Bite On! Bite Off!...and Sometimes Bit Off.

Mel Larson's 'new' Homemade 32/0 Reel

"The General"

He ain't fish'n fer Florida Shell Cracker with that monster reel!

On again, off again… and sometimes bit off with plenty of hot action found on the boards, this week, if you were there when the fish were on a bite! Schools of baitfish have attracted tarpon, sharks, cobia, snook, and even a few redfish throughout the week with Tarpon running through the pilings late in the day into the night. Edwin Anderson, my youngest son, hooked it up with a Chartreuse Gotcha with the single hook protruding just as the plug was exiting the water, right below the pier, this gentle giant was anything but gentle. The Poon inhaled the Gotcha, rolled out from under the boards and leaped into the air in an acrobatic moment of about thirteen seconds; taking all 129 yards of fluorocarbon and lure with him. Angling the daisy chain is another sure hook-up if using a weighted streamer fly under a casting bubble and a purple and black saddle hackle known in some circles as the “Blue Death” is a best bet for hooking up just about any game fish, including small sharks. The sharks will destroy the fly, so be sure to carry a few spares. This Blue Death is an outstanding fly and Inshore Florida will soon be carrying it in their online shop, along with an entire new line of dry and wet African Hand Tied flies in the near future. Be sure to check out the thumb protectors too, Thumb Dingers saving your thumb and slowing down a running fish at the same time, protection you need if using the new braids or power lines.

Reports of other anglers hooking Poons with spoons, live baitfish, and plugs resembling the smaller baitfish came from Papa’s the bait Shoppe on the pier with catch and release snook action falling into an unbelievable category on the Venice City Fishing Pier between the shoreline and just past the bait house or the third sandbar. We had several fish over the slot. Free lining live bait like a pinfish or large threadfin has produced the best bets in the late afternoon. Jesse, Barry and company were doing a fine job in dwindling the populations of Atlantic White Croaker or kingfish, also known to locals as tiger whiting or just plain whiting. The mangrove snapper bite along the bars has been awesome on light tackle using frozen shrimp to squid cut in tiny pieces or strips. A couple of the pier kids were catching limits on strips of gulp too but the dead bait seemed to work best. Occasional flounder, as in one or two caught as I watched in awe while they were caught on gold Johnson Sprite Spoons with that wobbly red tagger thing hanging on the hook; go figure? Bites were on for most that stayed in close and off for anglers on the end of the pier. Shark reports were small sandies or just born pups near the end, late at night with but a couple of decent runs and cut offs earlier in the week but nothing to brag about except Island Angler Mel Larson and his new, improved bigger reel for that biggest of fish, yet to be produced. Well, another week starts today, we will see. “FISH ON!”