Flagler Fishing Charters

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:58:00 +0000

I'm waiting for the mullet run to start which should be sometime soon. Also waitng for the water temperature to drop a couple of degrees.Once these two things coincide with one another the fish will turn from so-so to great. Right now the snook fishing is hit and miss. If your in the right spot at the right time you can catch a number of them in a short period of time then the bite will turn off as fast as it turned on. The best place to fish for them is on an out going tide at creek mouths that empty into the ICW.Try a Rapala Twitchin Rap or the 17MR Mirrolure.A live lined shrimp thrown up current and allowed to drift down is another good option. Trout fishing has been spotty at best. I find the best time to hook up is on the last part of the out going tide using a live lined shrimp.If you can find them and want to throw plugs the 17MR Mirrolure works great. The flounder fishing has dropped off with all the rain we've had recently. I expect it to pick up once we get some of this freshwater out of here. You can get redfish at Matanzas Inlet at the change of tide when it canges from out going to incomming. A live mullet fished on the bottom is your best bet. Alive mud minnow will also work.Look for the bull reds to move in once the mullet run begins. Tarpon are still in the ICW and the canals off the ICW. these fish will range from 14" to 40lbs. Look for the bigger ones to show once the mullet run gets into full swing. Live mullet or Pin fish is your best chance to hook up with a "poon".

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:20:00 +0000

Tropical storm Fay is behind us now and hopefully with no more storms the fishing should really begin to pick up with the mullet run starting. Look for the trout and snook bite to really turn on and redfish get more active in the flats. A few guys who fished off of Highbridge (real name, Walter Knox Bridge) during Fay did really well on snook. There were reports of snook to 20 lbs being caught during the middle of the day. All they had to do was drop bait in the water and the snook were all over it. Artificial baits that resembled a mullet, hard or soft plastic, were doing the trick.
When fishing off the bridge you’ll want a plug that can dive to around 15 feet. Throw it up current and retrieve it back to you. One of the more popular soft plastics is the Storm Wild Eye in either the 6” or 9” size. These plastics come with the weight built in so there is no guessing as to what size jig head to use. They also have a very limp paddle tail that gives off a lot of action when retrieved.
In the past year I have turned into a fly fishing junkie. I love catching snook on fly. A couple of my favorite flies are the Mighty Minnow that can be purchased on line at www.littleriverflyshop.com I like this fly in the #6 or #4 size. Another of my favorites is todds wiggle minnow in the 2/0 size. This is one of the more successful flies I have fished. It is loaded with action and can be fished effectively on a floating or sinking line. It too can be found on line if you google todds wiggle minnow. And lastly I find the Puglisi rattling flies in the mullet or bunker patterns to be extremely effective with chartreuse being one of the better colors.
When it comes to live bait a snook can’t pass up a live shrimp. Small live pinfish is another excellent choice and don’t leave out a live mullet.
I talked about snook this time because the season is now open. Remember the laws and that is, 1 snook per person per day and they must measure between 28 and 32 inches with the tail pinched.

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:07:00 +0000

The ocean water temperature is finally getting back to normal. At last report from Flagler Beach Bait and Tackle at the pier the water temp is back up into the low 80’s and the king mackerel are back and biting. No tarpon yet or any signs of menhaden. There is still a slight chance that the tarpon may appear before the fall run starts at the end of August.
However, tarpon are all over the areas inshore waters. Tarpon are rolling in the Tamoka basin and river, the Flagler Beach canals, Sea Ray canal, Palm Coast canals and the flats north of the 206 Bridge in St. Johns County. How long will they stay around? Who knows, but take advantage of this fishery while it’s here. Last year I caught tarpon up until Dec. 8th.
What are these tarpon hitting on, a number of things. Live bait is always a good bet. Live shrimp, mullet, pinfish or small menhaden. Artificials such as topwaters, soft plastic jerk baits and diving plugs will work. If your tossing flies, try a tarpon bunny or something in a purple/black that imitates a mullet. You also might want to try using an intermediate fly line.
I haven’t been able to do much in the way of trout but the snook are all over the area. I’ve been getting reports of snook stacked under the docks in the Palm Coast canals and the lighted docks at night along the Intracoastal Waterway. I can tell you this much, a snook can’t pass up a freelined live shrimp. On a recent trip I had clients that hooked up with 5 snook and landed two. One was so big it broke 10 lb test braided line. They wound up landing 2, a 6 ½ lb and a 20” and the other 2 they lost were larger than 6 ½ lbs.
What type of bait to use for snook? Like I said a live shrimp is probably the best bet. Topwater plugs are good early in the morning and again in the evening. As the day wears on try using plugs that swim lower in the water column like a catch 2000 or a mirrolure 17 MR.

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:22:00 +0000

The waters ocean water temperatures in the Volusia/Flagler area plummeted form 85 degrees to 70 degrees in the past few weeks. This is caused by a phenomenon known as an upwelling. The upwelling is caused by steady and lengthly west winds. It draws up colder bottom water dropping the overall water temp. The colder water will just about shut down the offshore, surf and the inland waters around Matanzas inlet. It also has a big effect on ocean migrating fish such as tarpon, king mackerel, cobia and some of the reef dwellers. The inshore waters farther from the inlet are not really affected by the colder water. The west wind pushes the water out to the ocean significantly lowering the water levels. this makes it very difficult to access the backwaters and concentrates the fish to the deeper waters of the ICW.

Before the blow the fishing was good. The last charter I had out before the winds had trout up to 4 lbs and snook to 30". They also lost a 20 lb tarpon and a red that was over 30". Last week I fly fished for 2 days and could only muster a 10" snook. I ahd numerous other hits but the fish just wouldn't take the fly. I also had tarpon up to 40 lbs rolling around my boat but I find them very difficult to land on a fly when they are in deep water. The best bet would be to use live bait when these fish are encountered. I have also seen some big redfish tailing along the banks of the ICW but for one reason or another I just haven't been able to connect with these fish either. Hopefully the next report will be better now the the winds have begun to subside

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 19:32:00 +0000

Well we finally got some much need rain here in Flagler County which seems to have improved the fishing conditions. The rain cools the down the water temperature and adds oxygen to the water in turn making the fish more active. The fishing had been slow up until the rain but on a recent trip after the rain the fish were turned on. On a recent trip this theory that I have about the rain seemed to be true. Latissa Richardson and her husband Woody had fished with me a couple of days after the rain and they lost and landed some big fish.
Fifteen minutes into the trip Woody hooked into a 20 lb tarpon but as luck would have it the hook pulled. Later Latisssa hooked and landed a 30” – 9 lb snook. She also landed a 4 lb trout. Later in the trip she also lost a big fish which looked to be a red over 30”. All fish were hooked live lining shrimp.
One thing I forgot to mention in last months report about live lining shrimp was the use of a split shot. I place a BB size split shot on the fluorocarbon just below the knot that connects it to the Braided line. The split shot keeps the bait down in the water column where the fish tend to hang out. If I’m fishing in an area where the current is really ripping I’ll adjust the size of my split shot accordingly to keep the bait down.

If you like to pier fish this is a good time to get out there and do some King mackerel fishing. They’ve already started catching kings and they will be around all summer. The largest so far this year is a 35.9 lb King. If you wish to learn how to fish off the pier go into the tackle shop and ask Johnny what you need to do. Another way to learn how to fish for them is to go out and observe the guys fishing at the end of the pier.
Inshore, look for trout at night around the dock lights. You’ll also find some snook mixed in with them. Use live shrimp or soft plastic imitations.
Tarpon up to about 40 lbs are also hitting live shrimp. A live pinfish or a mullet under a cork will also do the trick.

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:49:00 +0000

There will be no more fishing column in the Flagler/Palm Coast News Tribune. It was not my decision to end the column but that of the Daytona News Journal. They say it was due to budget cuts. They not only fired me but 18 other correspondents. I don’t know what’s going to be left to read in the News Tribune.
I know the column was read by many fishermen and also by people who didn’t fish. If you will miss reading the column I can suggest you do two things: 1-call the news paper and voice your opinion, 2-cancel your subscription to the News Tribune, I know I’m going to. They wouldn’t even let us put in some sort of thank you to the readers in our last column. I guess they were afraid of us voicing our opinions. I will try and keep a weekly report on this web site.
If you have any opinions on what they did I would like to hear them or if you have any fishing questions, you can e-mail me at captrco@cfl.rr.com. I look forward to hearing from all concerned.
I will be a monthly contributor to Florida Outdoors Magazine that can be found in most of the local convenience stores. If I get with any other publication I will post it on this site.
Thanks to everyone who read the column.

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 15:29:00 +0000

Slow moving tides coupled with westerly winds have made for some difficult fishing this past week. As I’ve stated before, fish prefer faster moving water. It makes the bait more active and thus the fish feed more. The westerly winds have pushed a lot of water out of the flats and the ICW making for low high tides and low low tides. When this happens the fish seem to migrate to the deeper water of the ICW and any deeper holes in the backwater. Try fishing the deeper waters to find fish.
The cold front that past through this week didn’t help things either. An approaching cold front will usually trigger the fish to feed heavily, but that didn’t seem to happen this time. Lou De Fazio and I headed out on Sunday to fiash the front but had difficulty finding a steady bite. We started by fly fishing for some trout. Lou used a heavier weighted fly and was able to get his fly down deeper to where the fish seemed to be holding Lou had a couple of trout, a jack and a snook. I on the other hand used a lighter fly that stayed nearer to the surface and had no luck but I did have a few fish come up and look at the fly.
We then worked our way into the backwater through some deeper cuts to try and find some reds. The water was real low and we tried throwing some jigs around oyster bars but couldn’t raise a fish. Having no luck in the backwaters we moved out and headed to Silver Lake thinking there might be some reds there. We cruised the whole lake and couldn’t connect with a redfish. We did however spook some reds holding up in the middle of the lake. To the north the skies looked nasty and we could hear thunder so we decided to call it a day.
I don’t see the fishing starting to improve until we have a change of wind direction to the east or northeast to push some water back inshore. As the moon approaches full it should also help to raise the water levels due to its gravitational pull.
One thing the colder weather will do is cool the water temperature down a few degrees. Hopefully this will bring the redfish up to school on the flats. As the day progresses and the shallow water warms they’ll come into the fats to warm themselves and look for food. This is when redfishing can get really good.
Johnny Garrett at Flagler Beach Bait and Tackle says the action from the pier has been slow but whiting are providing the bulk of the action. They are being caught on sand fleas and shrimp.
After this week anyone looking for a local fishing report can go to my website, www.flaglerfishingcharters.com, and click on articles for up to date information on the areas fishing.

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 15:18:00 +0000

Extra, Extra read all about it: Fisherman Looking For lost Teeth. Here’s one of the best fishing stories I’ve ever heard. To protect the identity of the fisherman this happened to we’ll just call him Walt Matuszak. As the story goes Walt was fly fishing at Matanzas inlet and was hooking up with bluefish. All but one of Walts flies had succumbed to the toothy bluefish. Down to his last fly he hooked and landed a small blue. Walt went to remove the hook from the fish’s mouth with his right hand while holding it under its belly with his left hand. As he reached for the hook the fish opened its mouth and clamped down on his finger. (If you know anything about bluefish you know they have a mouth full of sharp teeth.) That had to hurt!
Not being able to reach for his pliers for the fear that the blue would have torn his finger apart if he let go of it, Walt decided to bite the fish in its back. He bit down hard enough that the fish opened its mouth and released its grip on the finger. When this happened Walt released his bite on the fish and the fish flopped out of his left hand and into the water. The fish sat there for a second, stunned, then began to swim off. As it swam off Walt noticed something sticking out of its back, it was four of his teeth that became dislodged from a plate in his mouth. This turned out to be one expensive fishing trip for Walt. P.S. If anyone catches a fish with teeth in its back you should return them to Walt. I’m sure he’d find a place for them on his trophy shelf.
I didn’t even bother fishing during the cold front we had last week. Instead I opted to wait until a few days after the front passed. When it did I went out to see if I could find some trout, and I did. All I brought with me that day was my fly rod. When I got to my spot it was dead low tide. It wasn’t until the tide started coming in that I began to catch fish. I caught and released 5 trout to 16”. I caught them on an EP chartreuse and white rattle fly. I also had 6 other trout come up and smack the fly but couldn’t connect. About an hour and a half into the rising tide the bite turned off.
I got a call the other day from Capt. Chris Herrera Telling me he was in Stomach Lake looking for redfish and saw a couple of small singles but no schools of reds. He did however pole up on a couple of 30” trout but they wouldn’t eat what he threw at them.
Johnny Garrett at Flagler Beach Bait and Tackle reports lots of whiting being caught. Black drum, sheepshead in the 5 to 7 lb range, bluefish and an occasional red and pompano are all being caught.
Jake Jaquish at Highbridge Bait and Tackle reports lots of redfish coming from the area backwaters. Also, lots of reds are along the banks of the ICW at low tide.

Photo: Steve Gombar, Tony Napoleon and Mike Marrale fished Dec. 30th for these 22” reds and 18” flounder. The fish were caught on live shrimp.

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 16:02:00 +0000

I’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and may you all have great fishing in “2008”. One thing I do not wish to see in 08 is a repeat of any red tide. The red tide had a direct effect on the fall flounder run and other fishing in the northern waters of Flagler and southern St. Johns counties. I would also like to see some cold snaps during January and February along with some spring rain, these two conditions should improve the trout fishing in the year to come. Cold snaps will also drop the water temperatures causing redfish to school on the flats. For me, the only downside to a cold snap is that it will shut down the snook bite and cold snap that lasts too long, dropping the water temps into the 50’s, can kill off a large number of snook. I’ve seen this happen in the past. Let’s hope for the best conditions possible in the coming year.
As usual I found the fishing to be difficult around Christmas due to the full moon. I had fished the day before the full moon and could only manage a couple of small trout. Steve Gombar and a friend of his fished all day with me on Christmas Eve, full moon, and we only had three fish, a ladyfish, trout and a 25” red. A week later, with the moon on the downside, Steve came back with two of his buddies, Mike Marrale and Tony Napoleon. The trio had a much better day landing a couple of 23” reds, some rat reds, an 18” flounder, 10 snook to 18”, a couple of trout, mangrove snappers, ladyfish and an 18” barracuda, that’s right a barracuda in December. That was the 2nd barracuda I had in my boat during the month of December while fishing the Flagler Beach area.
On the 29th Dr. Claude Hearn and his wife Missy fished aboard my boat and they also had a pretty good day. The duo had a 25” red, a 16” and 18” flounder, a couple trout, 5 snook to 16”, ladyfish and mangrove snapper.
The cold front this past week will more than likely shut down the bite for a few days. Look for the fishing to pick up after it starts to warm up this weekend.
Johnny Garrett at Flagler Beach Bait and Tackle reports whiting, black drum in the 3 to 5 lb range, sheepshead 4 to 5 lb, scattered bluefish and a few reds being caught at the pier.
Jake Jaquish at Jake’s Highbridge Bait and Tackle reports that redfish are being caught in the backwaters in that area. He also reports that some big snook are still being caught in the area but look for the cold front to slow the snook bite down. Trout season is back open south of the Flagler County line and Jake says small trout along with the occasional keeper size are coming from the ICW and backwaters.

Photo: Dr. Claude Hearn with a 25” redfish he caught and released using a live shrimp.

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:58:00 +0000

Anglers fishing the ICW are being kept busy by trout and undersize snook. The trout are averaging between 14” and 18” with the occasional fish over 20”. These are nice healthy fish that have been feeding on mullet and glass minnows. Most of the snook that are being caught are under size fish and are feeding on the same baits as the trout. If your using artificial baits downsize to smaller ones to imitate glass minnows. I have received reports of people seeing huge snook sunning themselves in the Palm Coast canals but they will not eat when they are in this mode.
There are reports of tarpon in the 5 to 20 lb range in the Tamoka Basin/River and also in Sanchez Creek that runs off the Tamoka River. These fish are hitting on small Yo-Zuri 3D minnows and flies. If you’re a catch and release fisherman and want some great action from small tarpon give it a try.
Jim Melley and his buddy Tom fished with me last Friday. I put Jim on a 17MR Mirrorlure and he nailed a couple of nice snook in the 20” range and a couple of trout. Tom used live shrimp and had small snook, reds, trout and mangrove snapper.
Sunday Richard and Carol McCleery fished aboard my boat. Although the fishing was a little on the slow side Carol did manage to catch her first snook, she had two, and her first trout of which she had a couple.
After I dropped off Richard and Carol off at the dock I headed back out to do some fly fishing. I fished for about an hour and had no luck with the white feather fly I was using. I went through my bag of flies and found my last Enrico Puglisi fly, a white mullet. After my 3rd cast I landed a 10” snook that swallowed the fly. I got the fly out and didn’t check the 30 lb leader that I use. (Snook have very abrasive lips.) I then hooked an 18” snook that swallowed the fly. Again, I didn’t check the leader. Then I hooked a 25” snook that jumped out of the water with his head thrashing. He jumped a couple of more times and when I finally got him next to the boat Those abrasive lips finally broke my leader and the snook swam off with my fly. Next time I’ll practice what I preach and check my leader after each snook I catch.
Snook season closes Dec 15th and reopens Feb 1st on the Atlantic coast of Fl. It closed Dec. 1st and will reopen March 1st in the Gulf of Mexico, the everglades and the Keys.
A few more cold mornings like we had this past week and it should drop the water temperature enough to shut down the snook bite. But don’t fret because this should trigger another bite, redfish. It’s this time of year, when the water temps drop, that the reds start schooling on the flats. Usually it’s right after Christmas that the water in the 206 flats and Pellicer flats becomes crystal clear and you can sight fish for reds. You can expect to find schools of 50 to 100 or more fish.
Johnny Garrett at Flagler Beach Bait and Tackle reports lots of whiting being caught on the pier. Johnny also reports lots of bluefish, flounder to 21”, black drum and a few pompano.
Jake Jaquish at Jake’s Highbridge Bait and Tackle reports lots of trout although they’re out of season in Volusia County. He also reports that small snook are being caught and black drum are in the deeper holes in the backwater.

Photo: Jim Melley with a 21” snook he caught on a MirrOlure

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:49:00 +0000

Snook and trout continue to provide steady action for anglers fishing in the ICW. It doesn’t matter what time of day you fish as long as you fish the right tide. I have found the best times to fish are the outgoing tide, especially the last two hours of it and the first two hours of the incoming tide. During this time when the water is reaching it’s lowest point the bait becomes more concentrated making it easy prey for feeding fish. I expect the snook action to continue until the water temperature drops.
What type of bait to use? That’s up to the individual fisherman. For those fishing live bait shrimp is the best choice right now. Either free line it or fish it under a popping cork such as a Cajun Thunder. A live shrimp on a jig head that is bounced along the bottom will also work well.
There is more of a variety when it comes to artificial baits. Jigs, diving plugs and flies are all catching fish right now. The Storm Wild Eye is one of my favorite jigs. This jig can be worked at a steady retrieve using various speeds to achieve different depths in the water column. If that doesn’t work try bouncing it along the bottom, this method is very effective when the water temperature is cooler.
When it comes to plugs the Mirrolure is very effective. The 7m, 17m and 52 m all do the trick. The 7m and 17m will swim about 12 inches below the surface when retrieved properly. The 52m is a heavier, deep diving plug. These three plugs should be retrieved with a twitching motion. Read the box it comes in and will tell you how to work the plug. The Bomber long “A” in the 3 ½” length and the Rapala X Rap are good plugs for working depths in the 3’ to 6’ range. The Rapala Twitchin Rap is also a very effective plug that is worked below the surface. All of these plugs, except for the 7m and 52m, have rattles built into them. You can get a variation of the 7m that does come equipped with rattles.
Fly fishing with streamer flies has also been very effective as of late. White, chartreuse/white and yellow or yellow/white are the best colors to use. These colors work best if there is some flash material tied into them. I had ten snook on a chartreuse/white fly last week.
Last week I had Molly, Anna and Cindy Messerly fishing on my boat. After a few casting lessons the mother daughter trio wound up landing 26 fish. They had trout, redfish, ladyfish, mangrove snapper and a snook. All fish were caught on live shrimp.
Jake Jaquish at Jake’s Highbridge Bait and Tackle reports lots of snook, trout and reds being caught in the bridge area. Most of the snook are under the slot size and the trout are out of season. Anglers fishing from the bridge are still landing some keeper size snook using jumbo live shrimp and deep diving plugs.
Johnny at Flagler beach Bait and tackle reports lots of black drum in the 4 to 12 lb range are being caught on shrimp at the pier. Whiting, blues and a few pompano are also providing action. Spanish mackerel are still being caught in spurts from the end of the pier.

Photo: Capt. Rob Ottlein holds a snook that Molly Messerly caught on a live shrimp.

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:19:00 +0000

Last week the snook bite was incredible. On three of those days I took advantage of the nice weather to wet a line. On the 14th I set out about 9:300am to do some fly fishing, it turned out to be a very productive day. On about my fifth cast I hooked into my first fish of the day. When I saw what it was, a bluefish, I hoped it wouldn’t bite through my leader and I’d lose my fly. Luckily that didn’t happen because he was lipped hooked. The fly was an Enrico Puglisi mullet imitation that has a rattle tied in it and the color was chartreuse and white. A very productive fly for the color water we have here. I retied the fly to the leader and continued to cast. My efforts were rewarded with 11 more fish, 1 trout and 10 snook.
There were so many snook around that at times I could see 4 to 5 snook come up and swipe at the fly on a single retrieve. I even had them follow it right back to the boat then swim underneath the boat. At one point all I had to do was hold the fly rod out over the water, jiggle the fly and they would come up and smack it. I figure that if I would have landed every snook that either smacked my fly or I hooked and lost, I would have had over 30 of them that day.
The following day, the 15th, I took a friend of mine out who loves to catch snook. Maybe it was because of the cold front that was coming through that afternoon that the snook were everywhere busting on bait. All you had to do was throw to where you saw the fish feeding and you were almost guaranteed a fish. Between the two of us we landed 23 snook, a redfish and jumped 2 small tarpon. Artificial baits or fly were used to catch the fish. The artificial baits were Storm wild eyes, MirrOlures or flies. However, on this day, my EP fly did succumb to the abrasive lips of the snook.
The cold front came so I stayed home on the 16th. That evening I got a call from a buddy who wanted to fish the next day. I said ok but let’s wait till about 9:30, let it warm up a bit. On the way to the launch I told him that the bite might be off because of the cold but we should get some fish as it warms up. We used Storm baits to land 10 snook that day despite the low overnight temperatures. Hint, we had to fish the baits slower and deeper to get hookups.
Johnny Garrett at Flagler Beach Bait and Tackle reports that big black drum, whiting, blues, pompano, sheepshead and some flounder are all being caught from the pier. Johnny also told me he got his first tarpon, 10 lbs on a fly, fishing in the Tomoka River.
Jake Jaquish at Jake’s Highbridge Bait and Tackle says ther are big reds coming from the banks of the ICW south of the bridge. Shrimp or mullet is the bait of choice.
Roy’s Bait House is holding a Fall Surf Fishing Tournament on Dec. 1st. Entry fee is $20. for more information call Roy at 439-1027.

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 12:17:00 +0000

If it’s action you’re looking for on the end of your line get out and do some trout fishing in the ICW. They might not be big but there are a lot of them around. You might have to catch 10 before you get a keeper but the action can be steady. The best time to find them seems to be around the change of the tide. Don’t rule out the rest of the tide though. As long as you have moving water you will find fish.
These fish will eat almost anything you throw at them. Live shrimp, soft plastic jigs, plugs or Berkley Gulp baits are all working. If you’re not an experienced artificial bait angler would like to learn, now is the time to do it. Put a Berkley Gulp shrimp on a ¼ ounce jig head and bounce it along the bottom and you’ll catch something weather it’s a trout, flounder or black drum. The 3” Storm wild eye is also producing a lot of fish. It comes with the jig head built in so there’s no guess work involved as to how heavy a jig head to use. This jig can be bounced along the bottom or throw it out and use a steady retrieve with a slight twitching motion.
Fly fishing for trout has also been very productive. White or yellow streamer flies with some flash material tied in have been working well. You also have a good chance of catching a snook or two using these flies.
Last week I was involved in the Oldest City Red Trout tournament held in St Augustine. It was the same there, tons of trout and small reds. Boats were coming back with reports of 50 to 60 trout in a day, the majority on the small side with the larger ones going around 16”. All you had to do was go up a creek on a falling tide and you were into fish. Bill Brunson from New Jersey fished aboard my boat for 2 days. The first day we fished in St. Augustine and he landed about 25 trout and reds. The next day we fished south looking for bigger trout. Bill did land an 18 ½” trout but it wasn’t big enough to place. A 20 ½” trout took 1st place. We did however find some nice flounder in a creek at the end of the outgoing tide. The fish were caught on Berkley Gulp shrimp.
Last Friday I got a call from my buddy Lou DeFazio telling me that he got into a bunch of fish. He had 25 trout, ladyfish, mangrove shrimp and 5 snook. All the snook and 80% of the other fish were caught using a fly.
The surf and pier are producing whiting, blues, black drum, pompano and a few reds.
I would like to wish my friend and fellow fisherman Chuck Kaszupski a speedy recovery from bypass surgery he underwent a couple of weeks ago. Being an avid fisherman I know he’s chomping at the bit to get back out on the water.

Photo: Bill Brunson holds up one of four 18” flounder he caught fishing with a Berkley Gulp shrimp.

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:52:00 +0000

Cooler fall temperatures have finally arrived making for more pleasurable fishing conditions. The brisk morning air can make for a teary eyed run on the river but as the day progresses with a rising sun, clear blue skies, warming temperatures and little or no wind, you have no doubt as to why you got out of a warm bed to go fishing. Catch a few fish and you have the makings of a fishermen’s perfect day.
The colder air and shorter daylight hours will drop the water temperature making some fish species more active and others more lethargic. The fall run of flounder should begin and peak the week of Thanksgiving. Bluefish will invade the ICW causing for a lot of lost tackle due to their teeth. Sheepshead will gather around bridge and dock pilings feeding on the barnacles and also in the backcountry around oyster bars. Redfish will begin schooling in the shallows as the water temp drops. Trout will be abundant but will mostly be on the small side, look for bigger ones in deeper water and deep holes in the backwaters. The big tarpon will be gone but you may find some juvenile ones in the Palm Coast canals. Snook will move out of the ICW and into the back Palm Coast canals and into the deeper water of the Tamoka River. As winter moves in the fishing may become more difficult but if you put in the time on those mild clear blue days you will catch fish.
This past Monday I found one of those picture perfect days and traveled to St. Augustine to fish with Capt. Steve Holmes. Steve was gracious enough to show me places to fish for the Oldest City Red/Trout Tournament benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The day started out slow but as the tide began falling the fishing turned on. Steve took me up a creek where we found trout and reds. I had a couple of trout on the way in that I caught on a jig and had about another ten good hits. We then came upon an intersection where there was a lot of bait activity and fish were busting on them. We put the boat on the creek bed and began casting our jigs. On the first cast I landed a trout. On each of my next six casts I landed a fish. When it was all over I pulled fourteen fish from that hole. I totaled 21 fish from that one creek. I think I just might have to take my people back there during the tournament. By the way, the boat captains don’t fish during the tournament.
Roy Mattson of Roy’s Bait House reports that Nicole Marcelli had a 25” red and a 16” blackdrum using live shrimp. David James fished Tamoka Park for 2 blackdrum to 17 inches and 3 flounder to 17 inches. His fish were also caught on live shrimp.
Johnny Garrett at Flagler Beach Bait and Tackle reports lots of whiting, some flounder, blues, blackdrum and sporadic schools of Spanish mackerel being caught at the pier.
Jake Jaquish at Jake’s Highbridge Bait and Tackle reports that he and Johnny Garrett were out Sunday and had 16 snook with the smallest measuring 26 inches. There are plenty of trout and reds also being caught in the area.
Trout season is closed for the months of November and December south of the Flagler County line. You can not catch trout anywhere south of the county line and bring them back into the county and likewise you can’t catch trout in Flagler County and bring them back south of the county line.

Photo: Ted Szeremeta, visting from New Jersey, holds a blackdrum he caught on a live shrimp. Ted and his son Greg also had trout, mangrove snapper, redfish and ladyfish.

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 14:49:00 +0000

When it rains it pours and I’m not talking about the weather we’ve been having lately. Things on my boat have been going awry the last few weeks, situations I have no control over.
The first incident happened two weeks ago as I was cruising down the ICW to my first fishing spot. I wasn’t far from that spot when all of a sudden the whole boat started to vibrate. I throttled back to neutral and raised the engine to see if I possibly picked up a stray rope or fishing line on the prop. I didn’t see anything so I put the boat in gear and took off. The boat instantly started vibrating again so I shut it down immediately. This time when I raised the engine I found the problem. One half of one of the blades of the stainless steel prop was missing. I hadn’t hit anything nor had I hit anything in the past that would have caused this problem. Not wanting to lose a day of fishing and risk any damage to the motor by running the engine, I put the trolling motor down and fished my way back to the boat ramp.
Once at the ramp and the boat was out of the water I inspected the prop and found a clean straight break with no damage to any of the other blades. Upon further inspection I found rust inside of the crack indicating to me that this was likely a flaw in the production process. I returned the prop to my boat dealership and they sent it off to the manufacturer (Power Tech) in Texas. My presumption of a defect must have been correct because Power Tech is replacing the prop at no cost to me. I bought an aluminum backup prop to use in the meantime. Not a bad idea to keep a spare prop onboard especially if you plan on fishing in remote areas.
My next situation happened last weekend. I left the ramp at 6AM and pulled up to my first spot, put the trolling motor down, and began fishing. I landed one trout and decided to move to another spot. I raised the trolling motor and took off. Upon approaching the next spot I put the boat into idle speed and instantly smelled smoke. As I looked around I saw that it was coming from my trolling motor and there was lots of it. I reached for the breaker on my console that shuts off power to the motor to disconnect it. Being a person who can’t fish without a trolling motor I called it a day and headed back to the ramp. Once at home I removed the motor and put on a spare that I keep for just such situations. I took the burned out motor to Bob’s Discount Marine Supply in Deland for repairs. The motor comes with a three year warranty so lucky for me all repairs are covered.
All in all I came out of these problems with no cost to me other than some driving time and fuel costs. I expect it would have cost over a $1000 had not the manufacturers stood behind their products.
Fishing wise not much to report on this week due to the weather. In the ICW snook, trout, flounder, blackdrum, jacks and ladyfish are being caught if you are brave enough to fish in the wind. It looks as if things should start calming down this weekend and getting back to normal, let’s hope so.

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 17:08:00 +0000

It seems we can finally bid adieu to that awful red tide that hung around for almost three weeks. Although there were fish kills I don’t expect it to take too long for the fishing to rebound. Inshore the hardest hit area seemed to be Matanzas Inlet down to the Pellicer flats. Lots of dead trout, flounder and redfish were reported. It never seemed to reach the southern end of Flagler county or Volusia county. I never saw any dead fish in that area. As a matter of fact the fishing was pretty good. The costal beaches of St. Johns, Flagler and northern Volusia counties took the hardest hit from the tide but reports already have the fishing making a strong comeback.
The trout fishing in the ICW had been hot until this past Sunday when it just seemed to shut down. Reports I’ve been getting this week is of a slow bite. This may be attributed to a couple of things, a slow moving tide, the full moon, winds and what seems to be a lack of bait. However, look for the fishing to pick up by this weekend. Roy Mattson, at Roy’s Bait house, said he has been receiving reports out of Georgia and northern Florida that of lots of bait and fish are moving south. It could be that the warm weather and water temperatures have kept the bait up that way a little longer than usual. We’ll just have to wait and see if this run materializes here.
Last Thursday Lou DeFazio and I fished the ICW for what turned out to be a good day of fishing. We hit a couple of spots and caught lots of trout. I fared better with my mirrolure than Lou did with his jig. After seeing all the trout I was catching Lou decided to switch to a small Rapala x-rap lure. On about his third cast he hooked into a big fish. At first we couldn’t tell what it was because the fish didn’t want to come to the surface. When it’s tail finally broke the surface you could see the black spot that indicated it was a redfish. When we got it in the boat it measured out at 30” and weighed 9 lbs. The fish was photographed and released. It was the biggest red Lou has caught yet. Mark Zander fished with me on Saturday and had a 25” snook also using a small Rapala x-rap plug.
Jake Jaquish At Jakes Highbridge Bait and Tackle reports that the snook fishing has slacked off some but most of the action is taking place after midnight from the bridge. Jake also reports black drum being caught on live or dead shrimp.
Johnny Garrett at Flagler Beach Bait and Tackle reports lots of blues being caught on mullet, black drum and whiting using shrimp and pompano on shrimp or clams.
Hugh Anderson, fishing the “2007” Fall Surf Fishing Tournament held out of St Augustine, weighed in the largest fish a 12.6 lb bluefish.

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 15:22:00 +0000

Last week I reported that the red tide was about gone, was I ever wrong. The red tide is still here and it is strong. Anyone who has spent any time on or near the beach can tell you how annoying the situation is. Watery eyes, coughing and sneezing are the major symptoms caused by breathing in the toxin. I live about a mile due west of the beach and I’m getting the effects of it here. I feel sorry for those living beachside. It’s also nasty when trying to fish the ICW. Wearing a surgical mask may not look chic but it will cut down on the breathing symptoms.
When is it going to go away? No one knows. According to information I received from the state, red tide can last days, weeks or months and can also change daily due to wind conditions. With the east/northeast winds that have been blowing for the last couple of weeks I don’t see a change coming soon unless we get some strong west/northwest winds that last a few days.
I have also received reports of fish kills in the ICW around Matanzas inlet, Pellicier flats and as far south as the Hershel King boat ramp. None of theses are good reports for fishermen. I haven’t noticed any dead fish south of the rte 100 Bridge in Flagler Beach. I’m hoping it stays that way. The southern end of Flagler County and the Highbridge area tides are controlled by Ponce Inlet rather then Matanzas Inlet. Let’s hope it keeps this area free of the red tide. For more information on red tide you can go to http://www.redtideonline.com/ or view videos at www.start1.com
The winds are also creating havoc with baby sea turtles. The hatchlings, they usually spend the first year of their lives floating around on seaweed, are being washed ashore by the easterly winds. To date my wife Lori has collected over 500 hatchlings that have been turned over to the piers Flagler Bait and Tackle shop and to Roy’s Bait House. Both places will get in touch with Lori for their safe return. She gathers the turtles and takes them to the Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet. The turtles are given a good rest and some antibiotics before being returned to the sea.
Now for some fishing news, the pier reports blues and redfish but you have to fish out past the breakers.
Roy’s Bait House reports Dave Bourde fished the pier for redfish of 41” and 39”. Brenden Smith fished the surf and landed a 26” red, 14 bluefish and 2 – 16” sheepshead. William Konetzky pulled a 36 ½” snook from the ICW.
Last Friday I landed 3 snook in the Highbridge area, the fish were 8”, 17” and 26”. All fish were caught on a mirrolure or a yo-zuri 3D minnow. I talked with a fellow who told me that last week he and his buddy caught over 37 snook fishing from the bridge and all fish were caught on artificial baits. Reds, trout and flounder are also being caught from Highbridge to the Granada Bridge.

Photo: Lori Ottlein holds one of over 500 baby sea turtles that have been washed ashore onto Flagler County beaches in the past week. All turtles have been taken to the Marine Science center in Ponce Inlet.

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 14:13:00 +0000

The next time you have to renew your fishing license it’s going to cost you an extra $4. The FWC has raised the price from $13 to $17 for the cost of an annual license. It is the first time since 1989 that the price has been increased. This increase still falls behind the rate of inflation. For more information about licenses go to www.myfwc .com.
According to the results of the 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation Survey Florida has defended its title of “Fishing Capital of the World”. 2.8 million anglers fished here last year spending $4.4 billion and creating 75,000 jobs. Another interesting highlight of the study, reported by the American Sportfishing Association, is that one out of three anglers fish for largemouth bass, America’s most popular game fish. Also, one of every seven Americans fished in 2006, making the sport more popular than jogging or golf. Despite all these high numbers the amount of issued licenses had decreased in 2006.
Wednesday morning I spoke with Johnny Garrett at Flagler Beach Bait and Tackle (pier) and he said it looks like the red tide is finally gone. Thank goodness! Johnny said it didn’t seem to affect the fishing too much. Lots of big reds are being caught at the pier, fish in the 20 lb bracket. Mullet or shrimp, live or frozen, are doing the trick. Black drum to 23” are also being caught along with lots of whiting. Look for flounder to start to show soon also.
Jake Jaquish at Jakes Highbridge Bait and Tackle had three words to report, snook,snook,snook. Jake says they can be found almost anywhere you fish. They are eagerly taking plugs or artificial bait. Fish creek mouths that feed into the ICW on an outgoing tide. Big schools of jacks are erupting in the ICW on bait as they move south. They will eat anything you throw into a marauding school. You’d best have on a leader when battling a jack. Jacks aren’t much in the way of food but they sure do put up one heck of a fight when hooked. Jake also reports lots of speckled trout. You’ll catch trout on the same baits you use for snook.
I found lots of trout last week but most of them were in the 14” range. You might have to land a dozen or so to be able to find any keepers. Although I didn’t find any snook it won’t keep me from trying this week. I think I’ll just have to try fishing a bit farther south.

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:01:00 +0000

Due to the strong northeast winds this past week the water levels in ICW are extremely high right now. Water levels are just inches below the seawalls along the ICW and the flats are flooded. All this high water just gives fish and baitfish too many places to retreat to. The only saving thing is that the bait may stay more to the ICW as it migrates south.
The question is, will the bait run still be going on after the winds subside? I guess the only way to find out is to get out and fish. Before the winds picked up on Saturday I was having a pretty good day with trout. On almost every cast I had either a hit or a fish. This lasted for about an hour, then the winds started to pickup and the bite seemed to turn off. The tide going almost slack probably played a role as well. I decided to call it a day. For the record, I was using a soft plastic paddle tail jig on a ¼ oz jig head. I was swimming it half way between the bottom and the surface. Sometimes you have to try retrieving at different speeds to find what depth the fish are at.
Chuck Medlin didn’t let the winds bother him on Sunday. He found a place that was semi protected from the wind. Fishing with a soft plastic bait he landed 3 snook to 7 lbs. Chuck said the snook were busting water while feeding on bait. This lasted about an hour before things finally died off.
There were a few people fishing the rough water from the pier on Tuesday and they were landing slot size reds, black drum and bluefish. Look for the surf and pier action to pick up once the surf dies down.
Here’s a bit of fishing news for all you readers who use to fish for fluke up north. (the equivalent to southern flounder) Monica Oswald caught a pending all tackle world record 24.3 lb fluke. Monica was disqualified for the record by the IGFA when she stated that she rested her rod on the gunwale of the boat while fighting the fish. Resting the rod on an object is not allowed by the IGFA.
Moving farther north to Canada a Canadian record was set for northern pike. An unidentified angler caught a pike that weighed in at 55 lbs and measured 55 inches long. According to the pictures I was sent the angler landed the big fish when it came up to eat a 20 lb pike the man had on his line. There was a picture of the fish trying to eat the other one. If anyone would like to see the pics you can email me at captrco@cfl.rr.com and I will send them to you.
One other note of interest pertaining to boating is that boat thefts in Florida are up 20% this year. Most of the problems seem to be in south Fl. and the Keys. Authorities believe this is due in large part by people stealing go-fast boats in the 30’ to 40’ range to smuggle refugees into the U.S.

Photo: Unidentified angler with a Canadian Record 55 lb 56 inch northern pike.

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:15:00 +0000

105 anglers in 54 boats participated in the Flagler County Sportfishing Clubs 19th Annual Inshore Fishing Tournament last Saturday. There was $4000 in prize money paid out to the winning anglers. Close to $3000 was raised for the Stewart-Marchman Foundation of Flagler County. Here are the top 3 winners for each category. Black Drum - 1st – Amy Cauley 3.6 lbs, 2nd – Amy Cauley 3.6 lbs, 3rd – Mike LaMonica 3.6 lbs. Redfish – 1st – Billy Page 6.1 lbs, 2nd – Winn Cummings 5.95 lbs, 3rd – Melissa Page5.5 lbs. Flounder – 1st – Dave Tucker 4.55 lbs, 2nd – Al Scott 3.75 lbs, 3rd – Chris Stewart 3 lbs. Trout – 1st – Chuck Kaszupski 2.45 lbs, 2nd – Chris Herrera 2.45 lbs. 3rd – David Wright 1.95 lbs. If there is a tie in the weight of a fish the tie is broken by the first one to weigh their fish in.
The ICW has been alive with mullet on there migration south. The mullet coupled with the rain that dropped the water temperature about 5 degrees has turned the fish on. Sunday there were fish erupting as school after school of bait headed south. Mullet were being chased out of the water into the air and the fish were ascending after them. It was quite a site to witness. Trout, snook, jacks, redfish and tarpon were all part of the feeding frenzy. There was even a porpoise that put on a show. Boats were stopping to watch as the dolphin was leaping and spinning to heights of 10 feet out of the water. The dolphin show lasted about 5 minutes.
Lou DeFazio and I were lucky enough to be there to see it all take place. It was one of those fishing days that you’ll remember for a long time. We caught so many fish that day that we lost count. Using artificial baits we landed trout to 19”, small reds, snook to 23”, jacks in the 4 lb range and even jumped a tarpon that hit a mirrolure right next to the boat. The 40 lb tarpon jumped twice, spit the plug, and was gone.
Fishing in the surf and from the pier has also picked up. Johnny Garrett at Flagler Beach Bait and Tackle on the pier reports that reds from 26” to 35” are being caught on the incoming tide. Flounder to 23” are also being caught. Bluefish, pompano and Spanish mackerel have all began to make their presence.
Jake Jaquish at Highbridge Bait and tackle reports lots of snook, triut and tarpon in the area. Jake says the snook are hitting in the early morning on skitterwalks and twitchin raps.
Occasionally I like to report on the fishing in different areas of the state for anyone that may be doing some traveling. John Inman and Dave Goddas recently traveled to Chokoloskee in the Everglades for two days of fishing. The duo chartered a boat where the captain put them on lots of fish. In two days, using live bait, they had over 75 snook and redfish. Not a bad couple of days fishing.

Photo: John Inman with an Everglades snook. It was one of over 75 fish caught in 2 days of fishing out of Chokoloskee.

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 14:58:00 +0000

Last week my wife Lori and I spent four days at the Florida Outdoor Writers Association conference in Homosassa, Fl. Homosassa is located on the west coast an hour north of Tampa and just south of Crystal River. Rather than towing my boat over to fish unknown waters I booked a half day charter with Capt. Earle Waters of Back Country Concepts.
We met Earle at our hotel on Thursday morning and followed him to a boat ramp that would put us in the midst of prime backwater. The trip to the boat ramp took us for miles along a winding road through what is known as low country. We arrived at a paying boat ramp on private property and launched the 16 ft Hellsbay skiff.
Once on the water it took about 7 minutes to get to Earle’s first spot. When he shut down the engine a school of about 100 redfish spooked pushing a large wake through the water. Earle poled us through crystal clear water over grass flats where you could see everything below you. After a few casts I landed a 24” red on a 17MR mirrolure. We had a couple more strikes but no takers. The big school stayed just out of casting range as we pursued them so Earle decided to move on. We ran into a couple of smaller schools and caught a few reds on Berkley gulps.
As the water got shallower on the outgoing tide the fish seemed to break off into singles. We cast to a lot of fish but they weren’t in a feeding mode. My wife Lori took over the bow and made a cast with a Rapala skitterwalk and the water exploded with the crash of a redfish. The 6 lb red was boated, photographed and released. We then headed back to the boat ramp.
The next day I got to fish with Capt. Earle in the FOWA tournament. Again we saw fish but they just weren’t in a feeding mode. Earle suggested it might be due to a front that was passing through. Earle did manage a 30 ½” red on a skitterwalk and a 27 ¾” red on a berkley gulp.
One of the beautiful things about the fishing other than the beautiful clear water and grass flats was I only saw two other boats in the 2 days I fished. It’s only a 2 ½ hour drive to fish these waters. Capt. Earle is one of the only true shallow water guides in Homosassa. He can be reached at 352-302-0359 or visit his web site at http://www.backcountryconcepts.com/.
Locally, redfish and flounder are being caught at the pier. Look for the bite to get better as the surf calms down. Sunday Lou DeFazio and I did some fly fishing and faired rather well. I was throwing a top water fly and only had one hit. Lou was throwing a streamer fly and landed 3 snook, 2 trout and had numerous strikes, he also lost a big snook when the hook pulled. Watching this I changed flies and landed a snook and also lost a large one when the hooked pulled.
All the rain giving us fresh water the fishing won’t improve until it begins to flush out. Try fishing deeper water where the salinity levels will be higher.

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 11:46:00 +0000

Twice this past week I picked up the Daytona News Journal and read articles about snakes and that being bitten by a snake is unusual. Last week I became one of the unusual victims. After picking up my charter at the boat ramp we stopped at a canal to throw some plugs. My client, while throwing his plug up towards the bank, let his cast get away from him and it landed up on land and became stuck. I then pulled the boat up to the shoreline and got out to retrieve the plug.
I was walking toward the plug (dressed in flip flops) when I felt something sharp on the side of the heel on my left foot. I thought to myself that I brushed up against a sharp piece of wood as I took a couple of more steps I turned around to see what it was when I noticed a small snake following me. He stopped and coiled up and I could see the small rattles on his tail. I knew right away that it was a pygmy rattlesnake. Now I’m not one to harm animals, not even a snake, but when it bites you it’s a different story. I picked a large piece of coquina rock and threw it on him. I retrieved the plug and got back in the boat. My client suggested I go to the ER but we continued to fish for about 15 more minutes. I decided to call my wife who is an ER nurse and she told me to get myself to the hospital.
Once at the ER they took me in right away, gave me a tetnus shot and put an I.V. drip in me with antibiotics. They kept measuring my foot to see if there was any swelling but none occurred. The doctor asked me what kind of snake it was and I told him it was an adult pygmy rattler. He said I was lucky because many times the first strike of an adult pygmy is a dry strike. The snake had only bitten me once, probably because I was walking when it happened. (Pygmy rattlesnakes strike their prey repeatedly) They kept me there for two hours then released me.
The lesson to be learned here is that a $5 plug is not worth the risk of serious injury. Cut your line or break it off. Also, all you people who get out of the boat to cast net mullet need to take a good look around before proceeding to walk a bank.
According to Capt. Ralph Olivett the redfishing is still good at the inlet on the change of tides. Mullet is the bait of choice.
Tarpon continue to be seen rolling in the canals. I heard of one kayaker who was almost pulled under by a 70 lb tarpon he hooked on a live shrimp. He got scared and cut his line to free himself of the big fish.
Who says fishing isn’t a dangerous sport?

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 12:59:00 +0000

Good news for surf and pier anglers, the mullet run has started along the beach. The mullet will bring in spanish mackerel, king mackerel, redfish, flounder and tarpon. When the Spanish mackerel show up a large silver spoon tossed from the beach will work, just make sure you use a metal leader or you’ll lose your spoon. Spoons will also catch king mackerel that might come in close to the beach and don’t rule out connecting with a tarpon. When fishing from the pier a “gotcha” plug will do the trick on the Spanish. A whole frozen mullet, live mullet or a fresh chunk of mullet is your best bet for reds and flounder.
Johnny Garrett at Flagler Beach Bait and Tackle on the pier tells of king mackerel to 33 lbs being brought to the planks. There was also a 28 lb barracuda caught. Black drum and whiting are also being caught. Look for the fishing to get even better as the mullet run heats up.
Inshore there are lots of snook of all sizes to be found. They’re hitting flies, topwater plugs, diving plugs, jigs and live shrimp or mullet. Tarpon can also be found in the canals off the ICW. There have been tarpon up to 80 lbs rolling in the Sea Ray canal. The best bet for a possible hook up with a tarpon is to live line a mullet or a pogy.
Look for reds cruising the banks of the ICW at the end of the out going tide and the beginning of the incoming tide. Lots of times you’ll be able to sight fish them as their backs will be out of the water while they search for food.
Flounder fishing remains steady. I caught a 3 lb flounder this past week on a mirrolure plug. Flounder are very aggressive fish and will come off the bottom to chase bait. Jake Jaquishat Jake’s Highbridge Bait and Tackle told me of a 33” flounder that was caught this past week. Jake also reports that snook to 37” have been taken from the bridge and reds along the banks of the ICW.
Lou DeFazio and I were talking at the rte. 100 boat ramp the other day and he told me that he landed and released 25 snook to 33” during the month of August. Lou fishes at night from the bank using only a jig. He looks for the remainder of the season to be a good one for snook.
Here are the results from Roy’s redfish tournament, most spots, 1st – Terry Schweers – 10, 2nd – Ted Wilk – 7, 3rd – Rosa Pana – 6
Heaviest fish, 1st – Robert Mock II – 5.85 lbs, 2nd – Paul Wann – 5.1 lbs, 3rd – Dallas Moore –5.05 lbs.
Roy also reported that Linda Vickers caught a 1 ½ lb permit in the ICW.
The Flagler County Sportfishing Club is holding their Annual Inshore Tournament September 22 at Bings Landing. The captains meeting will be at JT’s Seafood Shack on A1A in the Hammock. Entry fee is $45 per angler. Payouts will be for blackdrum, redfish, trout and flounder. For more information you can goto www.fcsportfishing.com or contact John Raybon at 386-447-3828 or 386-503-3545.

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:31:00 +0000

I would like to take a moment here to express my condolences to the entire Meekins family on the tragic loss of Skyler Meekins. Skyler loved to fish and was very well known to all the piers regular anglers. Over the years she honed her skills out there and had many tarpon and king mackerel to her credit. Skyler was also an accomplished inshore angler who spent many a day fishing with her dad, Hap Meekins. Her and her dad came in 2nd place in this years bucket “O” fun tournament and walked away with $1,400 in prize money. She also spent many a day fishing offshore with her dad. Skyler’s smiling face will be missed in the fishing community.
Every August big redfish appear at Matanzas inlet and this year is no exception. Reds to 40 inches are being caught. The bait of choice is live mullet rigged on a 3/0 circle hook. You’ll also need enough weight to hold the mullet along the bottom. Usually a small egg sinker or a couple large split shots. The optimum time to fish is at the change of the tide. This is when the fish seem to be most active. Once the current starts to rip through the inlet you’ll need to go to heavier weights to keep the bait down near the bottom. Reds to 30” can be caught on an outgoing tide at the mouths of creeks that feed into the ICW. If you can, get into the creeks on the out going tide and find a hole where the reds will congregate.
Elsewhere in the ICW, daytime trout fishing remains on the slow side. The water temperature is high which makes the trout lethargic. I believe if we get some rain it will cool the water down enough to turn these fish on. Nighttime trout fishing has remained consistent.
Flounder continue to be caught using live mullet, mud minnows and live shrimp. Keeper size mangrove snapper are abundant and are readily caught using live shrimp or pieces of shrimp.
Snook fishing remains good and will only get better when the mullet run begins. Lou DeFazio and I headed out the other morning to fly fish for snook and Lou landed his first snook on a fly. I had a couple of strikes on a topwater fly but no takers. Lou has been getting snook to 32” at night using a jig/shad tail combination.
Tarpon can be found rolling in most of the canals. Most of the fish I’ve seen are anywhere from 20 to 60 lbs. These fish can be very difficult to catch. Live lining a mullet is probably the best bet to connect with a silver king.
Pier fishing has been slow. Small reds, pompano and blues are the report. Look for the fishing to pick up in a couple of weeks when the mullet and pogy runs begin

noreply@blogger.com (Flagler Fishing Charters) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:24:00 +0000

The inshore fishing action was doing well until we got some west, northwest and north winds on Sunday and it continued into Monday. Once the wind kicked up it pushed a lot of water out of the backwaters and the ICW. The combination of low water and northerly winds slows down the current in the ICW. (Our outgoing tide flows north). When this happens the fishing also slows. One thing I have learned over years of fishing the ICW is that the fish like a fast moving current. The faster moving water creates more bait movement which makes the fish feed more actively.
Let me give you an example of my theory of current flow. Last Friday Louis Ziegenfus and Wayne Geisler fished with me and they caught 25 fish between them. They had snook, redfish, trout, flounder, jacks and mangrove snapper. The current flow was good that day. The following day Bill Smith and Jack Philbrick fished with me and the winds started to pick up a bit. They still managed to get some snook, trout, flounder and jacks but not as many fish as the day before. On Sunday the wind was stronger and the current slowed down. I couldn’t raise a single fish on my top water fly, something that doesn’t happen often this time of year. I then changed locations and switched to a mirrOlure and only managed a small snook and a small trout. Then on Monday Bill Mayne and his buddy Les fished with me and the current slowed even more due to the wind. The fishing was slow but they did manage to boat a sheepshead, a trout and a flounder. This kind of proves my point that the slower the current moves the slower the fishing.
The action in the surf is mostly small pompano and whiting. An unusual catch made in the surf this week was a 16” permit caught by Steve Watson. This is the first permit I have heard of being caught in the Flagler surf. Permit are usually caught on offshore wrecks and much farther south of here. This doesn’t surprise me though as small bonefish are being caught around Ponce Inlet. King mackerel are being caught from the pier.
Inshore there are lots of snook around. It seems the larger ones are being caught at night. Last week there was a good run of snook at night with fish in the 28” to 30” range being caught. I look forward to a good snook season when it opens September 1st. Look for the action to really pick up when the mullet run starts. Trout fishing has been best at night under dock lights and there is still plenty of good size flounder being caught.
Roy’s Bait House is holding it their 4th annual redfish tournament on Saturday, September 1st. at Mad Dogs under the rte 100 bridge. For more information you can contact the shop at 439-1027.

Photo: Louis Ziegenfus holds a 3.4 lb flounder that he caught on a live shrimp.