Fishing Report
From Capt Terry Frankford
www.charterfishingsarasota.com
Email - terry.frankford@verizon.net

Fishing Report 07/01/2007 â?� Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin have been catching several species including Trout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Mackerel, and Bluefish. We have been really burning the shrimp because there are pinfish everywhere â?� seems it takes ten shrimp just to catch a targeted species. Sounds like a good time to use lures, shiners, or cut bait.
Here are a few fish stories from the Reelin & Chillin during the last couple of weeks.
Doran Stark with sons Aaron and Austin enjoyed a morning charter with a nice breeze, this time of year it was very much welcomed. We did the usual aboard the Reelin & Chillin going from spot to spot looking for some hungry fish. We started out a little slow with again the pin fish, snapper, and small sheepshead just tearing into our shrimp, however we hung in there and managed to have a pretty good day. We ended up with three nice reds to the boat all in the slot limit. We were fishing structure and close to it - we really had to stay on top of these fish because if you didn't get them out from the structure quickly they would pull you into it and a bare line with no terminal tackle was all you would bring in.
Jim Mee, son Kyle, Jimmy Wren, and Mark Jank all went out for a full day of fishing with the last part of the day being a fun cruise with the ladies aboard. As far as the fishing it was mostly a day of feeding the small fish - we just couldn't seem to find any decent sized fish. Lots of small pinfish and sheepshead kept steeling bait, a few ladyfish tightened our lines for some fun jumping action. Mark saved the day just at the end with a nice redfish caught off of structure in Sarasota Bay. We didn't break any records but all anglers had a good time including Kyle who for being such a young angler was a fantastic caster and his attention never wavered for the entire eight hour trip.
Dave Ries with wife Valerie, and daughters Amanda and Michelle had a fun trip Friday morning - it was actually cool out making for a great trip. The day started out with again lots of small fish biting in between the larger ones. Michelle broke the ice with a nice in slot redfish then Valerie picked up a second one. Amanda hooked a couple reds but they won the battle, however she did slay the mangrove snapper catching several. Last but not least we have to give Dave the most credit catching I believe the smallest redfish I have ever seen on a hook, anybody can catch a big hungry red but when the bait is not much smaller than the fish it takes a skilled angler to snag the fish - nice catch Dave.
  Bait used on these trips was live shrimp, and the Billy Bay Halo artificial shrimp.  I used a number four  MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species â?� when using shrimp I would free line or sometimes use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area.  At times when there was grass and or rough vegetation on the bottom I would use a Billy Bay Aggravator popping cork to keep the bait from getting hung up or just to make it look natural drifting with the current. A twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com  terry.frankford@verizon.net

Fishing Report 05/30/2007 â?� Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reeling & Chillin have been catching several species including Trout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Mackerel and more. We have had to move around for the most part to find the fish but with persistence we would always find action somewhere. I found that I can still catch Sheepshead by just looking â?� I cruise the docks until I see a few around the piles and then fish it â?� if I don't see any I just keep cruising. Redfish seem to be hanging in just a little deeper holes where the water is moving fast.
Here are a few fish stories from the Reelin & Chillin during the last couple of weeks.
Chad with father Bob, and Uncle Rick had a fantastic late afternoon trip. First we went to a location where I had been picking up some decent size reds but after an half hour of just getting robbed by pin fish we decided to hit some structure in Sarasota Bay. This one particular dock that I have had some good luck on hit pay dirt for these anglers. It was non-stop action for a good three hours with Redfish, Sheepshead, Jacks, to mention a few of the species caught. The secret to this location is lots of pilings with a swift moving current.
On a morning trip with Steve and Becky we headed out with two goals in mind. To catch dinner and to see manatees. Fishing on structure I was hoping to pick up some Sheepshead for dinner or maybe a Redfish. I had just casted Becky's shrimp to a hole where I picked up some reds lately when here comes a manatee. She handed me her rod to get the camera - snapped a shot when I felt a tug on her line. I quickly took her camera and handed her the rod so she could reel in dinner â?� a nice nineteen inch Redfish. We then moved to another location where Steve started catching Reds and three manatees showed up and put a show on for Becky. Keeping two of the five Redfish caught for dinner and taking home plenty of manatee picks made for a great trip out for these two anglers.
  Christen, Nate, and Michelle all went out for a catch and release day â?� things started out a little slow so we headed north around Buttonwood outer flats and just across the bay where there is a deep water flat. We caught Trout, Bluefish, Mackerel, Needle fish to name a few of the species. Lot's of action and lot's of bait â?� we went through twelve dozen shrimp â?� picked up another four dozen and burnt them up just at the end of their day.
The next day I took Jay out with his girlfriend Dedra, son Maddux, and daughter Lillian. I decided to just head north to see if we could get into some of the same action I had the day before and sure enough the fish turned on. With the major feed being just after nine a.m. we went through eight dozen shrimp before we new it â?� went back to Hart's Landing picked up another four dozen and went through them. Tied on a few Billy Bay Halo shrimp with the Aggravator cork and continued to catch a few more fish. The feed slowed down so we took a quick tour of the area ending a great day for this group of anglers. 
  Bait used on these trips was live shrimp, and the Billy Bay Halo artificial shrimp.  I used a number four  MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species â?� when using shrimp I would free line or sometimes use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area.  At times when there was grass and or rough vegetation on the bottom I would use a Billy Bay Aggravator popping cork to keep the bait from getting hung up or just to make it look natural drifting with the current. A twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com  terry.frankford@verizon.net

Fishing Report 05/10/2007 â?� Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reeling & Chillin have been catching several species including Mackerel, Trout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Pompano, plenty of Ladyfish and more. Up and down days on the bay, but never shut out. Slow days still produced several species in the slot with a couple of days providing non-stop action for anglers.
Here are a few fish stories from the Reelin & Chillin during the last couple of weeks.
On a trip with five anglers Steve, Vic, Nick, Monte, and Scott we had a slow day, the bite was just not on. We did manage to pick up a few Trout and four Sheepshead in the slot, just enough to provide fish for dinner as long as the menu included turf, i.e. â??surf & turfâ?� for dinner.
My good friend Karen brought her boyfriend and two of his friends out for a fun day on the bay. We fished hard but again the bite was just not there. Several small Sheepshead did tighten our lines â?� the big fish of the day was caught by Joe who tossed a live handpicked shrimp up under a mangrove that was slammed by a twenty-six and half inch Redfish. Not a bad fish when your only using ten pound test line.
Craig Hollingsworth with friends Richard, and Robin had a six hour trip that Craig's wife gave him for Christmas â?� what a wife. We went south because Craig owns his own boat and wanted to test out the areas south of the south Siesta Bridge. We picked up some Jacks, Trout, Catfish, and Ladyfish in a couple of locations near Turtle Beach on the ICW side. Then two nice Redfish in the slot were caught by Richard and Robin around structure near Blackburn Point. Heading back up the the Sarasota Bay area Craig managed to snag a Redfish. All fish were released except for Craig's Pompano that was saved for dinner.
Chad Wiest with dad Bob, and Uncle Rick Rudolph enjoyed a fantastic evening charter. Heading out around five p.m. we went to an area that I have been snagging some nice Redfish. When we didn't hook up I was a little worried that we may be in for a bad night â?� boy was I wrong. Heading to a dock that I had been having luck with Sheepshead I was hoping to get at least a little action â?� to make a long story short we arrived at the location around six fifteen and didn't move for the rest of the night. Non-stop action with Sheepshead, Mackerel, big Jack Crevalle, and close to ten Redfish. Safe to say I had three very happy anglers and a few fish to clean. 
Brad Johns with his uncle Larry  had a steady afternoon charter catching several species. Brad started out with a nice Redfish caught off a mangrove island using a live spanish sardine and later in the trip Larry picked up a nice Trout. In between the slot size dinner fish several Sheepshead and Jacks tightened our lines and Brad snagged a big Jack Crevalle that ran him around the boat before he could settle it down for a photo.
Bait used on these trips was live shrimp and spanish sardines,  I used a number four  MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species â?� when using shrimp I would free line or sometimes use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area. Same setup with the spanish sardine except I would never use a split shot. At times when there was grass and or rough vegetation on the bottom I would use a Billy Bay Aggravator popping cork to keep the bait from getting hung up or just to make it look natural drifting with the current. A twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot.An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action. Spanish Sardines/White Bait was caught in New Pass east of the bridge at the very east side of the flats - just look for diving pelicans. I used a 3/8 inch mesh Betts Super Pro Cast net and was able to fill the bait well in no time with some nice size baits. 

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com  terry.frankford@verizon.net  

Fishing Report 04/23/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin have been doing fair this week, redfish, sheepshead, mackerel, permit, and trout have tightened lines to name a few of the species caught. Several days the wind really prevented mobility and anchoring direction which limited the spots I fish in, however we did managed most of the time to pick up some nice fish and good action.
Here are a few fish stories from the Reelin & Chillin during the last couple of weeks.
  Roy Swan and crew - Justin, Chad, and Roy Jr. caught sheepshead and redfish. We used live shrimp casting around structure in Robert's Bay and around the Radio Tower flats. A few ladyfish tightened lines for some great acrobatic action on light tackle.
Terri and Jake Whiting made a great Mother and Son team. Jake really hit on the trout in white spots on the grass flats in little Sarasota Bay. He picked up several with three being in the slot to seventeen inches. Both angler's caught and released trout and ladyfish for some great action. Also, they enjoyed a dolphin feeding frenzy on the flats – dolphin racing in about a foot and a half of water after a school of mullet was a real treat especially because they stayed out of our fishing hole that was kicking with ladyfish and trout.
Bob Batchik and family, Mary, Molly, Christen, and Jim enjoyed some great action. Bob an experienced fly fisherman picked up a Spanish Mackerel and of all things a Lizard fish on the fly. Jim nailed a huge Sheepshead that had to be close to six pounds. In the afternoon the ladies went out and did really great with sheepshead, trout, and permit. Molly enjoyed fishing from the tower landing trout and Christen caught the grand prize, a nice permit on only ten pound test.  
I used live hand-picked shrimp on these trips, Bob used several flies of his own. I used a number four MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species - free lining a handpicked shrimp or sometimes I would use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area. A twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action. 

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com  terry.frankford@verizon.net 

Fishing Report04/08/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reeling & Chillin have been doing fantastic to fair depending on the fronts moving in during the last couple of weeks. Some days when the fronts came and the fishing slowed we had to work for our catch, however we still managed to land some nice fish including snook, redfish, trout, pompano, and sheepshead inshore. When the weather cooperated the near shore reefs were targeted for King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, and Cobia. Angler's caught plenty of Mackerel both Kings and Spanish, a Cobia at thirty-six inches was also caught at the Silvertooth reef just off Lido Key.
Here are a few fish stories from the Reelin & Chillin during the last couple of weeks.
Peter and Nicole Brozio enjoyed a little of both nearshore and inshore fishing. The mackerel didn't turn on for them, however Nicole picked up two nice sheepshead on a nearshore reef. We then moved to structure in the New Pass area and on the first cast both angler's hooked up – Peter with a three pound bluefish and Nicole with a nice sheepshead. Then both angler's ended up catching several more sheepshead to end the day with great light tackle action.
Ken, Eric, Jacob Paulsen and Jerry Baker tackled some nice trout during an inshore trip bringing several in the slot to the boat. Pompano also showed up for some great action on ten pound test and providing some great eats for dinner.
Bill Meisle with sons Liam, Adam, and Cole enjoyed some great King Mackerel action fishing the M1 reef out of New Pass. All caught King Mackerel from five pounds and up with Cole catching one just over ten pounds. Cole at nine years old had a tussle with his ten plus pound king but he managed to get it on board for a nice photo.
Tom Longwell with son Mark, and Grandson's Alex and Jake had a slow day that ended with a bang. We were fishing the day after a front moved in and things started out slow. Alex managed a sheepshead to around four pounds and Jake picked up a trout just at fifteen inches that was to close to keep. We tried several spots with no luck just pin fish dinning on our hand-picked shrimp. At the end of the trip dad told the boys “one more cast guys then we need to wrap it up” both Alex and Jake hooked up with redfish and both fish were in the slot. A great ending to a slow day for the Longwell crew. 
When targeting the Kingfish I used a Rapala CD-11 Mag lure tied to a twelve inch steel leader with a swivel, then a three foot piece of fifty pound mono leader went to the thirty pound test line to the reel. A Shimano Spheros 8000FA reel on a St. Croix eight foot tidemaster rod, extra heavy-extra fast was used to handle these smokers. Live bait used on the inshore trips was hand-picked shrimp,  I used a number four or two  MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species - free lining a handpicked shrimp or sometimes I would use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area. A twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action. 

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com  terry.frankford@verizon.net    

Fishing Report 03/23/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin have been catching several species including Trout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Pompano, and  Ladyfish. Also the first in-slot snook for the Reelin & Chillin was caught this year by ten year old angler Keegan Flynn, a nice twenty-eight incher. And the neat thing is he caught it using my “kids gear” an Okuma Equinox EQ-30 combo rod & reel spooled with eight pound test – a twenty pound fluorocarbon leader with a number four Owner MUTU circle hook – a live hand-picked shrimp was used for bait.
Here are a few fish stories from the Reelin & Chillin during the last couple of weeks – I can't include all trips because this is the busy time of year and my report would be to long.  I apologize to my clients who's trip didn't make the report.
Todd, Judy, Alexander, Mitchell Ostrow and Larry Isaacson had a great trip in Sarasota Bay with trout, pompano, and ladyfish providing fantastic action. These folks needed eight fish for dinner and planned to release all other fish. We started out catching one trout after the other and had seven in the live well - then we caught a pompano. I explained the great taste of the pompano so the crew decided to replace trout with pompano if we caught more pompano. To make a long story short we ended up with seven pompano and two trout left in the live well at the end of the day. I would guess we caught and released over twenty trout.
Mike, Jacob, Henry Perez, Seth Hurwitz, and Jerry Gordon had a busy day with mackerel and trout. You would have thought we were fishing at a stocked pond the way the mackerel were on. All angler's had great luck with light tackle providing plenty of fast and fun action. Seth at one point must have had a rabbit's foot hidden in his pocket because he was catching fish left and right including some nice size trout.
David, and Ryan Abbott, with friend Bob Hoonhout had some steady action with mackerel and pompano. Lady fish also provided some great action for catch and release. We found some pompano in the north Sarasota Bay area just outside Buttonwood Harbor and mackerel in Central Sarasota Bay near the Twin Bridges.
  Jennifer Care had a fantastic day with mackerel, pompano, and trout. Well only one trout but it was her first. She tore up the mackerel catching over ten and I was fishing along with her and picked up a couple pompano. I'm not sure but I bet she broke in her new grill with a big fish feast.
The Walker's Cliff, Denise, Eric and Confetti along with Debbie and Lexus Nixon had a great day with plenty of mackerel, trout, and ladyfish action. Cliff and Eric were the fisherman of the bunch and caught plenty of nice fish providing dinner for all. The gals also pitched in and did their share also catching several species having a great time.
The Flynn family Brian, Lesley, Keegan (10), Manon (7), and Devlan (5), had a bit of a chilly afternoon charter but boy did it pay off. All the kids caught and released mackerel and ladyfish and Keegan for a ten year old young angler did a fantastic job catching a twenty-eight inch snook on only eight pound test – see above comments at beginning of the report. 
Bait used on these trips was live shrimp,  I used a number four  MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species - free lining a handpicked shrimp or sometimes I would use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area. A twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot. When fishing for mackerel I would use a 1/0 long shanked hook and thirty-pound fluorocarbon leader to avoid their teeth. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com  terry.frankford@verizon.net  

Fishing Report 03/04/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reeling & Chillin have been catching several species including Trout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Pompano, plenty of Ladyfish and more. Seeing and hearing about Trout in the Sarasota area is a great thing – after the past severe red tides we haven't seen trout for quite some time and they seem to be coming back. The up and down weather has affected fishing, however it has been pretty steady considering the time of year. The water temp has been in the high sixties for several weeks but I did see seventy-two degrees in one area this week – come on snook...
Here are a few fish stories from the Reelin & Chillin during the last couple of weeks.
David Stewart & Jeff Brown Caught over a dozen Sheepshead with a couple tipping the scales at six pounds. Also, several Reds were caught and released.
Joe Went out for a morning trip and even though it was a little cold we still managed to get the bite on. Joe managed to bring home dinner and have some great catch and release action with Sheepshead, bluefish, trout, Redfish, and Ladyfish tightening his line.
Callen Cooper, Dick with wife Nancy Hawkins, and Peter Ladd all had great action with Trout, Pompano and Ladyfish. Eight trout and three Pompano were caught that made the slot limit. These angler's had a great afternoon with catch and release action and taking home a few for dinner
Kelly Schappacher, Herb Stalh, Scott Clark, Brandon and Sarah Strock had a slow start but by the end of the trip managed to come up with some nice fish. Kelly caught three Redfish and a Pompano in the slot,  Brandon landed a nice Sheepshead.
Dick and Felcia Valus with Grandson's Trevor and Ken Seferi started out in a dense fog with little action the first part of the day. We spent the morning part of the charter getting robbed of eight dozen shrimp and with only one Sheepshead in the live well we headed back to Hart's Landing to buy more shrimp. With another four dozen shrimp I went to a Sheepshead spot hoping to get the bite on. It paid off by the end of the four dozen shrimp we then had five nice Sheephead in the live well and released a few nice ones also. Then it was back to Hart's Landing for more shrimp. Now armed with another six dozen we went searching for Trout and Pompano. We didn't managed to find a Pompano, however Trevor caught a nice seventeen inch Trout, and Grandma Felcia caught a beautiful twenty-two inch trout. The rest of the shrimp were burnt up by some hungry Ladyfish that made for great action. 
Bait used on these trips was live shrimp,  I used a number four  MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species - free lining a handpicked shrimp or sometimes I would use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area. A thirty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot. At times when there was grass and or rough vegetation on the bottom I would use a D.O.A. Deadly combo popping cork to keep the bait from getting hung up or just to make it look natural drifting with the current. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action. On one charter Trevor Seferi stuck with my ultra light tackle an Okuma Guide Select six foot six inch medium light rod and an Okuma AL-15 reel spooled with six pound test line. Trevor caught Sheepshead, Trout, and Ladyfish with this outfit and had a ball.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com  terry.frankford@verizon.net    

Fishing Report 01/22/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin caught a variety of salt water species with pompano, redfish, sheepshead, and mackerel topping the list. Also, ladyfish and small blues tightened lines for some great light tackle action.
Here are a few fish stories from this weeks trips:
It was a slow day for Evy & Chris Silcox, a front just moved in and the temperature dropping must have had the fish turned off. A big surprise this time of year was Evy catching and releasing a nice snook around twenty-four inches – kind of rare when the water temp is in the low sixty's.
An afternoon charter on the same day seemed to prove that the warmer part of the day did waken up some hungry fish. The Leiby's with Grandpa Wayne, Grandma Liz, Mom & Dad Amy & Bill, along with the two little angler's four year old Brooke and six year old Chloe all had some great action. It only took four hours to use up eight dozen shrimp with ladyfish, bluefish, and trout being the main fish of the day.
Mike Gauthier and Nickole Bilinski of New York found some “off the beach” action with Nickole nailing a couple nice mackerel and a few little blues. Then we came inside to a dock or two and Mike caught a nice sheepshead then Nickole picked up one also.
Marcene and Justin Coburn (Mom & Son) had a great afternoon fishing together – it was great seeing this combination on the water for a days fishing. It's normally father and son so this was a real neat treat. Starting out Mom was catching ladyfish and small blues that were being drawn into Justin who was testing some of his home made flies. He didn't hook up but did have some blues follow his fly to the boat. This may not seem like a big deal to the average fisherman but when you can get a fish to hit at a fly you've made it's a great feeling. We then decided to head for some structure where both angler's caught and released up to ten redfish with a couple double hookups, great fast action on light spinning tackle. A couple keepers were taken home for dinner and the rest left for another day.
Doug Yeager and friends Mark Curran, and Jim Sadler had steady action catching several species. Starting out with a bang these angler's picked up several redfish each - maybe twenty all together, and then we found sheepshead and ladyfish for some great light tackle action along with a little dinner.
Matt Collings and crew – well all I have to say is “What a Day” – wife Keely, Mike & Deb (Dad & Mom), Jeff & Tina (Uncle & Aunt) had a great day on Sarasota Bay. Matt, Keely, Mike, and Tina were the angler's on this trip. All caught several species including redfish, sheepshead, and pompano to name a few. Pompano was the “catch of the day” with all other species released. All together they were able to bring home five pompano - great table fare for dinner.
Mike Wayne with Dad also had some steady action on a morning charter this week. Starting out Dad seemed to have the rabbits foot catching several ladies for some great action. Then Mike decided to join in on the action with a couple big sheepshead to around four pounds. Both angler's had a good day of catching with a few sheepshead to take home for dinner.
Jeff Zerby with wife Denise, son Nick and Nick's girlfriend Amanda Viti enjoyed a great day of fishing on Sarasota Bay. Catch of the day was sheepshead and redfish for the table with blues and ladyfish providing great light tackle action. All caught lots of fish, however if I were Amanda I would have bought a lottery ticket because she seemed to have a tight line all day long. Denise had the big lady of the day a drag screaming three  plus pounder and Jeff had the big fish of the day with a nice sheepshead tipping the scales at four or five pounds.     

  Bait used on these trips was live shrimp,  I used a number four  MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species - free lining a handpicked shrimp or sometimes I would use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area. A twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot. At times when there was grass and or rough vegetation on the bottom I would use a D.O.A. Deadly combo popping cork to keep the bait from getting hung up. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action.


Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com  terry.frankford@verizon.net    

Fishing Report 01/12/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin caught a variety of salt water species this week with big reds being the fish of the week. Anglers have been catching and releasing more red drum over the twenty-seven inch limit than catching ones within the slot of nineteen to twenty-seven inches. Several of the reds tipped the scales at ten pounds making for fantastic action when using ten pound test line. Trout are starting to show up here and there, that is a great thing because the red tide really hit them hard last year. Anglers caught several trout under the size limit along with a few keepers  to twenty-one inches. Several other species including sheepshead and pompano have also tightened a line for some great action.
Here are a few fish stories from this weeks trips:
  Terry Schonhoff, daughter Jana, and friend David Wood caught so many different species that I kept track – they were trout, puffer, lady, jack, flounder, sheepshead, toad, and redfish. Redfish was the fish of the day as well as this week for Reelin & Chillin customers. Jana caught three nice reds between twenty-four and thirty inches and David landed a huge thirty-one inch red.
Dan and Pat Szucs treated their nephew Brian Gibson to an afternoon trip. It started out a little slow with Pat being the angler in the spot light. First she caught and released a nice Jack Crevalle - a good six pounds this fish gave her a great fight on light tackle. Then she picked up a few more fish including a couple sheepshead. We ended up hitting pay dirt in the last hour of the trip getting into some nice reds. Dan picked up a nice twenty-six inch red and then Pat with a twenty-three inch red. It wasn't looking to good for Brian he caught an undersized red and we had only two dead shrimp left in the live-well. One last cast with a dead shrimp – not the best set up to get onto a nice fish, but hey you never know. Seconds after Brian's cast BAM the drag started screaming – a few minutes later we where taking photos of a big twenty-eight inch redfish that weighed over ten pounds – never give up.
Dan and Meg Athearn went out for a morning trip and pounded some big reds. Both anglers caught and released redfish up to thirty inches weighing over ten pounds. Also, a couple of sheepshead tightened their lines. It was great action on a half day trip with a nice fish dinner to boot.
Bob Hughs with son Rob headed out on an afternoon charter looking for some of the big reds that had been hanging around in Sarasota Bay. Things started out good on this trip but slowed down as the evening approached. First stop both anglers picked up redfish over the slot – Bob with a big thirty-two inch red and shortly there after Rob with a thirty-one inch red. Then nothing, so we moved off to another spot. We managed to pick up a few sheepshead for dinner before the end of the trip.
The next two days I had morning charters with a local fishing club out of Bradenton and all anglers caught and released over sized redfish along with a few in the slot for dinner including some nice sheepshead. First trip was with anglers Pat, Bill, Terry, and Judy. Second trip was with Don, Frank, Peggy, and Jerry. All of these angler had a great time catching and releasing some nice reds along with taking a little home for dinner. 
 

Bait used on these trips was live shrimp,  I used a number four  MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species - free lining a handpicked shrimp or sometimes I would use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area. A thirty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot. At times when there was grass and or rough vegetation on the bottom I would use a D.O.A. Deadly combo popping cork to keep the bait from getting hung up. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action.


Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com  terry.frankford@verizon.net   

Fishing Report 12/31/2006 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin caught a variety of salt water species this week including mangrove snapper, black drum, redfish, sheepshead, trout, flounder, key west grunts, and ladyfish. Again due to the up and down weather conditions this time of year I had a couple slow days or days that had slow periods but then turned productive. I also had a few days where the fish were on and we were catching not fishing.
Here are a few fish stories from this weeks trips:
Brian Fife, son Erian, friends Jeff Warren and David Pedersen went on an evening trip and had a steady catch. Trout, mangrove snapper and a couple black drum provided some good light tackle action. David caught the big fish of the evening with a black drum that went around five pounds.
On a day for fun with my grand daughter Makaela and her best friend Kaci Johnson we  had plenty of sheepshead action. Kaci caught her first fish ever a sheepshead, then she caught several more and a big ladyfish. Makaela caught several sheepshead and also the biggest tipping the scales at four pounds.
Gary Gilbert took his son Ryan and daughter in law Lisa out for a trip. We had a slow start with Ryan catching a snook and all a few small reds. Just at the last hour we ran into some sheepshead and the crew was able to take home five or six for dinner.
C.J. Phillips brought his grandson Jamie, son Jim, and daughter Catherine out for a trip that started out with something big on the line. Jamie and dad Jim traded out the rod several times before this fish won the battle and broke off. We were just outside New Pass and casting into a large school of bait, this may have been a big kingfish but it's a hard call. Later after hunting all over Sarasota Bay we ran into some great ladyfish and bluefish action all having a great time catching these fish on light tackle. We ended the day with Jamie catching a big five pound sheepshead and a nice pompano.
Joe Grasso wife Janice and son Kevin had a very slow evening charter. We caught only two fish on a four hour trip. Janice caught a small snapper, however she did have a great tussle with a twenty-four inch snook. These kind of trips are rare but they do happen, sometimes things just shut down and there is nothing you can do.
Bob Peterson treated his family to a trip for Christmas. Phill, Beth, Phill Jr., and Marinna all had good action from bluefish that were hanging around Big Pass. It was a contest with these folks and they kept tract of there catch. Phill Sr. took the win with twelve blues to the boat, Phill Jr. came in with eleven, Grandpa Bob with ten. The gals were not as competitive, however both landed several bluefish enjoying some good action.
Roy Sledjeski, and son Derick did an near-shore trip heading out to M5 then over to Cuda Hole. We were able to have some great catch and release action from some small grouper that thought they were big guys. We also picked up dinner with flounder, key west grunts, and snapper on the menu.
Mike Hansley and friend Ryan Powers enjoyed lots of action on a full day trip. We started out finding an area holding mostly trout and caught several with sixteen inches being about the largest. Also, a couple of redfish and a pompano were caught. We then moved to another spot in Sarasota Bay and ran into several large ladyfish a bluefish and pompano. By the end of the trip Ryan was ready for a snooze but had to stay awake long enough to enjoy the six pompano he and Mike brought home for dinner. 
Live bait used on both the in-shore and near-shore trips was hand-picked shrimp,  I used a number four MUTU Owner Circle hook in-shore and 1/0 near-shore. I would free line a handpicked shrimp or sometimes use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area if necessary. A twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action.
Near-shore I would put a half ounce sinker on the line then a swivel with a forty pound test leader about two feet long tided to a 1/0 hook. As the current picked up I adjusted the weight accordingly to compensate keeping the line directly below the boat. A Shimano Spheros 8000FA reel on a St. Croix eight foot tidemaster rod was used on the trips near-shore. 


Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com  terry.frankford@verizon.net

Fishing Report 12/17/2006 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin caught plenty of fish with a wide variety of species including King Mackerel, snook, redfish, sheepshead, black drum, and bluefish.
Here are a few fish stories from this weeks trips:
Wilber Smith, Dave Mathias, and Pete Abbott all enjoyed fast paced action from some hungry Kingfish. Fishing one of the near-shore reefs off of Sarasota we slow-trolled Rapala CD-11 Mags and couldn't keep the Kings off our lines. We even tried to bottom fish for a change, however we couldn't get the bait to the bottom before the Kings slammed it. Also, Bonito would hit every now and then giving the anglers some fantastic catch and release action.
Liisa and Rex Temple on an inshore adventure had slow but steady action. We fished hard catching several species. Rex picked up a nice twenty-two inch Redfish for the grill. The exciting point was when both anglers hooked up on bluefish at the same time. These blues were in the three pound range that made for great light tackle action.
On an evening charter looking for snook Dave Mathias, Wilber and Marcie Smith headed out around seven P.M. All looked good as far as tide and moon, however a front moved in right in the middle of the trip. Around nine P.M. the temperature dropped about ten degrees and out came the jackets. We had a slow night, only two snook under the slot, what made the trip was in the last half hour we landed two redfish in the slot. Marcie caught more than one and put a nice twenty-two inch red in the live well.
Greg Carlson, David Denton, and Doug Castellano had plenty of action on a six hour day in Sarasota Bay. We must have caught over a dozen small redfish along with black drum, ladyfish, mangrove snapper, snook, grouper and jack crevalle. The hard part was getting a fish in the slot. Lots of action, however by the end of the day we only had two sheepshead in the live well. Greg did get a nice sheepshead tipping the scales at three pounds.
When targeting the Kingfish I used a Rapala CD-11 Mag lure tied to a twelve inch steel leader with a swivel, then a three foot piece of fifty pound mono leader went to the thirty pound test line to the reel. A Shimano Spheros 8000FA reel on a St. Croix eight foot tidemaster rod, extra heavy-extra fast was used to handle these smokers. Live bait used on the inshore trips was hand-picked shrimp,  I used a number four or two  MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species - free lining a handpicked shrimp or sometimes I would use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area. A twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action. 


Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com  terry.frankford@verizon.net  

Fishing Report 11/28/2006 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin had to work for their catch at the beginning of the Thanks Giving holiday, but things did start picking up towards the end. The cold weather along with thirty knot winds for a couple days prior to Thanks Giving day didn't help with the bite. Fishing started to heat up after the weather cooperated. Anglers managed to catch many species including snook, redfish, black drum, pompano and sheepshead to name a few.
Here are a few fish stories from this weeks trips:
Albert Klemptner and son Ryan enjoyed a calm morning and several different species, sheepshead, redfish, puffer fish and ladyfish to name a few. Between the odd looking puffer fish and the sheepsheads teeth it made an interesting day for Albert and Ryan.
Chad and brother Brent Petrick had lots of action on an afternoon charter. First stop was a dock with hard bottom in south Sarasota Bay where we picked up dinner - two sheepshead, one mangrove snapper and one lane snapper along with some left over turkey will make a great dinner for these two anglers. Then we hit a nearby grass flat holding ladyfish in the three pound range – set the drags lite, and had a blast with light tackle action catching and releasing these crazy jumping fish.
Heading out on an afternoon charter with Alex Ross, son Mike and brother Mike we started out a little slow but ended with a bang. First stop we managed to pick up a couple sheepshead and snapper in the slot – moving around to different locations more small snapper and a few small reds were also caught, however no keepers. We ran out of shrimp on these smaller fish so I picked up a couple dozen handpicks at Hart's Landing and headed to another spot nearby to end the day. It payed off – just at the end of the trip Mike (son) caught a nice black drum around six pounds and Uncle Mike caught a twenty-five inch redfish both provided a great fight for these two anglers.
Now it was time for a five year old to have his first boat ride and his first fishing trip. Rusty Feth and dad Rusty went out for a half day of fishing and had plenty of great action. Starting out at the first two spots not much action but the third spot was a charm. Both anglers had some great non-stop action with ladyfish from two to three pounds. Just about the time little Rusty had the hang of catching ladies his drag screamed with a nice pompano then more ladies then another pompano. By the end of the shrimp there were to many ladies released to count, and four nice pompano in the live well for dinner. A great first trip for this now seasoned angler.     
Bait used on these trips was live shrimp,  I used a number four  MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species - free lining a handpicked shrimp or sometimes I would use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area. A thirty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my twelve pound test mono with a surgeons knot. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action. 


Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com  terry.frankford@verizon.net   

Fishing Report 10/22/2006 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Fish caught aboard the Reelin & Chillin this week included redfish, pompano, sheepshead, mangrove snapper and several additional species. I fished in the Sarasota area this week and caught plenty of fish however, it was a challenge to pick up dinner. Finding plenty of reds around structure was no problem – the problem was, maybe one out of ten would be in the slot – the good thing is there was plenty of action. In a couple locations around docks I have seen schools of sheepshead from peewee size to four pounders. They were in schools up to twenty fish and they all had lockjaw. I did catch  sheepshead on trips but these schooled fish wouldn't bite.
There is a hint of red tide here and there, the only place I saw dead fish and red water was on the outside of Buttonwood Harbor. The area was about the size of a football field and there were a few pins and puffers floating.
Here are a few fish stories from this weeks trips:
Phil with father Tony Sypula of Sarasota fished the a.m. major feed and picked up a pompano, sheepshead and a few snapper in the slot. They also had action from several other species but the action really slowed after the feed. It was a good thing we paid attention to the tide and moon charts on this trip, they really worked.
Brad Johns from Atlanta Georgia also fishing on a morning trip caught plenty of fish with redfish, sheepshead, and snapper being in the slot. The wild and crazy action was from a nine pound jack that decided to strip most of the line off Brads Okuma V-30. He did managed to get things under control for a photo and release. We moved to one of my favorite docks looking for reds and we hit pay dirt. With only thirteen shrimp left Brad caught twelve reds. About four were in the slot. I didn't want to use up the shrimp so I tied on a C.A.L. Arkansas-glow jig and caught one, then left the rest for Brad (couldn't help myself). We met his wife and two boys at the ramp, went for a short cruise, and called it a day.
On an afternoon trip with the Fullers from New York Robert, Bob, Tony and Maria all had plenty of great action from many species. Robert picked up a nice sheepshead, Bob  a redfish and snapper, Tony jack, pin, cat and redfish, Maria cleaned up with redfish, jack, pin, grouper and toad fish. They managed to take a few home for dinner but with a large group they may have to include a little turf with there surf.   
Bait used on these trips was live shrimp, some hand-picked for most species and do to the siting of so many sheepshead some regulars.  I used a number four  MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species - free lining a handpick or sometimes I would use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area. When sheepshead were around I would thread a shrimp onto an Arkie jig head (Walmart), pinching the tip of the tail off and threading the shrimp on. I would use a regular size shrimp so when the barb came out it was even with the shrimps legs keeping it out of site. When the schooled reds were hitting hard I would use an C.A.L. Arkansas-glow lure. A thirty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my twelve pound test mono with a surgeons knot. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action. 


Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com  terry.frankford@verizon.net  

Fishing Report 10/15/2006 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Plenty of fish from South Tampa Bay to Little Sarasota Bay. Folks aboard the Reelin & Chillin have caught several species including snook, redfish, trout, grouper, pompano, mackerel, mangrove snapper, jacks and more. With out a doubt the water conditions are improving. The summer rains and hurricane season are reaching their ends making for clear and cooler waters. And the best thing of all is I have seen no red tide and the effects of it in the locations I have been fishing. Great time to get that boat out of the back yard and into the water. Below are a few fish tails enjoyed by folks aboard the Reelin & Chillin this week.
Rick Sayers with father Dick fished with me in Terra Ceia and Miguel Bay catching plenty of fish. We caught several different species including snook, redfish, trout, grouper and mackerel, we couldn't seem to find the big ones only the mackerel were in the slot.
On a half day trip also in Terra Ceia and Miguel Bay Wayne Rogers and friend Dick Krum headed out for a half day trip. It was almost duplicated as the above mention trip, plenty of fish but the big boys were hiding somewhere else. A nineteen inch grouper gave Dick a run for his money however. It fought like an over slot redfish and buried itself into a rock just as it reached the boat. After a ten minute wait it decided to come out of the hole and Dick managed to get him to the boat for a quick photo and release.
It was time to try out Sarasota for a change and it sure paid off for the next two trips. Heading out with the Byju boys Arjun and Aravind with uncle Shibu K.R. We found plenty of action on a late afternoon trip. These boys were keeping track of how many fish they caught and ended up with thirty-three. Just about every inshore species we have to offer were feeding with a few mangrove snapper and a nice black drum being kept for dinner. All other fished were released to fight another day. We would have caught more but we ran out of our six dozen shrimp just at the end of the trip and had to call it a night.
The next night I was getting started just an hour later at five p.m. with Doran Stark and sons Aaron and Austin. I learned my lesson (I thought) and brought eight dozen hand-picked shrimp. Well to make a long story short we ran out of shrimp a half hour before the trip was up. This is a good thing if you think about it, it's much better than heading in with several dozen left over. The action was non-stop everywhere we went with snook, snapper, a pompano, plenty of reds and more. And the best thing a guide can hear is anglers making statements like, my wrist hurts, and my arm is sore, it was great. These anglers kept a nice pompano along with a few snapper for dinner and released the rest to fight another day.
Bait used on these trips was live shrimp – hand-picked when available.  I used a number four  MUTU Owner Circle hook and sometimes a D.O.A. Popping cork to keep the shrimp from burying themselves in shallow grass. A thirty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my twelve pound test mono with a surgeons knot. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action. 


Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com  terry.frankford@verizon.net    

Fishing Report 10/02/2006 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Reds, reds, reds, seems to be plenty around. Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin have been getting on to some slot size as well as several over the twenty-seven inch slot to thirty-three inches. Also, a few inshore slams – snook, redfish, and trout have been enjoyed by anglers.
  On a trip out with David Wright and friends Stu Woods, and Daryl Smith we found plenty of redfish action in Terra Ceia, and Miguel Bays. David started out with a great catch and release battle with a twenty-eight inch red. We then found a spot along the mangroves where we had non-stop action with all anglers catching several reds all in the slot.
Another trip out with John Barrier and his three year old grandson Brandon Barrier we again ran into reds. We also had trout and snook action that provided an inshore slam for both anglers. Brandon who is three and a half years old is the youngest angler to score an inshore slam aboard the Reelin & Chillin. Grandpa may have helped just a little with the big redfish but the trout and snook were all Brandon.
To much redfish action for me not to give it a go. I met friend Martin Knudstrup a long time fisherman in the Bradenton area and we headed out for some early morning action. Martin had been finding some schools of bull reds and after catching bait we headed to his spot. Sorry I can't let you know the area, Martin might make me a part of a reef if I did. We started out seeing a large school of huge reds pushing water close to a flat with tails in the wind. On first cast one picked up my green-back and took off straight away from the boat. There was nothing I could do with this fish, I cupped the reel for a short time and then nothing. My terminal tackle came back to the boat with a straight hook. I then realized why Martin was using a 1/0 hook, I left the number fours I normally use in the tackle box and tied on a 1/0. After that we both started hooking up on thirty-three inch plus reds with around eight or nine getting to the boat for a photo and release.
Bait used on these trips was live shrimp and green-backs both worked well on all species. I used a number four or two MUTU Owner Circle hook for reds around the mangroves and as you know from the above report a 1/0 for the big bull reds. A thirty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my twelve pound test mono with a surgeons knot. At times when the water was one or two feet deep I would use a D.O.A. Cork to prevent the bait from burying itself into the grass. With an Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod we all had great light tackle action.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com  terry.frankford@verizon.net   

Fishing Report 07/24/2006 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin enjoyed catching mackerel, sharks, snapper, bluefish, jack, trout and more. The mackerel is the fish of the month currently - it's not uncommon to catch twenty or more on a half day trip out if you include the small king mackerel mixed in with the spanish mackerel. White bait, silver or gold spoons are the best choice to hook up with mackerel along with the other species mentioned above. Bring plenty of hooks (long/shanked) because you will get cut off by the other fish seeking to still the bait from your hooked fish. Even using steel leaders won't stop a few cut offs because the line whipping through the water picks up a bubble stream – the following mackerel think this is a scrap piece of bait and will bite through you line trying to get a little meal. 
Here are a few highlights from this weeks fishing trips:
Mark Pecora, wife Yolanda, daughter Nicole and son Christopher caught plenty of spanish mackerel at a near-shore reef using white bait and light tackle. Sixteen mackerel were caught and released along with one snapper. The big fish of the day was a jack that went over five pounds that Yolanda landed while fishing the mangroves near Siesta Key.
Brian & son Dan also caught plenty of mackerel on a trip out to one of the near-shore reefs. The excitement of the day was Brian landing a three foot lemon shark on twelve pound test. Screaming drag and a heavy pull straight down made for great light tackle action. Brian caught and released this little fighter after a quick photo.
Several other trips were enjoyed by anglers with the same results mentioned above, so with due respect to the other anglers I won't repeat a like report.
Some folks shy away from mackerel thinking it's a little fishy tasting, however if you prepare it properly it can be great on the table. I like to soak the fillet in water with a cup of vinegar added - for about an hour. Then I marinate the fillet for another hour in Italian dressing. Using a fish basket sprayed with non-stick oil I cook them over a charcoal grill adding a few oak twigs to the coals for flavor. I place the mackerel on the plate skin down and I just slide the meat off the skin with a fork. Do this and you may find yourself enjoying mackerel not only for the great fight, but the table fair also.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802

Fishing Report 05/14/2006 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin enjoyed catching some nice triple tail for the last few weeks along with snook, redfish, ladyfish, bluefish and more.
Here are a few highlights from this weeks fishing trips:
Frank Habic with sons Frank Jr. and Matthew fishing in Sarasota Bay started out with Matthew landing a nineteen inch redfish. We then started to check out crab trap buoys for triple tail. We found several with three being over the minimum of fifteen inches. We used a small number four Owner Circle hook tied to twenty pound test fluorocarbon leader. Casting up current beyond the buoy we let a live shrimp drift to the buoy. Most were hungry this day and without hesitation they would leave the buoy and attack the shrimp.
With the lure of triple tail getting anglers Mike Bay and Rich Sumsel excited we decided to spend their morning charter hunting them. First we headed out to the Gulf of Mexico where there were a few traps still out and we did manage to pick up two under size, still a good fight but they wanted the experience of a big one. I know of a spot in Sarasota Bay that a few nice size ones had been hanging but was reluctant to take just anyone because I didn't want to fish them out. With Mike and Rich being catch and release anglers I took them to the spot. We caught a couple of small ones then Rich had the luck of the day hooking into a nine and a half pound fish. This fish would get to the boat and take off again with the drag screaming, after several trips back and fourth we managed to boat this nice triple tail for a photo.
Roy Sledjeski and son Derek met me at the Warner's Bayou boat ramp in Bradenton to see if we could get some action in Terra Ceia Bay. Things started out a little slow but when the eleven fifteen a.m. major feeding period got closer the fish finally turned on. Over ten snook were caught by both anglers along with a jack and one nice twenty-four inch redfish caught by Roy. We ended the day looking for some trout, the action was a little slow however both anglers did manage to catch and release a few trout. Derick ended the day with a nice eighteen inch flounder caught on a live white bait.  
Anglers aboard the Reelin and Chillin used light tackle twelve pound test on the Okuma reels and seven and a half foot medium St Croix rods.  We always use fluorocarbon leader and mostly number four or two Owner circle hooks. For bait, live hand picked shrimp was used in the Sarasota Bay areas and white bait was used in the Terra Ceia area. It wouldn't hurt when fishing Terra Ceia to have a couple dozen shrimp just in case the reds are playing hard to catch. Sometimes they will not even look at a white bait but will eat a nice hand pick shrimp without a problem.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com  terry.frankford@verizon.net  

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry

Fishing Report 04/18/2006 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin picked up several species the last couple of weeks including snook, redfish, sheepshead, spanish mackerel and king mackerel. If the conditions are right and you can get some calm water try heading near-shore, the bait is all over the place and several pelagic species are enjoying the dinning.
Here are a few highlights from this weeks fishing trips:
Dan Wright with friend Stu Skene from the UK enjoyed some great near-shore action on one of Sarasota's artificial reefs – Silvertooth. Using light tackle they caught over ten sheepshead to six pounds, a black drum, two nice spanish mackerel and Stu had a great catch and release battle with a bonnet head shark.
Dick Thatcher treated his young fishing buddy Jon Klien to a fishing trip in Robert's Bay aiming for Jon to catch his first fish. Jon came through catching several ladyfish one being a whopping three pounds. Dick also caught and released a nice pompano and redfish.
Peter and Luke Nilsson enjoyed the best of both near-shore and inshore for a quick half day charter. Heading near-shore close to the Point Of Rocks off Siesta Beach the each picked up two nice king mackerel – Peters being ten pounds and Luke's just over fifteen. We then headed inshore and caught a few ladyfish on light tackle just for fun. Ending the day Luke caught and released a thirty inch redfish.
The Smith family went out for a days fishing catching plenty of ladyfish for some fast action and Matt  picked up the catch of the day landing a nice twenty-six inch redfish.
Fishing near-shore we still used light tackle twelve pound test on the Okuma reels and seven and a half foot medium St Croix rods.  When targeting sheepshead we used a thirty-pound fluorocarbon leader with a number two Owner circle hook and the bait was live shrimp. When targeting king mackerel and spanish mackerel we tied a thirty-six inch forty-pound fluorocarbon leader then added a twenty-four inch twenty pound test Boone leader to the end. We trolled as slow as the boat would go around pods of bait just off the beach using a three eighths ounce silver spoon. For the reds, snook and lady fish it was the same rig used for sheepshead only a number four Owner circle was used.   

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com  terry.frankford@verizon.net 

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry

Fishing Report 03/26/2006 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin picked up plenty of sheepshead over the last couple of weeks, however they have spawned and many have moved on. There are still sheepies around they are just not schooled up in the large groups like during the spawn. Some big redfish are hanging around structure up to thirty inches have been caught by anglers along with plenty of ladyfish to bend a rod. Snook are around the mangroves in Terra Ceia along with jacks, and trout around the grassy areas. The largest trout caught measured in at twenty-five inches.
Here are a few highlights from this weeks fishing trips:
Carrie Gordert with friend Jim Husted picked up several sheepshead and a nice redfish keeping just enough for dinner. They also enjoyed bent rods and tight lines from ladyfish in little Sarasota Bay.
Dave Mathias with friends Tom and Nancy Smith fished Terra Ciea Bay looking for some snook action. We managed to get twenty to the boat all in the twenty-two to twenty-five inch slot. Dave picked up a big twenty-nine inch jack weighing in at eight pounds. Tom caught the only redfish of the day being just at eighteen inches he released it. Several trout were caught with Nancy catching a whopping twenty-five incher weighing just at five pounds.
Jim Brady and family Sara, Ryan, Fred and Erwin went out on a windy day looking for some action. They found it in a sheltered cove where some big reds decided to cooperate. Sara picked up the first redfish measuring twenty-nine inches a little later she also caught and released a twenty-eight inch red. Ryan also caught two nice reds one being twenty-six inches and the other twenty-seven. Grandpa Erwin caught the big fish of the day measuring thirty inches. This crew also picked up several sheepshead with three being in the legal slot.    
In the Sarasota Bay areas we used live shrimp, regular size for sheepshead and larger hand picks for the redfish. We used a number four Owner circle hook with a number four split shot about eighteen inches up from the hook. A thirty pound fluorocarbon leader twenty-four inches was tied to the twelve pound test coming from the reel.
In Terra Ceia Bay I netted white bait and also brought a few dozen hand picked shrimp. We used a D.O.A. Cork with a thirty inch fluorocarbon leader and a number four Owner circle hook. Both the white bait and the shrimp were effective with the snook and trout. We used seven and a half foot St. Croix medium power Tidemaster rods with Okuma reels.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com terry.frankford@verizon.net


Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry

Fishing Report 03/05/2006 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin enjoyed catching and releasing big redfish up to twenty-nine inches the last couple of weeks. Also, plenty of sheepshead and ladyfish action kept the rods bent and the lines tight. A few trout have been showing up, this is a good thing in Sarasota because the red tide last year really hurt the trout population. Anglers picked up three trout this week from sixteen to eighteen inches. One thing to think about when catching sheepshead for the table this time of year – they are spawning, think about limiting your catch not catching your limit. Even if you release one big sheepshead with a belly full of roe it will help make for a better future.  
Here are a few highlights from this weeks fishing trips:
Marty Adelman, son Max, and friend Colton Rudloff had slow but steady action, normal for this time of year. Colton topped the scale with a six-pound sheepshead and Max caught and released a nice twenty-eight inch redfish that tipped the scales at eight plus pounds.
Dave Mathias and friend Dave DeFratus fished structure near the New Pass area in Sarasota Bay. Working through little bait stealing pinfish and small sheepshead they managed to pick up a couple of big reds. Dave M. caught and released a twenty-eight inch red and Dave D. released a nice twenty-nine incher.
Mark Thayer took a break from the Orlando seen with the kids, and hit the bay for some great light tackle action. He caught and released plenty of ladyfish on light tackle enjoying the acrobatic leaps and drag pulling action these poor mans tarpon offer. Also, his rod was bent by a five pound plus sheepshead to make for a great day relaxing on the bay.
Jim Heisey, his son Ben, and brother Dan picked up some nice reds, sheepshead, bluefish, and trout. Dan caught and released a nice twenty-two inch red and Jim released a nice four pound sheepshead. Ben enjoyed plenty of action with a few different species bending his rod. He picked up a nice little bluefish, a sixteen inch trout, and a whopping twenty-seven plus inch redfish (all released).
Heading out with a boat load of anglers the Whisler family from Long Grove IL had a great time with ladyfish and sheepshead. Bill and Judy, son David, daughter Karen along with Grandma Virginia and Grandpa Robert all caught ladyfish in Little Sarasota Bay. The action was non-stop, even when the dolphins joined us feeding on the ladyfish the action just keep on going. After a fill of ladyfish we headed for structure to see if a sheepshead or two would be interested in some fresh shrimp. With David on one rod and Karen on the other both hooked up on the first cast. Each caught a three pound plus sheepshead. Then Grandma got in on the action with a big sheepie, it was pulling so hard that David had to help Grandma reel this scrappy four pounder in for a photo.       
Anglers used a couple types of terminal tackle setups to catch fish this week. Twelve pound test on the reel with thirty pound test leader was standard. At times we would use a number four split shot sinker with a number two or four Owner Circle hook. This was the setup used to start out. If the bait was being robbed by sheepshead and reds didn't seem to be feeding we changed to a small one eighth ounce jig head with a gold hook. I would pinch off the tail and thread the shrimp on the hook starting at the tail. The hook would come out facing down just behind the head, this would disguise the gold hook making it look like a leg of the shrimp. This is a good method for catching sheepshead, and they are good on the table, but please think about releasing one for our future. 

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com terry.frankford@verizon.net

Fishing Report 02/18/2006 ? Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin enjoyed some good redfish action with a twenty-six and a half incher topping the list. Plenty of sheepshead are around and a few black drum join in on the fun also. Ladyfish are still around making for great light tackle action.
Here are a few highlights from this weeks fishing trips:
Gavin, Rachel and four year old William Jones from Kent, UK enjoyed a half day trip. We started out bending rods on ladyfish, William caught his first fish and for such a little guy he did a really good job reeling it in. Rachel topped the list with a big sheepshead caught on live shrimp around structure in Sarasota Bay. Plenty of ladyfish and sheepshead caught by all anglers made for a great fishing trip.
John with sons Eli and Joseph Martin of Papillion, NE on a six hour trip had steady action all day. We didn't have non-stop action that is not normal for this time of year, however these three anglers kept at it and had plenty of rod bending action. Eli caught the big sheepshead close to the Edwards Islands just south of Siesta Bridge using live shrimp. Joseph ended the day with a nice twenty-four inch redfish caught off a dock near the radio tower flats. It was a lot of work for the seven year old angler to pull such a large fish out from under structure, but he put his back into it and we landed the red for a great photo.
Peter Hackett with friend Ken Bloomenrader of Sarasota started out with a mean low tide and the fish were a little sluggish to start. After the water started moving things picked up but we still had to work for our catch. We were waiting on the Solunar-Lunar major feeding period that was at two pm. At that time we were going to make sure to be on hole that has been holding some big reds. We arrived just after two already having several sheepshead and a couple black drum tighten our lines. It looked a little grim at first just nibbles and bait was stolen by small sheepies. Then Peter flicked a hand picked shrimp way up under the dock and before he could get his bail closed a big red grabbed it and ran. The fish was pulling the boat towards the dock so Peter did all he could, that was walk towards the front of the boat away from the dock. He finally got the fish in the clear and pretty much had it under control. I was somewhat relaxed at this point then Ken hooked up on another big red. It just stayed under the dock with Kens rod bent in two, it was like a tug of was between angler and fish. Then the fish ran out in the clear, teased Ken a little then jetted back under the dock and broke him off. In the meantime Peter was ready for the net and we ended up with a great photo of his twenty-six and a half inch redfish.     
We used live shrimp this week free lining them or using a number four split shot sinker. A thirty pound test mono leader was used along with number four or two owner circle hooks. This time of year with the cold water temperatures and fronts moving in every few days the fish can turn off easily. I make good use of Solunar/Lunar tables and make sure I'm at a favorite spot during the major feeding times. It really works, and a trip to your local tackle shop, or a search on the Internet for the tables in your area, will be well worth the effort.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 02/04/2006 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin picked up several species over the last couple of weeks. Opening day for snook brought one twenty-eight incher and several shorts. Also, sheepshead, black drum, bluefish, ladyfish and a few redfish are bending rods.
Following are details of a couple trips enjoyed by anglers this week:
Randy Coleman, Dave Rakoczy and Cliff Rudd had slow morning action due to the cold weather, however they still had some sheepshead and black drum action. All had some great aerial action from ladyfish also known as poor mans tarpon. Cliff being the ladies man of the day was staying a couple ladies up on the other anglers until a pod of dolphin came in and spooked the school.
Martin Knudstrup of Bradenton and I headed out to find snook on opening day. With only one angler on board I was able to fish also. We both landed several small snook, sheepshead and ladyfish. Martin picked up the only redfish and I managed to land a twenty-eight inch snook. We caught most fish east of the I-75 bridge in the Manatee River however the larger snook was caught west of the bridge around structure. 
We used live shrimp this week free lining them or using a number four split shot sinker. A thirty pound test mono leader was used along with number four owner circle hooks. When fishing for the ladyfish we would keep the live shrimp or D.O.A. artificial shrimp close but not on the bottom, a very slow retrieve. The snook were caught on live select shrimp and fished very slowly moving only enough to keep the shrimp from digging in. I looked for warmer water and what I found in the Manatee River was sixty-two degrees at the mouth, sixty-four at the I-75 bridge, and sixty-seven about a half mile east of the bridge.  

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com
terry.frankford@verizon.net

Fishing Report 01/18/2006 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin picked up several species over the last couple of weeks. Redfish up to twenty-eight inches were the prize catch with black drum, bluefish, and sheepshead bending rods for a great day on the bay.
Following are details of a couple trips enjoyed by anglers this week:
John Carlson from Ketchikan AK and Martin Knudstrup of Bradenton FL pulled some nice fish off of structure in the Sarasota Bay area. Both boated several redfish to twenty-eight inches, also some two to four pound sheepshead and a couple black drum were picked up.
Rick La Rose, daughter Ashley and Uncle Jim Gallo tangled with our winter time fish. Sheepshead, black drum and bluefish were caught around structure. Ashley really came into play catching seven fish in the last forty-five minutes of the days fishing. A great treat for her eighteenth birthday.
Nate Hadgedorn and Dwayne Whybrew started out on a cold windy day, water temp around 60 degrees. A little slow at first however, Dwayne ended the day with a couple huge sheepshead. One  weighing in at four and a half pounds and the other just over six pounds.
We used live shrimp this week free lining them or using a number four split shot sinker. A thirty pound test mono leader was used along with number four owner circle hooks. When targeting sheepshead specifically I used a 2/0 Aberdeen gold hook made by Eagle Claw. I would pinch off the very back of the tail and thread the shrimp onto the hook making sure the eye of the hook was inside the meat and the curved portion of the hook came out under the legs. Regular sized shrimp were used for sheepshead and bluefish, hand pick shrimp were used for reds and black drum.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com
terry.frankford@verizon.net

Fishing Report 01/07/2006 ? Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin enjoyed catching snook, sheepshead, redfish, jack, pompano, black drum and ladyfish. Fishing structure like docks, bridge fenders along with areas holding oysters will get you some great sheepshead action this time of year. Don't buy hand picked shrimp when targeting sheepshead, regulars are fine. Go to a small hook and try to bury it in the shrimp. Set the hook as soon as you feel the bite or you will just send these bait stealer's away with a free meal.
Below are details of a few charters enjoyed aboard the Reelin & Chillin the last couple of weeks.
Ed Massarsky with daughter Katie and son Seth enjoyed plenty of action from lady fish around the Selby Gardens area. Some of these ladies were reaching twenty-four inches giving these two young anglers a great fight. Dad also enjoyed great action, however he   seemed to enjoy watching his kids catch fish more than he did catching them.
Tim Bennett came with his family to enjoy some winter time fishing. The same crew came last April and enjoyed catch and release action with some redfish to big to keep. Grandma Alice stealed the show this trip landing a nice twenty-six inch snook. She was using a live shrimp under a D.O.A. Deadly combo cork. All had fantastic action catching close to seventy ladyfish.
Roy and Derek Sledjeski headed out for an afternoon charter. Things started out a little slow however towards the end of their trip we landed plenty of sheepshead and bluefish. Derek landed one reaching the four pound mark to provide a nice little dinner for Son and Dad.
Dave Ibbott with brother Chuck, sons Ryan and Brock along with Brocks first mate Karla Heath enjoyed plenty of action with warming water towards the end of the week. Along with plenty of action the highlights were Dave's twenty-two inch black drum and Ryan's twenty-eight inch redfish. Brock picked up a twenty-two inch redfish with Karla landing a nice bluefish.
  We used live shrimp on most trips this week under D.O.A. Deadly Combo corks, or free lining them sometimes using a number four split shot sinker. A thirty pound test mono leader was used along with number four owner circle hooks. Regular sized shrimp were used for sheepshead and hand picks were use for reds and snook.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 12/04/2005 ? Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin enjoyed catching snook, sheepshead, redfish, jack, and ladyfish. Fishing structure like docks or along mangrove shore lines is still productive for snook, along with a few reds and lots of sheepshead. I have started to find snook in the creeks most likely in search of water a little warmer. The best action with snook has been on a strong out going tide.
Linda Stewart with daughter Kelly and son Brad enjoyed  non stop action fishing near the mouth of creeks between Sarasota bay and south Siesta Key. We picked up over ten snook and maybe five or six nice sheepshead and several jacks. The ladyfish were caught close to the Roberts Islands just south of the siesta bridge near the ICW. These ladies would have been great action for a fly angler. 
Bob Probencher with sons John and Scott along with Kim Aberham started fishing the creeks during a slow moving tide with little action. We decided to try a few spots in Little Sarasota Bay and come back when the tide was moving stronger. It payed off, only a few snook, however the jack and sheepshead action kept these anglers so busy that I heard a few complaints of sore wrists.  We then moved to grass flats in the Longbar area where Kim caught and released the big sheepshead of the day. Ending the day we fished structure in the Ski A Rees area, things had slowed down but Scott still managed to pick up a juvenile goliath grouper.
  We used live shrimp on most trips this week under D.O.A. Deadly Combo corks, along with thirty pound test mono leader and a number four Owner circle hook. We would anchor against the mangrove on one side of the creek and cast up current to the other side. The cork would keep the bait off the bottom and drifting naturally. If we didn't get a hit buy the time the cork was behind the boat we would again cast up current. Strong tide combined with natural presentation brought plenty of action.  

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com
terry.frankford@verizon.net
 

Fishing Report 11/20/2005 ? Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin enjoyed catching snook, snapper, sheepshead, mackerel and more. Snook are still hanging around lighted docks at dusk and after sundown. Snapper and sheepshead are around docks and oyster beds. Plenty of mackerel can be found near shore and over the M reefs, look for top water action and move quickly, they don't hang around the surface to long. Following are the details of a few trips enjoyed by anglers the past couple of weeks.
Calvin Fink and I went out for a morning charter heading straight to the gulf. It was laid down like a sheet of glass and we had no trouble finding mackerel tearing up the surface hitting the spanish sardines. After fighting several mackerel and keeping a few for the table we headed back inshore. We found plenty of catch and release action including, redfish, sheepshead, jacks and snapper.
Ken and Rita with daughter Debbie and her husband Danny enjoyed a great day on the bay, however the bite was really slow. Only three mangrove snapper were caught with sheepshead robing us blind. We would watch the sheepshead just pick at our baits but they just wouldn't get on the hook.
Emily Leinfuss and friend Kim headed out to the Terra Ceia Bay area with snook being on the bite. These two lady anglers had plenty of action from snook between eighteen and twenty-two inches. Great light tackle action was enjoyed by both anglers.
I donated a trip to the Sarasota CCA banquet and John Martell won the bid. John and I headed out on a windy morning in the Terra Ceia Bay area. We found a negative -0.5 low tide and couldn't get near the mangroves. We started bar hopping using the wind to our advantage by keeping it behind our backs. We were able to make long casts with light baits staying far from the fish. John broke the ice with believe it or not a gar, in salt water. If that wasn't odd enough he then caught a blue crab, I'm thinking what next, salmon or maybe a rainbow trout. Anyhow things got back to normal and we started catching snook. Between the two of us I'm sure we were in the double digits enjoying plenty of light tackle action.
  Baits and tackle used on the Reelin & Chillin this week included: Spanish sardines, thread herring, hand picked shrimp, and for the mackerel silver spoons. St. Croix rods, and reels were used, the reels were spooled with twelve pound test line. Thirty pound test fluorocarbon leader, a number four Owner Circle hook attached to a D.O.A. Deadly Combo rig was the terminal tackle used at times with live bait.  

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com
terry.frankford@verizon.net
 

Fishing Report 10/27/2005 ? Capt. Terry Frankford

The fishing just keeps getting better and better in the Manatee and Sarasota areas. There are plenty of snook to be found in the South Tampa bay areas and in the Terra Ceia Bay area. Start fishing back from the mangrove edges about twenty feet out and slowly work your way closer, Spanish sardines and Thread herring are the bait of choice. Schools of redfish have been found around the Buttonwood Harbor and Long Bar areas. Live shrimp,  gold spoons, and C.A.L. Jigs have been productive. Snook, redfish, sheepshead, black drum, snapper and pompano have been caught around docks in the Sarasota Bay and Roberts Bay areas with live hand picked shrimp as the bait of choice. The great news is I have not seen any red tide in the areas mentioned above. I'm not sure whats happening offshore or on the beaches but the bays look great. Following are a few charters enjoyed by anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin with Captain Terry Frankford.
Coming from Minnesota Deb Sheppard, Kathy Shoemaker, Stewart Flanerey and Chuck Buchanan enjoyed plenty of snook action in Terra Ceia Bay. All landed several snook and Chuck managed to pull a nice little red from under the mangroves. The crew was changed out with friends from the same Minnesota group for an afternoon trip. Elaine Swenson, Lori Flum, Miriam Buchanan and Paula Kastner didn't enjoy as much action but still managed to catch several species. The big catch for the afternoon was Paula landing a nice Jack on light tackle. Running her around the boat a couple of times made for great fun, a nice photo, and the fish was released to fight another day.
Kristin Humpert and Nate Hagedorn enjoy lots of snook and several other species. Starting out in Bishops Harbor Nate caught a beautiful thirty four inch snook. This fish headed for the mangroves like a freight train with the thought of breaking Nate off on the barnacle covered roots. Nate was able to turn this big fish and finally after a great battle land her for a photo. Kristin also picked up a couple of nice snook but as hard as we tried we couldn't find another big one.
Paul Star and Jesse Frankford headed out for a morning trip in Sarasota. Using hand picked shrimp we worked several docks in the Robert's Bay and Radio Tower areas.  These two anglers caught plenty of sheepshead some in the four pound class along with three nice pompano for the table.
Miriam and Ken Buchanan with kids Nathon, Kari, Kristi and Kristi's husband Carter Romo all headed out for some action on Sarasota bay. Kristi broke the ice catching a nice sheepshead at the first stop. Miriam showed off her skills by landing the largest sheepshead of the day. Between all anglers five nice sheepshead were caught for dinner. Several other species were caught and released including Ken's redfish and several great fighting jacks.     
  Baits and tackle used on the Reelin & Chillin this week included: Spanish sardines, thread herring, hand picked shrimp, C.A.L. Jigs, D.O.A. Shrimp, and gold spoons. St. Croix rods, and reels were used, the reels were spooled with twelve pound test line. Thirty pound test fluorocarbon leader, a number four Owner Circle hook attached to a D.O.A. Deadly Combo rig was the terminal tackle used at times with live bait.  

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com
terry.frankford@verizon.net
 

Fishing Report 10/14/2005 ? Capt. Terry Frankford

Folks fishing aboard the Reelin & Chillin with Capt. Terry Frankford have enjoyed plenty of fishing action for the last couple of weeks. The inshore species caught consisted mostly of snook, snook, snook. Not a lot of big ones but with light tackle the action is non-stop and a blast. Plenty of other species have been enjoyed by anglers including trout, redfish, puffers, and mangrove snapper. Here are a few trips that folks have enjoyed in the Anna Maria/South Tampa Bay areas to Sarasota Bay recently.
Valerie Peterson with friends Robert Campbell, Danielle and Tracy Borth headed out for a full day of catch and release action. It was Danielle's birthday - coming the whole way from Kansas Valerie treated her to a fishing charter. They were staying in the Tampa area to enjoy Bush Gardens and all the recreation our area has to offer and Valerie included a fishing trip, go Val. All anglers had a great time keeping track of the many different species that are abundant in our area. They managed to break into the double digits catching ten different species. Snook being the best fighters of the bunch with flounder being one of the great table foods. Puffer fish and lizard fish being the strangest of the day. Ending with Tracy and Robert kind of competing, and the gals relaxing while making light fun of the guys made for a great day on the bay. Happy B.D. Danielle.
Heading out on a Sunday half day charter with Jim Heisey and son Ben we started out catching white bait in the Terra Ceia area, then headed for Bishops Harbor. The bite was slow this morning with only eight snook being landed. The tide was so slow and low that the bite just wasn't there. These two anglers did the best they could but between the slow tides and the ump-teen boats on the water it was a real challenge just to get what we did. They both did a great job but conditions just weren't right.
A few days later things changed for Liz and Jeff Conover of Margate, FL. These two anglers targeted snook for the catch of the day. Catch and release action was on the menu along with one for the table. Both anglers never gave up and boated close to if not over forty snook. We just couldn't get one in the twenty six inch to thirty four inch slot. Landing several just over twenty four inches, we were teased the whole day with shorts,  however the non stop action was fantastic and made the day worth the time. Jeff really wanted the taste of snook, I hope he treated himself to a big steak, he deserved it. Liz enjoyed catching her first snook along with enjoying the fight these great inshore sport fish have to offer.   
  Baits and tackle used on the Reelin & Chillin this week included: Spanish Sardines (white bait, greenbacks, greenies), St. Croix rods, and reels were used, the reels were spooled with twelve pound test line. Thirty pound test fluorocarbon leader, a number four Owner Circle hook attached to a D.O.A. Deadly Combo rig was the terminal tackle used.  

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com
terry.frankford@verizon.net
 

Fishing Report 10/02/2005  Capt. Terry Frankford

Folks fishing aboard the Reelin & Chillin with Capt. Terry Frankford have enjoyed plenty of fishing action for the last couple of weeks. The inshore species caught included puffer fish, sheepshead, catfish, lizard fish, pin fish, jack crevalle, flounder, mangrove snapper, black drum, and the ?Inshore Slam? species of snook, red fish, & trout. Normally I wouldn't mention several of the species above, however with the red tide epidemic experienced in this area recently it's nice to see the fishery surviving if not rebounding from this on going bout of RT.
Here are a few charters enjoyed this week fishing in the areas from South Tampa Bay to Robert's Bay in Sarasota:
David Wright & good friend Colin Brook came over from England and booked a full day trip enjoying a catch of snook, red fish, trout, snapper, flounder and more. Most fish were released but a few were kept for dinner that night. These two anglers enjoyed our area and fishing aboard the R&C, so they booked another day  the following week. This proved to be a great day of fishing not only for them but for Capt. Terry. A record red fish for the Reelin & Chillin was caught & released by David, thirty five inches and weighing sixteen pounds. With the drag singing and the boat under way in order to capture more line on the reel, it took David approximately twenty minutes to boat this beauty. A quick photo was taken and the fish was released with no problems. Colin, who seamed to be dubbed the ?Catfish King? on the first trip upgraded to the ?Snook King? on the second. He landed six snook in the first half hour of the trip. By the end of the day David also came to land several snook and between these two anglers thirty eight snook were caught and released. It just doesn't get any better.
On a day with angler Scott Buie from TX live bait was left out of the picture. Scott is a hard core lure fisherman from Texas and fishing his own tackle landed several species that we have to offer in our area. His main target was snook but they were hard to find using artificial. Finally towards the end of the day Scott did manage to pick up a nice little line sider using a top water lure. It's an art to fishing lures and Scott did manage to put his talents to work. This day was slow fishing for even a live bait fisherman so Scott deserves a lot of credit for picking up the amount of fish he landed.
Jeremy Clark and his new bride Lindsey of Poynette Wisconsin decided to spend a day on the bay as part of their honeymoon. Both anglers enjoyed many species our area has to offer including the inshore slam of snook, red fish, and trout. They both managed to tangle with several feisty snook enjoying lots of catch and release action. Jeremy was bitten with the snook bug after experiencing the great battle these line siders give to even the most experienced angler. I received a call the next day and Jeremy booked an evening charter to go for the big one, yes he was bitten by the snook bug. The tides didn't look to good for snookin but we decided to go anyway. Loaded up with hand picked shrimp we stared hitting docks with underwater lights and overhanging lights. To make a long story short, plenty of snook were caught just under the twenty six inch limit along with jack crevalle, snapper, sheepshead, and black drum. To make a long story longer Jeremy wrestled a huge snook that had to be well over the limit of thirty four inches. Using thirty pound test on the reel with forty pound leader all Jeremy could do was hang on. He cupped the reel slowing the fish down, cranked on the reel when possible, but this fish just  couldn't be turned. The fish one this battle breaking the forty pound leader off on a piling. It was a great battle, Jeremy did nothing wrong and neither did the fish, the fish just had the luck with him this evening. Hang in there Jeremy there are plenty of big snook out there and sooner or later you will get that photo your looking for.
Baits used on the Reelin & Chillin this week included: pin fish, shrimp, D.O.A. Shrimp, C.A.L. Jigs, and several top water baits. St. Croix rods, and reels were used, the reels were spooled with twelve pound test line. Thirty pound test fluorocarbon leader with a number four Owner Circle hook was the terminal tackle. When night snookin the tackle was sized up a couple notches. 

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com
terry.frankford@verizon.net

Fishing Report 9/11/2005 ? Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing aboard the Reelin & Chillin with Capt. Terry Frankford was a little slow the last couple of weeks. Only because I was enjoying a fishing vacation in Alaska for ten days. This time of year is a great time for guides to vacation do to the slow season not to mention getting out of the heat for awhile. After returning from AK three trips were made one chartered and two personal. Below are the reports including updated RED TIDE information for the Sarasota area.
My good friend D.C. Bienvenue of Sun Coast Kayak Fishing Tours said he was catching plenty of fish in the Little Sarasota Bay area, specifically snook and redfish. I decided to call his bluff and invited him on a little test run. The two of us along with my son Jesse headed out just before sunset with a bait well full of hand picked shrimp. We hit docks, mangrove shorelines and lighted docks after sunset. To make a long story short in three hours we landed over ten snook mostly dinks with one being in the slot and one way to large to keep out of the structure. Also, we picked up two redfish in the slot, one nice sheepshead, a few snapper and eight black drum. The numbers of black drum surprised me a little because I usually only get one or two when their around.
The next evening was a night charter with Bob Hughes, son Augie and friend Steve Bokmiller of Chesapeake, VA. We headed out with snook as the targeted species and anything else that would bite just for the fun of it. I was feeling pretty confident, and with the results I had the night before was sure we would have a productive evening. The bite wasn't on nearly as strong as the evening before however these three anglers still managed to pick up several small snook, a few catfish, several big jack crevalle, a redfish in the slot and several snapper. Steve landed two of the jacks that nearly broke him off at the docks. Augie fought a nice snook for a few minutes but after a run into the structure the snook won the battle. Soon after Augie picked up a nice snook only an inch from being in the slot. Bob finished off the catch with a nice redfish adding to the few snapper in the live well. Even though the big snook never made it to the boat a great time catching fish along with a nice fish dinner was enjoyed by these three anglers.
My wife Marla and I headed out for another test run in Sarasota Bay on Friday evening. We enjoyed plenty of great action from more of the big jack crevalle hanging around docks and seawalls. We also picked up catfish and snapper no reds or snook to be found.
Red Tide is still around in the Sarasota area. I noticed when traveling the Intra Coastal a little throat irritation mostly when another vessel passed by. The prop wash causes the red tide pollen to go airborne affecting passengers close by. Also, a few dead fish were seen around the north Siesta Key bridge.  If you get away from the main current flows of the channels and into the backwaters it's possible to find concentrations of fish. Many species are back in the Sarasota waters except for trout, I haven't caught any and the few guides I have spoken to say they can't find them either.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com
terry.frankford@verizon.net
 

Fishing Report 8/20/2005 ? Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing aboard the Reelin & Chillin has produced four ?Inshore Slams? this week  including a husband and wife team each scoring a ?Slam?. Plenty of fish to include snook, redfish, trout, jack crevalle, snapper and more have kept anglers busy with plenty of action. South Tampa Bay and Terra Ceia has produced great fishing the last couple of weeks. I have noticed no red tide in these areas and have seen only one or two dead fish in two weeks. Following are a few reports from this week:
  Brad & Kim Davis coming all the way from Texas enjoyed plenty of light tackle snook action along with several other species including jack crevalle, snapper and trout. These two anglers started out in Bishop's Harbor and ended up in Terra Ceia Bay to enjoy a great day fishing.
Roger Crast of Bradenton enjoyed a day on the water with his son John and grandson Lou, visiting from England. All enjoyed lots of action including plenty of snook on light tackle. John picked up a nice flounder around 20 inches, Roger was the snook master on this trip with Lou being the snapper king. Lou ended up with the big ?Inshore Slam? this trip landing a nice snook, redfish and trout ? way to go Lou.
Jeff Meyer and son Nick of Greenfield ID enjoyed two trips out while vacationing on Anna Maria Island. The first trip out brought lots of snook to the boat along with several other species to include trout, jacks, and snapper. Just before the day was over Nick hooked up with a Cobia that had to be over 60 pounds. After a 55 minute fight the fish came to the surface to show himself and how big he was - surprising all on board. Then with one last dive, his tail whipped the twelve pound test to free himself. Nick was a little upset with loosing the fish, however considering he was using a #4 MUTU Owner circle hook designed for inshore species with only thirty pound test leader, and twelve pound test on the reel - he should be proud to almost land a pelagic species of this size. On the second day out lots of the same snook action was enjoyed with both father and son hooking up on huge jack crevalles at the same time. We actually had to pull the power pole up and chase these two fighters just to catch and release them. Jeff had the big catch for this day scoring an ?Inshore Slam? with several trout, snook and one nice redfish. 
A first time Inshore Slam by a husband and wife angling team was enjoyed aboard the Reelin & Chillin this week. Steve and Christine Ritter from Orlando FL both picked up nice snook, redfish and trout. Christine actually picked up two nice reds with the largest being 24 inches. Christine had a personal goal to catch at least fifteen fish to see if she could do as good as her friend an experienced lady angler. She completed her goal with out a problem landing over fifteen fish ? she didn't count a few smaller ones. Way to go guys ? ever consider being a pro-team? 
Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin used light tackle outfits on there trips. St. Croix rods and reels were provided spooled with 12lb test. 30lb fluorocarbon and a #4 MUTU Owner Circle hook was used for terminal tackle when free lining the bait. When fishing the trout a D.O.A. Popping cork was used along with the 30lb leader and the #4 hook. The bait used was green backs and/or shrimp. The last couple of days green backs also known as spanish sardines were getting hard to find. The last mentioned charter above was limited to only hand picked shrimp and two slams were still scored.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com
terry.frankford@verizon.net

Fishing Report 8/07/2005 ? Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing aboard the Reelin & Chillin has produced snook, redfish, trout, sheepshead, snapper and more. Fishing in Sarasota is improving however the red tide hit the area hard and you have your work cut out for you to find the fish. Tampa Bay and Terra Ceia still look pretty good with only a few fish affected by the Red Tide. Following are a few reports from this week.
  Dorwin Stark with sons Aaron and Dustin picked up plenty of snapper for dinner on a morning half day charter. A few sheepshead in the slot were also caught along with a nice 22 inch redfish snagged by Aaron. Sarasota Bay produced for this trip, we were fishing around old docks close to the Radio Flats.
Mike and Amy Giddens along with sons Kyle and Jared enjoyed lots of snapper and sheepshead action - also fishing in the Sarasota area. Kyle really cleaned up on snapper catching enough to provide a dinner for all.
Chris and Kristy Cole fished in the Tampa Bay area during the morning picking up a couple of nice snook. The bite slowed down a little and the lure of a Blackened Grouper sandwich was to strong for this crew (and the captain), so off to the Starfish Co. for lunch along with a little sight seeing in route.
Rowdy Carlton with son Jake fished in the Sarasota area for an a.m. charter. We picked up snapper and sheepshead but really couldn't find the big fish. The effects of red tide makes it hard to find fish in the Sarasota area. There are fish around ? it takes a lot of looking and luck to get on them.
Back to Tampa and Terra Ceia Bays with Wilber Geiger, son Heath and friend Barry Cowell. It was a little hard finding bait but we managed to pick up a few dozen greenbacks at the Skyway fishing pier. Heading out to a little spot tucked back in some mangroves we found plenty of snook caught and released by all three anglers. Also, Heath was really on the snapper picking up a total of seven in the slot limit. Running out of bait we headed back to Terra Ceia, picked up some shrimp and headed to the open flats. We had non-stop action catching a mixed bag of trout, ladyfish, snapper, and catfish  ending the day with some great action.
Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin used light tackle outfits on there trips. St. Croix rods and reels were provided spooled with 12lb test. 30lb fluorocarbon and a #4 MUTU Owner Circle hook was used for terminal tackle when free lining the bait. When fishing the trout a D.O.A. Popping cork was used along with the 30lb leader and the #4 hook. The bait used was green backs caught along the Skyway Fishing Pier or we would buy shrimp if necessary.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.
941-228-7802
www.charterfishingsarasota.com
terry.frankford@verizon.net

Fishing Report 7/23/2005 - Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing aboard the Reelin & Chillin has produced great results this past week. To get away from the red tide in the Sarasota areas I have moved to the Terra Ceia and South Tampa Bay areas. These areas have very low concentrations of red tide from what I have seen, very few dead fish in the area and no affects on my clients. We have been finding plenty of snook, trout,