Fishing Report -- 09-19-12

JT, Gavin & Colin got a very early start today with me to try catch some Tarpon & Snook. It’s about time for the Mullet Run to be in full swing however it seems to be more like a quarter swing. There wasn’t much action in the inlet so we moved to a nearby bridge. Snook were busting mullet pretty regularly on the bridge however it was tough to get them to eat our mullet. We ended up with one decent size Snook for our hard work. When the sun got up we went into the ocean looking for some Tarpon action. Again the Tarpon action was slow however the Shark action was hot. I think about 9 Spinner / Blacktip sharks were hooked with 3 landed and released. Gavin had the bad luck today, he hooked a bunch of sharks, all but one broke off for one reason or another, nothing he was doing wrong, they just didn’t want to play nice. After JT and the boys were worn out on the sharks we made a long run looking for mullet schools off the beach. We didn’t see any big mullet schools, we did however run across some Bonitos close to the beach resulting in two hooked and one landed. Colin’s Bonito was on steroids and just would not come to the boat, unfortunately the hooked pulled before we got to see the fish, I think it would have looked just like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Colin got the unusual catch of the day award by catching a big Ribbon Fish (creepy looking things they are). All in all a good day on the water, nice weather for a change and some decent fish caught. Hopefully they big push of mullet will be here soon and things will really get going.   

For more info. on TKF Charters click this link to my website www.tkfcharters.com
To see Fishing Reports prior to 2012 click  www.tkfcharters.com/reports/reports.php

Fishing Report -- 08-31-12

Tough day in Biscayne Bay today. The wind was stronger than forecasted and muddied up the areas we really wanted to fish. Plan B wasn’t super productive, we only saw one school of Bones. Eric did a great job in getting a Bone on fly out of the school though. Nice and sunny so it was a beautiful day to be in Biscayne Bay, just not a lot of fish around today.      

For more info. on TKF Charters click this link to my website www.tkfcharters.com
To see Fishing Reports prior to 2012 click  www.tkfcharters.com/reports/reports.php

Fishing Report -- 08-18-12

Today was “take the boys fishing day” for George. He and his three sons Max, Taylor and Chase were onboard for some saltwater action. Their ages ranged from 5 to 9. I believe this was their first ocean fishing trip. Seas were nice and calm for their first adventure in the big blue. We started off catching Blue Runners to get them into the swing of things. Soon they were talking about wanting to catch bigger fish (funny how boys quickly move from “wow that was really cool” to “hey what’s next”). So with the Blue Runners in the rear view mirror we headed offshore for a little bigger fish action. Fortunately the Bonito’s were not the really big ones today, else I may have had some barefoot skiing kids out there. The Bonitos were just the right size to be challenging but also just the right size to be manageable. That first time the drag started screaming will be something the boys will remember for a while (I still clearly remember the first Bonito I hooked, I can still feel the rod vibrating in my hands as the fish left my zip code). All three boys landed a bunch of fish. We even got to witness the functioning of the hierarchy of the food chain right at the side of the boat as a giant Barracuda sliced through a Bonito as if it were a cheese stick. It took some convincing but check out the picture of Taylor holding the Bonito head. It also took a little convincing but Max landed his first Bonito by reaching over and grabbing it by the tail and lifting it over the side all on his own. Chase was happy to land a few fish just to show his older brothers that he can do it too and then he kept himself busy interacting with the inhabitants of the onboard aquarium i.e. live well full of pilchards. Dad rounded out the day with a few Bonitos of his own and a Blackfin Tuna, just to show the boys that Dad is still the top dog.

For more info. on TKF Charters click this link to my website www.tkfcharters.com
To see Fishing Reports prior to 2012 click  www.tkfcharters.com/reports/reports.php

Fishing Report -- 08-14-12

Greg and Nadine were on board today for a mixture of fly fishing & conventional light tackle fishing. The Bonitos (Albies) are out in good numbers currently and are excellent fly tackle targets. When chumming them up to catch on the fly there is a good potential for other cool fish to show up too, you just never really know what is going to happen. We started out catching Albies on spinning tackle and as the action picked up Greg switched to fly tackle. Soon the monster sharks showed up and I must say that I was surprised when Nadine got all excited and wanted to hook one. I hadn’t brought the super heavy tackle required to land one of these 400 lb sharks however I had a fairly stout rod that we rigged and it wasn’t long before Nadine was pulling on a shark more than 3 times her size. Talk about bringing a knife to a gunfight. We knew we really weren’t in the game but Nadine had a blast pulling on these monsters until the line broke (must be the Montauk call in her). I have included a photo of one we landed this weekend to show you what Nadine was wrestling with. At the end of the trip many Albies were landed on Fly and spinning tackle, 3 monster sharks were fought, 2 small Kingfish were landed and unfortunately the hook pulled on a nice big King fish that Greg had right at the boat. No need for the gym today !

For more info. on TKF Charters click this link to my website www.tkfcharters.com
To see Fishing Reports prior to 2012 click  www.tkfcharters.com/reports/reports.php

 

Fishing Report -- 08-04-12

Fishing today with Joe, Matt & Erik was tough to say the least. Although the water had warmed today cold water upwellings the last few days had pushed the Snook out of the inlet. We saw a bunch that had returned with the warmer water but they all had a serious case of lock jaw. We did manage one nice big Snook, one small Snook, Bonitos, Jacks, Spanish Mackerel, Ladyfish and a nice sized Spinner Shark. The Spinner Shark jumped a bunch and really made Matt huff and puff (almost as much as Erik huffed and puffed trying to wrestle a Bonito away from the Porpoises). Joe was a true gentleman today by letting his friends catch the bigger fish.

For more info. on TKF Charters click this link to my website www.tkfcharters.com
To see Fishing Reports prior to 2012 click  www.tkfcharters.com/reports/reports.php

Fishing Report -- 07-28-12

Jesse had a birthday coming up and wanted to go fishing for his 13th celebration. The weather was cooperating nicely with calm seas and no wind, catching bait went pretty well and we were anxious to see what type of birthday present Neptune was going to give Jesse. Apparently Jesse must have a pretty good rapport with Neptune. Jesse's first fish was a King Fish landed on a mono leader. While he was fighting that fish two Sailfish showed up. Just as soon as the picture was done with the King fish Jesse was hooked up to Sailfish #1. About three quarters into the fight we hooked up the other Sailfish. Jesse did a great job landing his first Sailfish. Not long after that we landed the other sailfish too. One more King fish was landed before the action slowed and we moved on. Next was a Bonito fest with multiple quadruple hookups. Quite a challenge to keep the lines from tangling. After about 30 Bonitos we dropped down a shark bait. Jesse was first on the rod. Having pre-exhausted him with all the other fish he eventually gave the rod to Jake to finish the job. After quite a tussle we finally got the biggest Blackfin / Spinner shark to the boat that I have ever seen, it was right at the 200 lb mark. The total for the day was 2 Sailfish, 2 King fish, over 30 Bonitos and a decent size shark. Happy Birthday Jesse.

For more info. on TKF Charters click this link to my website www.tkfcharters.com
To see Fishing Reports prior to 2012 click  www.tkfcharters.com/reports/reports.php

Fishing Report -- 07-13-12

Chris and Randy joined me for a last minute afternoon / evening fishing trip. The wind was blowing a bit but these two guys were game for trying to get into the ocean for a while before the sun went down. To say the least it was a little rougher than expected but we knew the fish were out there so we proceeded offshore. By the time we got to where we needed to be we were all a little wet from the spray, however the saltwater shower was well worth it. We only had a few pretty small baits but it wasn’t long before Chris and Randy were both hooked up. Randy landed the first fish, a King Fish. After that it was pretty much non-stop doubled up Bonito action until the bait ran out. We had a Sailfish pay us a visit but unfortunately it left without eating any of our baits. Once the baits were finished it was time to head back inside to calmer waters and to rest the arms. The plan was to shark fish for the rest of the charter.

With the sun getting low on the horizon we got setup using some Bonito caught earlier to attract the sharks. The sharks were a little shy but eventually they began to show. Randy got the first bite but it was a swing and a miss. Second bite was Chris’s and he was off to the races. After a good fight he landed and released nice 60 lb Blacktip shark. The sharks continued to be a little on the shy side and didn’t just charge in gobble down the baits. Patience was the name of the game, Chris and Randy ended up having a total of 7 bites and got 4 Blacktip sharks to the boat. Considering the windy conditions and the last minute nature of the trip I believe we made a pretty good day of it. Hopefully the Rough Riders will be back when the weather is a little nicer and get a chance to get into some more offshore light tackle action.
For more info. on TKF Charters click this link to my website www.tkfcharters.com
To see Fishing Reports prior to 2012 click  www.tkfcharters.com/reports/reports.php

 

Fishing Report -- 06-28-12

The fishing team of Steve & Jamie was a member short today, Steve was flying solo, must be that Jamie was still working on his fishing biceps (see report Feb 24, 2012). What this means for Steve was that he gets to catch all the fish. Feeling terribly guilty I’m sure about not sharing we got started fishing with some live bait for Snook. The live bait was pretty tough to catch but Steve proved to be a pretty good bait catcher. The first live bait barely hit the water and it was whacked by a Snook. Unfortunately Steve was barely ready for the Snook, so it was Snook 1 Steve 0. After that however it was more a Steve show. By the time we ran out of live bait Steve had landed and released 7 nice sized Snook. He then took out the fly rod and within a few casts hooked and landed a really nice sized Snook on fly, I was pretty surprised as I had thought the bite was pretty much done as the tide was almost slack. Very nicely done Steve. After a few more casts with no takers it was time to move on. Wanting to stick with the fly rod we loaded up on chum baits and headed offshore a ways. Pretty quickly we were into the Bonitos. The action was very consistent with Steve landing 6 nice sized Bonitos. We had a Bull Shark munch a Bonito close to the boat, just reminding us who is really in charge out there. After those baits were done we moved back inside to go mess with the Snook again. Loaded with more chum bait it was time for Steve to put a real hurting on the Snook with the fly rod. The action was very good with the Snook coming to the surface and hanging around long enough to present the fly to them. Sight fishing actively feeding Snook is a blast. Steve did very well on these Snook too and ended up landing 7 or so fish. All too soon it was time to pack it in and head back to the dock. I’m sure the fish were relieved to see Steve go, they needed the rest. I’m sure that Steve also rested well that night. Just imagine if Jamie had been on board, they could have caught twice as many fish.
For more info. on TKF Charters click this link to my website www.tkfcharters.com
To see Fishing Reports prior to 2012 click  www.tkfcharters.com/reports/reports.php
  

Fishing Report -- 06-22-12

Today the dueling brothers Glenn & Craig returned vying for the title of “The Sabiki King”, a title held firmly by Glenn for the past two years. None the less Craig was not intimidated by Glenn’s supreme reign and mounted a formidable challenge. The past two years Glenn & Craig have had nice calm weather, as it should be in June, allowing us to primarily pursue Tarpon. This year was a very different story. We’d had 7 straight days of nasty wind which chopped up the ocean and clouded up the water close to the beach. Today was forecasted to be windy too but with a few hours of moderate winds forecasted for first thing in the morning. We took advantage of this opportunity to get into the ocean to catch fresh live baits for the Snook fishing that we’d be doing the rest of the day. This is when the Sabiki challenge began! Glenn asserted his dominance early. Just when I thought Craig was out of the game completely he made his move and mounted a strong challenge on the Sardines and an even stronger challenge on the Threadfins. However, once all was said and done, I’d have to say that Glenn retained the title, albeit by a significantly smaller margin than in previous years. Glenn had better not get too attached to his crown, Craig is closing in fast, no telling what is going to happen next year. With the Sabiki challenge out of the way we changed our focus to the Snook challenge. With and hour or so to kill before the outgoing tide began we picked away at the Snook, at few here and there with no real bruisers. Once the tide changed the Snook fishing improved significantly. Glenn & Craig were evenly matched for most of the battle. The number of Snook caught each were about the same with Glenn having a nice 33 incher under his belt and eyeing the “Snook Meister” title. Since Craig’s defeat in his campaign to grasp the Sabiki King title he had been planning his revenge. While Glenn was still basking in the glory of catching the biggest Snook of the day up until that point, Craig must have thought this would be the appropriate time to drop the hammer on Glenn’s plans to be “Snook Meister”. And quite the hammer it was. Craig hooked into a nice big girl and the fight was on. All the practicing earlier was for this moment. A brief encounter with the propeller on the main motor had us holding our breath for a while, however Craig wasn’t about to let this fish make him lose another title today. After a good fight he landed this lovely lady, she weighed out just over 26 pounds and measured over 39 inches. With this fish Craig firmly grasped the title of “Snook Meister”. Many more Snook were caught however none to beat this one. In total over 30 Snook were landed between Glenn & Craig. A few incidental Jacks (one monster that schooled us) and a Bonito rounded out the fish caught for the day. Although Glenn earned the title of “The Sabiki King” and Craig the title of “Snook Meister” they did it in such a way that I gave them two additional titles, Best of Friends and Best of Brothers.

For more info. on TKF Charters click this link to my website www.tkfcharters.com
To see Fishing Reports prior to 2012 click  www.tkfcharters.com/reports/reports.php

Fishing Report -- 06-16-12

Paul and Eric were in town from upstate New York for a few days fishing safari. June should have nice calm weather and it was calm for the 4 days prior to their arrival but the night they arrived the wind started to blow and just got worse and worse. We made it out into the ocean for a few hours the first day but after that we were fishing inside. This time of the year that is not such a bad thing as the Snook are pushing into the inlet and there are plenty of opportunities to run into a nice Snook or two. The trip started with two nice King fish first thing on the first day, both Paul and Eric landing decent fish. After that we went looking for Tarpon. With the windy conditions it was tough to see the fish and the few we found were not cooperating. The wind finally got too strong to stay in the ocean and we changed our focus to Snook fishing. Snook fishing was decent with the count being around 12 between Paul and Eric. Paul got the big girl, she measured 36 inches. Next morning we tried Tarpon on the inside with no success, we saw Tarpon but no willing participants. A few Jacks and a Sea Trout were caught while on the Tarpon quest. We moved to the flats where a few more Snook were caught and a few small sharks. The final day was windier yet and they had the itch to catch something big so we went Spinner Shark fishing. Although it is not peak season for them there are some resident fish that hang around all year. Paul and Eric both landed fish pretty quickly in the 45 pound range. After that it was the bigger fish for the other 3 fish landed, these were all in the 90 lb range. When all was said and done they landed 5 sharks and broke off another 3. Considering the conditions they had to work with a good variety of quality fish were caught. The Tarpon will have to wait for next time.

For more info. on TKF Charters click this link to my website www.tkfcharters.com
To see Fishing Reports prior to 2012 click  www.tkfcharters.com/reports/reports.php