|
| |
3-21-06
Always Fishing Guide
Service
Spring Hill, Hernando County, Florida
Lower Nature Coast
by Capt. Frank Bourgeois
Tight lines till next
time
Now that the cold
fronts are becoming smaller and smaller look for the grouper fishing to
improve. Here is a fair warning if you are looking for a charter fishing
trip in the last part of March to the end of May I would book one of the
fine fishing charters that Hernando County has to offer soon, as most of us
are booked for this time period well in advance. For you that have boats you
will all be happy to know there is fish out there coming in to eat after the
cold winter. Now is a time for you to start fishing shallow and working your
way out to deep water for you never know when and where the fish will move
to. Trolling is prime at this time of year and the reason is the fish are
off there rock piles looking for there spring feeding grounds. I troll with
many different fishing lures and when the grass is heavy on the surface I
use a down rigger to fend off the grass. Your choice of lures increase each
day as the lure companies are competing for your business. Yo-Zuri, Cisco
Kid, Rapala, Strike More, Bombers and Clark Spoons are just a few good lures
to look at for this type of fishing. Once there were no lures that would
reach the depths of water that hold grouper but now we have many lure
company’s producing great looking lures. One thing you might want to
consider is not buying a lure for $10.00 to $20.00 and find out it goes
straight to the bottom and gets hung up, this could get costly. So look at
the front of the lure if it has short bill, that lure will run shallow and
if it is very long bill, which usually runs deep. While you’re trolling for
the big grouper do not be surprised to catch a big King Mackerel. I have not
caught any kings as of this year, but reports at the boat ramp seem
promising. King Mackerel are being caught thirty four miles west of Hernando
Beach. I know my friend Capt Bill Eaton will be reading this so if you catch
a Mackerel and want to share call Capt Bill. Capt Bill loves eating our Gulf
Coast Mackerel.
Captain Frank Bourgeois
Always Fishing Guide Service
Office: 352-666-6234
http://www.alwaysfishing.com
2-15-06
Always Fishing Guide Service
Spring Hill, Hernando County, Florida
Lower Nature Coast
by Capt. Frank Bourgeois
A certain little
creature (the Groundhog) saw his shadow and Mother Nature is trying to prove
him right with six weeks left of winter. The water temperatures are warming
slowly but I can see light at the end of the tunnel. Reports of good size
bluefish are heading our way and that means to me the start of spring
fishing. Usually I find bluefish not to far from the large trout and a great
sport fish called the Hound fish. Also I look for the grouper to start their
shallow water migration to eat and replace the body fat they lost this
winter. March is the magic month for me as I have seen in years past the
beginning of great spring fishing. We have had a mild January, but the cold
weather in February is good, as it slows the movement of fish moving north
and this can be a good thing. On the Nature Coast many fish just pass by
heading for there summer homes, so when the water warms slowly I believe
this keeps the fish in our area for a longer time. On some recent trips
offshore I have found in thirty to forty foot of water lots of short
grouper, catching about twenty five shorts to one keeper grouper. The middle
grounds are a sure way to catch limits of keeper grouper when the water is
cold as the water stays at the same temperature more so than in shallow
water. But this holds some problems for smaller boats. At this time of year
the wind tends to blow a lot offshore making it not safe to go there, unless
you have the right boat. A good friend of mine has the right boat. He runs a
thirty eight foot cabin fishing boat, but sometimes the weather men are
wrong! He is found himself in twelve foot waves and the boat ride home took
many hours of traveling at five miles an hour. He told me the fishing was
great but not worth the ride. I own a new boat but the boat is twenty six
foot long, not thirty eight foot like my friend’s boat, so I will wait for
summer before I venture out to the middle grounds. There are more and more
boat with the capabilities to fish the middle grounds but expect to pay the
price to get there, fuel price makes everything more expensive. For you that
are fishing out of your own boat, maybe this will help, if you catch one
keeper grouper and continue to catch smaller grouper try pulling your anchor
and drift for a while sometimes the bigger fish are at the end of your chum
stream waiting for an easy meal. Look for offshore redfish madness. This
time of year when the water is cold the Redfish move into backwaters or very
far out in more stable waters. On the backwaters the person with the boat
that will go shallow, like 4 inches of draft will usually always win. Now on
the other hand offshore redfish are usually in the breading mode. These fish
are usually too big to bring home. but will give you a fight you will not
forget too soon. I have located many redfish over 50 inches on the offshore
reefs fishing for grouper. This time of year is about the best time to catch
bull reds but please be careful not to hurt them as the fish are breeding
and full of eggs. I know of no one that can constantly catch deep water reds
so when you do feel lucky.
Tight lines till next time
Captain Frank Bourgeois
Always Fishing Guide Service
Office: 352-666-6234
http://www.alwaysfishing.com
Capt. Frank Bourgeois
352-666-6234
http://www.alwaysfishing.com
Always Fishing Guide
Service
Spring Hill, Hernando County, Florida
Lower Nature Coast
By Capt. Frank Bourgeois
Ah! The unpredictable January weather, leading into February fishing
fun… A lot of what February has to offer comes from January either being
kind or not. The cold fronts determine when and where the fish will be
biting. Lately even the best of us get skunked, but mostly when we go
fishing the day after the cold front passes. A charter captain is on the
water in some cases more than the average person so we tend to find more
fishing spots that work on bad day’s, but even with all the experience we
accumulate we still have bad luck days. I have been truly lucky with many
great grouper fishing trips but not so luck in the flats. I have been
fishing all my great spots but the water is clear and cold. Even the bait
fish are buried or heading for the warmer waters of the backwater. I have to
tell you no matter how bad it gets I still love to be out on the water. I
was telling you about the good luck I have had fishing for grouper well it
was not because I got lucky. The reason I did well is I used a plan for my
success which I will share with you. I set up a number of spots south, west
and north of were I am launching. I go south and hit a couple of places and
if it does not produce I move to the west spots if that don’t produce I go
to the north spots. If I find any fish at all I stay in the area that
includes any fish I catch. If you didn’t know grouper will only usually eat
one big meal a day when the water is super cold as there metabolism slows
down and the fish do not move around much. One great way to know if you’re
going to do well on any fishing trip is to visit the local tackle store and
see if he has shrimp. Now two things, if he has many shrimp fishing will be
good but if not and he says the shrimp boats are not catching many shrimp,
look for things to be slow in the shallow waters. Once you see the bait
shops with giant shrimp hit all your shallow water rocks you know the fish
will be out eating the large shrimp. If you like artificial bait fishing
look for springs or fish the power plants as the water is warmer and the
fish will be more aggressive.
The backwaters are
teaming with fish and my shallow water boat has been in need of painting so!
You guessed it, I am painting it. I have had reports from Capt Tim Burke and
Double trouble charters that the fishing is getting better and better in the
backwaters. As the days get longer the flats will once again produce large
amounts of fish. I have seen this so many times in the past twenty years.
The clear water allows you to see the bottom and if you’re like me piloting
the boat looking for signs of fish, even bait. Wow you say”there is nothing
left in the gulf” not to despair the fish are just hiding or should I say
buried up, soon all will be OK and you will forget about the cold clear
water.
Tight lines till next time
Captain Frank Bourgeois
Always Fishing Guide Service
Office: 352-666-6234
http://www.alwaysfishing.com
Always Fishing Guide Service
Spring
Hill, Hernando County, Florida
The lower
Nature Coast
By Capt.
Frank Bourgeois
Posted 12.15.05
There are
no words that can explain the fall transformation into winter fishing. Cold
front after cold front dropped the water temp to fifty eight and that is a
normal temperature for winter in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
This sudden drop in water temperature has the fish thinking winter is here
and not willing to go away too soon. Along with the dropping temperature
another major fact in our fishing is low tides. A natural fact is the lowest
tidal flow of the year is our winter tides. In most cases the tides can be
as low as a foot under normal low tides. An important thing to look for on
your tide charts is the minus sign along side of the low tide telling you it
will be even lower than normal. An example of this is today there will be a
(minus) -1.5 foot low, meaning the tide will be one and a half foot lower
than a normal tide. On the other hand we can experience a (plus) or a + 1.5
foot high, meaning the water will be one and a half foot higher than a
normal high tide. I like fishing the lower tides rather than the extreme
high tides out on the inshore flats and the higher tides in the backwaters
or in the creeks and channels. Ok now to tell you how to set up your boat
for fishing on the flats. Remember the tides always go from north or south
and the fish are not willing to swim against the moving water. So if you see
the water moving to the south the fish are going to be located on the south
of the grass or structures with the less current movement. Anchor your boat
up current and drift the baits like live shrimp or pin fish back into there
strike zones. If you anchor down tide try casting baits to the opposite side
of the structures and let the bait drift back to the boat. If the bait looks
like it is flowing with the movement of the water you will get you more
strikes and hooked fish. One thing to remember, most fish are very lazy
until you set the hook and then they will get very feisty.
Now drifting
is a great option at this time of year as the fish will gather up on
structures and we have no idea when or where they will gather. Once you
locate an area the fish have gathered, stay in that area. I believe you have
found the water temperature that is suitable for the fish. I have notices
some great rock piles only hold fish when the water temperature is warm and
other rock piles hold them when it is cold. Try to remember which one hold
fish at a certain time of the year and next year the same thing will happen.
If you know where the springs are you’re a lucky fisherman. If you don’t
know where they are you can find warmer water by having a temperature gauge
on your boat. If you do not have built in temperature gauge go to a pool
supply company and purchase a pool thermometer, which will work also.
Fishing for
me and my charters has been on the good side. I have been doing so well
about everyone that has fished with me has been happy lately, going home
with some nice fish for dinner. On the offshore waters I have been averaging
five to ten keeper grouper and about 20 non keeper fish. The biggest reason
I attribute this to is using stinky dead bait. Even the fresh pinfish we
have caught for bait has been working better after cutting them. I strongly
believe that no one bait is better than another but the water conditions
controls what the fish are going to eat. Right now the water is very dirty
and the fish can find the bait not moving and stinky much easier than fast
moving baits. Tuff E Nuff squid has been working to catch grouper, now that
is funny. If you have ever been out fishing in the Gulf and used squid you
know the grunts, sea bass and other smaller fish attack the squid with
vengeance. Lately the squid along with a piece of cut fish has been catching
most of the grouper. I have tried trolling and again this always depends on
water clarity. If the fish can only see your baits for a few seconds the
chance they will follow will not be good. When you can see your baits more
than ten feet below the surface, only then go trolling for grouper. On the
inshore deep flats the winter trout are starting to come in. The last two
days we caught and released over thirty gator trout per day. The big trout
were so plentiful on the flats that we decided to go after them on a fly
rod. A member of the Always Fishing team Capt Tim Burke and I caught and
landed some great trout on a fly. Capt Tim himself landed over five twenty
inch gator trout on his new fly rod. All he trout were released by a new
tool I bought from x-tools. This tool allows you to release a trout without
touching the fish with your hands. Just a note a sea trout will die if not
released properly. Always and most importantly never touch a sea trout with
your hands removing the protective slime coating Mother Nature supplies the
fish. I have seen proof touching a sea trout with your dry hands causes the
fish to die in a few day’s. Here is a little fish story for you. The other
day we were catching so many trout that one on the gentleman in the boat
went to my supply of Salt Water Assassins to find one plastic, the fish
would not eat. He didn’t find one, but I bet just about any brand of plastic
bait would have worked. Before the end of his fishing trip his exact words
were (“uncle”) “I can’t catch anymore fish my arms are tired”. Boy I wish
every day could by like the past few trips but as I am writing this report
the wind is picking up and the cold front is about to pass. What does this
mean … you guessed it, I will be off the water for a few days according to
the weatherman but we will see if he is wrong again.
Tight lines till next time
Captain Frank Bourgeois
Always Fishing Guide Service
Office: 352-666-6234
http://www.alwaysfishing.com
Capt. Frank Bourgeois
Florida Fishing Report for:
Hernando Beach and the Gulf of Mexico.
Updated: October 14, 2005.
By Capt. Frank Bourgeois
The Nature Coast of
Florida, Inshore-to twelve miles out and offshore fishing:
Fall fishing is truly
upon us. Fishing the lower Nature coast is a delete finding the fish more
abundant than previous years. I will never understand Mother Nature and all
her wisdom. We the people seem to try to mess with her, but she always wins
and that is something to be thankful for. We really don’t know why the red
tide is so big, than in years past. We don’t know why there is a dead zone
in the gulf but fortunately some of the fish have the ability to avoid the
bad water. This faith of bad water has made the Nature Coast teaming with
fish as we were so lucky and the red tide didn’t get us too bad. Don’t get
too excited! Every day this changes as I am talking about migratory fish
like mackerel. Many large schools of mackerel and bait have been swarming
the area, more so than years past, I am referring to Pasco, Hernando and
Citrus County waters. Any farther north or south I cannot report on. If you
like catching the smoker king mackerel get aboard a boat soon and have some
fun before the great fishing is only a memory.
One great thing about
fall fishing is our shallow water reef fishing, which I do a lot of at this
time of year. Lets chat about what I do to catch fish at this time of year.
I have onboard my boat equipment to troll or bottom fish. I also have
markers with some type of float and a heavy weight attached to the end and a
pair of downriggers. I use a downrigger in the shallow water just dropped
below the top of the water to stop the floating grass from sliding down the
line to the lure and the float and weight to mark a spot I catch a fish Now
we pick a spot to fish and instead of traveling thirty-five knots to our
fishing hole I travel about three or four knots trolling lures. Here are a
few lures I use and note I do not sell any lures, High Rollers, Strike More
by Lee Fisher, Cisco Kid, Rapals and Manns stretch lures and I am sure with
the amount of new lures on the market there are many more that work. Any of
these lures will catch grouper along with other fish in the area. Please
understand trolling is a lot of work so be prepared to pull in the baits
often to check for grass as a lure with grass on it will not catch fish Once
I get a hook up with a fish I either hit the save button on my GPS or throw
the float in the water marking the spot I caught the grouper. One of two
obvious things happens, either there is structure holding the fish or the
fish are traveling to another location. If I find structure then I anchor
and fish for them with bait or casting lures. I have had charters with great
success in the past couple of weeks. Many grouper were caught but not as
many keepers as I would think there would be at this time of year. I have
been catching about forty grouper per charter with an average of two to six
keepers per trip. This is good and bad… the good is the smaller fish was
released unharmed and now we know that the year past we still have good
spawn. The bad is we didn’t catch as many keepers as we all like. Most of
the people who fish don’t mind releasing the smaller fish, as they know by
releasing fish will help preserve the fishery for us and generations to
come. I do have to mention all the charters have been taking home to eat
many large grunts, sea bass, triggerfish and snapper. All in all fishing
offshore has been good on the lower Nature Coast.
On the inshore reefs
and grass flats my charters have been really doing well catching grouper
nice sea trout, large Spanish mackerel, hound fish and bluefish. On the
inshore waters I usually fish with artificial baits drifting which allows my
charters to catch a bigger verity of fish.
Tight lines till next
time
Captain Frank Bourgeois
Always Fishing Guide Service Office: 352-666-6234
10-15-05
Florida Fishing Report for:
Hernando County / Brooksville, Spring Hill
Florida and the Gulf of Mexico
By Capt.
Frank Bourgeois
The Nature Coast of Florida,
Inshore-to twelve miles out and offshore fishing:
As a TV
star once said (” Very interesting but stupid”) I truly need a lawyer to run
my charter business or just to be a fisherman. I am not sure, with the
amount of e mails I receive what the latest and greatest rules are to
protect the fish, so I can not help you too much and I am a full time guide
with as many questions as you have. I am sure the general public is totally
confused. The TV media is not on top of this at all. There are some
articles in the newspaper but sometimes they are very confusing. I truly
wish someone would help the little people understand and can make sense of
what’s happening about the new grouper rules. Don’t look for any fishing
guides to oppose the federal government as all offshore fishing guides have
very expensive permits to fish in the federal waters and don’t want to lose
our permits. So I really hope the people we pay to make it nice to fish in
Florida will finally decide what’s best for Florida and not be so political.
From what I am seeing it is get even with the other politician and believe
me that is not what fishing is all about. Remember catching the fish is a
bonus and the fishing trip relaxing with family and friends is the important
issue.
Any way! Let’s chat about fishing, I spent some time this past week
fishing. Again some days were golden and some not. The water was crystal
clear and the shallow water grouper were on the bite. As the wind picked up
the water then became cloudy and fishing slowed down. Fishing with jig heads
and a new swimming lure from Salt Water Assassin I caught and released many
grouper. I did have a chance to bring Capt Eric Magnuson owner of Dixie Lee
Bait and Tackle fishing and introduced him to the new baits. Guess what!
Capt. Eric fished for about twenty minutes and landed two nice grouper on
the baits and made him a believer too. Check with him to see if he has some
in the shop. The shallow water trout have slowed down and I was wondering if
maybe there could be a truth in weather and solar times? Unfortunately we
all can not fish exactly when the conditions are perfect, so I really don’t
follow them too much. The people with good record keeping and really study
the moon and weather changes do better at times. I am pleased to report the
fishing is picking up offshore and the green grasses are returning.
Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. My charters caught and release
unharmed many short grouper for the first time in over twelve months. Until
now most of the grouper were all keepers and that fact concerned me, we
need, like in all forms of life, the young; they will be the adults of the
future. My trips did better on cut bait than live bait even the artificial
baits were not effective unless tipped with something that had a smell to
it. Maybe the water deep below the surface is cloudy. A good friend of mine
Stan Hickson did tell me he went diving in about eighteen foot of water and
the visibility was poor. All in all this time of year is still my favorite
as the temperatures and fishing is always wonderful.
Tight
lines till next time
Captain Frank Bourgeois
Always Fishing Guide
Service
Office: 352-666-6234
9-15-05
Florida Fishing Report for:
Hernando County / Brooksville, Spring Hill
Florida and the Gulf of Mexico
By Capt.
Frank Bourgeois
The Nature Coast of
Florida, Inshore-to twelve miles out and offshore fishing:
The Nature coast is heating
up with prime time fishing. For you readers I do offshore fishing primarily,
but I have more than one boat so I do inshore / backwater as well as bass
fishing. I believe I will be doing more and more inshore and backwater
fishing due to the fuel prices. I recently did a middle grounds trip and
caught many fish but the cost of the fuel exceeded three hundred bucks, I
also did a inshore fishing trip where we caught 18 nice trout and a pompano
two small grouper all on ten pound fishing gear and had a ball for about
fifty bucks in fuel. With all the wisdom the federal government has
shutting the grouper season is a waist, the gas prices will do it for them.
I will still be doing grouper trips but had to add the cost of fuel to the
trip. In November and December unless things change only grouper caught
within nine miles will be brought home. All other eating fish will be
allowed to be taken home for supper. The water temperatures are getting
better and I have seen signs of fall fishing starting to happen. Blue fish
and hound fish are showing up on the shallow rocks this is a sure sign of
fall fishing, also the big bonito are migrating and this is another sign
things are going to happen early this year. I have had reports that some big
redfish are being caught in the Homosassa and Crystal River areas. Another
sign the fall season is upon us is the lack of white bait in our area. To
the south you can still catch white bait in the Tarpon Spring area which
stays there till about November. Salt / Bass Assassin has a new line of
baits and Jim’s Tackle shack in the Outlet Mall has the new catalogs for you
to look at so stop by and say Hi to Jim and tell him Capt Frank sent you…
The bait companies are all doing tremendous with new baits to fool the fish.
Hopefully Mother Nature will clean up the Gulf of red tide that has plagued
the southern waters. Thankfully we have none as far north as we are from
Tampa bay. Remember if you’re looking to go grouper fishing try to get out
as many times as you can before November 1st or try fishing our
shallow water rocks in hopes for a keeper size grouper. Only one thing
please for the sake of the fish try to release the small grouper unharmed we
do need them to grow up and keep Florida alive for generations to come.
Captain Frank Bourgeois
Always Fishing Guide Service
Office: 352-666-6234
8-12-05
Florida
Fishing Report for:
Hernando County / Brooksville, Spring Hill
Florida
and the Gulf of Mexico
By
Capt. Frank
Bourgeois
The
Nature Coast of Florida, Inshore-to twelve miles out and offshore fishing
August heat turns into September mix and match. The magic is in the air
temperatures. Cold fronts are going to change our fishing from dog days of
summer to fall fishing. Look for the beginning of fall on the weather channel
to start in
Canada
and watch it progress to
Florida
. When you see the stronger cold fronts change the water temperatures then the
fishing will start to pick up. No one knows when this will happen but I have
seen it happen as early as September in years past.
Fishing has been a real big problem for the people who go grouper
digging. A major amount of fuel has been consumed looking for productive
rocks. Most of the rocks in the twenty to forty foot areas are bear. Larger
rock piles with any amount of grass next to them are producing some nice
grouper. The problem is each rock is miles away from the other and at the
price of fuel you have to do your homework to minimize long travel times. One
trick is when you get to a rock pile try chumming. The grouper are tight to
the cover and the chum will make them come out of the rocks to feed. Lighter
leaders and smaller hooks and little or no terminal tackle like snap swivels.
This is your best bet when the water is this warm.
I just did a fishing trip to the middle grounds for fun with Capt
Eric from Dixie Lee Bait and Tackle and his two sons that run a backwater
fishing guide service called Double Trouble. We made the one hundred mile trip
one way in hopes of catching our limit of grouper and snapper. Well the middle
grounds is a vast place to fish and we did manage to catch Amber jacks which
we released a big Bonito a major size shark also released and four keeper red
grouper. No gag grouper, no snapper. I have to say the day was wonderful but
thinking about replacing the one hundred gallons of fuel didn’t make me
happy at the prices we are paying. Another interesting thing we discovered is
the amount of stuff floating out there. We came across a military fuel tank of
about twenty foot long that looked like a bomb but when we approached it we
could smell the fuel, so we reported it and left the area. Large trees are
bouncing just breaking the surface some are marked by trash sticking to them.
If you are going to fish the waters in this area, I would recommend you to
either plan your trips for daylight hours or have good radar equipment and
even then be careful as radar of the best quality will not detect an
underwater object.
Shallow water grouper for catch and release with an occasional keeper
size is really doing well. Hopefully the people who catch these juvenile fish
are careful to release the fish unharmed.
Large healthy trout are starting to be caught in shallower waters as
well as great snook fishing just south of Hernando beach. Red fishing is about
as good as it gets. I guess all great inshore fishing is due to the net ban
and a state agency that really knows how to manage the fishery.
Captain
Frank Bourgeois
Always Fishing Guide
Service
Office:
352-666-6234
6-18-05
Florida
Fishing Report for:
Hernando County / Brooksville, Spring Hill
Florida
and the Gulf of Mexico
By
Capt. Frank
Bourgeois
The Nature
Coast of Florida, Inshore-to twelve miles out and offshore fishing
July fishing is upon us, but we do have to reflect some of the fishing
we had in June. Great times and sad times have been recorded. The great time,
were the trips we went fishing and the sad times were the fishing trips we had
to cancel due to weather. All in all we did have some extraordinary trips.
Reaching from near shore to the middle grounds grouper have been caught with
great success. Happy to say that our waters off
Hernando
County
are drinking water clear and you can see the bottom in depths of thirty feet
or better. The red tide is not effecting us this far north. From the last
report I received the red tide is only up as far as
Tampa
bay. So far we are experiencing the best cobia fishing we have had in a long
time. The big schools of cobia are moving but some great fish are still
lurking the waters off
Hernando
Beach
. Capt. Tim Burke was being a first mate for me on one of his days off and
made a sight cast to a big, at least, forty eight inch cobia. Fishing a light
thirty pound spinning rig the fight was on. Capt. Tim handed off the fishing
rod to one of my clients. Then the fun started, as the fish was in for the
fight of its life. Another factor took place while fighting this fine fish,
from the depths a gray shadow appeared and made the forty eight inch cobia
look like bait. You guessed it. A shark was thinking about making our fish
dinner. With great skills our fisherman maneuvered the fish in for gaffing. Ok
the first attempt at gaffing the fish failed and even bent the point of the
gaff and again the shark came up and scared the cobia even more than having a
fish hook in it. Thanks to the cobia the shark missed its meal and allowed us
to gaff it and place it in the cooler. That was just one story about cobia
fishing we experienced in June. The cobia and grouper live on the same wreaks
and reefs in the
Nature
Coast
areas. We were fishing sardines and live pin fish and the cobia inhaled the
pin fish fished free lined. July fishing should be about the best time to
enjoy the water. After a great day of fishing I sometimes stop and do a little
snorkeling for scallops seeing scallop season opens in July. Hopefully this
year will be better than last year. From what I understand the rain of last
years spring season hurt the scallop spawn. This year we experienced a lighter
and late rainy season. On the near shore waters we have been doing well on sea
trout and small sharks. There is not as many shallow water grouper as years
past but I have seen a big increase in the shallow water red grouper and a
decrease in the shallow water gag grouper. Hopefully this is just a summer
thing and thing will be sure to change in the fall. Backwater fishing
according to my friends at Double Trouble Charters redfish and trout are being
caught like never before. If you like red fishing stop by and chat with Capt
Eric & sons from Dixie Lee Bait and Tackle there knowledge is always open
for discussion. Hernando Beach Bait and tackle also has reported fishing to be
at its best in many years. Capt Tim Burke also boast of great red fishing
trips. So I think July is about to explode with great new fish stories.
Captain
Frank Bourgeois
Always
Fishing Guide Service
Office:
352-666-6234
5-27-05
Florida
Fishing Report for:
Hernando County / Brooksville, Spring Hill
Florida
and the Gulf of Mexico
By
Capt. Frank
Bourgeois
Inshore-to twelve miles out and
offshore fishing
June fishing is upon us and the excitement of usually calm waters
brings us to some good fishing. This year should be about as good as it gets.
Some times the cold fronts postpone the migration of the fish and this year I
believe this is what is going to happened. To my surprise the water
temperatures are just now reaching the warmth of April. June should be
excellent month for trolling especially for kingfish, grouper and cobia. I
have found that the Cobia fishing is already great. I have to tell you the
deep water trout fishing just started, in twelve to twenty foot of water. Yes
I said twenty foot of water. On a recent trip we hit a shallow water grouper
rock and brought in some nice twenty inch trout instead of grouper. The water
is clear so I do suggest you lighten up your line and leaders. Speaking of
leaders I just purchased some new leader called Tyger-Leader stainless coated
leader material that you can tie in a knot or melt the plastic coating with a
lighter after you twist it . The leader is flexible and has so far been the
best I have ever used. Check my website, www.alwaysfishing.com
and go to the links page, there is a link there for Tyger leader. So far I
have caught all kinds of fish using this leader and it seems to not impair the
movements of the lures.
On a special note with great concern! I will pass to you a note I
received. This is something to be concerned with as I check with my sources
very bad for our community as well as our fishermen in the whole state of
Florida
that fish for grouper on the gulf.
The Gulf council has agreed to piggy back public hearings on the
public hearings already scheduled in June for reef fish amendment 18a and the
charter/headboat moratorium regarding a red grouper/shallow water
grouper recreational interim rule to be effective sometime after July 2005.
Dr. Crabtree is currently looking at a 3 fish aggregate bag limit with 1
fish being red grouper and an October thru December closure for 2005. The
hearings already are scheduled for June 15, orange beach, Al, June 16 Destine,
Fl, June 27,
Key West
, fl, June 28
Naples
, Fl, and June 29
Tampa
/ St. Pete, fl. The council is now working on a regulatory amendment to
permanently address the recreational red grouper issue that they intend to
have ready for implementation in 2006 I suggest that all interested
parties be prepared to attend any public hearing where this issue will be
discussed to let their feelings be known. As you can see the closure has
been reduced from the earlier proposed 4 months to 3. If you have
problems with the closure and/or the proposed bag limits please continue to
voice your opinions. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission will meet
in Daytona, Fl on June 8,9,10 and Dr. Crabtree has been invited to discuss
this issue. If you are interested in the recreational red
grouper/shallow water grouper fishery YOU NEED TO BE AT THIS MEETING AND THE
PUBLIC HEARING IN YOUR AREA!!!!!! You may also want to voice your
opinion to your federal Congressional and Senatorial representatives along
with Governor Bush.
Capt.
Bob Zales, II
bobzales@att.net
bus. ph 850.763.7249
fax 850.763.3558
Fixing the problem only on the recreational side and not the commercial
side is not the way to go in my opinion. Neither is only the commercial
getting hit with closures. There has to be a way to please all and help the
fish stock come back. Plus closing the grouper off totally for three months
would be devastating to my business, as well as to all the people who want to
come to
Florida
and visit and go fishing with friends and relatives. If you agree with not
liking the way things are going please let your appropriate government
officials hear from you.
Captain
Frank Bourgeois
Always Fishing Guide Service
Office:
352-666-6234
5-4-05
Florida
Fishing Report for:
Hernando County / Brooksville, Spring Hill
Florida
and the Gulf of Mexico
By
Capt. Frank
Bourgeois
Inshore-to twelve miles out and
offshore fishing
Fishing above all things is a pleasure I get to enjoy often. Catching is
another story. Just when you think you have it all figured out Mother Nature
always adds a twist to things. The water is still cool as most fish are still
following there spring breeding. I think a lot of things are about to happen.
This past week brought temperatures to the point, I think, should have
been here about three weeks ago. Trout fishing is fair to midland in most areas
around the
Hernando
Beach
area. The best trout fishing I have been able to get into, has been in about
six to eight foot of water using Salt Water Assassins on quarter ounce jig
heads. The trout have been slow in biting the jigs. I have had to change a few
of my clients fishing habits. I advised them to move the baits slower and
observing the fall of the baits. This truly proved to be a better fishing tactic
to use.
The redfish are at the outer edges of the channels and are being caught
better this year than years past. Very large bull redfish (breeders) have been
caught offshore. I even heard of a bull redfish being caught in very shallow
water. The offshore bull redfish we caught came from twenty eight foot of water
on sardines being used for grouper.
Large Grouper are just starting to show up in thirty to sixty foot of
water in good numbers but some exceptionally good catches are being caught in
thirty five to forty foot of water. I have been more successful on cut bait
rather than live bait. Tuff-e-Nuff baits, which can be bought at Dixie Lee Bait
and tackle was the bait of choice for some nice grouper this past week. If you
do use live bait my only suggestion is to shorten up the leader not allowing the
live bait too much freedom to swim far. I have been lucky enough to hit the
grouper hungry and full of energy. Major rod bends have been experienced by all
that have fished on my twenty six foot (Sea Fox) charter boat. The month of May
will be just about the best month of the year to fish.
If you’re planning a trip in May your one of the lucky people. I truly
believe May will be teaming with fish. I have seen major bait schools in as
little as twenty foot of water and as deep as sixty foot. Many blue runners are
being caught and if you’re a King Mackerel enthusiast you know how important
the blue runner fish are to the King Mackerel’s diet. . Sharks are here too.
We caught two better than five foot sharks this month so far. I can only say
“let’s go fishing”. You should not be disappointed unless the weather is
not good.
Captain
Frank Bourgeois
Always
Fishing Guide Service
Office:
352-666-6234
3-25-05
Florida
Fishing Report for:
Hernando County / Brooksville, Spring Hill
Florida
and the Gulf of Mexico
By
Capt. Frank
Bourgeois
Inshore-to twelve miles out and
offshore fishing
April
fishing in my book is about the time everyone is ready and thinking about
fishing. Except for spring gobbler season hunting is put on the back burner.
Now the quest for the big fish is in a lot of people’s minds. I have been
working closely with Dixie Lee bait and tackle home of Double Trouble fishing
charters specializing in back-water fishing to fill my client’s calendar
book with just about any type of fishing you want to do. I also have charters
working Bass fishing so if you want to go fishing just give me a call for the
fishing trip of a lifetime. Well you want to know what’s going on in the
world of fishing, so here we go starting with Bass fishing. According to Capt
Al Lyman (from Lake county,
Florida
fishing the Harris chain,
Lake
Toho
and
Lake
Kissimmee
) the fish are just getting off the beds and his clients caught many over 10
pound fish, on recent charters. Capt’s Mark and Luke from Double Trouble
Charters have been catching many nice Sea Trout and Red Fish on artificial
lures such as D.O.A. cal jigs and spoons. As far as Always Fishing Charters I
have been working the deeper water for trout and looking for the extra shallow
water grouper to appear. Most times when the Tarpon come in to our area so do
the shallow water grouper. On the deeper inshore waters I have been or I
should say my clients have been catching big gator trout and to my surprise
lots of Blue fish. I also have seen the needle fish on the surface and the
Mackerel busting them. Yes folks thing are starting to happen here. Now to
convince Mother Nature to slow down the cold fronts and the wind, we will have
it made. The area called the parking lot which is about twenty-five foot of
water is still slow I have been catching most of my fish in forty foot to
sixty five foot of water. On a trip I did recently with Jim Petete working as
a first mate, (Jim manages the new tackle shop in the Outlet Mall) he was
fishing next to me and we was fishing with a nice family that included a six
year old boy. On board the boat I usually carry a spinning rig for Amberjacks
ridged with thirty pound line, seeing this was the lightest rod in the boat
the young boy and Jim was using a squid product called Tuff-E-Nuff, I buy this
product and has been very successful for catching White Grunts and Sea Bass
but this day the large grouper decided this was the bait of choice. The young
boy caught and brought home three nice keeper size grouper. Of course a large
smile came from a proud dad. Just for your knowledge I have been much more
successful in the afternoon than in the mornings also when the sun is not as
bright the fish did bite best. This is about to change as the fish are
migrating and when the water temperature reaches the high sixties to eighty
this will be the best time to grab a rod and go fishing. One point I would
like to make! We are still on winter tides which means we will be about a foot
lower than normal low tides. I use the Bayport boat ramp mostly and have
destroyed 4 props so far this year. If you have a boat that draws a lot of
water please for your own sake! Use the
Hernando
Beach
boat ramp till the summer tides take over.
Keep a tight line till next time
Captain
Frank Bourgeois
Always
Fishing Guide Service
Office:
352-666-6234
2-27-05
Florida
Fishing Report for:
Hernando County / Brooksville, Spring Hill
Florida
and the Gulf of Mexico
By
Capt. Frank
Bourgeois
inshore-to twelve miles out,
offshore
March fishing on the Nature Coast is the start of our spring fishing
season here. Watching the water temperatures is about the best way to approach
this time of the year. No one can give an exact date to when the fish will
start doing their spring feeding frenzy. I have to tell you about a telephone
call I received and made me think about things to come. Spring fishing is
about as good as it gets here. Even the people who are not so good at finding
fish will find fish in the spring. A couple of methods of catching fish in the
spring, if you do not know where to go, is trolling lures like stretch lures
or Cisco Kids deep divers. Troll them at different speeds
till you find the right speed the fish
are swimming. On different days you will find out they will chase only
fast moving lures. Another method of finding fish is to drift over good bottom
and mark where you find them and of course if you find a large rock fish it
with conventional bottom fishing gear. Here is a trick I use to locate grouper
when I anchor up I use a buck tail and tip it with squid or cut fish and cast
it in every direction around the whole boat. As spring brings the water
temperature to a more desirable temp for the shallow water grouper the
shallower you will find them . I have caught keeper grouper in the flats
fishing for trout. One of the key
things to look for on the flats to recognize the time to fish for shallow
water grouper is the abundance of pinfish or bait schools on the surface. I
believe if the cold fronts get shorter and the sun warms up the water as it
has been spring fishing will be early this year. Don’t be afraid to ask your
local bait and tackle shops for fishing reports. Also keep aware of the gulf
water temperature when it hits seventy and above try to get out and go
fishing. I am happy to report most of my fishing trips have been wonderful
even in the fog. Remember there
are rules pertaining to fog. Please use your lights and fog signaling device.
Here
are some rules to follow. If they don’t make any sense to you I highly
recommend you get in touch with you local United States Coast Guard
Auxiliary. They have classes and can help you with all your navigation
needs.
A
power-driven vessel making way through the water shall sound at intervals of
not more than 2 minutes one prolonged blast.
A power-driven vessel underway, but stopped and making no way through the
water, shall sound at intervals of not more than 2 minutes two prolonged
blasts in succession with an interval of about 2 seconds between them
A
vessel at anchor may, in addition, sound three blasts in succession, namely
one short, one prolonged and one short blast to give warning of her position
and of the possibility of collision to an approaching vessel.
A
vessel not under command, a vessel restricted in her ability to maneuver, a
vessel constrained by her draft, a sailing vessel, a vessel engaged in fishing
and a vessel engaged in towing or pushing another vessel shall, sound at
intervals of not more than 2 minutes three blasts in succession, namely one
prolonged followed by two short blasts.
Keep a tight line till next time
Captain Frank Bourgeois
Always Fishing Guide Service
Office:
352-666-6234
2-5-05
Florida
Fishing Report for:
Hernando County, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.alwaysfishing.com
By
Capt. Frank
Bourgeois
Backwater-to five miles out, inshore-to twelve miles out, offshore
Well everyone is looking for great fishing report but the fishing
changes from bad to good daily at this time of year . So I will just fill you
in on how things will be happening in February. We will start out telling you
about the offshore fishing coming up. As the cold fronts pass they will effect
the fishing more than anything else as it does control two things. One being
the habits of the fish the other is being able to go fishing. All across the
U.S. the cold fronts, will effect, many species of fish when they will go from
being dormant to active. The same applies here. If the water temperature goes
up, the fish now think it is ok to start their spring movements. Most of the
bigger fish do not move out of their winter haunts till the water temperature
moves into a comfortable temperature. Fish like snapper, white grunts and
smaller fish are not as uncomfortable in the cooler water. But the big Grouper
and larger fish almost hibernate. Here is the only things you can do right
now. Start shallow hoping the water is warmer and go deeper and deeper.
The people who have a boat big enough to go to the middle grounds will
do the best as a lot of fish migrate there for the winter also the grouper
will migrate there for breeding. The water in the middle grounds if you
don’t know is over eighty miles from Hernando Beach
is much deeper and closer to the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. One of
the problems that really hurt the grouper is not knowing the exact time period
that the grouper go to the middle grounds to lay eggs. Millions of pounds of
eggs are not allowed to be put into these beds due to fishing at this time of
year, always decreasing the amount of grouper we have each year. The
commercial people are forced to not fish during a one month period in the
winter and the government controls this and they think they know mother nature
well and can tell when the grouper goes to the fishing spots to lay their
eggs. This has not worked and sad to say the commercial fishermen have to
support their family’s. So all I can say is if you see the grouper with a
belly full of eggs limit yourself and practice catch and release for a while
and maybe, just maybe we can control our own destiny instead of the government
doing it for us. I know this will be hard as it does cost so much money to go
grouper fishing and not take home all you can catch especially in my business
the clients always want to keep the fish.
On the inshore and backwater waters the fish like trout, reds and snook
hide in the deeper grass or near springs where the water is much warmer.
Having a very shallow draft boat is the best way to get way in the back of the
creeks for some great fishing. Just remember to slow down in the winter for
better results. Look south right now toward Tarpon Springs for some real
action on Pompano as well as some of the biggest trout of the year. Now Sheep
head fishing, that’s a different story you can get them in about any rock
pile you know about. Use live shrimp or fly fish for them.
Keep a tight line till next time
Captain Frank Bourgeois
Always Fishing Guide Service
Office:352-666-6234
Toll free: 1-888-618-3474
11-15-04
Florida
Fishing Report for:
Hernando County, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.alwaysfishing.com
By
Capt. Frank
Bourgeois
Backwater-to five miles out, inshore-to twelve miles out, offshore
November clocks fall back but the fishing goes forward.
November has traditionally been one of the hottest months of the year
to fish. If history repeats
itself watch out for large line stretching grouper in shallow water. This good
shallow water fishing should last from November till after Christmas. On
recent trips we have boated grouper in as little as eight feet of water to
sixty feet of water. At this time of year the only thing that harms the
fishing is the weather. Trolling is only good in the deeper water when you get
out of the floating grass. I have been loading up on the grouper fishing
frozen baits in the stained waters and on pin fish in the clear water. If you
want to increase your catches try using buck tails on spinning equipment.
Along with the grouper we have been also catching snapper, trigger fish and
some nice sea bass. The white grunts are very big at this time of the year and
believe me those that eat fish will always take a mess of white grunts home
for a meal.
The king mackerel have been following the bait schools and if your
going out for offshore fishing you will see the schools of bait everywhere. I
have found that the bait is bunched up around the floating grass . Trolling is
about impossible. I have been catching the mackerel either on the bottom while
fishing for grouper or floating a Cajun Thunder with about six foot of mono
leader tied to Tyger-Leader then a circle hook tied to that. The new Tyger-Leader
is plastic coated stainless leader which you can tie a knot in or use a
lighter to melt it together. A word of advice always use a wire leader of some
kind while fishing for mackerel, yes you can catch a mackerel without a
leader, your chances are surly increased in catching a mackerel with a wire
leader attached to your line.
Keep a tight line till next time
Captain
Frank Bourgeois
Always
Fishing Guide Service
Office:352-666-6234
Toll free: 1-888-618-3474
Capt. Frank Bourgeois / Always
Fishing Guide Service
Florida Fishing Report for:
Hernando County, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.alwaysfishing.com
By
Capt. Frank Bourgeois
October 2004
Backwater-to five miles out, inshore-to twelve miles out, offshore
Fishing is on the rise here in Hernando County.
With the passing of the cold fronts sends a message to the fish. Fall is
here and Mother Nature is telling the fish in her own way that they have to get
ready for Winter. Large bait schools are already passing by our area and if you
miss this your missing a lot of strange and good fishing. Just last week I was
doing charters and the Gulf was teaming with fish. I saw Kings, Bonita and tiny
Tuna breaking the bait schools. I wish I had video to show you as it was
something to behold. Seeing fish flying out of the water chasing there dinner
gets your adrenaline flowing with the anticipation of catching some of these
fish. The only problem we encountered was the floating grass. You have to adopt
to fishing around the grass. Reading fishing reports via the newspaper or the
Internet will let you know when the fish are coming into our area. In the fall
you want to read reports from the north as the fish migrate south and in the
spring read reports of anglers fishing to the south. We always have resident
fish here but we also have a great passing of fish either coming or going to
different places to stay for either the winter or summer months. Right now the
inshore waters are teaming with redfish moving to there winter resting places.
Do not be surprised to see acres of fish and the next day see none. This is
normal as the fish are following the tides south. The outgoing tides will be the
best time to see schools of fish passing by but fish the will be eating on both
sides of the tides. Remember if the tide is not moving you are best spending
your time eating your lunch.
On the offshore waters look for just about everything the Gulf has to
offer to be here. I was chatting with some friends at the Florida Sportsman show
and they even caught Dolphin in thirty foot of water off Anclote Island. This is
rear as this type of fish is a deep water fish. The large grouper are heading
into the shallow water rocks so do not go boat riding a lot you want to fish
your shallow numbers and work your way out to the deeper water as you just might
pass up some of the best possibilities to catch some nice keeper grouper. Now
this is the time of the year to troll for Grouper and King Mackerel. I try to
troll deep and shallow at the same time, covering a lot of the water column. The
colder the water gets tells the fish what to do but remember the best time to
fish for shallow water fish is when the water is in the seventies. Troll Cisco
Kids, Bombers stretch lures , and Repalas for Grouper but also troll a Clark
spoon for the Mackerel. Here is a hint: For trolling use a downrigger a couple
of feet down from the surface to avoid getting your trolling lures clogged with
grass also on cloudy days use a bright color and on sunny days use a dark color
just the opposite from freshwater fishing. The longer you can keep the grass off
your lures the better chance you have in catching fish. Here is one more hint if
you decide to go bottom fishing: Frozen sardines or threadfins are best bait for
cloudy water but live bait is best in gin clear water.
Keep a tight line till next time
Captain Frank Bourgeois
Always
Fishing Guide Service
Office:352-666-6234 Toll free: 1-888-618-3474
Florida
Fishing Report for:
Hernando County, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.alwaysfishing.com
By
Capt. Frank
Bourgeois
September 2002
Backwater-to five miles out, inshore-to twelve miles out, offshore
Oh what a relief…
I can speak for many in Florida, “enough is enough with the weather”
guess what… I think we are safe now… I just returned from a trip offshore
(“ahhhhh”)… Oh what a relief it
was to hear my Optimax roaring up the channel again.
“Too long” I said to myself but, no one can change Mother Nature. Ok
here is what to expect out in the gulf. Gliding toward the bird rack, I noticed
lots of new tree branches taking up permanent residence along the channels edge.
I suspect the county has cleared the channel of obstructions except the crab
traps. I hope the storm has drifted them into the channel and someone did not
put them there. Passing by what we call the bird rack which is the number one
marker, I really noticed the water was very dirty. The water here on the Nature
Coast is clear as drinking water so observing this was not a pleasant site. This
is normal after storms and the water will clean up rapidly as the winds calm
down. Heading out to North Rack the floating grass was very thick and when I
passed North Rack I did notice there was some damage on the rack. The water
continued to be dirty and full of floating grass till we hit forty foot of
water. This is where I decided to start to look for fish. I fished my way out to
fifty-five feet of water. On the way there we tried trolling thru large bait
schools and what appeared to be some nice Bonita and Kings. Nope we did not hook
up I guess they were full as the bait schools were large. I then decided to hit
a good number I have in fifty-five foot of water then it happened. We stayed in
this area all day and ended up with some limits of Grouper. Two highlights of
the trip was George Lytal of Spring Hill not only limited out on Grouper he
caught a prize Shark. The big fish for the day was a beautiful catch by Jim
Leech of Zephyrhills, hooking and landing a forty five inch Cobia. The Cobia
bottomed out my Boca Grip which only goes to twenty-five pounds.
Keep a tight line till next time
Captain Frank Bourgeois
Always
Fishing Guide Service
Office:352-666-6234 Toll free: 1-888-618-3474
7-27-04
Backwater: to five miles out, inshore: to twelve
miles out, offshore: over twelve miles out
Hi all:
Lazy, hazy days of summer are here. For the most
part the seas have been calm. On the not so good side is the floating grass is
just about everywhere. Add the grass to the afternoon thunderstorms; one might
think there is no fishing time. Surprise! We still have plenty of daytime to
catch some nice fish. The redfish are biting very well in the mornings. I have
been catching white bait and chumming for the redfish. Once I have the water
full of chum I like to free line white baits and at the same time throw a Salt
water Assassin weightless or a Chug bug. The trout are still hitting in places
the shrimp boats have not worked the night before. There is some nice size
grouper still on the shallow water rocks we call them resident grouper as they
do not go to deeper water in the summer. To my surprise I have seen a lot of
Tarpon still in the area but to get close to them is a very big challenge. I
have not been able to get close enough to catch one. If you like fly-fishing try
for Hound fish. This fish is not a good eating fish but we call them a poor mans
Marlin as they fight like one. Big Tarpon flys and fast movements will produce a
good reaction.
Here are some things I do in the summer to help me catch fish. I
lightened the fishing line on my fishing reels from ten-pound test to
eight-pound test or six-pound test line. I use Team Fish camo line as I feel the
camo color line is not as noticeable in the clear waters off the Nature Coast. I
also went from a quarter ounce jig head to an eight-ounce jig head when the tide
slows down and try to make your bait twitch not just drag thru the water. Try
fishing quietly as the water is so clear and with the calm seas the fish are
very spooky.
The scallops are not as plentiful as they were last year. I have
heard of a few people doing well but most say no.
For those who have been following my fishing reports via the
newspaper and on the Internet I am pleased to announce a new addition to my
fishing guide service. Within the next two week thanks to Kenyon Power boats,
Sea Fox boats and Mercury Marine I will be getting a new twenty-six foot
offshore boat. Check out my web site to see pictures of what the new boat will
look like. (http://www.alwaysfishing.com)
The reason I mentioned this is I do not have a real up to date report on whats
happening on the offshore waters but according to my friend Captain Danny of the
Party boat Thunder the grouper are in about sixty foot of water.
Tight lines
Captain Frank Bourgeois
Always Fishing Guide Service
Toll free: 1-888-618-3474
Office: 352-666-6234
7-09-04
Capt.
Frank Bourgeois / Always Fishing Guide Service
Florida
Fishing Report for:
Hernando Beach and the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.alwaysfishing.com
By
Capt. Frank
Bourgeois
Backwater-to five miles out, inshore-to twelve miles out, offshore:
The inshore waters are teaming with fish. How many times can we
hear that one? Learning where and when to fish is far more important to most.
Well you would not be reading this if you were not interested in learning. So
lets look at what happens at this time of year on the near shore waters. The
waters get warm. Fish are the same temperature as the water, I am told. Are they
uncomfortable? I do not think so, I
feel the fish just follow the same patterns each year. Yes there are many
factors that come into play for each season. Temperature is one. I believe the
fish do just about the same things each year. I am referring to fish movements.
The fish move inshore and in some cases all the way to the backwaters, in the
winter months and in the spring, brings them back out to deeper waters. Some
inshore fish lay eggs offshore. If you keep a good record of your catches this
will help a lot in future trips.
The Nature Coast is doing well for the water conditions we have now. The
water is warm and clear. A lot of
people are not catching as many fish as they do in the spring. Some advice I
would give you (if you have not already done it) downsize your fishing lines.
Longer cast are better for catching spooky fish in the clear water. Braided
lines are very visible so try longer leaders and different lines then find a
line that works for you. The same holds true on the offshore waters. A lot of
boaters think they should be fishing more offshore than they are. A good friend
of mine Capt. Jim Bradley and our friend Capt. Billy Prior and family went out
in not so deep water, less than forty five feet and caught there limit of fish
and left them biting. Good job
Capt.… Remember one thing in shallow water fishing if you can see the bottom,
the fish can see you; so try not to disturb the waters you are about to fish. If
you do! Have patience till things calm down before you wet a line.
I will not be on the offshore waters for a few weeks; I am waiting for a
new boat to be built so by the next report I hope to fill you in a lot better.
On
the inshore waters I have had many trips. I have been working in about seven
foot of water using Salt Water Assassins and one-quarter ounce jig heads. I
tried top water lures in this depth of water but the grass floating deterred
this method of fishing. We have been doing wonderful on Redfish but only in the
early morning. Beats me but on artificial baits the bite is early. Mirror lures,
Assassins, Gold and silver spoons, Spinner baits all are working. Live baits
will generally work all day.
Keep
a tight line till next time
5-8-04
Florida
Fishing Report for:
Hernando Beach and the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.alwaysfishing.com
By
Capt. Frank
Bourgeois
Backwater-to five miles out, inshore-to twelve miles out, offshore:
Summer has arrived and now the
fun begins. I like fishing in the summer months, I find that the waters of the
gulf are smooth when the thunderstorms are not around. One of the problems of
summer you have to change your fishing styles. Now is the time you could use a
fish finder with a temperature gauge on it. Look for changes in the surface
temp and you just might find some of the fresh water springs that hold fish in
the dead of winter and the dead of summer. I have been doing a lot of offshore
fishing and if I had to take an average I would say we are catching one
grouper per person. On some trips, some of my clients are catching a limit and
others are catching none. Just the other day George Lytle and friends limited
out on Grouper and just the day before the clients caught over fifty grouper
not finding a keeper. One reason for success at this time of year is not
moving the bait when it gets to the bottom. Another reason is the shark
suckers are stealing bait before the grouper has a chance to see it. When the
shark suckers get to plentiful, I move to a different rock. Deeper water is
the only trouble with the summer and with the gas prices as they are; the trip
will cost you more money. Some of the inshore rocks are holding fish some
keepers, but small ones dominate the area. If you like only a great battle try
night fishing for sharks. I have done a few trips this season and with much
success. Best bet is to fish no later than 12 am as the best bite is from 9 pm
till midnight. I go out about 4 pm and fish till dark for Grouper then set up
for the sharks. Bring lots of chum and catch some small fresh fish for bait. I
use floats and free line the baits, this way you can cover the whole water
column. Night fishing also brings up some nice snapper fishing so use a
smaller hook and try to catch some of these nice eating fish. Just the other
day we caught a nice 6-pound snapper on squid. One of the things you should
observe is where the shrimp boats are dragging at night. Then you can avoid
these areas in the daytime as they push the fish elsewhere. Yes the slim grass
is still here but the good news is it is finally starting to die off. The
grass is getting easier to get off the lines and baits.
Hernando
Beach Bait and Tackle reports: Grouper
fishing remains good in the area of 18 to 32 foot, even though the slime is
still abundant. If you don't have a bite in 30 seconds chances are you bait is
covered. With the water temperature heating up, the fish are not aggressive.
Try smelly bait, i.e. Sardines, Greenbacks and Squid. In this same area you
will find Grunts, Cobia, and Sharks. Still seeing a few Kingfish. One angler
reported catching small dolphin in 37 foot of water.
|
