Gulf of Mexico Report-Venice FL

     The fishing is still hot.  The Spanish Mackerel are still very thick in the 20 to 30 foot deep areas off the beaches and around the reefs.  Your best bet is early morning; watch for the birds feeding and the mackerels jumping.  There are still Jacks and Ladyfish in the mix, too. I have caught a couple small ones, so I  I know the big Kings will be in soon.
     Gag Grouper opened up for a two month period on Sept. 16.  Lots of gags are being caught.  Look for them  around reefs, wrecks and ledges starting at 50 ft. deep on out.  Live Pinfish are a good bet to get them biting.  Frozen sardines work well, too. Season closes on Nov. 15th, so catch them while you can.
     Captain Ed, of Fish Factor Charters, tells me that the Cobia are showing up on reefs and wrecks off of Venice, also.
     The cold fronts are starting to move through the Gulf.  Watch for the higher winds before and after the fronts. Its no fun to be caught out in high winds and rough seas.  Winds are going to be high for the next five days or so.  Good time to try your favorite inshore spots.
     Come take the day off and come Play Hookey with me.
     Captain Peter
     www.PlayinHookey.com

Near shore fishing report for Venice FL

This week has been very active for anyone who has gone out into the gulf.  Schools of glass minnows followed by large schools of Spanish Mackerel and Bonito.  At times the water boils with the feeding frenzies.  Ladyfish and Jacks have been taking advantage of the buffet of fish swimming by.  I have seen lots of sharks hanging out under the Mackerel.  Look for the birds feeding and the mackerel jumping.  A fast moving jig or spoon will get a strike.  If you don’t like using artificial lures, you can net some bait and free line it for hard hitting strikes.  Put a short length of light wire on the line to keep those sharp teeth from cutting your line.  

    I haven’t heard any reports of King Mackerels yet.  They should be here anytime.  The bait is here and they always follow the food.  There have been reports of Cobia around.  Not enough to really target them yet but keep a pole ready to toss out if you see one.  

    Fall is a time when many different fish are moving around the gulf.  It’s not uncommon to see large schools of Jacks and Amberjack run past as you sit on a local reef.  Most the M reefs in 40 feet or more range, are great spots to run across many different migrating species.  When fishing for bottom species it is always a good idea to free line a bait out the back of the boat.  A large shrimp or bait fish to tempt any passing fish.  You never know what might bite.     

    Don’t miss out on the great fishing right now.  Take a day off and come Play Hookey with me.

    Captain Peter

    941-780-5237

North Venice Jetty Report

After stopping by the North Jetty on Tuesday and finding it empty of people and full of bait and hungry Snook, I decided I would stop by Wednesday armed with a cast net and pole.  There was about 15 fisherman with the same idea.  But the bait and the Snook were both still there.  With a strong outgoing tide of coffee colored water, I choose to start on the beach side of the jetty.  The bait was right along the beach, so with one throw of the cast net, I was ready to fish.  My favorite way to fish for snook is to free line a nose hooked bait about five feet from the rocks.  After watching several snook give my bait a look but not really chase it, I could tell it was not going to be easy.  Snook can be very stubborn.  Sometimes if you see a snook who is following the bait around you can throw your bait in its path and get a strike.  Most of the snook were staying low, not really chasing anything.  After 20 minutes, a small 15 in. snook was the first to give in to the temptation and swallow my bait.  That pattern continued  for the next hour and a half.  Three more small snook about 20 minutes apart.  No one else seemed to be catching much either.  Some small snappers and one flounder.  A school of Jacks showed up on the south jetty, crashing the bait as it worked its way along the rocks.  I hoped they would find their way to north side.  About 15 minutes later, they were crashing right in front of me.  I got one jack out of the feeding frenzy before they quickly moved on.  Around 1 o'clock, I moved out to the end of the jetty with some fresh baits.  There I was rewarded with four snook landed and three that self-released.  All within a hour.  The total for the day was 9 snook, up to 22 in. and one jack.  Not bad for 3 and 1/2 hours of basically free fishing.
     Take some time off and come Play Hookey with me.
     Captain Peter
     http://www.PlayinHookey.com
     941-780-5237