Fishing Report for Pine Island Sound to Sarasota Bay, Florida

Capt. Butch Rickey
February 10, 2003
Pine Island Sound - Saltwater Fishing Report

REPORT FOR THE WEEK ENDING 2/8/03 by Capt. Butch Rickey

Finally, we entered a warming trend that held on long enough to warm our water ever so slightly. The trout fishing was good, and by week’s end, the snook had begun to feed ever so reluctantly. There are three trips to tell you about.

Monday was my second outing with Tom Collins. This time he brought along his beautiful wife, Sylvia. WE got started at 9:30, and went straight for the speckled trout bite. Before we had left the dock, Tom was showing me his new Stella 4000. Like me, he’s a man that appreciates fine things. I had told him about the Stellas last week, and he told me he ordered it from Cabela’s, and had it overnighted so he could fish with it on our two trips this week. What a sweet reel!

We went to one of my favorite winter trout holes that I hadn’t fished in a while, because the water had gotten so cold they just weren’t there, or weren’t eating. But, with the warming trend, the fish were there in spades and we had a ball catching them one after the other on the old standby, Bass Assassin jigs. The hot colors were pink and yellow. Tom kept count. Sylvia was along mostly to enjoy the outdoors, but she did fish some. She had some difficulty getting the knack of using a jig, but did manage to catch a few trout. By the time Sylvia decided it was time to take a potty/lunch break at the Waterfront, Tom had counted exactly 60 trout. Most of them were nice sized, and many were in the slot. The largest was four pounds. They all swam away to bite another day.

Tuesday, it was Tom and me again. This time it was just the two of us, and we decided we’d spend some time trying to catch bait, and we’d see if we could catch a snook with it. We headed to the causeway, and found bait at 59/60. I only got shiners on one throw out of about ten, but it was a good load. We were set.

I headed to one of my favorite winter snook holes, and while we were there I saw several snook, but they were still very reluctant to move, and refused to eat. We did catch a couple of nice trout and a flounder at that first hole. At the next stop we found big trout, but no snook, and caught a dozen or more. From there we went to another winter snook hole, and actually tangled with the first snook in a long time. Unfortunately, it cut the leader on something submerged within seconds of being hooked. We did get a couple more trout there. To cap the day we decided it would be worth taking a look for redfish on the flats. It was a good idea, but the flats we visited were as devoid of life as an arid desert.

We once again finished the day at the Waterfront, which had lived up to my billing, and had become Tom’s favorite place to eat. He said they had not found any place nearly as good on the Sanibel/Captiva or the mainland. We had a good time talking about our trips and fishing in general over lunch. I’ve said many times that one of the best things about being a professional guide is the great people you meet, and friends you make. After three days of fishing with Tom, under conditions as tough as we see here in the winter, I know I have made another good fishing friend. Tom is a passionate fisherman, and is happy with any kind of fishing. He has fished for many species in every corner of the globe. He has crammed more fishing into the last five years than most folks do in a lifetime. He’s exactly the kind of guy I love to fish with. And, he shares my belief that good equipment makes the fishing experience even more enjoyable. I look forward to his return.

The last trip of the week was on Friday, with Brian Clear, down from Michigan, with his Dad, Joe, and uncle Steve. I explained to Brian that we’d seen a week or so of warming weather, and that I thought we should catch bait, and see what might eat it. I was really expecting to find some hungry snook. We got started at eleven o’clock in a thick fog, and headed to the causeway, where Brian took over as Captain. Fortunately, once we reached the third span, the fog had lifted, if only temporarily. The tide was about done running, so I decided it would be quicker to anchor and chum on the slack water. In a minute’s time I could see the bait flashing below. Two throws of the net, and we had more bait than I dared put into one baitwell. So, we gave a load to a nearby angler.

As we approached our first snook hole, Brian and I both were treated to the sight of big snook scooting off in several directions. The water had gotten much clearer in the days that I was off, and visibility was good in both directions. I chummed the hole hard, and we had quite a few snook blows. However, hooking one was another story. I showed the boys how each of our fish has a signature bite mark that they leave on a bait, and showed them that we had had numerous snook hits. But the fish just weren’t willing to hang on long enough to get hooked. Fortunately, the hold was full of big trout, and we had a good time catching them.

We hit several more spots after the action slowed there without much going on. The big excitement was trying to navigate our way through a thick fog. I was waiting on the tide, and the proper time to go to another snook hole. I hoped that with the mid-day warming, we might find fish that would eat, but the warming never really happened. We did find them, but they were tough. Brian finally broke the ice by landing a 27 inch snook. Amazingly, the fish only weighed in a 5 pounds! That fish should have weighed at least 7 pound! That’s skinny, and proof positive that the snook have been laid up and not eating. I know it won’t be long before they go crazy if it stays warm. I think we all broke off at least one snook, and missed at least one outright. One of Brian’s baits also told the story of being eaten by a redfish.

All in all, it was a pretty good day, and we had a good time. It was a pretty good week of fishing, and I think we’re going to see it turn on if the warm weather continues.

Tight Lines!

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