What’s Hot- With the dramatic decline in water temperature over the last week, inshore species will seek out warmer pockets of water on the cooler mornings. Speckled trout, redfish and sheepshead will be most tolerant of the mid-fifties water and can be caught with patience from anglers wanting some tight lines. When trying to locate gamefish among the shallows, key in on southern facing shorelines with higher treelines. These flats will radiate heat and hold larger numbers of fish. More often, the water will be cleaner, as it will be protected from strong north winds.

When fishing our coastline following a front, slow everything down when it comes to presentation. Freelining shrimp with a small split shot above the hook always works best. This method will keep the offering on the bottom longer-where the fish will want to feed. With artificials, crawl the lure along the sandy pockets where it will create mud puffs and draw attention. Bucktails, plastic worms and grub tails will imitate the smaller meals that the trout and reds want. By keeping the rod tip high and using an 1/8 ounce jighead, these lures can be worked very slow to cover more area.

Speckled Trout Season- As the prime trout season gets under way, be sure to practice proper catch and release. Always have a good de-hooker on board for releasing unwanted fish. By handling these trout less, the survival rate goes way up. The protective slime coating on a speckled trout helps them to fight off diseases.

Here are my Springtime Seminars which all take place at the West Marine in Tarpon Springs at the corner of U.S. 19 and Tarpon Avenue . The dates all fall on Wednesday nights and start at 6:00 p.m. At all of the seminars, anglers are invited to recieve 10% off anything in the fishing section. Free pizza, drinks and giveaways are offered at the events!! I invite everyone to come and maybe learn a new tip or technique.               

~January 11th- Winter Flats Fishing Tactics, 25th- Tackle Maintenance ~ February 8th -Tailing Redfish, 22nd – Sightfishing 101 ~March 7th – Transition Fishing for Inshore Gamefish, 28th – Tarpon Fever~ April 11th - Nearshore Spring Fishing, 25th - Snook Season Tactics

Below are  my upcoming West Marine seminars for the Fall season. All sessions will be on Wednesdays and start at 6:00 p.m. at the Tarpon Springs store- located at the corner of U.S.19 and Tarpon Avenue. Anglers at each seminar have the opportunity to get 10% off anything in the fishing section. In the month of December , there will be giveaways that will include a half day charter with Capt. Jim. Please come join us for these informative classes. All events will include pizza, drinks and Fish Tales!!  

***HOLIDAY SPECIAL***- Buy one 1/2 day gift certificate package get one free 1/2 day charter( valid Jan. -Mar. 2012)-  Holiday package includes a Charter, T-Shirt, Lure Package and  Koozie. ~Must be purchased before Dec. 25th. ~

October- 26th - Nearshore Grouper Fishing - Learn to catch that keeper Grouper and not burn a lot of gas.                                              

November-  9th - Transition Fishing for Inshore Gamefish - Find out what methods work best for fish moving into the backcountry  23rd – Cobia Fishing 101 - Learn to catch cobia on the flats with artificials and livebait                                                                                                                                                  

December 7^th- Power Plant Fishing - Come find out some tips and tricks to fishing power plants in the winter months.- Free Holiday Giveaways!! 21^st – Catching Gator Trout - Find out what methods work best to find and catch that “Gator” Trout during cooler months. Free Holiday Giveaways!!

What’s hot- With the water temperatures dropping into the upper sixties, many larger speckled trout have moved inshore and the cool water will also bring the grouper in closer to the beaches off good hard bottom. The shallows of north Pinellas county are holding good numbers of fish where sandy potholes are mixed in with rich turtlegrass. Artificials are beginning to work well, as anglers can cover large areas while drift fishing. Pumpkin slammers are working well when rigged with an 1/8 ounce weedless jighead. Pearl colored tails will symbolize the whitebait that is covering the beaches. Bucktail jigs and shallow crankbaits will also work well with this type of presentation. As for using livebait, a smaller sardine rigged with an adjustable cork can be popped at the surface to entice the larger female trout that have moved in. These breeder-sized specks will also hold in dropoffs along the flats on lower tide levels. On higher tides, work inside the no-motor zones where these fish will move up and take advantage of the small feeding window before the tide falls again.

     As the grouper inch towards shore a little, anglers looking to hook into a keeper before the seasons ends will want to concentrate on aggressive looking rockpiles in the 20 foot depths. In this range of depth many stone crab lines are found and can often give away the best areas, as crab is often caught better on natural hard bottom. Live pinfish will work best to catch the larger gags. When fishing in shallower terrain for grouper, work off the structure and allow the chum to pull these aggressive fish away from the rocks to increase the landing ratio.    

Season Closures – Gulf Grouper- Closes Nov. 15th

                                  – Speckled Trout- South Region – Closed Nov.- Dec.

I wanted to thank Dave Wolf ,Bob Schorejs, Fireman John and the others who joined me in releasing 10 wreaths out to sea that had the names of victims who had family members and friends in the community that passed in the 9/11 tragedy. Bagpipes played after the ceremony as we left the beach with the wreaths. It was great to be a part of this event and celebrate these people’s lives. We will never forget – We will always remember!! USA

Note-  The next day(Monday, Sept. 12th) Fireman John was in a boating accident in Clearwater and taken from us. He was a great fisherman and friend and was always there to help anyone in the fishing community. We know he is casting his jigs again with his good friend Captain Mel in a much better fishin’ hole!! We will all miss you!

I would like to invite anyone at this weekend’s Tampa Boat Show to stop by the Shadow-Caster Marine LED booth #141. I will be helping out and showing off the newest intense underwater lights that can be seen on my new 25te Shearwater. These lights are unbelievably bright and attract fish species of all types. 

What’s Hot- With any type of major storm passing by our coastline, there will always be increased winds and erratic pressure changes that will affect the way that fish will bite during this given time. As many anglers have experienced, when the pressure begins to drop – gamefish will often feed heavily leading into the storm. As the storm subsides, the pressure will rise and find these same fish very finicky in the way that they eat. A couple of useful tips in reestablishing a inshore good bite following a front is working deeper water and fishing with stationary baits – such as a shrimp or cutbait. With the lower tides this week in the morning coming off a new moon, redfish and snook will favor the 3-5 foot depths. Anglers will need to find deeper potholes that are off the major flats of Caladesi and Honeymoon Islands. These ambush areas are key during the incoming tides, as it brings in fresh Gulf water and baits to the shallows. The deeper troughs will funnel shrimp, sardines and other easy meals towards awaiting gamefish. This flow of water can also help anglers to present a bait naturally into the strike zone. Try to freeline the baits so that there is no restrictions in how it is presented.

Tackle tips- For flats fishing in Pinellas County the water is usually very clear due to the rich turtlegrass that helps filter out algae blooms. The biggest mistake an angler can make on pressured fish in clear water is oversizing the tackle. Braided line in the 8-10 pound test range tied with 20 pound fluorocarbon leader will allow longer casts and a more stealth presentation. This setup will catch ninety percent of the fish in the shallows this time of year.

Below are  my upcoming West Marine seminars for the Fall season. All sessions will be on Wednesdays and start at 6:00 p.m. at the Tarpon Springs store- located at the corner of U.S.19 and Tarpon Avenue. Anglers at each seminar have the opportunity to get 10% off anything in the fishing section. In the month of December , there will be giveaways that will include a half day charter with Capt. Jim. Please come join us for these informative classes. 

October-12th – Fall Fishing on Florida’s West Central Coast - Tactics for Nearshore Fall Fishing  26th – Nearshore Grouper Fishing - Learn to catch that keeper Grouper and not burn a lot of gas                                                                                                                                 November-  9th – Transition Fishing for Inshore Gamefish - Find out what methods work best for fish moving into the backcountry  23rd – Cobia Fishing 101 - Learn to catch cobia on the flats with artificials and livebait                                                                                                                                                   December 7^th- Power Plant Fishing - Come find out some tips and tricks to fishing power plants in the winter months.- Free Holiday Giveaways!! 21^st – Catching Gator Trout - Find out what methods work best to find and catch that “Gator” Trout during cooler months. Free Holiday Giveaways!!

Well – here it is guys!! The Brand New 2012 25TE Shearwater with a whole new revamped console, interior and custom livewell system. Powered by a Mercury 250 Optimax – this 25 foot boat handles all of our Inshore /Nearshore fishing needs on the west coast of Florida. The Lowrance HD7 really has some advantages with HD downscan/sidescan and Sirius Weather. All Optima D31M Batteries help power the four 1100gph Rule pumps with an Oxygenator system to ensure that baits and fish stay alive longer. For early morning bait needs or nightime trips it features Shadow-Caster LEDS to bring life into the water around the vessel.