Fishing Report for Pine Island Sound to Sarasota Bay, Florida
Capt. Butch Rickey
November 24, 2007
Pine Island Sound - Saltwater Fishing Report
FISHING REPORT FOR THE WEEK ENDING 11/24/07
by
Capt. Butch Rickey
I ran two of the three trips I had scheduled for the holiday week. Most of the fishing reports I heard at the ramp about Monday's fishing were not good. And, even though we had new moon tides, the bite seemed to fade as the week progressed.
I had my first trip with Jim Thomas, his son Trey, and good friend Mark Voike, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Tuesday. And, right from the get-go I sensed it would be a great, fun trip. We headed out to B Span flats where I nominated young Trey as the chummer. The fun and teasing began right there, and continued all day. Bait was great, and we soon had a well jammed full of shiners and pinfish for a day of fishing with three anglers.
I had a new rod in the boat, that I couldn't wait to try. My old friend and customer Tom Ashby, who owns the first and only G Loomis superstore in the country, American Legacy, sent me a GWMR843S GLX 7 ft. Loomis rated at 10 - 17 pound line, 1/3-3/4 oz. lure, med-heavy action backbone, with a fast action tip, for me to try, and to put into the hands of my long-time friend Bob Brockway. Tom promised me that I would forsake the St. Croix Legend rods that I have loved for years in favor of the new GLX. The rod is gorgeous, and features the same ultra light weight that I love in the St. Croixs, super strength, unbelievable sensitivity, a bulletproof lifetime warranty, as well as the new hardened titanium Recoil guides, the best Fuji reel seat, and top shelf cork handles. Tom bet me $100 that this rod would be like no other rod I'd ever fished, and that it alone would convert me to Loomis. So, I had a chance to make an easy $100, to boot!
We headed straight into the Sound for one of my favorite low water spots, expecting to catch snook and speckled trout there. But, the fish didn't want to play at all, and the spot gave up only one large ladyfish. That wasn't a bad thing, though, as it gave us an alternative bait for redfish, later.
Our second stop was in a spot I hadn't fished since early in the year. I expected it would be full of snook by now, and it was. But, they weren't in much of an eating mood, either. We did catch 1 nice speckled trout, 1 nice jack crevalle, a couple of snapper, and half a dozen or so snook. And, Jim broke off a monster snook when it tangled him on something on the bottom. That's the way it goes!
And, I got my first chance to test the new Loomis. Although I had politely told the boys that the rod was for my sole testing use that day, I couldn't keep them from gravitating to it. It was a remarkable rod. Unbelievably light and strong, and casts like crazy. I had one of my veteran Stella 2500FB's on it. I quickly abandoned the idea of being the only one using it.
We moved on, and with the water level gradually rising, decided to include redfish in our hunt. But, the fish seemed to have other ideas, and we scored a big goose egg on that hole.
Things began to improve at the next stop, though. We scored 2 redfish and 2 snook before the bite stopped. The boys also missed several good redfish hits. I know there were plenty of redfish there, but we just couldn't get them to eat. We moved on.
FALL FISHING HEATS UP!
It was the same thing at the next stop. The boys scored 2 more redfish, including a nice keeper, a large speckled trout, and a nice snook before the bite again dried up. It seemed the early morning fishing reports I'd gotten were pretty accurate. The fishing was tough, but we were having a blast in spite of that.
It was nearly time to head home, but we decided we'd make one more stop along the way. We detoured into Matlacha Pass to see if we could find any action. Although we didn't find a big bite, we did manage another half dozen or so snook, and another snapper or two. Trey had the hot rod, as he'd had all day.
With that, we headed home. It had been a great day of fishing with three great guys, and with persistence we'd managed to catch a descent number of fish. And, I came away thoroughly impressed with the Loomis GLX, and hoping I'd get to spend more time with it in my hands the next day.
I was looking forward to my Wednesday trip with Harold Singer and Howie Rubin, whom I'd fished with back in November of 2004, shortly after hurricane Charley. We'd had a great trip then, and Harold and Howie told me in so many words I was the best guide they'd fished with. That's something a guide never forgets.
It was indeed a great day again with Harold and Howie. Bait was great again at the Hump, but after that things got tough.
At our first stop the boys caught 6/7 snook, 2 speckled trout, and 3 snapper. Then it dried up. What had began as a bite with promise, quickly fizzled on us. We had caught a few fish, though.
At our second stop Howie and Harold broke off several big fish, caught several smaller snook, and one nice speckled trout. Then, the bite again fizzled. We moved on.
At our next stop, looking for redfish, Howie missed two really good redfish hits on cut bait, but did put one nice red into the boat. Harold managed one nice snook. That was all she wrote before they quit.
It was late into the trip, but we had to try one more spot. We didn't find the redfish we were looking for, although I saw them. But, Harold did land the best snook of the day, along with one other snook.
We hadn't set the world on fire with tons of fish, but we had definitely had a blast. Howie and Harold are a blast to fish with, and as we parted company at the ramp Harold again told me that even though we hadn't caught loads of fish, I was still the best guide he'd ever been with. Thank you Harold and Howie, for such wonderful words.
I had also gotten some more hands on time with the Loomis rod. I'm in love. I could easily have told Tom Ashby that I didn't like the rod as much as my St. Croixs, and collected my bet. But, the truth is that one rod will convert me totally to the Loomis GLX. They ain't cheap, but boy they are great. And, Tom is making it possible for me to put them into my customers' hands at a discount of 15%, which on such high-end rods is a substantial discount.
So, if you're interested in giving yourself the gift of the best rod available for Christmas, or want to give your wife a subtle hint about your perfect present and where to get it, just drop me a line and I'll take care of it. American Legacy will drop ship directly to you in time for Christmas. You'll be glad you did.
All the best to everyone. I hope you're enjoying a great Thanksgiving weekend with friends and family, and are rejoicing at the abundance of blessings we have as Americans. Even though things have been tough in the fishing business, I know that I, and we as Americans, are more prosperous than any other people on earth. That's a lot to give thanks for!
My calendar is pretty empty between now and Christmas week. I'd rather have a piece of pie than no pie at all. So, if you've been contemplating a trip, but holding off because of economic considerations, I'll knock $50 off the going rate from now through the end of the year. Drop me a line this weekend and lets reserve a day.
Be sure to check out www.BestFishingBooks.com Books and gifts for fishermen from my friend Jim Dicken!
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