Expect good things to happen this month as the water continues to warm in the gulf, bays and backcountry. And if spring’s any indication, the fishing for the rest of the year should be awesome. Everything is eating and we’re catching plenty of fish. The redfish, snook and trout bite should continue with the big mackerel filling in the gaps. You also might get the opportunity to hook into a nice cobia on the flats. Snapper should be strong throughout the bay… so check the artificial reels.

You can expect the snook bite to continue particularly as the water gets warmer. Fishing tidal grass flat’s, passes, or cuts from upper Tampa Bay all the way to Sarasota will prove productive. When entering an area don’t stop on top of the fish, a few hundred feet away is plenty and fish your way in closer if needed. If you’re a live baiter, remember snook and scaled sardines are a perfect match. MirrOLure Top Dog lures also prove very productive and offer plenty of topwater excitement.

Spotted Sea Trout or Speckled Trout fishing continues to improve especially as the bait begins showing up on the flats. Look for lush grass flats with deep and shallow areas and plenty of sandy potholes. Try the DOA artificial shrimp under a popping cork… it works great.

Redfish are here and should begin settling in for the summer. Check your favorite oyster bars, cuts and broken bottom grass flats. The last of an outgoing tide should raise those black dotted flags as the fish begin to move out of the mangroves onto the shallow flats. Wading is often the best answer to a stealthy approach in shallow water but either way try to keep a low profile as you approach schooling reds. If the school gets spooked, just wait they usually will not move far and circle around especially if they’re feeding. Greenbacks and silver dollar size pinfish work well as live bait. Here’s a tip: If you’re using live bait and have some dead ones, cut them up and throw them around the boat. If Redfish are in the area the scent could bring them to within casting distance. Remember, a redfish can hear you change your mind… so being quite is the number one key to success.

Give Me a Call & Let’s Go Fishing (813) 477-3817

We have four seasons in Florida – Almost Summer, Summer, Still Summer and Christmas. But thanks goodness it’s almost summertime and fishing’s looking great for April.

I’ve had an awesome last three months catching nice spotted sea trout using shrimp and artificial lures. It’s always nice not having to throw the net for awhile. We had some really great days with trout measuring in the low to mid 20” range along with a few redfish, bluefish, some pompano and sheepshead.

Coming in April snook can be found around docks, bridges, mangrove islands, oyster bars or any other ambush spot. You often hear me talk about topwater action well this is a great month to a good topwater lure punched out of the water by a big snook. It’s also a great time to fish docks and bridge fenders at night. Any good lipped lure tossed at a lighted structure and ripped through the light line will produce everything from snook, redfish, trout or the occasional grouper.

Expect the trout fishing on any decent grass flat to be strong through the rest of the summer. Jigs with a plastic tails or shrimp free-lined or under a popping cork with do the trick. And don’t be surprised if you don’t pull up a nice pompano off some the sandy flats edges or in the beach surf.

Redfish are a staple of the area and you can expect to catch plenty from now right through the summer. Live baits or artificial it’s all fun tussling with these fighting dynamos. Targeting areas along the flats, edges of breaks and oyster bars should produce some nice fish.

Snapper, sharks, mackerel, bluefish should begin showing during the month of April especially when the large schools of threadfins show up.

Give Me a Call & Let’s Go Fishing 813-477-3817. If you want to catch fish, have a memorable adventure or perhaps learning some new fishing tips give me a call. I also specialize in group or multi-boat charters. Tell me what you need and leave the rest to me. Fishing Florida for over 50 years I offer professionally guided fishing and teaching charters around Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Bradenton, Sarasota, and Tarpon Springs. If you’re interested in booking a trip, please visit his website CaptainWoodyGore.Com or call at: 813-477-3814.

March can be a tough time to catch fish since it’s basically a transition period for cold fronts that result in fluctuating temperatures. However, informed anglers will use their skills to increase the March fishing action.

During this unsettled period, the majority of fish are still found relatively deep particularly around rivers, inland flats, bays and coves. Although the situation can be complicated, it’s not impossible to put the odds in your favor. You must consider a variety of factors when locating fish during this changeover time.

Chasing fish for years, I spend the majority of time in March poking around broken bottom grass flats. Broken bottom is simply a grass flat with plenty of sand or shell pot holes. Another ideal location which offers a feeding zone is a shallow bay or cove located off a grass flat, but near a deeper channel. Then should the temperatures drop, it offers a safe sanctuary from the cold. Fish like snook are usually still in transition from deep water and these are great areas during March.

Occasionally, we get to enjoy some milder weather as spring approaches, the sun out, the winds are calm, and the fish begin moving onto the flats. For best results, try fishing at the top of a falling high tide concentrating your efforts on areas of nervous water, oyster bars and structure; looking for sandy pot holes holding snook or reds pushing water. Start out by easing along the shore and with a little luck you’ll be able to flip a jig into a pot hole or cut off a slow-moving redfish.

If you’re starting out and looking to purchase the right inshore tackle, don’t go too heavy when making your choice. Keep it simple and choose a light or medium spinning reel, 15 pound braided line, fluorocarbon leader and a matching 6 ½ to 7 ½ ft. light to medium-action rod. Next, rig up with a white, new penny, or green/white soft plastic jerk shad or shrimp body threaded onto a 1/8 or 1/4 oz. jighead.

Fish this combination fished with a slow retrieve or twitching action around and over pot holes or oyster bars will certainly attract attention and a strike. Other than that, if you prefer watching a hungry fish crush a topwater lure, you can certainly find this heart stopping action on shallow water grass flats. Recently, I acquired a new bait from a company named Thunder Baits Unlimited, Inc and have fished them recently on several redfish trips. They manufacture several diving and topwaters baits. The action on their Saltwater Model 601 is unbelievable. With a slow retrieve the bait leisurely wobbles back and forth one to three inches under the surface and leaves an incredible wake for the fish to follow. I had great success fishing this lure and we’ve caught redfish, snook and some really nice trout. With topwater lures the heart pounding strikes are awesome, but the anticipation is unnerving.

Give Me a Call & Let’s Go Fishing 813-477-3817. If you want to catch fish, have a memorable adventure or perhaps learning some new fishing tips give me a call. I also specialize in group or multi-boat charters. Tell me what you need and leave the rest to me. Fishing Florida for over 50 years I offer professionally guided fishing and teaching charters around Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Bradenton, Sarasota, and Tarpon Springs. If you’re interested in booking a trip, please visit his website CaptainWoodyGore.Com or call at: 813-477-3814.

Snook: – There are greenbacks at the Skyway. Net some and there’s a good chance you can find a snook willing to eat them. I’ve been finding them back around docks in deeper water with muddy bottoms. I’ve also had several good days tossing diving or suspending lures around inshore canals, creeks and rivers.

Redfish – If you’re looking for bait the skyway is loaded with greenbacks and you normally don’t have to chum. Just throw into the shadow line and you’re usually done in one throw. I had several good Redfish days on the north and south end of the bay. Live or dead bait under a cork and you should get a good bite going.

Spotted Sea Trout- The trout bites been on fire all winter and should continue through February. There are some really big fish hanging around shallow water pot holes. And on negative winter tide, wading is the best bet with a tote full of good size shrimp. A good incoming or outgoing tide is usually the trick as they seem to eat better on moving water. Don’t be surprised when trout fishing with jigs if you catch several pompano. We’ve landed several nice fish this winter.

Cobia & Sharks – Last week I saw a few cobia cruising the warm water discharges near power plants and actually found a couple on the flats around the manatees. One was swimming under the big mammal and you could hardly see it. It seems there are always plenty of sharks, jacks, and ladyfish hanging around the power plants and they offer some first-class wintertime action.

Sheepshead - If you’re after these tasty fish the key places are bridges, pilings, docks, oysters and rock plies. Rig up with a #1 hook, small weight and a piece of shrimp, oyster or mussel, scrape the pilings and you’re in the game. Be ready… there are some really nice fish coming from around the bridges. “Give Me a Call & Lets Go Fishing”

Snook – You can still catch a few but if the water temperatures are lower than normal you need to look to muddy bottom inshore canals, creeks and rivers, deepwater docks. Occasionally you’ll find them on the sunny side a bank lying in the sun but you can usually forget about getting one to eat. Try targeting other species during the winter and give the snook a break, after all they normally trying to survive cold water temperatures.

Redfish – You can usually find redfish during the winter and sometime cut bait or artificial lures are your best bet. Again look around docks during the cooler months.

Spotted Sea Trout – Plenty of trout showing up and they are legal from January until November. Grass flats with moving water is the best, however some rivers and deep water channels hold smaller summer trout. Shrimp always produces but its more fun using soft plastics or topwater lures.

Mackerel, Cobia, Sharks – The power plants are the place to look for cobia and sharks during the winter months. But be alert as other species frequent the warm water discharges. During the winter months on the flats we still get the occasional mackerel and plenty of bluefish, ladyfish and jacks.

BE PREPARED… IT’S COMING

Falling temperatures mean cold water and granted ours is not what the neighbors to the north experience nevertheless things do change and fishing is one of them. Cold north winds, cold fronts and cold water should force changes in our thinking when it comes to catching wintertime fish. Winter also gives us other things to consider like staying warm. Nevertheless, do not let it keep you indoors, be prepared, get out there and fish.

As water temperatures drop, metabolisms weaken followed by generally slow sluggish behavior patterns. Since this change equates to less movement, less food is required. What does all this mean to you as an angler… as temperatures fall, metabolisms slow and fish become content to remain relatively immobile, preserving heat, energy, and eating only when necessary? Therefore, you must slow down you fishing techniques especially with artificial lures.

Cooling waters serve as preparation for migration. It triggers survival instincts sending them looking for refuge in deep bays, estuaries, marinas, harbors, canals, and rivers. Structure, not to be confused with cover, is any natural change in the bottom that might hold warmer water temperatures. Examples include creeks, humps, depressions, holes, springs, washouts, submerged riverbeds, sandbars, oyster beds, channels, and drop-offs. Cover, on the other hand is best described as anything natural or manmade. It’s interpreted as anything a fish or bait can use to conceal itself and consist of stick-ups, stumps, rocks, bridges, pilings, docks, weeds, fallen trees or limbs, boats, and boathouses. Now we know where they go – catching them is another story.

For generations, anglers where intrigued with the idea of outsmarting fish using artificial lures. During the winter and especially with the scarceness of natural baits, is a great time to use artificial’s. With artificial’s you get a different perspective and you can expect endless hours of fishing pleasu

Tossing artificial lures requires anglers to develop competence and it does not come overnight but involves practice and patience. Since it means developing the ability to deceive fish into eating unfamiliar shapes, sizes and colors it also involves learning where and when to look for certain species as temperatures begin falling.

Presentation is often construed to mean accurate casting. However, older lure anglers agree that while it plays a vital role there is more to it than pitching a lure into the water. It entails numerous things unrelated to casting, like types of lures, colors, sizes, shapes, noise, hard bodied or soft. Some float while others dive, sink or suspend at various depths. Most are designed to emulate a natural food source depending on how you work it.

In today’s world of high-tech fishing, there are hundreds of situations involving fish behavior that exist and learning them all could take a lifetime. For that reason, just start with some basics then figure out the rest by doing what we love…Fishing.

Better – Brighter – Longer Lasting

What is an LED? As lighting technology improves almost everyone has seen or will see this small bright light. Actually they are an electronic light source created from a light-emitting-diode, and so the name LED. Invented in the early 20th century and introduced as a practical electronic component in 1962 these early devices emitted a low-intensity red light, but modern LED’s are now available across the color spectrum and capable of producing a very high brilliance. Applications of LED’s are widely diverse often used as new equipment or as low-energy replacements for traditional lighting.

Without getting into how they’re actually manufactured, let’s say it’s simple but complex. Although small they produce a bright light source with advantages over traditional lighting. Some of these advantages include longer life, improved brightness, smaller size lower amperage draw, and instant-on capability.

To work properly in the marine environment LED’s are hermetically sealed for protection against the environment and other corrosive elements. To ensure long life, the most reliable sealing method is encapsulating the circuit board and LED diodes in a material that is impervious to outside industrial, road and marine environments.

The most common application for LED’s in the boating industry is trailer lighting. However, boat manufacturers around the world are quickly jumping on the LED band wagon. Primarily because of improved intensity, color combinations and low operating amperage draws.

Boat and utility trailers for example, take a tremendous amount of abuse. They are continually exposed to elements including fresh and salt water, rough roads and rougher boat ramps. Therefore, to produce a long-life light source like LED’s means that greater care must be taken during their design and manufacture. While this translates to a higher principal cost it also means lower replacement costs over the life of the trailer. With some research you can find an excellent LED trailer lighting kit priced somewhere between $50 and $75 dollars.

On a personal not and because I trailer my rig over 200 days each year, at night and in heavy stop and go traffic I switched to LED lighting a couple of years ago. I like the added brightness and feel that when towing, especially in stop and go traffic the vehicles behind me can see the brighter lights.

This article is owned by Capt. Woody Gore and is copyright protected. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by Capt. Gore. wgore@ix.netcom.com

Three simple things that might save your life.

In actuality, on the water life insurance comes from money spent on things like VHF radios, life rafts, first aid equipment, navigation equipment and EPIRB’S (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon).

Many times when fishing offshore you’re out there alone. While this is not necessarily a good idea it does happen and being miles offshore can result in tragedy or death should the weather turn bad. Recently, we lost several anglers to just this situation and with the proper planning and equipment it might have been avoided. Remember, just because you fish inshore you still need proper planning and safety equipment.

VHF Radio – Although recreational vessels less than 65 ½ feet in length are not required to have VHF radios it still should be your first purchase before anything else. Also mobile satellite telephones provide easier and clearer communications if you plan to travel more than a few miles offshore and are becoming more common and less costly. You should strongly consider purchasing mobile satellite telephone, an EPIRB (emergency position indicating radio beacon), and a second VHF radio or cellular telephone as backup. If you frequently boat of fish offshore you might consider having an HF radiotelephone, simply because they will receive high seas marine weather warnings.

Cellular phone or Marine Radio – While the Coast Guard does not advocate cellular phones as a substitute for the regular maritime radio distress and safety systems they do understand that cellular phones can have a place on board as an added measure of safety. Never rely exclusively on a cellular phone as there is no comparison between cellular phones and a VHF marine radio. If you have a portable or hand-held cellular telephone, by all means take it aboard. If you are boating far off shore, a cellular phone is no substitute for a VHF radio. But, if you are within cellular range, it may provide an additional means of communication.

Cellular phones have limitations during an emergency. Generally they cannot provide ship to ship communications or communications with other rescue vessels. If you make a distress call on a cellular phone, only the party you call will be able to hear you. Since cellular phones are designed for a land-based service, their limited offshore coverage could create a communications problem in the event of an emergency.

On the other hand, VHF marine radios were designed with safety in mind and can be used anywhere in the United States or around the world. If you are in distress, calls can be received not only by the Coast Guard but by ships or other vessels which may be in position to give immediate assistance. A VHF marine radio also helps ensure that storm warnings announced by the Coast Guard on VHF channel 16 are received. The timely receipt of such information may save your life.

EPIRB’s – A small battery-powered transmitting device that is carried on board and as the name implies, it is used only in case of a true emergency when your marine radio is inoperable or out of range.

There are several types of EPIRB’s. If disaster strikes, some float free and automatically activate; others must be activated manually. All EPIRB’s will float and send out a continual signal for 48 hours. Once you activate the EPIRB leave it on to make sure the signal is available for detection by passing satellites and for purposes of homing in on your location.

EPIRB’s that operate on 121.5/243 MHz (Category II) are the least expensive and least capable of saving your life. They cost around $400.00 and were designed in the 1970′s to alert passing aircraft. Often, multiple passes by satellites are required to identify the signal, which can definitely delay any rescue attempt. (I do not recommend this unit.)

On the other hand the 406 MHz EPIRB (Category I) which includes a 121.5 MHz signal which is mainly used for homing and cost around $1400.00. I know what you’re thinking, $1400.00… think of all the tackle I could buy for that much money.  My question to you; what is your life worth? And remember, you could have your family, the most precious thing in the world, onboard when tragedy strikes and that’s when you need immediate emergency response.
Response time to the 406 EPIRB is significantly reduced and the position information it provides is much more precise. In a recent test of the 406 MHz model, a Naval Academy midshipman found out how effective it was. The test signal was identified within four minutes and pinpointed within 15 minutes. This should help convince you that when trying to save a few dollars you could be betting against your life

When you purchase a 406 EPIRB’s can register your it and part of the coded signal will include your name, address, phone number, vessel description, and an emergency contact onshore who should know your plans and capabilities. Once the satellite picks up the signal and transmits it back, the search and rescue team knows where you are and who you are.

A Float Plan could save your life… always leave a float plan and give it to a friend or relative. Tell them where you’re boating or fishing, who’s with you and when you expect to return. Give a detailed description of you vessel – including the name, year, make, model, hull color and registration numbers and any other identifying markings. Also indicate whether you trailer your boat or keep it at a marina. If you trailer, leave the information about where you launched giving the color, make, model, and license plate number of your tow vehicle. If you keep the vessel at a marina give the phone number and address of the marina.

A good float plan details what safety, communications, and survival equipment you have onboard. It tells how many passengers, their names, addresses, and contact information. It also details the destination, departure date, departure time, departure location and expected time of arrival.
Here are a few ideas that might also be helpful: If you go out alone and do not have friends or family members nearby, you can still file a float plan. If you trailer your boat and launch from a boat ramp, leave the information in your vehicle. If you keep your boat in a marina, file a float plan with a fellow boater or with the dock-master.

When a person or vessel is reported as overdue, be prepared to give as much information as possible. The Coast Guard and rescue workers need to know as much information as possible. If you’re not prepared to relay pertinent enough information it could result in an ineffective search and possibly in the wrong direction or location. After being reported overdue and you’re fortunate enough to return safely call to the Coast Guard, so they can close the case and bring their rescue crews home.

We are often our own worst enemy’s and not being prepared could cost you, a loved one or your friend their life.

This article is owned by Capt. Woody Gore and is copyright protected. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by Capt. Gore. wgore@ix.netcom.com