Should have been here yesterday

The cliche has been around as long as fishing has been a viable sport. But, yes, we should have been there yesterday. Or was it the day before?

For reasons unknown to fishing guides and boy scouts, the fish weren't on a feed when I joined my friend Pete Greenan on a trip to Charlotte Harbor.

We launched his Maverick HPX flats skiff at Uncle Henry's at Boca Grande shortly after daylight and headed for the backcountry. Our plan was to cast for some large snook that Pete (http://www.floridaflyfishing.com/) had located a few days earlier. He said one of his clients, a former touring bass pro, had caught and released eight slot-size snook on topwater plugs around mangrove islands in Bull Bay.

Gasparilla Sound was calm as we headed toward Bull Bay. A beautiful sunrise greeted us as we neared the mangrove backcountry.

When Pete pulled back on the throttle and eased the skiff toward the flat, it was evident something was amiss. There were no mullet, no stingrays, bait or other life. I cast a topwater plug for about five minutes with no result.

That scenario played out over the next few spots. Finally, off a mangrove island in Bull Bay, we found a few fish. I hooked several, but lost each. I managed a 20-inch red on a Rapala Skitter Walk. That's when I decided to grab the fly rod and cast a Gartside Gurgler.

The fish weren't interested in the fly.

"Something's changed today," said Pete. "I know that we had a front move through. Could be high pressure. It'd different, for sure."

We added a few spotted seatrout over the next couple of hours. We were back at the dock at 1 p.m. and headed home.

"Great day," said Pete.

I agreed.

It's not always about the catch. It's about nature, friendship and fun.

My own private lake

Lake Manatee is a 2,500 body of water located nine miles west of Interstate 75 off State Road 64 in Manatee County

It's a great fishing lake that supplies drinking water for Bradenton and other parts of the county.

I propose the name of the lake be changed. County commissioners should rename it Gibby's Lake.

Reason is that I feel like it's my own private fishing spot. On many occasions, I'm the only angler on the lake. Usually, it's just me, my kayak, fly rods and fish.

Can it get any better?

Gibby's Lake, er, Lake Manatee isn't and easy lake. First timers often struggle when trying to figure the old gal out. But once you put in a little time, you can eliminate slow area and discover productive spots.

It's a fly anglers' dream. Hand-sized bluegill are plentiful. Bass are obliging. In fact, I rarely even target bass. I catch them inadvertently as I cast small poppers or my Myakka Minnow for bluegill.

Shellcracker, speckled perch and feisty channel cats also are willing.

Recently, I've been averaging about 100 fish per trip. One day last week, I caught and released 111 fish, including 102 bluegill, five shellcracker, one bass and three channel catfish (4, 8 and 10 pounds).

I've discovered over the last month that if I paddle to the mouth of Gilley Creek, I'll catch less fish but more quality. Typically, I'll get 20 hand-sized bluegill, maybe a speckled perch, several nice bass and perhaps a channel catfish.

Speckled perch (also known as black crappie) are incidental catches now, but they'll become typical in a month or so as the weather cools. And Lake Manatee specks average 2 pounds. They're great fighters on light fly tackle.

I use a 6-weight fly rod for bass so that I can toss big poppers. For bluegill and other panfish, I usually cast a 1-weight. Top flies are my Myakka Minnow, Aunt Sara's Homely Daughter Nymph and my FLY Nymph.

Slam time in the backcountry

Fall is fabulous for local saltwater fishing. I just love it.

It's a time when fish are hungry and the water is uncrowded. Tourist season is still months away, so there's only a few locals on the water at any given time.

This time of year, I like to branch out and fish areas that I don't get to experience often. Lately, I've been fishing Bishop Harbor and southern Tampa Bay. And I've been doing well. Fishing the incoming tide, I have been getting snook to 28 inches, redfish to 25 and spotted seatrout to 16 on Rapala Skitter Walks and plastic-tailed jigs.

Most of the action has been taking place in the shallows along the northeast side of the harbor -- partiularly around the numerous mangrove islands. The fish are hanging out around mullet schools and off the tips of the islands.

When that action subsides, I like to paddle out into southern Tampa Bay and fish a couple of sand bars that offer fabulous sight-fishing for redfish, large jack crevalle and shark. On one outing, I caught and released three reds to 28 inches in just 10 minutes. I've also been catching spotted seatrout to 18 inches, bonnethead shark and pompano to 4 pounds.

I haven't seen any tarpon, but it wouldn't surprise me if I encounter one soon.

As the weather and water cool, this area is going to heat up.

"Proposed" Regualtion for The Susquehanna River

PFBC Commissioner, Norm Gavlick, has developed a "proposal" draft regarding the Susquehanna River and our smallmouth populations. Visit either Smallmouths.com or River Smallies.com to see what has been proposed and my comments regarding it.

Maine Striper Fishing 2009 Season Highlights

A Big Hello and Thank You!

I would like to acknowledge all the folks who have been kind enough to visit my blog. Since I've added a counter, I average 5 visits per day and from many different cities throughout the USA and world!

Thanks to these cities and states:
Sacramento, California
Mountain View, California
Newark, Delaware
Washington, District of Columbia
Tucker, Georgia
Broadview, Illinois
Bossier City, Louisiana
Baltimore, Maryland
Frederick, Maryland
Meridian, Mississippi
Kansas City, Missouri
Crescent Valley, Nevada
Linden, New Jersey
Newton, New Jersey
Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Christiana, Pennsylvania
Etters, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lititz, Pennsylvania
Nanty Glo, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nashville, Tennessee
Kaysville, Utah
Chantilly, Virginia
Christianburg, Virginia
Falls Church, Virginia
Marshall, Virginia
The Plains, Virginia

and... These Cities and Countries!
Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Nantes, Paysde la Loire, France

I gathered this information from the last 100 visits. As you can see, only 31 cities are listed. Of course there were repeats, but there were also cities not identify in the last 100.

Please feel free to leave a comment on the blog at anytime. I would like to hear from you all.

dad

SE Winds Are Not Fun! Susquehanna RIver 09_26_09

Josh was looking for a partner to ride along this morning for a few hours and I forced myself to go out on the river for another trip... ;)

It was 49 degrees this morning and the SE winds started low and built to a constant 15 mph. Of course! Josh hates the wind and especially southern winds of any kind. There was quite a chop on the open water runs... bang, bang, bang! Things were bouncing all over the boat... arrrggghhhh!

By the time we returned to the ramp, the wind was really whipping and the air temp had only risen to a balmy 58 degrees. The wind chill was something else!

Our morning started on mid-river ledges. I had a nice 'hit and miss' on a Pointer 100 after about 50 casts... LOL! Josh threw both the Pointer 78 and a tube. He thinks he may have had one munch down on the tube, but the bite has been so soft lately it was hard to tell. (huh!)

We made several stops in the next 2 hours w/o a single taker until we decided to run a bit further north. In the meantime, I had tied on a brown crawdad pattern Rebel Wee R. When we arrived at the new hole, I had a 15.25" take it off the backside of the first ledge... Finally, a decent fish!

Now, the ice was broke and the skunk was gone from the boat. However, we didn't see another fish come to hand for at least another hour. During that time, we made two more stops... one being the latrine at one of the local accesses. LOL! Look who's truck and trailer we came across in the parking lot. Bet you can't guess who it belongs to... :D



Our 'post-potty stop' yielded Josh a beautiful 14" smallie that was gorging itself with small crayfish. It already had two stuffed down it's gullet when it took Josh's tube... gluttonous, fer shure! Gotta love fall!

He picked up another 14" bass in the same general vicinity. It had been awhile since I caught that 15 inch bass and I was getting a bit worried when I finally caught a much smaller bass.

Finally, this fat momma was brought to the boat...


She measured in at 16 1/8th inch and fell for a nice mudpie tube offering... Yes, finally!

Josh had a pig roast to attend this afternoon and we had to leave by noon.

It was another trying day on the water. The Harrisburg, Pa. gauge read 3.23' which is very skinny water! His boat gets us places that my bigger G3 would not. That tunnel hull is a good deal during levels like this.

There were a few other boats on the water, but not a lot. The weatherman was calling for rain by the afternoon and maybe the reason that kept some anglers at home on such a beautiful (windy) Saturday morning.

dadTB

Kennebec River Striper Fishing September 26th, 2009

Today I took part in a three boat guided trip with two other guides...We guided a group of anglers from Monteal, Quebec...Before the trip the three of us guides agreed to head in separate directions...I chose to hit one of my upriver spots for the last of the incoming...as we arrived on scene we were greeted by diving birds and swirling stripers...we connected with a nice 25 incher right away...a few more drifts and we had a 28 incher in the boat...the tide went slack and the bite turned off like someone flipped a switch...we worked our butts off for the next few hours but unfortunately the bite stayed dead. The men on the other two boats were not as fortunate as the ladies aboard with me...I guess girls have all the luck!!!

Kennebec River Striper Fishing Report...October Preview???

Is this a prelude to the fishing we'll see in October...I sure hope so!!!






a trio of beautiful mid october fish

Practice, Practice, Practice... Tough Day, 09/24/09

It was a tough day on the water today. We had a front move through last evening that was accompanied by thunderstorms. This front extended from above Harrisburg, Pa. all the way into Md.

The first thing I noticed when I got on the water was that the water temp went up 2 degrees. It was reading just under 68 degrees. The clarity was good despite the rain and the swollen creeks.

Only a couple of smaller bass came in on the crankbait. That was it, but I got a lot of practice casting! ;)

The winds picked up in mid-morning from the NW. It was really humid and moist outside. My boat was dry because I store it in my garage. I stopped for breakfast and within 30 minutes everything was damp. I knew this would happen and put my vest and Sirius in the truck cab.

I tossed everything today and the crankbait was the only lure to attract any attention. These fish were comatose!

I spoke to a walleye angler who I had met last week and he was tossing the same worm for the past 30 minutes w/o a single hit.. no walleyes, bass, rock bass, catties, or sunnies... nothing. That's pretty bad.

I had to pack up and leave early today to get my flu shot. It was a good thing, too, because it gave me a valid excuse to leave!

dadTB

Susquehanna River, 9/22/09

First Day of Fall

18.5" Smallmouth


18.25" Smallmouth

Kennebec River Fishing Report September 23, 2009

Den Kelly made the drive up from Sag Harbor, NY to fish with me for the second time in the last 10 days. As explained in my 9/15/09 report Den is fanatical about tagging stripers for the American Littoral Society...over Den's career he has tagged over 11,700 striped bass...including the 15-18 fish he tagged with me...Den has gotten over 600 return certificates from Bass that he's tagged from Maine to the Chesapeake and beyond...hopefully Den will return for the June migration next spring...

A Perfect Day on the Water, Susquehanna River 09/21/09

My wife gets up each work day at 5:00 a.m. which is really great for me. I get up along with her and when she leaves, I leave to go get breakfast and read the local morning paper.

With my boat loaded and ready to trailer, I headed to breakfast at 6:00 a.m. I took my time this morning since there was a lot of fog in this area.

I arrived at the launch around 7:50 a.m. and was on the water by 8:15 a.m. The water temp was 66.5 degrees all day long. The air temp was 53 degrees when I launched and rose to 70 by 2:00 p.m. There was a slight SW breeze when I first arrived and as the skies cleared a bit and the sun came out, the breeze picked up and turned to the SE blowing b/w 5-10 mph. That is a upriver wind which created a slight chop on the water.

It was such a pleasant day. I was in awe of Mother Nature as she gave me a show today. I saw both immature eagles flying all morning long. What a beautiful sight!

I also caught sight of a mink running up and down the rip rap along the eastern shoreline. I was the only boat in the area this morning and I think he was curious about me and stayed nearby for quite some time watching and following along with me.

I also caught a very rare "out numbered" fish in this area today... (see pic)



It was a 11.25" largemouth in an area dominated by smallmouth and walleyes!

I had a ton of fish today ranging from 12" to 18". Several came on the hard plastic jerkbait, soft plastic tubes, Super Spots, and crankbaits.

Here is my biggest fish of the day... (see pic)



(Another Pic of the Same Smallie)


She measure in at 18.25". I caught her with my ugly crankbait along a rocky shoal. :D

dadTB

2009 Maine Striped Bass Season

Check out the short music video chronicling Super Fly Charters 2009 Striper fishing season highlights...we still have a few weeks of awesome fishing left...don't miss out!!!...give us a call today to reserve a date for your trip 207-691-0745

Kennebec River Striper Fishing Report September 20th, 2009

Today I had Chris Oliver fish with me again. We left the dock in Bath just before sunrise and ran a short distance down river....throwing soft plastic baits tight to the shoreline we were quickly on fish...for the rest of the outgoing tide we had a nice pick of fish to 27 inches...as the tide slacked the bite tapered off....as the tide started to pour back in we ran up river and boated several more chunky fish before heading for the dock to catch the start of the Patriots/Jets game...another great morning on the water. It's not time to put the rods away just yet...if you're looking for some fall run striped bass action please call us to set up your trip!!! 207-691-0745

9/19/09

Met up with my friends Thom Mattauch and Tim Morris. Got to Thom's special spot and got into 'em good. Got my limit reds then met Jimmy Jimmy under the bridge. Got a good sheepshead. 20" 6lbs.

Maine Striper Fishing Report: Kennebec River, September 19th, 2009

John & Steve from Holden & Houlton, Maine. fished with me today (09/19/09)























Dave & Zeke from New Smyrna Beach & Maitland, Florida fished with me yesterday (09/18/09)

9/18/09 Double limit of...

... Sheeps n' Reds. Got done with my business meeting early so of course, I decided to go fishing. First I went for the sheeps/togs. Caught my limit of sheeps but no togs. Largest sheepie was 17".


Then I went back to the launch to get a snack and put the sheepies in the cooler. Met up with Bass Assassin and his friend Jeremy. Went out to the marsh together and I managed a 21" Red. The other two took off after a while and I went to a different spot (one of my faves) and hooked into a 23" and 24". Had another pull rip drag like an overslot, but he pulled the hook so I never got to see him.

Beating The Monsters, Susquehanna River 09/18/09

I had one major task to do this morning before going fishing and that was to "Beat the Monsters" that had invaded the Southern End of Lancaster County!

I knew that the TMI Generators were heading out from their resting spot around 7:00 a.m. I had spoken to a road crew manager yesterday and made sure I asked. :D

So, I was up and moving by 5:00 a.m. I quickly made a small lunch and readied the boat for towing. My first stop was the gas station to put some much needed gasoline into my truck and boat. Then it was time to head to George's Restaurant for a healthy breakfast to get a good start on the day.

I was back on the road at 6:30 a.m. and the traveling road crew already had Rt. 272 S closed just south of Kendig Square Shopping Center. I made some quick road adjustments and I was on my way. I spoke to smallieman later in the morning and he told me that his milk run was all messed up by the road closings and he had to detour pass my home to avoid the whole mess.

Here are some pics of the TMI Replacement Generators. I believe it was reported that each weighed in at 78 tons and rode on a trailer train with 104 tires!! These generator units were built in France and have traveled up the Susquehanna River on barges to Port Deposit, Md. Their land journey began in America at this point and has been traveling at 3 mph until they reached Willow Street, Pa. this morning. Someone told us yesterday that the convoy had a slight delay at Buck, Pa. due to a computer glitch.

Many smaller bridges could not support the weight of these generators and a bridge crew built several strong rock bridges to aid in the generators' travel to TMI. One of those bridges is very near my home.

There were 17 PA. State Trooper cruisers and one Pa. State Police van at last night's resting spot. These troopers stood guard and assisted people in crossing the highway to see this once in a lifetime sight. The traffic control was very well run and the traffic ran rather smoothly past the site.

Here is my youngest son, Zach, with the No. 1 Generator in the background


Same angle, but you can get a better understanding of the generator's size


Generator No. 1 with Pa. State Police Protection




The two men standing on and near the trailer were Frenchmen who have traveled with the units. Much of the writing on the side of the units is in French.




Generator No. 2


From Lancaster County, Pa.Horse Power to TMI Nuclear Power



Fishing Trip


I had a fantastic day fishing. Well over 25 bass came to hand with most being in the 14" range. I had 7 bass that measured 15 inches or more. One measured in at 17" and the very next fish was this beautiful 18.25".



I had one blow up on a buzzbait. A couple came on a LC Pointer 100 in slack
water behind boulders. I used three different style crankbaits today and each caught fish. The Super Spot in Chrome and Black Back, The 3/8th oz. Big O in Firetiger, and a Bandit 100 in Chart.Black Back. I had doctored the Bandit up with little black "eye" markings on the rear sides.

I also threw a Tiny Torpedo, Pop'R, and a variety soft plastics. I failed to catch anything on them. The only time I used the soft plastics was to follow up on surface rolls that were nearby.

The water temp was 67 degrees and I had overcast skies all morning long with a few sprinkles. The sun didn't break out until 12:00 noon.

The air temp was 57 degrees at launching and rose to 72 degrees by 1:00 p.m.

I scared the eagle out of it's tree as I ran north along the shoreline. I usually see the two eagles in this general vicinity each and every day I fish this location. On a normal day, quite a few Great Blue Heron spook out from along the shoreline. Today was no exception.

dadTB

Bishop Harbor blast

With the local lakes and streams up because of rain, I decided to head out on the salt.

Didn't have the foggiest idea where, but I wanted a change.

I finally decided to try Bishop Harbor off southern Tampa Bay.

Good choice.

Launched shortly after daylight and paddled toward the east shoreline. Water is shallow there and there are several mangrove islands. Noticed a lot of mullet around, a good indication.

I caught six snook, 10 spotted seatrout and a nice redfish before the action subsided.

Around 11 a.m., I paddled out the harbor mouth and into Tampa Bay. I love to fish the sand bar that runs east to west.

Caught several spotted seatrout and a 4-pound pompano.

On the way back to the launch, I managed seveal spotted seatrout, mangrove snapper, ladyfish and jack crevalle.

Rain, rain go away

After several years of drought, it's probably not wise to complain about rain.

Lord knows we need it.

But we've had a lot of rain this summer and many of our freshwater lakes and streams are pretty full.

I was on Lake Manatee Tuesday and did really well. But when I returned Wednesday, things had changed. I caught a lot of fish, but the quality of the day prior wasn't there. And the action stopped suddenly at about 11 a.m.

At first I couldn't figure it out. But then I noticed current ... and a lot of it. Seems as if water from upriver was finally making its way into the lake. And as soon as the current increased, the fish stopped biting.

My totals included 40 bluegill, three shellcracker, a tilapia, stumpknocker and three channel cats. The cats weighed in at 4, 8 and 10 pounds.

Productive flies were No. 10 popper and No. 10 nymph (under strike indicator).