They are still chewing in the rivers. Redfish, Trout, Sheepshead, and Black Drum continue to feed, but the Snook bite has unquestionably been affected by January’s fish kill. We are catching Rat Reds in abundance up the rivers. They are feeding mainly on shrimp, both live and frozen. For best results try deadsticking bait or a slow retrieve along the bottom. Fish mangrove edges and deep holes. Reds averaging 16 to 20 inches. Look for bigger Redfish on the flats around Ft. Desoto and the Upper Bay. The sheepshead are holding up in holes with structure. Look for rock, crushed shell, or oyster bottom. Bait of choice: shrimp or fiddler crabs, if you can find them. Sheepshead, although toothy, have small mouths. So, I recommend using a 1/0 Eupro j hook and 25lb. Eupro GT flourocarbon leader with split shot for maximum hook-set.

The Sheepies still aren’t schooled up like they were this time last year, but you can catch them if you know where to look. Speckled Trout are being caught mainly on jigs or live shrimp. Once again, fish the deep holes. Black drum are being picked off with some regularity when targeting Reds and Sheepies. Most fish being caught are in the Puppy Drum category 18 to 25 inches with an occasoinal fish over 25 inches. So, get out there and get-‘er-done or book a trip and I’ll show you how. Till next time, have a safe and quality day on the water. Capt. Sean Hagen "Fishing like a pro" with EUPRO! www.fishingwithshamrock.com

Hi readers: as I write this month’s column I am at the JOOOOYSE SHORE. I only say it that way because there is a new reality show on TV called Jersey Shore and it is filmed in Sea Side Heights, not to far from where I stay a few times a year. As a Jersey boy it strikes me funny to hear these guys talk on the show; they have a New York accent that you only find in north Jersey across the river from New York. The show is about a bunch of kids who stay at a summer rental at the beach and the night life on the boardwalk. All the girls are hot looking and the guys are well built and run around shirtless most of the time. That’s the guys, I mean. Now please don’t judge Jersey by this show; it is not the Jersey I grew up in. Sure it is there if you want it, but there are so many other things to do, LIKE PADDLE. I was always out paddling some river or lake, like the Toms, Shrewsbury, and, farther south, the Bass. Then up north large lakes and reservoirs, too many to count.

Amberjacks And Snapper Best Offshore We are catching all the Greater Amberjack you can handle, lots of Mangrove Snappers, Yellowtail Snappers, Porgys, and Sharks. On a trip recently we had a 9 ft. Hammerhead Shark following up our Amberjacks to the boat. On Feb 1st Grouper went out of season and will reopen on April 1. But all is not lost; we can still catch fish all day long with usually limit catches of Snappers and Amberjacks, plus lots of other species available. There is also a good chance for Blackfin Tuna out deep this month. Best action is starting at 125 ft. fishing wrecks and large ledges using large live baits and butterfly jigs. Closer in and especialy on the artificial reefs look for monster Sheephesd on the 1 and 3 mile reefs, along with Mangrove Snappers, Porgys, and all the Key West Grunts you want. Tight lines and good fishing Capt. Larry McGuire Show Me The Fish Charters Located at the Cortez Fishing Center, Bradenton, FL 941-720-6475

Our weather will start to warm and our waters will fill with hungry migratory fish. Snook fishing will be good, but thanks to the aggressive emergency reaction by Florida Fish and Wildlife Commissioners you can not keep any. Redfish and Trout are in good health, both are available to enjoy catching and fresh fish dinners. Tarpon are not far off. The best news is it’s time for those Mackerel migrations to offer lots of action and enough fish to even share. Of course, the Sharks, Jacks, and Pompano will move in also. Our crazy weather may even straighten out and let us enjoy spring fishing. Snook are usually the target around our central and south Gulf coast now. We did have significant fish killed by our record freeze in January, but maybe we also had a lot of Snook! Our FF&W staff wants to saturate our waters with fish, especially the most popular, Snook. While this sounds great we will always have freezes and red tides to manage populations. Why are we bridled with only five months to keep fish, IF they fall into the slim five-inch slot? I worked with many others for years to get the one fish bag limit and protect breeding females.

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin have been catching Redfish, Spanish Mackerel and Trout inshore. The bait of choice has been hand-picked live shrimp. Near shore, between two hundred yards from the beach to seven miles out, anglers have been catching Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel, Black Tip Sharks, and Lemon Sharks. Baits used have been live shrimp, thread fin herring, blue runners, and pin fish. A Couple Fish Tails Enjoyed Aboard the Reelin & Chillin: With a crew of five anglers we found gulls diving just off Siesta Beach in twenty-six feet of water. I had the anglers using outfits with fifteen pound test line, forty pound mono leader—about three feet, and a 2X long Eagle Claw hook. As luck would have it Nate Huff, the guy with the broken left hand in a soft cast, hooked up with a big King Mackerel. After a good fifteen minute battle chasing the fish around the Gulf of Mexico, Nate landed a forty-six inch thirty-two pound King Mackerel. Fantastic light tackle action. The crazy thing, aside from a broken hand, is Nate—using a live shrimp—hooked a blue runner, then the King ate the blue runner—just doesn’t get any better.

I decided to take a day off from work and took my son, Jesse, and nephew, Jared, out to the M7 artificial reef to see what we could do with live blue runners and a few pin fish. Jared started out hooked up to a seven foot Black Tip Shark using twenty-pound test line. After a nice battle we released the Shark. We caught and released a couple of Lemon Sharks, then went to the beaches. There we managed to hook up to a nineteen pound King Mackerel and Jared hooked a huge Stingray—must have had a five foot wing span. After a couple minutes of chasing it around the gulf it made a spectacular jump, then broke the line. On a morning inshore trip Frank, Joanie, and Jim Habic headed out looking for some fun action and a little dinner. We spent the trip hunting for fish with not much luck concerning dinner; however we were having a good time. As luck would have it we went to Joanie’s favorite Redfish spot and Frank landed two or three Reds just under the slot while Joanie was landing trout on the other side of the boat.

Jim was a little quiet until a nice Red slammed his live shrimp. After a great battle on light tackle Jim pulled in a Red just barely under the twenty-seven inch limit. With dinner for the three anglers, I headed back to port with a happy crew. Captain’s Tip When fishing structure, like Jim was when he managed to catch a twenty-seven inch Redfish using ten pound test line, it’s important to really pay attention. Cast as close as you can to the structure—let the line sink straight down before clicking in the bale—reel in the slack, being sure not to reel to much so you don’t pull the bait away from the structure. When the fish picks up the bait, reel like crazy to pull him away from the structure; when you have him away a safe distance then slow down a little to wear him out for the landing. It is a waiting and paying attention game; however it does pay off. Tight lines & good times, Capt. Terry Frankford Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc. 941-228-7802 www.charterfishingsarasota.com terry.frankford@verizon.net