Well, I'm back. First I want to thank all of you , who encourage
me to resume writing
my Fishing Reports. It was very nice to know that you were enjoying reading about our
fishing adventures. I will do my best to keep this site up to date.
Seasons can be very different from year to year. The weather will dictate fishing conditions
more than any other single element. January 2001 had seen some of the cooler January
days ever register in our area, this has created some tough fishing. But this week some
warm weather raised our expectations , just a few days before angler Chris Stark connected with some nice Reds averaging about 7 lb. while fishing with live shrimp . So a good fishing week was the plan.
The week started with my customer Jim Baldwin, who spends his winters in Ft. Myers Beach .
He is an avid and good fly fisherman . I met Jim last year during Tarpon season , when we
chased some silver kings on the beaches.
This time we were after Redfish, the crystal clear waters of winter creates some great sight fishing opportunities . We met around 9:00 am and
went to the same flat where I had been
seeing the Reds , to see if we could fool them with some feathers .
As we pole along the flat we could see the wakes of Reds on the shallows , along with some
" Tailers" . As I slowly moved along the flat , Jim was casting into the deeper sandy
depressions , lay up on this sandholes we could see Reds and Seatrout . Our presence
was not welcome as we spooked quite a few fish , so we decided to keep a longer distance
in-between us and the Reds. As we scouted the area I spotted 2 nice seatrouts , Jim made a cast and was rewarded with a 5lb. Seatrout . We caught some other Trout and hooked up a snook but the Reds proved to be an elusive target. The day did not produce the bites we expected , but the opportunities were there , so Jim and I are looking forward to a rematch .
After a mishap with my outboard lower unit (won't go into details!) I was back on the flats. Aboard my Action Craft were three generations of the Ransen family. Howard Ransen who had booked the charter, had brought along his son Ted and his grandson Richard.
The weather was changing by now,and with a strong cold front just a day away , created a powerful south wind and lots of fog. After debating our alternatives we decided to go for it . They were eager to see the backcountry and would not let the conditions detour them.
I explained to them that the fishing may be tough due to the 15 to 20 mph winds, so we
headed for the flats. The plan was to find some pockets of clear water on the flats, where
hopefully the fish had set up camp.
We were casting large live shrimp attached to a quarter oz. chartreuse jighead, it's standard weapon in the winter months. After a few hook ups, but no fish landed, Howard landed
the first seatrout. I was harassing the guys for the lack of success in bringing the hooked fish
to the boat. Needless to say Howard was relieved after landing his first fish. At one point the bite picked up pretty well, we were having bites in every other cast and Richard had a nice Redfish run. We also lost another Red right at the boat, but managed to catch several Seatrout and ladyfish.
After the fishing shut down due to the weather, we just anchored behind a mangrove island
and talked about the beauty of our surroundings , Ted in particular was taken by the scenery and envied the fact that I am a lucky guy making my living in God's country.
Tight Lines.
Seats are limited, so give me a call, or drop me an email, and let's GO FISHING !
Capt. Rey
Capt. Rey's Fishing Report
