This is my final report and a wrap up for the 2006 fishing year.  I trust you had a good year catching fish, and I hope 2007 will be another great fishing year for each of you.

     Several fishing trips over the past couple of weeks had some great results.  A variety of fish were caught, including black seabass, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, grouper, snook, trout, redfish, black drum, flounder, jack crevalle, and ladyfish.

     Water temperatures have been bouncing up and down like a yo yo.  Ranging from 60-to 76-degrees, the fluctuation produced mixed results on any given day, but overall, the fishing has been very good.  Here are some highlights from a few of my trips.  Wayne Hopkins and Chris Smith, of Tampa, fishing on a half-day, boated 8 reds, 4 flounder, and about 20 trout while fishing with me in Lower Tampa Bay and around Terra Ceia.  The action started out slow early on, but got progressively better as we approached a major solunar period.  We were throwing CAL Shad tail Jigs, DOA Shrimp, and the Bite A Bait Slimline, while working potholes and channel edges.  A number of nice fish were caught around oyster bars as well on the incoming tide.

   Fishing residential canals in the Manatee River and Terra Ceia Bay produced some very fast action on snook, trout, redfish, black drum, ladyfish, and jack crevalle for a couple of visiting anglers.  Throwing CAL Shads, DOA Shrimp, and the MirrOlure MirrOminnow, the two anglers landed 19 snook to 34-inches, 3 redfish to 21-inches, a 20-inch black drum, and a number of speckled trout up to 4-pounds, along with a load of ladyfish and jacks.  Good numbers of snook were also caught on an 8 wt. G. Loomis fly rod.  Weilding the "magic wand", one of the anglers managed to put the largest snook of the day in the boat.  It was a beautiful linesider taping out at 34-inches.  The fish was caught on a glass minnow pattern originated by Blane Chocklett, of Richmond, Virginia called the Gummi Minnow. The tide was incoming several days after the new moon.

     Weston Hayes and his father, Tom Hayes of Terra Ceia, along with Tom’s business associate, Dave Duncan, ventured out into Terra Ceia Bay for a half-day just looking to wet a line.  Young Weston had the hot rod, catching a couple of reds between 18-and 22-inches, along with about a dozen trout, one of which might have gone about 4-pounds, and a nice snook that spit the hook.  Had he gotten the linesider to the boat, he would have completed his West Coast Grand Slam.  Additionally, another dozen or so trout were caught, along with a few more nice reds to complete a great day on the water.  All fish were caught using CAL Jigs with shad tails.

     This past year, portions of the lower Tampa Bay area have undergone a year of recovery from red tide damage seen here in 2005.  Trout stocks have rebounded tremendously.  While sizes have been way down, their growth can be measured almost daily.  An increasing number of slot fish are being caught along with a few “gators”.  The January 1 reopening of the speckled trout season is one that’s welcomed by many anglers, and with these fish rebounding as quickly as they have, I’m predicting some excellent catches during the winter and spring months. 

     We are currently seeing more rat reds (small redfish, just under the 18-inch minimum), than any other time in my recollection while in fishing this area.  The rate of growth for reds of this size is about an inch or more a month here, and by spring and certainly summer, we should have some banner catches of slot redfish. 

     Snook have consistently been available.  Thus far, winter has been extremely mild, and if it continues to the end, I look for some very fat fish to be caught when the season reopens in February. 

     That wraps up this year’s fishing folks.  With the year closing on an upswing and a bright note, I wish you all a safe and very happy New Year!  Give me a call, and let’s go fishing!  ‘Til then…catch ya later!

Capt. Ray Markham

(941) 723-2655

Tides were well into negative lows this past week, leaving lots of land exposed and showing precisely where potholes remained.  The deepest postholes that were adjacent to channels and good food supply held fish.  The fish list this week included snook, flounder, trout, redfish, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, black seabass, juvenile gag grouper, ladyfish, and jack crevalle.

     Most of the baits we threw this week were designed with the ability to work the lower third of the water column.  Love’s Lures and CAL Jigs, DOA Shrimp, TTR MirrOlures, and the Suspending Slimline from Bite A Bait all produced fish very efficiently.  The water temps ranged from 65 to 75 degrees on the flats, and the warm weather was great for building appetites in the fish we targeted.  My waders got a workout, as it was much easier getting from point A to point B on foot due to the low water.  It was pretty much like shooting fish in a barrel, since several of the holes held the fish captive, and as long as we was able to stand back from the holes and cast into them without spooking the fish, we were able to continue catching them.  One hole was approximately a block in diameter and we spent several hours there while catching over 75 trout, a half-dozen reds, 9 snook, and 3 flounder all on Love's and CAL Jigs and DOA Shrimp.  Both the Shad tails and the Grub bodies worked very well.  We threw night glow DOA Shrimp and Shads and root beer or gold tails in the grubs for all the fish that we caught.

     On the weekend, I did a Crystal River run to fish.  The water was gin clear, making the bite difficult.  Even with 10-pound fluorocarbon leaders it was tough to get a bite going.  I saw hundreds of very large snook ranging from 10-to 30 pounds basking in the 72-degree spring water near the headwaters of the river, along with redfish, bass, and manatees.  Mangrove snapper were also thick, but shy to baits.  I did, however manage to catch a few bass and bluegill on a Slimline Bite A Bait.  Gar were everywhere in the shallows, but did not show an interest in eating.  The Plantation Inn, where I stayed, is an awesome destination spot for anglers looking to fish the river, and for anyone interested in playing golf. 

     This week, we’ll be back to 4 tide days and better water movement.  The action should be heating up, and with the temps remaining up, the fishing should be great!  I’ll be targeting the usual suspects and maybe take a fish or two for dinner.  ‘Til next time…catch ya later!

Capt. Ray Markham

(941) 723-2655

Over the past month the change of seasons has moved fish considerably from summer/ fall locations to a transitional pattern where fish can be found everywhere from deep winter holes to points and bars on the flats.  This type of yo-yo, up and down cold and warm weather acclimates fish for the upcoming winter cold weather that not only dictates where fish will live to survive the winter, but also what they will eat, in size and quantity of food.

     Steve wells and his wife Lisa fished with me during some warmer weather, and managed snook, trout, redfish, small grouper, and flounder on CAL Shad tail jigs, Bite a Bait Slimline lures, and DOA Shrimp.  We worked areas from Joe Bay south to the Manatee River, keying in on channels during the low, incoming tide for trout and flounder, and mangrove shorelines and points and oyster bars at the top of the tide for snook and upper slot reds.  We got into some very large reds during the high tide, with fish in the 40-plus inch range, but landed redfish in the upper portion of the slot for a day with good action and variety. 

     I fished an all-release photo fly tournament with the Sarasota CCA Chapter.  The goal of the tournament was a grand slam for overall honors, but with individual categories for largest snook, red, and trout with overall inches of each species giving individual prizes.  I opted to go for the big prize.  I got on the water about 8 a.m. after a captain’s meeting down in Sarasota.  I was doing the Florida Sportsman Magazine Live Radio show via phone while heading for my first location.  Shortly after arriving at my location, I spotted reds schooling.  These were the monster fish in the 40-to 50-inch range.  I was throwing an 8wt. G. Loomis GLX fly rod with 3M/ Scientific Anglers Mastery Series Bonefish taper weight forward floating fly line with an 8-pound test 10-foot Ande fluorocarbon leader with a 20-pound shock tippet for reds and snook.  The fish I initially approached were in the 30-pound class.  Within the first few minutes one of the monster reds hit my Dupree Spoon Fly that I cast into a hole with a long 80-foot cast.  These fish were very spooky in the crystal clear water where they were feeding.  I hooked up and the crimson cruiser and I instantly took me over 100-feet into my backing.  Within 5 minutes I had worked the fish back with fly line on the reel when a tower boat blew through the slow speed zone and came in right on top of me.  Motioning that I had a fish on had no affect on the approaching vessel as he got on his Nextel phone calling in a half dozen of his buddies in their tower boats, who did the same rude thing, spooking the entire school.  Of course, this spooked my fish as well and the big red took off again.  These live-bait fools decided that the way to get the fish back was to throw wads of live chum out and try to lure them back to their boats.  My fish unfortunately swam under one of their boats and broke off on a trim tab.  Not only is it rude inconsiderate, but also it’s unethical to do what they did.  These boats were within 100-feet of me, not to mention shouting distance.  I continued on working areas within Terra Ceia Bay, ending up landing 6 trout, a red, and a snook for a grand slam on fly, but of the thirty nine anglers fishing the tournament, my grand slam was not in the top two of the four grand slams caught to be in a prize category.

     Terra Ceia neighbor, Jim Goff and I headed out into lower Tampa Bay for some action early one Sunday morning.  Throwing CAL Jigs we caught several dozen undersized gag grouper and some black seabass on hard bottom areas.  Throughout the course of the 4-hour trip we caught several dozen trout and an assortment of others on jigs. 

     The following week, I headed for the Florida Keys for a weeklong stay.  I arrived in Big Pine Key to stay with my friend, Capt. Chris Holleman.  We fished the next morning in surrounding waters, catching dozens of barracudas on an assortment of lures.  We were also sight casting to sharks with topwater baits.  A black tip, cruising in less than 2-feet of water was within casting range of his boat and I took a shot at him with a long cast, using a Storm Chug Bug.  I worked the lure back with only a follow of the 125-pound fish.  He turned off when he saw the boat.  But on the next cast I put the bait in front of the fish and increased the speed of my retrieve with a pop, pop, pop of the lure and the shark turned on the bait hooking up and making an initial scorching run of about 175 yard of 15-pound Power Pro on my Shimano Spheros 4000 reel.  Nearly spooled, Chris cranked up his motor to follow the fish and try to regain some line when the fish turned and pulled the hook.  What an exciting moment!  Leaving the flat we headed for some canals where Chris had been catching small tarpon and Goliath grouper on DOA Shrimp and Bite a Bait Slimline crank baits.  No sooner had we arrived and a poon hit my Bite a Bait and put on a class act aerial display before throwing the hook.  Back in the canal there were undercut ledges holding the big grouper.  With a tide running we cast our DOA Shrimp up current, allowing the baits to sweep by the undercuts.  Both of us got smoked several times by these big fish.  Small for their species, these juvenile grouper were 30-to 40-pounds.  We never ended up landing one, but were broken off several times before leaving with the memories of the “Land of the Giants”.

     After arriving back home, I worked the Florida Sportsman Fishing Show in Orlando.  Several trips the following week during changing weather resulted in some great fishing.  While the water temperature started out at 75-degrees, a radical drop down to 55-degrees put a halt to the snook bite that had been on.  However, reds and trout chewed like crazy.  Tim Koschowsky and his father, Jerry, both of Illinois, caught and released over 120 trout, 8 redfish, 7 flounder, and a snook on CAL Shad tail Jigs for one grand slam along with a banner day of fishing in lower Tampa and Terra Ceia Bays.

     Bob Provencher and his two sons, Scott and John fished with me on a 6-hr. trip with results similar to Tim’s.  Trout were everywhere, but so were the puffers.  It was another good day with good results on a warming trend that had water temperatures back into the lower 70’s.

     Lee Brown of Roanoke, Va. Fished two days back-to-back.  We threw MirrOlures, Love’s Lures, and DOA baits with some excellent results.  However, the puffers were totally out of control.  We were going through soft plastic like crazy.  We lost over 150 baits a day on the blow fish, but Lee showed me something new.  He cleaned a couple of the puffers and I tried them.  The amazing thing to me was that these ugly “trash fish” were delicious!  I didn’t die or get poisoned, but a word of caution- puffers may contain toxins that could make people sick in some areas of the world.  It just happened that these fish were totally clean, and to my amazement, reminded me of snook when deep-fried.  Lee and I caught some nice reds.  In fact, we caught about 8 a day along with 50-to 75-trout a day, and some flounder.  Our largest trout was a 3.5-pound speck caught near Joe Bay on a CAL Shad.

     These are some amazing times to fish.  The fishing can be hot or cold depending on the weather.  For now, things are hot.  Stable weather patterns can improve the fishing, but coming into the winter season, I look for the weekly cold fronts to get fish settled into their more predictable haunts and feeding patterns.  ‘Til then…catch ya later!

Capt. Ray Markham

(941) 723-2655

Working vacations, fishing shows, fishing…it’s all been on the agenda for a really busy past 6 or 8 weeks.  Time slipped away, and it’s been tough to get all my affairs in order and keep up with the schedule, so here goes an attempt at an abbreviated version of what’s been going on here around the “NoSeeum Inn”.

     The first week of last month I hooked up with Larry Fletcher, Deputy Managing Editor for the Tampa Tribune, and his friend, Scott Sazima from Cleveland, Ohio for some opening day snook action in Terra Ceia and lower Tampa Bays.  It was a stormy start with weather rolling in off the Gulf, but eventually we got out, back in, and out.  With the barometer jumping around periods of action resulted in several snook and reds.  We also found some holes full of trout.  Several were of legal size, but all were released.  Flounder also fell for our DOA Shrimp and CAL Shad tail jigs.

     Steve and Anne Totten, vacationing on Longboat Key ran out with me for a 6-hr. trip.  More snook were in the picture with Steve and Anne, along with an assortment of trout, reds, catfish, lizardfish, and some “quality puffers”.  Life was good!  We ran quite a bit searching for the mother load of fish, but never really found the big ones, but we did release at least 30 undersized trout at the boat.

     The following week was spent in Key West for the Florida Outdoor Writer’s Association’s annual conference.  The event was centered on Duck Key at the Hawk’s Cay Resort.  This incredible facility is surrounded by some of the most fertile waters the Keys have to offer.  While there, there were a number of informative writing and photographic skills shops available.  I attended some as well as chose to do some fishing with my friend Capt. Chris Holloman, who lives on Big Pine Key.  Chris is an officer with the FWC, and on the water regularly down there.  One morning I stepped aboard his boat for some fishing.  Chris said that some of the canals were loaded with baby tarpon this time of year.  After idling back into some canals we rounded the corner of one canal and saw rolling fish less than 100-feet away.  Most of the fish appeared to be between 10 and 30-pounds, ideal for our 10-pound test rigs.  Chris tossed a floater/diver type plug from Pradco and was hooked up instantly.  These fish were into aerial aerobics, and they were airborne as much as they were in the water when hooked up. 

     After leaving the canals, we moved out on to the flats to see if we could find a bonefish, permit, barracuda, snapper, or some sharks that might be hungry.  I broke out an 8 weight G. Loomis fly rod with a small bonefish crunchy fly.  While Chris poled his skiff along, we noted good numbers of barracudas hitting bait.  Working a CAL Shad quickly across the shallow bottom resulted in several hookups from these speedsters on the flats. 

     On the pole, Chris worked his skiff up to an area where a good number of black tip and bonnethead sharks were swimming.  I cast a fly to one and let it settle as the fish approached the offering.  Several quick short strips had a 3-foot black tip pounced on the fly and run me into the backing.  After several minutes of fighting the shark, he was boat side for the release.  As the falling tide continued to drop we moved off the flat where a nearby channel was running.  Upon approaching a channel marker I could see a school of mangrove snapper working the bottom structure.  We tied DOA Shrimp on and flipped them up current, allowing them to fall to the structure.  In a frenzied approach, the school attacked the baits, and we landed several nice snapper in short order.  What a cool place the Keys are…so cool that I’m heading back down for another week again the end of this month and the beginning of November. 

     Much of my trips the remainder of the month were half-days resulting in trout, plenty of snook, and some very nice redfish.  Large jack crevalle were also being caught.  Some flounder, bluefish, ladyfish, and Spanish mackerel were also in the catch.  That weekend I was off again to West Palm for the Florida Sportsman Fishing show.

     One notable trip was with Dr. Harvey Partridge of Terra Ceia and his fishing buddy, “MC”.  We headed out early one morning.  Red tide had been just skirting the area enough that I felt the need to run north and get as far back into the backcountry as the high tide would allow me.  We worked our way from just south of Bishop’s Harbor back into Joe Bay.  What we found were some great reds and snook.  We worked an assortment of lures with good success.  A small Rapala Skitterwalk working back up near Bishop’s Harbor resulted in a nice fat red taping out at nearly 29-inches.  Snook were also around for the catching.  Much of the day was spent looking for reds and snook.  Before day’s end, we headed back for Miguel Bay and worked hard to complete grand slams by catching some trout, but unfortunately for us, we were only able to catch a couple of small trout, so the slams were put on hold for a later date.

     That following weekend I headed for the Homosassa and Crystal River area to do some fly fishing for bass and whatever else hit my flies.  A referral from a friend put me in touch with a local fly shop on U.S. 19 in Homosassa called Outcast Fishing, Inc., where Capt. Cade, a local fly tier and proprietor showed me an assortment of fly tying materials and flies.  Capt. Cade is quite knowledgeable and the shop is very well stocked.  I grabbed a few poppers and headed for my destination.  I arrived at the Seagrass Resort on the Homosassa River with GheeNoe in tow.  After getting settled, I launched for some evening bass fishing with the fly rod.  I worked the edges of the river with a 7 wt. fly rod and weight forward floating 3M SA Mastery Series Bonefish Taper.  The irresistible blooping and popping sounds imitated feeding fish, and spurred the bass and bluegills into feeding there.  It was a blast getting back in touch with my freshwater roots.  I cut my teeth in my early years with bait casters and fly rods back in the 50’s on the Chassahowitzka and Withlacoochee Rivers, just to the south and north, and spent some time on the Homosassa as well, where my uncle, Ray Randall, owned property.  Whenever we came to visit, it was always a fishy experience. 

     While there, I met a couple who liked to fish, and managed to hook up with them for some time out on the water with them on of their friend’s boats.  We went out of Crystal River and headed out for an area just west of the power plant in search of some redfish that were rumored to be holding.  While we did not find the reds, we did manage to catch some mangrove snapper, jack crevalle, ladyfish, and some big catfish.  Not quite the bag we were looking for, but a tug on the line anyway.

     Back home again, I was getting ready for the Florida Sportsman Fishing Show in Tampa.  Some short hops out on the water had us catching some nice snook, bluefish, reds, and a few trout.  Almost back-to-back came the Florida Sportsman Show in Miami.  I headed for Miami with the thought of catching up with friend, Capt. Mark Nichols, owner of DOA Lures for a little fishing after the show.  Mark and I hooked up and headed out in his home waters of Stuart.  Working the DOA Shrimp and CAL Shads we landed trout, some very nice snook, and found schools of very large jack crevalle busting mullet that were everywhere.  A monster jack that might have pushed the scales at about 10-plus pounds hit a topwater walker from the Bite A Bait Lure Company.  The mullet run was definitely on, and predator fish everywhere were pounding them.  I also managed to put a huge flounder in the boat that ended up heading for Mark’s dinner that night.  The one-inch thick fillets probably made a very nice meal for a family of four when matched up with a tasty lump crabmeat stuffing. 

     Back again in Terra Ceia, I did some wade fishing off the Sunshine Skyway approaches on the Manatee side.  Some excellent snook were caught along with a few nice reds and mostly small trout.  Joe Bay has almost always been productive this time of year. 

     Coming up this weekend is the Mangrove Coast Fly Fisher’s CCA All-Release Fly Tournament.  I will be fishing the event, and look forward to stretching a fly line once again.  ‘Til then…catch ya later!

Capt. Ray Markham

(941) 723-2655

Fishing aboard the Flat Back II has seen some good action over the past couple of weeks, but the action slowed as a high-pressure area moved into the Tampa Bay area, making us work a little harder for fish.

     The week of the 23^rd was the new moon.  The dark sky and good tides gave us some decent action that week.  Jim Goff of Terra Ceia ran out with me for a pre-dawn trip, which turned out to be a very cool trip indeed.  Our target species was tarpon.  This trip we threw MirrOlure Catch 2000’s, Catch 5’s, and MirrOlure Top Dogs.  Upon arriving at our destination on some hard bottom areas located in lower Tampa Bay near the Bulkhead, we found dozens of rolling fish.  There was a plethora of large baits including menhaden, a.k.a. shad, scaled sardines, threadfin herring, ballyhoo, Spanish sardines, and glass minnows.  What more could a fish ask for?  A few days prior, I had spotted some monster poons that could have pushed the scales at an obese weight of probably 300-pounds or better at this location, but what we found were smaller but very active and feisty fish ranging from 50-to 125-pounds.  Casting to rolling fish we had several boils and hook-ups that were short-lived.  These bony fish are just plain tough.  I began throwing a topwater walking bait from MirrOlure called the Top Dog.  In short order, a poon blasted my bait and headed for the overcast sky, shaking and rattling his gills in a shower of water.  I was using 15-pound Power Pro with 30-pound Ande Backcountry leader and 50-pound Ande fluorocarbon tippet, so I knew I had limited time to land the fish before he wore through the line.  This fish had spunk is all I can say about this fish.  I had him to the boat several times but we could only leader the fish before he bolted away from us, still green.  Nearly 20-minuted into the fight, I made a last ditch effort to land the fish, and we almost had him when we heard a POP!  My leader snapped and the fish headed for the shallows, swimming along in only a foot of water with his tail and dorsal fins out of the water.  He left with the memory of my Top Dog as a reminder, but I hoped it would be shaken loose at a later time. 

     Shortly after we moved back to a school of some happy fish and Jim hooked up and jumped a fish of about 70 to 80-pounds on the Catch 2000 with standard hooks.  When this fish went airborne he went ballistic with several jumps.  The aerobic jumps straightened the hooks on the bait that was meant for snook, trout, and reds, and the fish swam free.  It was several minutes before the fish settled down and began rolling again.  During that time I switched Jim to the Catch 5 bait with slightly heavier hooks.  Jim cast to some more rolling fish.  A beautifully placed cast to a rolling fish was right on target for Jim.  The fish bit and came skyrocketing into the air, but this time the hooks stuck and held. 

     Off in the distance, a boat watching the action through binoculars turned and headed toward us.  Upon closer inspection we could see that the boat was an FWC marine research vessel captained by Kathy Guindon, Assistant Research Scientist with the FWC-Fish and Wildlife Institute in St. Petersburg.  Keeping their distance while Jim worked the fish to the boat, she asked if we minded if they put one of their acoustic tags in our fish so they could monitor the movement of the fish after it was released to record its movement and survival success. 

     The fight on 30-pound Power Pro with a four foot 50-pound Ande fluorocarbon leader and a foot long 80-pound shock tippet lasted only about 20-minutes, but once landed, Kathy’s team moved in and tagged the fish with an acoustic tag that had an orange float attached.  We worked the fish for a few minutes to give it a chance to revive.  Upon releasing it, he swam off immediately.  For the next several hours Kathy and her team followed the fish by sonar, plotting the movement.  We watched as the fish stayed in the area for about 15 minutes upon release, but then heading northeast toward some hard bottom off Rattlesnake Key before another course change toward the Skyway.  From there, the fish headed toward Egmont Key.  At this point we lost track of the boat.  We worked the area for a brief time afterward, but the action slowed.  We left after that, but here’s a quote from an email Kathy sent me the following day. 

     “You should know your fish did very well and ended up off of Ft. Desoto's Pier still swimming along.  We saw it roll several times during the 4 hours that we tracked it and it even stopped in a few schools of bait along the way for some more "snacks" seeing how its breakfast was likely not what he expected (MirrOLure).  We left it just turning back towards the Skyway around 1230.  Thanks again for allowing us to tag and track your tarpon.” 

     Who would have thought that a tarpon that had been caught and released would be feeding again within a few hours of release, or that the fish would have moved over 15-miles in a short time frame following its release.  For information on tarpon research, visit the FWC Web site at http://research.myfwc.com.

     Sam Garber of Plant City won a silent auction bid on a trip I donated to the Slaw Dog Tournament held in Anna Maria partly to benefit Mote Marine’s redfish research and the Project Tampa Bay redfish hatchery.  Sam gave his trip to his dad, John and his fishing buddy, John Griffin.  We started the day looking for tarpon early on.  We saw several fish rolling and cast to them.  I hooked a small We got a couple of bites, but no takers, so we switched to trout gear and caught trout, Spanish mackerel, jacks, and ladyfish for the remainder of the day.

     Another pre-dawn trip with radio talk show host, Captain Mel Berman, and outdoor editor for the Tampa Tribune and Special Projects editor for Florida Sportsman Magazine, Frank Sargeant, was met with limited results.  Our early targets were tarpon, but with high pressure moving in on the area, numbers of fish were waning and the bite was slowing.  Initially Frank and I threw MirrOlure Top Dogs and a Gag’s Grabber Popper.  We both had fish boil on our baits missing with each strike.  Finally, I switched to a Catch 2000, and within minutes had a fish in the air.  I was experimenting with circle hooks on the bait, but they did not keep the fish from throwing the bait this time.  I switched to another Catch 2000 with 4X strong hooks and this time the fish rolled on the bait and took it in the side of the jaw.  Three or four jumps into the fight, the hooks pulled loose.  The fish seemed to stay down much of the time after that, so we moved on to trout.

     The MirrOlure Catch 2000 has been a tremendous fish-catching bait ever since it was introduced at the Frank Sargeant Outdoor Expo in February of 2000.

     With CAL Shads, DOA Shrimp, Tsunami split tail minnows, and some other soft plastics, Frank, Mel, and I managed to pick up a dozen or so trout, along with some “quality” lizardfish for good measure before heading back toward Terra Ceia.  Once we got there, we worked the shorelines for a while.  Frank hooked and landed snook there, before we headed in for the day.

     Tom and son Weston Hayes of Terra Ceia joined me for a half-day.  The bite continued to slow, but we had some quality trout.  We arrived on some hard bottom to see very few tarpon in the area, but there were a few pods of small scaled sardines and glass minnows.  I threw a 70M21 MirrOlure and was hooking some nice trout in the 20 to 24-inch size range.  Before we quit, we had released about 20 trout from the area.  Early that morning the sky was iffy with showers and lightening off in the west.  But as we continued, the skies cleared.  We headed back to work the shoreline of Terra Ceia for snook.  Each of us picked up snook but we all failed to find a red for even one grand slam.  The weather was good—too good.  In fact, some call it a bluebird sky that moved in as more high pressure continued into the area slowing the bite.

     Carl and Sharon Hartley bought a trip that I donated to a Keller Williams Realty event that benefited a children’s charity.  Looking for a relaxing time on the water we decided to look for some trout, snook, reds, or anything that was interested in eating.  The early going was slow.  We worked from Emerson Point all the way to Bishop’s Harbor with limited catches.  The fish just weren’t interested during the tide change.  Heading back south to Terra Ceia, I hoped that the tide that switched earlier in that location would be moving.  While it barely moved enough to drop 4-inches over the course of our 4-hour trip, it was enough to turn on a trout bite.  We threw DOA Glow Shrimp for about an hour managing to pick up about 25-trout before we had to come in.

     Weather factors and good tides make huge differences in how fish bite.  This week’s full moon will have a definite affect on fish.  I’m expecting some good action for snook on the evening outgoing tide, and hope to be targeting them for some catch-and-release action while wade fishing.  ‘Til then…catch ya later!

Capt. Ray Markham

(941) 723-2655

What a great week of action anglers aboard the Flat Back II had.  The list of species caught (or hooked and lost are as follows)…snook, trout, redfish, flounder, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, tarpon, gag grouper, red grouper, hard head catfish, gaff top sail catfish, bull shark, lizardfish, puffers, and ladyfish. 

     Bud Graf of Tampa and his 12-year old grand daughter, KayLea of Connecticut headed out with me on lower Tampa Bay for a half-day trip.  Working areas of patchy grass and hard bottom we caught flounder, trout, Spanish mackerel, and ladyfish while using CAL Shad tail jigs and DOA Shrimp.  Bud scored the big fish of the day with a 23-inch spotted seatrout.  It’s the largest trout put on the boat in months.  The recovery of trout from last year’s red tide has been slow, but steady, and this is a good sign.  While we saw numerous tarpon rolling in the area, we didn’t spend too much time trying to catch one.  The ones we cast to didn’t appear to be ready to feed.

     Don Gambuzza of Sarasota did a 6-hour trip with me along with one of his fishing buddies.  What a great day of fishing we had in lower Tampa and Terra Ceia Bays.  In just a few hours we managed to catch over 100 trout on CAL Jigs with shad tails and DOA Shrimp.  In addition, we also caught flounder, red grouper, ladyfish, and Spanish mackerel.  The puffers were out of control, chewing hard on our soft plastics.  We went through about 70 baits.  We spent some time casting to tarpon in the area, but they were not feeding during the time frame we fished them.  Perhaps the highlight of the trip for me was when we were working the edge of a sand bar near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and I hooked a hardhead catfish.  I reeled the fish in and was getting ready to remove the hook when suddenly a bull shark about 6-feet long swam right next to the boat.  I lobbed the hooked catfish in the direction of the moving shark and immediately the bull turned on the catfish and hooked up with me.  There was an exciting couple of seconds as the fish scorched off about 100-feet of line before breaking off.  Those of you who know me, know I don’t fish live bait, but hey, I just couldn’t resist this time…and after all, I didn’t have to take that slimy catfish off the hook!

     Chet Coleman of Bradenton, and friends Brad Claussen and David Ferguson hit the water with me just before sunrise for a 4-hour trip Sunday morning.  We started out working the flats in Terra Ceia looking for some snook and redfish action.  It took all of 10 minutes before I hooked a nice snook that taped out at just over 25 inches while fishing a CAL Shad.  Casting around a small mangrove island 10 minutes later, I caught a 20-inch red while Brad, David, and Chet were catching a few trout.  Within the next 10-minutes I brought in a trout to complete my grand slam.  Then it was off to the south to an area near the Bulkhead looking for tarpon.  We weren’t on the spot 5-minutes when the first fish rolled by the boat.  We were rigged with DOA Baitbusters, and a DOA Softshell Crab.  Brad was throwing a MirrOlure Series III Catch 2000 on a light rod rigged with 20-pound Power Pro.  In short order, Brad hit the first fish.  It was Brad’s first ever tarpon, and on some pretty light tackle.  The fish instantly was airborne with the Catch 2000 barely hooked in the side of its face.  The fight went on for close to 20-minutes.  We got several pictures of some spectacular jumps the fish made that added to the excitement.  It was beautiful seeing the fish leaping skyward, shaking and rattling it’s gills for all it was worth with the sunrise behind it.  With the fish finally boatside, we were getting ready to land it, but the hooks pulled and the fish got free. 

     The weather was stormy with overcast skies and the breeze freshened as one rain cell passed after another.  Fortunately, there was no lightning in the sky, so we stuck it out.  Working the same areas as the day before for trout, we were met with little success.  While on some hard bottom, I connected with both red and gag grouper.  The fish were small, but it was good to see them there and eating my Baitbuster.  Brad worked his magic with the MirrOlure again by catching a nice Spanish mackerel.

     Brad had the hot rod for the day, as he hit a second tarpon, getting one great leap from the fish.  It seemed that his Catch 2000 was clicking with the poons.  Back in Terra Ceia, Brad landed a nice speckled trout, measuring about 18-inches on the Catch 2000.  We targeted snook and reds again back inside Terra Ceia, but managed only trout.  We saw several reds and quite a few snook, but never managed to get them to eat.  In all, it was a great day on the water with some good action.

     This week’s new moon should produce some good moving water and tides.  It’s going to be a busy week on the water, and snook fishing should be good.  I’m going to see if the tarpon will cooperate again, so that’s where you’ll find me.  ‘Til then…catch ya later!

Capt. Ray Markham

(941) 723-2655

Poons jumped-- 9, TKL (technical landings—fish to the leader) 3, fish broken off—3, broken rods—1.  We won some and we lost some, but all in all, tarpon have been the headliners for the past week for anglers fishing aboard the Flat Back II.  Excellent numbers of fish are rolling over hard bottom areas in lower Tampa Bay, and anglers are taking advantage of these hungry fish.

     DOA Trolling model Baitbusters have been the bait of choice for anglers aboard my boat.  They have been chewed hard!  Several colors have out-performed the rest.  These colors include nightglow, pearl with black back, pearl with olive back and red throat, silver glitter with black back, silver glitter with green back, and chartreuse with silver glitter.  I’ve been making a couple of modifications to the bait that seem to be making them more effective.  First, I’m adding a Woodie’s Worm Rattle to the baits.  I’m also adding a weight from a half-ounce DOA Shrimp to the underbelly of the baits to get more casting distance and a faster sink rate.  We’re fishing on average, about 6-to 7-feet of water.  These fish we’ve been on roll and then do one of two things…either suspend just below the surface or dive directly to the bottom, moving slowly forward.

     When the fish roll, I watch for a bubble trail.  These fish inevitably leave a trail each time they roll and gulp air.  The trail lets me know if the fish continued to move or are staying in one spot.  I’ll then cast to the direction of the fish’s movement, leading the fish if necessary.  If the fish is moving more quickly, I’ll lead the fish more and give the bait more sink time.  Using a countdown time, like the old one thousand one, one thousand two, etc.  I know the sink rate of the bait and the depth, so I’ll begin the retrieve just before the bait hits bottom.  If the fish is there and wants to eat, it’s a quick hookup and we’re off to the races.

     These same hard bottom spots are holding some quality trout.  Specks up to 19-inches were landed this week on both DOA Shrimp and CAL Shad tails.  One day while fishing with St. Petersburg’s LaDonna Alvarez, I hooked a tarpon estimated at about 100-pounds on a DOA Baitbuster.  In an attempt to get the fish subdued quickly, I broke the rod, but not before getting the fish to the boat for a TKL.  While we’re using light tackle, (Power Pro braided lines testing 20-30 pounds with 50-to 80-pound Ande Backcountry and fluorocarbon leaders and tippets), most times there is plenty of strength in these lines to get the fish to the boat in 20-minutes or so for a good release.

     Jim Goff, of Terra Ceia fished a half-day tarpon trip with me on Sunday.  Just before daybreak, Jim hooked up with an 80-pound tarpon.  The fish jumped 4 times, putting on a fine aerial display on each time.  Jim got the fish to the boat after about a 20-to 30-minute tug-o-war, but the fish won.  This was one of those TKL’s I talked about.  We leadered the fish, but it managed to part company before close-up and personal photos. 

     Jim also managed a second hook-up and a spectacular jump from a tarpon that looked to be about 60-pounds or more.  We also landed several trout and some ladyfish to finish our day.

     I’ll take this ride for as long as it goes.  This has been one of the best tarpon years I can remember for fish in the lower Tampa Bay area.  While the fish “thinned” out somewhat after the full moon, we’re still seeing at least 200-300 fish per half-day and getting anywhere from 20-to 30 good shots at the fish.  Fly anglers are getting fewer opportunities, due to shorter casts, but still there’s some great action to be had, even on half-day poon trips. 

     Snook and reds are getting a rest from me while we’re pursuing tarpon.  Either way, we’re having a blast fishing, and it makes getting up extra early something I can’t wait to do.  ‘Til then…catch ya later!

Capt. Ray Markham

(941) 723-2655

Fishing aboard the Flat Back II out of Terra Ceia Bay has been very good, with a good variety of fish being caught.  Snook, trout, redfish, flounder, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, and tarpon were caught from the Bulkhead to Port Manatee over the past 9 days.

     Beginning early last week, the trout bite was on in lower Tampa Bay.  Capt. Merrily Dunn and I ran a two-boat charter hosting the Canfield’s, of Louisville, Kentucky.  Steve Canfield and his wife own a home on Terra Ceia Island.  Steve’s brother Scott, and their dad hopped on Merrily’s boat and I took Steve and his wife.  We headed for some hard bottom areas in lower Tampa Bay to look for some tarpon, but the poons weren’t showing.  With the tide beginning to move, I decided to head for the Bulkhead.  I noticed Merrily’s boat moving in that direction as well, but stopped along the way.  Just ahead we saw some birds diving on bait, so we stopped to check it out.  Throwing CAL Jigs with shad tails and DOA Shrimp the three of us landed around a dozen or more trout with several nice fish in the slot.  The largest was around 20-22 inches.  The puffers were relentless in that area and our tails were getting bit off with regularity.  A large school of small bluefish moved in chewing everything we threw.  Even the Love’s Lures grub tails were getting chewed to shreds.  This continued for the better part of a couple of hours.  A couple dozen blues were landed in the process.  Moving back into Terra Ceia we picked up flounder to about 20 inches on the CAL Shad tail, rounding out the day.

     A late afternoon trip saw some good action on trout in lower Tampa Bay on deep grassy areas.  The numbers are still down, but the sizes are beginning to show promise. 

     Several nice Spanish mackerel were landed along with some bluefish.  Puffers continued to be a nuisance, chewing about everything we threw.  Between those and the bluefish, we’re going through an average of 40-to 60-tails per half-day trip. 

     Sunday morning, the 9^th, Doug Van Acker of New Tampa and Tim Edwards of Kansas City, Kansas joined me for a 4-hour trip.  Working some hard bottom in lower Tampa Bay, Doug caught a juvenile gag grouper on a CAL Shad.  I chucked a CAL Shad out and a tarpon estimated at about 150-pounds nailed the bait and made a couple of colorful leaps before spitting the bait.  What an impressive display of power! 

     Good numbers of poons milled around in the area giving us a few more shots at them.  This time it was Tim hooking up while throwing a DOA trolling model Baitbuster.  The crazy thing is that this fish never jumped…even once.  While it was only about a 60-pound fish, it fought hard and rarely wasted energy it could use to strip some 200-yards of 20-pound Power Pro off the reel before Tim took control.  A half-hour into the battle, Tim got the fish to the boat.  This was Tim's first tarpon ever!  Congrats on your first, Tim.  Unfortunately, we were never able to get a good picture of the fish.  With the leader to the rod tip, it snapped, setting the fish free.

     After getting our bearings, we headed back to the location of the milling fish using the plotter on my Lowrance.  When a group of fish rolled, I cast the Baitbuster, leading the fish.  Instantly I was hooked up.  This fish was more animated than Tim’s jumping 4 times before I landed it.  It was close to same size as Tim’s fish.  It was a beautiful fish, and swam free to fight another day.  ‘Til then…catch ya later!

Capt. Ray Markham

(941) 723-2655

  The Flat Back II has been running in some different directions lately, but all in the direction of fish.  We’ve been catching snook, trout, redfish, tarpon, flounder, jacks, and ladyfish on this coast, and across the state in Stuart, more very large snook, trout, redfish, snapper, tarpon, and big jacks were landed.

     Jim Goff, of Terra Ceia had his brother-in-law and nephew in town for a brief visit.  On a half-day trip they found lots of fish that were very shy and not looking to feed, but still we managed to entice a number of trout, ladyfish, and snook while fishing just north of the Skyway Bridge in Joe Bay. 

     My friend and outdoor writer/ photographer, Rusty Chinnis of Longboat Key, joined me to look for some tarpon in lower Tampa Bay.  It was a bit breezy and fish were not cooperative.  Rusty threw several fly patterns on a 12 wt. rod with no bites.  I tried tossing a DOA Trolling model Baitbuster on 15-pound spinning gear and had an instant hook-up.  I seemed to have hooked the bottom, but instead, when getting over the spot where I thought I was hung up, the bait moved.  Moments later I was pulling up a near keeper gag grouper in about 10-12 feet of water.  It was a fun morning, but without a tarpon.

     Norman Wells of Exuma in the Bahamas fly-fished with me for two days during some slow tide periods.  Norman was looking to land his first Tampa Bay tarpon.  While having good experience with tarpon in the Bahamas, he said that our fish were much larger.  Where he comes from, a 40-pounder would be a medium to large tarpon.  We set out looking over hard bottom areas for some happy fish.  It turned into a long day, as most fish didn’t show well with the windy weather we had.  He had several shots at rolling fish, but no hook-ups.  I took the opportunity to cast to a wayward fish with 20-pound spinning gear and a DOA Baitbuster and the poon scarfed up my bait and was off like a shot out of a cannon.  After nearly 15 jumps and 15-minutes, the fish was spent and along side the boat ready for pictures and the release.  We estimated the fish’s weight at about 100-pounds.  After several hours of looking for fish again, we decided that they were done and went inside Terra Ceia Bay for some snook, trout, and redfish action, and we did find it.  I managed to pick up all three species, for not only the West Coast Slam, but also an IGFA West Coast Grand Slam with tarpon, snook, and redfish in a single day.

     Day two was different.  We arrived on some hard bottom about 6:45 a.m., and were greeted with dozens of rolling fish that seemed to be chewing on threadfin herring and scaled sardines.  Norm changed flies repeatedly, only to be refused.  We must have seen 300 tarpon over the course of the day, but none took his fly.  He did, however, pick up small grouper and black seabass in the same area.  Back inside Terra Ceia Bay, we fly fished for snook, trout, and ladyfish.  While we weren’t fishing for them, we even managed to pick up a few quality lizardfish.  So, there ya go.  Ya never know what you’re going to catch.

     Friday, the 30^th I left for Stuart to spend some time with my friend, Mark Nichols, owner of DOA Lures.  We worked a couple of days on a prototype lure for a special outing for his guides and a group of outdoor writer’s coming in early the following week. 

     Sunday, I had Jerry McBride, assistant editor for Shallow Water Angler and Florida Sportsman Magazines onboard with his two kids.  We had a ball catching snook, trout, and redfish on DOA Shrimp and CAL Jigs.  Eventually we were chased off the water by a rainstorm.

     Monday, the outdoor writer’s arrived and we were assigned guests aboard each boat.  I had Robin Smilie, of Florida Sportsman Fishing Shows aboard along with Spencer Marchant, rep for Shimano, Power Pro, and a number of other brands.  We started at the St. Lucie Inlet just before sunrise and within the first hour Robin hooked up with a big snook on a DOA Baitbuster.  After a ten minute tussle with the fish, she was boat side for a few pictures and the release.  We managed to catch several more snook there before we went wade fishing on a nearby flat.  I picked up several small snook there in the 25-to 30-inch range.  The tide turned to come in and with the flooding tide, dozens of snook in the 20-to 30 pound range moved up on to the flats.  Unfortunately, only the smaller fish in the 28-to 30-inch range would eat.  Spencer picked up a nice speckled trout weighing about 5-pounds on the DOA Shrimp.

     The following day, contributing editor for Florida Sportsman Magazine, Max Branyon, hopped aboard for a short morning fish.  During the course of the morning we hooked up and lost several snook.  I did land one snook at the “Hole in the Wall”, a spot at the St. Lucie Inlet.  We then moved up the St. Lucie River to the Roosevelt Bridge looking for snook.  Earlier that morning several anglers landed about a half-dozen snook up to 25-pounds there on Baitbusters.  By the time we arrived, the action had hit a lull, so we left to head back for a shallow flat that I had seen big snook on the day before.  When we got there, the tide had started in.  At one point we saw at least a hundred giant snook in the 30-to 40-pound range moving around on the edges of the flats.  Lockjaw was the scenario, but Max did have one big fish hit and spit the Baitbuster he threw.

     It’s great to see a fishery so alive with big fish, and within only a few hours ride from the Tampa Bay area.  I leave there always looking forward to the next time I head over to fish.  ‘Til then…catch ya later!

Capt. Ray Markham

(941) 723-2655

Fishing has been pretty consistent over the past few weeks.  Several grand slams (snook, trout, and redfish) were caught by anglers fishing aboard the Flat Back II.  A mixed bag of snook, trout, redfish grouper, black seabass, flounder, jack crevalle, ladyfish, Spanish mackerel, tarpon, and bluefish headed up the fish roster.

     A father and son duo joined me for a half-day on the last new moon.  Local anglers, Ron and his son Nate worked Joe Bay with me late one morning.  As we silently worked the shoreline with my Minn Kota trolling motor groups of snook and redfish were seen gathering in the potholes along the shoreline off Joe Island.  CAL Jigs with shad tails were the primary baits we threw, and ended up with 8 snook and a red. 

     Deeper water areas we fished in lower Tampa Bay produced some juvenile gag grouper, black seabass, and ladyfish on DOA Shrimp and jigs.  Nearing the end of our trip tides were not as predicted and moving very slowly.  I headed for a small pass where water movement was evident.  There we picked up a number of barely legal and undersized speckled seatrout to complete slams.

     Kim and David Schofield of Ocala fished a 6-hour trip with me.  Vacationing in Pinellas, they were familiar with our area and wanted to see what fishing was like compared to what they had remembered from years past.  While working the front side of Rattlesnake key, we managed only one snook and a small red, but the best sight was my second sighting of a sawfish in a week!  The animal appeared to be the same one spotted a couple of miles away the week prior.  Moving into deeper water in lower Tampa Bay, we picked up a few black sea bass, a couple of flounder, and some small gag grouper.  

     In Terra Ceia Bay, Kim and David also caught speckled trout to 16-inches.  These fish are slowly making a rebound after last year’s red tide outbreak.

     Later that week on a scouting mission, I worked lower Tampa Bay waters over hard bottom with CAL Jigs and DOA TerrorEyz.  Drifting in 14-feet of water I caught and released good numbers of Spanish mackerel to 4-pounds and a few bluefish.  Several tarpon pods were working schools of small threadfin herring there.  Casting a 3/8-ounce rootbeer colored DOA TerrorEyz, I jumped one small fish estimated to be about 60 or 70-pounds.

     Visiting from out-of-state, Tim Kloschowsky joined me for an early 4-hour Memorial Day trip.  Getting on and off the water was important, so our pre-dawn departure was a good thing.  Boat traffic had been horrendous over the weekend, and fish were on edge even at the beginning of our trip when we found the solitude of only a few wading birds.  It looked like a slow day to start, but trout began cooperating, and we did manage to catch and release several decent specks before the end our trip.  Along the way, we also had some quality ladyfish, puffers, and lizardfish to lighten up the morning.  A sole snook found one of our DOA Shrimp and must have felt sorry for us, and took the shrimp for a ride. 

     Tarpon continued to increase in numbers in lower Tampa Bay with better fish showing toward the full moon.  Snook fishing improved, but it was the trips running north that were most productive.  Fishing north of Bishop’s Harbor, good numbers of redfish were found along with reds over the slot.  Berkley Gulp crabs, MirrOlure He Dogs, Nemire Red Ripper Spoons, and CAL Shad tail jigs worked on the reds we found.

     The post full moon period will likely find tarpon thinning out for a few days.  Tropical story Alberto will drop some much needed rain and could stir things up for the week, but once the coast clears, look for fishing to get back on track.  ‘Til then…catch ya later!

Photo Caption: Capt. Ray Markham with redfish caught on a MirrOlure He Dog in lower Tampa Bay.

Capt. Ray Markham

(941) 723-2655

     Anglers fishing aboard the Flat Back II caught snook, trout, bluefish, flounder, Spanish mackerel, and a boatload of ladyfish and assorted other “fun fish” over the past week.  The action took a slow turn for the better when schools of Spanish mackerel, blues, and ladies moved back into the lower Tampa Bay and Terra Ceia area.

     Early in the week, working the hard bottom areas of lower Tampa Bay around bait schools we pulled out the fly rods and managed to pick up several nice Spanish mackerel to 4-pounds, a few bluefish running about 2-pounds apiece, and ladyfish galore.  Small glass minnow imitations worked best, including the Gummi Minnow and Markham’s Mack Daddy Fly.  Early morning trips produced some of the best action on Spanish mackerel.

     Matt and his wife, Donna Shane, of Sarasota fished with me Friday morning on a 6-hour trip.  Working our way out of Miguel Bay, we threw CAL Shads and DOA Shrimp in potholes as the sun rose.  Matt connected with several trout at or above the minimum slot size with a glow DOA Shrimp.  Running south, we headed for the bulkhead.  We saw several rolling tarpon working bait schools on some of the hard bottom areas.  They looked to be small fish under 100-pounds.

     When we arrived at the bulkhead, I scanned the area hoping to find some schooling redfish that were reported to be working the area along the bar.  We saw none, but we did manage to pick up a couple of decent trout and had some ladyfish action.  We did not see any birds working, but there was a considerable amount of bait there.  After spending some time fishing the edges of the bar, we moved up into the Manatee River where we saw several schools of snook.  We could not get any to eat, but the ultra-clear water conditions could have accounted for the lack of action on these cagey fish.  The schools of trout that we found were not so apprehensive and would eat our CAL Shads and DOA Shrimp.  We caught about a dozen trout there up to 17-inches.

     Some of the sandy holes along the bank of the river produced flounder to about 15-inches on the shad tails that we dragged along the bottom.  We took two legal flounder for the box there.

     Heading into Terra Ceia Bay, we worked several areas looking for redfish, but very few were spotted and none would take our presentations.  As the tide rose we began working the edges of the mangroves where Matt caught his first snook.  In all, we managed to find about a half-dozen linesiders that were receptive to our offerings.  At the back of a depression, I tossed a MirrOlure Top Dog.  A couple of twitches later a large fish exploded on the bait.  I thought I was hooked up with a big snook, but about 15-seconds into the fight, I felt the telltale bump, bump, bump of a lesser desired species.  It was a sail cat weighing nearly 4 and a half pounds.  Disappointing to some, but an exciting blast on topwater anyway.  A bonus on our trip was the sighting of a large manatee and her calf feeding on the grass beds along a deeper shoreline in Terra Ceia Bay.

     Adam Stromiger of Tampa, and Dennis Santos from Zephyrhills joined me early Sunday morning for a half-day.  We started out working Terra Ceia with CAL Shads and Rapala Skitterwalk topwater baits.  Dennis connected first with a nice 18-inch speckled trout on the shad.  The topwater baits did not produce.  Early on, a large bull shark swam by our boat for a little excitement while drifting along the flats in 3-feet of water.

     Moving to hard bottom areas of lower Tampa Bay we got a number of hard strikes and break-offs, but no fish.  The Spanish mackerel and bluefish in the area were likely the culprits in our break-offs.  We noted a few rolling tarpon in the area as we moved south.  Near Anna Maria sound we found flocking birds diving on bait schools.  Fish breaking the surface were a sight to behold.  Spanish mackerel and loads of ladyfish were flashing as they ran through the schools of threadfin herring and glass minnows.  Ballyhoo, scaled sardines, and cigar minnows were also in the area.  We were broken off several times.  Dennis hooked up with a very large mackerel that might have gone 5-pounds or better but the hook pulled before we could get it to the net.  We did manage to boat one nice mack about 24-inches long.  Ladyfish galore put on the aerial act for us that was a blast.

     Working our way inside the river, we hooked up with a dozen or two trout with several in the slot.  We saw a school of 7-to 10-pound jacks that were on a mission, moving quickly along the docks foraging for something, but they never slowed down long enough to get a cast off to them. 

     Terra Ceia Bay was our final destination, where Adam caught his first-ever snook, a nice 25-inch linesider that was staged up on an ambush point.  Adam picked up his fish on a nightglow CAL Shad with a quarter-ounce chartreuse Cal jig head.

     Again, we were treated to the sight of another large manatee while in Terra Ceia Bay.  The mammal came right up to the back of the boat where it surfaced, as if to say, “hi”. 

     As we move toward this Saturday’s full moon, I look for stronger tides to produce better catch-and-release snook action, and put a few more tarpon in the bay.  ‘Til then…catch ya later!

Capt. Ray Markham

(941) 723-2655