May Fishing Ft Lauderdale aboard Hooked Up

Ok so April is behind us and here we go right into one of the best Shark fishing months of the year.
We started out May fishing with Phil, Brain, Piere, Charles and May all from Oklahoma.

What a great way to start out the new month!
We started out trolling the reef catching kingfish and bonitos one after another.
Ok so now that everyone had caught a fish or two we brought in the trolling gear and set out our kites with live baits suspended from them along with a couple shark
baits set down deep.

Ok the trap is set and it seemed like only min till this BIG sailfish was chasseing one of the live baits all over the place and just like that we were Hooked Up.
Phil jumped in the chair and the fight was on. 20 min later Phil had his 89 inch sailfish to the boat.
Than all of a sudden one of our deep rods bent over and line started peeling off. Holly Cow we got another big fish on just like that. This time Brain jumped in the chair and the fight was on. After a good 15 min Brain was worn out so Piere jumped in the chair to give him a hand. 10 min later at last this big hammerhead shark was at the side of the boat. J.J. managed to get 2 out of the 3 hooks out of the hammerhead and we watched him swim away in great shape.

What a great trip and as we pulled back to the dock we had our afternoon trip eager to give their luck a shot aboard the Hooked Up off the coast of Fort Lauderdale.

We had Jordon, Elson, Chirag all from Dallas Texas and Tim out of Miami Florida.
Once again we started out trolling the reef catching everyone a bonitos or 2 and than we set the kites right back out there and sure enough another sailfish popped up and this time Elson jumped in the chair.
15 min later he had his first sailfish catch. J.J. cut the leader as close as possible to the sail’s mouth and he also swim away in great shape.
What can I say but this was the perfect way to start out May!!
Thanks again to all of our lucky anglers today and thanks again for fishing with us aboard the Hooked Up.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 ob toll free @(877) SEA-4344

May 3rd
Today we started out fishing with Charles, Brent, Mark, Emma and Andrea from Ottawa Canada.
We went right out to 150 feet of water and set out 2 kites with 3 live baits and one dead shark bait suspended from them.
The bite started out a bit slow only catching a few king fish and a few bonitos than all @ once line started screaming off the one of the reels and we had a big fish on.
After a 15 min back and forth tug a war up came this nice 18-pound black fin tuna.
Guy’s thanks again for fishing with us aboard the Hooked Up and we are looking forward to fishing with you guys again next year.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 ob toll free @ (877) SEA-4344

May 4
Today we fished with Jake and Brent from Lexington Kentucky.
We started out trolling the reef with 2-planner boards running about 45 feet deep along with 3 baits skipping across the waves. The planner boards seemed to be getting all the bites with us boating a half dozen kingfish along with a few bonitos.

Ok now that the skunk was out of the box we brought in the trolling gear and set out 2 kites with 2 live baits suspended from 1 kite and a live bait and a big dead shark bait suspended from the other kite. We also set a shark bait on the bottom and one last shark bait half way down.
Ok so the trap was set and now all we needed was for some big SEA MONSTER to come along and take a bite.
That’s just what happen and Jake jumped in the chair and the fight was on.
It was a back and forth fight till at last Jake got his hammerhead shark to the boat.

We slid him into the tuna door got all 3 hooks out of him a quick measurement to have a replica trophy made of Jake’s catch and watched him swim away in good shape to fight again another day.

Jake and Brent thanks again for a fun day of fishing you guys are first class and we look forward to fishing again.

Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 ob toll free @ (877) SEA-4344

May 5
Today was kind of a special day of fishing off the coast of Fort Lauderdale for me because I got to fish for the first time with the newest edition to the Hooked Up Local Knowledge Fishing team Brendan. I’m not trying to write this fishing story about one of the crew members but this truly ins a big part of the story today.

Brendan was a customer on the Local Knowledge quite a few months ago and Captain Mike has been using him to book trips and has slowly been training him to be a mate.

Well today both my main crewmembers J.J. and Greg needed the day off and I just wanted to see what Brendan had. By the way I did have one of our fill in Captains Chris ride along just incase things did not work out but as you’ll read things worked out very good.
Ok back to the trip we had Dennis from Sevierville Tenn. and Valery who now lives in Fort Lauderdale aboard.

Dennis told me he had been on 4 ob 5 fishing trips in the past without catching anything! I assured him that I would not let this happen on my watch!

So off we went on our 4-hour fishing trip. We started out trolling the reef with 2 planner board running about 45 feet down, one wire line set way back and two baits skipping across the surface.
We started trolling to the south catching a kingfish here and a kingfish there and while Brendan was wiring in the fish I would yell down to him that I wanted him to gaff the fish in the eye!! I must say this kid can gaff! He gaffed every fish just where I told him to and I think he was starting to feel a little good about himself but I was not going to let him get too at ease yet.
Ok so the kid was doing a pretty good job and at this point Dennis had let me know that he was having a ball and wanted to extend his trip for the whole day.

Good eating fish was what Dennis was looking for so we brought in the trolling gear and started doing deep drops for snappers. While we did manage to catch one good-sized snapper they just were not biting so I decided to switch up and dropped a live bait on a ship wreck.
A few min after our live bait hit the bottom the rod bent over and we were Hooked Up with a big fish that was taking a lot of line off the reel.
Dennis jumped in the chair and the fight was on. After a good 10 min fight up popped this 35 to 40 pound greater amber jack. We got quick photos of Dennis’s Jack and watched him swim back to the bottom to fight again another day.
O by the way I forgot to mention that while Brendan was bring this nice fish aboard he dropped him back in the water but by the grass of god the hook stayed tight and we were finally able to get a photo. (LOL)

Ok things were going good and now that Brendan was a little humbled we decided to go off shore looking for some dolphin fish.
Long story short we never did find any dolphin fish.
Ok no dolphin but I still had one more trick up my sleeve.

We caught a couple of live baits and we did a drop on one of my secret wrecks and as soon as the bait hit the bottom the rod bent over and we were Hooked Up again.
I called out to Valery (who to be honest had not felt very good for the last few hours but never once complained) to jump in the chair and reel up this grouper.
Much to everyone surprise (Me included) up popped this 15 pound black grouper.

Well Dennis you wanted good eating fish and this one is as good as it gets.
Dennis, Valery and yea Brendan it was a real pleasure fishing with you guys and two more things #1 Dennis I am looking forward to fishing with you again soon and Brendan you are not supposed to be happier than the costumers went we put a nice fish in the boat! (LOL) But all the same you did a great job and we’re glad to have you aboard.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 ob toll free @ (877) SEA-4344

THE SALTWATER FISHING

May in panama city = drag strippers

Posted by salty soul on May 16th, 2011 | 0 commentsgreetings from panama city . the fishing has been great . theres plenty of bait in the bay now , and the fish are feeding well .

we are still catching some really nice trout and reds on the flats in the early morning . mostly on top-waters and jig-and- popping corks .
another one of my favorite things to do , is castnet some big menhaden and flat-line them for spanish and king mackerel . this is really simple fishing and loads of fun . simply go to my ” secret spots” and hook a bait in the tail , cast him out , and hold on….
we catch anything from bluefish , to 6 to 8 lb spanish macks , to 30+ lb kings , to big blacktip and bull sharks .
pictured here are terry helton and david brown with a few of the fish they caught . we were fishing live menhaden , and almost got spooled twice on the 10 lb rods , b4 switching to bigger shark rods . along with the big macks , we did manage to boat a perfect size blacktip shark for the grill .
later terry told me , he was talking to some guys that went on a charter the same day . long story short , 8 hrs fishing and no fish to eat…i guess it like anything else , its all about who ya know..lol
folks , id like to thank our militairy for their service , and the creator for all his blessings , and you , my fellow anglers , for making my job possible . as always , ive got a bent rod with your name on it . see ya soon , capt. steve

THE SALTWATER FISHING

SW FL Bonita Beach 150 lb shark keeper grouper lanes flounder

Monday, 5/2, was another one of those breezy day, but the wind direction made it possible to at least get my party of four out to the reefs. Long-time customers Dennis Jamie Riddell brought Dennis’ brother, Tom, and sister-in-law, Joan, along this time. We used live shrimp to catch six nice trout to 18 inches, a 16-inch flounder, a couple of keeper mangrove snapper, a few Spanish mackerel to 23 inches, and four sheepshead to 13 inches. We released about 25 gag grouper shorts.

Tuesday, I headed back to fish the reefs, this time with Ralph and Kelly Kroll. Seas were still a little sloppy for getting out well offshore, but the reefs provided us plenty of action in relatively calm seas. We used live shrimp to catch fifteen trout, seven of which were nice keepers, all measuring between 16 and 18 inches. We released eight that were in the 15 to 15 1/2 inch range. We also caught a couple of keeper mangrove snapper, and we released lots of gag grouper shorts and ladyfish.

Thursday morning, a very windy one, I fished Estero Bay with Chris Barbara Hodgson. We used shrimp to catch and release two black drum, two crevalle jacks, and five sheepshead. We also caught two keeper mangrove snapper. The tide was going out most of the morning, with the wind blowing about 18 knots.

Friday, I fished the last of this season’s trips with long-time customer, Ron Musick, joined by Eddie Alfonse, Dick Arnett, and friends, Denzel and Garrett. Eddie caught a keeper red grouper at 21 ½ inches, and the group caught fifteen nice lane snapper to 15 inches. The grouper ate a sardine and the lanes took live shrimp. We released a five-foot barracuda, which also ate a sardine and, after a tough fight that nearly pulled me and Ron out of the boat, we caught, on a sardine on the bottom, a nurse shark that was 7 ½ feet long and estimated at 150 pounds. After we released that one, we called it a day!

Saturday morning, I fished a catch-and-release trip in Estero Bay with Greg Parish and his two sons, Jason and John. We used shrimp to catch and release two redfish, a snook, and trout.

Tuesday, 5/10, I fished 22 miles west of New Pass with Jeff Tina Slabbekoorn and their children, nine-year-old Zayda and seven-year-old Max. We used live shrimp to catch a 21-inch keeper red grouper, seven Spanish mackerel to 24 inches, and fifteen keeper lane snapper to 13 1/2 inches. We released about 25 additional red grouper that were shorts to 19 inches, as well as 35 additional smaller lane snapper.

Wednesday, the ,SW winds made for some sloppier conditions offshore, so David Raynondo and Joe Resendes fished near-shore with me, in 18 to 26 feet of water, with live shrimp. We caught two keeper sheepshead that measured 13 inches each, a 16-inch sea trout, a 17-inch black drum, a 16-inch flounder, and two Spanish mackerel 23 and 24 inches long. We released lots of mangrove snapper and gag grouper shorts.

Long -time customers, brothers, Harry and Grant Kurtz, along with Harry’s daughter, Lindsay, and her boyfriend, Cory, fished with me 22 miles off Naples on Thursday. The wind was up around fifteen knots, with the seas two to three feet. We stopped at the first area in about 43 feet of water, where visibility was about twenty feet. The plan was to catch enough fish for dinner and release the rest. We had non-stop action on nice lane snapper, but there were not many big ones at that spot so, after an hour or so, we moved a little ways, looking for grouper, and found lots of undersized red grouper and a few bigger lanes. Cory also caught his first Spanish mackerel, which was 20 inches long.

The next time I was scheduled to fish was on Saturday, 5/14, when I had hoped to get offshore with a party of six that got canceled a couple of Saturdays ago, due to rough seas. But the weather-front that moved through the area early Saturday had winds and seas kicked up once again, along with ominous looking skies threatening rain. We had to cancel that trip, and hope to reschedule for a day that might finally offer good conditions.

The photo shown is of angler, Joe Resendes, with a 16-inch flounder, caught on shrimp on a recent trip (last week.)

Article source: http://www.charterbooker.com/

THE SALTWATER FISHING

Trout SMACKDOWN 5-12-11

Day 2 with Tim barras. Tim brought his customers Larry Landry, and Rick Oconnell. We departed from the The Reel In Fishing Lodge at first light. Found a calmer gulf today with green pretty water. One stop shop as we had the yellow mouths jumping in the boat 4-8 at a time (60 fish in about 20-30 minutes). The bite slowed then picked up on and off. We had #100 hit the ice right at 9:00 again today. Solid fish today up to 3 pounds. LSU and glow/chartreuse chubs were the ticket today. Thanks Tim for your continued business and look forward to our trip next week.

THE SALTWATER FISHING

Trout, Reds, and flounder 5-14-11

After having to reschedule our trips yesterday, I was able to make it out today. Good having Al Reaux back onboard today. Al brought his grandson Nathan Reaux from Florida and his niece’s spouse Wylie Hightree from Texas. After departing from The The Reel In Fishing Lodge, our first stop produced a few trout and a flounder. Made a few more moves looking for a better bite and only found a few trout willing to bite at each stop. Our last stop for trout had them coming in one after the other for a short period, as soon as I thought we hit the jackpot the bite was over!! We went scout a few other areas but found dirty water. Time for redfish!! Hit the ponds to find a slower bite than normal. After 7 reds hit the deck we called it a day. We ended the day with a decent box of fish in the less than favorable conditions. Thanks again Al, looking forward to our next trip coming up.

THE SALTWATER FISHING

Looking for Fish

Do you fish the same areas over, and over again? Those same flats; that same channel cutting through the grass; the same ledge or wreck; you know all of the places you fish sometimes like the back of your hand.

You g
ot to know those places over time by being familiar with them. So how can you go to a completely new area and have a chance at catching fish the first time out? Try some of these tips to get you started. First of all, buy a good chart of the area. If its an inshore location, you will need it for navigation. If you are going offshore, wreck locations, bottom contours, and GPS numbers are on lots of fishing maps. Stop at a good tackle shop and ask a lot of questions. Don't expect a lot of good answers in the early morning when they are busy. Come a little later in the morning when bait buying the rush has slowed, and simply tell the owner you are new to the area and that you would like his or her help in locating some fish. They will be eager to help you, because if you are successful, it is likely they just found a new customer! They will mark a chart up for you if you buy it from them, and that chart can end up being the best investment you can make. When you get your chart, sit down one evening and study it. Find the cuts and channels. Locate the deeper holes or humps. Find the flats that will empty to a nearby channel at low tide. Chart study of this nature is basically eliminating large expanses of water rather than finding specific holes or places to fish. In any given area, there are literally miles of water that are not worth your while fishing. By simply eliminating that water, you can concentrate on more productive water. Find out what the tides will be on the day you plan to fish. When you talk to the local tackle shop be sure to ask which tides to fish.

If all el

 

se fails and you have the funds available, hire a guide. One day of fishing with a guide can teach you the areas to fish, the bait to use, and the tides to fish. Granted, the guide may take you to only one location, but you will at least have that location on which to count. Lots of you guides may get angry at me for suggesting this, but let's face it, it's a paid trip and you'll only be giving up one location, not your entire black book!

 

Wednesday Burn Hack 5-11-2011

My good customer Tim Barras brought along his daughter Robyn and her friend Danni Vizinat . We pulled out of The Reel In Fishing Lodge bright and early with one thing on our minds…..trout. Only took one stop and Tim and the girls had the silver backs coming in 3-6 at a time. All I could do was un-hook fish!!! Burn Hacks and trout were flying all around the boat. It was the most fish the two girls had ever caught. Todays best bait was the LSU Chub, double rigged of course!!! Good times as always had by everyone. Thanks again Tim.

Surf Casting Techniques

Editor's Note: Randy Kadish is an experienced surf angler from the great state of New York. Here he gives away some of his secrets for long distance casting.

We've all been there. Standing in the beautiful, vast surf, casting our long rods for hours without a single hit.

So we wonder, maybe this just isn't our day. We cast again, but our concentration has ebbed, so instead of watching the line and maintaining contact with the lure, we lose ourselves in the music of crashing waves--until the music is pierced by the sharp, shriek-like howls of seagulls.

Down the beach a flock circles and dives: a sure sign bait fish and probably stripers our moving towards us. Something goes off in us. An adrenaline rush? A predatory instinct?

We don't exactly what, or how to describe it, but it's changed us. Electricity seems to be surging through us. We're wired. Eagerly, we watch and wait.

The seagulls move close.

But darn! They're out of our casting reach.

Disappointed, we wonder, what will we tell our wives--that the stripers just weren't running, again? Maybe. But the sad thing is, it doesn't have to be that way. The seagulls, you see, aren't beyond out reach. They're beyond our skills.

Exactly what do I mean?

For years tournament fly casters have been refining their techniques, and as a result are now casting farther than before. Can their techniques can help us surfcasters reach that faraway fish? Yes, I believe so.

But on a crowded beach, will we have to risk hooking someone with our lure? Absolutely not.

To help me explain, let's begin by looking at some universal casting principals. 1. The lure will move in the direction the rod tip moved just before it was stopped.

2. To effectively load the rod we must begin the cast slowly, then accelerate and reach maximum speed just before we stop the rod. (If we begin the cast too fast the lure will also move too fast and, therefore, not fully pull on the rod.)

3. To use all the power stored in a loaded rod, we must abruptly stop the rod without lowering the tip from the target line.

4. All things being equal, if we lengthen our casting stroke the more we will load the rod.

With these principals in mind let's now turn to the techniques of long-distance surf casting.

Any slack in the line will make it impossible to fully load the rod. Long-distance fly casters, therefore, make sure they begin the cast with their rod and line hands close together so slack can't come between them.

When casting a spinning rod we often add slack by not holding the line with enough tension. Even worse, just before we abruptly stop the rod, our index finger often prematurely releases the line and the lure sails high and off to the right. To avoid this, I place two fingers in front of the reel stem and two behind. I pickup the line with my right index finger, then I move my hand back so that only my index finger is in front of the stem. Next, I pull the line up and back and gently press my fingertip against the stem, but not the line. (I like to feel the weight of the lure to cast it accurately.)

When casting heavy lures, I recommend wearing a golf glove so the line doesn't cut your finger.

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