It's only mid-June and we have already had one of the best summer's in recent memory on Lake Okeechobee. The best thing though has been it has been terrific for all fisheries. Bass fishing has been incredible. The lake has risen a foot and the fish have been on a tear!

I fished with two inexpereinced anglers from Ohio today and we caught over 75 Bass in about 6 hours. All of our fish were caught on artificial baits. We used top water baits, flukes plastic worms, Senkos and spinner baits. It was one of those days that I will remember forever. It was even a little better than it has been, even though we have been catching 35 to 50 fish per trip on artificials.

Pan fishing for blue gill and shell cracker has been the best maybe ever in the 30 plus years I have fished the lake. There are literally spawning blue gills and shell cracker in every corner of the lake. The water is so clear in some areas that you can see the fish swimming in 18 to 24 inches of water and literally get on top of where they are spawning. Fly rod afficionados are having a hey day catching great big blue gill on topwater popping bugs and spiders.

I still love to catch them on an old school bream buster rod with 8 pound test a cork and cricket for bait. The only thing stopping us from catching more fish daily is we are tired of cleaning them. The shell cracker from the Big "O" are second to none in the frying pan.

You can contact Captain Michael Shellenby calling 863-357-0892 or check out his website at http://www.okeechobeebassfishing.com.

Tarpon along Florida's "Space Coast" are most often overlooked by anglers, as they are hidden behind the huge hype over redfish and trout.   Don't get me wrong, I love fishing for reds and trout - and fish for them almost exclusively 6 months out of  the year.  However, from Cocoa Beach down to Sebastian there is a unique tarpon fishery during the summer and fall months that is relatively unknown, even by the local anglers. . . and the tarpon fishing is now just starting to heat up! 

What makes this fishery in so unique, are the different habitats that the fish are living in, and the scenery surrounding them.  The two situations that have been holding the biggest groups of fish, are depressions on the inside of flats, and within mangrove lined creeks.  The schools and groups of tarpon have been mixed with a variety of different sized fish from 3 pound "mosquito ditch" fish, to 80 pounders.  The best areas have been  in the Indian River around Merritt Island, and Sebastian.

I have been starting out the mornings back inside of the creeks, casting to the rollers.  These creek fish have been shutting down by late morning.  I then have then been moving out to the flats, and sight-fishing the groups of fish laying up in the 2-3 foot holes (on the inside of very shallow flats).  It seems as though the outer shallow flat acts as a protection buffer from boats and predators.   Most of these fish are quite willing to bite a fly, and shiny baitfish patterns  have worked the best.  The bait of choice would be a live mullet or pogie.

Photo #1 is of a nice 50inch fish caught by Lorie.  This fish was a very fun catch, in that we caught it back inside of a creek not much wider than the boat.  It was laying about 15 feet from the boat with a dozen of its friends before it inhaled Lorie's bait - what an incredible bite! Photo # 2 is another fun 50inch fish that was caught at the entrance of a creek near Sebastian.  This fish was tamed by Mariah, a very talented lady angler - it was brought in and released very quickly to fight another day.

For more info or to book a trip with Capt Peter Deeks visit Native Sons Fishing

Spring had a late start here in the Tampa Bay area but it’s finally firing off right now.  There’s a wide variety of fish to catch with multiple species day being the norm.  Carrying an assortment of tackle along with a variety of baits has opened up many opportunities to score big.

Highlight catches from recent charters have included Spanish mackerel, kingfish, cobia, snook, snapper, and grouper.  All caught in the bay inside the Skyway Bridge.  Also available are tarpon, redfish, trout, pompano, permit and more.

From the beaches to the backcountry it’s all happening as you read this. The hardest questions to answer are not “what can we catch?” or “where should we go?” but “which fish should we target first?”  Turn off your computer and go fishing, you’re missing it!

Capt. Brent can be reached at 727-510-1009 or e-mail him at captbrent@summervacationcharters.com. For more charter fishing information please visit his web site http://summervacationcharters.com or click here for his FishbuzzTV bio.

Giant snook are still on the move. Even after a typical spring of heavy fishing pressure, giants are available for those with some patience and a great tolerance for the heat. Breeder sized snook have been around the block a few times. Each fish over 26 inches in Tampa Bay has been caught at least two times before. The big ones are that way for a reason. This behemoth was caught with a free-lined greenback. It was her largest snook ever and one of the largest that I have boated in a lifetime of fishing. We caught this snook in two feet of water on light spinning gear.  Beautiful day, beautiful fish!

For more information on Captain Dave visit www.snookfish.com or call (813)310-6531

The fishing right now in the Indian River Lagoon is really good for some and not so great for others. The redfish and big trout are tightly grouped up together. Because of this, there is just a lot of “dead” water out there right now, so don’t waste time fishing in areas that “look good” or have been good in the past, but poll or troll until you visually locate the fish. With the water being low, the fish have been holding on the edges and depressions of flats with high concentrations of both large, striped mullet, and the small silvers. When the fish are located, back off of them and come back to ‘em a half hour later or so…just to let them calm down. If you’re quiet, its easy to pull a good number of fish from one spot. The redfish and trout have not been very fond of artificials as of late, so we have been using live finger mullet, and/or fresh cutbait with great results.

Another good bet right now are juvenile tarpon. Good numbers of these beautiful 5 - 40 pound fish are moving up into back-water creeks and canals. We have been catching them in just about every canal system and mangrove lined creek from Merritt Island down to Sebastian, in both the Banana and Indian Rivers. I would recommend fishing for them early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Troll around until you see just one or two roll, and toss a live “free-lined” mullet, or a chartreuse Tarpon Toad (if flyfishing) ahead of them. They are not rolling as much as they do when the water oxygen levels are low, so two rolling fish may give away a dozen or more fish underneath them.

For more info or to book a trip with Capt Peter Deeks visit Native Sons Fishing

Hello friends. How is spring treating you? Here in Florida, we are seeing some extremely dry weather. The temps are in the mid to upper 80's everyday and we need some rain. The fishing has been awesome on the good tides and a little tough around the weaker moon phases. Moving water has definitely made the difference for success.
 
I'd like to follow up on an event I mentioned in my last report. The "Cancer Crushing Benefit" for my friend Capt. Bob McGuire on April 4th was a great success. We raised $40,000 that day for Bob. Thanks to everyone that participated in the days events, fishing or joining us for the after party. The silent auction was a huge success, the music was live, and The Ozona Pig was packed through the night! Let's get onto the fishing...

First up, Snook!!! Their season has closed on May 1st so now they should be knockin' at your door. They always seem to know when they are safe again. Although the upper Tampa Bay region has been catching their fair share of Snook already, the bite out here on the gulf side had been a little slow. Over the last couple of weeks we have started getting into a regular pattern though. The rock jetties and troughs along the beaches are holding good fish. The grass flats near all of the passes are also attracting these big fish. Threadfin herring and large sardines are the best baits for me. Although, Snook will eat a dead bait if it is the right flavor. Cut shad or a mullet can catch a whopper on the right day. I expect the Snook bite to get better and better through this month.

Redfishing has been totally driven by the tide. The stronger incoming and outgoing tides have been the best. Live tail-hooked pinfish are my favorite approach. Following slowly behind schools of mullet and launching a pinfish into the middle will produce several Reds. Certain islands in my area have attracted large schools this past month. We have been able to hook as many as 40 fish some days. This past week had some weaker tides. They were low and didn't move much water. It was tough to get on some of the fish I had success with just a few days earlier. A couple of hook-ups were the best I could do. Even some of the docks I count on were empty. That will change this week as we head into a better tidal phase.

Trout are still hanging on around some of the spoil islands in St. Joseph Sound. A lot of them are moving out towards the beach. I have been catching them mixed in with the Snook as well. The grass flats near the passes are holding many Trout. Most are undersized here though. The biggest fish seem to be on the outside.

The offshore report is mixed. Lately, the water has been clearer out past 10 miles. Some guys have reported 50 - 100 Kingfish days. The east winds have cleared up the water close to land so some bigger Kings have moved in within 3 miles of shore. Grouper catches in close have produced a couple keepers, but mostly shorts. Again 10 - 20 miles out in 30 - 55 feet has seen the bigger gags.

Lastly, Tarpon! They are in Boca Grande Pass, they are under the Skyway bridge, and they are moving up the coast around Clearwater. Threadfins, sardines and crabs will all get hit for certain. It is all about being in the right place and making the best presentation. Very clear water can prevent these big eyed animals from wanting your jewelry laden bait. Smaller leader and hooks is all you can do to try to get hooked up. There will be a lot of anglers throwing flies at them too. They will get the Silver Kings to eat while cruising along the bars on the outside of all the barrier islands.

May is my favorite month. I am getting filled up for Tarpon season. Don't wait any longer. Call me anytime to plan your trip and fish of a lifetime!

Capt. Brian still has some great days around the best tides available in Boca Grande. Your largest Trout, Redfish, Snook or Tarpon could be just a phone call or e-mail away. Call him at 727-365-7560 or visit his website at http://www.captbrian.com

Well, it is official…summer is here and the Snook bite is on! Night time dock light fishing has been red hot in the greater Tampa Bay area. I have been out 3 nights in the past week (fishing the greater Weedon Island area) and have had success each night. Even tricked a few to eat a small doodle fly I tie out of my dog's fur.

Most of the fish have been on live bait. Speaking of which, the bait migration in the bay is in full swing and there is a plethora of pinfish and nice whitebait on the flats, along with threadfins everywhere. In fact, I only threw the net 3 times or less the past couple times. Keep your eyes peeled for flashes in the deeper grass, on the edges of flats. That is where the larger white baits have been hiding out – my hands down favorite dock light Snook bait. The smaller ones have been hanging out in the middle of the flat on the grass.

Monday evening I went out solo, and was in by 10 PM after landing 3 Snook. One of which was over 30 inches – all on a 4-10 lb class E21 carrot stick matched with a 2000…Needless to say, quite a fight!! (while I have been dreaming about tender Snook nuggets for quite some time, I decided to set her free) 30 lb fluorocarbon is the way to go, although you may lose a big gal here and there - unless you get lucky and she swims away from the dock. That same night I got absolutley dominated by a few beasts that i'm quite sure were bigger.

FYI, if you plan on keeping any Snook, make sure you do so before Friday. That’s when the season closes on the West Coast until September 1. For more info on anything to do with Snook visit the Snook Foundation.

The flats have had an influx of beautiful scaled sardines(whitebait) and the fish are in full swing. Most of the time, depending on bait size I use 10lb braid with 30lb fluorocarbon leader and a 2/0 Mutu light wire Owner circle hook.
 
Some of you do not want to spend the extra money on the fluorocarbon because you catch fish on mono leader and that is fine. There are times when that fluoro leader will make a difference and if it is only 4 out of ten times it is worth it to me. It takes one more variable out of the equation and gives you the confidence that your leader is good. I also like to start out with about a 34"-36" leader to get the hook a little further away from the braided line. This also gives you some room to cut and retie after catching a fish if the line is roughed up.
 
Now you are at your spot and you start to chum and the water is erupting with redfish boils and snook pops but you can not buy a bite. What can you do? First thing to do is down size your hook go to a 1/0 or a #1 but leave the 30lb leader in case you hook that good one. Then if you are still not getting the hits but your live chummers are getting hammered switch down to 25lb or even 20lb leader and this should get you the action that you are looking for. Good Luck!

Capt. George Hastick - " The Fish Hunter " - Fishing Charters - 727-525-1005 - For more information on Capt. George and his fishing charters, check out his Fishbuzz bio page or www.fishtampa.com

May is an awesome month for inshore fishing with plenty of species to fish for. All of the migrating fish will be here in full force. This is a great time to just bend a rod. However, if good table fare fish is what you are after, then trout will be the way to go. Trout follow the same pattern as April. With many falling victim to artificials: Diving plugs, topwaters, and jigs. The topwater bite will be in full swing so if a great visual explosion is what you are looking for then now is the time. Any place with current moving bait near or on a drop off is a great place to through your lures. Float rigs are also very effective in these areas. These type of places often produce other fish like reds, jacks, flounder and ladyfish. If an area that you know of fits this description, look for an eddy, many times fish will be holding in the eddy where they expend less energy holding in the current, while being exposed to baits in the food chain. Good place to drift your rig or pull your lure by.

A good tip is to through up current and bring your lures back with the current, as fish feed into the current waiting for mullet and baits to come to them. Also, when a fish can see a bait coming to them it is less likely that it will spook them. Redfish will be broke up from there winter schools and many will be on the prowl along edges of spartina grasses and oysters with many singles and doubles. Use lures that cover alot of water like spoons and spinners. Diving plugs will take a fair share as mullet imitators are a great choice because there will be much bait as we enter the warmer water of summer. Flounder fishing should  be on the increase with bigger and more fish available. A TBS jig and a mud minnow / mullet combo or a fish finder rig with the same will be a great choice for these excellent eating fish. Look for them where there is moving water along a grass line or coming out of a creek mouth, docks, and dropoffs. When you get a "thump" on your line be patient and give a the bite a "3 thousand" count and set the hook hard! Get the net because flounder are notorious for getting unhooked. The river, Ft.George, Nassau, and the intercoastal will have plenty of jacks and lady fish and there will be some bluefish around. Don't forget if you fly fish this is a great time to get out there with a clouser or baitfish pattern and send a tight loop to some of these fun fish!!

For more information on Captain Tony visit www.tonybozzella.com or call (904) 651-0182