Fishing Report for Pine Island Sound to Sarasota Bay, Florida

Capt. Butch Rickey
January 5, 2001
Pine Island Sound - Saltwater Fishing Report

REPORT FOR THE WEEK ENDING 12/16/2000 by Capt. Butch Rickey

It was a week of fog, more fog, fish, and old friends! Although we had some rain, and plenty of fog to deal with, this was the first week in I don’t know how long that the weather allowed me to get in five days of fishing.

Jeff Kates, of Palm Beach, Florida, and his dad, Jack were first up this week. They also had Tuesday and Thursday reserved to fish. Jack brought his neighbor Joe along for Monday’s trip. Since they were staying on Pine Island, I picked them up each day at the Waterfront Restaurant. We had a dreary day with a good chance of rain. On our previous trip Jeff and Jack had caught tons of redfish, and were hoping to do a repeat. We didn’t have as favorable conditions, but we decided we would target redfish.

So, we first headed up the river to catch ladyfish for bait. The ladyfish were thick, as usual, and the boys caught plenty. They also caught 3 jacks. Once the boys had had enough ladyfish action, we headed to the flats in front of St. James Creek to see if we could catch some shiners and pinfish. Although bait there was tough, we did catch enough for some snook and trout fishing.

Although we were well baited, it was still early on the tide for reds on the flats, so we decided to try to catch some speckled trout. I headed to a series of small potholes in the vicinity of Regla Island, where we found good trout action for a while. We put a good dozen or so in the boat, all nice fish in the keeping slot to 17 inches. Too bad the season is closed.

Finally, the tide was getting right for reds on the flats and we made our move. After some chumming with cut ladyfish and shiners, it didn’t take long to get the action going. But, Jeff and Jack were predictably a little rusty at the tight line hook setting technique since last year, and missed a lot of fish. Although the boys only boated four of a dozen reds they had on, they were happy they had their limit, and had enough to feed the gang a big fish dinner that evening.

What a difference a day makes. Jack and Jeff seem to share my love of those hard fighting redfish, and wanted to target them again. So, we did a basic repeat of the day before, except that Joe wasn’t along. We got plenty of ladyfish, and four jacks up the river, and we quickly got plenty of big shiners and pinfish out on marker #8. But we had a lot of fog on the water that sure made getting around difficult. Visibility was only a couple hundred yards for the early part of the morning.

Once we were up in the Sound chasing fish things changed. It was like the boat had bad karma. The fish didn’t want to eat, and when we did get hits, we couldn’t get them hooked. I had as much trouble as Jack and Jeff. We missed a good half dozen redfish hits and four snook hits, and only wound up with two big trout landed the rest of the morning. Jack and Jeff are just great guys, and they don’t put pressure on me to put them on lots of fish. But, I was visibly frustrated with the situation. It was just one of those days, I guess.

As tough as Tuesday was, Wednesday was as good! Fred and Polly Liebold were ready for the second trip of their vacation, and wanted to target snook on this trip. So, we dispensed with going up the river for ladyfish, and went right out to #8 for bait. One throw of my old bridge net filled my well to capacity, and we had to turn half of the bait back. Boy, if only I could do that every day!

We headed up the Sound to our first snook stop, but the fog was so thick that I thought we’d have to stop in the soup and wait for it to burn off. I held my heading barely on step, and eventually we broke out of it right on course. We headed to a long cut up in the middle of the Sound that I hadn’t fished in ages. It was full of big snook, as well as small snook, but after spending a good hour trying, we couldn’t get them to eat.

For the rest of the morning, though, things went just fine. At the next two snook holes Fred and Poly managed to boat a dozen or more snook, including 9 and 10 pound fish that Polly landed, and 8 big winter trout to 5 pounds. Needless to say, Polly was thrilled with her twin big snook catch, and it got her the fish of the week for this week. Way to go, Polly!

Thursday, I picked Jeff and Jack Kates up at the Waterfront once again. We decided we’d chase snook this time around, so we headed straight out to the marker for bait. After a few throws, we were baited up and ready to go. Fog was still a problem, and made it difficult to get across the Sound. We decided to try for a few gag grouper while the tide was way low, and headed north. At the grouper hole we managed to catch three undersized fish, along with a keeper snapper. When the grouper bite didn’t materialize, we were quick to move to the first snook hole. Between that and another snook hole, we boated 24 or more snook, but none quite big enough to keep, 8 nice winter trout to 5 pounds, 1 redfish, and a jack. It was a good day with plenty of fish, but no keeper snook. It was great to spend time with Jeff and Jack, and they reminded me that anytime they were on the water together was a great time, no matter what they caught.

Friday brought my old friend and veteran of many BarHopp’R trip, Russ Hubbard, and his new customer John XX, who is a recent transplant to our area. John, aged 63 years, had not fished in nearly 50 years, so Russ and I made the decision to go for action, rather than big fish. To that end, a trip upriver was in order to break John in on the ladyfish and jack action. After lots of fish, and seeing that John was getting the hang of handling the tackle and the fish, we headed back out for bait. After four throws, we had plenty of bait, and were off to catch snook and trout.

We never left that first snook hole. We had great action, and it was perfect for John, and Russ enjoyed it, too. Russ and John boated nearly 30 snook to 25 inches, a snapper, and 6 big trout to 5 pounds. When the action finally subsided, we took John for his first Waterfront meal. That was the the perfect finish to a great day on the water. And, with the exception of Tuesday, it was a great week, blessed with great weather for a change. But the winds of change are in the air!

FISHING REPORT FOR THE WEEK ENDING 12/23/2000 by Capt. Butch Rickey

It was another week of unseasonably cold weather by Florida standards. I did manage to fish Monday and Friday, but through the middle of the week, it was just too cold and blowin to fish. Here’s how it went.

Monday, I had a delightful couple, Joe Sweeda and Kelly Scott, from Idaho. They showed up at the dock that morning in shorts and short sleeves. I was layered up in long johns, etc., and still worried about being warm enough. I warned them that they’d likely freeze once we were under way, but they assured me that they would be allright.

We headed up river for some easy ladyfish and jack action first. It was midday, and the tide was slowing, but the fish were there by the thousands, and we had a good time catching tons of ladyfish, 6 jacks, and a nice pompano. Kelly seemed to be having a blast with those fish, and was cute as she could be.

Once the action slowed, we headed out to the marker for bait. It took a couple of attempts to get anchored properly, but once I did, Kelly dropped a little chum. I told Kelly that sometimes you can catch more bait than you can use in one throw, and darned if that’s not what happened. After only a couple of minutes of chumming, I threw the net, and could barely get it into the boat. Kelly was so excited to see all those fish, she was nearly beside herself. We poured maybe a third of what I had in the well, and dumped the rest back over the side. We were ready!

We headed up the Sound. I wasn’t real hopeful of having much of a snook bite because of all the bad weather, and the wind was north at around 15. But, we were treated to a potporrie of fish; 3 snook, 3 trout to 18 inches, 3 nice gag grouper including one keeper, and a couple of catfish. So, Joe and Kel took home a nice grouper and a pompano, enough for a great fish dinner. What amazed me most was that Joe and Kel never once complained or admitted to being cold. Those Iowans are tough.

After some really tough weather during the week, Paul Bastrom and his fourteen year-old twins Phil and Pat, from Chicago, ventured out with me Friday morning in low 40 degree temps. Paul was primarily interested in getting the boys into some action. That meant up the river for ladyfish again. Neither of the boys had ever used open face spinning reels, so they had to have a quick course on the fine points of spin fishing. They caught on quickly, though, and were soon reeling in ladyfish one right after another!

The Bastrons had to be in early, and I didn’t want to waste their fishing time catching bait, so I had shrimp on board. I planned to go after speckled trout after the jaunt up the river. The boys are used to catching rainbows back home. Actually, with the barometer at over 30.30, I was surprised that the ladyfish even ate. We visited some of my favorite, and very fertile winter trout holes, and the trout just weren’t interested. We only managed to catch half dozen or so of the beautiful spotted seatrout. When the fish did start to bite pretty well, they would push our shrimp to the top of the water, and the birds came from everywhere to harrass us, making it impossible to fish. We made the best of a cold day, and the boys had a good time.

This is, of course, the last report before the Christmas Holiday. I want to first thank everyone who has taken the time to send Christmas cards, and apologize for not responding in kind. A few years ago, I just had to quit sending cards, as my list grew to nearly 2000 customers and friends, and the whole idea became unmanagable. But, I want each and every one of you to know that you, my customers and friends, many veterans of many BarHopp’R trips, are the most important thing in the world to me. Without you, I would not be one of the busiest guides in southwest Florida. But, I want you all to know that more important than your loyalty as customers, is the value of your friendship. I have said many times that the best, most rewarding part of being a professional guide, is the wonderful friends I’ve made. That continues to be true, and remains the driving force behind my passion for the business. Please accept this report as my Christmas card to you.

I also want to once again thank all of you who offered your prayers and good wishes for Jean’s recovery from breast cancer. Without all those prayers, things could have very well turned out differently. And, while we’re on the ugly subject, I’d like to ask all of you who believe in the power of prayer, to offer a special Christmas prayer for Donald Hunter, brother of my good friend Texas Wader, Ron Hunter. Donald was recently diagnosed with stomach cancer, and has a long, difficult road ahead of him. Ron, is understandably feeling pretty helpless right now. Ron is a special guy. When we first fished together, I don’t think he quite knew what to make of me. But, in the time that has followed, Ron has kind of turned into one of my biggest fans and a good friend, and I hate to see him anguish over his brother. So, let’s try to get him well.

Here’s wishing each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas, a wonderful holiday season, and a healthy, wealthy, and fishy New Year!

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