By: Capt Adrian Watt

• Average Water Temp – 27.0
• Average Weather - excellent for gamefishing, calm, light overcast, just the occasional breezy day.
• Water Clarity – Variable inshore after tropical rain, good offshore

It has been an excellent spring for us with just about everything on the species list available to anglers. The wahoo and sailfish packs have thinned but the first of the Christmas Yellowfin schools are now moving in.

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By: Captain Dave Hanson

Lynn Harned, Davis Jenkins, Bruce Welsh and Bob Wogtowicz had planned an offshore trip with me for Wednesday, 11/19, but a cold front that dropped temps to the lowest of the season that morning, accompanied by high winds and building seas, caused us to reschedule for Friday. We fished Friday morning, just ahead of the next cold-front’s arrival, in the calmer seas between fronts. We headed out of New Pass about 19 miles and used live shrimp to catch ten nice mangrove snapper to 15 inches, three mutton snappers to 17 inches mutton snapper, three king mackerel to 26 inches, a 22 inch Spanish mackerel, and keeper-sized triggerfish and whitebone porgies. The guys kept the mangs, one mutton and one king for table-fare and we released all the rest, along with lots of gag grouper shorts to 21 ½ inches.

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By: Captain Dave Hanson

Monday morning, 11/10, I fished with Brad Hayes and his six-year-old son, Cameron in central Estero Bay, using live shrimp. We caught seven redfish, one of which was a keeper, and four sheepshead, including one keeper. We released the smaller reds and sheepshead, along with some small snapper and two snook to 24 inches.

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By: Captain Richard

Well we’ve been slow now with many reports however things will begin to pick up as sailfish season begins. We are in planning of doing much wahoo fishing with our lure manufacturer Bahama Lures. Stay tuned for some sailfish action as I hit the waters next week for kings, wahoo’s and sails.

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By: Capt. Alan Sherman

BEST BET

Captain Bouncer Smith of Bouncers Dusky out of Miami Beach Marina reported some hot swordfish action in the late afternoon, when Clarence Flowers and Buster McLean from Grand Cayman Island hooked and landed a 425-pound swordfish in 1,800 feet of water on a strip of bonito. . . . Captain Dean Panos of Double D. Charters out of Keystone Marina reported good swordfish action, along with a few mako sharks, while fishing outside of 1,000 feet of water at night.

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By: Capt. Alan Sherman

BEST BET

Captain John Dickinson of Bone-fied Fishing Charters reported that this is the best time of year to fish the waters of Everglades National Park because of the large amounts of baitfish that have invaded Florida Bay and the waters along the Gulf Coast and into Whitewater Bay. Dickinson reported that snook, redfish, sea trout and medium-sized tarpon are feeding on the mullet schools. . . . Captain Benny Blanco fished the Maverick Boat Company Owner’s Tournament out of Islamorada but traveled to the waters of Florida Bay just outside of Flamingo, where he and his teammate caught more than 15 snook and more than 15 redfish.

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By: Captain Dave Hanson

Wednesday, 10/8, I fished the backwaters of central Estero Bay, along the mangrove shoreline, with Henry & Lois Wilson and friend, Harold Fleming. We used live shrimp to catch and release five redfish to 17 ½ inches, two snook, 22 inches and 24 inches, sheepshead that were just short of keeper-size and lots of undersized mangrove snapper. We also got a couple of keeper mangs.

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By: Captain Richard

If you think the days of traveling to faraway lands and finding monster billfish are only stories in history, then you need to join us on the next IGFA Expedition. The inaugural IGFA Expedition Series – Tropic Star Lodge was met with calm seas and a once in a lifetime blue marlin bite. Over three days of fishing, the four boats tagged and released 27 blue marlin, 6 pacific sails and several tuna. This year’s Expedition is proof positive that legendary fishing grounds still exist.

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By: Captain Dave Hanson

Jim Neswald and Kevin Mysliwiec fished with me in rough conditions Saturday morning, 10/4. Seas were much rougher than predicted but we headed out of New Pass to about 35 feet with a bait-well full of live shrimp. We caught nine keeper mangrove snapper to 14 inches, half a dozen whitebone porgies to 14 inches and a few Spanish mackerel to 26 inches. We released lots of red and gag grouper shorts and three undersized mutton snapper.

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By: Richard Martinez

Well once again we off the subject of fishing this week again, instead we are keeping up to date with what’s going on with our financial crisis. Now I don’t believe in this bill too much and I’m not one to be for it, however it must go through or we will be in a real deep recession. I am, just as most of you out there am an honest paying American I work hard and pay my taxes to this country and I know that most of us think the same way I do and that is why should I bail these scumbags who destroyed our economy and CEO’s who robbed the companies blind? Well unfortunately my reason for believing that this was a good thing for the bailout to pass is because I don’t want none of us to suffer with our retirement and most of our future all though we are still going to suffer because we will be paying for this but we will not be suffering in depression way; at least that’s what we hope. Let’s see how Wall Street takes it tomorrow and see if Congress passes the bill which will probably pass.

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By: Captain Dave Hanson

We no sooner got rid of Tropical Storm Fay’s effects when Hurricane Gustav threatened the Gulf coast. We were again fortunate, much more so than the folks in New Orleans were…although, they too are counting their blessings after a small, last minute change in course saved them from the worst case scenario. But our offshore waters felt the effects even here in SW FL, with lots of wind, some rain, heavy surf and high seas. Fishing was not an option for another week or so, into the Labor Day weekend. Monday, skies cleared, but seas remained rough, even into Tuesday, 9/2, so I fished the backwaters Tuesday with Bill & Terry Major, their daughter and son-in-law. Fishing was fair in the bay but with so much fresh water, probably not as good as it would usually be this time of year. We released a 22 inch snook and sheepshead, all caught on live shrimp. Even live shrimp were in short supply, due to the shrimp boats being unable to get out in rough seas. But we had a good time catching and releasing.

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By: Richard Martinez

I know this isn’t about fishing, however it’s a crisis that American’s are going through and it can probably affect all of our futures. Today as many of you know the bailout plan failed to pass congress and affected the Dow Jones to lose 777 points, the worst lost in history. The NASDAQ was down over 6%. People we are in a crisis that can cause us a huge loss probably bring us into a depression. We are not one to agree with baling these fools that brought us to this catastrophe, but we have to do it for ourselves in order to save our 401K’s and other retirement plans. Banks are going down almost daily with the new merger of Citigroup acquiring Wachovia. The politicians need to put politics aside and think about us the American people right now.

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By: Captain Alan Sherman

BEST BET

Captain Wayne Conn on the party boat Reward out of Miami Beach Marina reported limit catches of kingfish and mutton snappers in 195 feet of water off of Government Cut . . . Kim Mills from the Kelley Fleet out of Haulover Marina reported steady catches of kingfish, mutton and yellowtail snappers and keeper red groupers in 160 feet of water outside of Haulover Inlet.

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By: Captain Richard

The 16th Annual Mikelson Catalina Classic Marlin Tournament started out with what was undoubtedly an incredible day. There was little chance that the fishing could outshine the opening day when day two dawned, but it was soon apparent that day one was simply an omen of things to come. While the marlin had been moving north and west to and across the top of the tournament boundaries that movement slowed and reversed itself; leaving the competitors in a veritable hornets nest of feeding billfish.

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By: Captain Richard

-September 18, 2008

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) on Thursday proposed raising the minimum harvest size for greater amberjack and gray triggerfish in Gulf of Mexico state waters.   The FWC is proposing these rule changes to be consistent with new regulations in Gulf federal waters, which extend beyond nine nautical miles offshore of Florida.

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By: Captain Richard

-September 18, 2008

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) on Thursday proposed rule amendments for gag grouper in Gulf of Mexico state waters to be consistent with anticipated regulations in Gulf federal waters.  In addition, the FWC is proposing to allow Florida recreational anglers to harvest more red grouper in Gulf state waters.

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By: Captain Richard

The 16th Annual Mikelson Catalina Classic Marlin Tournament got off to an incredible start on Monday morning. Forty-eight boats took to the water with a wild shotgun start from outside the Avalon Harbor and past the tournament control on the EPYCs Pacific Provider. The fleet was greeted by a grease like slick ocean surface which was perfect for high speed running. Most boats headed north and went straight to the northern edge of the tournament grid where they had left off fishing during the Zane Grey Invitational a week before. Other crews opted to head offshore and others went around the south end of Catalina Island, though most seemed to end up in that same area off the west end. A few crews held back from the mayhem and took a relaxed approach but the majority were at full throttle as they headed to their chosen grounds.

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By: Captain Richard

We have reached the end of the 10th Annual Riviera Zane Grey Invitational Marlin Tournament and it was an exciting finish that went right past the lines out call with the Gambler fighting a fish that could have potentially put them over the top of the competition. As it happened the fish was not big enough to qualify and therefore change up the standings but it did ensure that they would win some money by taking the daily jackpot with 500 points for the day. Some teams picked at fish to make sure that they ended in the top three and took some money while other boats worked hard and finished with a bit of pride. Of the 14 boats entered in the tournament all but one managed to release at least one striped marlin and collect some points.

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Courtesy of: Billfish.org

In recent years, the Los Cabos region of Baja California Sur has experienced rapid growth as a major North American tourist destination. From its roots as a small, quiet fisheries-based town, its world-class striped marlin fishery has helped foster rapid growth. Now, the Los Cabos region is a major provider of jobs and new dollars to the Mexican economy. Information is needed to understand and communicate the importance of Los Cabos fisheries to local, state and national leaders.

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Joe laments about the socialist sorcerer, Franklin D. Roosevelt, head priest of the cult of Marx.

“When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn’t just talk about the princes of greed. He said "Look, here’s what really happened."

There’s only one problem with that, Joe, he wasn’t the president in 1929, and the 1939 World’s Fair had not taken place yet.

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Hot on their trail, Repo travels to the Dominican Republic, where the "Elusive Three" have fled; Henry Paulson, Frank Raines, and The Prince of Scum, Charlie Rangel.

Can Repo bring back our US tax dollars? Read his Epic tale to find out.

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