Area: South West Florida
Guide: Dominick Greco
Website: http://www.kayak-charters.com/
Report: kayak Charters has placed their clients on some fantastic fish. March has been very windy and peppered with several fronts, but despite the weather we have seen some great numbers and great catches. Just a week ago we caught the Florida state record Oscar out on one of our freshwater trips. It is still in the certification stage and will be verified soon. It could also be the world record as it came in at over 4 pounds. We should know more by next month's report. Okay on to the report
Saltwater: Inshore and backcountry areas are producing for our clients wonderful Bull Redfish. Some of the biggest Redfish we have seen in a while. We have had several days were the Trout bite has produced fish in the 28 to 30 inch range, and pushing 7 to 9 pounds in the scale. I must say that the Trout that we have been catching are the biggest I have seen in Southwest Florida for over three years. Out of all the target species we guide for the Trout bite has been the best. Our clients and our guides have had the best luck on soft plastics on a 1/8 to a ounce Jig head. Trout are responding well to these baits and mostly natural colors. Start with the lightest weight jig head first and then work up to a heavier one if needed to have a faster fall rate on your retrieve. Our Redfish bite was found using spinner baits.
We are working with a new company that is producing inline spinner baits. We have found these to be mostly weedless and allowed our clients and us to cover a lot of water quickly. We have developed a new plastic lure to be rigged on the bait which provides the best action on most any retrieve speeds. We will have more on this new bait when it hits the market and our research is concluded.
The Snook bite is coming on strong late in march and is expected to be in full swing next month as our temperatures continue to rise back up to our normal levels for this time of the year. We have seen Snook in the slot range and have the best catches of Snook falling to weightless and weedless rigs. Basically Gary Yamamoto Senko's and his Swim baits. These are known for catching largemouth bass but are deadly on Snook that are tight to cover. The bigger Snook are starting to move and roam out of the backcountry haunts and are now being seen out on the flats on warmer days. Snook have a hard time tolerating cold water temps and have found stable water temps in deeper canals and back country areas. As the weather continues to warm up we will see them out on the flats and in potholes a little more. Our clients have been blessed with large boils of jacks in canal systems and bluefish out on some of our flats in the Pine Island and Matlacha waters. Tarpon have been seen and jumped several times this month but have only had a few get to the boat. As the summer months arrive we will have Tarpon daisy chaining along our beaches and in the passes. I can't wait!!!
Freshwater: Well as mentioned earlier we caught the biggest Oscar Florida has on record as of yet. The Oscars are being caught on shallow running cranks baits in blue and green patterns. They love cover and heavy cover at that. Most will charge for the thick cover and soon and you set the hook on them. Cichlids, Oscars and Bluegill have all found crank baits to their bait of choice to hit consistently. If you are planning are taking the kids out to fish for these critters you can also provide hours of fun have them fish cricket under a bobber in and around thick cover. Largemouth Bass are started to fan their beds out and most are in some level of the spawning cycle now. In April we expect to see many more beds and huge females that are on the beds to mate and then will be ready for a huge feed after they leave the nests to the males to carry out the rest of the process and guard the nests from intruders. Please if sight fishing for bedding Bass please practice C.P.R. (Catch, Photo and Release). These bigger females are the only insurance that the gene pool will stay strong and provide successful spawns each and every year. Keep in mind not all the Bass will spawn at the same time. You will find that during the spawning cycle of the largemouth Bass on most bodies of water, that not all the Bass will go to spawn and the ones that do will do it at different times of the year. I know most anglers heard that spawning is usually in the early and late spring time, but I have witnessed Bass on beds and spawning as late as June and as early as January on different bodies of water. I figure that is due to water temperatures, locations and the previous month's food availability. If you must take a Largemouth Bass home for the table take only, the 2 to 3 pound fish home. Not only are they tastier and less gamey in flavor, but this practice will provide bigger and more trophy sized fish in your waters year after year.
Kayak Charters has seen the most success for Largemouth Bass come from Gary Yamamoto soft plastics such as the Senko, Kreature baits, And their new Phenix Jigs. The Phenix jig is basically like chatter style type baits. The vibration and action of these baits is phenomenal. The best colors for March that we have found have been color #157 for the darker color and natural colors like watermelon and pumpkin color combinations.
We look forward to bringing you news, tackle techniques and reports for the Cape Coral, Punta Gorda, Fort Myers, Pine Island and Matlacha areas next month. We will also be trying the new Lamiglas rods that are out and will give you feedback on those. Please visit www.kayak-charters.com to see our website and how our clients have been doing and the latest testimonials on the services we provide. We are now offering Split Charters that allow our clients to fish a half day freshwater and a half day saltwater in the same day. This gives our clients and out of town clients the best of both worlds and a trip they will not soon forget. We have some of the most affordable rates in the world for what we provide. You will fish with a Professional angler with over thirty years of experience and a Professional Kayak Fisherman and kayaker with over 18 years of experience. I am a fishing instructor, author and pro staff for some the world's top fishing and kayak companies in the world. Call 239-425-7823 and or e-mail and book your trip today.
Ocean Kayak Pro Staff Optima Batteries Pro Staff - Gary Yamamoto Pro Staff Skwoosh Pro Staff and Seat Designer Aqua Skinz Pro Staff Ram Mounts Pro Staff Daiichi and X-point Hooks Lamiglas Pro Staff.
