Fishing Report – 05-29-13

Today was FITRD – Fishing In The Rain Day. The winds were blowing and it was raining but Chad, Bob and Brady braved the elements in their quest for a keeper Snook. Fishing was tough today, the usual spots just weren’t offering up the bigger fish. We had a few nice big fish hooked up around the bridges however they all made short work of the line and were not coming to say hello. We picked away at the Snook throughout the day never really finding a good concentration anywhere. Bob did finally land a slot size Snook near the end of the day (we didn’t even get a photo of it !). I believe the total for the day was 12 Snook and one Cubera Snapper landed. Nothing earth shattering but a decent day considering the nasty conditions and uncooperative 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 – 05-27-13

Paul was in Miami with the wife for their anniversary and wanted to fish even though the winds were blowing 20 mph +.  We figured a night time trip may be best seeing that it was Memorial day weekend, this way we missed the craziness that happens on the water in Miami on holidays. Tarpon was the target species. The big fish were not inside tonight, only the smaller fish. However even a small Tarpon is still a pretty decent challenge to get them off the bridge and landed. Paul did well for this first time bridge fishing Tarpon. He had 5 fish hooked up and two landed. Best part of all is that we weren’t annoyed by a single jetski.        

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 – 05-24-13

Rich and Denise were in town from New Jersey. Last few times Rich has been in town the weather has been really bad and pretty much unfishable. This time earlier in the week the weather was miserable however by the end of the week we got an awesome day. Must be Denise that was the good weather charm. The morning started off with us in Tarpon for quite a while. They were studs however not wanting to eat the fly or crabs. After giving them the good old college try we headed off shore. Not long after stopping the fish started to show. First the small Bonitos and Blue Runners, then a Dolphin, then Rainbow Runners and then the big Albies. Rich and Denise managed to catch at least one of each of those species. See if you notice what is not quite right in the first photo (hint …. Look closely at the fly rod in Denise’s hand, she’s not holding two rods, only one).          

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 – 05-18-13

Harris & Bill joined me for some fly only action. Harris started off with two medium sized jacks on the inside. As soon as Bill got on the rod the action stopped. We headed outside and found a large school of Jacks in the ocean, however they just weren’t in a good mood. The clouds came over and the wind started to blow. We headed offshore. Saw a few small Blackfin Tuna come up on the chum but no takers. Eventually after much rough water we found the Bonitos and both Harris and Bill caught a few before it was time to head in. Not a ton of fish caught today but considering the conditions Harris & Bill did good. Sorry Bill, I didn’t have any pictures of your fish on my camera.        

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 – 05-11-13

Anton & Douglas were on board today to see what we could catch. The winds were forecasted to blow early so we had a small window to get out into the ocean . Fortunately we were able to take full advantage of the nice conditions while they lasted. Douglas landed two nice Kingfish, a shark and Spanish Mackerel. Anton, who only a few months ago turned 7, hooked and landed all by himself his Kingfish along with Spanish Mackerel. These two guys are pretty fish crazy, good to see kids who love the sport. Nice going guys.         

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 -- 04-25-13

It’s always great taking folks fishing for a species of fish that they have never caught before. Doug & Brady were in town escaping the chilly weather of Indiana. With the ocean conditions being borderline we decided that the target species of the day would be Snook. The Snook fishing was decent with Doug and Brady both getting slot Snook. Brady’s slot fish released itself boatside by chewing through the leader, quite inconsiderate I’d say, it must have been camera shy. Doug’s slot Snook was more accommodating (maybe it wasn’t as camera shy). Seeing that the wind was holding off we ventured into the ocean looking for some different species. It was full moon and the curse of the full moon seemed to be in full effect. Brady had a Permit hooked up that came unbuttoned (with the rubbery lips Permit have the hook usually doesn’t pull out). We found some 30lb class Jacks but they refused a live bait (very uncommon). We even had some medium sized Bonitos busting around the boat that refused small live pilchards. We made a few drops on a wreck and both Doug & Brady were hooked up to fish that had absolutely no intention of coming to the surface. Shredded leaders and pulled circle hooks were all they had to show from these encounters. The Snook and some small Jacks were the only fish today that were Indiana friendly, the rest were just taunting our out of state visitors, I’ve filed a complaint with the LFCTB - Local Fish Counsel Tourism Board.        

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 -- 04-13-13

Today with Ollie and Roy was a very strange day. Tides were very weak and I just couldn’t get on the Snook bite like we wanted. The mission was to catch a slot Snook for Roy to eat. I’m pretty much Catch and Release but Roy had twisted my arm to try and get him a slot Snook as he has never eaten a Snook before. Today the Snook bite was way off for us and we only ended up with a handful of Snook the largest being 27 ½ inches. Serves us right trying to break the catch & release policy. On the upside Ollie did get a decent Sea Trout.         

                

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 -- 04-06-13

Tonight was a Tarpon trip with two friends Jeff & Kevin. These gents regularly fish the winter Tarpon run in Miami and do really well on these fish. They pretty much have this fishery figured out and it was an absolute blast to be able to also fish a little myself for a change. When the shrimp are running the Tarpon are usually there and pretty cooperative. Tonight was one of those good nights. Early in the night Jeff predicted 20 bites and I’m glad to say he was right on the money. I believe we ended up with 19 or 20 bites and 6 landed fish ranging from about 40 to 75 lbs. We had the fly rods along too and managed to land one on fly and have another hooked up. Great weather + two very entertaining excellent fishermen + multiple Tarpon to the boat = Awesome night’s fishing.       

                

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 -- 03-27-13

Bud and Scott were on board ready to tackle some sharks. The wind was blowing a little more than we wanted. Fortunately the wind was North still making it fishable, barely. Catching these sharks are challenging under good conditions, throw in some rough water and it becomes really challenging. Bud and Scott were up to the task though. By the end of the trip 5 sharks were landed and Bud and Scott had figured out how to man handle these fish to the boat. Only shot a little bit of video, check it out, did capture a pretty cool jump.  

                       

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 -- 03-19-13

It was a full boat today, Scott and the three young lads Davis, Drew and Braxton were onboard for a day of pulling on the sharks. I had an idea of how the day was going to go when one of the first things they asked me was what the boat record was for the most number of landed Spinner Sharks in a day. The number is 11 and has occurred twice, once by a single angler and then also with a group of 3 anglers. It’s great to see anglers who are really excited about the day and they had their sights firmly set on trying to beat the record. After catching some fresh bait it was time to enter the Shark Zone. Davis was up first on the rod. Soon enough he was hooked up and off to the races. It was a typical first Spinner Shark experience. I tell all my anglers who are fishing for these Spinner Sharks for the first time to be prepared for a bit of a shock as to how athletic these sharks are and how hard they fight for their size. All these guys have caught big fish in the past so they are not new to the game but had to admit that these sharks are formidable adversaries. The good news is that with shark number two and three it gets easier and easier as you figure out how they are going to behave and how and when to pull on them. After much huffing and puffing the first shark of the trip was landed and released. Next was Drew, he too quickly developed a respect for these fish’s fighting ability. Drew persisted and boated his first shark too. Next was Braxton. This is when Murphy decided to show up. This happens quite often when everything that can go wrong seems to go wrong to the same person. First fish Braxton hooked was a jumper and three jumps in the wire broke. Next fish was a jumper too with the same result. Third fish the hook bent out and so it went on, Sharks 5, Braxton 0. None of these lost fish were a direct result of anything Braxton did, he did everything correct, just bad luck. Scott took the rod in an attempt to break the streak of Braxtonitis. Scott’s fish was a nice big one but right at the boat made last minute run under the boat and found the trim tab to rub the line against. The trim tab always wins that battle. We had touched the leader just before that so Murphy had to move over a little bit as it was a caught but not landed fish. Davis and Drew then landed another fish each and gave the rod to their friend to see if his Braxtonitis condition was still affecting him. This time Braxton hooked by far the toughest fighting fish of the day and it took a tag team effort with Davis to land it. Scott finished the day off with a nice big shark to the boat. The tally was 7 landed and more than that hooked up and lost. The boat record is still intact but a very respectable run at the record was waged.       

                

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 -- 03-08-13

The best way to summarize this trip is to title it “Shark on fly – the Hard Way!”. Today with Doug was fly only with the mission of getting some Spinner Sharks. Big waves were the killer. A font had just moved through and although the wind was blowing strong it was NW, still doable in the ocean however there were big waves breaking forcing us to keep our distance from the beach. The sharks were in tight to the beach and were not coming out to play. Disappointed with the shark thing we hit a few deeper spots with less than spectacular results. Doug did however manage some Lesser Amberjacks, Sea Bass, Bullet Bonito and Blue Runners. Late afternoon the swell laid down just enough for us to get close enough to the beach to get the sharks interested in our chum. To add insult to injury when we finally got some bites Murphy had to show up. First hooked fish resulted in a broken fly line, looks like another shark may have bitten it. The second resulted in a bent hook while the fish was running (weird as it’s pretty hard to bend a 7/0 Owner hook with a fly rod). The third hookup however resulted in a landed shark. Kudos to Doug for hanging in there till it finally happened. It was a brutal day on the water. The bright side is that the day before we didn’t think we’d even be able to get into the ocean, so I suppose sharks the hard way is better than no sharks at all.   

                          

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 -- 03-05-13

Today was Ladies Day. Sarah, Sarah (no that is not a typo) and Olivia joined me for a morning’s fishing. They are here on Spring Break and did they luck out with spectacular weather, as good as it gets for this time of year. It was sunny, the wind was dead calm and the ocean pretty flat, these are the days that keep us living here in South Florida. We started by trying to catch Bluefish for shark bait, however the fish were running right on the beach and a small breaking wave was just enough to keep them out of our reach. In the process of chasing the bluefish we did come across some nice Jacks. Sarah1 landed a solid 20+ lb fish. Sarah2 also had a nice Jack on but the hooks came out resulting in an involuntary remote release. We started to see some decent numbers of sharks and it wasn’t long before Sarah 2 was connected to a nice size Spinner Shark. These ladies have not done a lot of big fish fishing and these Spinner Sharks can be pretty intimidating the first time you hook into one, but I tell you what it didn’t phase Sarah at all. She listened to my instruction and went at it with the shark. She was determined to land that fish and that is exactly what she did, no crying and complaining that I hear from some guys, she just quietly and patiently worked the fish to boat side. Next was Olivia’s turn. Her fish turned out to be a real handful once she got it close to the boat so her and Sarah1 tag teamed the shark to land it. What an awesome morning on the water. These ladies did an exceptional job fighting these big fish. Three good friends spending a morning fishing in perfect weather conditions and catching fish that weigh more than they do, no better way to spend a spring break day.   

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 -- 03-01-13

Jerry, Jesse and Sam were on board day 1 for some shark fishing. The trip was a fly and conventional tackle combination trip. The sharks weren’t out in the numbers that we had hoped for however there were enough to still make for a good day’s fishing. We started out catching some nice sized Bluefish on lures and fly. After catching enough Bluefish for the chum bag we then switched to shark fishing, first on bait. Between the three of them 3 sharks were landed on bait. Then we noticed that the sharks were chasing the teaser plug that we were throwing for the Bluefish pretty good. Jerry put the fly out there and a shark came from under the boat surprising us all and lunched the fly. All three had their turn on the rod and the Spinner Shark on fly was successfully landed and released. Day 2 was just Dad fishing just with fly, boy was he in for a treat. The weather day 2 was about the same as day 1 being overcast and a little cold and also started out with fishing for Bluefish but once we started fishing for the Spinner Sharks it was night and day different. The sharks were the most active on fly that I have ever seen. It was constant crazy action. After Jerry landed a few we switched to using flies with weak hooks that will bend out under heavy pressure rather than having to spend over a half an hour to land them. Overall Jerry had 20 sharks hooked up. It was really incredible. To quote Jerry, “they are behaving just like Brown Trout”, except I would get into the water with a Brown Trout.                               

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 -- 02-16-13

Steve has been patiently waiting for the right conditions to join me for a day of Spinner Shark fishing. Today was that day, NW winds shifting to West, perfect. Will and Tyler joined Dad and we were off to the rodeo. The morning was overcast and things were a little slow. It was a bit of a struggle to catch a decent number of Bluefish for bait but once we had that task completed it was off to the sharks. Once we found where they were holding it was game on. Tyler was up first. The first Spinner Shark you catch is usually somewhat of a shocker. They run fast, jump and pull hard. Tyler’s first shark was no exception. There was much huffing & puffing before the first shark was landed and released. Will & Steve then had their turns with similar experiences. However by the second and third shark they were all getting the hang of it and handling the fish like pros. There were some decent jumpers and we managed to get some of that on video. A total of 11 sharks were landed and released by the trio. An awesome day of shark fishing, even more awesome was seeing a dad thoroughly enjoying a day of fishing with his boys.                          

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 -- 02-06-13

David and Kathy were in town and only had a small window of opportunity to go fishing. Fortunately for them the weather worked out to be perfect for the morning they had available. Catching fish for David on fly was the primary mission. We started by using a sinking line to try get some Amberjacks. David did hook one but unfortunately the hook pulled and we were not able to get another hooked up. We even had Kathy dropping the jig to get them biting but they didn’t even want to eat that. Kathy did manage to catch a small Grouper on the jig though. We gave up on the AJ’s and headed to the beach. We were welcomed by a giant school of Spanish Mackerel. The water was crystal clear and only about 10 feet deep which means that we could see them flashing and just milling around, quite a special sight to see, especially if you have a fly rod in your hand. David is a good fly fisherman and went to town on them. I lost count on how many he landed. Mixed in with the Spanish Mackerel David also landed a decent size Bluefish and a decent size Jack. Kathy also got into the action with some Spanish Mackerel on the jig. We were hoping to get some sharks interested in the fly however there were only a few around where we were and we didn’t have the time to make a long run to find them. They are running a little late this year and seem to be a bit more scattered than usual. Nonetheless David got to catch all the fish he wanted on fly in picture perfect conditions, can’t complain about that. Only regret is that we didn’t take a lot of pictures, only this one of probably the smallest Mackerel.                            

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