Fishing Report for Pine Island Sound to Sarasota Bay, Florida

Capt. Butch Rickey
June 11, 2005
Pine Island Sound - Saltwater Fishing Report

REPORT FOR THE WEEK ENDING 6/11/05 by Capt. Butch Rickey

It’s Friday, June 10, as I sit here house-bound writing this report. The week began with great fishing for the first couple of days, and then slowed because of poor tides the next two days, and today we have Tropical Storm Arlene dumping 3 to 5 inches of water on an already waterlogged southwest Florida. Today and tomorrow are likely both washouts; as well are the boat races and tournament this weekend. I’m sure we’re on a record pace for rainfall in June, already this year.

First up on Monday were my friends Steve O’Dell and John Cherry, over from Leesburg, for a week of vacation. The brought a small skiff with them so they could fish the rest of the week, but wanted to get in one good day with me. And, a good one it was.

We headed to Picnic Island, not knowing what to expect after the solid week of rain we’d just experienced. I figured fresh water intrusion would be a factor, though. As we arrived on the flats at Picnic I deployed the PowerPole. As soon as it stuck in the bottom I was shocked at how quickly the Talon spun around on it in the strong current. I realized right away that it wasn’t tidal current, but rather the strong flow of fresh water dumping out of the river. There would be no catching bait at Picnic Island this day.

We headed over to Tarpon Bay to check conditions there, and although the water was moving, it was nothing like we’d just seen. With Steve chumming we were able to catch plenty of bait from the dark, tannin stained waters.

As I headed to the first spot for fishing, I wasn’t sure quite what to expect. Would the days of rain have ruined the fishing at least temporarily? We decided to see how the snook would act, first. As I expected, they gave us the fin! They weren’t interested in eating.

We moved on to chase redfish. I decided to take up the chase right where I had left the fish some nine days earlier before the holiday weekend and the rains came. They’re such creatures of habit. I would have been my last buck they’d be there.

We began fishing and chumming our way into the flat. I didn’t want to take a chance of running over them if they were not on the same patch of bottom. We managed several fish as we worked our way toward my final spot, but once we got to that same piece of hallowed ground, the bite was on. It was almost as if they were there waiting for me. We were in full redfish magic mode, now. Steve and John were having a ball catching those reds two and three at a time at times.

By the time it was over the boys had boated somewhere between 30 and 40 redfish, and 4 trout. It was a great day. As we rode home I told the guys that I’d be happy to catch some bait for them, and they could join me the next day if I could get the fish to eat, again. I made sure I had their Nextel radio code so that I could call them, and we were all set. It was great to see the guys, again, and I was looking forward to seeing them again on the water during the week.

Tuesday morning, I slipped the Talon into the water and zipped around the Sanibel Harbor to pick up my old friend Dave Adair. We’ve been fishing together for some years, now, and it’s always a good time. He loves to fish, and he told me that it’s his primary reason for coming here year after year, when his wife would rather visit somewhere else.

Although reluctant, I told Dave about the big redfish day on Monday, and he was all for trying to do a replay. I felt pretty confident that I could find the fish and get them to eat, again, as we headed straight to Tarpon Bay for bait. The morning was absolutely still, with not a whisper of air moving. It was unbelievably hot! And, bait decided it was going to be hard to catch because the water wasn’t moving. I threw and threw the net as Dave expertly chummed the water, and was in full projectile sweats within minutes. My God! It was hot and humid. Summer is indeed, here. By the time we were done catching bait, I was exhausted, dehydrated, and already cramping. I sucked down fluids and watermelon trying to get myself straightened out, but I had lost a lot of fluids, and didn’t have that much in the boat! I fired up the Yamaha, and turned on the air conditioner, and boy, was it sweet. We were on our way to keep a date with a school of redfish.

Once we were on the redfish flats, we again fished our way toward the same area where I had found them the day before. Our efforts were sometimes frustrated by a breeze that was trying to kick, but that couldn’t quite find the energy. I was boiling over. But, we found the fish, and they ate very well. Unlike Monday, it was just Dave and me, yet Dave managed to put somewhere around the same number of reds in the boat as had Steve and John. It was hard work, but a blast, and I knew Dave was having a blast, as well. Dave also had 3 trout, and 1 snook that got off at the side of the boat. I did call Steve and John, but they said they were catching trout some distance away, and asked if they could join me on Wednesday.

I think Dave was concerned about my having heat exhaustion, and at around noon suggested we head home. He said we’d caught plenty of fish, and that he had promised to take his wife to lunch. I was in no condition to argue, as I felt like I was going to pass out on several occasions. As we rode back to Sanibel Harbor, I told Dave that if he would buy a bait bucket and leave it on the big dock, I’d stop and put some bait in it for him. That would give him the opportunity to fish the area with more than just artificials. He said he would.

It was great to spend the day with Dave, even though I was physically used up. On the way home, Dave had some very flattering things to say to me, and even though I could hardly hold my head up while cleaning the Talon, my feet were about a foot off the ground! Having someone tell you why he loves to fish with you, and compare you to other experiences, is very rewarding, indeed.

I had my first trip with Tom D’Amico, of Edison, New Jersey, on Wednesday. He was joined by his beautiful Filipino girlfriend, Gina. Tom is an avid fisherman, and Gina had never been fishing! We headed to Tarpon Bay for bait, where we were quickly invited by a friend who was just wrapping up, to take over his bait. So, it wasn’t long before we had the Talon loaded and ready to go. After Tuesday’s ordeal, I was very thankful.

We’d had two great days of fishing, but I knew the tides were getting higher, and slower, which is the death nail on fishing. I hoped I could get the redfish school going for my new friends. The wind was opposite of the day before, so I had to approach the flat in a different way. We fished our way in, and just when it seemed we weren’t going to find the fish, or at least get them to eat, they began to bite. We didn’t get a big bite, but they bit well enough to allow Tom and Gina to have some great fun, and put about a dozen redfish into the boat. Actually, I’m sure we would have done more than a dozen fish if we hadn’t been plagued by a virtual island of floating seaweed that floated in on us, and covered our fish, and then just laid there. We also had a light breeze that kept flopping all over as it tried to develop a sea breeze. It was very frustrating. I had called Steve and John from Monday to come and join us, as well as my cousin Sean Middleton, and by the time Steve and John got there we were covered up with this thick seaweed.

The fishing was pretty much over at that point, and we could see weather developing to the southeast. We decided that if we were going to have lunch at the Waterfront Restaurant, we’d better get going. I told Tom and Gina that we would make a stop at the 19th Hole on the way home from there, to see if we could catch a snook or three.

We enjoyed a great lunch and conversation, and as we did I could see the clouds building to the east. I sensed that it wouldn’t be long before weather was an issue. We headed out to the 19th Hole. But, we had no more that gotten there when we heard the first crack of thunder. And, this time of year that means it’s time to get off the water!

By the time we got in and got the Talon out of the water, it was on us. I got the fish cleaned as quickly as I could, and by then it was booming pretty well. The Talon would have to go home dirty. And, boy was she dirty. Blood was splattered everywhere from the cut bait fishing. It’s very effective, but sure is messy. Although it had been a slow day by our standards, Tom and Gina said they’d had a blast, and when I asked Gina if she’d had fun she said, “Oh, yes! Very, Very exciting!”

By Thursday morning we knew that we had a tropical storm in the southern Gulf, named Arlene. The forecast was for early storms, and rainy days Friday and Saturday. I was fishing with my old friend Bruce Miller, who lives in Cape Coral. Bruce is a great guy, and I’ve known him for years, now. I told Bruce about the school reds I’d been catching, but I also knew that with each day they would get tougher because of poorer and later tides. Bruce was all for taking a run at them.

So, we headed to Tarpon Bay for bait, where we again were handed off bait by another friend. And, once we were done, we called in another boat that didn’t seem to be doing very well. Bait didn’t take long, and we were ahead of schedule, but it would be quite a while before the water moved at all. We made a leisurely ride to the flats.

Once on the grounds I chummed, fished, waited, moved, chummed, fished, waited, and moved. Soon after arriving we had four or five hits in a row, but the fish weren’t hanging on. They were just letting us no they were there, and tormenting us. They weren’t eating. But, in all my years of doing this I’ve learned that patience is almost always rewarded, especially when trying to catch redfish. We stayed with it, and kept working on the fish.

The slow start gave Bruce and I a chance to talk and visit, and that was nice. Finally we began to get some action. But, it wasn’t fast action. We had to work hard to get anything to happen, and had to keep moving. We managed a total of 8 or 9 redfish, including several keepers. Our efforts were again hampered by floating islands of seaweed and changing breezes, although the seaweed wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been the day before.

At around 11 AM, I pointed to the eastern sky and told Bruce that the ridge of white clouds on the horizon was the weather associated with Arlene. I figured it was a couple of hours away. But, as we watched and fished, it became obvious that it was moving very fast. At around noon we decided it was time to high-tail it back to the ramp. The water had quit moving, and all we were catching was catfish, so it was obviously over, anyway.

I detoured down Miserable Mile and to Sanibel Harbor to drop some bait off for Dave Adair. I had been run off the water the day before, and decided it wasn’t prudent to take the time to stop with the storm on us. Well, by the time we got the bait offloaded and to the ramp, that weather was right on top of us, and just after I got the boat on the trailer, big winds of around 40 MPH ripped around for a while. Then came the rain. I got the fish cleaned, and after Bruce and I said our good-byes, I gave the Talon a good cleaning in the rain. There was no lightning, and I didn’t want to leave her dirty again.

So, now here I sit. It’s been raining like hell all morning, and blowing pretty hard, as well. Now, Arlene is a named tropical storm with winds at 60 MPH. The weather folks are revising their forecasts as I write, for a wet weekend.

I was supposed to fish today, Friday, with my old friend John Hitt, who I know is disappointed with the situation. We are supposed to fish tomorrow, as well, but I will call and cancel, as it will be blowing 25+, and the chance of rain is 60%. We have no moving water until well past noon, so it’s pretty pointless to try to make the day work.

So, once again Mother Nature claims two days of work for us fishing guides. The rainy season is about to start and we have already recorded some 16 inches of rain this month!! I hope this is not a harbinger of things to come!

I found it interesting that the redfish we caught on Monday were nearly all caught on sliced and diced pinfish. The trout we caught on live shiners. Tuesday, the reds would hardly give a piece of pinfish a second look, and ate only cut shiners. Dittos for Wednesday. Thursday, Bruce and I caught them on both, but it was tough. I guess you just never know what they’re going to be in the mood for, and that’s why I always try to offer them a smorgasbord when I’m just starting the hunt.

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