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In the previous week, rain and the threat of rain kept most of us at home for the first half of the week. I only had one trip in the second half of the week on Friday, and don't you know it was a short notice trip with a new customer, and he didn't show. Mr. Tom Belu called and booked a trip for he and his wife Jenny, a week or so before the date. There wasn't time for a deposit in the mail. I didn't hear from him the night before, and suspected he would be a no-show. But, I will never let it be said that I wasn't at the ramp ready for my customer, and was there ready to go Friday morning. I gave him until 8 AM, and called my good friend Capt. Butch Boteler. We spent a very relaxing, no pressure, no agenda day on the water, and had a great time.
I have often flirted with the idea of starting a "black list" on my website, of people who don't show up for their trips. This is the last straw. Not only will I start the list with this dud, I will make every effort to make sure he is not able to ever hire a descent guide in our area. I'm sorry, but it's just unforgivable for someone to make a firm commitment for a trip, and then not have the minimal courtesy to let the guide know that they are not going to show up for the trip, so the guide can attempt to fill the day with someone else. It's thoughtless, selfish, inconsiderate, and a host of other things I won't recite here.
As for this week, it was the week of the full moon, and the full belly bug-a-boos that go with it. All in all, it was a pretty good week, though. Read on.
Monday was my first trip with Rev. Rey Ciervo, and his good friend Mike Yeochrelli, of Indian Trail, North Carolina. We had a good tide, and were five days away from the full moon, and I expected a good bite. We headed to Tarpon Bay for bait, where we quickly loaded up with shiners, pinfish, and threadfins.
We fished hard all morning, and by noon had a jack crevalle and two mangrove snapper to show for our efforts. The fish just wouldn't eat. For a guide the morning was a disaster. I was determined to put Ray and Mike on fish, and overtime was in order. I told them I felt sure that the fish would eat as soon as the tide began to go out. And......I was right.
I positioned us on one of my favorite flats, where the fish use the area as a highway for moving on and off the flat with the tide. I knew the fish were there, or would be. They always are. As soon as the water kicked, the bite was on. We were offering live pinfish under Cajun floats, sliced and diced pinfish on a freeline, and shiners under the float. The redfish were eating everything. In the couple of hours that followed, Ray and Mike landed some 20 plus redfish, and a keeper snook. The boys were pretty well worn out, as was I. It was a late day, but the boys were happy and talking about divine intervention and the like. I was just thanking God the fish finally ate.
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My old friends Mike and Joanne McMahon, of St. Leonard, Maryland, were in town on vacation, and ready for a trip on Tuesday. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but figured it would be more of the same. We once again quickly gathered bait, and were off to chase the fish. We hit several spots before we got into much in the way of action, but worked at it and managed 6 or so snook including one keeper, a trout, and a small barracuda.
We headed across the Sound for the last of the tide, and managed to put a half dozen big reds in the boat before the tide stopped and the catfish moved in. Mike and Jo got the Slam, and all in all not a bad day on the bright light of the coming full moon. We made another date for Friday, and JoAnne gave me a wonderful compliment as they left.
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I looked forward to Wednesday's trip with great anticipation, as it was my first trip in a couple of years with my old friend Scott Gibney. We've been fishing together, along with his beautiful wife Coleen, best friend Vennie, and others, for some ten years. I hoped I could somehow put together a good day for "Gibbie".
The day began with bait at Tarpon Bay, which didn't take long. We checked out a couple of spots while I was waiting on the tide to get right at what would be our primary destination. In so doing we managed to catch three trout and three snook. We got there a bit before the tide, but it wasn't long before we had some action going. For the next several hours and two spots, Gib caught and released some 15 plus big redfish. It wasn't a blazing bite, but good steady action. We had a great time, and it was sure good to see Gibbie again.
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Things really began to change for my first trip with Tim Morey, and his son Bryan, of Cape Coral, on Thursday. Bait had all but disappeared, it seemed. We left the dock at 8:00, and headed to Tarpon Bay. We chummed and threw that 1/4 inch net of mine in three different spots, working from 4 ft. to shallower water, and saw almost no shiners. After an hour we had eight shiners, but plenty of pins. Finally, the bait came, and we loaded up in a couple more throws. I was already exhausted, though.
The fishing was about the same. This was largely an instructional trip, so the real emphasis wasn't on catching, but the fish just didn't want to eat. We managed a half dozen snook and one nice red during the course of the morning, fishing a number of spots. Finally, at the last stop before the tide came to an end, Tim had a great fight with a tough 30 inch snook, and won. We went home with a nice snook and red in the well.
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I was forced to cancel the second trip with Mike and JoAnne McMahon on Friday, as I HAD to get my van to the shop for service. It had all but quit running. I had a feeling it would have been a very slow day, had we gone. Mike and Jo were very understanding.
Friday afternoon my friend Dr. Vic Weinstein, and his 17 year-old son, Jeff arrived, to spend the night at the fish camp, and fish Saturday. We went to a Japanese/Korean restaurant in Ft. Myers called Origami, and had an absolutely wonderful dinner filled with treats ranging from kim-chee to sashimi. I was amazed that Jeff was willing to try virtually anything. An adventurous young man.
We got on the water Saturday morning at around 8:30, and predictably, there were boats everywhere. I opted to go to Kiesels flat for bait hoping it would be better there than it had been at Tarpon Bay, and since it was close to where I wanted to start. It wasn't. As far as I could tell, everyone out there was struggling to catch bait. Oh, we had plenty of pinfish right away, but I wanted shiners for snook and for chumming. I threw that heavy net until I was blue in the face, and don't think we got more than two dozen.
I had planned to try some pothole fishing for trout and snook on the first of the incoming tide, but the extra time catching bait ruined that plan. I figured the best thing I could do was go and stake out a good spot and stay there, since the boat traffic was so heavy. It didn't take too long after I poled in to the spot and got set up for the first action to happen. Unfortunately, it was slow action. Vic and Jeff caught half dozen big redfish, and there were plenty of fish there, but they just weren't interested in eating on that full moon.
Once the catfish moved in I moved us to a great spot on the far side of the Sound, where we managed a couple of trout, but only one redfish. I was not particularly happy with the results of the day, but Jeff and Vic were quick to tell me that the fish they caught were great, and that they had never caught that many redfish in any outing before.
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The outlook for next week is not good from where I'm sitting. Tides in the beginning of the week are OK, but get pretty lousy as the week wears on. Weather should be good, and who knows about what the bait situation will be. 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!
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