The summer rains and hurricane season are reaching their end making for clear and cooler waters. Fishing both in-shore and near-shore is productive right now, so get out there and get fishing. Snook, Redfish, Trout, and Mangrove Snapper are the species to target inshore. Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel, Little Tunny, and Sharks are the species to target near-shore. In my opinion, the next few months are the best time of year to fish. One reason is the variety of fish. Two, the ability to move in-shore if it gets too rough off-shore, and still catch fish. Three, the beginning of the cool weather, not too hot - not too cold. Here are a few fish tails enjoyed aboard the Reelin & Chillin: Inshore: Fishing several areas in mid Sarasota Bay anglers Dave Carruthers and family—Steve, Leslie, Harley, and Sidney—all caught fish. The catch of the day was tied with Harley catching the biggest, a Redfish at twenty-five inches. Little sister Sid caught a big Mangrove Snapper, the tastiest fish, at fourteen inches—nice catch, lady anglers. Offshore: Fishing anywhere from a couple hundred yards off south Siesta Beach to the near-shore reefs just outside New Pass and Sarasota Big Pass - Mackerel was the target. Lady anglers Rebbecca Hawkins and friends— Laura and Missy—had a blast catching Spanish and King Mackerel. Not keeping count on this catch & release action I would guess around twenty fish.

After a couple hours we headed inshore; Laura caught & released a thirty inch Redfish. Then Missy picked up the first Spotted Sea Trout in the slot. Keeping Missy's Trout we ended up putting two more in the livewell providing these three anglers a nice fresh fish dinner. Captain's Tip - Rigging for Mackerel Spanish Mackerel have really sharp teeth and rigging correctly is important, or you may spend a small fortune on tackle, and time re-rigging instead of catching. The best way I have found to keep terminal tackle on, for at least a little while, is as follows: Starting with a twelve inch length of #2 wire leader, I use a haywire twist attaching a 1/O "long shanked" hook on one end, and a #8 swivel on the other. This makes a wire leader approximately eight inches long, just long enough to bypass the teeth. I then tie a thirty-six inch length of forty pound test mono to prevent chaffing from tail and body swipes; this is especially important if you happen to hook a King, Cobia, or Shark. After a few fish, the wire will curl—just keep on fishing, the Macks don't mind. You will still lose rigs; however for me this keeps bait in the water the longest.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc. 941-228-7802 terry.frankford@verizon.net www.charterfishingsarasota.com