The Fishing is Sizzling.

Fish box full of mangrove snapper

Jerry Reed said it best, “When you’re hot, you’re hot.” Right now, the fishing cannot get any hotter than aboard Afishionado.

The mangrove snapper fishing is outstanding right now. It seems they were a little slow to spawn this year, but the bite started picking up around Independence Day and it has been gangbusters ever since. Every year it seems the mangrove snapper fishing is getting better and better. You can literally catch them just about anywhere.

The snook fishing has been non-stop and will continue to be so the rest of the summer. Snook are stacked up just about everywhere is seems. Many days, my clients are catching snook for hours on end.

Fishing for redfish is always hot in July. The best places to locate schools of redfish are around oyster beds and the optimal time is during a high tide.

Whether I’m after large snook or redfish one of the best baits of choice when the water temperature in the 90’s, is fresh cut bait. It could be pinfish, large scaled sardines, ladyfish or my favorite, threadfin herring. I like to cut up a pretty sizable chunk, stick it on a 2/0 or 3/0-size hook, cast one off each side of the stern of the boat and place the rod in a rod holder. Meanwhile, as anglers are fishing with live bait up front, I listen for screaming drag in the rear. By the time a client places their rod in a rod holder up front and go to the back of the boat to grab the doubled over rod, they have a solid hookup.

If you own a smoker and like fish dip and crackers, there are plenty of big Spanish mackerel out there to take home. Spanish mackerel are all over the place. I’m catching them in my cast net while catching bait, while on the flats snook fishing, around range markers, on artificial reefs and while anchored at bridges.

When I target mackerel, I always like the start a fresh cut bait chum slick. At the same time, I’m squeezing handfuls and live bait and tossing them overboard. I also use a long shank 1/0 hooks to help prevent cutoffs from their razor-sharp teeth. Another thing I do to help prevent cutoffs is loosen the drag on the reels.

I can’t tell you how many people have the misconception that Spanish mackerel are only to be eaten if you are, “Naked and Afraid.” That’s simply not the case. Once mackerel on board, I ice them down immediately. After they are filleted, just keep them on ice until cooked within a couple of days. I don’t recommend freezing Spanish mackerel fillets, because once they thaw out they turn to mush. However, if you smoke them first, you can freeze all you want. Then once thawed, you’re ready to make fish dip with your favorite recipe.

Stay fishy my friends!

Usually, I get too busy to write fishing reports as often as I’d like, so, if you’re interested in seeing my most recent post, please like my, Facebook Page to receive updates. For charter reservations call/text Wade at 813-286-3474.

 

from
https://www.afishionado.com/fishing-reports/the-fishing-is-sizzling/

Memorial Day, the unofficial beginning of summer.

Thankfully, the beaches have been reopened, and the economy is slowly starting to rebound.  First and foremost, today is a time to remember all the service men and women who fought and gave their lives to keep this great country free.

As far as the fishing goes, it is outstanding.

The snook are spawning right now and will be doing so through July, so it’s an excellent time to catch some monsters.  Redfish schools are cruising just about every grass flat and many of these fish are over 33-inches and weigh close to 20 pounds.  Tarpon are abundant throughout Tampa bay and June is a prime month to hook up with one of these giants.  Spanish mackerel are ripping the shreds out of bait and are excellent table fare if cooked within the first few days of harvest.  Another good fish to fillet up for dinner is a mangrove snapper.  They’re spawning now also and are very aggressive and ready to bite anything on your hook.

If you haven’t been out on the water fishing in a while, please give me a call and I’ll show you what you’ve been missing.

 

from
https://www.afishionado.com/fishing-reports/memorial-day-the-unofficial-beginning-of-summer-2/

My boys and I caught fish all day.

When Captain Wade tells you it’s time to fish “Go”, it means start reeling them in!
My boys and I caught fish all day. The best communication before trip I’ve ever experienced. I even had some time to hook into Snook on a fly rod.
Clean boat, beautiful water, and an experienced captain with over twenty years fishing in the Tampa area.

from
https://www.afishionado.com/testimonial/my-boys-and-i-caught-fish-all-day/

It’s March Madness on the Grass Flats!

With spring just right around the corner, March is shaping up to be an excellent time to fish.

Baitfish will be arriving on the grass flats by mid-month. Along with this influx of baitfish, snook, redfish and sea trout will be moving out of the back country and their deep winter haunts to feed until winter rolls around again.
Usually, March ushers in the harvest of snook, but due the moratorium on snook, redfish and sea trout, there’s little you can take home to eat. However, the catch and release fishing will the outstanding.

Let’s say, you couldn’t care less about releasing fish, and you gotta eat!
Sheepshead are still spawning and are relatively easy to catch if you’re fishing for them in the all the right places. I’m finding sheepshead in deep sandy holes on the grass flats, around oyster beds, bridge pilings, and artificial reefs. Baits of choice for these bandits, are shrimp, fiddler crabs, and believe it or not, small pieces of barnacle.

Mangrove snappers have been biting well all winter long and will just become more active as the water warms. When fishing for sheepshead around bridge pilings and artificial reefs, we start catching snapper also. Snapper love to feed on shrimp, crabs and scaled sardines.

When fishing for both species, I use a 1/0 hook and as little weight as necessary to suspend the bait into the strike zone. I always start a chum slick to get the action going. I like to anchor up tide and let particles of ground up baitfish draw whatever quarry I’m after, right to the boat.

Lastly, on table fare: By mid to late March, I’ll be running a short distance offshore to catch king mackerel. Their spring migration usually kicks off around St. Patrick’s Day and last four to six weeks, depending how along the water temperature stays in their comfort range. Along with the king mackerel, there will be schools of Spanish mackerel mix in.

Some people want to keep fish, and I get it! Fortunately, most of my clients just enjoy catching fish. Otherwise with all the closures, I’d be living in a van, down by the river.

My clients are catching plenty of snook right now. Alongside the snook, some of the largest trout most people have ever caught in their life are being released. I haven’t been targeting redfish much lately, but I will be this month as large schools begin to invade the grass flats.

The fly fishing is extremely good right now for snook and sea trout. If you’re not a purist and are willing to cast a fly once I have the fish chummed up with live bait, you won’t be disappointed. It’s as easy as matching the hatch. A cave man can do it!

Stay fishy my friends.

Pictured: Longtime client Brennan Porter and his now fiancee, Rachel. Brennan proposed later that day!

from
https://www.afishionado.com/fishing-reports/its-march-madness-on-the-grass-flats/

Wade does everything a great guide should do!

If you’re fishing in the Tampa Bay area, you simply can’t go wrong booking Wade.

A lot of guides will say they specialize in fly fishing and light tackle. Wade brings the goods. He understands how to position the boat based on the skill of the caster. I’m not an expert fly-flinger but I’m not bad either. Wade watched me, figured out where my comfort zone is, adjusted his positioning and set me up for success all while coaching and tending to a less experienced angler in the boat. How he juggled it all I’m not sure, but it is obvious he has the experience and expertise that makes for a great guide.

Bottom line, Wade does everything a great guide should do: He puts you on fish consistently. He gives you the best opportunity to hook them and he does it every minute you are on his boat. He coaches with a steady, reasonable voice and talks the fish up to the gunwale. He’s easy to get along with.

I’ve fished with guides who take time in the first hour catching bait. Some will add that time to the trip, and some will start the clock when they leave the dock. Wade showed up at the dock both days on time with the live well full, so we didn’t waste time or daylight netting snacks for the predators. When you book a trip for a specified period of time, that’s what you get, no BS and no time wasted. During a total of 12 hours of booked trip, I fished almost 10 of them and caught fish at every spot but one. We didn’t stay there long. Time spent moving from spot to spot to follow the tides are part of the deal and Wade even keeps that to a minimum by planning his routes well. By the end of each day, we had a 10-minute trip from last cast to the dock.

Edward Zaun, Barnegat, New Jersey

from
https://www.afishionado.com/testimonial/wade-does-everything-a-great-guide-should-do/

The Fishing is Excellent!

The big debate over eastern standard time vs daylight savings time has absolutely no effect on fish. They know days are getting shorter and even, as early as last month, snook were already moving into their winter haunts. Now with major cold fronts passing through, look for fish migration to intensify.

It’s time to change my strategy. When looking for fish I concentrate on deep water holes and areas that are protected from the wind. As winter approaches, these areas will fill up with fish. As the mercury drops the fishing only gets better.

My main concern this time of year is always where to catch bait. Cold fronts push baitfish of the grass flats and into deeper water. Not only that, they don’t always stay in the same place. If the bay waters are calm, I’ll often run all the way to the Skyway Fishing Pier to catch bait. I can practically always count on bait being there except on the worst of weather days.

When catching bait gets tough, I’ll stop at Gandy Bait and Tackle and buy some shrimp. Most people always buy select shrimp. Personally, I think that’s not only a waste of money, but it also not the best choice for catching fish. My go-to shrimp size is medium. Fish take them more readerly and they also make for good chumming. That’s right, when I’m using shrimp for bait, I’m chumming as if I’m fishing with scalded sardines. So, I buy plenty of shrimp. If I’m running a four-hour fishing charter, I’ll buy a minimum of 10 dozen.

Fly fishing is a great option when fishing during cooler months. Snook can be caught easily on a fly at this time and the best part is you don’t need to be an avid fly caster like Ed who is featured in the photo. A 20-foot cast is all that’s needed. Many fly anglers catch 10 or more snook an outing with a little persistence.

So, in closing don’t assume the fishing isn’t good this time of year. Give me a call and I’ll show you otherwise!

Usually, I get too busy to write fishing reports as often as I’d like, so, if you’re interested in seeing my most recent post, please like my, Facebook Page to receive updates. For charter reservations call/text Wade at 813-286-3474.

from
https://www.afishionado.com/fishing-reports/the-fishing-is-excellent/

A Look Ahead in Tampa Bay

September will be here in a couple of weeks, but don’t plan on keeping any snook for dinner.

Not since the big 2010 winter snook kill have we had a harvest closure on the west coast. Estimates put the total number of snook deaths at one million, statewide due to that year’s freeze. Who knows how many died during last years red tide, but it was enough that the FWC decided to shut down the harvesting of snook until May 30, 2020. However, don’t expect to keep any next May either, because snook are always closed to harvest May – August for their spawning season. If we’re lucky, we may be able to have a grilled snook next September, but I won’t count on it.

Besides the snook closure, if you throw in fact you can’t keep any redfish or trout too, what’s an angler to do? Catch and release, that’s what!
For table fare, Spanish mackerel are plentiful along the intracoastal, off the beaches and in Tampa Bay. Last month, the mackerel fishing was outstanding and that should continue through October.

The key to getting the mackerel action going is to establish a chum slick. To help prevent cutoffs, it’s a good idea to use at least a 30-pound fluorocarbon leader and a 1/0 long shank hook. Another important tip is to use a light drag setting on your reel. If your drag is set to tight, many times a mackerel will pull the hook or snap it off with a quick bite.

You’re allowed to keep 15 Spanish mackerel per person, with a minimum fork length of 12 inches. Two things: I don’t believe anyone needs to keep 15 and a 12-inch fish is hardly worth fileting. Besides that, if you freeze them, they turn into mush once thawed. If you must freeze your mackerel, do what I do, smoke them first. That helps preserve the filet for ready-to- eat or to make smoked fish dip.

The mangrove snapper bite has been awesome and continues to get better year after year.

I’m catching snapper while cast-netting bait, first thing in the morning. They’re beating snook to the bait while I’m flats fishing. I’m catching them along jetties, on artificial reefs and around bridge pilings. They’re even being caught along the mangrove shorelines. I guess they’re not called mangrove snapper for nothing.

Tarpon and cobia are still around and even thought I don’t target them much now, I do get hook-ups while mackerel and snapper fishing.

The redfish and snook fishing has been a little inconsistent, but I attribute that to the excessive amount of runoff due to all the rain we’ve been having and the fact that the water temperature has been hovering between 85-90 degrees.

Frankly, I have never been that excited about the September return to snook harvest anyway, because it’s still too hot. The time to get amped up about inshore fishing is in October when it finally starts to cool down.

Usually, I get too busy to write fishing reports as often as I’d like, so, if you’re interested in seeing my most recent post, please like my, Facebook Page to receive updates. For charter reservations call/text Wade at 813-286-3474.

from
https://www.afishionado.com/fishing-reports/a-look-ahead-in-tampa-bay/