Redfish, snook make a strong showing in April

Sue Swett is a happy camper after landing this fine Sarasota Bay redfish on a topwater plug.

The fishing pattern changed just as expect.

We transitioned from large trout to large redfish. The reds are on the flats and blasting topwater plugs, D.O.A. CAL Jerk Worms and gold spoons. Best time to hunt for reds is just as the tide begins to rise – either early or late in the day.

We’re still picking up a few large trout, but not nearly as many as in February and March. The largest trout are hanging out in sand holes at low tide and hitting D.O.A. CAL Jigs, Live Target Scaled Sardines, D.O.A. 4-inch jerk worms or topwater plugs.

Top spots include Buttonwood Harbor, Whale Key , White Key and Long Bar in Sarasota Bay.

Veteran angler Jeff Connor of Sarasota had a fair day early in the month. Connor wanted to target redfish. We totaled four reds to 28 inches on topwater plugs and gold spoons at various spots around Buttonwood Harbor. We also caught a few incidental spotted seatrout.

Annie Ewert and Lisi Ewert of Connecticut caught a mess of smaller trout on CAL Jigs and gold paddle tails just south of Whale Key. Annie caught and released a 24-inch red on a gold spoon just north of Whale Key.

The rim canal along Longboat Key has been yielding spotted seatrout, snook, flounder, sugar trout, silver trout, croaker and whiting.

Fly angler Terry Rychlik of Connecticut got in some night snook action near Bowles Creek and managed to release a 22-inch snook. He had shots at several others, but didn’t connect. After daylight, he caught and released a 23-inch snook and 10 spotted seatrout to 17 inches on a Puglisi Fly.

Night snook action has been good when the tides are strong. We’ve been catching and releasing up to 10 snook per out, along with a number of spotted seatrout. At dawn, we paddle out to a nearby flat where we’ve been getting snook to 32 inches and a load of spotted seatrout to 21.

Brad Cox of Sarasota and Sean O’Connell of Minnesota joined me for an afternoon outing at Buttowood Harbor. We caught and released 25 spotted seatrout to 22 inches, ladyfish, small jacks and a couple of flounder.

The next day, Yvette Cooley and Sue Swett of Parrish enjoyed their first kayak fishing trip. Action was slow and we had to work hard. We caught and released 15 spotted seatrout to 19 inches, 2 flounder, several ladyfish, jack crevalle and bonnethead shark. The best fish of the day was a 29-inch redfish that Sue landed. The fish hit a topwater plug in Buttonwood Harbor.

Yvette tried the topwater plug and had a number of fish follow and blast the plug, but she didn’t connect.

I’m offering night snook trips and combined night snook/dawn flats trips. It’s great for those looking for their first snook and for fly anglers.

Also, I’m going to get out on the beach this week to look for snook in the surf. I specialize in guiding anglers to some of the best sight-fishing for snook along Florida’s west coast.

I would like to thank my sponsors: Native Watercraft, D.O.A. Lures, Aqua-Bound Paddles, Temple Fork Outfitters, Economy Tackle/Dolphin Dive and Peak Fishing.

If you're on Facebook, please send a friend request. Also, follow me on Twitter @gibby3474.

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

http://gibbysfishingblog.blogspot.com/

(941) 284-3406

Southern Drawl now offering night snook outings



George Scott of Massachusetts used a small shrimp pattern to fool this fine snook.

We’re now offering night snook trips at Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing.

It’s a fun way to catch fish – especially for those who have never caught a snook.

Last summer, Dr. Randy Ruskey of Illinois caught his largest snook ever while fly fishing for snook around lighted docks with me. Just a few days ago, Terry Rychlik of Connecticut caught his first snook on fly with me. George Scott of Massachusetts caught several nice snook while fly fishing at night with me.

Sometimes, it’s very easy: Just get your fly in the vicinity. Other times, its can be difficult, requiring pinpoint accuracy and extreme patience.

It’s all up to the snook.

I’m fishing a spot with plenty of light docks. Snook gather around the light to dine on shrimp and minnows. They’re usually voracious and quite willing to gobble up any fly tossed their way.

I went out alone recently and hooked and landed six snook to 28 inches. I also hooked and landed four spotted seatrout to 18 inches.

Ten fish hooked. Ten fish landed.

Doesn’t get much better!

For this type of fishing, I suggest an 8-weight fly rod with a floating line and 9-foot leader. Fly of choice is a small (No. 4 or 6) shrimp or baitfish imitation in white. The fly doesn’t have to be fancy at all.

In addition to snook, we sometimes get redfish, ladyfish and small tarpon. You just never know.

Guided night snook trips can be combined with daylight excursions. For example, could start at 4 a.m. and fish the docks until daylight. Then, we’ll head out on the nearby flats to fish for trout, snook, redfish and other species.

Or you can simply book a night snook outing.

Night snook trips are 4- or 6-hours. Four-hour sessions are $200. Six-hour outings are $250.

The average snook is about 22 inches. They do run smaller, but they also run larger. We’ve taken snook in excess of 30 inches.

For some reason, they seem to fight better in the dark.

It can be quite a chore to keep the snook from pulling your kayak under the docks. You have to learn to hold the rod in one hand and back-paddle with the other. You need to “pull” the snook away from the structure.

One important key is to be able to cast on a low trajectory to get the fly under the dock. To do this, you must alter your casting plane to total sidearm. You can’t get the fly under a dock using the traditional overhand casting plane.

Of course, it’s better to practice sidearm casting before you get on the water. It can be pretty tough to learn when there are a dozen hungry fish waiting for your fly.

Sidearm casting is pretty easy to learn and a very valuable skill.

Night snook fishing is good during stronger tides. The fish are usually available year-round. Only extreme cold weather shuts the fishery down.

Recently, we’ve been getting out on the water around 4 a.m. and fishing until dawn. We head for the nearby flats are first light to cast for trout, snook and other species. Rychlik caught snook and several nice trout on his outing.

If you’re interested in a night snook trip, please contact me at (941) 284-3406.

You won’t regret it!

Big trout, snook and redfish make March a successful month

Mark Fleischhauer of Illinois shows off one of many spotted seatrout that he caught while drifting Sarasota Bay.

Big spotted seatrout, fly-rod Slams and great weather highlighted March for clients of Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing.

Spotted seatrout action continued hot and heavy as large fish dominated the totals. Best day came on March 9 when I caught four trout over 6 pounds, including fish of 9, 8 ½, 7 ¼ and 6 ½ pounds. It was the best day of trout fishing I’ve ever experienced. All fish were caught on the MirrOlure MirrOdine, a suspending twitch bait that resembles a scaled sardine. In addition, I caught a pair of redfish.

Mark Allen, a beginning fly fisher from Minnetonka, Minn., had a fun day early in the month. He connected on a large ladyfish on his second cast. It was his first saltwater fish on fly. He later added a 23-inch seatrout. In addition, we caught a pair of pompano, flounder and a small shark. We were fishing the Buttonwood Harbor area of Sarasota Bay.

Denton Kent, a winter resident from Washington D.C., did well on a 6-hour outing. Using a fly rod, Kent managed trout to 18 inches and several ladyfish on Clouser Deep Minnows and Gibby’s Big Eye Baitfish. Buttonwood Harbor was the spot.

George Scott of Concord, Mass., joined me for three days of mostly fly fishing. On Day I, we fished Buttonwood Harbor. Scott caught spotted seatrout, redfish and flounder on Clouser Deep Minnows, Gibby’s Big Eye Baitfish and Dupree Spoon Flies.

On Day II, we fished dock lights along the east side of Sarasota Bay. Scott caught snook to 26 inches and seatrout to 16 on Gurglers and Norm Ziegler’s Shminnow. After daylight, we fished up the east side of the bay to north of Long Bar and caught trout to 18 inches, flounder and ladyfish.

Day III saw Scott get his fly-rod slam. He got a pair of snook to 25 inches on Schminnows under the lights. He hooked a couple of others, but lost them. He then cast at tailing redfish for the second day in a row, but couldn’t entice a strike.

We then paddled south and Scott caught a number of seatrout and a small redfish to complete the slam.

Catching a redfish on fly is one of the most challenging feats in fly fishing the salt around Sarasota. Most of the year, catching a red on fly is much tougher than catching a bonefish on fly in the Keys. I advise fly anglers to dedicate their day to fishing for reds. If they get one, it’s a good day.

There are days, however, when the reds are plentiful and hit any fly. But those days are rare.

I began experimenting with a new lure and it paid off on big trout. I found the new Live Target Scaled Sardine (suspending model) is a great twitch bait. I caught at least 20 trout from 4 to 6 pounds on the lure.

Mark Fleischhauer and his son, Matt, joined me for an outing. I’ve fished the duo for the last three years and enjoy taking them out. They’re from Illinois and don’t get the opportunity to fish saltwater very often.

We started near the launch at Buttonwood Harbor and caught trout to 5 pounds, flounder and ladyfish. We then paddled to the Buttonwood channel and caught a load of trout to 18 inches on D.O.A. CAL Jigs with gold or copper crush paddle tails.

We then switched to Whale Key. That’s where Matt landed a 4 ½-pound trout on a CAL Jig. When the action slowed, we moved to Helicopter Shoal and caught a number of trout to 5.5 pounds on CAL Jigs, Live Target Scaled Sardines and D.O.A. Deadly Combinations.

Stephen and Amy Voigt of Sarasota fished the last day of March in trying conditions. The wind was predicted to blow 5-6 mph out of the southwest. But the wind didn’t read the forecast. It blew 12-15.

We still caught fish. Stephen landed trout to 19 inches. Amy got trout and ladyfish. We also caught flounder.

I look for large trout to continue to cooperate. This game is best played when wading. We’ll paddle to the spot, then get out and wade.

When wading, proper footwear is imperative. Sandals definitely don’t cut it. Tennis shoes are the ticket. I like wading boots that are built for the purpose. They eliminate sand and shell in your show and don’t pull off in soft mud.

Night snook outings should come on strong. You can book a night of snook fishing or make it a night-day combination, fishing the lights for a couple of hours and then getting in on the dawn action in the bay.

And don’t forget the ever-popular beach snook trips. I’m starting to book up. Snook are showing up along the beach, but the action should heat up in May. These are walking trips and totally sight-fishing. On most outings, you’ll get to cast to at least 200 snook, some as large as 25 pounds.

I’d like to thank my sponsors: Native Watercraft, Temple Fork Outfitters, Aqua-Bound and D.O.A. Lures.

Friend me on Facebook. You can also get up-to-the-minute fishing reports by following me on Twitter @gibby3474.



Steve Gibson


Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing


www.kayakfishingsarasota.com


www.gibbysfishingblog.blogspot.com

(941) 284-3406

Sarasota Bay yields record trout day for this writer



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



Give credit to the kayak.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s a great spot.

February was gator trout month around Sarasota Bay

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steve Gibson


Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

(941) 284-3406

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

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

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

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

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

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

January offers hot snook and redfish river action

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



Steve Gibson


Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing


www.kayakfishingsarasota.com


http://gibbysfishingblog.blogspot.com/


(941) 284-3406