Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5 ready for a day of fishin on Sarasota Bay

I ordered three 2011 Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5s.

I put my three older Ultimates up for sale. I quickly found out there's a demand for these great boats. I sold all three in less than two hours.

Wow!

And I have a waiting list of 10 people just in case one of the buyers backs out.

One guy is driving over from Daytona to get his boat.

What I heard from everyone is that Ultimates have such a good reputation that used ones are rare. So, it's easy to understand why mine sold so quickly.

That's just a testament to Legacy Paddlesports, the Greensboro, N.C. manufacturer of Native Watercraft.

I fell in love with the boats four years ago. I understand why everyone wants one!

Interest and effort the most important ingredients of fly fishing

2010-11-12T10:08:00.000-08:00

The author battles a Sarasota Bay pompano on fly rod while standing in his Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5 kayak

I've been fly fishing for more than 45 years and more than 20 in salt water.

I started out fly fishing for bluegill and other panfish while growing up in Ohio. I began concentrating on the sport after I moved to Florida in 1971.

For the most part, I concentrated on fresh water, casting popping bugs to bluegill. I really enjoyed catching bluegills on fly rod and still do.

The only reason I didn't fly fish in the salt is that there were no fly shops in Sarasota and certainly no equipment. I did, however, catch my first tarpon on fly in 1976. I caught my first snook a couple of years later. Since then, I've caught tarpon to 165 pounds, snook to 20, redfish to 15, spotted seatrout to 5, Spanish mackerel to 7 1/2, jack crevalle, cobia, bonefish, permit, pompano, bluefish, ladyfish, flounder, barramundi, amberjack, gag grouper and a variety of other species.

While I'm certainly not the best fly caster around, I do cast well enough to catch plenty of fish. I've won a number of fly-fishing tournaments over the years.
I've long wondered why fly casting is so difficult for so many people? I've come to the conclusion it's for a number of reasons. First, many people feel they can pay for a couple of lessons and become proficient without having to really work at it.
Wrong.
My belief is that success of lack thereof in fly casting is directly proportional to the amount of time, effort and interest a beginner has in the sport. If someone wants to be a good fly caster, he certainly will become one if he really wants to do it and dedicates his time to it.
I gave a lesson to a prominent Sarasota real estate broker and her boyfriend a few years back. It was quickly apparent neither would succeed easily. They struggled throughout the hour of instruction. Finally, I asked, "So, tell me, what's your interest in fly casting?
"Oh, we're going to Islamorada next week to fly fish for bonefish!"
They were headed for the Bonefish Capital of Florida and thought they'd be successful after one lesson.
No way.
I take a lot of fly fisher fishing. Some are decent. Some fair. And a lot of them struggle. Most are from the north and have been fly fishing small streams for trout for many years. Long casts aren't required on those streams. In fact, a cast is rarely required.
I call what they do "fly flipping" rather than fly casting. They flip the fly 15 to 20 feet upstream and let it then float with the current.
When they get out on the saltwater flats, 15 to 20 feet is all they can muster.
You don't have to cast 100 feet to be successful in the salt. If you can make an accurate 50-foot cast, you're in business. And a 50-foot cast is quite easy.
But casting 50 feet for many clients is something that has proven to be quit difficult.
There are those who can cast 80, 90 or 100 feet with no problem whatsoever. However, they have no clue when it comes to fly fishing.
Sure, you have to learn to cast a fly before you can actually fish with a fly rod. But fly casting and fly fishing are two separate endeavors.
Once you learn how to cast, you then have to learn how to fish.
What flies to use?
What lines?
Leaders?
You also have to learn to tie a few knots, how to attach backing to a reel, fly line to backing, butt leader to fly line and many other things.
You have to learn to double haul, roll cast, sidearm cast and accurately cast into tight spots.
And don't forget you have to learn all about the species you're seeking.
I've seen anglers who can cast 100 feet, but can't catch fish. They have no idea how to fish. They can cast, yet they can't fish.
I place more emphasis on fishing than casting. If you can cast 50 feet accurately and know how to fish, you're well ahead of the curve.
I had a guy out this past summer who could cast 80 feet with ease. I'd point out a snook 20 feet away, and he'd cast 80 feet.
Every time.
I truly believe you're either born and angler or you're not. There are born musicians and artists.
I can't carry a tune or draw a straight line.

But I can catch fish.

And that's what I was born to do.

Sixth annual MCFF/CCA Fall Fly Fishing Challenge results

2010-11-08T06:37:00.000-08:00

From Capt. Rick Grassett:

The 2010 Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers/Coastal Conservation Association “Fall Fly Fishing Challenge”, headquartered at the Sarasota Outboard Club, was held on Saturday, November 6, 2010. A total of 28 fly anglers in 2 divisions participated in the catch, photo and release event targeting multiple species in a points per inch format. The event is a fun, friendly competition designed to promote the sport of fly fishing and benefit conservation efforts of both organizations. Sponsors of the event were Orvis, CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, Economy Tackle, Tampa Angler, Cook’s Sportland, Fisherman’s Edge, Discount Tackle Outlet, New Pass Grill and Bait Shop, Andy Thornal Co. and Flying Fish Outfitters.

Fly Angler Division-open to all anglers except guides and licensed captains

Grand Champion-Highest point total

Robert Fischer, Tampa, FL, 405.75 points

2nd Place

Tom Cawthon, Seminole, FL, 248.75 points

3rd Place

Walt Plasson, Sarasota, FL, 197.25 points

Open Division- Guides, licensed captains, their fishing partners and any other angler who wishes to participate

Grand Champion-Largest redfish, snook and trout

Dusty Sprague, North Port, FL, 43.75"

Redfish-Total inches

Capt. Scott Dalton, Bradenton, FL, 116.75"

Snook-Total inches

Steve Gibson, Sarasota, FL, 115.25"

Trout-Total inches

Jeff Lemieux, North Port, FL, 48.5"

Despite the weather, fishing the tourney was a good idea

2010-11-07T05:54:00.000-08:00

Co-tournament director Rick Grassett, left, presents me with a plaque and gift certificate after winning the Snook Division of the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers/Coastal Conservation Association Fall Fly Fishing Challenge. (Photo by Bob Parker)

Poor weather is the bane of fishing tournaments.

Of course, the weather was perfect for two weeks leading up to the 6th annual Mangrove Coast/Coastal Conservation Association Fall Fly Fishing Challenge. A front moved through the day before the event, bringing with it wind and cold.

I’ve fished the event since its inception. In fact, the tournament was the brainchild of myself and Capt. Rick Grassett. I didn’t want to miss this year’s tourney, but when you fish out of a kayak, you don’t have many options.

I arrived at the captains’ meeting at City Island early Saturday. The wind was whipping out of the east. I had planned to fish Buttonwood Harbor, but it didn’t look good.

Despite the weather, we had a good turnout. More than 30 fly anglers showed up for the meeting.

After the meeting, I headed up Longboat Key for Buttonwood Harbor. When I arrived, I got out of the truck and walked through the mangroves to the water. I was met by a stiff wind and whitecaps. I talked with another kayaker there who hadn’t launched his boat.

I decided not to launch. I got back in the truck and headed for the other side of the bay. I figured I would launch at Stephen’s Point and have at least a little protection.

Good choice!

It was still dark when I arrived. I figured I would get a few shots at snook around a dock light in the basin. I paddled to the light and could see a few snook . I hooked a fish on my second cast and was able to subdue it a few minutes later.

It wasn’t a huge snook, but it was good enough. Since the tournament is catch, photo and release, there are no size limits. So, My 20.5-inch snook gave me a good start. Shortly after I took a picture of the snook and released it, it was too light to fish the dock. The light had been turned off and the snook disappeared. I still made a few casts – just in case.

Then, I paddled out into Sarasota Bay and fished a couple of docks on the point. I hooked a small snook on the third dock. Over the next hour, I caught, photographed and released six more snook. That gave me 115 inches.

Not bad.

I decided to give trout a try. I paddled just south of the point and anchored on a grass patch. I caught and released several trout. When the action slowed, I’d find another grass patch and anchor. I caught quite a few trout, using this technique. I had 103 inches of trout.

Now, all I had to get was a redfish to complete the slam. I cast along the east shoreline for two hours, but couldn’t find a red.

By this time, the wind was blowing 25 miles per hour out of the north. I knew I’d have a tough time paddling back to the launch. It was indeed tough, and I paddled into four-foot seas. I was fine once I paddled into the basin.

I cast along docks on my way in, but only managed a flounder. I stowed my gear and put the kayak on the trailer. I edited my photos and filled out my scorecard.

Time to head to the Sarasota Outboard Club to turn in my photos and card.

You get a sense of how everyone did by the demeanor of anglers at the club. I could tell, most hadn’t done very well.

Dusty Sprague of North Port had the only slam (snook, trout and redfish). Since it as the only one, didn’t matter than it was small.

A couple of guys did well on redfish in the north bay around Long Bar. Few did well on trout or snook.

I felt good that I decided to enter only my snook photos.

Turned out to be a wise decision. I won the Snook Division – easily. I won a $75 gift certificate from The Tampa Angler and a plaque. I also won a bunch of prizes on the raffle, including a fly line, Puglisi fibers and a $25 gift certificate.

I wondered whether I’d even be able to fish.

I’m glad I did.

New fleet on the way in time for frantic fall action

2010-11-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

Ron Grand of Palatine, Ill, prepares to release a spotted seatrout.

My new fleet of 2011 Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5s is scheduled to be shipping out on Nov. 19. That means we’ll have them rigged and ready to fish toward the end of the month.

I’ve sold my older Natives, but will have them until the new ones are ready to fish!

Fishing has been good and should get better after this first severe cold front of the season passes through. We’re looking for excellent fishing for spotted seatrout, Spanish mackerel, pompano, bluefish and maybe even a few snook.

Last year, we did very well this time of year, fishing the deep grass flats around Sarasota Bay. Spin anglers did well on D.O.A. Shrimp and CAL Jigs. Fly anglers scored on Gibby’s Big Eye Baitfish. We used 6-weight rods for most of the fish.

Pompano average 2 pounds, but we landed a few to nearly 5 pounds. Blues pushed 6 pounds, with the average fish being 3. Spanish mackerel ran from 1 ½ pounds to slightly more than 7.

Hank Guetz battles a fish on fly rod on the beautiful Manatee River

We’re picking up a few snook under the lights on jigs and flies. The fish are fairly large and tough to land, but it’s a lot of fun.

In fresh water, we’ve been doing very well on bluegill and channel catfish on the Manatee River and Lake Manatee. We’ve been getting channel catfish (superb fighters) on my Myakka Minnow. Bluegill and a few speckled perch are hitting the Myakka Minnow and popping bugs.

We’ll begin our Everglades trips in December. Who knows what’s in store after last season’s extreme cold. The cold killed a bunch of oscar, Mayan cichlid and other exotics, but we expect that to mean we’ll experience some great action on bass, bluegill, speckled perch, stumpknocker, shellcracker and maybe some peacock bass.

We’ll do a few advance trips to determine the state of the fishery.

I’d like to thank everyone who helped Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing experience its best year ever. We’re hoping that we finish 2010 on a high note and do even better in 2011.

We’re filling up quickly and November and already started booking December trips. If you’ll be in the area, please give us a call and book a trip.

Ron Grand of Palatine, Ill., fished with me recently and had a good day – despite trying conditions. Grand nearly got a fly-rod slam, falling a snook short of the accomplishment. He landed some nice spotted seatrout and redfish on Clousers and Gibby’s Big Eye Baitfish.

Hank Guetz of Apollo Beach heard about my success on the Manatee River and quickly arranced a trip. There’s nothing better than hand-size bluegill on fly rod.

Using poppers and Myakka Minnows, we combined for 100 bluegill, several bass and channel catfish.

“What a wonderful day on a beautiful stream,” Guetz said.

Once again, I’d like to thank my sponsors for their support: Native Watercraft, TFO fly rods and spinning rods and D.O.A. Lures. This business would be tough without them!

I am in the process of writing a book, entitled “Kayak Your Way to More and Bigger Fish.” I’m a firmer believer in kayak fishing and I know that it’s the most stealthy way to approach fish. if the fish don’t know you’re there, you stand a pretty good chance of catching them.

The book will include chapters on selecting your kayak, rigging, fishing the flats, drifting and general tips to make you a successful kayak angler.

We expect to finish the book by February, then we’ll begin the process of finding a publisher.

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

http://gibbysfishingblog.blogspot.com/

(941) 284-3406

Myakka Minnow works well throughout the country

2010-10-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Allred said Texas bluegill love the Mighty Myakka Minnow

I knew I'd come up with a great fly. I had no idea it would work so well across the country.

Jonathan Allred, a client of mine from near Dallas, Texas, emailed me some photos of some hefty bluegill he caught using the Myakka Minnow.

I'd given Allred a couple of Myakka Minnows during his last trip here. I wondered if he'd had the chance to use them?

He did well. And, he said, "with a red tail, they'd be perfect for grayling in Alaska."

Allred isn't the first to tout the Myakka Minnow. I received an email from Steve Piper of San Diego, Calif.

"I saw your FAOL article and tied up a couple on Friday night.

"We were fishing Diamond Valley Lake in SoCal and stripers and largemouth were busting threadfin shad. They were so focused on the shad that they would not take our flies. Sounded very much like the situation you described with fish and minnows.

"Most of the morning, we had to let the flies drop way down in the water column below the boils -- to 20 feet or so -- to catch a few.

"However, during some long lulls, I tried the Myakka Minnow -- shad variation -- white marabou

tail, pearl diamond braid body with felt tip cool gray back, and UV knot sense to seal the body, no weight. It seemed like everytime I cast it, it turned up a fish -- all very small -- including 8-10" largemouth and a plump bluegill.

"We went back to fishing big flies deep, but at the very end of our session, I tried the Myakka again to see if it really was "magic" -- yep, nailed another small bass to end the day.

"We were laughin'..."

"Got a Myakka for the big models? That was amazing."

Glad you had a wonderful experience with this amazing fly. And, yes, I do have a Myakka Minnow for larger fish.

The beauty of the fly is that it can be tied on any size hook to meet your needs. A couple of years ago, Capt. Rick Grassett of the Snook Fin-Addict in Sarasota told me that he has some large tarpon eating glass minnows, but couldn't get them to hit conventional tarpon flies. I tied him up a couple of Myakka Minnows on 3/0 hooks and gave them to him.

Couple of days later, he called to tell me that he'd finally jumped a couple of those tarpon.

"All they wanted was the Myakka Minnow," Grassett said.

Another angler in North Carolina emailed me to order a dozen Myakka Minnows. I tied them and sent them to him.

He said they were heading to the Florida Everglades and had heard the minnow worked well there. But I didn't hear from him for six months.

Finally, I received an email, detailing his trip. He told me they didn't catch a fish at the first stop, so they put the boat on trailer and headed for another spot.

Same story.

"Finally, I remembered I had the Myakka Minnows you tied," he said. "I put one on and started catching fish. It's the only fly they'd hit.

"The Myakka Minnow said the day!"

On another occasion, Capt. Al White of Boca on the Fly and I took famed fly tyer Ward Bean to the Everglades. It was the wrong time of year, but Bean, who resided in Iowa, was in town and wanted to go.

Bean ties some elaborate hair bugs. They're so beautiful that I consider them works of art.

If was last June, the water was up and it was hot. I was no time to be in the 'Glades. I usually fish there late November through April (the dry season).

Fish was slow as expected. Bean caught a couple of fish on his hair bugs and other flies. I totaled 40 assorted fish (oscar, Mayan cichlid, bass, bluegill, stumpknocker and peacock bass) on the Myakka Minnow. I offered Bean a couple of minnows, but he wanted to stick with his flies.

Although I'm not a commercial fly tyer, I do take orders for the Myakka Minnow. Because of the epoxy work involved, I sell them only by the dozen. Cost is $45 per dozen (plus shipping).

If you want to try this amazing fly, you can email me at steve@kayakfishingsarasota.com or call me at (941) 284-3406.

Captain Catastrophe was an accident looking for a place to happen

2010-10-22T12:32:00.000-07:00

I fished with a lot of guides over the years during my 35-year career as a professional outdoors writer. And I will tell you a vast majority know their business.

I've had a lot of great outings.

However, there a few that didn't go so well.

In March of 1999, I got a notice from a Chamber of Commerce in West Central Florida inviting me to spend a day and participate in a number of opportunities they were offering. Of course, the objective was to get journalists to return home and publicize good things about that county.

I threw the letter in the waste basket and had forgotten the whole thing when I received a phone call a week letter.

"We'd really love for you to come up and see just what we have to offer."

I am a sucker. I'll admit it. So, I reluctantly relented and agree.

Choices included saltwater fishing, hiking, kayaking, canoeing and freshwater fishing.

I opted for freshwater fishing.

They told me who the guide would be and gave me his phone number. I called him the afternoon before I was to drive up and discussed logistics.

"Do I need to bring anything?" I asked.

"Nah, I got everything," he said.

He instructed me to meet him at a bait shop on the banks of the river at 7 a.m.

He was there when I arrived and we walked into the shop to get bait. He placed a 5-gallon bucket on the counter said, “Give us 10-dozen shiners.”

The fellow took the bucket and headed for the shiner tanks in the back of his shop. When he returned, he put the bucket on the counter and said, “That will be $150.”

The guide looked at me and said, “Pay the man.”

I was stunned and I paid. I didn’t mind paying for the bait, but I sure wish I had known it was expected.

But that was just the first of several surprises on the day. When he headed out to the dock, I discovered his “bass boat” actually was a 25-year-old pontoon. And his rods and reels were out of a 1955 Montgomery Ward catalog. They were glass rods, with ancient spinning reels filled halfway with 10-year-old monofilament.

It was plain to see that this guy wasn’t a bass guide. He really wasn’t a fisherman at all.

We didn’t catch a fish that day.

I later learned he ran river tours aboard that dilapidated old pontoon.

Another blacksheep was a fellow I named Capt. Catastrophe. Every trip I ever made with him was a calamity.

I won’t go into detail on most, but I will tell you that he lost sunglasses, bent the axle on the boat trailer and ran onto oyster bars.

A day or two before a scheduled outing, he called and asked, “What ya want to do?”

I told him that I’d do whatever he wanted. He was the guide.

“We could fish the bay for trout. I had a couple of folks out the other day who caught some nice trout on fly.

“Or we could head down south a fish for snook.”

I thought snook sounded good.

So, we met and headed south. I knew we were in trouble when it became obvious he had no idea where the boat ramp was. When we finally found it, it didn’t take but a minute before he ran the boat onto a mud flat. We were stuck. We got it off after about 15 minutes of pushing (we had to get out of the boat). But we were stuck on another in just a minute or two.

Half hour later, we ran into an oyster bar.

Don’t ask me why I fished with this fellow again, but I did. I figured out his problem was that he didn’t do what he was capable of doing. He was capable of hitting singles, but always wanted to slam a home run.

He asked me to meet him at ramp south of Venice at 1 p.m. Although I like to get on the water early, it was his trip. We head south down the Intracoastal and into a creek. There, he said, we’d fly fish for snook. I landed a 10-incher the first hour. Two hours later, I jumped a 5-pound tarpon.

That was it.

On our way out of the creek, two fellows in another boat passed by and asked how we did.

“Great!” said Capt. Catastrophe. “We got snook and we got about a 35-pound tarpon on fly.”

Hmmmmm.

Capt. Cat heads the list of catastrophe trips over the years. There haven’t been many, but there have been a few.

Hunker down, think positively and get ready for a battle

2010-10-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life just isn’t fair.

But when something happens to you, just go out to a busy street and you’ll quickly realize that life goes on. Cars pass by and no one in them is aware of your problems.

That’s the way life is.

Yesterday, my family received some terrible health news. I don’t want to go into detail nor do I want to divulge who it is. The news was shocking. It was like a bolt of lightning going through your body. And the sudden thoughts were like darts piercing your brain.

I was at the bedside of my father when he passed on Dec. 22, 1996. It was a shock, but not unexpected. He was 75 years old and had been in the hospital for a week. I talked with him every day and was convinced he was feeling better. I didn’t think there was any urgency to fly north.

But on Saturday morning, I received a call from my youngest brother that Dad had suffered a massive heart attack during the night and wasn’t expected to make it. I arranged a flight and headed for Ohio. I left the warmth of sunny Florida for the cold and gray of southwestern Ohio.

I didn’t get into Dayton until about 5 p.m. Two of my brothers were waiting for me at the airport and we hurried to the hospital. When we got to Dad’s floor, two of my sisters in law and my other brother were with my Dad.

He looked peaceful in the bed. He didn’t appear to be in any pain. He was unconscious and sedated. He was hooked up to a myriad of machines.

I don’t know if he could hear me or not, but I said to him, “Dad, Marshall won the National Championship (Div. I-AA) today. The Herd clobbered Montana.”

That might be a strange thing to say in such a situation, but I knew my Dad would want to know. He attended Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va., prior to becoming a Navy pilot during World War II. He always had an interest in the Thundering Herd. In fact, he’d attended a Marshall game just a few weeks prior and had watched the Herd pummel Southern Conference foe The Citadel.

Marshall football, for those not familiar, wasn’t something that was impressive for many years. In fact, when I attended MU, I didn’t see the Herd win a game until November of my junior year. MU had the losingest program in the nation for years.

For the Herd to be competing for national championships in football at any level was amazing.

So, I knew Dad would want to know.

He passed a few minutes later.

It was almost as if he waited until I arrived.

My mother had passed 13 months earlier. I wasn’t with her at the time, but I had spent the previous two weeks with her. We had some great talks and shared a lot of memories.

“Steve, I dream that I’m OK, but I know that will never happen,” she said.

Mom died from complications of emphysema in November of 1995.

My wife’s father passed in July of 2009. Ironically, he was in Dayton at the time, living with his wife. She was with him the last few days.

It’s always tough when you lose your parents. But you’ll always have great memories. And it’s somewhat easier to take when they’ve already lived a majority of their live.

But when you get the news that someone very close to you has that nasty, insidious disease no one wants to talk about, well, it’s just not fair.

We cried yesterday. We laughed. We took a walk. We sat and hugged.

We decided we’d fight this thing and maintain positive attitudes.

Just a little while ago, I received a call that the survival rate of this particular disease is very high and extremely curable.

“Just the type I wanted,” I was told.

Who would have ever thunk that?

We did.

Manatee River cats dig the Myakka Minnow and other flies

2010-10-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

This a perfect place to find catfish along the Manatee River

I don’t get taken into the backing of my fly line very often. It’s pretty rare for a redfish or snook to do it.

This 6-pound channel catfish put up quite a battle

But I get taken into the backing quite often in fresh water.

I’ve discovered channel catfish are suckers for my Myakka Minnow. I’ve hooked about 15 big cats over the past two weeks and I’ve been into the backing four times.

When a channel cat inhales the fly, the battle is on. They jump and make lengthy runs. When they decided to head into the vegetation, I’m usually helpless. Most of the time I’m using a 1- or 2-weight rod and fishing for bluegill and other small panfish. Light rods aren’t meant to tame a cat.

I was fishing the Manatee River out of Ray’s Canoe Hideaway (http://www.rayscanoehideaway.com/) last week and hooked five big cats on successive casts. Why they suddenly turned on, I don’t know. Anyway, I lost four of them pretty quickly. Light rods and 8X tippet are great cat gear.

But I did land one. It was a 6-pounder that decided to head for open water. I was able to back my kayak away from the fallen tree and out in the open. A few minutes later, I was able to beach the boat on a sand bar and fight the fish standing up. It took more than five minutes to subdue that stubborn fish.

Channel catfish can grow to be up to four feet in length and weigh more than 50 pounds. They can live to be at least 40 years old.

Channel catfish can be found in both lakes and reservoirs and in more fast-moving waters such as rivers and streams. They are more numerous in lakes and streams. They prefer clear water with sandy to rocky bottom. Channel catfish are seldom found in areas with dense vegetation. They are normally found in freshwater, but do very well in brackish water.

Saltwater catfish are not prized. Even though a gafftopsail catfish are among saltwater’s best fighting fish, they are rarely targeted.

It’s just the opposite in fresh water where catfish are prized catches. In fact, there are guides throughout the country who make a pretty good living taking anglers out for monster catfish.

Channel catfish are extremely good to eat. Their meat is very tender and mild.

I don’t specifically target them, but I do enjoy it when I hook one. If I was to target them, I’d beef up to at least a 6-weight rod and 2X or 3X tippet. They seem to be structure oriented and I often encounter them around fallen trees.

In the Manatee River, you’ll find them in the deep river bends. And you’ll know it’s a really good spot if there are fallen trees in the bend. Most of the time, the catfish will try to get into the tree branches or whatever structure they’re around. So, you’re first take if you’re going to have any chance of landing them is to get them away from the structure.

I’ve hooked just about all of my channel cats on the Myakka Minnow. However, I think they’ll hit Wooly Buggers, Clousers and other subsurface fly. I’ve not had one rise up to take a popper, though.

Often, I’m lulled into a false sense of calmness when fishing for bluegill. You’ll catch 20 or so and then have all hell break loose when a channel cat interrupts the serenity of your outing.

Native Watercraft's 14.5 is the Ultimate in fishing kayaks

2010-10-10T04:30:00.000-07:00

The Ultimate 14.5 is roomy and the best fishing kayak on the market.

Brian Bourdages of Traverse City, Mich., tries to land a pompano.

Choosing a kayak can be difficult because there are so many from which to chose.

And they come in all sizes, shapes and colors.

If you’re an angler, then you can eliminate most cruising kayaks and most sit inside vessels.

You’ll probably want to look at sit on-tops (SOT) and/or hybrids that are made with anglers in mind.

I started kayak fishing long before the craze reached Florida’s salt waters. And, as you might imagine, I’ve paddle quite a variety of kayaks. I started out in a 14-foot SOT, ventured into the word of 12-footers and then settled into Native Watercraft’s Ultimate 14.5.

The Ultimate is the ultimate for me and my fleet now numbers three of them.

The Ultimate is an anglers dream. It’s somewhat of a cross between a kayak and canoe. It’s spacious and its tunnel hull makes it so stable that you can stand and fish. That’s a big plus when it comes to sight-fishing or fly casting. I routinely pole along southern Tampa Bay’s sand bars in search of redfish, snook, sharks and gator spotted seatrout.

Since the kayak is wide open, you can carry all the gear you need. I’m a professional kayak fishing guide and I carry a 36-quart cooler filled with drinks and food on my all-day trips.

Of course, the biggest concern is paddling. If your vessel paddles like a tank, then you’re not going to venture too far off the beaten path. The Ultimate tracks extremely straight and rarely requires and paddle correction. For this reason, I’ve opted not to add rudders to my boats.

The Ultimate is also fairly fast for a kayak. I can maintain a speed of 3.5 miles per hour over great distances. I’ve had it up to more than 6 mph, but can’t sustain that very long.

The real Ultimate treat is its First Class Seat, the best in the industry. In other kayaks, I always needed some sort of cushion upon which to sit. I’ve never used a cushion in the Ultimate. The seat is extremely comfortable. And the best news is that it comes with the boat.

While the boat may seem heavy at 72 pounds, it has a natural balance point at mid-ship along the gunwale. Additional you can lighten the boat by seven by removing the seat. I routinely load and unload my three kayaks by myself with no trouble whatsoever.

Ultimates are made by Legacy Paddlesports in Greensboro, N.C. The company, which also produces Heritage and Liquid Logic kayaks, was founded about five years ago by Andy Zimmerman, the brain behind Wilderness Systems. He’s the one who created the Tarpon line of kayaks.

Zimmerman is an innovator who loves nothing more than to take something good and make it better. The latest line of Ultimates feature a track system along both gunwales into which you can plug in rod holders, GPS units, fish finders, etc. Additionally, he’s added a new drainage system on both the port and starboard sides which greatly facilitates draining the kayaks.

The boats also have tracks on the port and starboard sides that allow you to attach things like bottle holders, paddle clips, tool bags and other items.

Accessories on my boats include anchor trollies and, bow sprayskirts.

I’ll be upgrading my fleet soon. I’m opting for Native’s new camouflage Ultimates. I’ll add their 9-foot paddle pole and rubberized , non-skid mats in the footwells and cockpit deck.

Unless Zimmerman, the mad scientist comes up with something better, my plans are to remain an Ultimate owner for a long time. I’ve loved the boat since the day I got it and don’t envision getting anything else.

The Ultimate meets every expectation I have. It looks good, paddles great and is very functional.

SPECIFICATIONS

Ultimate 14.5

Length: 14 feet, 7 inches

Weight: 65 pounds (without removable seat)

Beam: 30 inches

Capacity: 450 pounds

Price: $1,099

Slow down for fast fishing action

2010-10-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

This is a perfect place to cast a popping bug or other fly on sprawling Lake Manatee.

You pass DeSoto Memorial Speedway, home of the Snowbird Nationals, on your way to Lake Manatee.

This gorgeous Lake Manatee bluegill fell for a No. 10 popping bug.

The drag strip is home of testosterone and high speed.

But when you get to Lake Manatee, it’s time to slow down. Way down. The slower you fish, the better you’ll do. I’ve learned this since I began fishing from a kayak years ago.

Capt. Jim Klopfer of Adventure Charters was my guest on Lake Manatee recently and he quickly caught on how slow we were fishing.

“We’ve been here an hour, but we’ve only fished 50 yards,” he said.

The key to success on Lake Manatee and many of Florida’s freshwater lakes and streams is to slow things down. And when you think you’re really fishing slow, then you need to slow it down some more.

Dry flies work well at Lake Manatee.

My latest outing is a perfect example. I launched my Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5 at the Lake Manatee Fish Camp ramp shortly after dawn. I paddled east under the State Road 64 bridge and along the north shoreline for about 15 minutes. My destination was a point just beyond the first island in the lake.

I caught a hand-sized bluegill on my first cast. I was using a No. 10 chartreuse popping bug on a 4-weight rod. I was using a 7 ½-foot leader with a 7X tippet. I concentrated on that area for the first hour, not moving more than 50 feet. The end result was 17 bluegill, most of which were ¾ of a pound to a pound.

I’ve fished Lake Manatee with powerboaters. Most are very good anglers. But most move far too quickly. They’re on the trolling motor continuously. If you don’t hit your target on your first cast, you won’t get another shot because you’ll be well past it by the time you’re ready for another cast.

I’ll pull up to a likely spot in the kayak and fish it slowly and completely. If there’s a pocket in the vegetation, I might make a dozen casts before moving on. I’ll hit every opening along the way.

I’ve found when you fish slow, you fish thoroughly. You don’t miss many spots. You cover your area completely.

This stumpknocker fell for a popping bug.

Lake Manatee is a tough nut to crack. There are those who fish the lake for the first time and never return. The reason is they catch few fish and can’t figure the old gal out.

Florida anglers are shoreline anglers. That doesn’t mean they fish from land. It means most cast toward the shoreline vegetation. That’s a very good strategy in most Florida lakes and it works in Lake Manatee – if you know what you’re doing.

You can fish some of the shoreline at Lake Manatee, but not all. Reason is that hyacinths float to the shoreline and pile up. Cast to the edge of them and there could be nothing but empty water underneath. The true shoreline might be 10 or 15 feet in back of the hyacinth jam.

So, when fishing the lake, try to find areas void of hyacinth jams. It’s tough, but you can do it if you just open your eyes.

When you see a tree on the shore or a fallen tree, you’re in the right area. And this is where we usually concentrate. I’ll often make a dozen or more casts in such an area. It’s a trick that I learned years ago when competing in bass tournament.

A typical Lake Manatee speckled perch (black crappie).

When you find fish, don’t leave them. Fish the area until the action stops. I remember winning a bass tournament during which I didn’t leave a 200-yard stretch of hydrilla all day. The fish were there and I was able to catch enough to win the tournament.

I guess an outboard motor and a trolling motor are just the incentive needed to move quickly. If you don’t get a fish on the first cast, just move 100 yards down the lake. If it’s not going on, crank the engine and head 10 miles north, east, south or west. Move because you have the ability.

When you’re fishing from a kayak, you don’t have that ability. You have to fish where you are.

What that means is that you get to know your spots intimately. You learn every inch of the lake, river or bay you’re fishing.

And that means you’re able to fish slowly. You’re able to make repeatedly casts into a spot you think holds fish.

And when you catch a fish around a fallen tree what do you do? Move on?

No.

You make another cast.

If you’re like me, you might make 12 more casts. And there are days when those 12 casts result in several more fish.

Slow down.

You’ve got all day to do it.

Every day is different at beautiful Lake Manatee

2010-10-06T04:23:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful sunrise at Lake Manatee

I have a client who asked me to call him when the action gets hot.

“I’ll just fly in the next day,” he said.

One of eight channel catfis that hit the Myakka Minnow

No way.

You can’t judge fishing tomorrow by what’s going on today. And what would I feel like if he purchased an airline ticket, flew into town and the fishing suddenly went south? Or if a high pressure system moved into the area? Or we were hit by thunderstorms or gale-force wind?

My last two outings are a study in contradiction. One was wonderful and the other quite slow.

I fished Lake Manatee, perhaps my favorite Florida lake, the first day and did wonderfully. Things started out slowly, but picked up as the morning went on. Using the Myakka Minnow, I caught 60 bluegill, stumpknocker and shellcracker. In addition, I caught a pair of bass and landed two of the eight channel cats I hooked.

Even little bass can't resist the Myakka Minnow

Quality day and quality fish.

The best morning, I met Dusty Sprague of North Port. We were going to fish out of his renovated Bass Tracker, a beautiful aluminum skiff. We launched at the Lake Manatee Fish Camp ramp and headed east under the bridge and along the north shoreline. Things started out slow, but we weren’t worried because it was that way the morning prior.

After an hour, we had only two or three small bluegill. In fact, the fish weren’t hitting the Myakka Minnow at all. I was getting them on a No. 12 Aunt Sarah’s Homely Daughter nymph under a strike indicator. Sprague was using something similarly small.

The morning was crisp and bright. Only a few clouds were in the sky, indicating that perhaps a high-pressure system had pushed into the area. The wind was out of the northeast.

A nice bass on the Maykka Minnow

We were protected along the northeast shore and quite comfortable. But things would have been better had the fish cooperated just a little better.

We started picking up a few more fish and then the Myakka Minnow began to works its charm. After both of us switched to that fly, we combined to catch 25 or 30 bluegill and a couple of stumpknocker. We didn’t land any bass or shellcracker. We didn’t hook a catfish.

It was 180 degrees from the day prior.

Most of the bluegill were small, with only four being “hand sized.”

We did encounter schooling bass. However, every time we approached them, they’d go down. Shouldn’t be too much longer before they begin to stay on the surface longer.

The day prior, I’d hooked eight channel cats and landed two. This trip resulted in no hookups.

A typical Lake Manatee copperhead bluegill

Channel catfish are trophies among freshwater anglers. They hit savagely, pull like an elephant and are tough on fly rod to land. The two cats I landed were only about 3 pounds, yet they took about 5 minutes before I couldn’t get them alongside my kayak.

In addition, channel cats are excellent on the table.

The main thing about fishing Lake Manatee is that you often are lulled into a false sense of what’s going on. You’ll catch a hand-sized bluegill and follow that with seven or eight smaller fish. The bites are all the same.

This will continue and then you get the familiar take of a bluegill and set the hook. But the water erupts, your rod bends deeply and line begins to streak out the rod tip.

You’re quickly aware you don’t have a bluegill.

Channel cats often will take you into your backing – if you can get them away from the vegetation. If they decide to head to the shoreline, you don’t have much of a chance. But if they head out into the open lake, you have hope.

You never know when the cat bite will take place. You’ll hook none for three days straight, then they’ll with reckless abandon the fourth day.

Don’t tell your buddies. The fish just might get lockjaw the next morning.