2006 ARCHIVED FISHING REPORTS

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December

12-26-06 
On Christmas Day came the sweet gift of much-needed rainfall that lifting
area lake levels by a few centimeters.  While that doesn’t seem like much,
the two-inch-plus drenching did serve to provide the soak-in water needed
before real accumulation, runoff, and level rise can occur.  Now, if we can
get another good dose of precipitation in the coming days, the result will
be much more evident in water levels.
Launching anything but the smallest vessels remains a tricky deal on most
area lakes.  The folks that did access Orange and Lochloosa over the
Christmas weekend reported the extra effort to have been worthwhile.  Mr.
Massey of Jacksonville drifted minnows in water 5-feet deep off Lochloosa’s
North End Wednesday to pull in 15 good speckled perch.  The next day, Mr.
Cooper and his buddy, Willie struggled out onto Orange Lake through the
shallows at Sportsman’s Cove to boat a full, 50-fish limit of specks.  The
Hawthorne fishermen concentrated around Bird Island and fished minnows on
red-and-white crappie jigs.
Folks that believe manatees are seriously endangered should see what Becky
Elliott of Pete’s Pier saw a few days ago.  After hearing anglers say that
their fishing efforts were actually hindered by the massive mammals---and
noticing an extraordinary number of them around her Crystal River
marina---Elliott went up in a little Cessna the day before Christmas to
check things out from above.  “There is a ridiculous number of manatee in
King’s Bay right now,” she said, “more than I’ve ever seen.  In the main
spring alone, I counted 360 of ‘em.”
Nancy Bushy of McRae’s Marina on the Homosassa has seen a sizable manatee
migration heading upriver, as well.  “I’d say there must be 60-to-100 up in
the blue water,” she said.  That adds up to a lot of sea cows, just in one
little piece of Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Although fairly solid trout results were reported from Homosassa and Crystal
River, the inshore waters at the northern limit of our coverage zone seem to
offer the best trout fishing at present.  Carl Hodge of Gainesville and Tony
Martin of Hahira, Ga. took a very quick spin to the mouth of the
Steinhatchee River Monday evening at 5:15.  Casting Gulp! Shrimp in the
pearl white color, the men boated 18 legal trout, icing the first ten.  At
6:00, they were back at the dock.  Now, that’s fast fishing.  Hope we can
all enjoy that kind of action in the coming year.
Good fishin’ and Happy New Year from The Tackle Box.
 

12-19-06
The speckled perch of Orange and Lochloosa Lakes had been tough to tempt over recent weeks, but have suddenly have regained their holiday season appetite.  Although they remain safe from anglers in the larger vessels unable to access the lakes, fishers in skiffs and jonboats are suddenly mopping up on the cool-weather favorites.  Last Friday, Jimmy Ellis of Maclenny found a bunch of fish in Lochloosa’s south end maidencane.  Dipping minnows in open pockets in the grass, he pulled out 20 specks to 1-1/4-pounds.  The same day, John Isaac located fish on the opposite end of Lochloosa.  The Ocala angler slow-trolled minnows in water six feet deep to fill an outstanding 25-fish limit of large specks. 
Lori Pease of Lochloosa Harbor said that she has noticed this pattern to be generally-true over the last few days.  “The biggest fish,” she said, “seem to be coming from the north end.”  Folks choosing the lake at the other end of the now-non-navigable Cross Creek are finding crappie even faster.
Dr. Billy Evans and Cedell Fletcher stopped by A Family Tradition Fish Camp Thursday to show off a fine 50-speck double limit from Orange.  Robbie Bishop of Citra and Kenny Racker of Belleview eased out of Marjorie Rawlings Park Saturday.  They returned with 47 specks.  Ted Elliott released all but the very large specks he caught on Orange Monday.  The eighteen slabs he did keep made quite an eye-popping sight, all in the two-pound range.  Vondell Cooper stopped by The Tackle Box Monday evening with a similarly-impressive box full of specks.  We weighed what appeared to be the largest---at 2-pounds, 3-ounces.  Cooper fished that day out of Heagy Burry Park with his brother, Fred, visiting from San Diego.
Grouper stories out of every gulf port have been uniformly excellent of late, and redfish remain dependable around inshore bars and creek mouths.  The recent warm spell has not really helped the gulf trout fishing, but casters are still finding good numbers of the ever-shifting fish.  What do guides do on their days off?  They search for fresh fishing hotspots for future customers.  Capt. Rick Mozina fished alone Sunday out of Suwannee. 
On Lone Cabbage Reef, he released 25-to-30 trout while casting shrimp threaded on a jig head.  Then he ran inland to a back-bay hole.  One thing about this spot that interested the guide was the big sand trout that it
held.  Of the thirty trout he caught there, about half were ‘sandies,’ running about 16-inches long.  Those he kept for the skillet.
We wish everybody a very Merry Christmas and.......
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

12-12-06 
The idea of artificially maintained water levels might make some folks
cringe, but at times like this it sure is nice to have at least one area
lake easily accessible and looking ‘normal.’  Producing both bass and specks
well, the crystal-clear waters of Rodman Pool presently offer local
freshwater fishers a good shot at angling success.  While Rodman bassers
fishing live shiners are tempting better catches in both size and number,
casters of minnow-imitating lures and soft plastics say their rods are bent
pretty often as well.  And, crappie fans fishing minnows and small jigs in
the flooded river channel or the Barge Canal cut are picking up increasing
numbers of slabbish specks.
While they’re just as well-populated with fish as before this painfully-dry
year, most other area lakes are sufficiently low to pose access problems
that anglers seem generally unwilling to deal with.
Aside from Rodman and the Suwannee River (another top bassing destination,)
North Florida anglers are focused squarely on the coastal gulf shallows,
where both speckled trout and redfish offer the best holiday season angling
action.
Fishing with Capt. Tommy Thompson, Rick Davidson hauled in his biggest-ever
Gulf Coast trout last Sunday.  The anglers started the day casting soft
suspending lures on the shallow flats north of the Steinhatchee River. 
Although they boated limits of trout up to 20-inches, the strikes were
scarce.  The men thought they could find a faster bite; so they ran a few
miles south to a rocky shoreline where Capt. Tommy had located big redfish a
few weeks earlier.  It was a good move.  Thousands of mullet milled around
in the 18-inch-deep water as a sea fog thickened.  Skitter Walk surface
lures produced three slot-size reds right away, and then the trout started
biting.  Along with a number of smaller fish, Thompson and Davidson released
5 trout over 20-inches long, including Davidson’s whopper that pulled the
Boga Grip indicator down to the 6-pound mark.  At the top of the tide, the
fishermen ran back to the boat ramp at Steinhatchee on instruments in the
grey, soupy mist.
The Suwannee River’s mouth and its nearby creeks continue to offer fishers
casting jigs and Mirrolures fast trout and redfish action; and Crystal
River’s King’s Bay also ranks as a top rod-bending spot.  Along with a fair
number of warmth-seeking trout, the bay presently holds loads of ladyfish
and big schools of ravenous jack crevalle.
The gulf rivers in the southern portion of our coverage area are also
producing an often-overlooked cold-weather treat.  Folks fishing small
shrimp in rocky-bottomed areas around the headwater springs of the Crystal
and Homosassa Rivers are loading up on scrappy and tasty mangrove snapper. 
Often called “the smartest fish in the sea,” mangroves have a great dislike
for cold water.  Hence, the toothy little dudes gang up near coastal springs
constantly pumping out 72-degree water during winter, and a stealthy
approach with light line and small hook is essential.  A five-fish limit of
mangroves (they have to be at least ten-inches long) might not fill an ice
chest, but with the proper tackle they are a fun and challenging target.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

November

11-28-06 
Some weeks I have to pick and choose from abundant fishing stories to use in
this report; actually forced to cull very good ones to stay within my time
and space allotments.  When the bite is that good, this fishing
report-writing is an easy gig.
Right now, things aren’t like that.  Out of all the lakes, rivers, coastal
shallows and offshore waters; reasons to make you want to rush out and hook
up the boat are scarce.  Even the old standby speckled perch and speckled
trout that usually bail me out during the holiday season are presently
making themselves scarce.
Fortunately, no matter how tough things are, there’s always SOME fish biting
well.  And one species that most anglers don’t consider very seriously until
after New Years appears to have gathered in big numbers on both coasts. 
Eric Wilson stopped by the store Friday with a large cooler full of big
sheepshead.  Along with young Justin Warrick, Wilson had iced 22 of the
thick brawlers while fishing fiddler crabs around barnacle-laden pilings at
Cedar Key—before noon.  On our State-certified scales, a few of the fish
topped the 6-pound mark.  The day before, Wilson fished with Detron Neal of
Archer to pull 27 fish from the same pilings.
Most saltwater anglers wait impatiently for the prime times to seek out
Florida’s sleek, voracious, and powerful species---the Florida Sportsman
headliners.   The late-spring arrival of tarpon and cobia.  The spring and
fall mackerel runs…or the big trout that bite best in spring and early
winter.  Eric Wilson is every bit as fired up by these banded,
square-toothed bait bandits; waiting every year with great anticipation for
them to gather.  And he is a true sheepshead expert.
Intrigued by his animated description of the apparently-exciting fishing, I
decided to try it myself.
Eric had some fiddlers left over that he gave me.  He also fixed me up with
a few specially-made short leaders and advised me to pick up ¾-ounce egg
weights and 1/0 style 85 Eagle Claw hooks.  I was set.  Tuesday morning, I
poked around several sets of bridge and dock pilings in Cedar Key, trying to
fish the little crabs just as he had described.
The fish are there, alright.  Their bait-stealing talents, however, are
apparently greater than my hook-setting abilities.  Out of a couple dozen
bites, I caught 4 sheepshead.  Even though the short trip didn’t produce a
load of fish, I could sure see how it could become addictive.  Sizable fish
on a short line in current with sharp obstacles all around---quite a fun
challenge, and one that I hope to become a bit more adept at.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

11-21-06 
You would have to go back to the drought at the turn of the century to find a time in which less fishing was going on in North Florida.  The season itself brings a fair amount of attrition every year.  Many anglers are also hunters and football fanatics looking to make the most of
the brief season at hand.  Low water (again) is another major contributor. 
Among the folks that retain the urge to angle, those with larger vessels have lately found a real mess in attempting to access area lakes at some nearby boat ramps.  And now, with the fall winds feeling more like winter, yet another large bunch of would-be fishers will opt to stay off the water.
On the bright side, there are no pesky crowds these days on lakes, rivers, or salt waters.  Aside from a major rainy spell, there are two events capable of turning the
somewhat-bleak fishing situation around.
First, if the speckled perch on Orange, Lochloosa, Santa Fe, or Rodman Lakes really go on a feed (and they’re due to do that,) fishers will find a way to get after them.  The crappie bite has sputtered on-and-off for a few weeks. 
Last year at this time, the bite was already full-on.  Specks are a cold-loving fish, and the chilly spell at hand may well flip their feeding switch.
Second, everybody loves fishing for ganged-up speckled trout. At the season’s first significant plunge in water temperature, the thin-skinned trout desert the coastal grass flats in favor of slightly deeper and warmer haunts.  It’s time for that seasonal congregation to take place.  Big trout
can already be found fairly well in Gulf creeks, but the only anglers able to access these skinny-water haunts are those with skinny-water boats.  The average fishing vessel just isn’t able to navigate such shallow water---at least, without considerable grief and propeller damage.
There is an eventuality, however, that does allow anglers (even in offshore boats) to get after the warmth-seeking trout.  Around this time of year if conditions are right, trout also crowd into the deeper gulf rivers.  When this occurs and the word gets out, armadas of jig, shrimp, and Mirrolure casters can pack into the Steinhatchee, Suwannee, Waccasassa, Crystal, and Homosassa Rivers.
With low rainfall this year, the salinity level in these rivers is high; and that’s one factor that usually promotes big winter ‘river trout’ runs.  Already, a few trout fishers have located scattered fish in the Suwannee and Crystal Rivers.  The serious invasion, however, has not occurred to date.
So, stay tuned and stay ready.  The big cold-weather ‘speck’ bite could commence at any time.
That’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

11-14-06
It must be tough to be a North Florida baitfish in autumn.  By mid-fall, speckled perch in area lakes---and redfish and trout along the gulf coast---go on an all-out minnow-eating binge.
Reds have gathered in their favorite inshore haunts, and are presently the fastest-biting fish in the salty west coast waters.  Speckled perch own the same distinction among freshwater species, prowling the deeper waters in area lakes.  Speck-seeking anglers with larger boats, however, are frustrated that, in order to reach the deepest spots, they must launch in annoyingly-skinny water.  Greatly-deficient rainfall amounts this year have some area boat ramps nearly unusable.  Lochloosa’s public ramp just off Highway 301 remains one good spot to launch, along with the long ramp at Heagy-Burry Park on Orange Lake’s south side.  In spite of outboard motor trouble, Jessie Smith of Gainesville boxed an outstanding 25-crappie Orange Lake limit last Friday.  She fished minnows in open water.  Sue and Bob Mitchell showed off a nice, 37-speck catch at A Family Tradition Fish Camp on Cross Creek Sunday, and Joe Smith filled a 25-fish limit on Orange Monday.
While redfish are the best bet for gulf anglers, they’re far from the only good coastal target.  Most pelagics have moved on to warmer climes, but it is still possible for gulf coast anglers to run across southward-bound fish bringing up the rear.  Fishing the clear flats Saturday north of Steinhatchee, Joey Landreneau spotted a long band of migrating mullet.  As the veteran angler approached the procession, he saw the fin of a shark.  When he flipped a lure to the predator, it darted past his boat’s bow.  It was then that Landreneau was surprised to see that the shark was traveling with another sizable fish---a cobia.  The ling did not bite, but just getting a cast at a cobia in 68-degree water is an unusual treat.  The Gainesville angler continued casting DOA Shrimp to open, sandy spots surrounded by grass to boat and release 20 trout of legal size, and four reds to 23-inches.
From Suwannee, south, the gulf report this week was dominated by redfish and grouper stories.  The reds seem to be abundant around shell bars and in creeks all along the coast, while fine tallies of grouper are suddenly
common in water less than 40-feet deep.  Capt. Don Chancy’s party trolled Stretch 30 lures Saturday off Homosassa to haul ten nice gags from 35-feet of water.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

11-07-06 
Lots of the speculation leading up to the just-passed Crappie USA tournament
on Orange and Lochloosa Lakes centered around how the local speck anglers
would fare against the touring, full-of-secrets-and-tricks pros.  We already
knew from many national events over the years in Florida that professional
bass anglers are a notch or two above---but, just how much better at
catching specks can one be?
This question was answered at Saturday weigh-in at Lochloosa Harbor.  A
strong wind that day limited the spots contestants could effectively fish,
and changed a lot of game plans.  In the end, a couple of Alabama fishermen
with no preconceived game plan at all came out on top with an impressive
seven-speck limit weighing 10.58 pounds.  The contest’s largest single
crappie—a 2.68-pound slab--anchored the McElroys’ fine catch.  When the
father-and-son team launched at Orange Saturday morning, it was the first
time that either had seen the lake.  Yeah, I guess they’re that good.
A local team did manage second place---the Registers.  This father-and-son
team from Williston tallied 8.76-pounds of crappie.
In the Amateur Division, yet another father/son duo prevailed---the Peytons,
hailing from Leesburg.  Their seven-speck limit weighed 7.35-pounds.
Never before have we heard of an open fishing tournament whose winners all
turned out to be father-and-son teams, but it’s pretty cool.  The top
catches were made with chartreuse jigs tipped with minnows; and we think
they all came from Orange.

Unusual and outstanding catches highlight this week’s Gulf Coast results.
Capt. John Palmer of Gainesville and Jim McClung of Palatka fished the
Steinhatchee shallows Sunday for trout and redfish.  While they did find a
few of each, it was the unexpected visitors to the shoreline shallows that
they will remember best.  Huge schools of bonito, or ‘little tunny,’ had
baitfish corralled above and below the Rocky Creek mouth “as far as the eye
could see,” said Palmer.  The anglers cast dark-colored jigs on light trout
spinning tackle to boat ten of the powerful speedsters weighing about
5-pounds each.
Tampa fisherman, David Pocock was looking for redfish, casting jigs with
shrimp-imitating tails in a Waccasassa Bay creek Sunday.  He, too, found
himself battling a fish that he could not have expected.  Following a tough
battle, the visiting angler measured and admired a beautiful 34-inch snook. 
While still a rare catch so far north, snook catches have steadily increased
in our nearby gulf waters over recent years.

And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

October

10-27-06               
A breezy weekend ahead of the season’s first real cold blast produced some very good catches for some anglers that hit the water as the front approached.
John Moore and Bob Wells of Leesburg drifted live minnows in Orange Lake Saturday to bag 47 speckled perch.  The same day, Doris Sellers of Gainesville pulled 20 good Orange Lake specks into a Family Tradition Fish  Camp rental boat.  David and Mary Johnson docked at the Cross Creek fish camp with the weekend’s best tally Sunday afternoon.  The Gainesville couple’s live well
contained 49 nice-sized crappie.
Gulf anglers found both redfish and speckled trout in creeks near Suwannee, Cedar Keys, and Waccasassa.  Keith Petteway of Williston and Floyd Graham of
Ormond Beach fished shrimp and cut bait in a creek off Waccasassa Bay Monday, icing 7 very nice trout and two chunky reds.  Capt. Todd Cornelius guided a party of four to an inshore combination of six trout and four reds.  The trout were all nice-sized, topped by a 2 ½-pound fish, while two of the reds were maximum-size specimens measuring 27-inches and weighing almost 7-pounds.
As of Sunday, Spanish mackerel were still present off Cedar Key and Crystal River.  And Suwannee Capt. Jon Farmer recently had an outstanding day for the Spanish’s big cousin, hooking six kingfish and boating three up to 50-inches long on Spotty Bottom. The cold snap early this week, however, might have nudged the kings----and many of the Spanish---farther south.   Farmer has been finding a pleasing mix of redfish, trout, black drum, and sheepshead in Suwannee area creeks for weeks now, and acknowledges that the creeks will hold even more fish now that water temperatures have taken a dive.
Some experienced anglers succeed by predicting how changing conditions affect the moods and movements of fish.   The weekend’s most amazing catch, however, was not the result of such a bright angling deduction.  Like many great catches, it was really pretty much an accident.  Crystal River angler, Gary Lewis, was out casting for trout on the flats Saturday in his Gheenoe.  When he happened to drift up on a small rocky spot in water four-feet deep, he cast his trout jig to it.  Something much stouter than a trout took the lure. A few minutes later, the angler had a nice, legal grouper in his ice chest.  Lewis anchored and cast again to the darker spot in the clear water.   Another good grouper grabbed the bait.  When he returned to Pete’s Pier on King’s Bay, Lewis’ small vessel was crowded with a full 5-grouper limit.  He returned on Sunday in a larger boat and hauled in an even larger limit of shallow Crystal River gags.  Even in the tossing weekend seas, offshore fishers out of nearly every Gulf port fared well.  Homosassa Captain, Don Chancy also had success with grouper.  Capt. Chancy and his party fished frozen Spanish sardines in water 40-feet deep to fool nine sizable fish Saturday.
Anglers that specialize in the East Coast flats off the Intracoastal Waterway are locating more and larger redfish schools in the cooling shallows.  Trout, too, are on the increase---especially for nighttime casters working the lighted boat docks in the St. Augustine area.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

10-17-06 
If you don’t like fishing around a crowd, this is the perfect time to plan a
trip to the water.  Calls to several marinas, camps, and guides this morning turned up unusually-few fishing stories---and poor fishing is NOT the culprit.  Most reports cited other interests reducing the number of anglers out trying their luck.
The relatively-few that did battle through football and hunting seasons and low water in most local lakes managed to return with decent catches.  Drifting minnows in open water, Jerry Herrell filled a fine limit of Lochloosa crappie Sunday.  His 25 fish all weighed between ¾ and 1 ¼-pounds.  Clay and Charlie Register topped even that average Monday, releasing all but specks at least a pound.  The Williston fishermen finished with 14 fish, all ranging from a pound to a pound-and-a-half. Sunday, Steve Ochsnert of Clearwater picked up ten Lochloosa specks and a few bream.
Sharon Kennedy of Sanderson, Fl. fished minnows just outside a Lochloosa grass line to fool 19 specks Saturday.  Herman Edwards of Williston equaled that catch on the lake at the other end of Cross Creek, hauling in 19 from Orange Lake.  Walt Daniels and Arthur Gordon, though, iced the most impressive Orange Lake catch of the weekend.  The Gainesville anglers didn’t arrive at Marjorie Rawlings boat ramp until Sunday afternoon, and then ran away from the cluster of boats off Sampson Point to open water at the lake’s North End.  The anglers floated minnows to pull 30 good specks from the 8-foot-deep water before dark.  The largest would later weigh a whopping 2-pounds, 14-ounces on The Tackle Box’s State-certified scales.  Crappie fishers looking forward to the big, upcoming Crappie USA tournament on Orange and Lochloosa should take note of this outstanding catch.
Sixty-three top employees of the Cotton States Insurance Company from Marietta, Ga. qualified for the annual ‘reward’ fishing trip to Crystal  River and Homosassa Monday and Tuesday.  This year, they arrived to perfect  weather and good fishing.  Six guides from the Homosassa Captain’s Association treated the visitors to fast trout and redfish action.  Numerous bluefish and sheepshead added color to the catch.  Monday, a few maximum-size reds, a couple of three-pound trout, a 6-pound pompano, and a 100-pound tarpon that cleared the water before taking his its leave had the Georgia insurance folk abuzz.And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

10-10-06 
Tuffy Wheeler anchored on his new favorite bassing spot on Rodman a couple
of minutes after noon on Friday.  The Gainesville shiner-fishing specialist
put out a couple of lively baits and waited.  By 3:00, most bass anglers
would have been long gone in search of faster action; but Wheeler and his
canine sidekick, Booder, sat and waited patiently.  At 3:30, the proverbial
‘light switch’ flipped ‘on,’---as the veteran fisherman knew it eventually
would.  His first bite produced an 8 ½-pound beauty that he weighed and
released.  By 4:05, Tuffy and Booder had admired and released four more fine
Rodman largemouths.  Patience and perseverance and high qualities among
anglers---and these are helped along greatly by confidence.  “I knew the
fish were there,” Wheeler explained.
Markedly cooler fall temperatures have, as expected, also turned that
feeding light switch on for speckled perch in area lakes.  Saturday, Sanker
Miller and Sonny Redmon each docked at A Family Tradition Fish Camp on Cross
Creek with 25-fish limits of nice-sized Orange Lake specks.  Sunday, Walt
Wisniewski of Jacksonville and Jim Craft of MacClenny hauled in 33 Orange
Lake crappie, while Sara Boom, Phillip Wade, and Thomas Goff returned in
their Family Tradition rental boat with 33 specks.  Johnell Young followed
with 18 specks---but these were of more impressive size, averaging around a
pound-and-a-half.  Each of these successes was made by drifting Orange’s
depths while floating minnows set under floats.  Folks looking to get in on
the speck-catching action should know that water levels are low; and extra
care is needed in easing out from boat ramps.  Smaller vessels and outboards
with trim and tilt capabilities are plusses.
Gulf Coast fishing remains very good overall, with redfish dominating the
reports inside, and Spanish mackerel stealing the show out deeper.  Friday,
Aubrey Williams, Lou Garrish, Denny Smith, and Paul Hildebrand slipped out
to Seahorse Reef, off Cedar Key.  Conditions were ideal, with calm seas and
an incoming tide.  In just four hours of trolling silver Drone Spoons, the
four Gainesville anglers had boxed a full, four-man, 60-fish limit of big
Spanish.  Several fish measured 28-inches—and those are big mackerel.
Inshore action along the Atlantic Coast also remains solid.  Able anglers,
Ryan Appleby and Matt Wrann tried Friday night for the snook that
occasionally show up at the Highway 206 Bridge to Crescent Beach.  A
baitwell full of finger mullet the young anglers cast-netted did a good job
of enticing the fish, but not the kind of fish they had in mind.  Appleby
and Wrann didn’t hook a lineside, but they did enjoy battling 30 big
ladyfish that took the live baits.  To boot, several nice trout holding
tight to the bridge pilings ambushed Saltwater Assassin jigs they cast when
the mullet ran out.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

10-03-06 
Anglers that aren’t also avid hunters always look forward to the better
fishing days that come as the sweltering days of late summer slip into
cooler times in early fall.
So far, area freshwater fishers have seen only marginal improvement in the
bass and panfish bites.  For gulf anglers, on the other hand, the seasonal
change has been dramatic.  Offshore and inshore fans alike are currently
enjoying first-rate fishing action in Big Bend waters.
Along with fair trout and excellent redfish and Spanish mackerel stories,
we’re hearing a lot of great cobia reports these days.  Capt. Steve McGovern
and George DeLoach, fishing Sunday out of an undisclosed Big Bend port,
easily had the most impressive.  While anchored over rocky bottom structure
in water 10 feet deep, the men noticed that a major pod of cobia had
gathered around the boat.  Over the next couple of hours, they saw about 30
fish, hooked 14 of them, and boated ten.  That’s some amazing cobia action.
Don Smith of Cedar Key Marina was looking to get into a cobia battle
recently while anchored at the outermost channel marker of Cedar Key’s Main
Shipping Channel.  Floating cut bait, Smith soon hooked a large fish---but
one that seemed too fast to be his target species.  After the fish nearly
stripped all of the 50-pound-test Power Pro from his reel, the angler
finally wore it down.  Smith and his fishing partner were much surprised to
haul aboard a whopping 57-inch, 40-pound kingfish---one of the largest in
recent memory to be taken so near shore.
Speckled perch catches do seem to be improving on area lakes.  Even so, it’s
a slow uphill climb this year, unlike the sudden action seen in recent
Octobers.  Friday, Dewey Edwards of Jacksonville docked at Lochloosa Harbor
Fish Camp with 16 nice specks and two hefty catfish---all caught in water
6-feet deep with minnows.  Saturday, Derek and Claire Harvey of High Springs
boxed 25 Lochloosa specks in two-and-a-half hours of fishing.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

September

09-31-06 
The chilly north winds are beginning to blow a bit more frequently, signaling the transition that’s again at hand for gulf anglers.  Folks that drift the grass flats for speckled trout will be able to find fish there for several more weeks—but those that look to intercept the fish in their new, more protected hangouts will soon be bragging most.  Already, fishers casting jigs and shrimp are finding big numbers of trout in Suwannee-area creeks—along with quite an array of ‘incidental’ species.  Fishing with
son-in-law, Darryl Ayers, Gainesville fishing icon, Dick Bowles pushed his boat up into the grass on a bank of the Suwannee’s East Pass Saturday morning.  Fishing jigs tipped with shrimp in this one spot, the pair boated 29 fish—including jack crevalle, redfish, catfish, black drum, and flounder.   High Springs anglers, Kevin Walker and Stacy Cowart also picked the Suwannee’s East Pass for their Sunday fishing trip.  They started the morning casting TT series Mirrolures near the mouth of Dan May Creek and found nice-sized trout to be in good supply.  After filling a combined 10-trout limit, they ran back to West Pass, switched to plastic worms and crankbaits, and boated 15 keeper-sized largemouth bass up to 5 ½-pounds.  “It was a great day of fishing,” said Cowart.
Flounder were mentioned prominently this week by inland East Coast fishers.  At Devil’s Elbow Fish Camp on Matanzas River, weekend customers casting mud
minnows brought in catches ranging in number “from four to seven” flatfish.  A few also found spooky redfish schools on the clear, shallow flats. 
The upcoming Crappie USA tournament on Orange and Lochloosa Lakes has brought a number of new speck fishers to the area, but reports have never been tougher to gather.  Laurie Pease of Lochloosa Harbor Fish Camp, the event’s host camp, said, “these competitors have been really hush-hush about their fishing.”  Good to know they’re just like all other tournament anglers.  The pre-fishing speckers I’ve talked to at The Tackle Box seem to be of the opinion that the tournament could well be won with a seven-fish limit weighing less than ten pounds.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

09-25-06
A dry season with stable late-summer weather might not bode so well for
long-term freshwater angling prospects; but it is accounting for some good
saltwater fishing opportunities as the fall season commences.
In terms of water clarity and salinity, conditions are near ideal on both
coasts—and action is excellent overall.
Along the Gulf Coast, speckled trout catches are beginning to increase as
water temps begin to edge lower.  Anglers casting live shrimp, cut bait,
Gulp! lures, and Fishbites Strips are reporting decent trout action off
every port.  Redfish action is even better for the folks that have
shallow-floating vessels that can stealthily access the skinny waters where
the reds love to feed.  Anglers in larger boats are not necessarily excluded
from the great redfish bite---the Crystal River Spoil Bank, with deep-water
access, presently holds loads of big reds that are more than willing to take
a shrimp or pinfish flipped their way.
Spanish mackerel are the third top target of gulf fishers.  Spanish
specialists agree that the best mackerel fishing is most often found off
Cedar Key, Suwannee, and Crystal River.  Only a few king mackerel catches
have been reported to date…..but we expect to hear about more kings very
shortly.
Folks that like larger game should spend some time floating pinfish in a
chum slick somewhere along the coast.  We’ve heard numerous cobia stories
over the last two weeks, and it seems clear that the powerful pelagics are
passing through Big Bend waters again on their fall migration.
The East Coast results have also been impressive.  Redfishing remains good
in Matanzas River and at Matanzas Inlet---although not as dependable as it
was a few weeks ago.  The big reds show up on some tidal rotations better
than others.
Locals say that the best all-around inland waterway fishing might be found
at night.  Trout are abundant under lighted boat docks from Crescent Beach
to Marineland….and folks that are only concerned with having their strings
stretched should try their nighttime luck at the Highway 206 Bridge, where
jack crevalle and bluefish are schooling.
Access remains reasonably easy for smaller vessels on Orange and Lochloosa
Lakes, where speckled perch action is slowly picking up.  Fishers drifting
the mid-lake depths pulled in weekend catches that ranged from 8-to-47
specks, with the average catch closer to the lower number.  The cooler
nights ahead will fire the specks up, and catches are sure to increase
dramatically in the coming weeks.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

09-19-06 
The last days of summer are slow and lazy at fish camps on area fresh
waters.  Aside from lake levels that are considerably lower than ideal, the
feeding attitude of freshwater species is stuck firmly in that awkward
late-summer rut squarely between bream and speckled perch seasons.  At
present, the average bluegill and crappie fishers on Orange and Lochloosa
Lakes are both reporting unexciting tallies of around 6-to-12 fish.  That
number will tail off even farther in the ‘bream’ category…..but speck
catches will rise dramatically very shortly.
Bass anglers are almost as challenged, but action on the St. John’s River
system, at least, is improving.  The annual shrimp run has largemouths and
stripers feeding with a bit more enthusiasm, and some folks cast-netting the
river shrimp have found a way to parlay their catch into even more seafood. 
The freshly-caught shrimp are a first-rate live bait for bass when floated
under boat docks and around pilings.  Ralph Porter and Dave Ahlquist nearly
filled their 5-gallon bucket with sizable shrimp by midday Monday, and then
anchored on the Memorial Bridge pilings.  With a few of the shrimp they had
just netted, the Gainesville men hooked a nice largemouth, a small striper,
and a big speck in short order.
Rodman Reservoir is another top bet for bass fishing.  The water here is
ultra clear, though, so early morning and late evening hours are best.
Saltwater anglers are doing a lot more bragging these days than their inland
counterparts.  Speckled trout continue to bite well on the gulf flats, good
Spanish mackerel catches are still coming from deep flats and offshore
reefs, and already-large redfish numbers seem to be yet building.  Capt. Jon
Farmer’s Texas party released no fewer that 40 Suwannee reds Saturday---and
most were keeper-size fish.  Capt. Jon located the reds on outer sand and
shell bars, where he had his customers cast live shrimp and gold spoons.  On
their way back home from a trip to the Florida Keys, the vacationing Texans
declared that the Suwannee fishing beat the angling action in the Keys hands
down.  Of course, a good guide has more than a little to do with such
impressions.
That’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

09-05-06
With no measurable rainfall in weeks, area lake levels are beginning to slip
downward again.  Infrequent anglers with larger vessels that decided to try
Orange, Lochloosa, or Newnans Lake over the Labor Day weekend had a tough
time ramping in and out.
Most didn’t exactly load those boats with fish, either---the summer-to-fall
transition often brings slower fishing in our fresh waters, even when the
lakes are full.
Thankfully, it brings improved feeding attitudes on the salty coasts.
The final days of this year’s gulf scallop season are producing some of its
best results.  Many folks persistently searching the clear, grassy shallows
off Steinhatchee and Homosassa are eventually filling scallop limits.  The
coming weekend is the last one to legally pursue the bivalves.
Gulf anglers are noticing a clear upswing in action.  Speckled trout catches
are improving on the flats all along the Big Bend. Spanish mackerel are big
and plentiful off Suwannee, Cedar Keys, and Crystal River---and the best
grouper catches in months were seen over the holiday weekend at several
ports.
Still, one common thread is apparent all along the gulf and even over on the
Atlantic side:  Redfish have shown up abundant and hungry.
Rick and Richard Stanton fished Waccasassa Bay Monday.  With cut bait and
shrimp, the father-and-son teamed up to boat several nice reds, topped by a
fine pair of maximum-size 27-inchers.  At the end of the Labor Day trip,
their ice chest also contained trout measuring 23 and 21-inches.
Outstanding redfish results also came from the Suwannee, Crystal River, and
Homosassa River areas.
It’s the East Coast redfish report, however, that really stands out…….and
for a peculiar reason.  It seems that a major run of reds arrived at
Matanzas Inlet on Friday and Saturday, and that the fishing scene since has
resembled the Wild West.  The scramble to battle the big East Coast reds has
apparently become unusually emotional for local fishers fighting for
position.  The problem stems from the fact that the best spot to hook the
mostly-oversize brutes can be reached from the shore, from the Matanzas
Bridge, and, (of course) from boats.  Observers say that the ongoing battle
between these casting factions is somewhere between “entertaining” and
“disturbing.”  At any rate, as Karen Miles of Devil’s Elbow Fish Camp put
it, “that’s the best fishing bet----if you can stand it.”
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

August

08-29-06 
As usual, late summer offers a mixed and somewhat limited bag of
opportunities to the North Florida angler.
Bass are hard to locate, bream numbers are thinning in the bedding areas
that had been dependable around ‘new’ and ‘full’ moons since April, and the
speckled perch that will soon take over as the number one panfishing target
have not yet gathered in mid-lake packs.  At least the annual migration of
St. John’s River shrimp is gaining steam as a very sub-par scallop season
winds down.  The best news for area freshwater fishers might be that
ominously-low lake levels are presently inching upwards following months of
gradual movement in the other direction.  Hopefully, a wet September will
keep them on the rise.
Orange Lake is yielding some large bream—including the ridiculous 2-pound
bluegill taken by Kenny Gaskins a few days back.  But Lochloosa seems to be
giving up better overall panfish tallies.  Several weekend cane-polers
dipping grass shrimp and crickets pulled limit and near-limit catches from
the maidencane edge that surrounds much of the lake.  A handful of anglers
have tried drifting Lochloosa’s deeper water for specks, with almost all
reporting similar catches of from 6-to-12 crappie of ‘keeper’ size.  Some of
those numbers might have been more impressive if not for the afternoon
thunderstorms that ran the speck fans back to shore before they were ready.
Gulf anglers are finding fewer trout, but Spanish mackerel action is holding
up well and redfish seem more willing now than they have been all summer. 
Positive redfish reports came in this week from every gulf port for the
first time this year.  “High tide,” “shellbars,” and “Gulp Shrimp” are
mentioned in most of these reports.
The sudden appearance of multitudes of tarpon along East Coast beaches a
couple of weeks back coincided with the arrival of big finger mullet and
pogy (menhaden) schools.  Those wads of baitfish are still present above and
below Matanzas Inlet, and fat tarpon and smallish bluefish are escorting
them along the beaches.  This pursuit should rank highly among the folks
looking for early-September line-stretching gamefish action.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

08-22-06 
The sweltering Dog Days heat always brings a drastic reduction in angling
traffic on all North Florida waters. This year, soaring gasoline prices
seem to have made the thought of waiting for bites in the relentless sun
even less appealing.
Well, for anyone that does have a mind to hit the late-August water, here
are the very best bets we’re aware of:
1. Bream-fishing on Lochloosa. The water level here is marginal, but access
is still reasonably-easy at the public ramp on Highway 301…and folks are
still able to churn through Cross Creek from A Family Tradition Fish Camp,
and Orange Lake ramps. While hot-weather bream-bedding activities will soon
wind down, the bluegill and shellcracker bite here has remained excellent.
Fifty-fish limit catches continued through the early part of this week. Dip
grass shrimp or crickets along outer maidencane edges and in the lily pads
on the lake’s southeast side.
2. St. John’s River shrimping. It’s still early in the run, but this is
looking like the best bunch of migrating river shrimp in years---and their
average size is improving quickly. Most local shrimpers like the Palatka
and Green Cove Springs areas best; cast-netting along the deeper channel
edges by day and employing chum and lights at night in shallower water.
Lately, nocturnal netters have reported better results. Cooler, too. The
daily limit is 5-gallons of heads-on shrimp, and that’s enough for a fine
feast.
3. Tarpon fishing near Matanzas Inlet. This one just started last
weekend—and is the most challenging and potentially-exciting choice. Big
schools of silver mullet just arrived along the Matanzas stretch of Atlantic
Coast, and bunches of silver kings showed up along with them. Although
plenty of tarpon will slip up into Matanzas River, local anglers have, so
far, done best just off the beaches both above and below the inlet. Fred
Miles and John Herring fished live mullet Sunday while chumming near the
beach. The men jumped an amazing two-dozen fish of varying sizes. Now
that’s some exciting fishing.
If you’ve been hankering for some late-summer on-the-water action, give
these a try.
That’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.
 

08-15-06 
With below-average rainfall for the year and no major rain event to bolster
levels, the summer heat continues to draw down our shallow local lakes.
Anglers using motor boats are finding that access onto Orange and Newnans
Lakes poses a real water pump risk. Of course, the folks with the little
vessels seem pleased that the lakes are theirs exclusively since bluegill
catches remain pretty strong. Folks are pulling the biggest numbers of big
bream from Orange and Lochloosa. Several have revealed their successful
technique of pushing their boats into stands of maidencane, then dropping
grass shrimp or crickets along the outside edges of the grass. A couple of
big messes of bream were taken on the Windsor side of Newnans Lake last
weekend as well.
Bass reports have been scarce lately. Even so, a few sweltering anglers
have enjoyed success while dragging large plastic worms down deeper ledges
in Rodman Pool. The St. John’s River shrimp run is underway, and that
always sparks the river bass up. So far, fishers have found a few extra
bites around current-breaking structure such as pilings; but no Palatka
angler has mentioned seeing schooling fish.
Boat ramps along the Gulf Coast are no more crowded than those on inland
lakes. Even at Steinhatchee, where there should be considerable extra
activity from the scalloping crowd, things are strangely quiet. Why the
Steinhatchee scallops were a no-show this season has been debated hotly.
Meanwhile, the limited anglers trying for trout on the clear flats are
picking up only occasional keepers.
Reports from ports farther down the coast (Suwannee, Cedar Key, Waccasassa,
Crystal River, and Homosassa) sound similar. A few decent trout and redfish
stories here and there, but nothing to make the average angler rush out into
the 95-degree sun.
One very interesting Big Bend story that has evolved over the last few
seasons is the distinctly-increasing presence of a highly-prized south
Florida gamefish. Over recent years, snook numbers have grown in the
Crystal River area, and scattered examples have been hooked as far north as
Suwannee. Visiting from North Carolina, Janet Peterson was enjoying good
redfish action near Cedar Key last Thursday when she hooked instead a little
18-inch lineside. The next day out of Crystal River, she and husband, Bob,
each caught another snook---each slightly larger than the Cedar Key fish.
Their friend and guide, George Yates, had to convince his visitors that
these were not normal catches. It’s funny how out-of-place fishers and
out-of-place fish often seem to find each other.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

08-08-06
Folks that wrote off the 2006 scalloping year might want to reconsider and
try a late-season shellfishing excursion. With about one month left in the
2006 gulf scallop season, things are clearly turning for the better. The
best overall scalloping results of the season are being seen at Steinhatchee
and Homosassa marinas. Of the two shellfish-gathering destinations,
Homosassa is best. The clear, shallow flats south of the river are finally
producing consistent 5-gallon limits of sizable bivalves.
Although the Steinhatchee shallows remain unusually stingy with their
scallop production, they are a bit more scallop-rich at present than they
have been up to this point.
During good years, the St. John’s River shrimp run starts firing on all
cylinders by mid August. This is starting to look like one of those very
productive years---and it would be the first in quite a while. The initial
wave of saltwater shrimp was intercepted north of Green Cove Springs two
weeks ago. Then last week, a few 5-gallon limits were cast-netted near
Federal Point, a few miles downstream from Palatka. This week, some
positive stories have finally come from the Palatka stretch---the piece of
the big river nearest Gainesville. When the run is in full swing, evidence
of the prized crustaceans’ presence can be easily seen from Memorial Bridge.
Dozens of anchored vessels will be in view; their occupants throwing cast
nets.
Traditional cane pole or reel-and-rod fishing is also holding up well in the
wilting summer heat. The August Full Moon again bunched bluegill and
shellcracker up for a mid-summer spawning session. D.D. Cooper pulled 50
big bluegill from Lochloosa Friday. Don Wilson and Steve Donaldson of
Valdosta docked with an 85-fish mix of Orange Lake bluegill and shellcracker
Saturday, and Carl Young of Hawthorne iced his 50-bream limit Tuesday.
Grass shrimp and crickets are the most productive baits on the twin lakes.
Live saltwater bait shrimp are again readily available, to the joy of many
anglers. Thursday, four Homosassa friends cast shrimp in the midday heat
with notable success. Nancy and Colleen Bushy, Todd Cornelius, and Dwayne
Diaz boated no fewer than 35 redfish around the St. Martin’s Keys.
Strangely, though, (for August) every fish was small—under the 18-inch
minimum legal size. Fortunately, the last spot they tried produced two
legal reds. At 1:30, the fierce heat drove the foursome back to dock at
McRae’s Marina.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

08-01-06 
There’s one thing we have learned from being in the bait and tackle business
for all these years---when fish are biting, anglers will always find a way
to the water. In drought and flood, regardless of personal commitments or
extreme weather….folks with fishing in their blood will fish if they think
they can get a bite.
The “extreme weather” part presently applies. Through the middle of the day
Sunday on Orange Lake, I was so miserable I didn’t really even care if I got
a bite or not. Only a steady parade of big warmouth pretending to be bass
kept me somewhat focused.
Most folks that are fishing now are trying to avoid the harsh midday hours;
doing their most serious casting during early morning and late evening.
Almost everyone seriously fishing these days knows what he is doing---and
some really fine results are coming in from nearby waters.
Gary and Cynthia Terry stopped by the store Saturday afternoon to pick up
ice for their day’s catch. I walked out to look at the cooler-full catch of
bluegill and saw that the Gainesville couple had a problem----there wasn’t
enough room in the ice chest for ice. It was pretty much full to the top
with big ‘copperhead’ bluegill and shellcracker they had just tempted from
the east side of Newnans Lake with grass shrimp. Of course, there are worse
problems to have….
Lloyd and Bob Miller likewise enjoyed an exceptional bream-catching day
Saturday. The brothers eased out from Lochloosa Harbor Fish Camp at 7:00
a.m., and fished crickets and grass shrimp in the maidencane along the
lake’s Highway 301 side. At noon, the Millers returned to the camp with 46
bream weighing up to a pound.
A few good bass catches have been reported. Jim Denton of Ocala cast a
Gambler spinnerbait in Lochloosa Thursday evening. Just before he was ready
to call it a day, a 24-inch, 6.75 pound largemouth pounced on the lure.
For the first time in five years, the Camp Blanding Lakes are again open to
boaters and anglers. On opening day Friday, Skip and Michael Davis and Stan
King waited at the gate along with dozens of other vehicles with boats on
trailers. When most of the anglers in line ahead of them chose to fish
Lowrey Lake, King and the Davises chose the other lake---Magnolia. In
two-and a-half hours of casting watermelon-colored plastic worms, the three
boated 49 bass. Eleven were hefty fish better than 16-inches long. The
elder Davis summed up the feelings of a lot of fishers saying, “I’m sure
glad they opened it back up.”
Through August, the Blanding lakes will be accessible on Fridays and
Saturdays, from 7:00 a.m. ‘til 1:30.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

July

07-25-06 
I ran into a fishing buddy the other day at the grocery store and asked him
why we never see him during July and August. He replied, “This is a good
time to mow or get ready for football season—maybe take a trip with the
family. But I don’t fish in this heat---the water’s so hot they don’t bite
anyway….” Indeed, the late-July turn into the dreaded Dog Days of summer is
seen as “no man’s land” by most North Florida anglers.
While it’s true that most mid-summers do present poor overall fishing
options, there are always line-wetting niches that remain fun and rewarding.
Then there are hot summers that inexplicably bring downright excellent
fish-catching opportunities. Summers like this one. The
sunblock-and-long-sleeve-shirt crew faring best is concentrating on the Big
Bend of our Gulf Coast.
“Fishing’s just really good right now,” declares journeyman Suwannee
captain, Jon Farmer. Saturday, my party and I caught big mackerel and trout
until we were tired; then a 46-inch cobia took a pinfish we had out in the
chum slick.” Although he is also locating plenty of nice redfish inshore,
Farmer’s best success has come at anchor and chumming on Spotty Bottom—and
beyond. “A lot of big trout are out in water 25-or more feet deep, out past
Spotty Bottom. I’ve been anchoring and setting out chum over the grass and
rock patches out there. It attracts everything---speckled and sand trout,
mackerel, bluefish, cobia, and tons of little sharks.”
Shallower trout flats are also producing. Fishing out of Waccasassa Fishing
Club Saturday, Jim and Sharon Smith filled a fine 10-trout limit that
included a pair of fish over 20-inches and nothing under 18-inches. The
Lady Lake couple cast jigs in Waccasassa Bay.
Offshore fishers, too, say that the hot weather fishing is better than it
was during spring. Grouper and snapper tallies remain very
respectable---many taken from waters surprisingly near shore.
Low lake levels have kept some boaters off Orange, Lochloosa, and Newnans
Lakes. The folks with smaller vessels, though, are finding big bedding
bream. Weekend anglers docking at A Family Tradition Fish Camp with big
bluegill catches include: Donnie Bauknight, Bill and Myrna Jones, Gene
Posey, and Sonny Redmon. Even some crappie fans have been able to locate
willing specks. Harold Bowman drifted Orange’s deepest water Friday to box
an impressive 25-speck limit.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

07-18-06 
Florida anglers know that there’s plenty of good fish-catching to be
found--even through the heat of summer.  You just have to pick and choose
your target with a bit more discrimination than during the milder seasons
when almost EVERY kind of fish is readily available.
Panfishing is, as always, the most dependable hot-weather choice in fresh
waters.  This year’s bluegill crop in Orange, Lochloosa, Rodman, and Newnans
Lakes has been good in number, but even more outstanding in size. 
Saucer-size ‘copperheads’ were common catches for cane-pole fishers with
grass shrimp and crickets leading up to the early-July Full Moon.  Through
the fickle moon’s waning phase, however, results have been far less
impressive.  In-the-know breammers believe that the coming weekend just
ahead of the New Moon will again see good congregations of spawning fish.
Bass anglers expect off-and-on action, concentrating their efforts in early
morning and late evening----and while the barometer is moving fast due to
nearby thunderstorms.  A bass club from Valdosta fished Orange last
weekend---and reported better-than-expected mid summer success.  The winner,
whose two days’ ten fish limit weighed 33-pounds, said he cast plastic frog
lures in lily pads.  Water levels are thus far holding pretty well in our
area lakes, but for boaters, there’s no room for any further drop.
This season’s Gulf Coast scalloping crowd has probably suffered about a
95-percent disappointment rate.  It looks like this is simply one of those
“off” years for the prized shellfish.  Results from the Homosassa area
(especially southward towards Chassahowitzka) have been best; but 5-gallon
limits are still hard to come by.
Speckled trout numbers, on the other hand, remain good on relatively-shallow
grass flats all along the coast.  Finally, gulf marinas are starting to
receive partial orders of live bait shrimp----but they’re mighty small. 
Folks casting Gulp! grubs and shrimp set under popping or rattling floats
are faring best overall, picking up nice trout limits regularly.
Spanish mackerel are another top Gulf Coast bet.  Crystal River, Cedar Key,
and Suwannee anglers are all reporting that loads of mackerel are available
out on deep flats.
And gulf grouper fishers are finally offering good reports.  Nice limits of
gags have come from water ranging from 35-to-55 feet deep for a couple of
weeks.  Most are anchoring over structure and fishing squid or sardines on
the bottom.
East Coast inland waterway anglers looking for sport are having no trouble
finding it.  Along with abundant jack crevalle, locals are hooking plenty of
nice-sized bluefish.  One very good bet at present is the Highway 206 Bridge
just before sunset.  Surface plugs cast around the bridge pilings will
attract blues from 4-to-8-pounds.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

07-11-06 
Fishing often takes a distinct downturn through the blistering Dog Days of
late summer. So far this season, however, action has held up exceptionally
well in both fresh and salt waters.
If not for water levels on the edge of direly-low, things would be
altogether great for the anglers searching for fish in nearby lakes,
Newnans, Orange, and Lochloosa. As always, bream fishing is the hot weather
staple---and it was excellent around the just-passed Full Moon phase.
Fifty-fish limit catches of bluegill and shellcracker are expected in Orange
and Lochloosa in the summer months, and such fine catches are being seen at
fish camps almost daily. It is the size of the panfish this year that is
most notable. Bream weighing a full pound or more are, unthinkably, almost
common these days. The long list of weekend fishers that docked with big
bunches of big bream included: Tracy Parker and Steve Marshall fishing
crickets on Lochloosa; and Sonny Redmon, Bill DeSong and Myrna Jones, and
Guy and Vaughn Sherrer dunking grass shrimp on Orange.
Gulf action also remains very good for so late into summer. Trout are still
abundant on the shallow flats---the female fish even thick with roe we would
expect to see in April trout. Spanish mackerel are loaded up out on
Seahorse Reef and Spotty Bottom off Cedar Keys and Suwannee, respectively.
And a couple of nice kings were taken from the outer reaches of Spotty last
weekend.
Although scallop season has been disappointing, some marina owners believe
there’s plenty of reason to be hopeful that things will improve dramatically
later in the season. Nancy Bushey of McRae’s at Homosassa said, “Results
are getting a little better every day.”
East Coast anglers are enjoying good action in the surf, where whiting are
the main target. Pompano and black drum are appealing-but-occasional
bonuses. Tarpon numbers are increasing in the inland waterway, and flounder
remain abundant—but small.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

June

06-27-06
With the arrival of July, even some of the most dedicated North Florida
hook-and-line fishers allow the focus of their finny pursuits to be derailed
for a while by a couple of special opportunities. These will last nearly
until fall (and, in reality, are usually better in the later stages of the
season.) Nevertheless, the folks that have hankered for scallop-gathering
and the cast-netting of river shrimp are always looking to rush up the
bivalves and crustaceans.
Saturday marks the July 1start of scallop season in Big Bend waters, and it
is certain that hundreds of boats will be scouring the clear shallows on the
best scalloping grounds near Steinhatchee, Crystal River, and Homosassa.
Trouble is, the preseason reports regarding the shellfish’s population
density in these well-known areas are not favorable. Clarity, salinity, and
condition of sea grasses are all important factors, and they all appear to
be perfectly fine. If anyone has really located the motherlode of bivalves,
though, he’s not talking. The one positive indication I’ve been able to dig
up came from a shrimper looking for (presently ultra-scarce) bait shrimp out
in deeper water off Homosassa. He didn’t find many shrimp—but his trawl did
contain lots of big scallops. Perhaps the wily shellfish are hanging out in
water too deep for the waders and snorkelers this season.
Following a couple of purely-dismal annual St. John’s River shrimp runs,
locals are hoping hard that this year will be different. In the good years,
a handful of small shrimp would be already as far upriver as Palatka by the
first of July; and the shrimp could be expected to increase in number and
size until early September. Again, however, nobody has offered a positive
indication that this will be that kind of year.
We’ll certainly keep a close eye on these two potentially-pleasing
distractions. For now, though, better look back to targets with fins and
scales.
The water level has started falling noticeably again on Orange, Lochloosa,
and Newnans Lakes. Bream fishing success, on the other hand, is rising.
Unusually large bluegill and shellcracker willing to take grass shrimp and
crickets were in good supply in all three lakes last weekend. And the
scarce, good catches of Lochloosa speckled perch are becoming more common as
more fishers give the deep water a try.
Speckled trout and Spanish mackerel are the fastest-biting gulf species,
with sharks not far behind. And fine flounder catches still have East Coast
inland waterway anglers turned on. The folks at Devil’s Elbow Fish Camp
have seen a number of semi doormat-size flatfish lately.
That’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

06-20-06 
Summer has arrived officially. Fortunately, the season that brings heat,
bugs, and storms also offers plenty of good fishing. The mainstays of hot
weather freshwater fishers are panfish of one kind or another, and while
their spawning congregations have been a bit half-hearted so far this
season, things appear to be improving following good rainfall from the
year’s first tropical storm. Vaughn, Tristen, and Fay Sherrer of Cross
Creek pulled limits of big bluegill and shellcracker from Orange Lake
Sunday. All 150 bream fell for grass shrimp. Bill DeSong and Myrna Jones
also boxed Orange Lake shellcracker limits Sunday; and Donnie Bauknight and
J.R. took their allowed 100 fish Monday. Bobby Brek tried speckled perch in
Lochloosa Monday with surprising success. Trolling jigs in water 10-feet
deep, he filled a 25-fish limit.
Reports of Suwannee, Santa Fe, and Ocklawaha River redbellies are also on
the increase; and Newnans Lake panfish have likewise kicked their bite up a
notch. Ronnie Brown and Ben Smith fished grass shrimp in Newnans’ southwest
corner Monday. A small area in three feet of water yielded a pleasing catch
of 45 bluegill and 18 speckled perch.
Tropical Storm Alberto apparently gave freshwater action a boost, but its
effects have had the opposite influence of Gulf Coast results. Grass flats
along the coast are slowly clearing, but rafts of floating grass are making
it tough for anglers to present baits effectively. Several have reported
that setting Berkley Gulp! Shrimp under Equalizer or Cajun Thunder floats is
the only sure way to keep an unfouled lure in front of prospective trout or
redfish. Bobby Hall of Bostwick used this method Friday and Saturday to
entice trout limits from under the widespread flotsam north of Steinhatchee.
An Ocala crew fished grassy points in Waccasassa Bay Sunday, casting Gulp!
Shrimp in New Penny and Pearl White colors. Larry Muldrow filled his
one-fish limit with a 22-inch redfish. Gene Posey and son, Gene Jr. each
fooled 24-inch keeper reds, and Peggy Posey lured a 22-incher. Nine-year
old Amanda Posey, though, claimed the day’s best red at 26-inches.
Gulf Coast shrimp trawlers apparently have had no luck finding bait since
Alberto, and have reportedly stopped trying for the time being. This leaves
the popular Gulp! products, along with favorites such as Saltwater Assassin
jigs, as the top bait choices.
There is no ‘weed,’ ‘dark water,’ or ‘scarce bait’ challenge on the East
Coast, and action here remains very good. The Intracoastal Waterway is said
to be producing loads of trout, reds, and flounder.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.
 

6-06-06 
While they do provide welcomed relief, the scattered and isolated showers
we’re seeing in the afternoons are not what we need to stop the bleeding. 
This has, so far, been a cruelly-dry year.  Access into some favorite area
fishing holes is already ‘iffy’ with some vessels, and it will soon be worse
without serious rainfall.
The smaller boats that can still make it into Orange and Lochloosa from
Cross Creek have found bedding bluegill and shellcracker.  Billy Dissong’s
fat 1-pound, 6-ounce shellcracker leads the monthly panfish contest at A
Family Tradition Fish Camp.  Fishing freshwater grass shrimp, local bream
experts, Donnie Bauknight and J.R. pulled in a nice 50-fish mix of Orange
Lake bream Monday.  A bass tournament is scheduled for Sunday at Marjorie
Rawlings Park on Orange---but the competitors in large bass boats may find
it tough exiting and entering the park’s canal.
Saltwater action remains strong on both coasts.  Gulf Coast trout fishers
casting Saltwater Assassin grubs with Fishbites Strip added are loading up
on nice-sized fish---as are those fishing Berkley Gulp! grubs and shrimp. 
Most clear grass flats along the entire coast are holding trout.  Anglers
fishing the near-shore bars and cuts report seeing lots of redfish---but
that the usually-cooperative spot tails seem reluctant to bite artificials. 
Darrell Elliott and Butch Bailey had no trouble filling both trout and
redfish limits Sunday and Monday.  They fished Gulp! grubs and Johnson gold
spoons near Rock Point, north of Steinhatchee.
Debra Hunter of Providence had a big strike last Wednesday while casting a
Tiny Torpedo---a little surface lure used most often for bass.  At the time,
however, she was fishing a very shallow grass flat near Horseshoe Beach with
husband, Jerry.  The fish turned out to be a 25.5-inch speckled trout
weighing 5-pounds---a real Gulf Coast whopper.
During this season the Gulf heavyweights gather---and prime fishing time has
arrived for those that enjoy battling them.  Capt. Jon Farmer took out a
shark-seeking party Sunday.  Anchored and chumming in a deeper cut
surprisingly near shore, Farmer’s three-person group from Chattanooga boated
and released a bunch of Suwannee sharks—including five they estimated at
over 150-pounds.  Among the varieties were black tips, lemons, and a nurse
shark. “We had a big reel spooled, too,” said Farmer, “and there’s no
telling how big that one was.”  Gainesville angler and avid sharker, Bill
Pfeiffer caught and released an 8-foot tiger off Cedar Key---after another
that he feels was larger had broken his line.
Whether you’re after bluegill or tiger sharks, June is an excellent month to
wet a line.
nd that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

May

05-30-06                                 
The summer months of 2006 arrive to ominously-low and falling area lake
levels.  Adding to that all-too-familiar problem is a large amount of
non-native vegetation growth that has already been---or will soon
be---addressed with herbicide application.  I’m no biologist, but hot, low
water and large amounts of spray can’t be a good combination for the fish
living between the weeds and the already-mucky bottom.
As of the Memorial Day Weekend, fishing remained pretty good overall in the
heavily-vegetated areas on Orange, Lochloosa, and Newnans Lakes.  Gene Posey
fished grass shrimp in Lochloosa pads last Thursday to take 50 big
shellcracker.  He returned Friday along with friends, Bill and Myrna Jones. 
Posey boated 40 more ‘crackers, and the Citra couple took 35.
Bass anglers on Orange and Lochloosa also enjoyed holiday weekend success. 
One Jacksonville basser was clearly shaken Monday, declaring that he had
just lost an enormous fish at the boat in Orange.  Stephen Gray managed to
put his 8-pound Lochloosa largemouth in the boat Monday---at least for a few
moments before he released it.
Steinhatchee continues to produce dependable trout action for Gulf anglers. 
Even though boat ramps and the best-known flats were crowded over the
holiday weekend, it seems that most fishers were pleased with their catch. 
Saltwater Assassin grubs and Gulp! Shrimp were mentioned most often as the
top trout attractors.
Saltwater anglers concentrating on the East Coast have returned with fishing
stories at least as impressive as their Gulf brothers.  While folks
remaining in the inland waters are hooking lots of redfish and flounder, the
more adventuresome group fishing out in the Atlantic reports
unusually-excellent opportunities not far from the beaches.  Numerous bait
pods are scattered along the coast, and these have attracted predators not
often seen so near shore.  Along with the expected cobia and kingfish,
anglers have been amazed to catch big numbers of fair-sized dolphin within
eyesight of the sunbathers.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

05-23-06 
North Florida anglers that had long awaited a nice weekend finally received
at least passable conditions Saturday and Sunday.  Contestants in the Third
Annual Doug Johnson and Donnie Young Reeling for Kids Tournament held at
Steinhatchee woke Saturday morning to 15-mph winds and 3-to-4-foot
seas---but that was a little better than most Saturdays this season.  The
sloppy conditions caused several of the 74 teams that had set sights on
grouper and kings to hunt for winning fish in the contest’s inshore
categories instead.
Veteran grouper angler, Frank Sheffield succeeded in making it out to water
deep enough to produce a nice 13-poung gag—and that was big enough to take
the thousand-dollar ‘Big Grouper’ prize.
Several fine speckled trout were taken to the scales, including former
Gator, Travis McGriff’s stout 4.2-pounder and event emcee, Doug
Stringfellow’s 4.7-pound, 25.5-inch whopper.  A pair of 5.7-pound fish tied
for first place in the redfish division.
Gator greats, Johnson and Young did a truly remarkable job garnering
sponsors for the event that benefits the Boys and Girls Clubs.  In total,
they raised the amazing total of more than 75 thousand dollars--by far more
than any area fishing event…….ever.
Results in Sunday’s Gator Open, this area’s longest-standing bass
tournament, were good enough to make believers of anyone doubting the recent
comeback of Orange and Lochloosa lakes.  The Ocala team of Gary Bradford and
Robbie Denton missed a key bit of information in the pre-tournament meeting.
  Thinking the tourney limit was 5-bass, they released a couple of
three-pound largemouths after boxing five larger fish.  This would normally
have been a fatal error, but amazingly, the bass-catching team’s total
weight of 26.45-pounds was enough to win anyway.  It’s not often a team can
spot the remainder of the field a fish and still come out on top.
From top to bottom, catches in the 30th Annual contest were most impressive.
  The seventh-place team (the lowest placement to receive a paycheck) put
together an 18.73-pound limit.
Bluegill are biting a little more dependably, and some Orange Lake fishers
have discovered that minnows, jigs, and spinners fished out in the mid-lake
depths will presently attract decent attention from speckled perch. 
Saturday, Andrew Franklin and John Hill docked at A Family Tradition Fish
Camp on Cross Creek with a 90-fish mix of bluegill and specks they enticed
with grass shrimp.
Newnans and Lochloosa Lakes and the Suwannee River are also presently good
bets for fast panfish action.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

05-16-06 
Mid May weather conditions continue to be curiously cool at night and breezy
by day.  The windy portion of that recipe has diminished the saltwater
anglers’ fish-catching effectiveness; while the still-coolish water
temperatures are putting the bluegill bite off in nearby lakes.  May weather
is normally more stable, and the standard calm warm-up will eventually
commence.
While the Gulf Coast fishers’ total trout take might have been reduced over
the last few days, it’s still plenty good on the flats near Steinhatchee,
Cedar Key, and Homosassa.  Anglers casting a variety of artificial lures
near these ports last weekend managed fine numbers of nice fish.
Things have been a bit tougher lately near Suwannee, where suspended algal
glops that many locals refer to as ‘gumbo’ have temporarily messed fishing
up.  The ‘gumbo balls’ drift throughout the water column, fouling line and
lure.  Even out on Spotty Bottom, where big trout and mackerel should be
presently easy to find, the quarter-size green clumps are wreaking fishing
havoc.  Fortunately, these blooms do not typically last for very long.
Just a short distance to the south of Spotty, on Seahorse Reef, Cedar Key
anglers continue to enjoy fast fishing for big schools of mackerel,
bluefish, and ladyfish.  And some of the baddest pelagics of all are in
place and ready for battle.  Scott McCann and friends pulled 11 cobia from
one Cedar Key channel marker Saturday, and couldn’t stop a 12th fish that
looked to be better than 4-feet long.  Even though 9 of the ling the
Gainesville fishers boated were sub legal, this report should fire up area
cobia fans.
The East Coast report is more positive these days, although some of the
fastest-biting species such as jacks, ladyfish, and blues won’t excite all
anglers.  Everyone will be pleased that flounder catches are again picking
up---and fishers casting to lighted boat docks at night are hooking some
very large trout.
The 50-fish limit catches of bluegill and shellcracker on Orange, Lochloosa,
and Newnans Lakes came to an abrupt end following last weekend’s full moon. 
A few fair (15-to-30 fish) tallies have been reported since, but the
combination of chilly nights and the less-favorable moon phase have clearly
slowed the panfishing.  A handful of favorable bass reports have come from
Rodman and Santa Fe Lakes and from the Suwannee River, where good-sized
largemouths are taking slowly-fished soft plastics.  The huge annual bass
tournament benefiting the Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville will
be held at Palatka on Saturday the 20th, and a couple hundred of the
competing boats will likely make the trip through the Buckman Locks into
Rodman.  And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

05-09-06 
Weekend weather forecasts promised nice conditions, but a stout breeze off
the gulf again had the last laugh, forcing scores of boaters to cancel---or
at least alter---angling plans.
It was a bit amusing to see offshore boats nearly thirty feet long casting
for trout on the flats Saturday, but the adjustment was understandable. 
Doug, Alex, and Andrew Stringfellow and I fished in four-foot swells on a
deep trout spot near Seahorse Key, so it must’ve really been rough out in
the big water.
The funny thing is that the largest and most seaworthy vessels that did make
it out to the grouper grounds fared quite well in the pitching seas.  Frank
Kowalczyk and Ken Bedford made it all the way out to water 100-feet deep in
Frank’s 31-foot Cape Horn Saturday morning.  At that depth, they hauled in 5
big gags from 15-to-18 pounds, plus the head half of another.  When the bull
sharks showed up, the men eased back in to 90-feet of water.  Here, they
boated 4 nice red snapper before “about a hundred barracuda” forced another
move.  A spot in 80-feet of water produced only short grouper.  It was late
afternoon when the pair anchored on a spot in water just 39-feet deep. 
Here, they saw the only other boat they would encounter all day---and
finished fine grouper limits.  Actually, they were a half fish short of a
full limit, but as close as they could legally be.
Bill Benson, Danny McDonald, Ted Nollinger, and Ray Sontag made it well off
Crystal River Saturday morning in a 29-foot Triton.  In water 85-feet deep,
however, they found the seas too sloppy for bottom fishing.  The four Ocala
anglers responded to this adversity by putting out Mann’s Stretch 30 lures. 
Rigged with thin Spectra line and set far back behind the big Triton, the
deep-running lures made it close enough to the bottom to attract 17 very
sizable grouper by 1:00 pm.  In fact, their best three gags were extra-stout
specimens measuring 39, 38, and 36-inches.
Inshore action was very good as well, as our party took a nice 4-man limit
of Cedar Key trout to 22-inches, plus three nice redfish.  We cast Saltwater
Assassin jigs under Cajun Thunder floats to take most of the fish.
Steinhatchee and Suwannee trout catches were also good Saturday and Sunday. 
And Monday, Michelle and Richard Vaughn fished with Homosassa Captain Chris
to boat a pair of nice cobia, three keeper reds, and a whopping 27-inch
trout.
Freshwater catches locally were topped by the limit and near-limit catches
of big bluegill on Newnans Lake’s south end.  Heading to work Monday morning
on Lakeshore Drive, I counted six bream fishing boats crowded in one section
of flooded bushes.  Tuesday morning, eleven boats were dropping grass shrimp
and crickets in the same spots.  As the May moon waxes, bluegill should
congregate even more.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

05-02-06 
All things must pass, and in the spring of 2006 the old Tackle Box building
became just a fond memory for thousands of Gainesville anglers and
residents.  If our society placed more value on the really important aspects
of life, the sixty-year-old block structure would have been preserved and
placed in the National Registry of Historic Places.
The new Tackle Box is nice, with plenty of room for fishin’ stuff and a
great atmosphere—and we’ll work hard to help it someday carry the same
deep-rooted, heart-and-soul fisherman’s character.
But enough about old memories.  We want to catch fish right now.
Yet another windy and unseasonably chilly weekend kept gulf fishers from the
fast-biting speckled trout and mackerel.  The few that did crash out through
the sizable waves to Seahorse Reef and Spotty Bottom found fish, but
struggled to fish effectively.  At least one group of Suwannee anglers was
able to whack easy limits of big Spanish Saturday.  They were just a short
distance from the river mouth at Pelican Reef when they saw the large school
of fish chopping the water to a froth.  This is a popular spot among
redfishers, but it’s pretty unusual to find lots of mackerel there.
Cole and Debbie Childers were able to make a great Horseshoe Beach catch
Saturday by staying close to shore.  The pair set up drifts--running in to
water two-feet-deep, and then letting the southeast wind push them back out
to the 5-foot mark.  As they drifted, the Gainesville couple cast white
Berkley Gulp! Shrimp on jigheads to take impressive double-limit of trout to
23-inches.  They also boated lots of sand trout up to 14-inches and fooled
several Spanish with Skitter Walk topwater lures.
Crystal River anglers also found lots of near-shore mackerel in the windy
conditions, and the found bigger bites as well.  Several cobia were taken to
port at Pete’s Pier, on Kings Bay---the largest weighed at 34-pounds.
Freshwater reports from the weekend were even scarcer, as hot weather-loving
bluegill apparently all-but refused to bite.  The bream strike was,
fortunately, very temporary.  By Monday, big catches of Newnans Lake
bluegill were coming in again. The waxing moon in May traditionally brings
the best bream action of the year, and as the weather settles, panfishing
should improve quickly and dramatically.
Another very good freshwater happening is the ongoing run of striped bass at
Rodman Dam.  Shorebound casters are hooking quite a number of good-sized
stripers with both shiners and artificial lures.  Most seem to be in the
7-to-10-pound range.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

April

04-25-06 
The late spring season often brings the best all-around fishing of the year.
  Although spring-like weather seemed to be with us for an unusually brief
spell in 2006, the early turn into summer is again accompanied by
on-the-water success stories to tug at every angling soul.
One of the best seasonal indicators in the North Florida fishing world is
the wholehearted arrival of the nomadic predators of the gulf.  Just a few
days ago, Spanish and king mackerel, bluefish, and cobia all showed up quite
suddenly in the Gulf Coast waters nearest Gainesville.  Reports for the last
two weeks or so have been inspiring, to say the least.  Great mackerel
catches have been numerous on two of the traditionally-best mackerel grounds
in the state---Seahorse Reef off Cedar Key and Spotty Bottom off Suwannee. 
Anglers casting or trolling jigs and spoons are locating Spanish of all
sizes in these areas---and are connecting with lots of kings as well.  While
Seahorse and Spotty have accounted for a large number of kings, most folks
targeting the sleek speedsters are doing so in a zone aptly called “the
Kingfish Hole.”  In water about 25-feet deep, it’s roughly in between the
two top Spanish hotspots.  A large number of fish in the 20-pound class were
taken there over the weekend.
Cobia numbers are increasing and, although no monster fish have been
reported to date, some fishermen have caught as many as a half dozen ling in
a day---up to about 30-pounds.
Nearer shore the standby shallow favorites, trout and redfish, remain in
good supply and continue to bite shrimp and jigs with grub tails well.
Freshwater results might not be quite as showy as all this, but bass and
bluegill action is solid in several area lakes.  Bass fishers working
Orange, Lochloosa, Santa Fe, and Rodman are still scaring up quite a few
bites with soft plastic lures---and smaller ponds are producing some trophy
fish.  Harry Drake stopped by the store Saturday with a 9-pound, 10-ounce
beauty he had just pulled from a Melrose lake with a spinnerbait.  The
Gainesville angler was understandably excited saying, “It’s my biggest bass
ever, by far.”
Some cane pole fishers have located New Moon bluegill beds on Orange Lake. 
Monday, Glen Blake fished grass shrimp near Bird Island to take a very fat
50-bream limit.  John Courtney filled 50-bluegill limits both Monday and
Tuesday in a secret Orange Lake grass bed.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

04-18-06 
It’s always interesting to watch as the springtime sun awakens various
lakes, rivers, and stretches of coast at different rates---causing, of
course, perplexing inconsistencies in angling fare.  Water depth and clarity
and bottom composition are major factors that cause neighboring waters to be
at opposite ends of the slide scale in terms of fishing productivity.
A very good example at present is the comparison of recent reports from the
Yankeetown/Waccasassa stretch and from Cedar Key/Suwannee waters.
Locals blame dark water in Waccasassa Bay for very slow redfish and trout
action.  But Crystal River marinas are looking for a different cause for one
of the worst-ever early-spring seasons on their very-clear flats.
The Cedar Key and Suwannee flats, on the other hand, are loaded with not
only the usual suspects like trout---warm-weather favorites such as mackerel
and cobia have also put in a major appearance.
Bill Enneking and Ed Oehmig, veterans of many Cedar Key Spanish mackerel
runs, headed for Seahorse Reef Saturday morning.  As they approached the
east end of the big, sandy expanse, they spotted an acre of fish---many
clearly leaping Spanish.  At first, the Gainesville anglers thought that the
Spanish were feeding on baitfish.  Then, they realized that it was the
Spanish that were being eaten.  A massive school of kingfish had the Spanish
rounded up and were slashing through their smaller cousins in the
ultra-clear water.  The first couple of fish the men hooked in the melee
broke them off.  The next jig flung into the fray produced a 10-pound king. 
Oehmig said, “It was an awesome sight—birds were diving all over picking up
pieces of mackerel that were floating about.”  Oehmig and Enneking then left
the marauding kings for their primary target---Spanish on the reef, proper. 
There, the fast action continued and the anglers filled their 30-mackerel
double limit of fish from 20-to-28 inches.
Weekend freshwater fishers pulled in fine bluegill and shellcracker from
Orange, Lochloosa, and Newnans Lakes.  Bill and Myrna Jones of Citra boated
47 big Orange Lake bream, Steve and Theresa Whitener took 40 from Lochloosa,
and John Courtney filled an impressive 50-bluegill limit Saturday on
Newnans.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin from The Tackle Box

04-11-06 
Windy, rough conditions spoiled what could have been the prime pre-full moon
weekend to usher in the year’s favorite fishing season.  Now, anglers look
to the coming weekend that falls a couple of days after the moon.
The pesky bluster made things toughest on saltwater fishers, cutting out
offshore grouper trips and limiting excursions for redfish, trout and
sheepshead.  Just enough reports came in to give us the idea that the
Steinhatchee, Horseshoe Beach, and Suwannee flats remain the best for trout
action.
While their fish-catching effectiveness was lessened by the approaching
nasty weather, freshwater anglers scored pretty well on Orange and Lochloosa
Lakes.  Lochloosa panfishers choosing crickets for bait fared best---and the
bugs also produced some surprises.  Alberta Taylor pulled a 26-fish mix of
bluegill, shellcracker, and warmouth from Lochloosa Saturday; while Doris
Sellers docked with 18 big panfish.  Johnell Young managed 24 bream Saturday
and then 24 again Sunday.  Crickets accounted for each of these catches.
Steve and Teresa Whitener docked with 40 bluegill---but the real surprise in
the Whiteners’ live well was the massive three-pound speckled perch that,
like the 40 bream with it, found a cricket too tempting to resist.  The
folks at Lochloosa Harbor thought this an amusing anomaly.  But just then,
Tony Pankey eased up to the dock with a 2-pound, 2-ounce speck of his own
that had just eaten his cricket in the south end Lochloosa pads.  Specks
don’t really go for crickets as a rule, but that’s what makes fishing such a
great sport.  Nobody ever really figures it out.
Clear, spring-fed area rivers also continue to offer excellent fishing. 
Bass anglers casting Texas-rigged soft plastic lures are enjoying fast
action on the Suwannee River.  And redbellies and stumpknockers on the
Suwannee, Santa Fe, and Ocklawaha are big and hungry.  James Dampier has
taken several successful panfish trips to the Ocklawaha lately.  Saturday,
with his fetching fishing stories, the High Springs angler convinced his dad
to join him on the river.  In his first fishing trip in ten years, Jimmy
Dampier helped James fill a double 100-fish limit of big redbellies and
shellcracker in just a few hours.
That’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

04-04-06
This is often a wetter season, with flooded gulf rivers and tannin-stained
coastal shallows.  No such problems this year.
Following an unusually-dry March, the trout flats from Homosassa to
Steinhatchee are as clear as a bell, and catches in these shallows continue
to improve each week.  Excellent trout reports are steadily coming from
Steinhatchee, Horseshoe Beach, and Suwannee; and from Crystal River and
Homosassa.  Curiously, the stretch in between has come around more slowly. 
Waccasassa Bay and Cedar Key trout stories, though, should catch up with
those from the other coastal destinations very soon.
The annual “sheepshead slaughter,” (so-called by some because of the
over-generous 15-per-person-per-day limit,) is in full swing.  Pretty much
all natural and artificial reefs off the Gulf Coast are loaded with hungry,
spawning sheepshead.  The “slaughter” part is even more fitting this season.
  Anglers on Hedemon Reef this week offered disturbing reports of commercial
fishers cast-netting the thick-as-fleas fish in-between the anchored
hook-and-liners.
Although some anglers are having reasonably impressive offshore success with
grouper, more are struggling.  In fact, the apparent grouper shortage has
many anglers and marina operators wondering just how devastating last years’
nasty and prolonged Red Tide outbreak really was…
The recent dry spell has water levels in local lakes falling perceptibly. 
Fortunately, we entered this season in such good shape that the rain
shortage has not really caused problems.  Speckled perch catches are, as
expected, dwindling---as takes of various bream increase in every area lake.
  Bob and Sharon Goodwin of Mt. Dora did prove that good speck tallies are
still available Sunday afternoon when they pulled 17 fish up to 1-pound,
10-ounces from lily pads on Lochloosa’s south end.  The Goodwins used
crappie jigs in white and chartreuse with minnows added.
In the clear Suwannee and Ocklawaha Rivers, the redbreasted sunfish are
bedding.  That is, of course, the technical name for the well-loved fish
that locals fondly call the “redbelly.”  Fishing earthworms and crickets,
James and Beverly Dampier of High Springs pulled 90 of the pretty panfish
Sunday from the Ocklawaha.  James said, “They were all bigger than your
hand.”
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

March

03-28-06
Many expected the just-passed weekend to be a real barn burner for fishers. 
While the breezy and chilly conditions held it a bit short of those
expectations for most, a few outstanding catches were made in both fresh and
salt waters.
The catch that everybody’s talking about was made by veteran anglers, Capt.
Jim Keith and Bob Heron in a 29-boat Orange Lake bass tournament Saturday. 
Fishing plastic worms, the pair boated a jaw-dropping 5-bass limit that
weighed just over 35-pounds.  An 11.61-pound lunker anchored the
nearly-unbelievable catch.  Keith’s son, Stephen, along with partner, Daniel
Robinson finished second with another giant limit weighing better than
27-pounds.  After first and second, the catches became more ordinary---the
third place team had 18-pounds.
There were no eye-popping results during the MDA Tourney at Rodman the same
day---18 pounds was the top weight there.
Panfishers continue to pull nice bunches of bluegill, shellcracker, and
speckled perch from Orange and Lochloosa.  The speck seekers that refused to
give up on the late-to-spawn Lochloosa crappie were rewarded with top-notch
weekend catches.  Fishing minnows in the shallows, the Smith family from
Ocala bagged limits of thick specks in short order Saturday.  For the
record, a goodly number of the biggest Lochloosa specks waited all the way
‘til the late-March New Moon to do their thing.
Although no full, 50 fish limits were reported, good weekend bluegill and
shellcracker tallies also came from both Orange and Lochloosa.
The chilly winds had a more negative effect on coastal fishers.  By Monday,
however, things were nice again and great catches, again common.  A Georgia
trio about to head back home from Steinhatchee finally located a sweet area
Monday afternoon near Grassy Island.  Casting floating Mirrolures, they
quickly boated big trout limits that included a pair of thick, 25-inch fish.
Steinhatchee Capt. Steve Etts could again put his party on fish comfortably
Monday---and they returned from Steinhatchee Reef with 20 sheepshead up to
6-pounds.
And the most amazing East Coast catch in a long while occurred Saturday when
a Summer Island (at Summerhaven) resident reportedly pulled in an 18-pound
gag grouper.  “Nice fish, but not so amazing,” you say?  Well, consider that
this guy caught the big gag from his boat dock!
As water temperatures rise and winds ease off, April promises to offer this
area’s best fresh and saltwater action of the year.  Don’t miss it!
That’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

03-21-06 
It’s never too hard to recommend good fishing spots during spring.  A
visitor with no knowledge of local waters could cast his favorite lure
nearly anywhere right now and expect to have something swing at it.
There are, of course, better spots and baits than others….so here’s this
week’s rundown.
Fine bass reports have come from numerous area lakes, such as Orange,
Lochloosa, Santa Fe, Alto, Rodman, Crosby, and Hampton.  The bass spawn is
fully in progress, and anglers should concentrate in and around shallow
cover casting weedless lures like soft plastics.  Also, the
reproduction-minded largemouths should be promptly released to continue
their important job.
It seems that the last of the big, spawning speckled perch are finishing up
in the same shallows.  Most have, by now, scattered back into open water. 
Fortunately, bluegill and shellcracker have already wholeheartedly taken
their place, and now are the panfishers’ top target.
Lively weekend activity on Newnans Lake reminded locals of the early
eighties---back when it ranked very highly on everyone’s fishing list. 
Currently, Gainesville’s closest major lake is producing bluegill best. 
Fishers dropping crickets and red worms around flooded trees and bushes are
pulling in bream that most anglers can’t hold with one hand.
Lochloosa bream action is also heating up.  Friday evening, Steve Marshall
eased his boat out to a grass bed just a few feet from his launch
point---Lochloosa Harbor Fish Camp.  Fishing crickets and worms, he pulled
in twenty bluegill in one hour.
Near-shore Gulf waters are awakening at least as dramatically.
Most speckled trout seekers---from Homosassa to Horseshoe---were excited
about the big numbers of trout present on the grass flats.  Fishing Gulp!
shrimp under rattling floats out of Horseshoe Beach, one four-man group
boated over 200 trout.  While most were just sub legal, they did ice limits
of fish up to 22.5-inches.
Capt. Jon Farmer’s weekend party from Valdosta caught a pile of big sand
trout and sheepshead off Suwannee to go with their speckled trout limits. 
Yes, the annual sheepshead free-for-all has begun off Suwannee, where the
banded brawlers are finally ready to bite.  More than 40 boats were anchored
on Hedemon Reef Sunday—and lots of rods were bent toward big sheepshead.
Still no mackerel or cobia reports from Cedar Key, north….but….a 42-inch
kingfish came to dock at McRae’s Marina on the Homosassa River Sunday; and
another McRae’s customer said he released an undersize, 30-inch cobia.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

03-14-06 
While the best saltwater action is still a few weeks away, prime fishing
time has arrived in North Florida fresh waters.
Cane pole and light tackle fans are finding it necessary to take bait for
both bluegill and speckled perch, since they’re about equally apt to find
either ganged up in pads or grass.  Fine panfish catches have come from
Orange, Lochloosa, Newnans, and several smaller lakes and ponds since the
weekend.
Among the results relayed to us here at the store were limit tallies of 25
Orange Lake specks on Tuesday by Camille Graubman, Barry Berringer, Tom
Kuehn, Mike Driver, and Al Malin.  Impressively enough, the five were all
fishing minnows out of the same pontoon boat.
When April Maxey dropped her first grass shrimp into Orange Lake pads
Sunday, a fat, 1-pound bluegill promptly grabbed it.  The Ocala teen went on
to, along with friend Richard Butcher, pull in 14 more big bream.
Stephen and Latona Foster drove from Starke to the Family Tradition Fish
Camp on Cross Creek for bait Thursday; then took the grass shrimp all the
way back to Lake Sampson.  The long drive to find the scarce bait proved
worthwhile, as the couple boated 40 very nice bluegill.
It is time for bass fishers to be on their game as well.  The Bassmasters of
Gator Country Club held its monthly tournament Sunday on Orange and
Lochloosa Lakes.  While there weren’t big numbers of fish weighed in, Todd
Baker wowed the members and spectators on hand with a 12.85-pound monster
largemouth he took in Lochloosa with a plastic worm.  Baker only caught one
other bass, but still won the contest.
Bespeckled trout haven’t yet fully reclaimed residence on all the gulf’s
shallow grass flats---but there are plenty in some areas, and numbers are
increasing out of every port.
The Crystal River flats proved to be quite fertile during the recent “Trout
Masters Tournament” held out of Pete’s Pier.  The largest single trout was
4.9-pounds, and the top 5-trout limit weighed in at 13.8---both pretty
impressive catches.
Grouper action last week was said to be on the slow side, and no warm-water
species such as cobia and shark have been seen.  Although anglers have found
a handful of Spanish mackerel off Homosassa and Crystal River, it appears
that none (or few) have made it as far north as Cedar Key.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

03-07-06 
It’s finally obvious that the season has changed in North Florida---even
though the first day is officially a couple of weeks away.  Oh, we’ll still
have a few chilly nights here and there---and surely a big dose of March
wind remains; but the fish seem to agree that it looks and feels like spring
is here.
Panfish specialists are finding plenty of late-season speckled perch and
early-season bream in area lakes.  Larry Brown and Clint Rutledge pulled 20
nice specks from Lochloosa Thursday.  Jamie Howard had a fine 51-fish mix of
Orange Lake bluegill, shellcracker, and specks Sunday; and Sanka Miller and
Lonnie Harris combined in Monday’s stiff breeze to snatch 53 bluegill and 33
specks from Orange.  Gene Scott and Roderick Morten of Gainesville stopped
by The Tackle Box Monday afternoon with a great cooler full of big bluegill
and shellcracker weighing up to 1-pound, 6-ounces.  The Gainesville anglers
fished grass shrimp on Rodman Pool near Kenwood Landing.
At the start of March, a bunch of gulf anglers headed for the Steinhatchee
creeks and flats to resume their speckled trout-catching following the
February closure.  For the first couple of days, most were disappointed. 
Since then, though, the Steinhatchee and Horseshoe Beach trout have been
more than cooperative.  Bobby and Vida Dix left the Steinhatchee River at
11:00 Monday, and returned at 1:30 with ten nice fish.  Al Lancaster and
Keith Bailey had both trout and redfish limits three days running—Thursday,
Friday, and Saturday.  And along with the outstanding limit brought in
Friday by Cooter Reed and Barney Perry was an eye-popping 27.5-inch trout
that weighed over 7-pounds.  That’s the kind of trout a hundred or more
anglers will be seeking when the March 18 Steinhatchee Community Fishing
Tournament rolls around.  They will be interested to know that Reed took the
whopper with a yellow Mann’s Sting Ray grub.
Several anglers have reported trying live shrimp, the normally-ultimate
trout bait, without success.  The shallow trout are presently showing a
distinct preference for more flashy artificials.
The Gainesville Offshore Fishing Club’s “Sheepshead Shootout,” held
Saturday, saw its usual rough conditions.  Unfortunately, the fish-catching
was sub-par as well.  John Peacock boated the day’s best fish at
4.75-pounds.  Folks are reporting lots of fish in place on the offshore
reefs where the sheepshead spawn annually.  So far, though, the banded
brawlers have been very tough to tempt.
Sheepshead in the East Coast’s inland waterway are a bit more willing.  
Tight-lining fiddlers Sunday, Matt Wrann pulled 11 fish up to 6-pounds from
the Highway 206 Bridge pilings.  Wrann says that East Coast flounder catches
are on the increase, and that big whiting are still plentiful in the surf
and near the mouth of Matanzas River.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

February

02-28-06 
“Specks” are still receiving a large share of angling attention these days
from both salt and freshwater fishers.
The fans of coastal fishing are more excited than usual about the March 1st
reopening of speckled trout season in North Florida.  The reason for the
added buzz is the unusually-large number of big fish that were caught right
up ‘til the last day of their open season January 31st.  To boot,
catch-and-release scouts have had little trouble finding big trout in some
zones---and airboaters skimming across the Steinhatchee shallows confirm
that there are plenty of big trout awaiting March anglers.  As is often the
case, the clear flats at the extreme reaches of our Big Bend coverage area
seem to hold the best numbers of big speckled trout.  In other words, it
looks like Steinhatchee and Homosassa trout fishing is about to ‘go off.’
While speckled perch did spend a few days in the Orange and Lochloosa
shallows, it is unlikely that this was the season’s final speck spawn. 
Still, the folks that really whacked the Lochloosa crappie Saturday found
the concentrations outside the lily pad beds.  Bruce and Steve Tinney fished
minnows in Lochloosa’s south end bonnets Saturday morning with only fair
luck.  When the Gainesville brothers moved out into water 7 feet deep,
though, they found more and bigger fish.  Keeping only larger fish, they
finished with 30 slabs.  The most interesting thing about the Tinneys’ good
catch was that, when they filleted the big specks, they found that all but
two were females carrying very well-developed roe.  Looks like another major
speck spawn is coming---and probably soon.
Bass action is also picking up on Orange and Lochloosa.  Sunday’s Bass
Champions Senior Tour saw two outstanding five-bass limits---one weighing
nearly 24-pounds and the other pushing 23.  The winning teams flipped worms
and craws in vegetation.
Bass stories from Rodman and Santa Fe Lakes have been strangely slim lately.
Back to Gulf fishing---the Annual Gainesville Offshore Fishing Club
“Sheepshead Shootout” coming up this weekend should reveal how abundant the
Big Bend spawning sheepshead are out on natural and artificial reefs. 
Contestants can launch from any port---so catches could come from anywhere
from Homosassa to Steinhatchee Reef.  Word on these and all other offshore
fish has been scarce lately thanks to dependably windy weekend conditions.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

02-21-06 
Unwilling to allow the speckled perch spawn to pass undetected (as it
sometimes does,) some dedicated fishers have endured freezing winds for
weeks without even a bite to show for it.
Others, perhaps more wisely, have simply awaited ‘the word.’
Well, here it is:  The wholehearted move by speckled perch into the shallow
cover in some area lakes appears to have finally begun.  Delayed ‘til now by
ill-timed cold fronts, bunches of big spawning crappie have finally been
located in Orange, Lochloosa, and Newnans Lakes over the last few warm days.
Typically a short-lived event, the speck spawn always produces an impressive
flurry of heavy-bodied slabs.  Don Boggs boated a 2-pound, 4-ounce Lochloosa
whopper Friday; and Mr. Turner, fishing minnows from his Lochloosa boat
dock, pulled in a hefty 2-06 Sunday afternoon.  Von Nix weighed a 2-08
Orange Lake slab Sunday, and Annette and Larry Burnham of Lake City showed
off a 2-06 Monday at A Family Tradition Fish Camp on Cross Creek.  Although
they did not weigh it on tested scales, Mike Mutti and Josh Beckwith brought
in photos of an immense speck they caught in Orange Lake’s south end with a
Road Runner spinner.  The pictures are excellent---and this fish had to be
better than 3-pounds.
While we’ve seen no Newnans Lake fish over 2-pounds, several folks fishing
minnows from shore at Powers Park have pulled nice specks onto the bank.
It seems a tad early, but bluegill and shellcracker catches are already
building on Orange and Newnans.  Dallas Douglas and Glen Blake fished grass
shrimp in Orange Lake pads Saturday to fool a fine 25-fish mixed bag of
bream.
Grouper are king in this week’s Gulf Coast report.  Although Saturday was
breezy inshore, anglers reported nice conditions offshore---and hungry fish.
  Fish boxes containing big gags were seen at Steinhatchee, Suwannee, Cedar
Key, Crystal River, and Homosassa.  The good catches came from as shallow as
30-feet of water off Homosassa---and as deep as 70-feet of water off
Suwannee.  Most of the offshore fishers we talked to said that the trolling
bite was best with Stretch 30 lures.
East Coast anglers continue to report steady action for redfish---and for
bluefish that are now running up to 3-pounds.  The surf fishing action,
though, remains the best bet here.  A Devils Elbow customer bought frozen
shrimp Saturday morning and headed over to the beach.  In just an hour and a
half, he returned with 44 good-sized whiting.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

02-14-06
February’s Full Moon, much anticipated by area crappie fishers, came and
went without the great fishing that many expected it to bring.  Of course,
that it arrived alongside this winter’s toughest blast of cold spelled doom
for the anxious anglers.
Although Friday dawned with sub-freezing temperatures, it warmed quickly and
turned out to be the best fishing day within a few days of the moon phase. 
Still, the best crappie tallies we know about came from unlikely spots along
Prairie Creek and Camp’s Canal, between Newnan’s Lake and Payne’s Prairie.
Bass anglers also found the fishing to be good Friday.  Those fishing just
ahead of the BFL tournament out of the St. John’s River at Palatka docked
after the practice day with great hope for their chances in the season
opener.  The February weather turned, however, and weights the following day
were generally low in the chilly wind and rain.  One angler did have an
outstanding day.  Casting Carolina Rigged plastics in the river, Mike
Jackson of San Mateo bagged a 5-bass limit that pushed the scales all the
way to the 22-12 mark.  Jackson’s best two fish weighed 8-05 and 8-04.
The month of February is considered by many to be the worst fishing month on
the Gulf Coast—and it has been living up to the reputation.  Few anglers are
even trying to fish here---but folks expecting the sheepshead action to
crank up any time have offered a bit of hope.  Several claim to have found
big concentrations of the square-toothed prizes on offshore reefs.  They
just haven’t figured out how to make ‘em bite.  And that’s actually fairly
typical early spawning-season fare.  This is one gulf bite that shows signs,
at least, of being close to ‘prime.’
Speckled trout are out of season in North Florida waters---but a few anglers
are keeping track of the fish at Crystal River by practicing
catch-and-release.  They are preparing for the Trout Masters Tournament
coming up at Pete’s Pier on March 4th.  Last year, the turnout for this
event was big---and so was the 100% payback purse.  For more, call Pete’s
Pier at 352-795-3302.
On the East Coast, sheepshead, redfish, and bluefish are still biting
well---but the best all-around bet here might be the whiting that are
abundant in the surf above and below Matanzas Inlet.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

02-07-06 
The annual speckled perch spawn is almost like the lottery—lots of people
think they have a system or rule to help them correctly time it, but few
actually manage to be on the water when the event occurs.
If you’ve ever really been on the right spot (usually around shallow pads,
grass, trees or brush) at the perfect time (usually just ahead of spring,)
you know why so many have given so much thought to the possibility of making
it happen again.  It’s a blast---the best slab-catching bonanza of the year.
Over more than half a century, plenty of theories have been heard around the
minnow tank at The Tackle Box.  You hear of the crappie making their
collective move to the shallows when the water temperature reaches a certain
mark—or when a particular plant first buds or flowers.  “Full Moon in
February” is sure a good bet….and “first week in February” is also a fairly
common axiom.  Of course, for this year, that one can go in the trash.
The folks that bet on the “first week in Feburary theory” have already
packed up and headed home disappointed.  The cabins at Lochloosa Harbor were
full through that week, but nobody really found the roe-laden slabs.
The azalea just starting to bloom in mom’s front yard, and the month’s Full
Moon is just a few days away.  Someone will get it right.
Fishing out of A Family Tradition Fish Camp on Cross Creek, Larry Clukey and
Jim Glancy each pulled in nice speck limits Monday---but in Orange Lake’s
deeper water. Clukey’s fish bit in the morning, while Glancy had his luck in
the afternoon.  Both men used crappie jigs with minnows added.
Doris Sellers also docked with 25 nice crappie, while Alberta Taylor was
looking to buy a landing net after losing a massive slab at boatside.
With speckled trout season closed for February, angling activity is very
slim along much of the Gulf Coast.  To date, the sheepshead that annually
begin to spawn on reefs just off Cedar Key and Suwannee about now have yet
to make their presence known.  The sole area that has produced any number of
open-water sheepshead is just off Homosassa.  Fishing shrimp, Capt. John
Bazo and friend boated 18 here Monday.
Reports from the inland waters along the East Coast are a little more
promising---redfish are again active on the shallow, grassy expanses,
sheepshead and flounder specialists are faring well, and small bluefish are
abundant for the folks that simply like to feel a tug at the end of the
line.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

January

01-31-06
The solunar tables and fishing almanac predicted that last weekend would not
be a good one for fishing.  As is usually the case, the publications were
correct.  Some anglers showed, however that it’s never good to stay home
solely on account of unfavorable lunar forecasts and tide phases.
Although the weekend did bring mostly-sub par fishing, a few outstanding
results were reported.
Speckled perch were quite scarce on all local lakes, but young Erik Clark
would recount his crappie-catching experience Sunday with great exuberance. 
Casting chartreuse and white Beetle Spins with dad, John, in Orange Lake,
the 7-year old hauled in a good portion of the dozen nice fish they took
home.  The biggest three weighed 1-05, 1-04, and 1-03.
Over on Lochloosa, Jim Long fished minnows Saturday to take 15 good-sized
specks.
Crappie action on Newnans, Rodman, and Santa Fe Lakes had been gaining on
the Orange and Lochloosa success---but no weekend reports came from any of
the three.
Speckled trout season is now closed on both North Florida coasts, and will
reopen March first.  John Palmer braved a stiff breeze Sunday to take one of
the last good Steinhatchee trout catches before the closure.  Fishing live
mud minnows near Rocky Creek, Palmer hauled in a fat 25-inch trout that
weighed 6-pounds.  He also took a 24-inch red and released another 22.5-inch
trout.
Fishing shrimp on the bottom Saturday in Johnson Creek, Clay Hodges caught
what looked like a redfish.  Further inspection, though, showed the fish to
be a croaker---and by far the largest the Gainesville angler had ever seen. 
Monday at The Tackle Box, the fish would weigh 3-11 on tested scales.  The
World Record is 3-12.
Redfish action has been spotty in Gulf creeks, and not a lot better on the
East Coast’s inland waters.  Nice sheepshead catches have come from
Suwannee-area creeks, but the offshore spawning on natural and artificial
reefs has not really commenced.  Suwannee Capt. Jon Farmer tried for
sheepshead on reefs 20-to-25 feet deep Saturday, but did not catch one.  (He
did, however, load up on big black sea bass, a few pinkmouth grunts, and one
grouper.)  The only Big Bend sheepshead spawning seems to be happening off
Homosassa, where hard bottom in water just 10-to-12 feet deep continues to
produce catches of from 8 to 15 fish.
Bluefish are so thick that Matanzas anglers are complaining that they cannot
fish for reds, trout, or flounder without their unwanted strikes.  Check out
Matt Wrann’s account of Wednesday’s trip with his friend, Daniel Joslin: 
“We wanted to fish for reds, but the blues would take our mud minnows right
away.  So we finally settled for sheepshead fishing, since the blues
wouldn’t bother the fiddler crabs we fished on jigheads.  But when a
sheepshead took our bait, a blue would grab the bare jighead as we wound it
back to the boat.  They ran about two pounds apiece.  When we got the fish
in, there would be 4 or 5 more with it.
I can think of worse problems………….
That’s this week’s report.  Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

01-24-06 

Usually, speckled trout action on the Gulf Coast has slowed drastically by
late January---and catches this season have pretty much followed that
pattern, dwindling over recent weeks.  One area, though, continues to
produce near-astonishing numbers of nice-sized trout.
The trout bite at Steinhatchee is most unusual—and not only for it’s
excellence during a time frame that rarely produces great action.  The
strangest thing about the ongoing Steinhatchee trout bite is that these fish
are, mostly, outside the river on shallow and chilly flats.  In past years,
speckled trout have avoided cold shallows like the plague.  This month they
have fed heartily in water as cold as 48-degrees.  Saturday, Cooter Reed and
his wife, Faith, boxed a Steinhatchee trout limit that included two
nearly-identical 5-plus-pound fish.  They cast Mirrolures on a flat just
outside the river mouth.
Gulf anglers in larger vessels also have located excellent fish over the
last few days.  In water 65-feet deep, Bill and Lance Avera and Tommy Waters
trolled Mann’s Stretch 30 lures Saturday off Suwannee to take an eye-popping
boxful of fish.  Their first catch of the morning, a 26-pound kingfish,
rightly surprised the trio.  After all, few folks would expect to hook a big
king off Suwannee in January.  Following that pleasant shocker, things
slowed drastically as they tried to locate grouper.  Finally at noon, one
wild, 20-minute flurry produced three grouper—each a huge, 20-pound fish. 
And another whopper broke a split ring on a red-and-white Stretch 30.
Off Homosassa, Butch Huey and friends took 15 sizable gags in water only
20-feet deep while fishing herring.  And Homosassa residents, Tom Turvaville
and Michael Birdsong pulled 10 thick sheepshead from a near-shore spawning
spot.
Weekend bass fishing was tough on Orange and Lochloosa, but crappie fishers
again hauled in lots of good catches.  James Dampier took 20 specks in to
Lochloosa Harbor Saturday---every fish over a pound.  Sunday, Richard Lee
came in with another big 20-speck catch.
Ralph Porter docked at A Family Tradition Fish Camp on Cross Creek Saturday
with a whopping 2-pound, 6-ounce speck.  If that sounds familiar, it’s
because Porter had a 2-06 last Saturday, as well.  Being stuck on 2-06 is
not a bad problem to have if you’re a speck fisherman.
Over the last few days, two of our fishing friends passed on to the big pond
in the sky; and we close this week’s report by bidding a fond farewell to
Mr. Stanley Hales of the Old Carraway Landing on Lochloosa and to Mr. Ed
Ogle.
Mr. Stanley passed while sitting in his chair last Thursday at his beloved
fish camp.
The accident that took Ed’s life occurred at Steinhatchee, where he was
undoubtedly enjoying the outstanding trout fishing just ahead of the
February seasonal trout closure.
We will miss them both.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

01-17-06 
It’s probably a very good thing that windy cold fronts keep anglers in check
through much of this season.  Good for fish stocks, that is.
Every January, cold weather creates several outstanding fish-catching
opportunities.  Both of the most avidly-sought freshwater species (bass and
crappie) are heavy-bodied, preparing to spawn, and positioned in deeper
water near spawning territory to do so.  In saltwater, speckled trout are
congregated in any spot along the Gulf Coast that affords them a degree or
two of additional water warmth.  Offshore, grouper have limited forage in
the cooler depths, and are especially hungry.
The only thing keeping area fishers from totally having their way with these
tasty and sporty favorites is the weather.  Of course, serious winter
anglers make the most of the brief periods of nice fishing weather that do
come around.
Sunday was a nice day, and saw about 20 boats drifting the grass flats just
south of the Steinhatchee River.  If not for the jackets and long-sleeved
shirts worn by the fishers, someone watching a video of the scene might have
thought is was a May morning.  The trout were there, but bites were a bit
scarce in the 50-degree water.  Doug and Andrew Stringfellow and I saw
several fish caught, and we boated a half dozen good-sized trout ourselves. 
It still seems strange to me that trout should be active in such cold
shallows; but it makes sense that they only seem to be on the flats near the
river, or just outside some of the larger Gulf creeks.  Our bites came with
suspending Yo-Zuri lures.
Although most of the top speckled perch catches are still coming from deep
water, a few anglers have noticed increased activity in the shallows during
the evening hours.  That’s a sure sign that the crappie spawn is near. 
Thursday, a Gainesville angler weighed a set of 2-pound, 6-ounce twins at
Lochloosa Harbor.  He had just pulled the big specks from water 10-feet deep
while trolling a jig/minnow combination.  Ralph Porter of Gainesville
stopped by The Tackle Box Friday with a great bunch of fish he had just
taken from Orange Lake.  His four best specks weighed 7-pounds, 13-ounces,
with the biggest one going 2-06.  He also had a dinner-plate bluegill that
weighed 1-pound, 1-ounce.  Porter fished jigs, grass shrimp, and minnows in
lily pads near Cross Creek.
Fishing a plastic worm in a lily pad bed on New Year’s Day, Roy Brown
caught, weighed, and released the largest Lochloosa bass we have heard about
this century.  The brute Brown hooked on the first day’s last cast weighed
12-pounds, 2-ounces on his hand-held digital scale.  Now, that’s the way to
start the year.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

 01-03-06
Weather-wise, 2006 began beautifully.  A pair of warm and reasonably-calm
days gave lots of anglers good starts to a fish-catching year.  Following
the nice spell, a wave of heavy thunderstorms pushed through to further
ensure excellent lake levels in the months to come.
Predictably, the top weekend speckled perch catches came from Orange Lake,
where the ongoing speck explosion continues.  In eye-popping succession,
huge New Year’s Weekend slabs were flopped onto the weigh scales at A Family
Tradition Fish Camp.  Saturday afternoon, Joe Lyons expected to sneak a fat
2-pound, 4-ounce crappie under wire for the fish camp’s monthly ‘big speck’
prize.  He couldn’t have figured, though, that a larger crappie that day had
tugged the camp’s scale down to the 3-pound mark.  Amazingly, Mike Baker of
Silver Springs boated his second three-pounds-even super slab in five weeks
while slow-trolling a plastic-tailed crappie jig with a minnow added.  Baker
said that, according to his GPS, he caught the monster speck “within 25-feet
of the last one.”  There are veeery few Florida speck fishers that can
honestly say they have caught two three-pound perch in their lives---and an
awful lot of locals would love to know where Baker’s spot is.
Two days later, Larry Jones set a tough-to-beat January mark for crappie
seekers out of the Cross Creek camp with a 2-pound, 10-ounce speck he
enticed with a minnow.
Lochloosa crappie also seemed easier to locate over the weekend, but their
average size remains smaller than the fish being pulled from the lake at the
other end of Cross Creek.  Bass have been relatively scarce in both Orange
and Lochloosa, but anglers soaking shiners and casting soft plastics have
reported much-improved largemouth action on Rodman.
Saltwater anglers continue to score big trout and redfish catches----but the
fish are concentrated and tougher to locate than during warm weather.  For
trout, anglers should head to Steinhatchee or to Homosassa---the extremes of
our Gulf Coast coverage area.  In between, results are hit-or-miss, with
more missing than hitting.  Redfish, on the other hand, seem most plentiful
in-between.  Waccasassa, Shell Mound, and Suwannee creeks and shell bars are yielding plenty of spottails to folks casting both live and artificial Gulp!
shrimp.
Offshore anglers are very pleased with the numbers and size of the grouper
they’re locating when the weather cooperates.  Good catches in less than
40-feet of water have all-but ceased now off most ports, but apparently,
good near-shore fish can still be located off Homosassa.  Sunday, Capt. Bill
Musser and party fished Spanish sardines in water 35-feet deep to box 17
legal grouper---all but a couple, gags.  And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.

All fishing reports are written by Gary Simpson, (c) 2006