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Patience Pays Off On A Poor Tide

Capt. Butch Rickey
June 23, 2013
Pine Island Sound - Saltwater Fishing Report

Week ending 5/17/13......

It was a week of very poor tides, and I did one trip on Monday, which was the best of the lot, but still poor.

My friend Jonathan Tipples emailed me and told me that he had been telling his lovely wife Jane how much fun he'd had when we were out on May 9th. She told him that if he'd had that much fun why not call me and see if I had a day in the next week. So, we were on for Monday, and I explained to him that the conditions weren't good for a big day of catching. It wasn't an issue for Jonathan.

We met Monday morning at his place on the North end of Sanibel on Dinkens Bayou, and started the day with coffee after I loaded up my gear into his 17 ft. center console skiff. After some chat, we were off.

We'd had a weak cold front pass through during the night, and it had blessed us with a lot of northerly wind. Understanding wind and weather and tides, and how they work together, is essential to be successful at coastal inshore fishing. The north wind, on the southwest Florida coast, will arrest, or hold back an incoming tide, and cause it to move slower and not reach the forecast height. That was the biggest issue we had affecting our catching on this day. We had an already poor tide made poorer because of the north wind.

I figured that if we could find some ladyfish, we could magically turn them into redfish and/or snook later. So, we set out to find our ladyfish and perhaps some trout in a hole that I usually fish during the winter and spring. Well, early spring. We did have enough of a bite there to give us some trout action, and Jonathan also put 3 jacks in the boat, and we also put 3 ladyfish in the baitwell. Mission accomplished. Three ladyfish of average size can yield 8 to 10 steaks which can be used very effectively for redfish and snook fishing. It was time to chase the bigger fish!

We moved to a spot I fish that can be fished effectively in a north wind, and went to work. We tried to do some plug fishing, but it was basically pointless. There was so much seaweed floating on the surface that you couldn't keep a lure clean long enough to get a fish interested. They ain't vegetarians, either! So, we sliced and diced the first of our unfortunate ladyfish, and went to work with that. The fish wouldn't bite.

Jonathan and I talked about the situation, and I explained to him that after decades of guiding and a lifetime of fishing southwest Florida, I much preferred to stay where I knew I was on fish, and wait them out, as opposed to running all over hell's half acre trying to convince my customer that I was really trying to put him on fish. You see, there will almost always be some kind of a bite, even on the worst of tides. The trick is to be where there are fish when the bite happens. The 90/10 rule which says, 90% of the fish are in 10% of the water, is my foundation for that tactic. There's a companion rule that says 10% of the anglers catch 90% of the fish. They're both true!

Jonathan being the easy going chap that he is, was content to wait them out. And, we waited and waited and waited. We were getting close to crunch time. I was ready for a change of scenery, but true to my rule, and suggested we move to another spot where I have ever confidence the fish will be there. Jonathan was good with that, and we proceeded to make our move.

We were now down to about an hour left of the tide, and that's not accounting for the time difference the north wind would make. We deployed our cut ladyfish baits and keep a keen eye on them. It didn't take long to reap the rewards of patience. We got our redfish bite, short though it was, and had our limit of very nice redfish. As we were making our preparations to head in, a rod went off, and the sound of electricity frying the water told me for sure we had a big snook on the line. I told Jonathan it had moved too fast to be a redfish. I had just put away my GoPro camera when the rod went off, and I got it back out and on as quickly as I could, to get the tail end of the snook battle. It was just over 36 inches, and the leader was down to the point of parting at any time, but the big snook came aboard. It was certainly Jonathan's biggest snook, and it was a beautiful fish. He was visibly thrilled, as any angler would have been. After some TLC, Jonathan made a good release, and we headed home with smiles on our faces. It had been a good day with Jonathan. I've always loved the Brits for their wonderful humor, and Jonathan is no exception. I've become quite a fan of his as we've fished together and gotten to know each other, and can't wait for his return next year.

Target Species:

Anything That Will Bite!

More Fishing Reports:

 

Top Florida fishing guide, Capt. Butch Rickey has fished the waters of Pine Island Sound around Sanibel, Captiva, and Pine Islands, as well as Charlotte Harbor, Sarasota Bay, Terra Ceia Bay, and southern Tampa Bay, for much of his 65 years. He now offers guided kayak fishing trips, as well as sightseeing and bird watching tours anywhere that can be reached by kayak from southern Tampa Bay to Estero Bay.

Contact Info:

BarHopp'R Kayak Fishing
11520 E Palm Drive
Ft. Myers, FL 33908
Phone: 239-628-3522
Alt. Phone: 239-633-5851
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