Fishing Reports by Capt. Butch Rickey

Great Guys Make a Tough Day Fun! - I had three trips scheduled during the week ending May 30, 2009, all over the Memorial Day Holiday weekend. But, as things worked out, I only did one trip on Memorial Day with my old buddy Terry Ryan, and his neighbor and side-kick, Bill. I was t more...
Capt. Butch Rickey - Pine Island Sound

The Rainy Season Arrived Early! - The rainy season arrived early, as a late season cold front and a tropical low pressure center just off the east coast of Florida combined to make it a lot of wet, stormy, and often threatening weather. We needed the rain, but it wasn't good for bus more...
Capt. Butch Rickey - Pine Island Sound

Tough Tides, But Pretty Good Fishing! - I wound up running two trips this week. Both were with my good friend Dr. John Hitt, of UCF, in Orlando. We had progressively tougher tides as the week progressed, and predictably the fishing got tougher, as well. But, we always have a good time o more...
Capt. Butch Rickey - Pine Island Sound

A Week of Friends and Slams! - I ran three trips this week, and save for still fighting off the flu, it was a great week with old friends, and the fishing was pretty good with Slams all round! First up on Tuesday was my old friend Jim Turman, of Manchester, Iowa. Jim and I hav more...
Capt. Butch Rickey - Pine Island Sound

No Report This Week! - Down with Porkulous Flu all week. Sorry, but no report. more...
Capt. Butch Rickey - Pine Island Sound

A Six Day Week Turned Into Four, But the Fishing Was Pretty Good - It was to be a six day work week, but it seems it's been impossible to get a full week in this season because of the constant fronts. This week was no exception! First up on Monday were John Hanson, and his friend Wes Iijima, a couple of great gu more...
Capt. Butch Rickey - Pine Island Sound

To Say It Stunk Would Be Putting It Mildly! - To say the week ending April 18th stunk, would be an gross under-exaggeration! You can probably still smell it from where you are! First, it was a week of poor tides, which by Thursday and Friday were reminiscent of a flat-lined heart monitor. I g more...
Capt. Butch Rickey - Pine Island Sound

A Dreadfull Slow Bite In the Second Week of April! - Another big cold front and a week of full moon tides made this one of the slowest bites I've seen in a long time. The week began on Monday with Jim Szabo, a great guy I fished with back in February. He brought along his friend Charley, whom he war more...
Capt. Butch Rickey - Pine Island Sound

Wind and Poor Tides Again the Order of the Day! - Wind was again a factor this week, as were poor tides toward the end of the week. By Thursday the forecast was for 31 knots, and that's just time to stay at the dock. It was bad enough Tuesday and Wednesday, blowing near 25 knots! First up on Tu more...
Capt. Butch Rickey - Pine Island Sound

How quickly the weather can turn a full week into crap! - How quickly the weather can turn a full week into crap! We fished for three days is wind gusting to 25 MPH. By Thursday morning the wind was out of hand. Some of us put our boats back on the trailers and went home. Others went out to try to get t more...
Capt. Butch Rickey - Pine Island Sound