Fishing Report for Pine Island Sound to Sarasota Bay, Florida

Capt. Butch Rickey
September 28, 2005
Pine Island Sound - Saltwater Fishing Report

REPORT FOR THE WEEK ENDING 9/24/05 by Capt. Butch Rickey

Not much fishing going on this week. Why? How about hurricane Rita. She drove by just south of the Keys, and her proximity kept our days windy and rainy all week. Those who were fortunate enough to have trips on the books, either canceled or were forced to fish in very tough conditions.

But, for all that Rita and Katrina have done along the gulf coast, the worst is could be yet to come for those of us who's livelihoods depend upon tourism. The threat of ever higher gas prices is bad enough, and will translate to less tourism. But the threat of no gas at all is downright scary. No gas. No trips. As of this writing the price and availability of gasoline in the near future is uncertain, but doesn't appear to be as dire as first predicted.

After a great three days of fishing last week, I only managed one trip on Monday. Already we were under the influence of Rita, and it was pretty bouncy out there. I was with my old friend Willy Van Der Vorst, and his friend Filip Taelman, who comes over from Belgium every September for a couple of weeks around Florida.

We headed up the Sound to the flats at Flamingo, where bait had been plentiful the previous week. We found the bait still there, but it was all very large shiners. There were no smaller shiners or threadfins mixed in. Actually, many of the baits were too big. Once it became apparent that smaller bait would not be forthcoming, we turned our attention to fishing. Willy did have one objective for sure; to feed their party of four adults a fish dinner.

Normally, that's an easy order to fill. Not today! The first fish came quickly. It was Filip's first ever snook. There were quite a few fish missed, and a lot of kill strikes that are impossible to feel, even though ridiculously expensive equipment and Power Pro line. Willy and Filip did put four nice, fat trout into the boat as large as 20 inches, which at least kept the promise of a fish dinner for the gang. But, once the action slowed there, we literally couldn't buy a descent hit the rest of the morning.

Although the ramp had been cleaned of it's spoils of decaying fish carcasses, there were still plenty of floaters on the water. We had no problems keeping bait alive, but then it wasn't very crowed in the big well of the Talon. So, I don't know how much of an influence the red tide was on the fishing, but I suspect it was a factor in the slow action.

Once we could clearly hear the fat lady singing, we decided it was time for us to enjoy a lunch at the Waterfront Restaurant. I had the soft shell crab, and Willy and Filip thought it was the funniest thing they'd ever seen, my eating legs and all in one gulp. They just kept cracking up, and asking me about how they made the shell soft.

It was a great time with Willy and Filip. Willy is always a hoot to fish with. This was Filip's first trip, but I doubt it will be his last. And, although it was a kind of day most guides would just as soon forget, it was one of those days that reminds us that it's often the people in the boat that determine the quality of a fishing trip.

I've got plenty of open days this week. Why don't you think about getting out for a day of fishing while we still can. If I have enough requests, I might be able to arrange a split-fare trip or two.

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