Southern Drawl's November fishing report

Todd Dawson landed this fine pompano on a D.O.A. CAL Jig with gold paddle tail.

We’re at the beginning of some fine fishing over the deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay.

Over the last week, we started catching good numbers of spotted seatrout, bluefish, pompano, ladyfish, gag grouper and a few Spanish mackerel.

Stu Black and Peter Sullivan of Ontario joined me for a 6-hour outing in Sarasota Bay off Stephen’s Point. It was a memorable trip because Stu caught his first fish on fly rod, a fine spotted seatrout.

The duo combined for a good catch of spotted seatrout, ladyfish and a couple of bluefish. Pompano were conspicuously absent.

Fly fisher Joe McColl of Tampa and a nice bluefish.

That changed the next trip when fly fisher Joe McColl of Tampa joined me. We fished off Stephen’s Point and had steady action on spotted seatrout, ladyfish, bluefish and pompano. We managed blues to 3 pounds and pomps to 2 ½. Most of the spotted seatrout were small.

Small trout had been the name of the game until Todd Dawson of Bradenton and his son, Andy, fished with me. Again, steady action was the name of the game. They caught spotted seatrout to 22 inches, bluefish to 3 pounds and pompano to 3. I managed a trout that went 24 inches. What luck!

Bob Parker, past president of the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers in Sarasota, and I fished early in the week and did well. Parker managed spotted seatrout, gag grouper and a nice Spanish mackerel. I landed spotted seatrout, bluefish, pompano and ladyfish.

Top fly has been my Big Eye Baitfish. Everything seems to like it!

Sam Buehrer of Ohio fished Buttonwood Harbor and off Whale Key with me an had fun on light spin tackle. Buehrer landed a bunch of spotted seatrout and ladyfish, plus a nice Spanish mackerel and a 4-pound pompano. All were taken on D.O.A. CAL Jigs with gold paddle tails.

Brian Green of Ontario and his buddy, Keith, fished with me on a very windy and tough day. Brian did manage 12 spotted seatrout and a small redfish on fly.

This action is just the beginning of what’s in store. An approaching cold front should really heat up the bite.

Last December was excellent for pompano, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and spotted seatrout.

If you’ve never caught a pompano on fly, now is the time. They pull hard and make determined runs.

A good option is to book a 6-hour trip and get out before the sun comes up. That way, you’ll get a shot of snook under the lights. When that action subsides, we’ll head out to fish the deep grass.

My new fleet of 2011 Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5s has arrived and I’m thrilled. They not only look sharp, but also fish great!

On a side note, I want to let everyone know that my wife, Kathy, is recovering nicely from her recent surgery after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She didn’t feel too hot for a week, but now has returned to work and feels very good.

If you’re interested in tailing redfish, Pine Island Sound is the place on those days when the wind cooperates and we get a negative low tide. In addition, spotted seatrout, snook and tarpon are possibilities in the Sound.

I also do freshwater trips on local lakes and streams for bass, bluegill, shellcracker, speckled perch and channel cats.

December is booking up, so choose a day and let me know.

Again, I’d like to mention my terrific sponsors: Native Watercraft, TRO fly rods and spinning rods and D.O.A. Lures.

Happy holidays to all.



Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

(941) 284-3406



Happy Thanksgiving From Capt. George Harris & Super Fly Charters

(Green Crab Fly...a must have fly for Stripers in the N.E.)
We at Super Fly Charters would like to wish all of our family, friends & patrons a happy, safe & enjoyable Thanksgiving day...If you're one of the many that are headed out into the woods or are planning to spend some time on the water...Please be safe!!!

This is the time of year when I spend the most time at the fly tying bench....re stocking the fly boxes and coming up with new ways to to improve my fly patterns...Almost all of the flies that we use during my guiding season are custom made right at my bench...for those of you that live in the area and want to learn all about saltwater fly tying...we'll be offering several courses throughout the winter months...these will most likely be 6-8 week courses 1 night a week....all material will be provided....get in touch if you're interested in learning how to tie the top patterns for saltwater fishing in the northeast as well as some patterns for anglers traveling to the tropics!!!

Best to all, Capt. George Harris

Capt. George Harris
207-691-0745
www.superfly-charters.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Bloggers... I would like to pass on to you my wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving. I know that the economic times have been tough on us all and that we still have dedicated men and women serving in our armed services overseas, but we still live in the greatest nation that has ever existed on this planet! And for all of that, I am grateful and thankful.

I would like to share a "straight from the heart" prayer that was written by "Dear Abby's" mother, Pauline Phillips...

Oh, Heavenly father,
We thank thee for food
and remember the hungry.
We thank Thee for health
and remember the sick.
We thank Thee for freedom
and remember the enslaved.
May these remembrances
stir us to service.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Dad

Super Fly Charters: Your #1 Source For Maine Saltwater Fishing Reports, Guided Trips & Charters

Here at Super Fly Charters We're continuously looking for new ways to raise the bar higher and higher...Our goal, as always, is to provide the best service available to our anglers...All of our trips are customized for the individual angler...We have some new trip options that we're working on to help us better serve YOU the angler so please stay tuned for these exciting new offerings that we'll be rolling out for 2011 and beyond...just a few examples of our current offerings are "Monster Fishing" with fly and light tackle...This full day trip was designed for the angler who wants to "go big or go home"...reminiscent of a nat geo show, this blood, sweat and tears style of fishing will test your nerves as well as your stamina as we target some of the largest, most ferocious, tackle busting pelagic Sharks & Tuna that swim in the Gulf of Maine...We utilize "run & gun" techniques for Tuna and "chum & gun" techniques for Shark...yeah all on fly & light tackle as well as "stand-up" gear!!! Our action packed groundfish trip is a total blast...we cruise offshore to the ledges and banks and while whales roll all around us, we'll drop our "butterfly" jigs with lightweight spin and conventional tackle for tasty bottom fish species like Cod, Haddock and Pollock...if you love Grouper and Snapper fishing down south...this trip is right up your alley...Our most popular offering over the years has been our inshore trip for Striped Bass & Bluefish with fly & light tackle...This trip takes place in the Mid-Coast region of Maine, from Casco Bay to Penobscot Bay...an area featuring an astonishing 1000 miles of jagged, pristine shoreline habitat. We focus our efforts on the broad reach of the lower Kennebec River system including Merrymeeting Bay and it's adjacent tidal estuaries...This dynamic fishery consists of thousands of acres of untouched saltwater flats, gnarly tides that rip over rocky structure and an intricate maze of never ending backcountry channels. It's a fly & light tackle fisherman's nirvana!!! We recognize the fact that out on the water, there are no fences holding fish in specific areas, so to better serve our anglers, we trailer our boats...staying mobile is going to be the key in 2011...we're not married to specific areas...If the bite heats up north or south of our home base on the Kennebec River region we'll simply haul the 21' Parker or the smaller more nimble 17' shallow draft skiff to where the hottest action is...this nomadic mobility allows us to access the incredibly scenic and fish rich waters of Penobscot Bay, Muscongus Bay & Sheepscot Bay to the north and to the south we'll explore the diverse fisheries around the Calendar islands of Casco Bay & further down the coast the Scarborough Marsh, Saco Bay, and the Saco River...On any given day we can be found fishing coastal tide marshes, shallow flats, sandy beaches and islands or ledges located offshore....Basically wherever the fish are biting best & whatever fish are biting best!!!
Whether it's on the fly...pitching plugs or live lining frisky live baits we've got you covered!!! Check out our website for all of our trip offerings...and stay tuned for some exciting new trips options for 2011

Maine Saltwater Fishing Guide
Capt. George Harris
207-691-0745
www.superfly-charters.com

Fishing just getting better and better in Sarasota Bay

A beautiful Sarasota Bay pompano that fell for Gibby's Big Eye Baitfish Fly

I had an inkling fishing was getting ready break loose.
On Monday, I took Bob Parker of Sarasota out on the inaugural voyage of the new 2011 Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5s. Fishing was very good.
We fish the deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay and caught a variety of fish: spotted seatrout, pompano, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, ladyfish and gag grouper.
Action was steady.
November and December on Sarasota Bay can be very good.
Top fly, as usual, was my Big Eye Baitfish.

Patience and Perseverance 11.21.10 and 11.22.10

Hello Folks,

I was able to get two fishing trips in on the Susquehanna River over the past few days. The first trip was out of Montgomery Ferry and the second trip was below Harrisburg, Pa.

Pete Hanford and I met at the Montgomery Ferry launch at 7:30 a.m. and fished until 2:30 p.m. That was seven hours of fishing for only three bass. A lot of miles were put in between bass on this trip!

We ran as far south as Sherman's Creek and north to Liverpool!

Although I have always enjoyed my time on the water with Petey, yesterday was a bit trying to say the least. It was actually my first skunk this season in an area that should have been productive. The bite was definitely off for the two of us. I know that we were in the ballpark when we got the few smallies to bite, but the rest of the smallie team failed to show up and play.

The water was a bit murky, but not too awful bad. I could see about 1.5' to 2' down into the water. It had that light green look to it that comes several days after a good rain.

We tossed tubes, CWSD, jerkbaits, and crankbaits. The only lure that the fish seemed to want was the tube.

Here is Petey's first fish of the day. I thought that we better take a picture of it considering how long it took us to catch her. LOL!



Petey's second fish was awful looking. Here is a shot of it's good side. Take a look at it's lip and you can see a lesion.



Okay, now that you have seen this fish's good side, let me show you why Petey wasn't sticking his fingers in this bass' mouth.



Ewwwwwwww!

Our day ended uneventfully. We caught another bass in the Liverpool area and that was it.

Now, let's turn our attention to today's fishing trip. As much as yesterday's trip sucked, today's trip was much, much better. However, it didn't start out that way.

It was drizzling a bit when I launched my boat at 8:45 a.m. I ran in a misty fog to my first location. The air temp was about hanging around 45 degrees and much warmer than it was on Sunday. In fact, by the time I got off the water, the air temperature was 63 degrees. I'll take than anytime in November.

The last two nights have had a very bright full moon present. A front was passing through this morning and the skies were overcast only giving way to sunshine by noon.

The water temperature was 43.7 degrees upon my arrival and rose to 44 degrees by 1:30 p.m. The river had that really muddled green look to it and nothing like I saw last Thursday with CHRGD1.

Not a single bite came for the first two hours. "Don't tell me it's going to be another skunking!"

Well, the river started to drop and a good current developed by the dam... Oh, yea!

It had been a long time coming since I felt any weight other than a tree branch or rock on the other end of my line. When the sunshine started to peek through the cloud cover, I switched from a 3.5" tube to a Lockett Minnow on a quarter ounce ball head jig.

The boat drifted towards a rocky bank and I tossed the Lockett Minnow. Approximately half the distance back to the boat, there was weight on my line. Could it be!? Yes, it was a beautiful 19.5" smallie on this plastic minnow.

I drifted down river a bit and then decided to return to the site of my first fish. Within a few minutes, a 20" C-class smallie took my 2.5" tube. Wow!

Feast or Famine is an understatement.

I worked my way upriver along the same bank and caught a few stragglers. None of the fish measured below 16".

As I returned to the "hot spot", another cast was made to the bank and a 20.25" smallie sucked in the tube. All I felt was the "heaviness" of the fish... no tick, no smack, no attack what's so ever.

I couldn't believe what was happening after two hours of not one single bite. It's been two seasons since I caught more than one 20" bass on the same trip. This was utterly fantastic!

My only problem today was that I had to leave way too early in order to get to basketball tryouts by 2:45 p.m. So, I packed up around 1:30 p.m. and headed back to the ramp.

All I keep thinking to myself was that patience and perseverance paid off once again. The results were phenomenal for this area of the river. Eight fish were caught today and not a single one was smaller than 16". The Susquehanna River was outstanding today!





Take Care and Be Safe!
Dad

Late Fall River Fishing - November 20, 2010

During the middle of last week I decided it had been way too long since I had been fishing for fun. This semester has been full of work for me, so I was eager to get out. In fact, I hadn't done anything except tournament fishing and pre-fishing since moving to my new place. After some contemplating I talked with toba (Bob) and we decided to hit a local river.

Ready to launch on a pretty November day

I got to the river around 10:30 AM and quickly prepped my yak and gear. I realized I had forgotten my seat and my life jacket. A moment of panic overcame me, as I never leave without a life jacket and forgot I had actually hung it up in my closet (for a change). Thankfully Bob had an extra and off we went. We paddled about 2 miles up river and started fishing. I tied on a Deep Creek Lures floating worm in a green pumpkin color, a Deep Creek Lures Razor Beetle in a candy grass color, a shad colored spinnerbait, and a Strike King jig with a Deep Creek crawdad trailer. Bob and I both agreed that the bite would be slow, as water temps were pretty cold, but I was hoping the wind would push around some bait fish and cause a spinnerbait bite.
About 20 minutes into the float I got my first bite and landed a chunky little 14.5" fish. He hit a 6.5" Deep Creek floating worm fished on a texas rig.

My first bass of the day that hit a Deep Creek worm

Then, save a few bites, I went over an hour without landing a fish. I lost one fish that hit as soon as my worm hit the water and another that bit so lightly I barely felt him and was late setting the hook. Bob was having some luck on the other side of the river and landed a pretty 17.25" bass.

Bob with a pretty 17.25" largemouth

Finally, I landed my second fish - right around the 14" mark. It also came on the Deep Creek floating worm in a green pumpkin color. I was fishing it on a 1/4 oz. texas rig and the finesse style seemed to be working better than the razor beetle, jig, and larger worms.

Fish #2 - glad it wasn't my last!

Then the bite started to pick up. I am not sure if it was finding a pattern with the smaller worm or the fact that the sun was slowly warming up the river, but either way, the bass started getting active. After landing a few solid fish, I landed a pretty 17" largemouth.

A 17" fall bass from the river

Then I ended up landing 5 fish in a 40 yard stretch of bank - 4 of which were caught on the same Deep Creek worm and 1 on the Razor Beetle. The biggest went right around 4 lbs and was an extremely healthy fall fish.

A 4 lb largemouth toward the end of the day

After that I landed one more bass - a 12"-13" fish that would be my last of the day as both Bob and I had to head for the trucks. I was really happy to have gotten out on the river and even happier to have caught some solid fish in the cool water. All of the bass felt cold to the touch, but most of them still had nice colors and hadn't developed the typical red lips yet. And today, all of my fish were caught on Deep Creek Lure plastics.

This will most likely be my last trip in the "old", green kayak for quite some time. Although I will miss it, I can not wait to go pick-up my Jackson Coosa in 2 weeks! Happy Thanksgiving and tight lines!

New fleet is here and ready to fish

The new fleet of camo Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5s.

Picked up my new Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5 fleet today.

Wow!

The new boats look great.
Native Watercraft made some nice changes for 2011. They removed the cup holders on the port and starboard gunwales, did away with the elbow pads and old handles.
They added new handles, a new drainage system and a new color: camo.
The inaugural cruise is tomorrow morning. Bob Parker and I are going to launch on Sarasota Bay and fly fish off Stephens Point.
I may not be able to sleep tonight!

Jeff and Dad on Lake Aldred, Susquehanna River 11.18.10

Hello Folks,

What a great day to be on the water! Yesterday started out a bit chilly at 37 degrees, but rose into the low 50's as the clouds and showers moved into Lancaster (Pa) County.

Jeff had launched from York Furnace and ran across the river to the Pequea Boat Launch to pick me up at 8:00 a.m. The creek was a bit murky, but the river was relatively clear.

After loading my tackle and gear onto his boat, we ran north to see what the Conestoga Channel looked like. The river has been on a draw down due to work on flash boards at the Holtwood Dam. Top level is normally 169.7', but since the work began, they have been holding the lake from 163' to 167'. Yesterday, the lake was at 165' and rising.

The recent rain that passed through this week has the river on the rise and it will peak at 5.9' in Harrisburg, Pa. by tomorrow. That is a 21.6" rise from the rain water entering the river... Pretty good, huh!?

The river topography was breath taking. It's been a long, long time since I've been on the this section of river at such low water levels. I definitely took some snap shots to add to my personal archives of certain areas for future reference. ;)

We maneuvered his jet rig towards the Safe Harbor Dam and spent a few minutes observing the boulders that were now exposed due to the lower water level. Afterward, we headed back south and found a promising spot to start fishing.

The area was in and around some significant size boulders that had water depths of up to 10'. I tossed a jerkbait close to the boulders and Jeff cast a tube he had found successful on Lake Aldred this past weekend.

After surveying the area and gathering depth information, I changed over to a Fat Free Shad that went to depths of 8-10'. The second cast with the crankbait brought the first fish of the day to the boat... a nice healthy 15.5' smallmouth.



We moved around these same boulders hoping for a second strike which didn't come. So, we moved on to nearby similar spots.

The Safer Harbor Dam had three gates opened and were pumping an extreme amount of water down through the rock garden. Personally, I like a good flow, but maybe not as heavy as we experienced yesterday.

I expected some walleye action with the heavy current and me tossing a crankbait, but we didn't catch a single walleye all day! This is very unusual for this area of Lake Aldred.

Our second bass came on the Fat Free Shad just below a rock ledge that created a nice pool.

As we moved towards the middle and away from the heavier current, Jeff kicked the skunk out of his side of the boat with a feisty smallie on his tube. Now, we were having fun.

I put down the crankbait and picked up the "DRY1 Special"... a Lockett Minnow! Yes, folks, Jeff had purchased some of these lures after reading about Bill's success from the Selinsgrove, Pa. area. Penny, Jeff's wife, has success tossing these and in fact, I witnessed her pop a 19" smallie with a Lockett Minnow while I was fishing with Daveinpa a couple of weeks ago.

I used a 1/4 oz. ball head jig and threaded the Lockett Minnow very carefully onto the hook. I am not that blessed with nimble fingers and it sure is a chore for me to do this correctly... LOL!

Now, how do I work this lure? Jeff gave me a quick lesson and I was ready to give it a go. Within a few casts, a 15" smallie grabbed and ran with the plastic offering. Yes! I have now experienced for the very first time a smallmouth bass attack this famous Lockett Lure.

The Lockett Minnow gave us two bass for the day and we were pleased as punch! Another lure for my already too big of an arsenal of lures and techniques. But, we are never too old to learn new fishing techniques and today definitely proved it.

Jeff tried to get me to use another famous lure, but I refused by saying it was way too big for my gear... The Helicopter Lure! ;) *wink, wink*



Jeff was having success with his 3.75" tube. Watching him take a two fish lead over me encouraged me to get down to business and go to one of my favorite late fall and winter lures... the 2.5" tube on a ball head jig.

Let the games begin!

Last weekend, Jeff and Penny had located a spot on the river that yield a good number of bass (20+) and we were heading right for it.

We ended the day with 18 bass and a ton of fun. We also got to talk with a past bass club buddy of mine, Tim Martin. We were just about ready to wrap it up for the day when Tim came up river with his Skeeter jet rig. As he approached us, I nailed a 15" smallie. He slowed to a crawl and called over to us, "Is that Tom?" LOL! "Yep! It sure is" and we invited him to join us along the bank we were fishing. So, he jumped above our float to partake in the excitement at hand.

Good to see you again, Tim!

Here is a little slideshow I put together from yesterday's fishing trip with Jeff. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did having to put it together...

Take Care,
dadTB

Mush Mouths on Lake Clarke, Susquehanna River 11.15.10

Hello Folks,

Lake Clarke was yesterday's fishing destination and only my second solo trip since my elbow surgery back in August. I was contemplating heading a bit further north, but when I woke up to wet roads, fog, and drizzle yesterday morning, it made my decision easier.

I've been in touch with my buddy, Jeff (CHRGD1), over the past few days. He and his wife were able to launch from York Furnace at the Otter Creek Access over the weekend. They sent me some great pictures of our local eagles from Lake Aldred and some outstanding videos of locations that we often fish. What made these videos special was that there is currently a draw down due to work on the Holtwood Dam. A big "thank you" goes out to Jeff and Penny for taking these videos and sharing them with me. So much structure that is usually hidden from view was revealed.

Jeff and I were talking yesterday morning and our discussion encouraged me to stop by the Pequea Boat Launch before heading to Lake Clarke. What I found was that the water in the Pequea Creek was just below the concrete ramp and lining the stones on the creek bed. I may have been able to launch there, but if the Safe Harbor and Holtwood Dams would have dropped the lake any further, I would never have been able to get my jet rig back onto the trailer. I decided not to take the risk and headed north to Columbia, Pa.

I got on the water around 10:30 a.m. and headed south to a few favorite spots that Jeff and I discussed in our conversation.

There were only a few other anglers on the water yesterday which made fishing the western shoreline a pleasure. Only once did I have a jet rig pull in below my drift, but far enough away that it didn't effect what I was doing.

The mush mouth smallies were biting. There were no vicious attacks on my lures and no familiar ticks that would cue me that a bass had taken my offering. Instead, I would work my lure slowly across the bottom and wait for a weight difference. Once I felt that, I would set the hook. Often, I set the hook on a branch or log which riddle this area. The reward for using this technique was a baker's dozen of smallies to hand.

Woo Daves, a well-known bass pro and soft plastic specialist, mentions that an angler must know the "feel" of the lure he is using. When you first cast a lure, take note to the weight and feel you get when it's moving through the water and across the bottom. If you feel anything different, SET THE HOOK!

Hook sets are free! I would rather say, "I hooked into a piece of wood" rather than, "I missed a fish."

I caught three smaller bass in the 10"-14" range, but most were in and around 15".

Cookie Cutter Size


This nice 16" took a 2.5" tube with a 1/8th oz. ball head jig insert.


A second 16" smallie came to hand using the same tube jig.


The weather was overcast throughout the entire trip. There was a slight breeze from the south that was ushering in today's rainy weather. The air temp was 51 degrees and didn't change.

The water was clear. In fact, I had a good view of the bottom at 7'. Once the water dropped deeper than 7', I lost sight of the bottom. The water temp is influenced by Brunner's Island and was holding around 48. 2 degrees on the Lowrance. My surface reading read in the low 50's!

I have been carrying four rods with me and began the day with jerk baits on my two baitcasters and a 4" tube and a Winco Chillee Willee on my two spinning rods. I changed to a 2.5" tube after giving the other lures ample time to produce. Once I got a couple of hits on the smaller tube, I stuck with it the remainder of the trip.

The fish seemed more willing to take the tube when I soaked it with "Bang!". So, after every catch and intermittently, I would generously spray the tube. Confidence is a wonderful thing!

After 4.5 hours on the water, I decided to call it a day and headed back to the launch.

All in all, I was pleased with the results of my trip. I didn't set my goal too high and was able to achieve it plus some.

I am still taking it a bit easy with my repaired right elbow and found that winching the boat onto the trailer can be a big challenge for me. Once I had the boat secure on the trailer, I pulled it out of the water and drove it up the ramp. This launch area is rather flat, so I turned the rig around and faced it down the ramp. This downward angle helped me crank the boat to the point I desired for towing. It certainly does make light work of a tough task when trying to do it on a level surface. The force of gravity is a wonderful thing in times like these.

Up until today, we have only had one day of rain in November. Accuweather is predicting .75" of rain with the front that is passing through. In fact, it is suppose to actually warm up and possibly thunderstorm before the cooler air moves through. Afterward, the weather looks pretty good for the weekend.

If you are heading out of the water, please be careful, wear your PFD, and remain safe.

Take care,
Dad