Fishing Report for Pine Island Sound to Sarasota Bay, Florida

Capt. Butch Rickey
November 18, 2002
Pine Island Sound - Saltwater Fishing Report

REPORT FOR WEEK ENDING 11/16/2002 by Capt. Butch Rickey

Winter cold fronts claimed several days this week, and I only got to fish Thursday and Friday. They were two great days sandwiched between weather fronts, but we caught some great fish.

The first trip I actually got to run was on Thursday. It was a two boat trip with Capt. Gary Nucci. We picked up our six anglers at Punta Rassa at 8 AM after spending the time from daylight catching bait. Gary went to the causeway, and I went to Picnic Island to see if I could scare up bait there without making a long run, or risking my life throwing around that bridge. Bait was tough, but I got enough to fish with three anglers. I didn’t have the luxury of having extra to chum with, and Gary gave me a scoop of the threadfin herring he’d gotten at the causeway. What I did get was beautiful snook sized shiners!

I was actually surprised that Steve Duckworth, the fella that organized the trip, didn’t cancel it. The wind was straight out of the northeast at 15 to 20 after the passage of the front, and we advised everyone that it would likely be a very tough day. The fish typically don’t eat for a couple of days after frontal passage. Also, they wanted to fish for snook, which can be really tough to catch after a front. We decided that we would divide into the guys who wanted to take their chances with snook, and those who just wanted to go fish, and those who wanted to snook fish would go with me. Steve, and his two friends Chris Miliotes and Jim, came with me.

We had a very early high tide at around 10 AM. I knew full well that the catching, if it happened, would likely be over when the tide was over. It wasn’t a strong tide, either, further adding to the challenge. So, I headed straight to the spot that I thought offered us the best chance of success early. It was a good call, as we had a much better bite there than I had expected we’d have. The wind and current made fishing difficult for my guys, and they missed a lot of hits. They did manage to put 8 or so snook to 28 inches into the boat, along with about the same number of speckled trout to 19 inches. Chris got the best fish of the morning with the 28 inch snook.

True to my experience and expectation, the fishing totally shut down once the tide quit running. Even after it began to crawl out, the fish didn’t bite, save for a couple of ladyfish. WE fished some great spots without so much as a nibble. I don’t think we could have caught another fish if we’d been fishing with dynamite!! it was a tough day, but we’d managed to make it a fun one.

Friday the wind was down to 10 to 15 out of the southeast as another cold front already approached. It was to have been my second trip with Dr. Vic Weinstein and his beautiful wife Randi, but we had been weathered out on Wednesday. So, this was our first trip. We had a great tide, and high to be around 81, and I was looking for a good day. We headed straight to Picnic Island, and were loaded with big, beautiful shiners in two throws after a little chumming. Everything was in place.

I headed to a favorite snook hole, but with help from the wind, the tide was already higher than it should have been, and the fish had moved out. I went to another of my favorite snook grounds, and as I made my approach to the area a nearby boat asked me to please stay at least 100 yards away, as they were fishing a tournament and had to take a polygraph test certifying they hadn’t been within 100 yards of live bait! This 100 limit killed a lot of good spots, which displeased me greatly, but we let the anglers have the whole area. I took a long ride on the trolling motor to another spot, and as I approached a single angler in a white center console boat ran in front of me on his gas motor and claimed the spot it was obvious to anyone I was going to fish. My patience was growing thin, and I was finding it hard to remain the consummate professional. What I really wanted to do was run a bunch of circles around this idiot and leave. But, we left quietly and went somewhere else.

I guess you could say that we proved the Lord works in mysterious ways for sure, because we had a great bite right from the start, and for most of our morning. Yes, Vic and Randi missed their share of fish, but they did better than most, and really did well with the fish that counted.

It was about mid-morning when Randi’s rod was nearly snatched right out of her hands! Hell, the big fish nearly snatcher her right off the bow of the boat! The reel was screaming, and I knew we had the snook of a lifetime. I went into the coaching mode, knowing that Randi had never tangled with anything like this, and immediately screwed the drag on the Sustain 4000 down as tight as I thought I dare go with the 30 pound Power Pro. I knew the clock was running on the leader if the big snook was anything other than lip hooked. I prayed to God the 40 pound fluorocarbon leader and knots would hold. I prayed the fish was lip hooked, and that Randi wouldn’t drop any slack to her. After what seemed an eternity, Randi had the big snook alongside the boat, and I think we were all shocked to see a snook this big in such shallow water. I managed to get the BogaGrip on her lower lip, and swung her aboard. Randi was beside herself with excitement. Hell, we all were. There was a Maverick the same color as my Talon about 50 yards away, and they were hollering and cheering and clapping for Randi and her great feat! It was awesome. We took pictures as quickly as we could and got the big breeder back into the water and began to resuscitate her. She soon swam slowly away as if nothing had happened. Very possibly she had endured a number of such battles with anglers. Well, she was the snook of a lifetime for a shallow water angler, and weighed just over 18 pounds and measured over 38 inches. She was fat!

Vic and Randi caught 2 redfish, one with 9 spots, 8 or more big trout, several of which went 4 and 5 pounds, and 15 or more snook, including 3 other keepers. They had the Slam in a big way, with an 18 pound snook topping it off! What a morning!

We finished what had been a perfect day with a great lunch at the Waterfront Restaurant, where we relived the whole morning over a number of times, and Randi repeatedly reminded Vic of her BIG fish. She was funny, and as proud as she could be, because she had done it all herself.

I couldn’t help thinking about Steve Duckworth from the day before. He had wanted to catch a big snook, but his timing was one day off. I’m sure he’ll be happy for Randi, though.

Our guides’ association was supposed to host a Big Brother/Big Sisters Tournament that we do each year for the kids, on Saturday. Mother Nature had other ideas, though as it began raining Friday evening, and rained until Sunday morning. We had lots of hi winds, thunder, lightning, and copious amounts of rain before it was over. It will surely cool things off for next week.

More Fishing Reports:

• All Reports by Capt. Butch Rickey
• Pine Island Sound Fishing Reports
• Southwest Florida (Cape Sable to Boca Grande) Reports
• Florida Fishing Reports
• Browse All Fishing Reports