It was a short work week due to the fact that this was actually supposed to be a vacation week, but plans changed at the last minute with the sinking of BarHopp'R I. I did get in three days, though.

John Leinhauser, and his son Jimmy, of Jacksonville, Florida, were first up on Monday. We had a good looking tide, and an easterly breeze at about 10, and I expected some real good fishing. We headed to Tarpon Bay for bait, and got plenty out on the flat. We were off!

I headed into the Sanctuary for the first part of the tide expecting good snook action. Actually, we did have a lot of hits, but many were those evil "hit and run" type that make it impossible to hook a fish. So, of course, the boys missed a lot of fish, but no one could have done better when the snook are acting like that. John and Jim caught a gag grouper, 2 mangrove snappers, a speckled trout, and 3 snook before we headed out to look for some redfish action. Redfish have been spotty to say the least, but I hoped to at least get a couple.

We headed across to the eastern side of the Sound and began chumming and pitching sliced and diced pinfish in a nice looking spot where reds often congregate. It didn't take too long before we had our first fish on; a beautiful 26 inch redfish. We caught a total of 3, and missed a few, and as I recall hooked a couple of stingrays and catfish, too, as the tide came to a halt. That's always a sure sign the water has quit moving when the rays and cats show up.

I spent Tuesday on a fun trip with Capt. Norm Weston, who I've only recently met in the last couple of months. He's a heck of a nice guy, and I was looking forward to fishing with him. We took BarHopp'R II, and headed to Tarpon for bait. We had plenty of beautiful shiners in just a couple of throws, and were off to a spot Norm like to fish for reds. He was nice enough to share the spot with me, but it is so far back into the new manatee zone I doubt I'd ever fish it. It just takes too long to get to. We had a couple of hits, but were basically there a little to early on the tide. We gave it plenty of time, but it was nothing doing. So, we headed up north to a spot I hadn't fished in quite some time where Norm said there were plenty of snook holding. Boy, was he right. They were there by the thousands. We had a great time catching a couple of dozen before things slowed down. We were also treated to two large tarpon swimming right across the bow! One actually bumped into my shiner, but didn't eat it. Me and my Stella 4000 were ready to take that baby on! A couple minutes later, a large cobia, probably near 50 inches long swam idly by. We threw baits at it coming and going, but unlike cobia, the fish wasn't interested, either. I had a lot to do, so we headed in early.

Wednesday, my old friend Jack Crozier and his dad, Dave were up. Jack and Dave are veterans of many trips on the BarHopp'R, and with my old buddy Mark Bess, and know the ropes. They have seen some very good days of fishing here. Jack is a lot of fun, and has a great sense of humor.

Bait was still plentiful at Tarpon Bay. We had a good tide, and still stiff easterly breezes. I expected a good day. But, snook being snook, had other ideas. They just didn't eat well. We were on the fish just fine, but they weren't in much of a mood to eat. Jack and Dave did catch 13 or so, with the best at 8 pounds. We finished the day with a great lunch at the Waterfront Restaurant.

Thursday, I had to have surgery on my right hand. I had developed a sore a couple of weeks before, that looked like a boil that couldn't come to a head. It was painful, and I couldn't relieve any pressure by squeezing it. Finally, I lanced the thing myself, thinking I would relieve whatever was inside, but there was nothing but blood. Only a couple of days afterward, it was really starting to enlarge and look ugly. I made a quick appointment with Dr. Jay Herbst in Port Charlotte, and they got me right in. Dr. Dave Crozier had told me the day before that he thought it was a squamous cell carcinoma (spelling), and that I needed to have it removed. I was convinced it was some kind of sore.

Well, Dave was right. The instant the doctor looked at it he confirmed that Dave was correct. He said that he didn't even need to send a sample to pathology because he was so sure. I only had one day in which to try to deal with it, and asked if he could removed it right then. He was soon cutting and burning and mining for cancer. It let quite a crater in my hand, and of course, the Doc told me to keep it dry!! Ha! He said it would look worse before it looked better, and he was certainly right about that. It's not very pretty right now. I passed the up close and personal inspection for other things growing where they're not supposed to with flying colors. All of my fishing friends out there, please don't take the skin cancer thing lightly. It can be nasty stuff. The type I had is very fast moving and invasive, and the fact that I messed with it made it worse. Have a yearly checkup, and check anything that doesn't look normal right away.

OK! That's my lecture and report for this week. Next week is back to business with a full week to close out June. Stay tuned.

If you want to be able to continue to fish Florida waters please follow this link, "Manatee Zones: How You Can Help" and please take the time to become involved, even if you don't live in Florida. Let the politicians know WHY you come to Florida on vacation!

Go to NEXT

Go to PREVIOUS

Or, call 1-239-633-5851.

TRIP INFORMATION [Site Index] [Highlights] [Capt. Butch Profile] [About the Boat] [Kayak Fishing] [Customer Fishing Testimonials] [Booking Tips] [Weekend Policy] [Great Rates] [What to Expect] [Cheap Accomodations] [Send Email] [What to Bring] [Directions to the Ramp]

WHAT WE CATCH [Snook Fishing] [Fishing Redfish] [Tarpon Fishing] [Trout Fishing] [Jack Crevelle Fishing] [Chasing Tripletail] [Customer Tales]

THE CAPTAIN TELLS ALL [Florida Fishing Reports] [Fishing Reports Archives] [TV Quality Video Clips] [Articles] [Newsletters] [Hurricane Fund] [Angler of the Month] [Angler of the Year Awards] [Manatee Zones] [Sell Your Gear Here!] [Tackle Service Center] [Shop the BarHopp'R Tackle Shop!] [Hot Links to Cool Sites] [Send Email] [Back to Home]

LOCAL DESTINATIONS! [Fishing Sanibel Island] [Fishing Captiva Island] [Fishing Pine Island] [Fishing Sarasota]

OTHER FUN STUFF TO DO! [Shelling & Sightseeing Trips] [Dolphin/Manatee Watch Trips] [Lunch & Bar Hopping Trips]