Charles Constantino with his largest red grouper on his first offshore trip using a live pinfish in 135 ft offshore of Anna Maria Island. Charles was on a break from the Norwich Military Academy, and is now  back in school and on his way to become another one of Americas great heros. The big grouper was caught fishing with Capt Larry McGuire Show Me The Fish Charters operating out of the Bradenton Beach Marina.

Life Jackets: How to Keep Your Children in Them

Boating is an activity that can be enjoyed by the entire family. It is fun and exciting and generally quite entertaining. I have four small boys that love to spend their weekends on the boat. Boating with children poses a few extra challenges though that you don’t have with adult type passengers.

One of the greatest trials we’ve had with our boys is the life jackets or life vests. According to our FWC invessels under 26 feet in length, all children under the age of six must wear an approved and appropriately sized life jacket at all times. The only exceptions are when the boat is anchored, docked, moored or grounded. It can be a challenge to keep young children in compliance.

Fall is in the air… Well, almost. September is here and we are just around the corner from fall. We should start to get some relief from the summer’s heat and see water temperatures fall. Usually, September means gearing up for the one of the most revered species in our waters, Mr. Snook… Not this year. It will be catch-and-release only. No need to worry. There are plenty of options this time of year for catch-and-release.

“Everyone got a life jacket?”
 
It’s a simple question boat owners often ask when heading out on the water. However, for younger guests who require the right-sized life jacket that answer isn’t always “yes.” There may be only adult-size life jackets on board, kids may have simply outgrown their life jacket, or perhaps some younger guests joined the outing at the last minute.

The weather been extremely hot and humid, but the fish seem to have adjusted nicely because we’re still catching fish. There’s been good Redfish and Snook action throughout the bay with plenty of Trout action on good tide days on the grass flats. Often anglers find nighttime more enjoyable and, provided the mosquitoes don’t carry you off, the fishing is relatively productive, especially around lighted docks.
           
Looks like we finally got a greenback hatch on the grass flats and you can find bait in all the usual places. Although small it’s fishable and I’d be sure to use your ¼ inch bait net. Remember you don’t need to black out the livewell you only need enough for fishing. However, large greenbacks are not always the answer to inshore production. It’s called match the hatch and, because they will be eating the smaller baits, it’s always advisable that you fish with them. Remember you don’t need to black out the livewell; you need only enough for fishing

Remember the small baits are excellent for Mangrove Snapper, so if you’re looking for dinner check the local fish attractors or your favorite rock pile for some great snapper action.

Offshore of Anna Maria Island, C.L. Fisher and his sons Breccan, Keenan,and Bradey were catching Amberjacks and Snappers in about 130 feet, when an approximately 350lb Goliath Grouper began eating their catches. So I brought out the heavy equipment, using a 9/0 Senator reel, 200lb test, and a baseball bat rod. We used a large Mullet for bait and the battle was on. It took three of us on the rod taking turns fighting this monster. The family had seen some photos on my website of us swimming with these bad boys and dreamed of doing just that, and their dream came true

Christine Buffington recently caught her first Amberjack and many more using pinfish in 150 ft offshore of Anna Maria Island.

Life is good fishing is great. Come on out and get ya some. Fish and be happy!

YES, it’s HOT, HOT, HOT. The weatherman says that there have been more heat index records broken this year than any other year in recorded history. At the time of writing this column I heard the weatherman state that Texas has had temps over 100 degrees for the past 50 days in a row. That’s some heat. We here in southwest Florida have not been too far behind. At Gulf Coast Kayak we made our starting time for tours earlier and later than our normal launch times. We did more sunset and moonlight tours than we have in the past. All of which were a lot of fun, and we beat the heat. Some of us don’t care about the heat and just take a dip in the water to try to cool off. However, this time of the year the water temperature is like a warm bath. Not too much cooling off here. The elderly and very young have to watch out in this kind of heat. Folks who work outside are very prone to dehydration.