Fishing Report 4-10=20

Another windy start to the morning awaited me as I arrived at the ramp, I had my charter meet me again before we went to get bait, as I wasn’t sure how long it would take. As we left the dock in Tarpon Springs I could feel the wind had a little more velocity than it had yesterday, I wasn’t sure how the bait would react, but would soon find out. We got set up with the outgoing tide and started chumming, after ten minutes or so I decided to throw the net to see what had arrived. As I drew the net up I did not like what I was seeing, very few silver flashes, I threw the net again after ten more minutes and it was again empty. Defiantly not the result I wanted, we Left the flat and ran west out to Anclote Island to see if it was any better out there. Unfortunately, it was not, I threw the net several times and had forty baits to fish with, we also had a good number of pinfish for the redfish and cobia. 

We headed south to start with to a spot off of Tarpon Spring that has had a bunch of Trout and a few Snook, with the wind blowing at 20 knots out of the NW we were able to set up a good distance from our spot and not alert the fish. The first bait was sent in and was inhaled by a very large Snook, who proceeded to make a forty-yard run before we could turn her. Once turned she made a run for some rocks, and with a bad angle we could not get her stopped and she was able to cut the line on the rocks, very depressing! However, we hooked one more snook there and caught and released twenty or so big gator Trout before we decided to run north to off New Port Richey to see if the redfish would eat for us. 

With all the west wind we have had the past couple days the incoming tide was extremely high, so I knew the redfish would be way up in the Mangroves and tough to get baits to. Luckily the wind and tide were helping by pushing into the mangroves and we were able to let the bait drift right up and under them, every time we got the drift right we hooked a fish. Most of the fish were mid slot fish with a lot of energy and plenty of power to pull the drags.

After 5 or so Redfish the bite slowed and we decided to try and spot some Cobia, conditions were less than desirable but I could see enough to make us hopeful. After thirty minutes of looking and seeing absolutely no stingrays or cobia we decided to go on to try and catch some snook.

With the water still moving in we moved to a mangrove edge that had a nice undercut bank, we put a few baits out and one of them was hit hard by a hungry Snook. After a few strong runs we were able to bring a decent snook boat side, and after a few photos she was released to fight again.

I am taking the weekend off as I do not want to deal with the crowds I know will be out there, and hopefully the bait will decide to thicken back up so we don’t have to throw the net 50 times a day!

Till tomorrow, tight lines

Capt. Greg DeVault

Today started with one of the prettiest rides across the water I have had in a long time, I left the dock at 6am but it was far from dark, we had one of the biggest and brightest moons I have seen all year. As I left the Cottee River to head to the bait flat it was like daylight on the water, there was nothing I could not see and the wind was dead calm so the surface was like a mirror. It always seems like we have more windy and rainy days than not but the really nice ones stick with you. As I arrived at the bait flat I was again the first one and the only one for quite a while, I was hoping for a easier time with the bait, but today would not be that day. I started chumming and I could see some flashing and decided to throw, I got about 50 Pilchards on that throw. Unfortunately, that would be the best throw of the day, and it was back to 15 to 20 a throw, it took about an hour but I secured enough bait for the day.

I met my charter for the day at 8:30 am at Anclote River park in Tarpon Springs, the tide had just started to come in so I decided to make a short run out to Anclote island to fish some holes and troughs I hadn’t hit in a while. We started in one of my favorite holes, you have to run a very shallow flat to get into a 5-foot deep hole that is always loaded with fish. Once we got set up we could see mullet flashing and jumping in the deepest part of the hole, we put two baits out and after they got chased across the hole very aggressive Speckled Trout hit them both. This went on for the entire time we were in there, and once the water came in we decided to move on to try other things.

While we were out by the island I decided to check on a few spots I haven’t been to in a while, the first spot was a hole along a beach that usually holds some nice trout. As we pulled up I could see fish moving in the hole, we put a couple baits out and one was hit instantly, the drag started screaming and I knew this wasn’t a Trout. The fish made a screaming run and then broke the surface and showed us she was a large Snook. She made one more strong run and then broke the 30 pound leader, we quickly retied and put more baits out but apparently that was the only hungry Snook. We tried for another 20 minutes but decided to move on to some other fish.

We rode north toward New Port Richey to fish a spot I had seen some big redfish at yesterday. We were going to fish a small bay with a very dark muddy bottom that had good current flow on the incoming tide. We put out the first bait and it got chased right away but nothing ate it, I put a cut bait out and it took about 2 minutes before the line came tight. Once hooked it pulled like a fright train and was rolling just like a redfish, the only question was how big was it. It mad two big runs trying to get to the mangrove edge but the Shimano drag was smooth and strong and turned the red away from trouble. When we got the fish to the boat he measured 32 inches and weighed in at 11 pounds, It was defiantly the fish of the day.

 We bounced around to a few more spots and caught some more trout and reds, and even got some Jack Cravelle to take the bait.

Another warm day means warmer water tomorrow and with good tides through the week it will be a good end to this week.

Till tomorrow, tight lines

Capt. Greg DeVault 

This morning started with a bright full moon and calm winds again, I had my charter meet me at the ramp in New Port Richey just in case bait was tough and we would have to do some traveling to find it.  We left the dock at 6:30am and ran south to the flat that I have been catching bait at, as we pulled up there was one other boat there but they would soon leave. Right now patience is a virtue when it comes to bait, I started chumming and it took 20 minutes or so before I started to see the flash of what we were looking for. The first throw yielded about 10 baits, not at all what I wanted to see. But we kept chumming and the next 4 throws were all 75 or so baits, patience payed off and we were off the catch some fish earlier than the past few days.

With two boys and their dad I decided to start with some faster action, we went to a channel edge and got on a pretty good trout bite for the start of the incoming tide. After several nice big Gator Trout we decided to move on to try and get a Snook or two to bite, the tide was running in hard so we moved to a flat with a bunch of sand holes that the Snook like to lay in. We drifted baits down to the area they should be, and the bites were instant, as soon as the pilchards hit the holes they were smashed. We didn’t get any giants but they were all solid mid slot fish, except for one that could not be stopped and wore through the leader before we could get her turned. After the big girl ripped through the flat the bite slowed down, so we decided to run north to get back ahead of the tide. We took about a 15-minute ride north off of Hudson to see if we could get some Redfish and Snook in a small bay. This little bay is about 15 foot deep so I put the PP Move on anchor lock and we sat motionless for 30 minutes catching snook and reds both. There were not as many fish as I had hoped and after we caught a couple catfish it was time to go.

We had about an hour left in the charter so I decided to try a spot in the Cottee River that I had been catching a few trout and snook. As we pulled in there was a boat setting on the bar, so we settled in on a dock that usually holds a few fish also. I started chumming and we saw a few pops one of the boys made a perfect cast and after watching the pilchard run for his life, his line came tight and a nice sized Snook went airborne. After we landed him we caught a few Jack Cravelle, and a couple ladyfish, and then the tide quit and so did the bite.

 Tomorrow will be another early day and hopefully the bait will get just a little bit easier. At least the weather is beautiful and the fish are eating.

Till tomorrow, tight lines

Capt. Greg DeVault

Thank god it’s Monday! Words only a fishing guide would say, but after the number of boats on the water this past weekend I was very thankful it was Monday today. I left the dock early today in anticipation of another tough morning catching bait. It was a beautiful ride out to the bait flat with a big full moon and glass flat conditions, when I arrived I was the only one there and it would stay that way until just before I left. And although bait was better it was still tough, and took several throws of the net to secure enough bait for the day.

I backed up the pick-up time for my charter to 9 am to give me a little extra time to get bait. I met my Charter at Nicks Park in New Port Richey right on time and with bait, defiantly a better start than yesterday. Since the trout bite was so good on the incoming tide yesterday I decided to start there. As we pulled in the tide was ripping in, and as soon as we put baits in the water we had fish on. We had plenty of bait today so I stayed with the trout until everyone had gotten their fill. 

The tide was coming in, but we still had a couple hours before high so I decided to try for some snook in a small cul-de-sac bay off of Tarpon Springs. Once we arrived I noticed the water had still not warmed up much, but it was over 70 so I was hopeful. I threw out some chum to try and get them fired up but only had one pop, we put the pilchards to work and immediately had the aggressive one hit again. It was a decent snook about 25 inches, but that was the only one we could entice.

The tide had topped out and the sun popped out so I decided to look for some Cobia while I waited on the outgoing water, the incoming tide had brought with it cooler water and with 68 degree water the Cobia were a no show. We were close to the area where I had got on the redfish yesterday, I usually don’t hit areas two days in a row, but it was so good yesterday I decided to give it a try.

With the outgoing tide this time I set up on the opposite side of them, and I drifted a pilchard and a piece of cut bait to them. For the first 10 minutes, nothing happened and I wasn’t sure it was going to happen. I got into my tower and I could see them moving just outside our baits, so I lifted the power poles and drifted up ten yards or so. The first bait into them was an instant bite, and a gorgeous 26 inch redfish was in the boat. Unfortunately, that would be the only bite we would get from them, I could see them moving around our baits, but I don’t think they had forgotten the beating they took yesterday.

As we were heading back to the dock I had one more spot I wanted to hit on the outgoing tide. It was a spot I did very well at last spring and haven’t messed with much this year. As we pulled up I didn’t notice the mullet that usually covered this spot, but we gave it a shot and boy were we rewarded. Once the baits hit the water they were running for their lives, after a large boil and the telltale “pop” it was fish on. The fight was that of a redfish, so we thought, strong runs and twisting pulls had us fooled, as the fish got close to the boat we realized it was a huge Gator Trout. Once in the boat it measured 26 inches and weighed almost 6 pounds on the boga grip, a true trophy trout for the Pasco County coast.

 With beautiful weather forecasted and great tides for the rest of the week, I’m looking forward to some great fishing this week.

Till tomorrow, tight lines

Capt. Greg DeVault

This morning was an early start as it was Sunday and on Saturday I don’t think there was a person left onshore. As I started out to the bait flat I noticed that the air felt thicker and had a smell I hadn’t smelled in a while, it was the smell of rain. Our weather has been so consistent lately that I didn’t even bother checking on it for the last few days, but as I pulled up the radar on my phone I saw it, lots of green and orange. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be good or bad, but we were going to find out.

After the debacle of the day before with boats all over me at the bait flat, I decided to go elsewhere, and hopefully have it to myself. Well, I did have it all to myself, even the bait didn’t show up. After 2 hours of throwing the net and moving around, I had 40 pilchards to show for my effort. But I was able to get a bunch of pinfish and some giant threadfins, so off I went to see what we could do.

I met my charter for the day at Nicks Park in New Port Richey, I was a few minutes late but I had bait and a plan. We were at the start of a strong incoming tide, I have had a school of redfish that I have needed high water to get on and today we would have it. But while I was letting water rise we went to my channel edge to get started with some nice big Gator Trout. With the hard incoming tide the Trout bite was on and we were getting bit on every bait, that would normally not be a problem, but today I had a very limited number of Pilchards and didn’t want to use them all on the trout. So we decided that we would leave them biting and head over to where the redfish have been hanging out. This school of reds is not a secret so it gets a lot of pressure, but it usually at the wrong time as the “ get in there as soon as you can guys” hit them on the lowest water they can get to them on. And the other difference today was we had low pressure, cloud cover, and rain, all good things for a strong bite. We eased in and found them lying comfortably on some rocks, we dropped the baits back to them and immediately had two fish on. The best part was they were eating pinfish better than anything, they were also eating the cut bait very well to. We would wind up catching and releasing 14 beautiful redfish from 24 to 28 inches.

After the redfish bite died of we decide to go and try and finish everybody’s slams by getting some snook, this was going to be tough though as the water had cooled off to 69 degrees. We headed north to a bay off of Hudson, to fish a deep Mangrove edge with the incoming tide. I didn’t have enough bait to chum so we would have to send the baits down the line and see what happened like I had suspected the Snook bite was sluggish, but we did manage to get a couple of decent snook to eat but those were the only ones that would eat.

Although it was not the prettiest day, and bait was a real pain in the a**, we did catch quite a few fish, and had some very nice fish to the boat.

Till tomorrow, tight lines

Capt. Greg DeVault

It was not hard to tell that today was Saturday, there were more boats on the water today, than I have seen all week combined. But some folk can only go on the weekends, so we fish when it is time to fish.

The Morning started out good, I arrived on the flat to catch bait and was the only one for 45 minutes. I started chumming and it only took a few minutes before the bait showed up, the first throw yielded 100 shiny pilchards. The next throw was about the same so I figured I would be done with bait before to long, but I was wrong. In the next 30 minutes I had 15 boats within 60 yards of me, there are sometimes I just have to shake my head at the way some people fish and find bait. All the extra attention caused the bait that was thick to dwindle down to 5 or 10 a throw, unfortunately, that wasn’t going to cut it. I had an hour before I had to meet my charter so I packed up and ran to a flat that I caught bait at this time last year. I started chumming and thankfully the bait showed up in the chum thick, a couple throws and the live well was full. I just have to wonder why other anglers cant find and look for there own bait and fish!

I met my charter at Nicks Park in New Port Richey right on time and off we went to start our day. Since the water temperature was still in the upper 60s, I decided to start at a spot that had a few Trout in it. It took a few minutes but the bite was pretty good, and several nice trout came to the boat. We were fishing a channel edge and as it got later the traffic made it so we had to move. The sun was up and hot so I figured we would give the snook a try, the tide was rolling in so they should have be eating. We got set up in a creek north of Port Richey and we could see the fish, we drifted baits down tide and the bite was lukewarm at best. But we did land 4 nice snook and a few redfish, and lost the same flounder “5” times!!

We made a few more stops and the bite was steady everywhere we went, it never got fast and furious but we did stay busy with fish all day. We had a couple of hours left so we decided to look for some Cobia, I went north toward Hudson because the flats were packed off Port Richey with boats and jet skies. After looking for a hour or so we had seen a couple of Sting rays and zero cobia, so we abandoned that plan and went to a point close by to get a few more trout. We pulled up and the mullet were working the oyster bar on the point, we put baits right in the middle of them and three trout hit immediately. The tide was going out and the bite was good for the rest of the trip.

Hopefully tomorrow the crowds will be a little lighter but it is still the weekend, ill be getting an early start so maybe I can be done with bait before the rest of the fleet gets out.

Till tomorrow, tight lines

Capt. Greg DeVault

Today was an absolutely beautiful day, a clear crisp morning with light winds and calm waters. That is where the niceties stop, without a doubt today was the toughest fishing day by far that I have had this entire spring. The worst part is I never saw it coming, we had great weather, decent tides, and very good bait, I’m just not sure what was wrong with the fish today.

I had my charter meet me before I went to catch bait today, because of the issues I had with bait yesterday. It took a little time and a couple moves yesterday to find and get it, today was a different story, I went to where I got it yesterday and after ten minutes of chumming I could see the flashing of pilchards in it. The first throw yielded 100 or so baits, after three or four throws we were on our way to catch fish.

I was very glad my charter was with me since bait was so easy, we were able to start fishing by 8am. We had a couple of hours of good incoming water, so I thought we would have a good start, but I was wrong. We ran north to an area off of New Port Richey to fish a trough that is always loaded up with fish on the low incoming. As we put down the Power Poles I could see a few snook moving around in front of us. We put baits out and I was waiting for the explosions I have been used to this spring, however, there were none. We gave it some time and I chummed the area but the snook never fired up, I decided to move us up about 100 yards to a point that had a bunch of rock on it. Finally we got a snook to hit a bait, he wasn’t a giant but a solid 26-inch fish, we had one more snook on, and caught one redfish but that was it.

I pulled up the poles and we headed south to a bayou with a bunch of docks in it off of Port Richey, once there I noticed we still had good incoming water so I was hopeful for a good bite. Again I was wrong, and again we could see fish moving around but very few takers. This would go on for three more areas and I was thoroughly confused as to why the fish were not eating. The only thing I could figure was that the water temperatures was a little cold at 65 degrees in most places, but the water was actually colder yesterday, so I didn’t think that was it. After working that area thoroughly, we decided to go and look for Cobia, we got out on the flats and started looking for the big southern Stingrays that the Cobia like to follow, and after 45 minutes of looking we had seen two rays and neither of them had a Cobia for us.

We had about an hour of time left so I decided to go to the mouth of the Cottee River in New Port Richey and unload the live well and try to get some Jack Cravelle or baby Tarpon chummed up. It was almost surreal when only one Jack Cravelle showed up in the chum, we decided then, that some days are just not your day.

I guess after all of the good days we’ve had this spring, I was due a tough one, but tomorrow will have better tides and better weather so I am still expecting a good bite as long as the weather stays nice and the bait stays easy.

Till tomorrow, tight lines

Capt. Greg DeVault

Mother nature finally put her foot down on the unbelievable spring bite we have been having, but she was gentle about it. The small front that we had come through a couple days ago ushered in some cold dry air and a stiff north wind for a day. It wasn’t much of a change but it did drop our water temperature’s back to the upper 60s, and that is like pushing the brakes on a car to the fish. The good news is by the end of my trip today the water was up to the low 70s, and with a warmer night tonight we should be back on our way to another good week.

I had a pretty good idea that bait was going to be a little tougher this morning so I pushed back my charter pick up time to 9am, I really hate it when I’m right sometimes, all that meant is I would be throwing the net more than twice today. I started chumming right at daylight and after 15 minutes or so I wasn’t seeing the kind of activity I had hoped for. But after the first throw of the net there was hope, as I pulled the net over the side I had a couple dozen pilchards in it, a far cry from the 200 I was getting just a couple days ago, but something none the less. I took several throws but I was able to secure enough bait to fish for the day.

I cleaned up the boat and headed to Anclote River Park in New Port Richey to meet my charter for the day, we had an hour of incoming tide left so I decided to run north off of Hudson to maximize the water flow. We arrived at a small dead end bay with a couple docks on it that had been holding some snook, the water wasn’t moving like I had hoped but it was moving some. We put some baits up by the docks and had a fish on in no time, he wasn’t a giant but it was a snook and it broke the ice. We wound up catching a few smaller snook before the tide quit and with it the bite did to.

I ran back south to a canal off of Port Richey where a small cut had been funneling the water on the outgoing tide and holding some fish. We arrived and got set up but for some reason, we had no water movement, and for some strange reason never got any outgoing movement the rest of the day. We were able to get some Jack Cravelle to eat there but that was about it, I suggested that we go and look for Cobia on the flats and see if the tide would start moving. I pulled in to the flat and started looking and immediately spotted two large fish free swimming, we got a bait in front of them and the bigger of the two jumped all over it. The second of the two cobia was trailing the hooked fish and I was able to get a bait to him and we had a double on. Both fish pulled drag and made strong runs but the second fish managed to somehow lose the hook. We concentrated on the first and bigger fish and got it to the leader, but that is as far as we would get him, the fish twisted and flipped as Cobia do and straightened out the hook. Not the ending we wanted, but we got to pull on two big Cobia and got to see one up close and personal.

Like I said Mother Nature was gentle and she let us catch some great fish but the fight with Cobia would be the last substantial fight we would have today. But with a warm week forecasted and a new moon a few days away the upcoming week is going to be off the hook!

Till tomorrow, tight lines

Capt. Greg DeVault

Today was the day we finally got a weather change, a small front is going to pass through the state tonight and ahead of it the clouds thickened and the south wind blew. The good thing is, we are on a very weak tide schedule for a few days so the 25mph south wind was welcome. The reason why is the south wind will push the water in, kind of like a extra push on the incoming tide. 

I left the dock to go get bait at 6:30am this morning, the wind was starting to pick up so I wasn’t sure if the bait would be affected. I arrived at the flat and started to chum, I could see the water was flowing out at a good pace so I was optimistic. It took about 10 minutes to start seeing the telltale flashes of the pilchards I was hoping to see. The first throw brought in 150 of the silver baits, I chummed a little more and with one more throw I was done with bait.

I had set my charter up to meet me at Anclote River Park in Tarpon Springs at 8am. We had 3 more hours of outgoing tide, but with the strong south wind I knew it wouldn’t be very strong. I decided to fish a small cut that funneled the water down to create some flow, we pulled up and set the baits in the current and immediately hooked a couple snook. Nothing big but solid fish that jumped and pulled drag, we stayed there for about a half hour and caught a few more Snook, and some Jack Cravelle. We decided to move to the channel in New Port Richey that I had been catching a bunch of trout on the low tides. As we pulled up the water was hardly moving and I wasn’t sure if we were going to get anything, I threw out a good bunch of chum and we saw a few pops. The first two baits both turned into Trout but then the bite quit, I chummed again and we caught a couple more. The chumming was working but I didn’t want to use all the bait chumming Trout, so we moved on. I had planned on doing some Cobia fishing on the low tide but with the gusty wind there was no way we could see the stingrays that the Cobia follow. So we aborted that plan and I mentioned that we could go and play with the baby Tarpon till the tide stops and turns around. The decision was a quick one and once we got set up it only took a couple of minutes to see the little guys rolling in the chum, we put out some baits and had one on within a few minutes. But just like Tarpon do he gave us a spectacular jump and threw the hook back at us. We kept seeing Tarpon roll but could only get one more bite, and he didn’t stay hooked up very long, but it was fun seeing them fly and listening to the drag.

The tide had turned and started in and we had about an hour left before we were done, so I took them to a small cove that has had some big snook in it. As we pulled in the water was moving in at a good pace, I threw a few chummers out and the snook responded, we dropped the baits back to them and the first one was inhaled by a very large snook. She made her run to the mangroves and we got her turned the first time, she launched from the water and we could see she was a substantial fish. Unfortunately, there was no stopping the second run, and she was able to reach the safety of the mangroves and win her freedom. We were able to land a smaller snook and a redfish but the bite slowed and it was time to head in.

This front is actually coming in at a good time, as it will cool our nights and help keeping the water temperature right in the mid 70s and keeping the tremendous bite we are experiencing going.

Till tomorrow, tight lines

Capt.Greg DeVault

So I decided to forgo the weekend crowds and only fish during the week, I really don’t think I could take the boat ramp follies again this week again, especially when I was part of it last week.

The day started off early with my good friend and client Mike and his brother Jim, we left the dock at 6:30 am to head to the bait flat. We arrived just as it started to crack dawn, by the time I got the chum ready and the net out it was light enough to see if the bait had stuck around through the weekend. Within 5 minutes of starting to chum, the water looked like it was raining in front of the boat there was so much bait. I loaded the net to throw and as the net hit the water it began to sparkle, as I pulled the net over the side I could barley lift it, it was so full. I made one more throw to black out the well and then we off to catch fish.

We were fishing by 7:30am, much earlier than I had anticipated. The tide was going out and would be low at 11am, so we went to fish an oyster bar off of Port Richey that always is a good spot with outgoing water. We arrived and saw plenty of mullet on the bar, we put out the baits but they seemed very sluggish, and when I looked in the live well I seen we had a bunch of bait starting to die. The outgoing water was very low in oxygen and we had to get out of there fast. I decided to go to a deep channel that I had been fishing and catching good fish in, and with the deeper water, I felt the water would be safe for the bait. We arrived at the channel and put baits out, the response was almost immediate, the trout bite was on again, and we caught probably a dozen or so before the bite died off. I made a slight adjustment in boat placement and we were able to get on a short snook bite. Jim was able to catch two very nice snook before the fish quit on us again.

The tide had slowed up so I suggested we go to a spot I had been seeing Juvenile tarpon rolling, and we had the perfect tide for them. It took us 15 minutes to get there and get setup, I threw out some chum and right on queue the silver babies started rolling. Jim made a cast close to them and the bite was almost instant, the young Tarpon immediately broke the surface and was gone just that fast. We hooked two more that would also find away to toss the hook, we were getting ready to leave for another location when one rolled. I made a cast and handed the rod to Jim, the line came tight but there was no jump. After a 5-minute fight we were able to see the silver sides of what we were looking for, Jim had his first Tarpon.

After some photos and a nice release, we now had a slack tide, so we decided to go look for Cobia. The Cobia had been thick over the weekend, but they are fish and after looking for almost 45 minutes we did not see the first one. The tide had started to flow in by now, and I suggested we go to a spot off Hudson that I had been catching good Snook at. We got set up in a trough that had good current flow through it and began to feed the baits down tide, for the next hour we caught several very nice snook. Mike definitely had the fish of the day though, after a great cast we saw the tell tale “hole in the water” that only a giant Snook can make. The battle was a tough one with both angler and fish winning some and losing some, but in the end the big girl got into a dock and the line just wouldn’t hold. Mike did get several nice fish but said he will be back for the big girl.

I know things are crazy right now, but if you are able to get on the water or get out with a guide I would do it. The fishing is on FIRE, Snook, Tarpon, Cobia, Trout, Redfish, and several others are all eating good. Bait is easy and the fishing is good!

Till tomorrow, tight line

Capt. Greg DeVault