A week ago, I headed off to Tampa Bay to meet 4 friends and do some angling in Florida. We had two boats to fish from. After the first evening catching up on old times, we were all ready to bag some fish.
It was prime time for big tarpon and that was going to be the main target.
On 3 of the five fishing days, it was overcast and windy and choppy. We used the larger of the two boats - a 25 footer captained by Rick Swanson to go for the tarpon in the main bay and the smaller boat a 19 footer captained by Bubba Sloan to fish the more protected mangrove areas.
We fished live bait on the tides and spent most of the time near the main bridge in the Bay. Overall we hooked 5 tarpon and landed none. All of them were in the 80 110 pound range. Rick had one on for over 45 minutes but did not land it.
I had the thrill of hooking one, watching it madly peel 90 yards of line, come all the way out of the water and shred my line with its teeth. All I could muster was Wow!
We also landed 3-4 grouper which are amazingly strong for their size and got to see two large manatee resting on the bottom in about 10 feet of water. One of these was 8-10 feet in length and likely weighed over 1,000-1,500 pounds.
We also had a great time fishing schools of false albacore feeding at the surface on small baitfish. We found the schools by watching the diving birds and white boiling water where the fish were feeding. Several times, we were able to pull up close enough to the action that we could cast into the middle of the madly feeding school. We were using steelhead wieight spinning rods. When hooked these guys would run 70-100 yards on the first run. After 10 minutes or so we could land and release them. What a gas.
The flats and mangrove fishing was also great, even with the wind. We mainly used 1/8 ounce jigs casting while drifting across the flats or along the mangrove line. We caught lots of fish, the most common being sea trout. I landed a sea trout that was 24-26 inches but the average was 14-16 inches. Captain Bubba landed a nice redfish.
It was a great trip. My thanks to all the guys, especially Rick and Bubba for use of their very nice boats. The weather gave us a challenge but we did not let it slow us down. We are figuring the next trip might need to be for Louisiana or Texas redfish in the winter.
Sal aka The World Traveling Fish Slaying S.O.B. (okay I added that part….but isn’t he?……h3llcat)
I have dreams that my kids will get to enjoy fishing in their lifetime
Since my kids are yet to be born, I’m fearful there won’t be time enough for them to enjoy.
I’m dreaming of fishing which means it’s been too long.
What I’m really dreaming of is the solitude that comes with being out there. I’m often reminded, after a long drought of no fishing like this, how much I need it and how much it means to me.
How much does it mean to you? Let’s fish soon.
N E W S F R O M S A N T A C R U Z…..
The infamous Tim Cecy, aka small creek Steelhead fisherman extraordinare, has graduated from college!!! Congrats Timmy. Now come on back up here and get our asses out on the water!
I just got back from a week in St Petersberg, FL where I spent a week fishing with friends. We had two boats and were ready to score on a big tarpon.
Sal Was Looking For One of These Beasts……..
The weather was cloudy and windy which made the fishing a bit tougher for us. I had a great time and will have some pictures and the rest of the low down on the trip within the week. Yes, I did hook into a big guy.
Article posted by Nookslayer aka Richey aka Your Mother
This was an interesting article from the Oregonian this morning….
A new agreement to reduce over fishing of salmon off Canada and southeast Alaska could allow an estimated 1 million more Chinook to return to hatcheries or spawning grounds in the Columbia River Basin and Puget Sound over the next 10 years.
The treaty, negotiated over 18 months by the Pacific Salmon Commission, calls for Canada to reduce its catch by 30 percent and Alaska to reduce its catch by 15 percent. That could increase Chinook returns by 3 percent to 7 percent in the upper Columbia River.
At the top end, it could result in 10,000 more Chinook returning annually to spawn in the Hanford Reach, a stretch of free-flowing river near the Hanford nuclear reservation, said Mike Matylewich, a fish manager for the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission in Portland.
Salmon migrate to the ocean from Northwest Rivers and streams as smolts and typically take a hard right once they hit the Pacific. Most travel north to feeding grounds off southeast Alaska or British Columbia, staying there for three to five years before returning to spawn in their home rivers and streams. It’s on the return trip that they’re caught in large numbers by sport and commercial fishermen off Alaska and Canada. “The main thing the agreement does, because of reduced catches in southeast Alaska and the west coast of Vancouver Island, it should return more fish upriver (in the Columbia),” Matylewich said. “It’s a good deal because it lessens harvest impacts and there’s more assurance of sustainability.” But the agreement, which would go into effect, next year, comes with a price tag. The United States will pay $30 million to compensate Canadian fishermen for the reduction. Most of the money will be used to pay fishermen to retire their commercial trolling licenses.
About $7 million will go to reduce commercial fishing in Alaska. Other money will go to salmon habitat improvement and research. The agreement resulted from negotiations involving representatives of four states, one Canadian province, the federal governments of the United States and Canada, and two dozen Native American tribes. In addition to management of Chinook, the plan addresses catch limits, habitat improvement and even egg collection methods for Coho, chum, pink and sockeye salmon. “Chinook was the most complex piece of the puzzle because the fish migrate through many jurisdictions,” said Olney Pratt Jr., executive director of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and U.S. tribal commissioner on the salmon commission.
For Alaska, the catch reduction “is a tough position for us to accept,” said David Bedford, the state’s representative on the salmon commission. “While we had to make some sacrifices to reach this agreement, we were convinced that this is a responsible agreement that provides stability for our fisheries and helps ensure the long-term health and sustainability of shared salmon resources.”
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire called the agreement historic. “This could not have happened had we not come with a common goal and a collaborative approach,” she said. “We now have a fighting chance to save the salmon.”
The agreement must be approved by federal officials and the Canadian government. The money that will be allocated to Canada, Alaska, Washington andOregon needs congressional approval.
Sacramento River run The agreement comes just a month after federal authorities virtually shut down the ocean salmon fishery off California and Oregon, after the sudden collapse of the Sacramento River Chinook run. Most of the Chinook caught in the ocean off Oregon come from the Sacramento. The federal disaster declaration opened the way for Congress to appropriate economic disaster assistance for coastal communities in Oregon, California and Washington. Scientists are studying the causes of the Sacramento River collapse, factors that range from poor ocean conditions and habitat destruction to dam operations and agricultural pollution. The governors of Washington, Oregon and California have estimated that economic losses from the coastal fishing collapse will total about $290 million. California is seeking $208 million in disaster aid, Oregon $45 million and
Washington $36 million. The farm bill approved this week also includes $170 million for the disaster-plagued Pacific
Coast salmon fishing industry. And on Thursday, the U.S. Senate approved a war-spending package that includes $75 million to help alleviate economic impacts related to fisheries disasters around the country. The fishing arrangements under the new salmon treaty between the United States and Canada were up for renewal at the end of this year. The new agreement covers U.S. and Canadian management plans from 2009 to 2018.
In two years, the Pacific Salmon Commission will renegotiate fishing arrangements for the Fraser River system in Canada.
The most chatter is on Bob D’s behemoth Largemouth post. Go there to see more Bass pics too…post some of your own if you got em…..just “log in” and then “edit” a comment field to get in editable script….super easy and it’s pics behind pics…Meskel, thanks for showing me this….or maybe it was Richey….hell I don’t know it’s 4:42, you tell me who showed me.
Anyway, Enjoy da chatter. We could use a little more.
Officials: Don’t swim, fish in the Willamette River for 48 hours
Posted by Staff reports May 20, 2008 12:32PM
Portland sewers overflowed into the Willamette River after today’s heavy rain, causing a potential public health risk.
City Environmental Services officials warn against any recreational activity such as jet skiing, water skiing or swimming during which water could be swallowed.
People who fish should wash their hands after touching the water. Anyone who wants to eat fish caught in the Willamette River should cook them thoroughly to kill bacteria.
In many areas of Portland, sewage mixes with stormwater runoff in what is called a combined sewer system. When the combined sewer system receives too much runoff, it overflows into the river, carrying bacteria from untreated sewage.
While health risks from combined sewer overflows are unknown, the public should stay out of the river for 48 hours after the rain has stopped, officials said.
Looks like the Utah warm water variety is starting to heat up a bit.Bob D. has a new best to top now after horsing in this fish that measured out to be a bit over 20 inches and nearly 5 pounds.
After about 45 minutes of sight casting almost everything in his box to this fish it finally got worn down and slammed his offering.In only about eight feet of water the fish had no where to go and was successfully kept from retreating into a number of nearby snags.
Keep up the good work D.I will need to get you to do that next time with a fly rod.
