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Fishing Report Past Fishing Reports - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 Any Questions For Capt. Zach?
7-1-07
The Kabbani crew from Macon, Ga. did extremely well with
catch and release snook, redfish ranging from 17- 23 inches, small sharks,
and big ladyfish last week. Most of the action took place either side of a
high tide at about 9:30 am. Once again, live shrimp was the way to go for
action followed by small pinfish. One submarine of a snook hit a pinfish
under a popping cork and there was a very abbreviated fight before the huge
fish did in the 10 lb. line. We had a well full of beautiful white bait that
did not produce a single hit that morning.
Finally the afternoon rains have come for a few days
running. This is a good situation as the cooling rain will help moderate the
water temperatures and produce some good summer fishing action.
Look for the inshore mangrove snapper fishing to really
take off now and remain good for a couple of months. If you are looking for
the makings of a family fish fry, the tasty mangroves are the way to go in
the summer.
Trout, mackerel, and a few pompano have found there way
aboard the "Dee Jay II" as well recently.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at
Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores 115th St W and 38th Ave. Cortez,Fl on Palma
Sola Bay
6-22-07
The summer heat is definitely on but the summer rains are
eluding us. This spring saw water temperatures a bit below normal but they
are soaring now and we need some rain to help moderate water temperatures
going into July.
Shrimp and small pinfish have been the ticket to success
for me lately. The baits have been producing quality redfish, spotted sea
trout, spanish mackerel, snook, shark, and huge ladyfish. The good news is
that the pinfish will be readily available all summer but we are closing in
on pee-wee season for the live shrimp. A real good alternative is the
Berkely "Gulp" shrimp fished beneath a float of your choice. Also there has
been some small grunts mixed in with the pinfish that are particularly
deadly on trout. Another often overlooked summer bait are chubs(killifish)
that are highly available on the mud flats.
The catch of the week on the "DEE JAY II" was a 32 inch
redfish with big shoulders landed and released by 7 year old Lauren
Timbrook from West Virginia, her grandad Fred Timbrook from Parrish tried to
outdo her with a 31 incher. The pair also caught some slot sized reds and
decent trout on a half day this past week.
Tarpon have
arrived finally, better late than never, and have been
showing well along the beaches, Longboat Pass, and Egmont Key.
A couple of stabs at mangrove snapper fishing has
produced some along with gag grouper, lane snapper, porgies, and jewfish.
Inshore reef and ledge fishing will only get better as the summer
progresses. Pee-wee shrimp ,white bait fry, and chubs are all killer baits
for this style of summer fishing. Lures like "Doc's Crazy Jig" will also
produce results, especially jigged in place on a strong tide.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there cause
its getting hot!! Capt. J.A. "Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026
email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores 115th st W
and 38th Ave, Cortez, Fl on the shore of Palma Sola Bay.
6-10-07
Summer has finally settled in with the onset of P.M.
thunderstorms. The important factor is that the barometer will be high in
the morning but once the heating of the day sets in the barometer will start
to be erratic and that is what drives the fish crazy. Couple the fluctuating
air pressure with a decent tide and the fishing can be off the charts.
The past week has produced some top notch action with
backwater species such as sea trout, snook, redfish, and jack crevalle. A
variety of bait types have been producing with the sometimes finicky fish.
Live shrimp, white bait, crabs, and small pinfish have all contributed to
some really good action on both the incoming and outgoing tides.
The onset of more typical summer weather will also help
to abate the high winds that have hindered venturing too far offshore in the
gulf.
Tampa Bay has still been giving up some great spanish
mackerel, trout around the grassy edges, and numerous sharks wherever there
is a concentration of large bait.
Tarpon should be full bore right now but while they are
showing up in the area the action has not been anything to write home about.
There have been years when the tarpon fishing has not really taken off until
late June and been super hot through July and August.. It looks as if this
may be one of those years.
Mangrove snapper will also be making the inshore scene
long about the 4th of July and on into the early Autumn.
The water temps are still pretty moderate for early
summer and kingfish should still be available in the gulf locally but
probably 10-20 miles offshore. Permit will be taking up residence on
offshore wrecks and reefs as well.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
J.A. "Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked
at Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores 38th Ave W. and 115th St W Cortez, Fl on
the shores of Palma Sola Bay.
6-2-07
Angling action has been getting pretty interesting lately
and some creativity is in order for success.
White bait is getting harder to come by. That it is
usually the case in a normal year when summer approaches they become
scarcer. It is notable that when I have gone to the trouble to get a bunch
they have been a kind of a dud for producing fish. Shrimp, small pinfish,
and crabs have been the ticket for success on my charters this past week.
Crabs have been particularly good for finicky redfish, followed by shrimp
and pinnies. The biggest snook in the past couple of weeks was a 34 incher
taken with a half blue crab suspended beneath a cork while targetting
redfish. All of the snook and reds have been caught fishing tight to the
shade of mangroves on the extra high tides we have had lately especially
where there are oyster beds as well.
The deeper bay waters are still producing some really
nice spotted sea trout, gray trout, jumbo spanish mackerel, bluefish,
assorted shark, and the occasional pompano. Again, all of the above
preferred either shrimp or pinfish over white bait.
Local residents Carrie and Troy Kreiser
along with friend Richard Eettle from Pa. scored a backwater slam of
snook,reds, and trout towards the end of last week. The trio also bested a
few shark,mango snapper, and big spanish macks on a half day trip. Carrie,
who owned up to be a complete novice at the start of the trip ended up being
the top rod for the day.
I guess the rule of thumb going into the summer season is
to be flexible with your game plan and try other baits and styles of fishing
to bring success.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at
Parrot Cove Marina?Sunny Shores 115th St W and 38th Ave. Cortez, Fl on the
shores of Palma Sola Bay
5-26-07
Towards the end of the week things picked up pretty good
despite a continuous strong northeast wind pattern reminiscent of winter
more than late spring. Humidity levels in the 30's more like Arizona than
Florida have made fishing very comfortable but not really productive.
At weeks end, Ward and Mitchell Van Ducer from Bradenton
enjoyed some decent action with snook, redfish, trout, and mackerel.
The snook were of average size, the reds ran in the mid
20 inch range, and some dandy trout up to 22 inches were boated.
White bait, live shrimp, and small pinfish were the
ticket to success on the last of the incoming and first of the outgoing tide
Friday morning. The snook and reds were taken tossing live baits up close to
the mangroves and oyster beds in Palma Sola Bay. The trout and mackerel were
found over deep grass(5-7 ft.) in Anna Maria Sound.
Really looking forward to the normal summer pattern of
morning land breezes and P.M. sea breezes that also bring summer rains.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:
zachcap@aol.com Docked at Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores 38th Ave & 115
th St. W Cortez,Fl(Manatee County) on the shores of Palma Sola Bay.
5-12-07
Sometimes you bite the bear and sometimes the bear bites
you! That's the story of the past week on the "DEE JAY II". Some of the days
we got bit by "Smokey" the bear.
Squirrely tides did not add to the big action this week
but some decent catches were made. Carol and John Brigham from Bradenton and
Portland, Ind. joined me one smokey morning at weeks end. We managed a catch
of big spanish mackerel, spotted sea trout, and ladyfish on the open grass
flats of Anna Maria Sound. Live pilchards and shrimp both worked equally
well for all three species on a north wind and incoming tide. The same north
wind held the high tide down a few notches but we did find a few hungry
snook in deeper water in channels. Mixed in with the snook were some dandy
redfish but we were not successful in hooking any up. It was the first trip
in some time that did not give up at least a few redfish. When we have been
lucky with the red drum they have ran up to 26 inches.
Water temperatures are still a little cool for this time
of the year and everything seems to be on a later schedule. As is usually
the case we have been paying for the benign weather last December and
January with a very windy and cool spring. Don't mind the cool that much but
the wind has been a killer for small boats to get offshore for the spring
pelagic run.
Bait has been fairly easy to come by but there is not the
super abundance of bait in the bays as there was last year. Especially the
spanish sardines that were just thick last year have not shown themselves.
There are some big threadfin herring schooling up over the deep grass flats
around the mouth of Tampa Bay. These large but fragile baits are excellent
for any late season kingfish and the ticket for Tarpon when they show in any
numbers. The way things are looking it will be around June 1 when the silver
kings roll into town. Their arrival at Boca was a few weeks behind schedule
as well.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com. Docked at
Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores 38th Ave & 115th St. W Cortez, Fl. on the
shores of Palma Sola Bay.
5-5-07
Rick and Matt Fuchs, a father & son team from
Cincinatti,Oh. fished with me twice at weeks end. On Friday we ventured out
to 50 ft. in the gulf. We were a little disappointed with the action out
there and came back in to 30 ft. and encountered a plethora of shark from 2
footers to some in the 90 lb. range. The species hooked and released
included spinners, lemon, and black tip. Later that P.M. and then again on
Saturday we caught and released around 25 snook up to 30 inches, redfish to
23 inches, and barracuda to 22 inches. Most of the action was enjoyed before
and after the top of the tide in north Sarasota Bay using white bait. The
snook really turned on Saturday on a really big tide and a brisk wind flow
from the southwest. A lot of redfish have been seen in the areas we were
fishing but were not as cooperative as the snook.
Earlier in the week, Bob Lamb and Gino Linn, both local
residents experienced some top notch inshore action with both anglers
executing a backwater slam of trout, reds, and snook. In addition some ball
bat mackerel, bluefish, ladyfish, and a 50 lb. spinner shark. Anna Maria
Sound and Palma Sola Bay were the productive areas on that trip.
The water temperatures have skyrocketed this week and a
quick transition to summer patterns will be expected in the near future. I
would not be surprised if the summer rains do not set in within the next
week or so.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at
Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores 115th St. W and 38th Ave. on the shores of
Palma Sola Bay.
4-28-07
Another week of the wind machine and tides that are not the
greatest although the tides are going to improve dramatically in the next
few days. White bait has been plentiful and big and catching a variety of
fish depending on your locale.
Anna Maria Sound has been giving up some really quality
trout and huge mackerel, throw in some big ladyfish, shark, and pompano and
you get the picture. Drift fishing over the deep grass(5-7 ft.) is the way
to go, if it is too windy to drift , find a narrow sand trough between grass
beds, anchor down, and fish
I have been seeing a ton of snook and redfish all over
the area, They are in surprisingly shallow water but not feeding very
heavily at all. Chumming with white bait will help to draw some hits but
these flats fish just aren't being very cooperative.
Gary and Mary Shukert from Pa. fished with me 3 times
this past week and did O.K. with some dandy spanish mackerel, shark,
trout, and snook. The biggest snook taken was a fat 28 incher. All the other
fish were released.
Sue and Bill Waite from my home town of Palmetto, also
did well with macks, trout up to 20 inches, and a number of not quite keeper
snook.
I have not been able to brave the high winds to take the
"DEE JAY II" very far offshore. This weather pattern has got to break pretty
soon and hopefully there will still be some pelagics to be caught out in the
gulf. Improving tides coming up the next few weeks, along with warming water
temperatures should bring on some top notch inshore action for trout, snook,
and redfish.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at
Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores - Cortez, Fl. (Manatee County) 115th st w
on the shores of Palma Sola Bay.
4-22-07
Fishing has not been up to par considering it is mid April.
Persistent cold fronts have kept the night time temperatures pretty cool and
the wind machine set on high. The winds have kept most boats in the charter
fleet from venturing offshore to enjoy the pelagic migration going on out
there.
On the inshore waters of Manatee/Sarasota counties there
has been some decent action with big spanish mackerel, speckled trout, and
pompano fishing grass beds in 5-7 ft. of water in both Anna Maria Sound and
North Sarasota Bay. The cooler than normal water temperatures have sent
snook and redfish back into deeper holes almost like a winter pattern. The
best action for them has been around dock structure at the mouths of canals
and in local bayous. Live shrimp and white bait has been equally effective
but really hot bites have been rare.
The weather forecast has things heating up quite a bit
with the return of more humidity and more normal conditions for this time of
the year. This coming weekend will be the first in some time without a hard
windy front blowing in the area. Hopefully things will settle down and get
the spring runs back on track again.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aool.com Docked at
Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores, 115th St W Cortez, Fl 34215 on the shores
of Palma Sola Bay
4-14-07
The Easter cold front and rainy days after really dropped the
water temperatures and the red hot action before the front took a nosedive
and the past week was a little tough in my estimation. Persistence paid off
with some decent action with spanish mackerel, snook, redfish, speckled
trout, bluefish, and pompano.
Most of the action was on the inside with Anna Maria
Sound producing the lions share of the mackerel, pompano, & trout. White
bait and shrimp worked equally well with all three species. North Sarasota
Bay and Palma Sola Bay gave up most of the snook and reds with white bait
being the ticket for success.
Fish of the week honors go to Joe Coley from Holland,
Ohio who bested a 33 3/4 inch snook in Palma Sola on Thursday. It was kind
of a miraculous catch made on 10 lb. line. The "DEE JAY II" was anchored a
little too close to the mangroves for comfort and the big linesider made at
least five lunges right in to the roots. Each time Joe was successful in
getting the fish out and had it coming to the net but let it have its head
and the snook lunged to the bottom below the boat. On a second attempt to
net the fish the leader parted . In one of those moments that seemed to
hang in time, I went at the snook with the landing net and the big one
obliged by swimming right in, a classic Lazarus catch.
There is another spring cold front bearing down on us
this weekend with wind, rain, and cold predicted. Enough already!
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:
zachcap@aol.com Docked at Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores 115th St. W
Cortez, Fl on the shores of Palma Sola Bay
4-5-07
Action was hot and cold but mostly hot on the "DEE JAY II" this past week.
Fishing in the gulf along the beaches and the nearshore reefs produced
kingfish, big spanish mackerel, trout,cobia, and one hookup with an
estimated 100 lb. spinner shark that almost yanked a 45 lb. 7 year old girl
out of the boat.The hottest action actually took place fairly close to the
beaches. Trips out to 30-40 ft of water were not exactly off the charts.
On the inside, some really excellent snook catches were made with
linesiders in the 29 - 34 inch range, along with some scattered redfish to
25 inches. The snook have pretty much made a quantum leap from the backwater
mudflats to the more open bay waters that they generally don't inhabit till
a little later in the spring season.
The deep grass flats of Anna Maria Sound and the Bulkhead have been
producing some bragging sized spanish mackerel, pompano, and spotted sea
trout. For anglers that do not net white bait, regular sized shrimp have
been as productive as anything for the species mentioned.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt. "J.A. "Zach"
Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at Parrot
Cove Marina/Sunny Shores 115thSt W Cortez, Fl. on Palma Sola Bay.
4-1-07
Overall action was good this past week despite so-so tides.
The majority of the catch consisted of Spanish mackerel and big spotted sea
trout along the beaches, and snook, trout, redfish , and pompano in the
bays.
White bait and shrimp produced equally well for all of
the species mentioned.
Beach fishing off Longboat Key and Anna Maria was pretty
consistent. Spanish macks and trout to 24 inches were common. On Friday we
saw a substantial school of 60-70 lb. tarpon cavorting just off Whitney
Beach. This is the earliest sighting of tarpon on the beach that I can
remember ever.
On the inside, a number of snook were taken with the
largest going 31 inches. Redfish to 25 inches were scattered, and the deep
grass flats of Anna Maria Sound gave up a variety of species including big
spanish mackerel, pompano to 22 inches, bluefish, ladyfish, and numerous
small speckled trout.
There was a huge influx of white bait on the beaches of
Longboat Key this weekend and a lot of it should move into the bay any day.
A few stray sheepshead were still taken although that fishery should be on
the wane. There are kingfish offshore and if the wind would lay down action
should be off the charts in 40 to 50 off water off the coast of Manatee and
Sarasota Counties.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at
Sunny Shores/Parrot Cove Marina 115th St W Cortez, Fl. on Palma Sola Bay
3-25-07
Bill Rice and his brother Bob from Boise, Idaho had a fun
morning Saturday with a mixed bag catch of spanish mackerel, bluefish, gray
trout, speckled trout, and some dandy snook. With the exception of the snook,
the catch was made off the beaches of Longboat Key using live shrimp and
whitebait. We topped off the morning with a few nice snook in the Tidy
Island area. Bob had the biggest with a fat 30 inch keeper taken on a large
shiner. Earlier in the week Herman Lockner and son, Tim from Mentor, Ohio
had similar luck with the addition of redfish to 22 inches.
The big kingfish action that we had been enjoying before
last weeks blow had to be put on hold when the "DEE JAY II"had to spend the
week in the shop for engine repairs. A friend allowed me the use of his boat
in the meantime, but it is strictly a flats boat and not designed for
offshore fishing, especially when the NE winds have been howling all week.
Makes for nice fishing conditions close to the beach but a mile or two
offshore starts to get a little bumpy to say the least.
Snook fishing is off to a great start this spring with
some really sizeable fish being caught after many years of dinks.
These strong spring easterlies should begin to relax in
the near future and I think we are on the cusp of some exceptional spring
action from the backwater to the gulf reefs.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there !! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at
Sunny Shores/Parrot Cove Marina 115th St W, Cortez, Fl. on the shores of
Palma Sola Bay
3-18-07
Before the arrival of the late season cold front spring broke
loose all over the place. At the beginning of last week white bait showed
up, kingfish in big numbers arrived just offshore of the Manatee/Sarasota
beaches along with spanish mackeral, pompano, and cobia. A huge school of
permit were seen last Monday about 4 miles west of Longboat Key but we could
not entice a hit. If we had crabs on board I think we might have been
successful.
My clients at the beginning of the week enjoyed great
action with big spawner sheepies in 30-40 ft of water on live shrimp. We
also discovered the king and spanish mackeral and did extremely well with
them each day until the wind drove us off the gulf towards weeks end. Chuck
Shuler and Jerry Brian probably did the best on Wednesday with a banner
catch of sheepies and probably 30 schoolie kings up to 30 inches. The
mackerels were not particular about their grub as shrimp, small
pinfish, white bait, and cut bluefish strips were all equally effective for
drawing hits.. Chuck connected with and fought an estimated 60 lb. cobia for
20 minutes only to have it finally break 15 lb. test line at boatside. The
crying towel was passed around and the duo later connected with a few nice
snook in Palma Sola Bay.
On Thursday wind howled out of the south and we fished
inshore with shrimp and did OK, considering the wind ,with a mixed bag of
trout, sheepies, pompano, bonnet head shark, and ladyfish.
The weekend brought high wind and cold, and unfortunately
motor trouble for me, but that will be resolved shortly and the "DEE JAY II"
should be back in commission by the time this report hits the street.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
J.A. "Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com.
Docked at Sunny Shores/Parrot Cove Marina 115th St W. Cortez, Fl. on the
shore of Palma Sola Bay.
3-10-07
The angling action this past week had its ups and downs,
one day producing off the chart late winter action and the next kind of
disappointing.
The good days produced good numbers of
redfish in the 15 to 22 inch range, a few spotted sea trout to 22 inches, and
of course sheepshead to 7 lbs.
The reds and trout were found in
the bay and they fell for live shrimp fished in channels with a lot of
mangroves in the area.
On Saturday morning a party of four and
I ventured out a couple to three m.iles out in the gulf. It was a beautiful
calm morning with a good incoming tide and the foursome put the hurt on a
mess of big sheepies to 7 lbs., mangrove snapper, flounder, and several almost
keeper gag grouper.
The wrapup of last week saw a decrease
in the really good speckled trout action I had been seeing for awhile. The
Redfishing remained pretty steady and the sheepshead were good on most days,
especially out in the gulf. The first spanish mackerel of the season were
taken midweek.
The next few weeks should bring on some
quantum changes on the angling scene with the pelagics showing up along our
coast and snook fishing coming on strong as soon as the water temperatures
breach the 70 degree level.
Good luck and good fishing - be careful
out there!! Capt. "Zach" Zacharias "DEEJAYII"
941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores-
Cortez,Fl at the end of 115th St. W on the shores of Palma Sola Bay
3-2-07
Fog, wind, rain, quarter moon tides all teamed up last
week to make good angling a challenge. Persistence,however, did pay off with
some decent catches.
A couple of forays out in the gulf, when possible,
produced sheepshead to 6 lbs.A number of sheepies were taken inshore as
well.
A couple of nice redfish bites were encountered with
individual fish up to 22 inches. Most of the reds were found in channels and
around docks.
Speckled trout were the big surprise recently. Some
really respectable action with specks up to 23 inches was enjoyed by anglers
aboard the "DEE JAY II". Trout have been encountered in the inshore channel
edges, although the beaches have given up some as well, mixed in with gray
trout, and whiting.
More flounder have been boated recently than in the
previous year.
Snook are all over the place with a lot of big fish. The
snook should start hitting the flats and feeding more reliably in about two
weeks.
Just over the horizon is great action with pelagics such
as spanish/king mackerel, cobia,barracuda,and bonito. Water temperatures and
bait schools are the key here. Look for the water temps to break into the
low 70's.
Live shrimp has accounted for the bulk of the action
lately but whitebait will become the bait of choice very soon. It is always
a good idea to carry both baits, along with artificials as we get into the
spring run.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
J.A. "Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked
at Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores 115th St W Cortez, Fl on the shores of
Palma Sola Bay
2-15-09
The weather is really a huge factor lately. On days that are
a little unsettled the fish bite real well and the bluebird days after the
fronts make things tough.
One trip out in the gulf between fronts produced good
numbers of fish and species. Fishing in about 30 foot of water on a reef, a
party of three enjoyed near non-stop action with sheepshead, gag grouper,
and mangrove snapper. Later on in the bay, after taking shelter under the
LBK Bridge from a short deluge, the same trio nailed a few nice reds and a
snook before a fairly severe storm ran us off the water.
Another trio from Ohio did battle with a number of
redfish up to 19 inches, snook, sheepshead, and speckled trout to 22 inches
the next day during the passage of a front.
Some really cold weather is bearing down on us right now
and should reinforce the winter fishing pattern for a few more weeks. So
much for the anticipated early spring based on the abnormally warm
conditions in December and January.
There are a lot of redfish around Manatee and Sarasota
waters. Not a lot of big guys but just a slew of 14-20 inchers. This bodes
well for some great redfishing in the coming few years barring any bad red
tide outbreaks. Speckled trout are rebounding big time in the area as well.
Numerous pods of snook with some really big fish have been seen prowling
about but the cool water temps have kept catching them a difficult
proposition. White bait should not be a problem this spring ,as there is a
bunch in the area already.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
J.A. "Zach" Zacharias 941-795-5026 "DEE JAY II" email:zachcap@aol.com Docked
at Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores 115th St W. Cortez, Fl on Palma Sola Bay
2-2-07
A couple of forays out in the gulf between fronts produced
some really interesting results. In close to the beaches the bluefish are so
thick they get to be boring in short order so we ventured out a little
further to get away from them. That move paid off with some big spawner
sheepies and hefty gray triggerfish. Some unusual catches included a few 16
inch hogfish,larger than usual key west grunt, and lane snapper. The most
unusual catch though was a pair of 30 inch snook taken over hard bottom
about a mile and a half west of Anna Maria on small shrimp intended for
sheepies. Catching snook that far from shore in the gulf is rare, but almost
unheard of in January!
On the inshore it has been trout, redfish, and sheepshead
caught mostly on live shrimp and Berkely's "Gulp" shrimp. Low incoming tides
have been the most productive. Snook season opened on Thursday but few have
been taken so far. Now that winter has moved in on us late it will probably
be 4-6 weeks before really quality snooking materializes in the western
waters of Manatee County.
In the past couple of years there have been more and
more unusual catches made in these parts. Last years mullet roe season saw a
number of bonefish netted in the area. Hog snapper are becoming more common
as well. Offshore there are far more yellowtail snapper in summer, mako
sharks, and permit than I ever remember in 50 years of fishing around here.
Maybe it has something to do with climate change, but there is certainly
something in the works.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
J.A. "Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked
at Sunny Shores/Parrot Cove Marina 115th st W Cortez, Fl. on Palma Sola Bay
1-27-07
The YoYo weather of this winter continues to make things
challenging. Most of the fish are confused by this weather pattern of
hot/cold and are basically moving around a lot when they should be holed up
in a solid winter pattern. This is especially true of the inshore species.
Along the beaches there are literally hoards of bluefish that are so
aggressive in their feeding habits that the more desirable species ie.
spotted and gray trout, sheepshead, and snapper are nearly impossible to
catch. I have found though that in 30-40 feet of water there are far fewer
blues and some really good catches have been made out there. The catch22
there is the wind and being able to fish out that far in a smaller boat.
As I write this a really substantial cold front has
rolled in, the first rock & rolling norther of the winter so far. I hope
this does not portend a cold windy spring fishing season.
Bill Rolston and his buddy Jim, both from Sudbury,
Ontario fished with me on Saturday. The weather was reasonable with both the
cold and wind not nearly as bad as predicted. We were able to get out to
25-30 feet of water and had some remarkable catches. The most notable being
a 16 inch hog snapper. Other species included some of the largest gray
triggerfish I have ever encountered that close to shore, big spawner
sheepies, and equally large key west grunt. Live shrimp fished on the bottom
during a slow incoming quarter moon tide proved to be successful. The wind
started to pick up and we returned to the bay and nailed some respectable
spotted sea trout.
The trout fishing is really on track to recovery from the
red tides of the past two years and I really encourage anglers to release as
many as they can. A good rule of thumb is to release all the trout you catch
that are not seriously harmed by the catching process. If you have a legal
fish that has been gut hooked or gill damaged, go a head and keep a few as
they will not likely survive anyhow.
Other action this week has included some decent redfish,
pompano, spanish mackerel, and one lonely flounder.
Looking forward to the opening of snook season this week
(Feb 1), the aforementioned cold front will probably put the kibosh on an
early start to snooking out here near the coast. If you are looking to do
any serious snook fishing you should probably head as far east as you can
find brackish water. The rivers and creeks will probably be your best bet.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II " 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at
Parrot Cove Marina/ Sunny Shores 115th st W Cortez, Fl (Manatee County) on
the shore of Palma Sola Bay
1-20-07
The strange "El Nino" weather has things either really hot
or really cold and so is the fishing. Some days produce banner catches and
others is like pulling teeth to get anything going.
The hot days produce redfish, some running into the 30
inch range, catch and release snook, which are mostly small, trout up to 21
inches, and scattered catches of mackerel and pompano. Bluefish are
literally all over the beaches. They are so aggressive that it is difficult
to get the sheepshead,pompano, and trout that are frequenting the same
habitats in the gulf.
Some truly large snook have been spotted on every trip
and I am really trying to be optimistic about the upcoming spring snook
season because when we don't have at least one month of normal winter
weather the spring snook action can be squirrely.
The trout action has been especially welcome and maybe
they are on the road to recovery in our area.
There should be some cobia action happening with the warm
water temperatures and a plethora of small forage fish in the gulf. I have
not seen or caught any and have not heard of others bragging about the big
ling. There has been some scattered kingfish action going on offshore of
Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key due to the warm water.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com for charter
info- Docked at Parrot Cove Marina 115thStW, Cortez, Fl. on the shores of
Palma Sola Bay
1-5-07
The exceptionally benign weather has certainly made angling
pursuits comfortable to say the least! When the action has been on it's
really good and conversely when its tough it's super tough.
The bulk of the action on the "DEE JAY II" has been with
redfish, sheepshead, and trout(spotted & gray) in that order. Live shrimp
and Gulp shrimp have accounted for the most results. The reds have been
found mostly around dock structure in bayous and canals and running to 24".
The sheepies have been encountered in boat channels where there is some hard
bottom and going to 4 lbs.. The spotted sea trout have been taken both on
deep bay grass, and along with the grays, on hard bottom along the beaches
of Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key. Many of the trout are small but some
dandies up to 20 inches are out there if you poke around enough.
Other species taken recently has been spanish mackerel,
pompano, black drum, mangrove snapper, bonito, and bluefish.
There are still schools of whitebait around and if the
weather continues to be so mild, there very well could be good snook action
on the flats right from the season opener on Feb.1
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:
zachcap@aol.com Docked at Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores 115th St W
Cortez, Fl on the shores of Palma Sola Bay.
12-24-06
Fishing has been interesting to say the least. The
unseasonably warm weather makes each day an adventure. Standard winter
patterns usually depended on in late December work some days and are a total
bust on others.
The action we have encountered is mixed, with spanish
mackerel, bonito, bluefish, and some pompano on and along the beaches of
Anna Maria and Longboat Key. Working the inshore docks, sea walls, and
channels there has been sporadic action with sheepies, trout, redfish,
smallish snook, and some hefty black drum.
For pure sport, the mouth of Palma Sola Bay is absolutely
thick with hefty ladyfish that are not shy about taking anything you throw
their way.
Merry Christmas and a great fishy 2007 to all my friends
and patrons out there! Capt. "Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026
email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores 115th St. W
Cortez, Fl on the shores of Palma Sola Bay.
12-16-06
Alan Burdick and his nephew Kenny from Bradenton fished
with me on Friday. Caught a mixed bag of redfish,C&R Trout, sheepshead, and
mangrove snapper. The trout topped out at 18" and was dutifully released.
The redfish ran the size gamut from 16 inchers to a 28 inch beauty.
Our recent weather pattern has not been conducive to
really great fishing action. Either really cold or unseasonably warm periods
have the water temperature on a roller coaster and it is difficult to nail
down a solid feeding pattern. A prolonged spell of colder weather at this
juncture would go a long way to improve angling action right now and make
the spring fishing more predictable.
Most of the fish we have been catching are in deeper,dark
bottomed areas adjacent to seawalls and docks. Shrimp has been the bait of
choice but artificials have been producing some action as well.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:
zachcap@aol.com Docked at Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores 115th St W
Cortez, Fl on the shores of Palma Sola Bay.
12-09-06
Fishing results were much improved during the calm period
between the past two fronts. A couple of forays resulted in a mixed bag of
redfish to 23", C&R trout to 22", small snook, black drum to 10 lbs.,
mangrove snapper, spanish mackerel, sheepshead, and a few flounder.
I've discontinued using white bait until spring, it had
not been producing well inshore anyhow, and has become increasingly hard to
get. Live shrimp and artificials have been producing great results.
This substantial cold front should pretty much sock us
into a winter pattern which is much easier to figure out and can provide
some top notch action with a wide variety of species. The big negative low
tides tend to concentrate large numbers of fish in deeper holes and when
they decide to eat it can be a real fire drill.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at
Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores 115th St W. Cortez, Fl. on the shores of
Palma Sola Bay
12-3-06
Got brutalized towards the end of last week. Found it very
hard to get any kind of sustained bites going from anything fishing inshore.
The few fish we were able to entice included redfish,
black drum, mangrove snapper, and sheepshead. The only factors I could
think of that brought on the lockjaw was a combination of a washed out
stationery front over the weekend , a quantum jump in water temperatures
after having already dropping to the mid sixties before Thanksgiving, and
extremely clear water conditions. By the time this report is printed a
substantial front will have come through the area and returned us to a more
seasonal pattern and better fishing action.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at
Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores 115th St. W Cortez, Fl on beautiful Palma
Sola Bay
11-25-06
Took Kurta and Jay Addington, along with kids Hannah & Zach
visiting from Indiana to a mixed bag catch of redfish, sheepshead, and black
drum the weekend after Thanksgiving. The black drum were sizeable, some
topping out at 12 lbs.Live shrimp was the ticket on a falling tide around
area docks.
The Biddle family from Rye N.Y. fishes with me every year
at Thanksgiving and they also did well with reds, snook, trout, mangrove
snapper, and jack crevalle.
It looks like the last cold front kind of put the kibosh
on white bait on the local flats. Some may still be found but water temps
fell into the mid 60's in the past few days and that generally runs the
white bait out of here for the winter months. The kingfish and mackerel run
is also on the wane, although a spell of nice weather could bring back the
spanish. Mackerels do not like dirty water and the muddy conditions close to
the beaches after a windy front. They may still be found well offshore in
clearer water however. Look for a run of cobia along the local beaches
before Christmas. The Cobia do not mind dirty water at all. Some pompano may
move into North Sarasota Bay and Anna Maria Sound as well.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at
Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores 115th St W. Cortez, Fl. on beautiful Palma
Sola Bay
11-19-06
My son Josh and I ventured out after the front of last week
and did pretty well on redfish, sheepshead, flounder, and some big ladyfish
in the bay. Before the front my clients had been doing extermely well with
big spanish mackerel, bluefish, and a few kingfish along the beaches of Anna
Maria and Longboat Key. The front muddied up the water on the beaches but it
should settle out soon barring another hard front.
White bait is still available and has been the ticket for
the mackerels but it has been next to useless with the inshore species. A
switch to live shrimp and artificials proved to be the trick for taking the
snook,reds, trout, and flounder.
Sheepshead are starting to turn on and should be coming
on really strong in the next few weeks. Still looking for one last push of
kingfish before they are gone till spring. Happy Thanksgiving!
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!!
Capt."Zach" Zacharias, "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com
Docked at Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores,115thSt.W Cortez,Fl on beautiful
Palma Sola Bay
11-11-06
Rick Fuchs from Cincinatti, Oh. and a guest at the Bali Hai
Resort in Holmes Beach enjoyed a big mack attack in the gulf off Anna Maria
on Friday. Countless king sized mackerel were taken on white bait in 30 ft.
of water on an outgoing tide. After the mackerel onslaught we plied the
waters of north Sarasota Bay and caught a number of redfish and sheepshead,
both species fell for live shrimp on an incoming tide.
I feel as if there is going to be a big run of kings over
the next couple of weeks off the beac hes of Anna Maria and Longboat Key.
That all hinges on a break in the windy weather that has plagued us for the
past few weeks. There is plenty of good sized bait available in the bays and
no hard artic fronts are on the horizon. Live shrimp is becoming the bait of
choice on the inside. Shrimp have out produced white bait for snook, reds,
and of course, sheepshead.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at
Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores 115th St W. Cortez, Fl. on beautiful Palma
Sola Bay.
11-5-06
The fishing has been hot and cold, just like the weather
for the past couple of weeks. Still looking for the big kingfish run along
the beaches. There has been some kingfish out about 10 miles but persistent
windy weather has kept the "DEE JAY II" from getting out that way. Around
the mouth of the Manatee River there has been big action with a number of
species including big spanish macks, bluefish, small trout, and huge
ladyfish. At times there are some sharks crashing the party.
In the bays the snook and redfish have been cooperative
when the conditions are favorable, most have been running small but an
occasional keeper has been taken. Sheepshead are thick and should turn on
big time when the water temps hit the 60's.
The weather has been a huge factor and the El Nino
pattern of numerous non-arctic fronts seems to be developing. The big
drawback to that scenario is there are no calm periods of any length between
fronts but once a pattern develops there can be some really good winter type
action in the bays but the gulf tends to be riled up and rough most of the
time.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at
Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores 115th St. W Cortez, Fl. on beautiful Palma
Sola Bay.
10-29-06
Rick and Matt Fuchs visiting from Cincinatti, Ohio decided
to brave the high winds following the passage of the cold front Saturday
morning and were rewarded with a respectable catch of snook and reds plus a
juvenile goliath grouper. The fish bit hard when the higher than normal tide
caused by the strong SW winds dropped like a rock in a couple of hours when
the wind clocked to the North. Getting bait was somewhat of a hassle in the
30 knot winds but we got plenty. Earlier in the week some nice snook to 30
inches were boated and a pair of anglers on Thursday before the front scored
big on numerous redfish.
Looking forward to a break from the winds so I can get
out to the gulf and prospect for kings and cobia. The two pelagics should be
showing up along the beaches. If the El nino pattern develops though, as it
is predicted, you can almost count on two fronts a week, keeping the winds
up more than normal. Hoping that doesn't happen.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at
Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores 115th St W Cortez, Fl on beautiful Palma
Sola Bay
10-15-06
Nothing to write home about this week but there were bright
spots. Bait is absolutely thick and big, with some luck the big pilchards
will still be around when the kingfish show up.
Snook and redfish were the bulk of the catch for the week
and ranged in size from dinks to specimens in the 30-35 inch range.
The water quality around these parts has been
exceptional, with no red tide problems at all.
One of the more unusual catches has been juvenile jewfish
being encountered all over the area inshore. The average mini-goliath has
been about 18 inches. My clients have landed and released more of the
potential giants in the past couple of weeks than I have seen in an entire
career of fishing the inshore waters of Manatee/Sarasota counties.
As the water temps moderate look for the return of
massive spanish mackerel schools, kingfish, and cobia in the coastal areas.
Snook have already made a quantum leap to inshore areas
where they are more commonly found around Turkey Day, probably because of
red tide along the beaches in September. The redfish are not schooling up as
much as they usually do in mid-October. The drum seem to be moving around a
lot and there are more rat reds being encountered on the flats than I have
seen in some time.
Sheepshead are absolutely thick and if they don't pull a
disappearing act between now and Thanksgiving it should be a banner winter
season for the convict fish.
There are some pompano showing south of long bar in
Sarasota bay and are falling for medium to small shrimp and round headed
pompano jigs.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at
Parrot Cove Marina, 115th St W. Cortez, Fl. on beautiful Palma Sola Bay.
10-7-06
Things are looking up a lot this past week. Full moons in
saltwater fishing can always be a challenge, but with a little stick-to-itivness
some decent catches have been made. Bait is absolutely thick all over our
local waters in Manatee/Sarasota waters. Once again there are
pilchards(large and small), threadfin, spanish sardines, and small pinfish.
Using the plentiful bait we have managed catches of
redfish and snook. Geno Lynn of Bradenton and his buddy Jim Beardslee from
Decatur, Alabama came up with a good catch of the above with a 30 inch snook
and a 25 inch redfish topping the list. Earlier in the week there were
numerous small snook boated, and an unusual amount of rat reds caught on
shallow grass flats. Usually at this time of the year when you encounter
reds on the flats they are pretty sizeable fish but many in the 12 - 16 inch
range are cruising the shallow flats and mangrove shorelines. Mangrove
snapper continue thick and will be available until the first hard front of
the fall. Cooler weather on the horizon should bring in spanish mackerel,
kingfish, and cobia. Winter fishing for sheephead should be excellent this
year based on the number I have been seeing around the area already.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:
zachcap@aol.com Docked at Parrot Cove Marina, 115th St. W Cortez, Fl on
beautiful Palma Sola Bay
9-1-06
Ernesto wasn't even a bump in the road and the red tide is
random and patchy but neither one had a negative effect on local angling.
Action remains pretty strong, as it has all summer, with
spanish mackerel, redfish, and mangrove snapper making up the bulk of the
catch. Some days have provided some pretty spectacular catches when the
weather and tides are favorable.
Snook season has reopened and there are a lot of
linesiders staged up along the beaches and just inside the passes of local
bays. If you are out to catch a keeper, remember the slot has increased to
27 inches minimum size. The best shot at a keeper right now would be
targeting late evening and night tides. Numerous small fish can be caught
and released during the daylight hours and the bigger specimens will become
more cooperative during the daylight as the water starts to cool in October.
If live bait has been a problem for you, artificial baits
will really produce now as most of the flats fish are favoring deeper
dropoffs and the water is really stained from runoff. The abundant fresh
water entering the estuary is flushing a lot of inshore fish out to the more
open and saline areas of the bays. Trout will especially avoid water that is
a bit too sweet. One other positive aspect of low salinity is that it does
not effectively support a red tide bloom and many species such as redfish
and snook will take refuge in such water.
Late summer patterns are beginning to develop and I am
really looking forward to the great action coming up in the next several
months.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
J.A. "Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:
zachcap@aol.com Docked at Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores at the end of
115thSt.W on beautiful Palma Sola Bay.
8-26-06
Redfish and mangrove snapper continue to be the big catch
numbers wise lately. Limit catches of snapper are common and redfish bites
producing as many as 30-40 boatings have occurred.
There has also been some C&R snook, speckled trout, and
spanish mackerel.
There is some red tide in the area. The blooms are random
and spotty but not too severe as there have not been any widespread fish
kills as of today. The big challenge is keeping live bait alive in your bait
well. There are a number of ways to deal with the situation. Fill the well
at a location that is free of any red tide and close off the fresh salt
water intake. A really good overhead aerator is necessary for this to work.
It will keep a moderate amount of bait alive for 4-5 hours especially if
you drop a frozen blue ice in to moderate the water temperature. Live shrimp
are pretty much immune to the effects of red tide and a good way to go in
late summer. Artificial lures, jigs, and spoons are the most obvious
solution.
The water quality issues have abated where it started
down in Charlotte County so hopefully the problem will be of a short
duration as it normally occurs in late summer.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
J.A. "Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked
at Parrot Cove Marina/SunnyShores, 11510 39th Ave. W off 115th St. W.
Cortez, Fl on beautiful Palma Sola Bay.
8-20-06
All my trips this week produced similar results. Local
residents Tony and Bill Werner and the Hiteman Family from Lutz both did
well with a diverse catch of mangrove snapper, gag grouper, spanish
mackerel, snook, and redfish. The entire week featured a long outgoing tide,
starting at daybreak and bottoming out in the late afternoon. The diversity
of the catch was the only thing to write home about because there never was
a really bang up bite with any of the species listed. I must admit though
that I have seen much worse during the dog days of August. Bait continued to
be easy and plentiful. A great range of sizes from fry bait to slabs, along
with numerous pinfish of all sizes certainly aided in the mixed nature of
our catch all week. No red tide has been evident in Manatee County waters as
of this writing.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at
Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores - 115th St. W , Cortez, Fl. on Palma Sola
Bay
8-12-06
Media reports claim there is red tide moving into the area
but as of this writing there is no evidence of it in Manatee County. I have
contacted other guides, especially to our south and the reports indicate
that the Pine Island/Boca Grande area is clearing up and the closest bloom
to us is several miles west of central Sarasota County. The weather guys are
saying the easterly flow is going to reestablish itself early this week and
that should help to keep any problems offshore.
Meanwhile back at the ranch things are pretty good for
the dog days.Mangrove snapper are thick and cooperative as well as the
spanish mackerel in the area. Those two species are the best bet for a fish
fry.
Catch and release snooking is good on the right tides,
Ditto for redfish. A definite increase in trout activity, even into
Sarasota Bay, is a really positive thing happening. Even flounder fishing is
on the mend especially in the lower section of the Manatee River.
Tarpon are hanging in deep dredge holes and channels
across the area and will jump on a good lively bait tossed their way.
Bluefish, jack crevalle, and ladyfish round out the
action in the Manatee/Sarasota area waters.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there- its
plenty hot!! Capt. "Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:
zachcap@aol.com Docked at Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores on Palma Sola
Bay, 115th St. W. Cortez, Fl.
8-1-06
The big deal around Manatee County waters is the mangrove
snapper bite is on inshore! A couple of outings this past week produced easy
bag limits of the delectable mangos up to 17 inches. A number of juvenile
gag grouper have been in the mix. Small pilchards, pinfish, and shrimp have
all been productive but some were taken on small white jigs and even a few
on fly gear using a clouser minnow. An incoming tide was the best for me and
the snapper were encountered in a number of different structures including
docks, hard bottom, ledges, and shell bars.
The inshore gulf off Anna Maria Island was still giving
up good catches of spanish and juvenile king mackerel, bonito, sharks, and
bluefish. An occasional barracuda will crash the party and we have been
hooking and releasing them in order to scare them away.
The bays are showing signs of settling in to a late
summer pattern with the schooling of the snapper and redfish. Snook are all
but finished with the spawn and returning to inside locations. Trout are
available mostly in north county waters and a few nice specimens have been
taken when you concentrate on catching them. The deep grass flats near the
mouth of the Manatee River have been especially good for the spotties. It is
good to see the trout making a comeback in the area and hopefully the south
county waters will also see a repopulation soon.
For pure sport there a lot of marauding schools of big
ladyfish and jack crevalle around and they are not too finicky about what
they will eat in the way of live bait or artificials. A respectably large
tarpon was hooked on a mirro-lure top dog while being tossed at a school of
large frenzied ladyfish in Palma Sola Bay the other day.
The dense black balls of whitebait fry are showing up all
over the bays and fishing in or near them will produce a surprising array of
local gamefish.
It is extremely hot on the water right now and the
lightning storms in the PM have been pretty scary, so exercise a lot of
caution out there. Good luck and good fishing!! Capt. "Zach" Zacharias "DEE
JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com -Docked at Parrot Cove Marina,
115th St W. Cortez, Fl. on the shores of Palma Sola Bay.
7-21-06
Tom Lovelace and crew visiting from Raleigh,N.C. tallied up
a diverse catch from the inshore Gulf of Mexico and Sarasota Bay midweek.
The gulf gave up a number of spanish and juvenile king
mackerel, bluefish, and grouper. Later in the bay we boated snook, redfish,
and mangrove snapper.
Mangrove snapper have finally started to make the scene
this past week and the action for the delicious panfish should build and
peak over the next two months.
I can't predict how much longer the mackerel action will
last, but as of this week it has been pretty strong.
7-8-06
Summer has really settled in with brutally hot weather on
the water at times, heavy thunder boomers, and lackluster angling action
some days. I had been looking forward to the big outgoing tides in the AM
last week but I found them to be challenging especially on the inside. The
first big shot of runoff from the rains after a prolonged dry spell is
causing some water quality problems in most backwater areas. As the rainy
season progresses most of the funky water issues should abate.
Bait gathering is showing signs of summer difficulty.
The usual hordes of too small pilchards are becoming more common and the
biggies becoming more scarce. There are still a lot of thread fin, spanish
sardines, and small pinfish available. Shrimp at the bait houses are
eyeballs and whiskers as is normal for July and August.
Mike and CiCi Harmon from St. Louis fished with me a half
day last week. We primarily targetted the beaches and did OK with spanish
mackerel, juvenile king mackerel, and bluefish. Mike nailed a 12 lb. keeper
kingfish at the 11th hour of the trip and was the fish of the day.
Joe Lord from Clermont, Fl. and his crew enjoyed some
pretty good action with spanish mackerel, juvenile kings, and small gag
grouper, this time fishing hard bottom in 20 ft. in Tampa Bay. They also
nailed a few nice speckled trout and small blacktip shark drift fishing the
deeper grass beds in Anna Maria Sound and the bulkhead area just west of the
mouth of the Manatee River.
Still looking for mangrove snapper action to bust loose.
It should be happening any day now.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:
zachcap@aol.com Docked at Parrot Cove Marina, 115th St W. Cortez, Fl on
the shores of beautiful Palma Sola Bay.
7-2-06
Here it is the 4th of July and there is still a ton of
beautiful big bait in the area. Spanish mackerel are also thick in the gulf
and Tampa Bay when they are usually long gone for the summer. Another
species that should be way long gone is king mackerel and we have been
catching numerous juvenile kings mixed in with the spanish. Many folks may
not notice the difference but if you examine the mackerel carefully you will
see that a lot of them are kingfish.
On the inside of Anna Maria and Longboat it has been
primarily redfish, they are running up to 30" and have been feeding the best
at the top of big tides and the first of the fall up tight to the bushes.
Trout have been taken, not many, but most have been encountered north and
east of the Anna Maria Bridge. For the first time in many months there have
been no snook brought aboard the "DEE JAY II" this past week.
Fred Timbrook from Parrish and his grandkids from W. Va.
had a banner day boating easily 40 spanish and king mackerel on a half day
last Thursday. On Saturday, Craig Rupp from Kansas City and his crew
duplicated that catch with about 50 mixed spanish, kingfish, and bluefish.
Moving into summer there should be increased action with
schooling redfish and mangrove snapper schooling up thick over inshore
structure. Tarpon will begin to break up into smaller pods and take up
residence in deeper bay holes through July and August. Some truly large
tarpon can be taken in Sarasota, Palma Sola, and Terra Ceia bays over the
next couple of months and there is very little pressure on these fish.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there- its
getting really hot!! Capt. J.A. "Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026
email:
zachcap@aol.com Docked at Parrot Cove Marina 115th St. W Cortez, Fl on
the shores of beautiful Palma Sola Bay
6-24-06
The gulf has really cleared since the tropical storm and the
spanish mackerel are thick once again. A 24 lb kingfish was taken on 10 lb.
test in only 20 ft. of water, mere yards from the beach. One of the largest
bonito I have seen was also taken, it weighed in at 18 lbs.
On the inside it has been mostly redfish running up to 30
inches. C&R snook, scattered trout, flounder, jacks, ladyfish, and some
mangrove snapper have also come aboard the "DEE JAY II" as of late.
Bait continues to be available on a regular basis and
hopefully it will remain in the local inshore waters all summer.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at
Parrot Cove Marina, 115th St W. Cortez, Fl on Palma Sola Bay
6-18-06
Post tropical storm Alberto fishing was interesting to say
the least. Before the storm things had been hot as a firecracker in the gulf
and pretty solid in the bays. After the blow, bait was still thick and
readily available, but getting a hot bite going with anything was a
challenge.
A couple of bright spots. Flounder have been rare as hens
teeth locally since last years red tide but Mike Vula from Alquippa, Pa.
nailed a fiesty 19 incher in Palma Sola Bay before the weekend. It was taken
on white bait in 6 ft. of water fishing around docks. The following day Matt
Gebhardt from Bradenton boated and released a 29 inch red near Tidy Island
and later iced down a 20 inch keeper from Palma Sola Bay. Matt and his dad
Walt also boated a number of spanish mackerel and jumbo ladyfish.
The daytime tides left a lot to be desired last week, and
may have been the reason for the lackluster results but improving tides this
week along with clearing water, lower salinity and cooler water
temperatures from the tropical rains should give things a real boost this
week.
Look for better bites with the silver kings and some
mangrove snapper taking up residence on area ledges and wrecks.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at
Parrot Cove Marina, Sunny Shores, Cortez, Fl. at the end of 115th St W. on
Palma Sola Bay.
6-10-06
Overall things were pretty good over the past week.
Local resident Bob Waddell and his son, Bob Jr. visiting
from Jacksonville did quite well with big spanish mackerel, lemon sharks,
bonito ,and bluefish off the shores of Longboat Key and Anna Maria. Most of
the action was with white bait on a flood tide in the early A.M. Later on in
the bay Bob Jr. connected with a hefty 27" redfish.
Sam and Theresa Davenport down from Gainesville, Ga. also
enjoyed some good sport with the macks and lemon sharks in the gulf and then
hooked up with some snook inshore with the best being a 29"er boated and
released by Theresa in Palma Sola Bay.
Early last week we were still connecting with some decent
kingfish along local beaches the best of which was a 25 lber in 25 ft of
water off LBKey. In addition a few mangrove snapper
are starting to show up on structure in local bays. That action should build
over the next couple of months.
There are tarpon around and we have had a few hook-ups
but I honestly have seen far better action with the big silver kings in
other years. Good luck and good fishing!!- be careful out there. Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:
zachcap@aol.com Docked at Parrot Cove Marina 115th St W Cortez, Fl on
the shore of Palma Sola Bay.
5-27-06
All in all a good week was had on the "DEE JAY II".
Carole and John Brigham, winter residents in Bradenton,
were ready to return to Indiana for the summer and decided to do one more
trip. They slayed some truly large spanish mackerel and schoolie kingfish to
10 lbs. off Longboat Key and then nailed some great C&R snook and keeper
redfish in North Sarasota Bay.
The biggest snook of the week were landed and released by
a pair of youngsters. Max Ricciardi(10) from Bradenton bested a 34" beauty,
and not to be outdone his buddy Ryan Norberg from Lutz boated a 37"
linesider. Max also did battle for a few minutes with a 50 lb. barracuda
just off Anna Maria.
The best redfish of the week was easily a 29" roughneck
red boated by another young man from Palm Harbor. Kyle Korabek hooked the
fish on white bait in Palma Sola Bay. Kyle, along with mom Sue and grandad
Al Schram also boated a number of snook inshore and a lot of average sized
mackerel along the beaches of Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island.
The same type of hit or miss action continues this
spring. Some days are hot as a firecracker and others lackluster on the same
tides and weather conditions. Bait is still readily available with sardines,
pilchards, thread herring, and small pinfish thick over the shallow grass
flats of Anna Maria Sound.
As I had mentioned in last weeks report, numerous sharks
have appeared along the beaches and are found mixed in with the large
schools of bait, mackerel, and bluefish. A number of lemon sharks up to 40
lbs. were brought to the gunwales of the "DEE JAY II" early last week.
Good luck and good fishing-be careful out there!! Capt.
J.A. "Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:
zachcap@aol.com Docked at Parrot Cove Marina, 115th St. W, Cortez, Fl on
the shores of Palma Sola Bay
5-21-06
Inshore catches have include C&R snook to 30", hefty spanish
mackerel, bluefish, scattered reds and trout. Most of the trout we have
encountered have been north and east of SR 64.
The few times I have been able to get in the gulf there
has still been some pretty decent kingfish action in 30-45 ft., spanish,
juvenile gags, and a handful of snapper.
There have been numerous reports of offshore boats
connecting with rare species such as dolphin and sailfish within sight of
the beaches.
Tarpon have definetely arrived with silver kings showing
all along the beaches of Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island, Egmont Key, and
the Skyway.
Bait continues to be a piece of cake all over the region
with huge, dense schools of pilchard, thread herring,spanish sardines, and
small pinfish.
We have probably experienced the last of the cool fronts
that have provided us with this great sleeping weather but not so great
catching some days. Our normal summer pattern should start setting in and
the fish love that. I think this summer is going to be a banner year in West
Central Florida this year!
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com. Docked at Parrot Cove
Marina on the shores of Palma Sola Bay, Cortez, FL
5-13-06
Before the late season cool front the snook fishing was off
the charts. Alan Schram ,staying at the Bali Hai in Holmes Beach ,could
hardly keep them off his hook with linesiders up to 33". After the front
things literally cooled off on the snook front but some decent catches of
Big spanish mackerel and spotted sea trout in Anna Maria Sound took up the
slack.
The combination of the full moon and unseasonably cool,
dry weather made things a bit of a challenge despite plenty of beautiful
bait and good tides. The weather sages are predicting another cool front to
pass through the region on Tuesday, so the same type of weather is supposed
to be in place for at least another week.
It has been a nice respite from the hot and humid weather
we usually experience this time of year but when it comes to good fishing,
give me some good old hot sweat weather.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II " 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com Docked at
Parrot Cove Marina on beautiful Palma Sola Bay, Cortez, Fl.
- Thanks - Zach
5-6-06
Trips on the "DEE JAY II" this week produced a mixed bag of
C&R snook, redfish ,big spanish mackerel, trout, bluefish, ladyfish, jack
crevalle, and a few kingfish.
Alan Schram from Greensboro, N.C. nailed some big spanish
and spotted sea trout early in the week. At weeks end,a trio of anglers
headed up by Morris Emigh scored pretty well on kingfish of 12 lbs, large
spanish mackerel, and a number of short gag grouper about 4-8 miles west of
Egmont Key in 30-45 ft. of water over structure. The trio also succeeded
with spotted sea trout and bluefish at a stop on the way back inshore.
Bait continues to be absolutely thick and easy to
acquire. Pilchards, thread herring, spanish sardines, small pinfish, and
even shrimp have been filling my bait net with little effort. It is
interesting that the bait is so thick in the bay but pretty scarce out in
the 20-50 ft range in the gulf.
The water is extremely clear in most places. A couple of
trips up the Manatee River found the water gin clear as well. The bottom
could be seen in 45 ft. out in the gulf. If you can find areas where the
water is a bit stained or murky; give it a try cause it will probably be
holding fish and they will not be so skittish.
There are a lot of manatees about in the open water of
Anna Maria Sound and Sarasota Bay so be cautious. The clear water makes them
very visible.
Some tarpon and pretty large cobia have been seen but not
caught this week and permit should be making an appearance over good
structure offshore.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com- Docked at
Parrot Cove Marina on Palma Sola Bay, Cortez, Fl.
Thanks - Zach
4-29-05
Gary and Mary Shugart from Maryland fished with me twice
last week and did pretty well. The first trip early in the week produced
huge ball bat spanish mackerel on the nearshore gulf reefs off Anna Maria
and Longboat Key. That trip also provided some snook action in Sarasota Bay.
Their second trip was on a windy day that kept us off the gulf and snook was
the name of the game with numerous linesiders boated up to 30".
Alan Schram from Greensboro, N.C. fished two days as well
and had banner catches both trips. Snook and redfish were the target and
Schram walloped both species. Each trip saw at least 20-25 snook running up
to 31" in size and a lesser amount of redfish, although what the reds lacked
in numbers was made up for by the size. Some of the channel bass went as big
as 32" and had some shoulders.
The wind from the unseasonable cold front kept me from
venturing far offshore this week but those getting out to 45-60 ft. of water
in the gulf are still producing some decent kingfish. A number of tarpon
have been taken by anglers targetting them and I have spotted an occasional
school myself. The tarpon should be coming on strong really soon.
There is the most bait of every size, shape, and
description in our local waters right now than I believe I've ever seen.
Glass minnows, thread herring, pilchards, and spanish sardines are literally
everywhere. In addition, my bait netting each day is giving up shrimp and
blue crabs.
Because of the plethora of bait present. especially the
crabs, this tarpon season should be off the charts in Tampa Bay and Sarasota
Bay. Even Palma Sola bay may turn out to be a hot destination for battling
the silver king.
A tip for the week- Spanish sardines have been the hot
bait for me this week. If you can locate the dense schools of scaly
critters, one throw of your castnet will blacken your bait well. They are
super frisky and will last about 4-5 hours in the well before they give out.
Care must be taken to clean the weeds out of the system and the massive
amount of scales will gum up your pumps, filters, and screens, so you need
to pay attention to keep them alive and healthy. The extra hassle is
definetely worth the trouble as they have been producing big time while the
pichards are not even close.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias 941-795-5026 email:
zachcap@aol.com. Docked at Parrot Cove Marina on the shore of Palma Sola
Bay, Cortez, Fl
4-23-06
There were no remarkable catches made this week on the "DEE
JAY II", in fact towards the end of the week with the quarter moon tides
going on things got downright tough.
Bait was the bright spot with some of the most beautiful
white bait i've seen in years readily available around the area.
Diligence paid off with catches of a few kings(one up to
30 lbs. early in the week), spanish mackerel including some jumbo specimens,
and an occasional blacktip shark and bonito out in the gulf off Longboat Key
and Anna Maria Island.
The inshore angling was the most challenging with the
poor tides but a number of snook, reds, jacks, and ladyfish came to the net
due to hard work and sticktoitaveness.
The coming week should provide some better action with
better tides. Some big cobia have been reported coming in from offshore
locations and should be showing up along the beaches soon. All the
conditions point to the arrival of silver kings soon as well.
A well known Sarasota guide told me over the weekend that
they caught a number of dolphin(mahi) only 1 1/2 miles off Sarasota Big
Pass. On a couple of forays out 7-8 miles last week we witnessed cobalt blue
water usually seen well offshore within a mile of the beaches.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias - "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:zachcap@aol.com
Docked at Parrot Cove Marina, 115th St. W. Cortez, Fl on
Palma Sola Bay.
4-15-06
It was an incredible week all in all. King fish invaded the
area big time along with bonito, blacktip sharks, and spanish mackerel. The
strong northeast winds kept most of the charter fleet close to the beach but
that was no problem because the action was off the charts within yards of
the beaches of Longboat and Anna Maria Island.
The Armitage family, headed up by grandad Lou of
Palmetto, son Gary, and grandsons Sam(10) and Tyler(15) from Decatur, Tx.
put the hurt on kingfish to 25 lbs and blacktip shark to 20 lbs. off local
beaches on Tuesday of last week.
Bill and Sue Waite from Palmetto had similar success
Wednesday. Both parties also scored well with some impressive snook catches
on the inshore side of the Islands as well. Paul Fisher and Gillespie Pride
of Cortez also enjoyed king fish action along with some big bonito on
Thursday.
The weekend brought a little tougher conditions, the
winds abated somewhat but the hot bite did as well during the full moon.
Once the full moon wanes a bit and the tides remain good the action should
pick right back up again.
Look for some tarpon to make the scene and cobia join the
fray in the pelagic run happening just off our beaches. I've heard through
the grapevine that pelagics are being taken from Clearwater all the way down
to Marco Island so there may be really good action for them for several
weeks.
Snook and reds remain steady inshore and the keeper ratio
for both species is running pretty high. Jacks and ladyfish are also
providing sport across the area.
Good luck and good fishing - be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias "DEE JAY II" 941-795-5026 email:
zachcap@aol.com Docked at Parrot Cove Marina- Cortez, Fl.
4-10-06
The bulk of the action last week was with snook and redfish
on the inshore water of Manatee County. Rick and Matt Fuchs, down from
Cincinatti, Ohio did pretty good with snook on Friday and Saturday. Rick
bested a 32 incher for the biggest catch of the week and the pair caught and
released a number of smaller ones as well. Earlier in the week Bob Freeman
and Dick Fluke caught a 31 incher and a 28 incher for a limit catch of
linesiders.
Other action consisted of scattered trout,
mackerel,ladyfish, and pompano.
Bait became a little scarce toward the end of the week
and I must admit I have not found dependable bait in the same place twice in
over two weeks. There are a lot of threadfin herring all over the place but
they don't hold up as well as pilchards. On Saturday I got a well full of
medium sized spanish sardines near Longboat Pass and they absolutely got the
attention of white bait weary snook.
There are huge balls of bait all over the beaches with
spanish and king mackerel moving in on them, but at weeks end the wind blew
up and kept me from prospecting out there just when things were getting hot.
The entire bay from Longboat bridge to Cortez bridge is chock full of
marauding ladyfish. The schools are immense and tearing up everything that
moves including millions of small ballyhoo.
Good luck and good fishing- be careful out there!! Capt.
"Zach" Zacharias 941-795-5026 email:
zachcap@aol.com Docked at Parrot Cove Marina, Palma Sola Bay, Cortez, Fl
4-1-06
Water temperatures rebounded quickly from the cold front of
last week and by weeks end it was back up in the low 70's. White bait was
scarce for a few days but was pretty thick as of this writing.
Fishing action was hot and cold over the week. The best
day was enjoyed by Warren Larson and his 2 grandsons. They are guests at the
Bali Hai resort in Holmes Beach and hail from Portage. Ind. The trio boated
around 10 snook, 25 trout, and a handful of jack, sheepshead, and ladyfish.
All of the fish were released. The day before, Dick Kowal, of Holmes Beach
boated a nice 27" snook.
Most of the action took place at the change of the tide
using both shrimp and white bait in N. Sarasota Bay, Palma Sola, and Anna
Maria Sound. A couple of forays out to the beaches were disappointing .
The most notable catch was the spotted sea trout in Anna
Maria Sound. The trout were not huge but ranged from 14-17 inches and were
found over deep grass in 6-7 ft. of water. Trout have been pretty scarce in
the area and the catch was very encouraging.
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