Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum Jan. 2, 2012

Catch of the Week

Jon Boulware, from N.C., caught and released this nice Sarasota Bay bluefish on a CAL jig with a grub tail while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.

BRADENTON – Hammerhead and tiger sharks can no longer be harvested from Florida waters. Trout season is now open.  With the slower tides, the best action will be centered on areas that have moving water. On days with no wind or days with light winds, deep channels and passes will produce some of the best action at lower tides. During higher tides, redfish will gather around oyster bars and around the mangroves.  Mullet fishing is still going strong. Two big seafood festivals will kick-off mid January.

Fishing Updates

South Fla. Spotted Seatrout season Opened Jan. 1; Management Changes Coming Soon

• Anglers prepare your rods and reels; the recreational harvest season for spotted seatrout in southern Florida will reopen on Jan. 1. The opening rings in 2012, a recreational closure-free year that will include several spotted seatrout management changes effective Feb. 1.

Recreational spotted seatrout management changes include:

• The removal of all recreational spotted seatrout closures, including the annual Feb. 1 closure that would have affected anglers in northeast and northwest Florida;
• There will be an increased recreational bag limit of six fish in the northeast region of the state.

Tiger Shark, Hammerhead Protections Start Jan. 1 

• The recreational and commercial harvest of tiger sharks and smooth, scalloped and great hammerhead sharks will be prohibited in Florida state waters beginning Jan. 1.
• The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved the management change at its Nov. 16 Commission meeting in an effort to further protect these top predators.
• The new measures also prohibit the possession, sale and exchange of tiger sharks and great, scalloped and smooth hammerhead sharks harvested from state waters. These sharks can still be caught and released in state waters and can be taken in adjacent federal waters. Prohibited species that die while on the line after being caught in state waters should be returned to the water immediately.

7th Annual Florida Keys Seafood Festival 

•  The seventh annual Keys Seafood Festival will be held Jan. 14, 2012 at Bayview Park
• In Key West, Fla. Bayview Park is located at the corner of Truman Avenue and Jose Marti Drive. The event runs from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and promotes Florida seafood and the Keys’ commercial fishing industry. Live entertainment, children's activities. Admission is free, and parking is $5.
• For more information call (305) 872-9026 or email: vickigale@bellsouth.net

Apalachicola Oyster Cook-Off 

• The oyster cook-off will be held January 14, 2012
 at Riverfront Park in  
Apalachicola, Fla. 
 The 2nd Annual Apalachicola Oyster Cook-Off is a one-day event with fabulous food, awesome music, fun for kids, and oyster recipe contest. 
• For more information email: marsg3tt3r@aol.com


Tim Roth of Atlanta, Ga with a sheepshead caught on a half shrimp with a 2/0 circle hook

Weekly Fishing Report by Captain Chad Gamble

As the water temperature is dropping the fishing has been, in all honesty, tough at times.  The “Hook and Ladder” has been targeting trout and redfish in Sarasota bay and on some days doing great and others, well, not so much.  The redfish we have been catching are still there hanging out in potholes and grass edges but will not eat nearly as readily as they were. 

This is the time of year I like to begin focusing on creek mouths and canal entries as they hold temps a little bit higher than the surrounding areas.  Especially in the mornings after a cold front, I like to key in on these spots and move to the adjacent flats afterward as the sun warms the shallows. 

We have been using ¼ oz. “Mission Fishin” jig heads with new penny gulps catching trout to 18 inches on the airport flats and the deeper flats north of Longbar.  Redfish have been hit or miss in the same areas with more reds coming from the very edge of the grass where it rolls up to the shallow stuff.  If you are fishing these areas and begin to get cutoffs, you are likely into some bluefish.  Bump up your leader and you should land some of these toothy critters. 

Last week we decided to try out some of the local rock piles for some sheepshead recon and found some nice sized specimens but not really stacked up yet.  As we cool the gulf down it should begin to concentrate these tasty yet odd-looking fish.

USCG Captain Chad Gamble

HookandLadderCharters.com

Email at Hookandladdercharters@gmail.com

Call (941) 809-8922

Fishing Forecast

A strong and mainly dry cold front will move through the eastern Gulf waters later tonight and early Monday morning. Cold and windy conditions are expected in the wake of the front later tonight and Monday with choppy elevated seas with small craft advisories in effect. Windy conditions will persist through Tuesday before winds weaken significantly late Wednesday as high pressure settles into the eastern Gulf during Thursday and Friday.

To create a forecast specific to your zip code visit www.wunderground.com

Monday

North winds will increase to 15 to 20 knots. Bay and inland waters becoming choppy.

2012/01/02      Mon    02:24 a.m.       0.15     L

2012/01/02      Mon    08:26 a.m.       0.9       H

2012/01/02      Mon    12:42 p.m.       0.69     L

2012/01/02      Mon    06:57 p.m.       1.78     H

Tuesday

North winds will increase to around 20 knots. Bay and inland waters choppy. Tuesday Night will bring northeast winds diminishing to around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2012/01/03      Tue      03:29 a.m.       -0.06    L

2012/01/03      Tue      10:15 a.m.       0.94     H

2012/01/03      Tue      01:27 p.m.       0.84     L

2012/01/03      Tue      07:42 p.m.       1.85     H

Wednesday

North winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Wednesday night will bring northwest winds 5 to 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2012/01/04      Wed    04:24 a.m.       -0.26    L

2012/01/04      Wed    11:34 a.m.       1.02     H

2012/01/04      Wed    02:17 p.m.       0.95     L

2012/01/04      Wed    08:27 p.m.       1.92     H

Thursday

Northwest winds 5 to 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Thursday night will bring north winds around 5 knots. Bay and inland waters smooth.

2012/01/05      Thu      05:11 a.m.       -0.42    L

2012/01/05      Thu      12:27 p.m.       1.07     H

2012/01/05      Thu      03:09 p.m.       1.0       L

2012/01/05      Thu      09:12 p.m.       1.99     H

Friday

Northwest winds around 5 knots. Bay and inland waters smooth.

2012/01/06      Fri       05:53 a.m.       -0.54    L

2012/01/06      Fri       01:05 p.m.       1.09     H

2012/01/06      Fri       03:57 p.m.       1.01     L

2012/01/06      Fri       09:54 p.m.       2.06     H

Solunar Forecast