Fishin Franks , Fishing Report and general useless information page.
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01/05/11

Sunday we said a last good bye to Angel during an on the water ceramony, It was very nice around 30 boats showed up
The weather was cold & windy, Jeff was taking waves over the bow. So 30 somthing boats was a lot.
Angels family all got to be together on the boats we rafted up, & Jeff dropped flowers up currant from the family,
Then all the boats did a final pass by salute to Angel. A fitting tribute for a good friend.

I spent the weekend at Arcidia days, Got to ride an Elephant, and watch the Frisbe dogs perform.
Lot of good bands Dixie Highway was great, I over ate both days the food was good. lots of work over 100
vendors and 6 bands, plus lots of other stuff, It was my Job to get everyone where they were supposed to be and get them what they needed
So I was busy. Did I mention I rode an Elephant how cool was that.

Billy B. was out today said the rat reds are all over the place. they caught a couple of Sheep head along the mangroves
and had a good time with the trout on the open flat just north of Prirate harbor.

01/05/11

Some of the better fishing right now by reports is in gasprilla sound Catfish creek ,
 whidden creek for big trout and bull & Turtle bay For Reds,
lots of small Reds but thats a good thing, means there is a real furture for them.
 remember the in-line cricle hooks for those little bait gulpers

01/02/11

Two guys just came in for thier 2nd 3 dozen shrimp, P.G.I. canals
Trout sre biting live shrimp with a very small split shot. or just freeline,
 cast wait for it to sink stay sharp it is a lite bite you have to be ready or the Trout get a free lunch.

Hot lures ,for a great day Trout fishin
mirrorlure 17MR,
Love lures tandum jigs Pink or white,
D.O.A. terror eyes, Red head / white, or black back with belly,
Maverick golden eye 222 red /wth , This oldie but goodie making big comeback
 this year, which is nice to see as they are made in The U.S.A. "I like that".

Trout in front of bull small but lots of them,
over by the three sisters flats and the back of devil fish cut bigger Trout but not as many.
Sand fly has had trout around the I/C side ,
Nice Trout mixed sizes from alligator creek down to Pirate Harbor,
Inside Pirate Harbor lots of Small trout.

Redfish , Turtle bay back in the holes and out front by Gallergers lots of reports of 6 to 30 fish for the day ,

1-1-11

 Billy just got back from turtle bay he would not exzactly where ,
all he said was 30 red fish from 1 deep hole , live shrimp on a strike zone jig head.
 

The entrance to brunt store has lots of smaller trout, same thing inside Prirate Harbor,
 some of the biggest Trout are coming from the n.e. end of pine island,
I-75 has lots of silver Trout with some smaller spotted mixed in .
lots of Trout just inside alligator creek but deep and slow is the key to finding keepers.
Love Lures selling like crazy today

Ok all you crappie people can get your minnow rigs together this stable weather with no fronts
has turned the crappie bite on. the canals around the peachland loveland area are produceing
 some nice size fish, Up- in north port there are lots of crappie biting no as many reports of
 bigger fish but lots of them. The spi...ll way on the coco plum just north of toledo blade doing

 I was just talking to a young man, about 12 years old He got up this moring walked over to a canal ,
 he said I pitched a DOA shrimp up under the mangrove bush et it sit for a mnute then twitch it,
thought it was stuck lerked a little hard and the red fish fight was on. Thats a great way to start a New year,

Well I guess I am a lousy store owner ,
I do not have any big specials, or really any promotions to entice your business,
But if you are going Fishing today I hope it is with frineds or family,
I wish all of you, a Very Happy new year, with money & the time to enjoy it.

 It's quiet now after a crazy day, I was thinking about friends here and gone, And the one thing, I can say, is they enjoy life, I have been and still am surounded by the best people. I last year there were good and real bad times, But this is not a practise round this is life, Be happy, enjoy your job, your hobbies , f...rineds and family, I am so lucky this is what I already have. A real good life. Happy new year.

12/26/10

Fishin can be tough in this weather on my into the store this morning, I watched a couple of guys
 standing and casting lures in a canal, a strong gust a icy cold wind hit and they doubled time it to the car.
I did not see them catch anything, but a valiant effort was made.
Fronts can really mess up the catching of fish, but this cold weather makes the going to fish tuff.
Now like my dad said says just put on another jacket it beats sitting around the house.
On these windy days even fishing the canals & rivers can be challenging almost impossible
to keep the boat in position. If I was going to try for a saltwater day of fishing it would be with a bag of frozen
shrimp #4 gold hooks , 3 way swivels and some 1 oz sinkers, the tresses and piers at Placida should be loaded with sheep head
Tie the 3 way to your line , then tie the hook off the 2nd eye of the 3-way. at he bottom eye I tie the sinker about 30 inches below
the swivel. attach the hook with a 10 inch leader, cover the hook entirely with the shrimp so it can not be seen, I will usually peel
the shrimp and thread the meat over the hook. drop the rig on the side of the pier, facing the tide. let the sinker sit on the bottom
and keep the rig tight so your bait will be suspended 2 1/2 feet off the bottom, set the hook just before the sheep head bites.
"just a joke" but if you feel the slightest bump set the hook Sheep head are some of the most educated bait stealers there is,
I like to say start setting the hook before you leave the house and you stand a better chance of hooking up.
Last of all bundle up, try think warm thoughts.

Proud to say I am a PETA person
Person Eating Tasty Animals.
You didn't think I was becoming a wack job, didya?

12/18/2010

This is not about fishin But as we are all friends Capt. Angel is in getting surgey as I write, My thoughts
are with him and as I find out more I will post it.

12/17/10

Hey every one, I think it is morning ? I might have indulged a little last night at the F.F. Christmas get-together
 Food , friends, and My sister brought Egg-Nog, I had Capt Jerry's Rum. WELL I guess the out-come was inevitable.

 We had a great time, It is hard for all of us to be in one place at the same time, Between People who work at the store,
 friends who help -out, guides who work out of the store, and other who are part of Fishin Franks, one way or another
 there is over 50 of us not including Wives,
So once a year we try to all get together. good times, maybe the best of times

Watch it Daffy they are out in force.
Woke up this morning to gun shots, We are just off the peace river & it is duck season,
 For all of the anti hunters, keep in mind by the 1970's ducks were all but extinct.
The feds started the Duck stamp and the money was used to buy & maintain wetlands and the ducks came back 100 fold,
If you like ducks, buy the lisc & go hunting , You do not have to take a gun a camera will do.

I am going to take a minute to talk about Got-cha lures.
 this type of lure was originally called a jerk jigger,
they were used to catch fish suspended in deep water,
you would find the fish on the depth finder,
then meter out the lure to the correct depth
Working the jerk jigger with a light jigging motion,
up & down not reeling in just bonycing it in the school,
intill one got mad enough to bite.
 
Today we use the got-cha lures for casting,
I have not seen a lure out fish the got cha for Spanish Mackerel,
 or lady fish or even trout.
  25 years of selling Got-cha under different names it is still one of the best.

Cast the Got-cha plug out when it hits the water it will fall about 2 feet per second in salt water so if you are in the gulf,
 you  can time it to reach the school of fish suspended in the water, that you saw on the fish finder.
 If the fish are surface feeding start to reel just before the Got-cha lure hits the water when you cast.
Then give it a lifting jigging motion as you reel in at medium speed.
The only time I use a side sweeping retrieve with the Got cha is when I am fishing Spanish mackerel.
 then the darting action of the side sweep motion makes it hard for the Spanish to resist the Got-cha.

  click this picture to see the got-cha lure we have in stock.

 I was just asked why there are so many dead lady fish this year. The ones which died are the smaller ones,
 just not big enough to make it. If you were to look close you would see lots of dead pin fish , white bait & many other smaller fish.
 If their body is too thin the cold penetrates to their organs quicker.
The thicker the body of a fish the more protected it is. also the deeper the water the fish is in the more insulated from the cold.
 & Lady fish like being at the surface a bad habit in cold weather
Many of the Snook killed in last years cold was because they were too lazy to leave the flats
 as the water went down with the tide and the wind blew it out they tried to stay in the shallow pockets of water near the mangroves,
 and the water went to 28 degrees.
There were lots of dead lady fish, and millions of other smaller fish last year, but because the cold was so extreme for so long
 they mostly went un noticed because of all the bigger fish, they just did not get the attention. millions of pin fish died also,
 but it is harder to notice a 1/4 oz fish with a 10 pounder laying there.
 

12/14/10

Getting reports of dead lady fish in the canals, not many reports of Snook floating,
But tonight will be the night to watch, one cold night is bad but too many in a row is real bad.

Weird how Red fish are not effectuated by the colder temps,

It is easy to forget we live in a tropical paradise, "Key word tropical . it just should not be cold here.

SIDE NOTE---> "Best way to hear god laugh"  tell him your plans or how you think things should be.

12/13/10

Crappie guys are fishing and a few brave hearted, sheep head guys,, fishing at Placida
and they are catching fish not just colds.

Trout have been getting more regular at P.C. beach & lashley pier, a late day bite off bay shore pier
fishing with poppin corks & shrimp is doing good.

Canals are the biggest story with Black drum, red fish, Snook, all huddling up in the canals
getting the afternoon warm up from the sun,

Best bet if you want to use your boat try trolling in the canals, or just anchor up and fish under some of the bridges
there are fish to be caught, maybe just not where we thought we be going, change your plans change your tactics
you will preserver.

12/11/10

There are three really cool jobs to have where you can tell people anything
and it really dose not matter if you are correct

 1 weather man,-  self explanatory on this one.

2, politician or any government job, again pretty much self explanatory. although here
there screw up cost us lots of money. then they get a pay raise?

3 give fishing advice,  the fish did not cooperate, you were not holding your tongue
in the right place in your mouth, and the lunar activity in relationship to Jupiter,
caused a gravitational shift in the tides, of course this is why the double hooked swimming,
sinkin wap-belted-jigger did not catch fish.

The main thing we have in common, we do not have to be right and we still get paid

Hey you can not predict the weather, the fish did not cooperate, As for the politicians
well you just cant fix stupid. I guess that really make them not quite qualified for this category,
 

 lets just add instead Doctors lots of money to guess give you pills cut you up, and charge you lots of money
to be wrong.

My only complaint is that I picked the lowest paying one.
Damn I should have been a weather man.

12/10/10 Brenda F. wrote me with this. Josh and Tank caught 6 sheephead, 2 speckled sea trout, a flounder and
 a Red Drum in the back yard today (and a couple of pin fish) Sweet! Released all but the sheephead...which will be dinner very soon

Gulf of Mexico near shore reefs within 15 miles Have grouper , snapper, amber Jacks and a bunch of other fish
 Capt. Angel called in to check the limits on a couple of fish it is hot & heavy now.

PC canals have a lot of out of season Snook under the docks ,
 free line a tail hooked live Shrimp count to 20 reel it in cast again, three cast under the dock then move to the next one.
 If they were in season many of the fish have been in the slot

Crappie fishing is great, terrific, NOW, the canals by Peach land are full of big Crappie Minnows
 under bobbers are the bait of choice.

 Catfish creek today has produced some 4 to 7 pound redfish. I do not know what bait they used.
 We are going through a lot of mirror lure 17 but I can say for sure

PGI canals are loaded with red fish Shrimp with a #7 slit shot watch for corners where canals meet
 or holes Capt Andy M. on a charter today stopped counting at 50 Redfish,

 Alligator Creek reef Mangrove snapper if you anchor up and bottom fish with squid, or shrimp,
Gag grouper either bottom fishing chunks of fish or frozen sardines, 2 guys called they caught them trolling the stretch 6 along the edge of the reef.

12/09/10

it is rainy and cold even the crappie guys are not showing up this morning,
As bad as this weather is we do need the rain. I am not talking about the plants or
grass or even the flowers,
Rain is an important part of the oxygen levels of the water ways,
the simple action of rain drops hitting the surface of the water
raises the level of oxygen, and with the cooler to cold temps the water can absorb huge amounts,
 this helps as the water warms and starts to lose oxygen to the heat.
the other source of oxygen is waves,
the wind blows across the surface of the water as the wave break it adds oxygen
to the water, weather it is the gulf , Harbor , or a pond this is necessary for life in the water.
Take heart soon the weather will be nice again & the Fish will have lots of oxygen and ready to eat,
while this is uncomfortable For us.
 it is a necessary part of nature, and I promise the fishing is going to be unbelievable very soon.
Get your gear ready
It is almost time for some of the best fishing Florida has to offer.

12/07/10

I have not much to talk about salt water wise. but the crappie guys are loving this.
How long has it been since you went Crappie fishin, No not fishing a bad day just
heading out to a canal or lake and do some speckled Perch fishin, a couple of dozen minnows is
about $2.00 and if you are fishing in your home county with a cane pole, line hook bobber, you do not need a freshwater
license if you are fishing from land. So go get a stick put some line and a hook on it and have some fun,
and get dinner at the same time. I would not suggest the old tie the string to your toe trick right now as
you toe would freeze.

Here it is the new "BP Toxic Mullet" color, badonk-a-donk from Bomber lures

12/01/2010

Welcome to the holiday season I woke up this morning with every thing blowing off of the decks.
the crappie fishermen & the Sheephead anglers are happy as this cold weather turns on both species,
that statement works on a couple of different levels, as it triggers their instinct to spawn, which makes them want to eat.
So yup they are turned on.
 

11/27/10

Big Spanish right of the beach as well as whiting
Pompano along the coast. lots of out of season Trout
Up here from the piers, Reds doing well from the north end of the 41 bridges

11/26/10

Lots of whiting along the gulf beaches, Pompano
hitting pink & white jigs, with or without the shrimp tippet.
Red fish in Turtle bay along the mangroves, and on the barrier bars.

11/25/2010

Accord to Capt Dwayne French
Red fish in the deeper pot holes of the flats, Shrimp on a Strike zone jig head worked slow
through the pot holes, Dwayne says the holes in front of the eagles nest are a best bet.
Rig the shrimp by removing the flipper from the very back of the tail and threading the
Shrimp onto the hook of the Strike zone jig head a 1/4 oz chartreuse. is his favorite right now.
 

11/18/10

Wind and water temps are changing every other day it seems like.
It is hard to predict what is going on.
The best bet still seems to be trolling, whether you are in the Harbor or the gulf,
trolling is the best way to find, the fish, once I have located them.
you can switch to baits or start casting at the fish. Pompano, and Spanish
Are both around, more reports of big kings and grouper in the near shore
3 to 15 miles out.

11/07/10

Trolling is still going great, inshore in the gulf,
But with the winds this last couple of days, I have had a lot of reports from
west spring lake trolling Bomber 14's sipk and the Si colors another
one I had been hearing is the Yo-zuri F-7c24 the lip is small so you
 need to let out more line to keep it in the water but it is catching fish.
If you need to be closer to the boat try a F-8

X-rap lures are the king of the Peace river, more fish than any other lures,
at this time the SXR-8 in the BBS on one side and the SXR-10 BNK on the other,
this is a two lure trolling, about 900 rpm's along the out side bends of the river
has been catching every thing from Blue fish, Tarpon, Snook, Jacks, Lots of reports
lots of fun. When it is too windy to fish the harbor we hear a lot about people trolling
and fishing the rivers, I find it strange that when the weather gets better,
 they go back to the Harbor when they caught so many in the river.
Another mystery of life as a fishier man.

10/*31/10

I guess I have to keep writing, there is so much fishing going on right now.
Trolling for grouper by the near shore reefs, by this I mean any reef within,
10 Miles of the coast. reefs in 30 to 40 feet of water, Helen's, Mary's, Tremblay,
Novak, pulling Rapala XRMAG-30 about 1500 rpms on the other side pull a XRMAG20
My best selling colors are the S, & the GGM, 8 different guys bought them all
were doing the same thing coincidence, conspiracy, maybe ?
well what ever sounds like a good bet to me.  34 inch grouper, Kings in the 50 inch range
what are you waiting for 

10/30/10

Here is a weird one for you. I have been fishin here quite a while and have seen
big schools of blue fish out at Captive Pass , I have caught one or two here and there in the
Manchester waterway and over in P.G.I. but i have never seen hundreds or thousands
 like are here this year. whats up with this, I just got a call from P.G.I. he thought it was a school of jacks
bustin in the canal all blue fish. Up the peace river huge schools of blue fish. All you Jersey & Mass,
people if you want a taste of home now is the time the BLUES are here.

10/29/10

Red fish in lemon bay, & a big school of 20 to 40 pounds reds just off shore of Boca,
stretch 20 , 25 or 30, are the lures of choice right now they are a blast,
 yes way to big to be Florida legal but fun , fun, fun,
 

Mackerel kings, that is trolling for these big kings using a spread of stretches.
Lady fish and Spanish are in the Harbor now,

Tarpon are still doing great D.O.A. bait buster continue to dominate the hook ups.
from I - 75 to the holes in the Harbor the "Cold" cool front may start to push some of the Silver kings
south so get them while you can.

 

10 / 10/10

Fishing is great all over right now, the best fishing is in the near gulf. I believe the oil spill
has killed most or all of the bait/food for the fish and they are moving closer to the shore-
where they would normally be much deep at this time they are having to come closer in to find food.
Mahi, amber jacks, King mackerel, grouper, snappers, sail fish, permit,
The oil spill combined with the Global warming, where there is not as much water
tempeture difference between here and the Pan handle fish are not migrating the way they should.

In Charlotte harbor the fishing is great, Lady fish all over with Tarpon chasing them.
Red fish on the east, & west sides, Turtle bay and Bull bay, both have good schools of reds right now.
 

Fishing in Lemon bay has been very steady, small Snook, lots of trout, and enough Reds
To fill a day, Here in Charlotte Harbor Reds on the east side are mostly out by the bar,
Trout have moved into the flats by Pirate Harbor.
A lot of small sharks still in the area, along the gulf beaches.

Gag Grouper have been biting at both reefs in the harbor, Trolling a Rapala
you need to be down at least 6 feet, or more. Chum bags and sardines with a bottom rig.

Pompano in front of bull bay hitting good on small jigs, or bait 3 feet under a bobber.

Red fish on the east side have been in large schools cursing the length of the flats,
Where you find them one day, they will be a mile away the next, Keep looking
they are there.

09/16/10

Much to my surprise there is a lot of Shark activity in the Harbor.
and near shore reefs, Black tip, black nose, Bonnets, bulls,
all are still here plus many other species.
A bobber with a chunk of sardine or free line a chunk of fish,
and my crystal ball say "outlook good" for having fun catching Sharks.
Just One thing NO barbs on the hook, flatten the barb with you pliers and file it.
I like the bump from the barb but not the barb. You should only use a barbed hook.
if you want dinner. It is too hard on the fish to catch and release with a barbed hook.
It only takes a minute, and you will be able to preserve this terrific activity for generations
to come.

Ok I am done preaching .

09/09/2010
Another great week in Charlotte Harbor The upper Harbor
seems to be teeming with little runt reds, Yup they are too small to be called
Rat reds in you find yourself in a school of these little guys, try switching to
inline circle hooks with a piece of shrimp meat. For some reason these runt reds
really inhale the bait, We caught about a dozen and gut hook 2 of the 12 I did not have any
circle hooks with me. of the 2 one I do not think will make it. the other I am sure was fine.

I was fishing with family yesterday, There were schools of fish hitting the surface
all over the Harbor, There was even catfish, hitting the bait on the surface, along with Lady fish
Trout, and what I think was Mackerel, how weird is that.
In the creeks, we caught mangrove Snappers, Sheep head, and small Reds,
the trick was to use a slip sinker. free line would not catch anything.
Live shrimp, dead shrimp, rotten shrimp, even some old freezer brunt shrimp. worked fine.

Circle Hook Jig heads are the only legal jig heads you can use for Grouper and Snappers.
The state of Florida has determined you must use Circle Hooks,
 when ever you are fishing with live or dead bait, for Snapper and or Grouper,
So if you tip your Jig heads with squid or any other type of bait you by law ,have to use a circle hook.
Circle hook Jig head are the way to stay legal. This law is for anywhere you would catch Snapper or Grouper.
If you are in two feet of water in a canal, you must use Circle hook jig heads,
or in hundreds of feet of water, again you must have circle hook jig heads.
This is a little crazy, but the law is you must have circle hooks, So now Jig heads with circle hooks are a must Have.
  Get your Florida legal circle hook Jig heads at our on-line store.
or stop by Fishin Franks and see them for your self.