Posted by ElCapitan on October 18, 2002 at 19:45:13:

Florida Light Tackle Charters.com
Southwest Fishing Report 10/13/02

October is progressing as expected. Water temps have dropped slightly and have brought with it hoards of Pelagics, bait.

Snook: The Snook bite is very much on. This week I switched my focus to the preserve and Pine Island Sound. Snook were feeding aggressively. This weeks mid day low tides pushed large numbers of Snook into the potholes and feeder channels. While live Pilchards were never resisted, the Snook also ate Jigs, Jerk Baits and Gold Spoons.

Redfish: Schools of Bull Reds were again working Pine Island Sound. Clear days made approaching these fish difficult. A stealthy approach and long casts usually resulted in a hook up. Gold Spoons, Top Dogs and Chug Bugs provided the distance, and the right presentation was tough to resist by the hungry Reds. Smaller concentrations of Reds were also found through out the preserve, the east and west end of the east walls, as well as many of the shallow grass flats in the sound.

Trout: With the dropping water temps, the trout bite is starting to pickup. All of the deep grass flats held quality fish. Look for deep grass, bait and moving water, and you will find the specks. Focus on the potholes and channel edges on low tide.

While the top three species provide for consistent action this week, the “Hot” bite was found just off the beaches. Acre size schools of Spanish Macks, with many as large as 4-5 lbs, and Little Tunny up to 10lbs were gorging on bait schools from Boca Grande Pass north to Sarasota. As far as the eye can see, it was school after school after school. In the mix were Kingfish, Cobia and the occasional Tarpon. This is a fly-rodder’s dream. Chug Bugs, small silver spoon and any minnow imitating fly will result in an instant hook up.

Overall, this week’s fishing will be similar to last weeks. We’ll have a one day tide early in the week, with an early morning low tide by the weekend.

Good catching, and until next time…tight lines and many healthy releases.

Capt. Allan B. Beraquit
http://www.floridalighttacklecharters.com
1-866-4-TARPON (482-7766)

============================================================

Welcome to Capt. Terry's FISHING REPORT:
Oct. 17th, 2002
Redfish, The reds are schooling up on and near the grass flats. The water clarity has cleared and made sight casting a part of the daily trip. Some cooler temperatures and lower tides in the next few months, should make fishing for the abundance of redfish very good. This is the time of year for the big ones! The trick is being there when they are feeding. Try working the edges of the sand bars and oyster reefs. Some people call it fishing for reds, I call it hunting. When poling the flats for reds, move very slowly and watch for wakes, tails and boils. When fishing the mangroves, fish the top end of the high tide and get your fly, bait or jig underneath the mangroves as far as you can. This technique will also produce a few snook. A great way to cover a lot of water and it can be very productive. Flies, artificials and bait all are working well for these beautiful strong fighters. Try bait fishing them with pinfish, shrimp or cut bait. Flyfish them against the mangroves and on the flats with a earth tone colored clouser and for some real excitement try top water on the overcasted days. Average size about 18" to 30" with some larger ones around. Watch for those TAILS!!!

Snook, This year is the best year I've seen for snook. Good numbers and a lot of large ones. The past few weeks were a hit and miss for me.Some days doing very well and on others just couldn't get them to eat.Tides become very important this time of year. Some real monsters out there and when hooked you have your job cut out for you. One mistake and they win! The big ones will give you a run for your money and make you want to go to battle again with them. Large hand picked shrimp and white bait sometimes will get the larger ones to take in the passes, sand holes and under the mangroves. Fishing them on the out going tide usually produces the best results. Brightly colored flies or plastics also are working on some of the deeper holes and against the mangroves. Keep your eyes open and fish them on the tides that create good current. Hungry Snook means Bait, though throwing a well placed fly will usually be rewarded with an aerial show.

Speckled Trout, early fall time produces some large trout! Some very respectable Trout in the 20" to 25" range being caught with flies on or near the flats. Look for them in 3' to 5' of water near the edges of the grass flats. Watch where the birds are feeding and give it a try. A great top water feeder on overcasted days makes for some sure fun. Again flies, artificials and bait will bag a few of these hard hitting fish.

Tarpon, This last month produced a lot of small tarpon for me on the fly. I found them in the back country creeks and canals. Throwing a glass minnow fly on the out going tides. Ten to twenty pounders on my eight and ten weight rods. A lot of fun and a real challenge in those tightly enclosed areas. Overall this tarpon season was tough, with all of the wind in the beginning of the summer and an abundance of fresh water run off from the mainland. When the conditions were good, I did great! But , we didn't have a lot of perfect days which we normally get. Live bait and flies working the best for me. Threadfins and greenbacks mainly the bait of choice. Throw your bait about ten feet infront of the rolling tarpon, let your line tighten and hammer him home! I see alot of people try and set the hook to early, be patient and make sure your poon has really eaten your bait. When the tarpon are here and conditions are ideal, an experience of a lifetime awaits you. Flies, artificials and bait can hook these sought after critters, but getting them to the boat is a whole other story. These beautiful fish will range from 30lbs. to 200lbs. Average being around 100lbs. They will test your skill and your equipment when hooked with the fly rod or light tackle.
A day on the flats will always take you home with some memories and remember fishing is fun, so have fun out there! Don't take it so serious that you can't have a good time.
Till the next update take care and keep those lines TIGHT!
Capt. Terry Pitz
http://www.floridalighttacklecharters.com
1-866-4-TARPON (482-7766)

============================================================

Florida Light Tackle Charters.com
TAMPA BAY FISHING REPORT

The weather in the Tampa Bay area was Chamber of Commerce perfect this week with area fishing following suite.

Redfish have regrouped and were readily taking soft plastic jigs and live bait. A few nice Snook were also caught while live baiting for Reds, making the slam quite do-able.

Trout action remains steady. Most are smaller fish with a few in the 18" to 20" range and the odd 4 to 5 pounder.

Cobia are showing up in the mouth of Tampa Bay with some in the 40 pound plus range.
Inshore Grouper action is heating up and Mangrove Snappers are still chewing in Tampa and around the Gulf passes.

Add Spanish Mackerel, big Black Tip Sharks, and the fall Kingfish arrival to the equation, and the month of October is a light tackle bonanza in the Tampa Bay area.

Keep em bent,
Capt. Tim Drummond
http://www.floridalighttacklecharters.com
1-866-4-TARPON (482-7766)

============================================================

Florida Light Tackle Charters.com
Florida Keys & Everglades National Park Fishing Report 10/13/02

This week in the Keys fishing for bonefish was good. We managed to get lots of shots at tailing fish in the morning and then fished them a little deeper later in the day. The permit fishing is good right now and earlier in the week we had some good shots at perms off Key Largo.

As for fishing in the Everglades the fishing has changed quite a bit this week. There has been some sort of algae bloom happening on some of the flats around Flamingo. This has put a damper on fishing in that immediate area, but all of those fish have just moved east towards the Keys. One charter over there this week we caught three small tarpon on fly, a couple of snook on zara spooks and had shots at redfish. Also one really neat thing I found happening this week, was large trout muds loaded with hundreds of trout, jacks and ladyfish 2-3lbs.. We caught these fish on every kind of tackle you could imagine-it was a blast!

That's it for this week, next week I am fishing in Big Pine Key for bones, perms and tarps with a tournament there at the end of the week.

Tight Lines and Screaming Drags,

Capt. Eric Herstedt
http://www.floridalighttacklecharters.com
1-866-4-TARPON (482-7766)

============================================================

Florida Light Tackle Charters.com
FLAMINGO FISHING REPORT

Howdy from Flamingo,

Here comes October! Bigger redfish, the snook are in season and Cape Sable should start to see some black drum.

Big Mangrove Snapper have been eating pilchards with a vengeance. They should continue to do so right on through October. The pilchards have been pretty easy to catch on the bayside with a block of chum and a cast net. Of course, pinfish will be there too and they are great for Snook and Redfish. Even a slice of pinfish works well on Mangrove Snapper!

The backcountry usually means a longer ride to catch bait since it is more plentiful at the edge of the gulf. Look for diving birds along the shoreline to find your bait. While you are there you might as well hit the mouths of rivers and creeks for those monster Redfish and Snook. I prefer the low rising tide for my trips north of Ponce De Leon bay. As
soon as the water starts moving, the Redfish begin to show up and they are gorging themselves on pilchards.

The flats in front of Flamingo still have plenty of Snook and Redfish. They will be there until the end of this month or until the first cold front makes it down this far. After a little blast of cool air, the Snook and Redfish start to move into the creek mouths and rivers where the water does not get too cold.

Snake Bight channel will begin to see more Snook and Redfish as well, as the weather begins to cool down. The canals of Cape Sable will be a haven for fish and boaters alike as the temperatures fall and the north winds begin to blow. Just remember that as the north winds blow and the winter low tides meet, there will not be much water at
the entrance to East Cape canal. Personally, I'm hoping for a bitterly cold winter of about 70 degrees with 5-knot winds.

October is also the month that big cobia move over the wrecks west of Flamingo. Again, pinfish is great bait for these hardy fighters. In addition, the Mackerel could come early this year! Most boats at Flamingo have to watch the winds before going offshore, since they can ruin your day real quick. There will however, be plenty of days where most boats can get offshore without worry.

Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour the evening of October 26th. Daylight Saving Time ends in the early AM of the 27th and you don't want to arrive at the docks one hour early. This would not be a good time to start yelling at everyone for being late. Also, don't forget to book early with your favorite guide. There's nothing worse than sitting on the dock on your vacation, watching the boats come back without you.

Until next time,

Capt. John Griffiths
http://www.floridalighttacklecharters.com
1-866-4-TARPON (482-7766)

============================================================

Florida Light Tackle Charters.com
Jacksonville Area Report

Fishing has picked up this week in the Jacksonville area. Some nice trout are being caught, but still quite a few are short. Red fishing continues to be very good in the river for over sized fish,and creeks are giving up good numbers of fish with keeper fish on the rise. The flounder seem to know what time of year it is even if the water temp is 84 degrees, Walter Smithwick landed a 7lb. doormat this week. There is a cold front on the way which means fishing can only get better!

Capt. Ray McCauley
http://www.floridalighttacklecharters.com
1-866-4-TARPON (482-7766)

Follow Ups: