High Pressure Slides Through on Time

As I mentioned in my last report, the first front of the fall usually slides down the state in September. Earlier this week that prediction held true. While the front was in no way significant, it is the first sign that fall is on its way.

The front did wreak havoc in the form of 15 to 20 knot winds out of the East-Northeast on Tuesday. For the lucky guides who work near everyday, the wind provided an all too familiar scenario. The drain plug on the flats was pulled and dry they went. Not a pretty sight and another day in the limelight as a full time guide.

Under more common conditions, snook, redfish, trout, jacks and mango snapper are making up the bag. There is no one concentration of fish anywhere, but working hard up and down the shoreline will produce decent results. Be patient in likely spots. We had good results with redfish and increasing numbers of snook in the same places they show at this time of year, even though you’d swear it was a dead hole.

There is plenty of bait around. On the tide changes, and the slower tides, slowly live chumming the spots will turn even the sluggish of fish on. As a tip about chumming with scaled sardines:

1. Never chum until you have fished the spot
2. When you are confident the fish are there, and won’t bite, start with just a few crippled baits.
3. Free-line you baits, hooked in the belly, one scale back and one scale up from the pectoral fin
4. When the tide starts to rip stop chumming…you’ll be pushing the fish away from you
5. When they start to bite…stop chumming
6. Chumming usually produces a fast bite, when it stops or if it never starts…take advantage of the tide at your next stop. These techniques are what I call the "run and shoot offense". Accompanied with a knowledgeable fisherman and a fast boat, are how guides gain reputation for producing gamefish nearly all year.

Artificials in the form of jigs and twitch baits will take a few fish as well and in particular… the trout. The water will need to fall to the upper 70’s before the fakes can actually produce the results of the deadly sardine. Of course if you are fishing for your own enjoyment what does it matter? We too often confuse the words fishing and catching together.

Redfish should begin to tighten up over the next few weeks. There has been enough around to provide action. For the most part, reds are in the medium size range. This is typical for late August and early September as the rains flush the resident fish from the rivers, creeks, and canals. The migratory bulls have not arrived here in this area. As always they will show up somewhere on the Nature Coast and that’s where your efforts will be best applied.

In the Bay, tarpon continue to cycle around. Pompano are still in the passes and along the adjacent beaches. Mango snapper fishing is red-hot all throughout the area.

The Port Richey Fire Department is having their annual snook, redfish, trout, 2 day tourney on the 9^th and 10^th of October. Entry fee is $25 per angler, per division. There will be $25,000 rewarded in cash prizes. The captains’ meeting has yet to be announced. For more info contact the PRFD@ (727)848-2398.

As a side note, tournaments are starting to grow in ol’ sleepy Pasco County. Many, but not all, have seen their share of controversy. Just this past weekend, it was announced at the captain’s meeting and after the entries had been made, that only one team had entered a particular division. Participants were then allowed to move to that division, even though the entries had been made. Sadly enough, one team of "professional" guides (who will not be named in this forum) moved to that division and beat that one other team in that division.

In the last tournament I participated in Pasco, I filed a protest in regards to a deader than dead snook that held first place. Despite the protest, the prize was paid. What evolved next was my posting of $500 for the winner’s lie detector test, attorneys, and then an eventual disqualification of the winner. Though my team never received the increase of cash from places and nor did we ever ask for it, it’s not about money. It’s about what’s right and what’s wrong. The rules are rules.

The firefighter’s tourney is a good one. They are very attentive of all things that have happen in the past and are run with attention to detail. I’m not certain this is a kill tournament or not. But in this tiny area that is now a flats fishing Mecca, it would be a good idea.

Screaming drags and tired arms!!!

Robert McCue