Dueling Bachelor / Bachelorette Parties...

My wife and I were married last month and arranged our bachelor and bachelorette parties for the same weekend.  She and the girls were off the Keys for a few days to fish and dive.  The boys and I headed out to the woods for a little huntin trip.  Here's a long story made short in a few pictures:

The wife with a pile of blackfin tuna and yellow tails... 

 

Autumn Brings Opportunity

The opportunities have been there and our fall fishing on the South Shore has been excellent so far this year.  Whether live baiting and chumming, throwing artificials, wading or spot fishing from an anchored boat, we've managed great numbers on quality fish.

Two of many that came to raining sardines... 

 

The Water is Cooling Down, and the Fishing is Heating up!

It’s been a while since some time on the bay was had by me, but I finally got out a couple times and saw positive changes. Some good fishing is happening right now, and will only get better before the winter fronts come through our area.

With a good bit of rain combined with shorter days, and outside temperatures slightly cooler, the water has simmered down to the low to mid 80’s. This definitely affects the bite in a positive way; none of us really embrace the summer heat down here, including the fish. In addition, the bait is getting bigger and more plentiful. A good sign, as this year has been tough for bait. Get out on the water as much as possible-this is a great time to fish.

With that being said, let’s start with my favorite, tarpon. The bruiser tarpon are still in the bay, but this year, in my opinion, the late season fishing has been a little disappointing. They seem to have thinned out a little earlier. Put your time in at the Skyway Bridge and drop offs, maybe a rock pile or two. Use a large spinning combo and soak a pinfish, threadfin or greenback, and be patient.

2011 Gator Hunt Part 1

Our gator season is finally underway and got started nicely by bagging gators that went 10'-0" and 9'-6" on our first set of tags.

We have a few more tags to fill before November 1st so stay tuned...

 

The Go-Devil Gator Machine In Action...

 

Open of the 2011 Gator Season

Article and photos by Nathan Austin

Lobster season is over so the next chapter begins. I Headed down south of Okeechobee to do a little gator hunting for the opener. My Best friend Sean and I both had a permit and the plan was to bang out four gators over Friday and Saturday. This year the state added a few more hours of hunting during the day. You are now allowed to hunt from 5 pm to 10 am.  
 
I wanted to start my hunt at 5 pm, but being Friday, the crew could not get off work in time. We did not hit the hunting grounds until 8:30 pm. At the check station I saw 10+ trucks pulling out; all with big gators in their trucks. Discouraging thoughts ran through my mind. Why was I not here earlier!! My crew talked me down and said don’t worry we will get them. 

As we drove down the levee we started to see one eye; then another. In no time the entire area we wanted to focus on was full of big lizards. Like a kid on Christmas morning we were all eager to jump in and start hunting. We stepped back and focused, got all out gear rigged and ready to go. After a dry fire on the bang sticks it was all systems go. 

It’s that time of year again, with the third annual Hooked on Hope Inshore Fishing Tournament approaching quickly. If you’re not familiar with Hooked on Hope, it’s a local, non-profit organization founded by Captain Lori Deaton of Apollo Beach. The goal is to raise money for the University of South Florida Breast Health Center, the main event being the annual fishing tournament, starting in 2009.

Captain Lori is very dedicated to raising money and awareness in the fight against breast cancer, and she has done well in both areas. Respectfully, the 2009 and 2010 tournaments combined have raised $80,000 for breast cancer patients at the University of South Florida, in our very own Tampa Bay area.

The USF Breast Health Center is directed by Dr. Charles E. Cox, and supported by his team of highly trained medical professionals. Dr. Cox and his staff provide various diagnostic and treatment options for breast cancer patients. These diagnostic and treatment procedures are very highly developed, cutting edge, as well as effective in battling breast cancer. The funds raised from the yearly tournament go to items usually not covered by ones health insurance-gowns, specialty clothing, prosthetics and patient assistance items that are needed for the various treatments the USF Breast Health Center provides.

Next, Hooked on Hope’s pre tournament reception is set to take place on October 7th and the fishing tournament held on the 8th.  All weekend events will take place at the Magnuson Hotel and Marina Cove in St. Petersburg. The pre tourney reception includes dinner for Captains and anglers, as well as a silent auction and entertainment. On tournament day, one, or a group will be teamed up with a USCG licensed and insured Captain with all gear, food and drinks provided. Fishing consists of a friendly competition against your fellow anglers, looking for the biggest redfish, trout and snook, and of course trying to win the inshore slam. After fishing comes more fun with a banquet, awards ceremony, and entertainment.

In addition to the fishing on the 8th, breast cancer survivors and patients can attend a “pamper party” put on by Hooked on Hope. Basically, this party is just what the name entails. A day for survivors and patients to be spoiled, a day of relaxation; massages, facials, lunch-you get the idea. Another great idea by Lori and her tournament organizers.

Even if you can’t make the tournament or benefit, supporting Hooked on Hope in different ways is easy. There are many sponsorship opportunities to be had in helping raise money for this worthy cause. One can donate funds to the pamper party, sponsor a survivor fishing in the tournament, help sponsor food and entertainment costs, sponsor the program for the event, assisting with funds for awards, shirts, visors, volunteer expenses and more. It’s for a great cause.

For more information contact Lori Deaton at 813.967.5032 or email her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Also check out the Hooked on Hope website at www.HookedonHope.org

Snapper Are Hungry In Tampa Bay

It’s been a pretty long tarpon season so Nick and I decided to switch things up, at least for one trip. Regretting not night fishing the full moon this week, snapper was the name of the game after hearing the bite was finally picking up in our area. Snapper are fun fish to fight on lighter tackle, and are excellent table fare. Hooking mangos is some of my favorite fishing.

On the boat were our 7’0 medium rods with three to four series reels spooled with fifteen to thirty pound test, thirty pound fluorocarbon leader and 2/0 to 3/0 hooks. This set up combined with a slip sinker to get the bait to the rocks was all we needed. Many people fish with much lighter combos for snapper, but I want my fish on ice and don’t really need a light tackle thrill.

Bait was not a problem on the flats for a change, good sized pilchards and pinfish were netted in short order. A big surprise, as bait has been sparse. Nick and I hit a spot known to be holding good sized snapper, anchored just right, chummed up the water and limited out. It was rough in the bay but worth it. After cleaning the catch and throwing some in the fryer, plus a few beers down the hatch, it turned out to be a satisfying trip.

 

Florida Keys Lobstering…Mini Season 2011

Photos and Article Courtesy of Nathan Austin

As a small boy my father would take me to the keys for the lobster mini season. This takes place each year during the last Wednesday and Thursday of July. This is a two day recreation period for divers and snorkelers only. Mini season is 7 days prior to the 8 month commercial lobster season.

For me this is a time to relax, unwind and have a great time with family and close friends.  I look forward to this trip each year. After chasing the silver king for a solid two months; I can put the rods away and enjoy my wife and kids. 

Chasing The Silver King Throughout Tampa Bay

Late season tarpon fishing continues and finding the fish is getting a little harder with each moon phase. It's been said - they have tails and they do move.  They can show up just about anywhere, really. It seems some spots can be hot for awhile, some are good for a few days and some are hit and miss in general. Having the patience to stick with it is certainly necessary, and if you keep doing all the right things all the time, the averages should keep you in the fish. Never hurts to keep your fingers crossed either.

Spent a day this moon riding around and scouting a few spots.  After not seeing much we spent the next day fishing where we'd done well on the last moon. Turns out those fish had thinned out too but we still managed a couple hook-up's.  

Tense moment...

 

Another Productive Full Moon Evening Trip…

Since just fishing the day before, Nick and I knew where the fish were hanging out and just about what time they were eating. Both of us were free to fish so we decided to take my boat out and pull another quick evening trip on the outgoing tide. The wind and rain had subsided so plans were made to leave the house around four.

While waiting, my neighbor Sweat stopped by to return some pool supplies he had borrowed. Seeing my boat hitched he asked how I did. He got an answer he liked. After inviting him along for a quick trip, it was three of us heading out on the Sea Pro to look for tarpon.

Now my buddy hasn’t fought a tarpon in at least twenty years as it doesn’t interest him. Sweat taught me how to navigate and fish the waters of the South Shore when I just arrived in Tampa, and we’ve had numerous stress free trips with many fish on ice returning with us. Grouper and snapper are more his thing. Basically, he was along for the ride and one more line in the water couldn’t hurt. I provided all the gear, so all we needed was some booze. Luckily, Nick arrived with some beer and ice and it was off to the ramp to wet some lines.

Ooops…we did it again

I had the pleasure of fishing with Brittney Novalsky from Florida Sportswoman.com this past Friday. Brittney was in town on business, so we met in St. Petersburg on Wednesday to talk about her company plans and our intended full moon tarpon trip on Friday.  

To tell you the truth, I was sweating the trip pretty hard. Tarpon fishing isn’t always easy; contending with the oppressive heat, rough waves from the outgoing tide and seabreeze clashing, and thunderstorms coming out of nowhere can be very nerve-racking. Plus let’s not forget the fact that the fish need to be hungry. Brittney had never caught a tarpon as well. No pressure. With such a positive attitude from her, I had a little faith we would hook a couple and she would get a shot.

Late Season Tarpon in Tampa Bay 

The full moon in July usually kicks off a good run of late season Tarpon fishing in the bay and this year was no disappointment. I planned to take a few days off last week to capitalize on the action as best I could. Some days were slow and some days brought consistent action. Luckily the storms cooperated for the most part and we only got blown off the water one day. When you add it all up we did pretty well and even got some decent photo's to boot.

My buddy Gary gets out every blue moon but he's bowed up on his second Tarpon of the year here....

 Acrobat... 

Tarpon, Tarpon, Tarpon...

They're on everybody's mind right now including ours. With the new moon falling perfectly over the long Holiday weekend we were certainly looking forward to getting out. The only issue would be the storms. With 60%-80% rain chances each day everyone fishing had our fingers crossed but as luck would have it we got out for 2 solid days.

Brad's hot hand hooked 2 of our 3 fish on Friday night and got a 100 pounder to the boat for pictures... 

 Images Of Boca

With this year's Boca trip's in the books, figured I'd put up a few miscellaneous shots.

Tournament officials...not a bad job to have...

With Happiness…Comes Pain

Finally-out of my stuffy, conservative work clothes and into more comfortable apparel; shorts, some Adidas, a t-shirt and hat was just what was needed to start off this Friday afternoon. The time was 11:45 am to be exact, and I was leaving work early, feeling great-at least for the time being.

Leaving early on a Friday is nothing new, but this was very early, as I had an appointment in Tampa to attend to-not a doctor or dentist, but with Mindy Stewart Burkhardt from Studio XIII Tattoo in Cocoa Beach, at the 2011 Tampa Bay Tattoo Fest. Studio XIII is a reputable shop with a whole crew of great artists of all specialties. I was pretty stoked as Mindy is a damn good tattooist, and a portrait of my daughter was on the agenda-as well as a little partying.

Today was the first day of the show, and being that the convention is so close to my work at the Doubletree Hotel, Friday was my planned day to attend. In my opinion, Tattoo Fest is a fairly good convention as far as Florida shows go. I’ve been to a few shows around the state and Tattoo Fest is worth heading out to; some others are a waste of time. Being in its 12th year, and having attended this event for a while, I knew a painfully good time was in store. Already having my supplies ready, it was time to get started.

Quittin Time Tarpon...

Brad and I each spent Friday afternoon at work, both scrambling to tie up loose ends and fulfill our primary obligations so we could hook up afterwards and fish Tarpon. Gear was prepped the night before, so we met up at the dock, threw a few beers on ice and shoved off.

Before too long we had sailed a fish, then another. Brad hooked up again and we fought it for awhile, trying to take our time and land the fish for a few pictures. We got that accomplished and even hooked up a few more before calling it a night.

Do we really have to go back to work now?

 

 Tarpooned...

My buddy Edwin is a big redfish guy, and a very good one at that. He fishes many of the local area tournaments and holds his own rather nicely. Spending all the time on the water he does, he's hooked a few Tarpon, but hasn't had the chance yet to duke it out to the end and see who's left standing.

 

Memories of David Hall

The day I met Dave Hall is a day that won’t be forgotten. I’m not trying to be dramatic, simply stating the truth. In March of 2008 while at the Tampa Bay Outdoor Expo looking for products to review, I saw the HallEmInLures booth and headed over to take a look. This was my first time networking in a somewhat conservative fishing industry setting, so being a young writer at the time with no credibility or credentials, I was a little intimidated. The tattoos covering my legs didn’t help either.

Immediately approached by Dave, I introduced myself. Instantly feeling more comfortable by his laid back nature, a long conversation took place, starting the beginning of our friendship. I have a very fond memory of that day; with Dave’s father turning his back, before I know it, a bag of lures is in my hand, a bit secretly. To me, this was a very funny moment, almost like a kid reaching in the cookie jar before dinner. Dave became my first unofficial sponsor. His sister Mindy and I had a laugh about the fact that being judged by Dave was even on my mind that day. Reflecting on our first meeting, besides a good friend, the fact remains that I was to gain more than ever imagined. Dave has forever changed my outlook on life.

Fish for Trout

It’s been a windy month so far. Grouper is the hot bite right now, but the option to fish in the deeper water of the bay has been dictated by the constant gusty conditions, which basically meant I didn’t do too much grouper fishing. As with life and fishing, there should always be a backup plan.

Boca Grande, 5/7

I had a last minute opportunity to jump on Nathan Austin's boat this past Saturday in Boca Grande and I'm glad I did. As usual Nathan put us in position on every drift.  At the end of the night we had hooked over 10 fish and flew 8 of them. We'll be back down on the next moon for 2 nights.

Splish, splash...

 

Like Night and Day...

I took off on Good Friday and managed to get out twice this past weekend. The first day we fished grouper with pinfish and threadfins and that resulted in the usual shorts, close calls, a couple keeper gag's and whole bunch of break-off's in the process. Another smoker Kingfish was in the mix too and a nice one at that, maybe 20-25 pounds. Shame on us for losing him at the gaff, but we redeemed ourselves catching a keeper flound later in the day just tooling around.

Back at the dock...

Luck Of The Draw...

Brad and his daughter Lexi got out with me yesterday for a day of grouper fishing in the bay. On the water, Lexi's stock has been rising lately. She had a great day on trout a few weekends ago with her Dad and Captain Todd Foucher, so this week it was time to step it up a notch and try to hook up with some bigger fish.

We got set up on some different structure and soaked belly hooked threadfins for most of the day. At the end of the bite we had plenty of bigger fish break us off, but also caught mackeral, bluefish, numerous short gags, a couple close one's we threw back, and one keeper gag. Not a record haul, but fun nonetheless, and Lexi got to battle quite a few fish herself. When she felt how hard the gags pulled she was afraid they were going to pull her in. 

On our last attempt, we put a few flat lines out which got attention from mackeral, and then one serious drag screamer we had mistaken for a shark until we saw the big silver flash down below. Kingfish! And a big one at that. Brad gaffed the fish and we called it a day...needed to get that baby on ice!

Smoker Kingfish...

Lexis’s First Inshore Expedition

I always begged for her to go out on the boat since she was little. She hopped aboard for random boat trips a few times, but is only able to count on one hand how many instances she actually fished with me over the years. Bass on artificials was fun for her, but Lexi has no salt in her veins-yet.

I’m referring to my daughter, Alexis, who is now a teenager at fifteen. Being a teen, she mainly wants to hang with friends and chill at the house, not play on the bay with her dad. It’s understandable so I don’t expect much these days.

A short time ago I got a call from my good friend Todd. Having his boat ready to fish, he asked me to head out to stalk the trout he was on as of late. Looking at Alexis, the question was raised, and she agreed to tag along. If she had said no, we would have made other plans for the day, but Lexi wanted “to tan”, and knowing she would have fun kept me excited.