WOW is just about the only word that describes the fishing that we have had going on over the month of November. This was by far the best start to fall fishing I can remember, it started getting good after the first cool down in October and never quit getting better. The best part is that it was awesome fishing from New Port Richey all the way down to Boca Grande and all points in between. With the cool air came north winds which made for some great low tide pot hole fishing, this is what the majority of November was spent doing. The fish were forced to congregate in these holes and became easy targets for the ones that knew where to find them.

The Redfish were the big surprise this month, although it is normal for us to have good redfishing in the fall and winter, the numbers of fish and the size of them this year has been outstanding! Most trips I have had 30 to 40 redfish in the boat with most being in the 24 to 30 inch range. The best part is that they are eating almost anything, we have been using alot of artificial soft plastics like the Mirro lure lil john to fool them into eating. On the big negative low tides I have been using both my airboat and my shallow sport to get to these fish, the best part is that most of the time I am the only one back there fishing for them as not many boats can go where I can go. The other surprise is the amount of Snook we are starting to catch on my charters. After the beating they took a couple years ago it is good to see them hitting baits again, we have been getting 10 to 15 per trips and some pretty good ones to. As is usally the case for the past 4 or 5 years the Speckled Trout bite has been phenomenal, they are everywhere and will hit what ever gets in there path. My charters have been catching them in big numbers each time out and we usually move to another hole and leave them biting only to have them attack us at the next one.

The one main pattern that I have been fishing for the month of November ( and it should hold up through February) is to fish the pot holes and troughs that are on the open flats of our west coast on the lowest tides I can get.  These big sand hole are holding areas for the fish while they wait for the incoming tide to bring the water back to them. There has been one more secret to the holes though….look for the ones that are full of mullet, if there are mullet in the hole you WILL catch fish out of it. There are acres of flats in our areas that have the right kind of holes, the Flats around Anclote Island, Three Rooker Inland, and especially Caladisi island. If you are closer to Tampa bay the Ft. Desoto area, Weedon Island, and all of the Double Branch and Rocky Creek areas, if you are in Boca Grande it is almost limitless as to where Gasparilla sound and Pine Island sound are the two main ones but Matlacha, Lemon bay, and the Alligator creek areas are very good also.

This type of fishing is only going to get better as we start to get cold fronts through on a regular basis, if you want to check out what it looks like to see so much of the flat exposed and still have fish biting check out these videos.      http://www.captaingregd.com/specialty-charters/airboat-fishing/

And if you are looking to do some cating this winter give me a call i still have some very good lowtide dates open.

Fish on,

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It has been about two weeks ago now that the first cold front of the year was dragged through our area by one on the hurricanes that we have had this year. I thought it was just a little bit to early for this cool air to really have any effect on us. Boy was I wrong, The combination of a hurricane going to the north of us and pulling every ounce of moister with it and a cold front pushing through bringing cool dry air, set us up for a beautiful week of weather that cooled the land and especially the water.

With this cooler weather pattern in full effect the fishing when from so so to absolutely off the hook! There was one other factor to help the bite along also, The bait that had been scarce for some flooded the flats and the fish put on the feed bag. I ran several trips since the cooler weather has been here and every one of them has ended up very good, we have been getting slams on every trip and for just about every angler. 

The redfishing that was suspect at best has all of the sudden exploded with groups of hungry fish on almost every point and rock pile along the coast. They are not the biggest reds but they are solid keepers that are full of fight when you hook them. Most of the schools will stay put if you are not to noisy and double and triple hook ups were the norm on alot of them. The Snook also showed up in the back country and where ready to start feeding. There is nothing better that watching your clients float disappear in a swirl of silver and hear the drag start to scream almost immediately!! The Snook like the reds are not the big bruisers but we still managed a few over 30 inches, which is good to see again. When the tides where a little slow or we just wanted to stretch the line with something else big scools of 8 to 10 pound jacks are around to test your metal. There is also alot of Spanish Mackerel, Ladyfish, Bluefish, and we even caught 4 cobia over the last 10 days to. The one fish that has remained constant all year has been the Speckled Trout, and with this change in temperature they have only gotten better. There was a few times this past week that I thought I was looking at a school of reds move over the flat only to start catching giant Gator Trout instead. This bite is awesome they will hit just about anything you put out there and the 23 to 28 trout will pull like a snook at times.

This is the time we have been waiting for, yes it is a little early this year but it is here and the fish are acting accordingly. I am starting to hear of Kingfish just offshore and the cobia have already arrived! If you are waiting for the conditions to get right to go fishing…..Its time and they are right! Lets go catch a bunch.

Capt. Greg DeVault

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Looks like we dodged the first bullet mother nature had aimed at us this year. Hurricane Irene just gave us a little brush before she moved north to harass the Atlantic coast.  While Irene was going to the north she did give us enough wind to churn up the waters just enough to change the game plan that we have had in place for a few weeks now. The clean water that we were finding schools of big trout was now dirty and the trout have moved to other haunts. The redfish that were holding tight to oyster and rocks found a whole new play ground to explore with all the water the south wind pushed to us. And the gin clear water we were finding scallops in became a little dingy and just a little tougher to see them.

There is however a silver lining to all of this, Change is good! a little change in the middle of a stagnant pattern is always a good thing, and that is what we got. The scalloping has still been very good with limits coming to the boat in very short time. The bivalves are still in 5 to 7 feet of water, but they are very plentiful. The season is open for just about a month longer, it closes on Sept. 25 so if you want to go and get some of the tasty treats now is the time.

The fishing before the wind was pretty good, and depending on what you wanted to catch it could be very good. The Trout and mackerel bite was very good in the passes over 5 to 8 feet of water, and there were sharks and cobia mixed in with them. I fished yesterday and the game has changed!! the water in the passes is dirty and the fish have moved out, but I was able to find an area not far away that they seemed to want to hang out in. We caught a bunch of nice trout and the size was bigger than they had been, I think some of the offshore fish got pushed in with the weather. After the trout we decided to try for some redfish on the extra high tide we had. They did not disappoint us, a few well placed sardines were met with ugly aggression and half a dozen redfish came to the boat!

The one thing I am starting to notice is a slow but gradual decline in the water temperatures. It wont be long before we start to see the fishing really pick up. Now is the time to get everything ready as it will be on us before you know it.

If you are wanting to do some fishing this fall give me a call Oct. and Nov. are filling up fast so dont miss out.

Capt Greg

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This summer has without a doubt been one of the hottest that I can remember. We have had several days in a row that the temperatures have been in the upper 90’s. But the hot weather has not seemed to effect the fishing to bad, it has been one of the best summers I have had for catching fish. The Snook have been very good on the beaches and the Trout fishing has been spectacular! The redfish have still been so so, but we have had a big push of 3 to 5 foot black-tip sharks in the area that have made for alot of screaming drags.

The other summer time fun has been the Scalloping charters i have been doing this year. This has been a very good year for scallops and they have been very thick, limits every time out have been pretty easy and the size of them has been on the larger side. Even though the water is warm, there is no better way to  spend a hot summer day. And at the end of it you have a great meal that not many folks have had before. We Still have until Se[tember 25 to get the tasty treats so don’t hesitate.

Make sure you start checking your schedules as we move into Fall. As soon as the water starts to cool the fishing is going to get even better, the Mackerel will be back and the schools of redfish will start to show up on the flats to the north of me. As alot of you know  i have a new Shallow Sport boat that I am using that allows us to access some very productive areas long before the rest of the fisherman can get there. We will be leaving with our fill of catching as most of them are just getting enough water to get in. 

If this fall is anything like last years I cant wait for the cool down…..Its always a good time to go fishing so give me a call and lets go catch some!!

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It has been a while since I have been able to actually sit down in front of my computer and type out a fishing report to let everyone know what is going on in the waters off our coast. But I had a very good excuse, I have been chasing Tarpon for the last two months and as many of you know it has been a very successful season so far.  We are not done with the silver king just yet though, we will be in there presents for the next 2 or 3 months depending on mother nature. As we roll into summer I start to fish for all the inshore species again, Snook are high on the list as they are on our beautiful beaches getting ready to spawn. They are in large schools and make pretty easy targets as they are looking to fatten up during this time. The trout and redfish are very abundant and are ready to eat just about anything that is presented to them. This is also the time of year that we make the short runs to some of my offshore spots to catch a mess of Mango Snappers, these feisty little snapper are up to 4 pounds and are some of the best eating fish in the water.

The other summertime adventure I have going on is my Scallop trips. This is the best way to stay cool in the hottest part of the year, and also have a great time literally picking up dinner. I am leaving out of the Homassasa area and we have been getting our limits very quickly. This is a great way to enjoy some fresh Florida seafood and stay cool doing it. And it is as easy for the grown ups as it is for the kids;)

Myself, Capt. Clay Eavenson, and Capt. Greg McCullough are diving into the world of radio. We are going to be on every Sunday from 8 to 10 am on 1010am. If you are in the area give us a call and lets talk about what is going on outside your door.

Looks like it is going to be a very busy summer so keep checking in to see what is happening. I have included some of the best “jump” shots I got this year so far, hope you enjoy them.

Just when you think it couldn’t get any better, mother nature lets you know every once in a while she is on your side. That has been exactly how the past few weeks have been. I have been on the water everyday and the fishing has been getting better and better. Even on days when the tides are a little weak the fish don’t seem to mind at all. All the players are here Snook, Redfish, Trout, Cobia, Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel, and even some very big Bull Sharks.

With the weather this month is turning out to be absolutely beautiful, the fish did not hesitate to start fattening up on the large schools of sardines that have arrived. This has been the ticket to some great catches the past couple weeks. I have been loading the well and getting back into the areas that hold fish before most others can get there, thanks to my new Shallow Sport. This has made a big difference in the catching, with all the bait around, it is not about getting bait, but getting the bait to the fish FIRST. This new boat allows me to do just that, and the catches have been awsome!   

I have already started to see some Tarpon showing up in our waters and it won’t be ling before the large schools of migrating fish will be here, if you want the chance to catch one of these giants don’t wait any longer, the best guides fill up early. I have also been catching alot of small Scallops in my castnet, a very good sign that we are going to have a very good crop of them for the upcoming season that starts in July. If you would like to give this a try contact me as soon as you can as I am starting to fill up for that, I will start my scallop trips on July 16 and they will run through the beginning of September.

If you have not been out to enjoy the Florida outdoors and all it has to offer now and through the summer, don’t miss out! The fish are waiting for you!!

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Gorgeous weather, Great clients and tons of fish is about the best way to describe what has been going on so far this spring. The fishing has absolutely exploded the past month and looks as if it is only going to get better as we move into April and May. The red-fishing has been very good with alot of fish in the slot and over-slot coming to the boat, the Trout fishing has been spectacular to say the least, 30 to 40 fish a trip with some giant gators up to 26 inches has been the norm all month long. The best part of March was to see a strong return in the Snook bite, We have had several weeks of very good Snook fishing and the large fish are eating right along with the smaller ones, we have been catching Snook to 38 inches regularly and there have been quite a few that there was no stopping!!

All this great fishing and we haven’t even seen the Kingfish or Cobia yet, but that will change any day now. I am starting to see alot of BIG southern stingrays around and the Cobia will soon be trailing them. And on the beaches the bait is starting to get thick, and with it so are the Spanish Mackerel. The Kings wont be far behind them as the buffet gets into high gear they wont miss this party.

With all this great weather and good fishing My bookings have been doing very well, if you would like to get out in April, May or June pleas call as there are VERY few days left! You don’t want to miss it this year, the fish are ready to go….Are you?

After another cold winter that offered up some of the best fishing I have seen in several years I was ready for the warmth of spring to finally get here. Well little did I know that old Puxatony Phil would hit it right on the head this year. The little Rodent no sooner stated that winter was over before the Florida sunshine brought warm breezes and warm waters our way. It was very nice to be in Shorts and flip flops again looking for the little silver bait-fish we call Whitebait. 

With all the warming up we did at the end of February we were able to get a jump start on spring, I had a few trips that we were able to catch sardines and the fishing was spectacular! We had inshore slams for everybody on several trips. It was good to see the Snook show up and feed after the past few winters they have had. They were very aggressive and looked very healthy, The redfish have been scattered out, but there are plenty of them, along with some very large sea trout. The Trout have been the mainstay all winter and with spring here the big Gator females will begin to school up and get ready to spawn. These are the days that we will be catch 30 or 40 of them up to 6 pounds.

We are just starting to enter what I think is the best time of the year for fishing our area, we will have Snook, Redfish, Trout, Cobia, Kingfish, Spanish Mackerel, Sharks, and some Tarpon will start to show. And with the springtime weather it is one of the prettiest times to be on the water.

I have added a new boat to my fleet this year, it is a 21 foot Shallow Sport, this boat will carry up to 4 anglers and allow me to reach waters I never could before. No fish is safe from us now. My new Ranger will soon be here and it will be my Tarpon boat along with plenty of inshore duty to.

Now is the time if you’ve been waiting for some great fishing, check out what is available for March and April and get in on some of the best fishing  going.