Thursday, July 31, 2014

                            




10 Common Mistakes In Fishing Line Care


Everyone knows that your fishing line is the most critical link between you and the fish. The slightest imperfection can mean the difference between landing that big fish or being spun into a fit of foul obscenities. After all, is there a more empty feeling than breaking off a big fish, especially on those days when the bites are few and far between?
But caring for your line is probably more about lacking laziness than anything. We get in a hurry, racing from spot to spot, and we often just try to get our rods strapped and ready to run as quickly as possible. Those few seconds of haste can really damage your line and cause a weak link in the chain between you and the fish.
So we thought we should give guys a heads up on some of the common ways fishing line is damaged. Here are 10 things we commonly find anglers guilty of when it comes to compromising fishing line.
1. Missing an eyelet – This seems like such an easy one to overcome but we’ve found with the emergence of microguides that the frames have small gaps between the frame and the actual eyelet. And the eyelet itself is very minuscule. The combination has lead to several rods we’ve seen over the last few months actually have the line running between the frame and the eyelet rather than through the eyelet. We don’t have to tell you how scraping on the sharp edge of those frames can damage your line.
2. Lures strapped too tight – Adding a hook hanger to rods really gave anglers a way to store their rods neatly with baits already attached. However we’ve seen a lot of rods stored in this manner with big kinks in the line. The reason is they attach the lure to the rod and then ratchet down the reel as tight as possible. The top eyelet is pinching a groove in the line as the rod is stored. The longer it is stored, the worse the kink can be, and now there is a weak spot in the line. The solution is to simply not fasten the line down so tight. With the advent of Rod Gloves you really don’t have to tighten everything down so much. Even if the lure pops loose, the Rod Glove keeps it in place.
3. Bird’s nests – we all get them, even professionals. If you fish enough, you’re going to get that “professional overrun” on your reel. It’s no big deal, but as you pull and pick it at, it often pulls loops in the line into points, and the pull against them again creases the line and makes a weak spot. It also will lead to further backlashes as that crease has a tendency to resist as it goes through the line guide. Obviously reels have a lot of mechanisms to control backlashes, but nothing works better than your thumb. The tendency to let the reel handle the line is what leads to backlashes. Train your thumb to be more sensitive and be mindful of changing situations like turning into the wind when casting to avoid more overruns.
4. Rushing knots – This is one place a lot of compromises in fishing line occur. A lot of anglers will get in a hurry to get a new lure tied on or the same lure retied (which is good practice) that they don’t wet the knot and cinch it down quickly causing a friction and burning that can break down the strength of the line. When tying your knots, avoid twisting or overlap in your knots, pull them tight slowly to avoid friction and always wet your line before cinching it.
5. Not retying often enough – We have a tendency when the fishing is fast and furious to just keep casting without ever checking our line. That can be a real problem when the bigger fish are biting. The deeper a fish takes a lure in its mouth, the more the line has opportunity to rub on the rough teeth. Just pinch the line between your fingers and run it from the lure up a foot or two and check for nicks after every fish to avoid that errant break off.
6. Not changing enough – Fishing line doesn’t last forever. That mono from last season is not going to be as good as it was last season. The cheaper the line, the more you need to change it too. Today’s more advanced lines like braid don’t have to be changed as much as fluorocarbon and monofilament. The weather, heat and light can all have effects on the line. If your line is feeling brittle, breaking easily and not casting smoothly you need to put fresh line on before you have a costly mishap.
7. Stored under lights – heat can have effects on fishing line, but studies have shown that light seems to do even more to breakdown fishing line. If at all possible, try to store all your fishing line in a cool dark space. That will prolong its life and keep it fishing like new.
8. Hooking lures to your reel – This is another one of those quick fixes we do when we’re running around on the lake. Not only will the lures scratch your reel, but they digs and nicks in the reel can compromise fishing line. Not to mention a hook swiping back and forth against your spool of line and line guide has the potential to knick your line as you bounce down the lake. Use the hook hanger on the rod. A scratched rod is better than a nicked line.
9. Reeling lures into top guide – this may be one of the biggest pet peeves we have with anglers not caring for their equipment. Nothing will damage a top guide more than reeling a lure into and running down the lake. With advances in weights like Tungsten, a very hard object like tungsten rattling against ceramic as you run down the lake is a recipe for cracking, chipping and breaking of the top guide on your rod. And nothing cuts line like a damaged top guide.
10. Overlapping line – this is a little less common, but we’ve seen instances where line spooled on a reel has been a combination of loose and tight spooling and actually spooled on lopsided so that the line had a tendency to crisscross on top of itself. Then when you wrench it down under the weight of a heavy fish or snag, the line digs into itself making creases and kinks that compromise the line. Try to keep even tension on the line when spooling and keep your tension centered on your rod to get a nice even spool on your reel.
Obviously there are other ways that fishing line is compromised, like fishing heavy cover. It’s imperative to check for nicks, creases and imperfections in your line. If it starts behaving differently like not casting as smoothly or backlashing more, it’s time for a fresh spool of line.
What other ways have you found that line gets damaged?
                                        Catch 365

                     "Think a little bigger..."

While the idea of "matching the hatch" has a long proven fish catching history...sometimes a bait just a little bigger than the prevailing food source will trigger a bite faster.
For Example...When predators have glass minnows packed tightly along the beach a DOA Lures Baitbuster is often the answer to grabbing the attention of hungry tarpon.
Great photo from D.O.A. Fishing Lures

Sebastian Inlet Report



07-31-14 THURSDAY: SLOW BITE AT THE INLET 

We have another beautiful summer morning at the inlet. Winds are blowing out of the South-Southwest at 5 mph, gusting to 7 and there is a moderate chop on the water. The NOAA forecast is calling for 1' seas today, which is also the last day of lobster mini-season. 

We received and update from Mike Ricciardi of Vero Beach who fished the north jetty yesterday morning and reported a very slow, hot morning. Arriving at the north jetty at 6:15 a.m., Mike had no problem securing greenies for the morning activities. Unfortunately, there were no activities! Out of 8 or 9 anglers, two people landed one Snapper each and that was all. Mike fished for three hours and left empty handed, which tells us that the fish just aren't biting, Mike rarely leaves without a fish. The hot weather affects the fish like it affects us; they get lethargic with the heat. The bite is usually better during the summer during low light periods or night time. 
Shaun Vasey sent in our  photo today. Shaun was fishing the south beach in the A.M. when he hooked up with this nice 36" C/R Snook. Shaun reported this fish was a lot of fun to catch on light tackle. After a quick photo, it was put back into the ocean and it swam off strong. 

From Whites Tackle - Ft Pierce / Stuart

   Photo courtesy of Hai Truong @ urbananglermiami.com   lure the "Sebile Ghost Walker"


Inshore the red have been up to the north around Harbor Branch with a few trout mixed with them.The beach fishing has slowed down a little with everyone diving but should pick up Friday.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Sebastian Inlet Report


07-30-14 WEDNESDAY: MANGROVE AND MUTTON SNAPPER, SPANISH MACKEREL, JACKS, REDS, C/R SNOOK AND TARPON 
 It's a gorgeous morning at the inlet. Winds are blowing out of the Southwest at 5 mph, gusting to 7 and there is a light chop on the water. The NOAA forecast is calling for 1' seas today with a chance of showers and possible thunderstorms, but it looks like a perfect morning to get out and do a little lobster hunting. Mini-season is today and tomorrow. Regular season will begin August 6th through March 31st. Please take the proper tools for measuring and familiarize yourself with the FWC regulations. We've been seeing Mangrove Snapper, a few Mutton Snapper, Jacks, Spanish Mackerel, C/R Snook, Reds, Tarpon, a few Blue Runners, Margate and Permit. Fishing has been typical for summer, long lulls of nothing hitting and a few surprises along the way. The fish seem to be more active during the evenings and low light periods.  
Our photo today is of Marcos Rivera of Kissimmee sent in this photo of a nice Tarpon he landed off the north jetty Monday night. Marcos was free lining live mojarra and reported this fish put up a great fight. She jumped out of the water numerous times trying to break loose but Marcos and his buddies were able to net her just before she straightened the hook. Sounds like a great fight! Right after the photo, Marcos released her to grow up to give another angler a good fight! 

Tuesday, July 29, 2014


If anyone is looking for a nice guided trip here on the Treasure Coast. Get in touch with my buddy Jayson Arman owner of That's R-Man Land Based Fishing Services. He is running a killer special through the end of the Summer. Buy One Get One extra person on trip for Free. That's right you can get a 2 person trip for the price of one. (100.00) Ive personally fished with Jayson. He truly understands our rivers and can offer you a great experience. 
                               Catch 365



                                               "Hi Speed or Low"
Gear ratios are important to consider when buying a reel. The gear ratio is the number of times the spool rotates around with one complete turn of the handle.
As a general rule of thumb:
High gear ratios (over 6 to 1) are great for lures that require fast retrieves, but often are somewhat lacking in power.
Low gear ratios (under 5 to 1) pack a lot of power and torque, but are lacking if it is necessary to get kind back on the reel quick.

From Whites Tackle - Ft Pierce / Stuart



The beach fishing has been ok with a few tarpon and a few permit mixed in swimming down the beach. Inshore the trout fishing has been ok at first light and late in the afternoon, The snook have still been in the inlet on the out going tide.

Monday, July 28, 2014

Sebastian Inlet Report



07-28-14 MONDAY: MANGROVE SNAPPER, MUTTON SNAPPER, SPANISH MACKEREL, BLUE RUNNERS, JACKS, REDS, C/R SNOOK 

We have another beautiful morning at the inlet. Winds are blowing out of the West-Southwest at 8 mph, gusting to 13 and there is a light chop on the water. The NOAA forecast is calling for 1 - 2' seas today with a chance of rain.

Over the weekend we had a good Mangrove Snapper bite but we also saw some Mutton Snapper come in as well. REMEMBER: Mutton Snapper must be no less than 16", not 10" like the Mangroves. Be sure to know your fishing regulations, Tommy Turowski at the Sebastian Inlet Bait and Tackle Shop reported that a few folks thought the size limits were the same, they are not. Sports writer Bill Sargent wrote an excellent article in Sunday's Florida Today on Tommy, hope you had a chance to read it. Tommy reported that big Jacks, a few nice Spanish Mackerel, some small Margate, a few big Reds and C/R Snook were landed over the weekend. There were also some little fish that were landed like Lookdowns, Blue Runners and a Parrotfish. 

Mike Ricciardi of Vero Beach fished the north jetty on from 6:30 - 10:00 until the sun got pretty intense, and reported that at least one person landed their limit of Mangrove Snapper, Jimmy Winter. Other inlet regulars landed 3 - 4, Mike landed 3. Mike reported a lot of Needlefish were in the water, along with mojarra and greenies. A large school of Barracuda, 9 were counted at one interval, kept anglers on their toes along with the 3 - 4 Goliath Grouper that were lurking under the jetty! As Mike arrived, there were a group of anglers who had fished the night shift and they had 3 large Permit in the 20 - 25 lb. range. Mike also reported that an angler, who was fishing for Mackerel landed a Flounder in the 16" range. 

Our photo today features 8 year old Jacob Palmer of Jackson, TN. Jacob was fishing the north beach using clam flavored Fishbites when he landed this good sized Black Drum. We don't see many Black Drum landed during the summer months, great job Jacob!

                                                    Catch 365


                           "Do you even jig?"

When it comes to catching snook on a flair hawk, especially big snook, the best retrieve is often very slow and near the bottom.
Keep a good supply of jigs on hand, because when your fishing them right you will no doubt be loosing some.
Start with basic colors (White and pinks for clear water. Chartreuse for dirty water) and build your color selections from that point.

Friday, July 25, 2014


Choose the Right Hook for the Right Fish


This is an article that will help you to know your fishing hooks. It will explain what hooks are, what each one does, and how to choose the right hook for the fish you're going to try to catch.

What is a Fishing Hook?

You can catch fish without hooks, obviously. Among the artifacts archaeologists find at sites where ancient people lived (before they received a light bill from the electric company), hour-glass-shaped stones are often found – particularly if there are large bodies of water around. They were used as weights on nets woven from vegetable fibers. And along with those weights we find fish hooks. The earliest of fishing hooks were known as "Gorge" hooks. A big stinky chunk of something dead was wrapped around the hook-carved (mostly) bone artifact, and a fish swallowed it, hook, line, and sinker. Fish were also channeled into tight man-made channels where we live, and nets dropped behind them. It's likely that the first fish was hit with rocks or found dead. That might sound disgusting, but it's the truth; the first meat-eaters ate what something else killed first and left behind. Hooks have been around for a very, very long time.
Modern hooks made of steel are simply copies – refined, but copies nonetheless – of the same shapes and physical characteristics of the ancient ones we estimate to have showed up 10,000 years ago on coastal sites around the Gulf of Mexico, and in sites in the Pacific Northwest. Hooks made today – while made of modern materials – have the same characteristics of hooks made in bone those many thousands of years ago.
Do you know the difference between hook sizes? Or shafts? Or gaps? The way hooks are built make one size perfect for one species and completely wrong for another. The hook on the left (below) is a hook that will catch just about anything, but is commonly used to fish small live bait, like: shrimp or scaled sardines (what we call "whitebait"). The hook on the right is more appropriate for large fish like offshore species, including grouper and American red snapper. You can catch big fish with small hooks but it's very hard to catch small fish with big hooks. Fish aren't the smartest of sentient beings that we eat, but they're not completely stupid, either. The more natural a bait appears -- natural but slightly injured -- the more likely it will become the target of the predators you seek. But if that bait acts unnaturally (like it would if it was dragging a giant metal hook) it does not look appetizing to the fish.
Hooks-sizes-compared

What do Fishing Hooks Do?

Well, fishing hooks hook fish, of course. That might sound stupid, but as you will see there are a number of different shaped hooks, and if you intend to release a fish without harming it, you might want to choose what's called a "circle" hook. But if you're trolling a long piece of squid or a live threadfin sardine or goggle-eye bait for marlin in tropical waters, that same circle hook will slip out of the fish's mouth nine times out of ten exciting strikes. So a hook is used to catch fish, but if you have no intentions of keeping it at all, pick what we call "circle" hooks. (More on that in the next section).
Hooks-Definition

A circle hook and its parts.

Picking the Right Fishing Hook

Hooks come in different sizes and shapes. Let's look at the most popular ones you're likely to encounter in recreational fishing. There are a couple that are a little different that are used by commercial fishermen and women on both longline as well as "vertical" (with a rod and reel just like us) anglers, but for the sake of this site, we're only going to talk about hooks used for fishing our way: recreational.

What is the Point?

The first thing to remember about hooks is that all points -- the tip that actually enters the fish and allows you to set the hook -- are different. There are two categories. One is called aNeedle Point -- which means it is sharp but round, much like the point of a needle. The second kind is called a Cutting Point. These are more triangular when you look down at the business-end of the point. We prefer the triangular cutting-point hook, but both work well as long as you keep them sharp.

The Eye of the Hook

The next important difference between otherwise similar hooks is how the eye is positioned relative to the shank of the hook. If it is just an extension of the shank, and parallel to the shank, it is called an Inline eye, and the hook an inline hook. If the eye is offset, the hook is said to be an Offset hook. And each of the two eyes require a different knot. To tie a hook to the leader on a parallel, or inset eye, use a loop knot. If you are using an offset eye, youshould use a Snell knot -- which keeps the line going through the bent-eye and parallel to the shank. Use the wrong knot on the wrong hook and it will not set as well.

Circle Hooks

Circle hooks are the most popular hook, and are called Circle hooks because the barb is curved inwards slightly to create a round shape. This ensures that when a fish eats the bait, the hook will not (usually) get hung up inside the fish's throat, stomach, or intestinal tract. You can imagine that there would be a big difference in the long term injury if a hook is embedded in the animal's soft internal tissues, rather than if it slips into their mouth – where our predators regularly crunch things like fish bones, whole fish, and even crabs and barnacles they eat off of seawalls. A circle hook should be your choice of hook when you are using live or dead natural bait, and even some of the naturally-flavored and naturally-smelling soft plastic baits. That's a circle hook in the image above, with the definitions attached to it, like "Bend"and "Barb" and "Shank", "Point" and "Eye". The definitions need no explanation, we hope. Those elements are the same on all hooks.

J-Hooks

Hooks-J-circle
The J-Hook is different than a circle hook, in the following ways:
  1. It is not shaped like a circle because it's barb and tip are not bent in towards the shaft.
  2. Because they're shaped like the letter "J".
J-hooks are the oldest hook shape used by recreational anglers, and are still – by far – the best hook to use if you are trolling live bait behind a moving boat. The shape of the hook and the fact that the barb doesn't point inward dramatically, improves the percentage of hits you get that will end up actually setting the hook and catching a fish. If you're trolling live or dead bait, use J-Hooks.

Treble Hooks

Hooks-Treble
Treble stands for Three, and treble hooks are made from three "J" hooks with their shafts welded together. They're the perfect hook for artificial lures like swimming or topwater plugs. You do not use them on lures that touch the bottom, because they easily get stuck on anything from you to the shirt you're wearing to the ears on people on your boat or anybody withing the distance your rod can reach with three or four feet of string on it connected to a very dangerous collection of hooks. If that was too long a sentence, be careful using these things; they will catch anything and everything including yourself and the fish. It is close to impossible to get one out of a fish without killing the animal or at least dramatically reducing the chances it's going to survive.

Speciality Hooks: Worm Hooks

Hooks-WormHooks-Barbed-Connector
We will call these "Worm" hooks because they work so well for largemouth bass fishing.
With a long "rubber" (actually plastic, but called by many old-timers rubber worms) shape much like an Earthworm, bass lures benefit greatly from the offset shank on these specialty hooks. But largemouth bass are not the only fish attracted to artificial lures made from soft plastic. A wide range of saltwater lures will work best if rigged on hooks like this. In fact, the very popular – and very effective – rig called the "Texas" rig is, in fact, designed to attract saltwater fish using these lures originally designed for freshwater. The red one on the right has a barbed point connected to the eye of the hook. You stick this into the soft plastic bait, and sink the barb into the body. It's a good idea to let the point stick out when you first put the lure on the hook, and then "back it in" a little bit so it avoids grass or other junk in the water. If a fish squeezes the lure even a little bit -- which it will if it picks up the bait -- the tip/point of that hook will easily slip out of the plastic and into the fish's mouth. It's a trick developed by worm guys fishing for largemouth bass, but holds completely true for modern steel.

Specialty Hooks: Long Shanks

Hooks-Long-Shank
Long shank hooks like this one are best-suited for fish that have very toothy mouths, and can reach above the bait or lure to cut the leader they're attached to. This happens a lot with fish like Mackerel -– both Spanish as well as their bigger cousins the King Mackerel. But they also work well to hold a bait and keep it straight on simple bottom rigs like the Fishfinder, where a long-shank hook often works best for longer baits, like a strip of fresh or frozen squid (an outstanding and very effective combination for all saltwater species because of smell and presentation near and on the bottom).

Understanding Hook Sizes

Below is a picture of two hooks and the hook scale guide -- one an old and somewhat rusty 'J' hook, and the other a less-but-still-rusty circle hook with an offset eye. I got the picture from the collection of images we have laying around. They might be too rusty to use on a snook, but for this article they are fine.

Hook Scale and Sizing

7  6  5  4  3  2  1
1/0
2/0  3/0  4/0  5/0  6/0  7/0

Back to the hook scale guide. I just ran it out to #7, which is very tiny and 7/0, which is very large. Hooks get as small as a #20, which we cannot see without a magnifying glass. Or a 20/0 or more which is a hook larger then a human hand. 1/0 is the median of the hook scale. So if someone tells you they are using a #4 hook, it will be very small. If they say we are using a 4/0 it is pretty big.
Hook size should be based on the size of your bait most of the time, and not necessarily the size of the fish you are going to catch. There are exceptions to that. The most common hook we use for all around inshore fishing is the 1/0 (the median). It is good for most inshore baits and all species inshore like snook, reds, trout and so on. I am helping to design a bunch of hooks for inshore and offshore fishing.

There is a lot to know about hooks such as the difference between a cutting point and a needlepoint. The gauge of metal and its penetration qualities. How it is forged. Which type to use for what species. If the circle hooks or J-hook has an in-line or offset hook point or even a offset eye. You have to use certain knots on offset eye hooks or the hook will not be as effective. Or should you use a circle hook or a J- hook. All depends on many variables.
One thing to remember is companies that make hooks have different tolerances and hook point gaps. The bite, the throat and gape of selecting a hook is as important as any piece of your fishing equipment.
If you buy an Owner hook at 1/0, and buy a 1/0 hook from Eagle Claw, the hook point gap is different.
Here is a list of terms you will see on hook packages. There are more, but this is a good list to learn. The next step is to learn to apply them to the fishing situations that each should be used for, which is covered in the article linked here.
  • Circle hooks
  • J-hooks
  • Kahle hooks
  • Needle Point hooks
  • Cutting Point hooks
  • Long shank hooks
  • Short shank hooks
  • Light wire hooks
  • Heavy wire hooks 2x, 3x, 4x etc. (thickness of the metal)
  • Offset eye
  • Offset hook point
  • Stainless hooks
  • Hardened forged hooks
  • Chemically sharpened
  • Open Eye hook
  • Needle Eye
  • Ringed hooks
  • Trailer hook
  • Barbless hooks
  • Holding its edge or point
    The Right Hook for the Right Job.
In closing, there are a few things to remember:
  • Use Circle Hooks unless you have a good reason not to. Good reasons are soft rubber lures, where the specialty "worm" hooks make the lure work best, and trolling, where J-hooks out-set circle hooks 10-to-1.
  • Use smaller hooks than you might think you need. Big fish will eat baits and be perfectly landed with the tiniest of hooks. You can catch a 10-lb. Rainbow trout on a #24 hook if you wrap black thread around the hook and make it look and act like a little black sugar-ant. You will not catch that fish in that gin-clear water with a 1/0 like we use to catch a 10-pound snook.
Hooks-Ancient
Hooks have not really changed much since ancient people living around water used them in fresh water or salt, deep water or shallow. They tied hooks together, they carved them out of bone and stone, and they wrapped and braided and chewed and tied hafting materials to the parts and the hook, put bait on them, and suck them into waiting waters. In Florida we find every species we target now -- and a lot we do not consider edible -- at the campfires of paleolithic hunters. As the ice ages came to an end, and the big animals started to get scarce and then extinct, fish became their primary source of protein in many cases. Learning the difference between different hooks -- and indeed fishing itself -- goes way back. Enjoy it.
  • Keep hooks sharp! Dull hooks do not set well. Keep a stone so you can keep them sharp.
  • Use only bronze hooks whenever possible. Stainless steel hooks take too long to rust enough to fall out of the fish's mouth. A bronze hook rusts quickly -- so much so, in fact, that if they're even slightly dampened (especially with salt water) or too humid where they're stored, they will rust. Rusty hooks are bad for you, and should be thrown out whenever you notice that they're rusted. Dispose of them safely, too.
  • Learn about removing a hook stuck into you or a friend. Unless they're really badly sunk into a muscle, they're pretty easy to take out. To learn how, click here.
  • Buy in bulk. A pack of 25 hooks can make the per-hook cost half of what it is if you buy a six-pack. Buy them in bulk packs of at least 25 or more. You will lose them.
  • Use the lightest hook you can for the species. This is disputable, and granted, you will have some big fish bend a light wire hook, but if you're having trouble getting fish to bite in very clear water, a lighter wire hook will often make the difference and draw strikes during difficult feeds. We list the best hooks and tackle for each species we talk about, so you should be able to match the hook to the hookup.
  • Pick the right hook. Do not use Treble hooks with bait, and do not replace single-hooks on topwater lures to save fish. The lure will not work the same, and its effectiveness will be diminished. The best lures in the eyes of many anglers are jigs – bottom lures that have lead or metal heads and wire J-hooks attached inside the head. They bounce, they make noise, and they will hold a live shrimp as quickly and easily as they will hold a piece of plastic painted-up to look like a shrimp. Use the right hooks for the right conditions. Use long wire shanks if you're fishing kingfish, and use circle hooks for whitebait.

From Whites Tackle - Ft Pierce / Stuart

 Inshore the trout fishing has been good to the north of north bridge in the mornings and evenings with a few reds mixed in. The beach fishing for snook and tarpon is still steady if you can find the bait you can find the fish. 

Sebastian Inlet Report

07-25-14 FRIDAY: MANGROVE SNAPPER, C/R SNOOK, JACKS, LOOKDOWNS, SPANISH MACKEREL AND BLUE RUNNERS 

We have a stunning morning at the inlet. The wind is blowing out of the Southwest at 6 mph, gusting to 8 and there is a light chop on the water. The NOAA forecast is calling for 2' seas today and 1 - 2' seas tomorrow. Today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday) are the last days of open season for Red Snapper and it looks as if we will have good conditions, there's always a good chance of rain this time of year. Always check the NOAA forecast prior to going offshore. Lobster mini-season will be July 30th and 31st; it will close, and then reopen August 6th - March 31st. While you're down there, if you see any Lionfish, feel free to get rid of them! The invasive species are harmful to our environment; they have no known predators other than man. There are no size restrictions or bag limits on Lionfish; we need to eradicate them from our waters. See FWC Lionfish for instructions on how to catch, kill, handle and clean the species. Their spikey spines are venomous and should be avoided. Their meat is not poisonous and is supposed to be very tasty. Go to www.myFWC.com for information on Lobster mini-season and Lionfish instructions. 

Mangrove Snapper are the best bet for our jetty anglers. If fishing from the jetties or shoreline, use light tackle with shrimp, minnows, cut bait, small pieces of squid, mojarra or greenies. Popping flies and surface plugs also work inshore. We've seen some big Reds and a few keepers, C/R Snook, Jacks, a few Blue Runners, Spanish Mackerel and Lookdowns. Permit have been scarce. 

Thursday, July 24, 2014

You Got To Know How To Hold Them




                                                              Catch 365

                               "Beach Snookin, Part 6
                                    Video Wrap-Up"






From Todd / Eric @ Juno Bait -Juno Beach

INSHORE- Catch and release snook fishing is still very good inshore right now.  Lots of big fish around the bridges for those spending time throwing flair hawks and swim baits.  Mangrove snapper are around the bridges that are holding small pilchards.  Fish at night for the best luck on the snapper.  Other inshore action is again spotty at best.  Fish early, late, or at night to beat the heat and find the fish most active.


SURF/PIER- Lots of snook cruising the beach right now.  Look for the snook moving north or south in the first trough.  Don't be surprised to see a 20lb snook cruising in just a few inches of water.  The Juno Beach Fishing Pier is finally holding a fair amount of baitfish.  With the bait schools should be some blue runners, jacks, bonita, and a few spanish mackerel.  Lots of snook hanging around the pier right now as well.