Capt. Terry updates the fishing report approximately every two weeks

Past reports for 2007 have been left to benefit the folks coming to the area for vacation. You can see what may be biting at the time of your vist

Fishing Report 06/29/2008 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Angler's aboard the Reelin & Chillin have been catching, trout, redfish, mangrove snapper, pompano, permit, and bluefish, to name a few more popular species.

When I have the time to cover many of my favorite locations, sooner or later one or more of these will produce. This proved true with four angler's out on a full day trip. We would hit a spot, fish for a few minutes, if we had action we would stay - if not we would move on. All angler's managed a respectable catch, Andria started off with a nice trout around eighteen inches caught just at the north end of Quick Pt. where the flats met with the channel. Working our way north fishing grass flats and picking up a few fish along the way we ended up at Long Bar. We saw hundreds of mullet feeding and cast to them. Kristan, Andria, and Michelle all managed to pull a redfish from the school. Working our way back south we ran some crab trap buoy's. A triple tail was spotted - Nate placed a live shrimp just a few feet from the trap and the fish bit. A nice four pound triple tail made for a great battle on light tackle. We stuck to live hand-picked shrimp, and Berkley Gulps for bait on this trip.

It's always nice to find a great spot that produces big fish consistently, it happens often, unfortunately these spots only stay hot for a week or two, then the fish move on. I was lucky enough to find one just spot to put my anglers on, it was fantastic while it lasted. I managed to make it work for several trips over a two week period. The trip with Bob Cooper and family was the normal trip for a couple weeks. Using only ten pound test line Bob picked up a thirty inch redfish - Riley a twenty-three, Keith a twenty-seven, and Cullen with the big boy of the day a thirty-four inch red. Did I fish the hole out? Is this why there were no more reds after a couple weeks? The answer is NO - the reason is ninety percent of the fish were over the twenty-seven inch limit and released. Also, if I knew of a spot like this and my angler's were on a meat mission, I would only take them there if they agreed on keeping one or two fish. It's just not fair to all of us to wipe out a great spot just for dinner.

Plenty of trout, bluefish, and a few pompano to be found on the grass flats in north Sarasota Bay around Whale Key. Look for diving birds working the bait and you should hook up with no problem. Live shrimp work, however they go quick. Any kind of shiner you can net will also work - good luck finding any big enough to put on a hook. Lot's of bait around, all small. Berkley Gulps work great, just about any color, white and penny are my favorites. D.O.A. shrimp are also a great choice.

Captain's Tip - shrimp today, pins tomorrow

When it's working it's great. I found a spot with oversize redfish, using live hand-picked shrimp for bait. I was catching several per trip consistently. Then one day nothing - my shrimp were being devoured by small snapper and pinfish. I thought maybe the fish moved on, then I looked over the side of the boat and noticed silver dollar size pinfish flashing in the grass. One throw of the cast net brought a dozen pins, and grunts. Making this story short as short as possible. The reds bit for a little over a week on big shrimp then wouldn't touch one. For the next week and a half they devoured pins and grunts - go figure. This tells me that I need to head out with several different baits when possible, and to adapt if necessary. When fishing with two or more anglers, switch up baits, one with a shrimp, one with a pin, and maybe even one with a chunk of cut mullet. All will catch reds at one point in time, and all will not catch reds at one point in time. Just think, if I would have arrived at this spot when the fish weren't interested in the shrimp - I would have caught nothing and never came back. That's about forty oversize reds on several trips that my anglers would have missed out on.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 05/13/2008 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Angler's 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, angler's 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.

Here are a couple fish tails from recent trips aboard the Reelin & Chillin

With a crew of five angler's we found gulls diving just off Siesta Beach in twenty-six feet of water. I had the angler's 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 was 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 barley under the twenty-seven inch limit. With dinner for the three angler's 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

Fishing Report 04/17/2008 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Angler's aboard the Reelin & Chillin have been catching snook, redfish, and trout inshore. Baits used have been live shrimp, live white bait (spanish sardines), and gulp baits with natural, new penny, and white being the colors of choice.

Near shore between two hundred yards to two miles from the beach angler's have been catching spanish mackerel and king mackerel. Baits used have been live shrimp, and thread fin herring.

Here are a couple fish tails from recent trips aboard the Reelin & Chillin

On a morning trip out with the Berg's Jim, Tom, Colton, and Bob we had some good steady action. All angler's managed to catch a snook with Grandpa Jim's being the largest at twenty-six inches, not bad when using only eight pound test line. Young Colton caught and released a jack that was pushing five pounds also using an outfit spooled with eight pound test line.

Fishing just off the beaches of Siesta Key Sal, and Danny Avila, John Bielanske, and Ricky Kulinski all had some fantastic action with spanish mackerel and king mackerel. The mackerel were reaching up to twenty-five inches measured to the fork of the tail. Three king mackerel gave us a run for the fun with the first two breaking off before we could land them, however Sal landed the biggest one weighing in at fourteen pounds. Not a bad battle when using only fifteen pound test line. What was neat is Sal spent the whole trip helping his son catch mackerel and blue runners, at the very end he decided to give it a try and caught the biggest fish of the day - every good turn deserves another.

Captain's Tip

Spanish and king mackerel:

We started fishing for the spanish first off, then as things progressed we switched up to fishing kings. On the reel was fifteen pound test line, using a surgeons knot I tied a forty pound test line mono leader about eighteen inches long. A 2/0 long shanked hook was then tied to the leader, a live shrimp was used for bait. In-between getting fish off the hooks I was catching big thread fin herring using my Zabiki rig. I could see the big balls of bait on my depth finder so it was a no brainer. After getting a live well full of spanish for dinner the crew decided to target the kings. I re-rigged replacing the 2/0 hook with a "kingfish pro-rig" still using the same outfits with forty pound test leader. I hooked the thread fin through the nose with the front hook, the rear hook was placed just behind the anal fin. I would drift for both species, the wind was blowing just enough to keep the baits looking natural. Also, I kept an eye to the fish finder making note of bait under the boat. As I would drift off the bait I would use the tracking on my GPS to get back over the bait again. When fishing the spanish the anglers would hold the rods, however when fishing the kings I would have the rods in the holders. Then reason is if a big king would hit while holding the rod it could easily rip the rod out of your hand and/or possibly injure and anglers wrist.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 03/15/2008 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Weather sure has been an issue for the past couple of weeks. Cold fronts, wind, and rain made the beginning of March seem more like February. My client's and I had to really hunt for the fish, however on several trips we found redfish, trout, sheepshead, mangrove snapper, bluefish, spanish mackerel, and a cobia.

Here are a few fish tails from recent trips aboard the Reelin & Chillin.

The Stuber family Denae, Mike, Sam, and Jake cleaned up on Sheepshead using live shrimp for bait. We fished rocks in one of the passes here in Sarasota. We used two number four split-shoot sinkers to keep the bait down in the fast current. A small number four hook with twenty pound test leader for tackle was used to fool the fish into biting. It worked well enough for this family of four to earn dinner.

Kelly, Rob, Lee, and Glen headed out for a half day trip and cleaned up on Spanish Mackerel in the Middle Grounds of Sarasota Bay. Kelly had the first fish on, a nice eighteen inch Spanish then all anglers started catching a few. We started with small short shanked circle hooks, however when we would loose a hook on the sharp teeth of the mackerel we changed out to a 2/0 long shanked hook. We still lost a few hooks, but managed to land several more fish. We then headed to some grass flat areas looking for trout, with not much luck. Kelly did manage to catch one around sixteen inches with a belly swollen with eggs. She decided to release the fish so it could have it's young - way to go Kelly.

On a trip out with Chuck Wehrmann, ten year old son C.J., and Uncle Mike Quinlan we caught plenty of fish, with C.J. showing great angling skills. All anglers caught and released several fish, including Trout, Ladyfish, and C.J.'s first Redfish. The big fish of the day was C.J.'s Cobia he caught using live shrimp. This fish was thirty-two inches long, weighed nine pounds, and C.J. caught it using only ten pound test line - great job C.J.

Captain's Tip

C.J.'s Cobia - setup if you can:

We were slowly cruising along an area with docks, large boats, and deep water when we spotted four or five Cobia circling around the mooring line of a forty-two foot cruiser. The Cobia weren't going anywhere so we had time to set up - very important because if in the excitement we quickly threw a shrimp with the light tackle the fish could have easily broken off. We still used the ten-pound test line, however I replaced the number four hook with a 2/0 circle hook. Then the leader was changed from twenty-pound mono to forty. This beefed up the tackle just enough to keep the hook from being straightened and the leader from wearing through. Then we checked out what we would be up against after the fish was hooked. The first obstacle was to pull the fish away from the mooring line. We pointed the bow towards the fish and stayed back as far as possible - when the fish took the bait C.J. just hung on while I quickly backed away. Then behind us was a line of crab trap buoys that we had to steer clear of. We were able to pull away from the mooring line and crab buoys into open water so C.J. could then wear down the fish. A little planning got the fish to the boat for a quick photo before a safe release. Plan if you can...

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 02/12/2008 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing has remained steady for the most part this month. The lack of rain has kept the waters fairly clean and clear, maybe not so good for inland drought conditions, however it sure isn't hurting our water any. The weather hasn't reached low temperatures for extended periods keeping the water a little warmer for February. This I believe has kept the fishing good for a winter month. I'm not sure what's going to happen when we do get a few good days rain - the run off could be really bad for water conditions - let's keep our fingers crossed. Charters have been going well for the Reelin & Chillin for the most part. We have been catching reds of all sizes from seventeen inches up to twenty-nine and a half inches. Look for sheepshead around docks, bridges, and other structure and on artificial reefs offshore. A few pompano, spanish mackerel, and bluefish are hanging around passes when the tides are moving.

Here are a few fish tails from recent trips aboard the Reelin & Chillin.

The Toohey's, Garritt, Debbi, Peter with friend Andrew Lounsberry picked up several reds around structure from just south of the Siesta Dr bridge and up into central Sarasota Bay. Also, all anglers caught a mix of trout, sheepshead, and one pompano that Andrew picked up.

Elvin and Nelson Martin had a fantastic double hook-up dock fishing for reds. Both placed a nice select shrimp up under the same dock and just seconds later both were hooked up. Elvin's fish was twenty-nine and a half inches and weighed nine and a half pounds. Nelson' fish was twenty-eight inches. Both fish were released after a quick photo.

I had a second four hour just after the above charter and was hoping to put Dave Bradwell onto some great redfish action. We didn't hit them like Elvin and Nelson did, however Dave wasn't complaining because he enjoyed great redfish light tackle action - a twenty-eight inch redfish caught and released using only ten pound test line. He was looking for dinner, and found it with three sheepshead ending up the the live well before days end.

With four guys out just to have fun on a six hour trip we made it happen. Barney Hathhorn an avid walleye fisherman started the day with a chubby twenty-eight inch redfish that weighed in at ten pounds on the dot. Then Ray Ribaric looking for a redfish dinner that his wife was planning on, picked up one that just reached the twenty-seven inch slot. Bob Hess on his first saltwater trip ever started with a small red just under the slot and minutes later picked up one around twenty-five inches. Bob Braun had promised his wife a sheepshead dinner and we were catching nothing but reds. I decided to head to a location where I have been finding a few sheepshead, and on first cast Bob had one in the boat. Two more sheepshead were added to the live well making for a great fish fry for Bob and his better half.

Captain's Tip

Finding Sheepshead - One thing I have found over the years is that you won't necessarily find sheepshead on every dock in the bay just because it happens to be the season. This is the same for any structure like rocks, oyster beds, or bridge pilings. Included would be the nearshore artificial reefs. If you don't get on a sheepshead in a few minutes you need to move. My plan of attack when inshore around structure is to just look - I idle by the structure slowly using my amber Flying Fisherman sunglasses to spot them. It may be a solid sighting of wide black and white strips or just a shadow, but I will usually be able to see them. When in a location where I can't see down because of cloudy water conditions or depth as on an nearshore reef I just spend a few minutes with a test cast. If I don't get a bite I move on. Oh yeah! Size down on the tackle and bait, I use a number four Owner circle hook, a number four split shot sinker, and regular size shrimp, not selects.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 01/17/2008 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Redfish, Redfish, Redfish, the species of the week with out a doubt. Thanks to a tip on a location from my good friend Capt. Tony Westheimer, also a Hart's Landing guide, I was able to put my anglers on some Great - Big - Reds. The largest being thirty-four inches weighing in at fifteen pounds caught by John Anderson from Chicago, IL. Using lite spinning tackle with only fifteen pound test line made for some exciting action. Also, Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish, Pompano, Sheepshead, and Ladyfish were around for some great action.

Here are a few fish tails from recent trips aboard the Reelin & Chillin.

Jeff, and Denise Zerby with friends Kevin, and Roberta Grauer nailed the Redfish on a morning trip in Sarasota Bay around structure. All together over twelve Reds were landed in the first few hours of the trip. Only two made the slot of eighteen to twenty-seven inches, all the rest were to large to keep. Roberta caught the big Red of the day at thirty-two inches weighing in at fourteen pounds. All fish were released for the rest of us to enjoy in the future, way to go crew.

Brian Cook, and John Anderson also had an afternoon of fantastic Redfish action. Around ten Reds were caught and released, three were in the slot, however all were released. John stole the Big fish of the week award with a thirty-four inch Red weighing in at fifteen pounds. We headed to Sarasota Big Pass in hopes of getting Brian into some Ladyfish action on the fly. He had plenty of hits and did manage to get one to the boat for a photo and release.

Terry and Ginny Allen hit the Redfish hole and for one last time I was able to get on the Reds. Terry was a catch and release angler and that he did. We didn't even keep track he caught so many with the largest being thirty-two inches. It was such great action that I dropped a line in just for GP and a moment later I was releasing an over-slot Red.

As it goes, all good things must come to an end - I took the next crew to the Redfish-hole with no fish making it to the boat. We were broken off twice, however they just wouldn't turn on again. So my crew the Petricks, Chad, Chris, Ciara, Brent, and Julie headed to the New Pass area to seek action, and found it. Trout, Spanish Mackerel, and Bluefish were all over feeding on glass minnows. These fish had no problem taking our shrimp to the point that I ran out of the first eight dozen, bought another seven dozen and went through them in less than an hour. Ciara, caught the big fish of the day, a twenty-four inch Spanish Mackerel, nice fish Ciara.

Captain's Tip

When you find big fish around docks or other types of structure while using lite tackle keep this in mind. Most of the time the water if going to be deep, around five to eight feet near the structure where the fish are hanging. Your bait needs to be up under the dock or right at the pile, if your cast isn't there, re-cast. Don't flip your bail right after casting, leave it open and feed line out so your bait goes straight down, then flip the bail over. When the bait has reached the bottom get all the slack out of the line making sure not to pull the bait away from the dock. Pay attention, if your not paying attention Redfish will pick up the bait and slowly swim around the piles, this results in a sure break off. As you feel that first tug reel like crazy to pull the fish out from the structure. Once out you can play the fish a little to tire it before attempting the landing. Be gentle with the big ones your going to release, dropping one in the boat or keeping it out of the water to long could kill the fish. These big ones are near ready to leave the bays and head offshore to breed, we need to protect them as much as possible.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 01/04/2008 – Capt. Terry Frankford

The fishing remained hot in the Gulf of Mexico, plenty of Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel, and Little Tunny made lines scream aboard the Reelin & Chillin. Then things changed just after Christmas. The weather was great one day then poor the next. Bait became harder to find, so the switch from scaled sardines (white bait) to live shrimp was made. You could still use a chicken rig in the gulf for big sardines, however the cast netting really slowed for white bait in the Sarasota Bay areas. The Mackerels were still hanging around enjoying the shrimp my client's offered, however they started to slow down.

I decided to keep inshore for the last part of the week and try my luck inside. Things paid off for several trips. We found Spanish Mackerel, Pompano, and Ladyfish in Sarasota's Big Pass. Fishing structure from north Sarasota Bay to the Robert's Bay area we found Redfish, Sheepshead, and Mangrove Snapper.

Just a quick review of a few trips aboard the Reelin & Chillin this week:

There are so many trips booked this time of year that I don't have enough space to give details on all the Mackerel catching trips. It went like this: Head out in the morning, catch twenty or thirty Mackerel, come back in at noon. Head out for the afternoon, catch twenty or thirty Mackerel, come back at four. Yes, there were a couple trips that a little surprise was enjoyed like when Tyson Paradis caught a twenty-seven inch Cobia on fifteen pound test line. And like when Kayla Kerns hooked into a Little Tunny on lite-tackle causing me to ditch the anchor and chase her fish for fifteen minutes before she landed it. However, all in all it was a Big Mackerel attack.

The Ibbott's Dave, Ryan, Brock, and Karla had a great Redfish day, as long as you weren't looking for dinner that is. Reason, most fish caught were released because they were over the twenty-seven inch slot. It doesn't get better using lite-tackle with only ten-pound test line catching and releasing these big fish. The day started with Karla landing a twenty-eight inch Red. Then Dave picked up two, the first being twenty-eight inches and the second thirty-one inches. Brock picked up the last one at twenty-nine inches. Several broke off under docks, and a couple were lost at the boat. All fish were handled carefully for a photo and then quickly released alive and well. Not a bad day of angling, only one was caught in the slot, not enough for dinner, however these anglers still deserve a steak on the grill for a job well done.

What's to come:

I'm really looking forward to the Sheepshead coming in. I have been checking out my favorite spots and they are starting to arrive. I have already caught several, some around docks inshore and a couple on nearshore reefs about a mile out in the Gulf. I know there are still Redfish around and some big ones at that. Fishing structure with live shrimp and keeping eyes peeled for schools on the grass flats is my method for catching a few. I still think Mackerel will be around here and there, the Ringling Causeway Bridge would be a great location to check out every now and then. Pompano are not the easiest species to find, however I know they are now around and should be for a little while.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 12/18/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

The fish have really been hot in the Gulf of Mexico on the near shore artificial reefs with Little Tunny, and King Mackerel on lite tackle stealing the show. Inshore is a little different, client's aboard the Reelin & Chillin had to work for there catch, however hard work paid off on most all trips. Great fighting snook to twenty-six inches and Redfish to over twenty-seven inches were found around structure and mangroves. A few Sheepshead have been caught along with a couple Black Drum.

Just a quick review of a few trips aboard the Reelin & Chillin this week:

Grandpa Rosy, son Todd, & Grandson Troy Rosenlund had a slow day at first, seemed all we could find was undersized Redfish. The day was completed with four snook being caught and released by all three anglers. Troy had the big fish of the day, a nice twenty-six inch snook he caught on only eight pound test line.

Barney Sack & Dave Levine found some lite tackle action starting on the flats in Big Pass. We caught & released several Trout, and Ladyfish using white bait on lite tackle. Fun, however the dinner bell wasn't ringing. We headed for structure working docks off of St. Armand's and New Pass. By the end of the trip Barney had a twenty-five inch Redfish in the live well, and David a nice twenty-seven inch Redfish to top off the day. Great work guys.

Pat Bryne and Merv Griffin headed out to the Silvertooth artificial reef off of Lido Key for some great lite tackle action. These two anglers had a ball with Little Tunny and King Mackerel ripping line off there reels. I would have to crank up the engine and follow the fish just to get more line back on the reel. Total count "landed" was five Little Tunny and three King Mackerel.

The Jordan's had a fun day, however we were limited to inshore fishing do to weather conditions. Rob, Robb, Ben, and Elliott all caught fish, Betsy just enjoyed the show put on from the anglers, along with a group of about five Manatees that hung around the boat in New Pass for awhile. Rob picked up a Black Drum, and a twenty-two inch Redfish. Elliott caught a Red that measured in at twenty-seven inches, and Ben stole the show with "big fish of the day" a Redfish that was just over the twenty-seven inch limit that he released after a quick photo. Robb didn't land the big fish, however he was the Jack Crevalle king of the day for sure.

Quick-Release Anchor set up

At times both inshore and near shore I find line being stripped off my light tackle reels at a rate that requires me to detach the anchor and follow the fish. This is necessary not only to get more line back on the reel, it's also necessary to keep the fish out of structure such as docks, crab buoy lines, other anglers fishing lines, and anchor rodes. I have one anchor, chain, and shackle for this purpose, and two different lengths of anchor line. Depending on where I'm fishing determines which length I will use. Inshore I carry a thirty foot section of line and for near shore reefs I carry seventy-five foot section. Length of line will vary depending on the size of your boat, mine is twenty-three feet. I attach a float at the boat end of each line, a large cork float for the inshore set-up and a small fender for the near shore set-up. When anchoring up I tie two half hitches, however only over the front horn of the cleat, this way I only have to grab the slack end of the line and pull to release the anchor. There are a few safety concerns, watch that angler, you don't want to gun the boat and possibly cause a fall. Also, keep an eye behind you when backing. It's very easy to get excited about the angler and his fish, losing site of what your about to run over. One nice benefit about using this set-up aside from the obvious being you just landed a big fish on lite tackle, is that you end up back in the exact location you just left and don't have the hassle of re-anchoring. Hope this tip helps you to have a better chance of getting that big one to the boat on lite tackle - Good Luck.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 11/28/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Lesser Amberjack, Barracuda, and Little Tunny have been on the near shore artificial reefs off of Sarasota. Scaled Sardines, Pinfish, and Finger Mullet have been the baits used aboard the Reelin & Chillin for near shore trips.

Redfish, Ladyfish, Snook, and a few Sheepshead are around docks, mangroves, and grass flats in shore. Scaled Sardines, and hand-picked shrimp have been the baits of choice aboard the Reelin & Chillin.

Just a quick review of a few trips aboard the Reelin & Chillin this week:

David and Amy Stewart with Amy's brother John Duran mixed it up a little with near shore and in shore action. Starting at an artificial reef just off Lido Key Spanish Mackerel, and Bluefish showed up to provide some great light tackle action. Amy picked up the big one, an eighteen pound King Mackerel she caught using only fifteen pound test line. In shore David picked up a nice twenty inch Sea Trout, and John wrestled a four pound Sheepshead from a dock in Little Sarasota Bay.

Dave Mathias, David DeFratus, and Alan Sutcliffe enjoyed a six hour near shore trip with slow but steady action. We were armed with Finger Mullet, Pinfish, and Scaled Sardines for live baits and the MG-CD11 Rapala's for lures. We headed to M5 first where Alan and Dave picked up a couple Little Tunny's trolling the Rapala's. Anchoring up for a short time didn't provide much action with the exception of Dave's Barracuda that went about thirty inches. We then headed to M7 where right off we ran into feeding Little Tunny. Dave hooked up on one and barley got it to the boat - a huge Barracuda swiped at it lacerating it's tail section. No sooner after anchoring up we saw a school of Lesser Amberjack that were hungry for our Scaled Sardines and Pinfish. We landed several, however only three made the slot - the rest were to big. David also picked up a Cuda just over thirty-six inches.

Dan and Doug Cormier hit the Silvertooth reef with me for a morning trip and the action was great. Spanish Mackerel kept them busy in between the four Little Tunny and Doug's big King Mackerel. These fish were caught using fifteen pound test line making for great light tackle action. A few times we had to chase down the fish because the line was screaming off the reel so fast.

Ben & Kellie Evans had none stop action on a near shore reef just off Big Pass in Sarasota. The Spanish Mackerel were reelly on, they couldn't resist the Scaled Sardines being chummed around our boat. Fifteen plus Spanish Mackerel were caught on the trip. Kellie then hooked into a screaming ten pound King Mackerel it almost stripped the line off her reel, however she did manage with great angling skill to get the fish to the boat. Then it was Ben's turn, he hooked into a seventeen pound King and we chased it all around the reef before Ben finally got it under control - Ben won the battle and it was King on the grill for a pre Thanksgiving dinner.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 11/09/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

It's been an up and down couple of weeks for anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin with the changing weather conditions. Common this time of year is a couple of beautiful days, a front moves in then we end up with a couple windy cold days. There are fish both near shore and in shore so you need to adjust with the weather. If it looks good you can fish the near shore reefs and pick up on Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel, Little Tunny, and if your lucky a Cobia. I do like to wait a day after it's been really windy before going to near shore reefs just to let the seas settle and the water clear up a little. If it's to rough outside you can still pick up Spanish Mackerel near the passes or where there is fast moving water. Snook and reds are on the flats around oyster bars, mangrove shorelines, and docks. Trout can be found on grass flats for catch & release action, however they are out of season until January first. I have noticed a few Sheepshead around, maybe in a few weeks they will be a species to target.

Just a quick review of a few trips aboard the Reelin & Chillin this week:

Pio Rizzo, Will Price, Chris Ennest, Adam Wolin, and Ross Nevins did a near shore trip and hit plenty of Spanish Mackerel. It was non-stop action at one of the near shore artificial reefs just off Lido Key. All anglers caught plenty of fish on this trip and the Spanish Mackerel were nice size reaching up to four pounds.

Kevin Harrod, Pat Marx, and Yoanna Gouchtchina also did a near shore trip with the same outcome as the above trip. Yoanna did hook into a Little Tunny that gave her a run for her money. After a trip around the boat she landed the LT and was ready for more action after a quick photo.

White bait was used for the above trips, caught just off Lido Beach. I looked for diving birds close to shore, once I found them it only took one or two throws to fill the bait wells. I used my 1/4 inch mesh Bett's net, the 1/2 inch mesh would have worked as well, the bait was plenty big enough.

On an afternoon inshore trip Dave and Sue Mathias headed south with a live well of hand picked shrimp. We noticed some diving birds close to one of the Edwards Islands and decided to drift and stop the shore line using the power pole. It payed off, after shaking off a few smaller fish during the drift we worked an area just a little deeper at the edge of the grass. First Dave picked up a nice red in the slot then Sue backed it up with another nice red, also in the slot. This made for great light tackle action, they were both using smaller Okuma IA-30 reels mounted an Evolution medium light action rods with only eight pound test line.

Rigging:

Near Shore:

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.

In Shore:

Using a sergons knot I tied eighteen inches of twenty pound test fluorocarbon leader to my eight pound test line. Then using a Uni knot I tied on a #4 Owner MUTU circle hook. Depending on conditions you may have to up size a little, like if you going to try to drag a thirty-four inch snook from under a dock. Although a couple of weeks ago a client pulled a forty and a half inch Red from under a dock using the same rig mentioned above with the exception of ten pound test from the reel.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 10/19/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

With Gulf temperatures dropping just a little, and plenty of bait in the Gulf and along the Beaches several species have moved into the near shore reefs. King and Spanish mackerel, Cobia, Little Tunny, and small sharks are all over the near shore reefs. Bait is plentiful, scaled sardines (whitebait) can be netted in bays and along the beaches just look for diving pelicans, gulls, and terns. If your going for the big Kings little Blue Runners can be caught right where you fish using small baits or a chicken rig. Trolling these little Blues brings big fish, however one of my clients did pick up an eighteen pound King on a small whitebait this past week. Casting and trolling lures can also be productive, jigs, spoons, anything flashy will bring a bite. A favorite trolling lure of mine for King Mackerel is the Rapala CD-11 MAG with the Silver Mck design.

Just a quick review of a few trips aboard the Reelin & Chillin this week:

It's a Reelin & Chillin record breaker - forty and a half inch Redfish!

Jon McCubbin, brother Bill, and friend Mark had a fantastic day of both near shore and in shore fishing, Starting at a near shore reef these anglers had a ball catching King Mackerel, and Spanish Mackerel with Bill landing a nice eighteen pound King using only fifteen pound test line. Heading inshore Mark had a great light tackle fight using ten pound test line catching a Jack Crevalle that tipped the scales at eight pounds. Jon had the catch of the day and for that matter the catch of the year for me. He caught and released a huge forty and a half inch Redfish. This is a client record for my boat, up until this time it was David Wright who held the record of thirty five inches.

Bob Tetu, brother Bill, and friend Dan Cerone dodged the weather in North Sarasota Bay, however they still managed to find some great action and bring dinner home. We hit several locations catching a few here and there, then at a spot near Longbar we hit pay dirt. We had non-stop action until a thunder storm ran us off. Bluefish, Spanish Mackerel, and Trout was the catch of the day for these light tackle anglers.

Jay Scouggins, Larry Smith, Jeremy, and Jamie Chester had great action on one of Sarasota's near shore reefs. Larry had the big King of the day catching and releasing one up to thirty-six inches. Jeremy caught one just over the limit that we decided to keep because it looked like it may not survive a release. All anglers caught a good bit of Spanish Mackerel taking dinner home to a hungry crew of visitor's from Canada.

It was family time for my son Jesse, daughter-n-law Shelly and myself to see what we could do at a near shore reef. To make a long story short Shelly picked up her first King Mackerel over thirty-six inches. Jesse caught a nice Cobia at thirty-five inches and a Little Tunny around eight pounds. We also caught plenty of Spanish Mackerel. And yes we had a big family fish fry that evening - grilled Cobia, fried Spanish Mackerel, and Sashimi Little Tunny.

Brad Johns, wife Lavren Stone, and two sons Rowen (6), and Ethan (4) did the near shore and in shore trip with great success. Starting off on a near shore reef Jack Crevalle, Blue Runners, Spanish Mackerel, and a nice Little Tunny kept these anglers plenty busy. Then it was in shore to some structure in Sarasota Bay where the Redfish turned on long enough for Brad to pick up two in the slot. Also, Rowen picked up his first keeper Redfish that went to twenty-four inches, way to go Rowen. Lavren likes fishing all right, however I think she got a kick out of a pod of bottle-noise dolphins we found in New Pass. They entertained us for a while and after a few photos we went on to more fishing, a fun day for all aboard.

Frank Habic, wife Joanie, and nephew Jim Lee had a ball catching and releasing sharks in the Gulf of Mexico. We were looking for Spanish Mackerel, however I think the sharks had the same idea. Must be that the sharks ran off the Mackerel and decided to take us up on our whitebait. The first shark was hooked by Joanie and she just couldn't turn it. Almost one hundred and fifty yards of line screamed off the reel. I had to cup the spool so the line would break off at the fish. It wouldn't be good having a shark running around with that much line hanging off it. Frank ran into one that was almost as large, however he did manage after a long battle getting it to the boat. We were able to remove the hook, no longer was in the shape of a "J" now it was more like a corkscrew. Jim Lee also tackled a couple of these fun Lemon Sharks getting them to the boat for a photo and release. Not much dinner went home that afternoon, however all had great action on light tackle.

Rigging:

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. Some may think this is down sizing just a little to much, however this week alone these set ups have landed eighteen pound King Mackerel, thirty-five inch Cobia, and four foot Lemon Sharks. Small terminal tackle helps to keep the bait looking natural making for more hook ups.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 10/01/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

An "Inshore Slam" aboard the Reelin & Chillin, sixteen inch trout, nineteen inch redfish, and a thirty-one inch snook was caught by angler John Bielanski of Venice Florida. Also, trout are still on a rebound in the Sarasota area, a few Pompano have showed up, and four nice black drum to twenty-four inches tightened lines this past week.

Just a quick review at what happened aboard the Reelin & Chillin this week:

John and Kelly Bielanski of Venice with out of town friends from Chicago Jon, and Karen Hoch all enjoyed some great action fishing the edges of grass flats in Sarasota Big Pass. Several species including ladyfish, mangrove snapper, and trout made for some great light tackle action. All anglers were enjoying this light tackle action when all of a sudden John's ten-pound test line screamed off his reel and his rod bent clean in two. We quickly reeled in all other lines and threw the anchor line off the stern that has a cork attached just for this type of fire drill. We had to move towards the fish at a fairly fast pace to keep line on the reel, this fish wasn't giving up easily. After several minutes a beautiful thirty-one inch snook broke the surface, and we were able to get it to the landing net. This was the second species John caught to achieve the "Inshore Slam" title - he already landed a sixteen inch trout. We had about a half hour left so we took a chance and headed to some structure close to New Pass. As John's luck was still with him on his first cast he boated a nineteen inch redfish completing the Slam - congratulations John.

Starting at dusk with angler Frank Winkle we targeted grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and docks with not much success. Small juvenile grouper, mangrove snapper and a few trout were the only species we caught. Then we found a large dock area that was pretty much falling apart and threw a couple large shrimp into the structure. Franks rod bent in two with a twenty-four inch black drum on the other end. We landed this fish and with in a half hour had boated three more - all in the slot.

An evening trip with Dave, and Sue Mathias started out looking a little rough in the beginning with rain in the area, however it cleared and we were able to hit the bay running. We were heading out to see if we could find a hungry snook or two to tighten our lines. Dave and Sue did manage to find two snook both being under the size limit. They did however give us a nice battle on the light tackle, both fish were around twenty-five inches. Snook didn't end up on the table, however they did pick up two nice redfish. First Dave caught the tournament anglers dream a twenty-seven inch redfish, then Sue caught a nice twenty-four inch red. A nice ending to top off Sue's birthday fishing trip.

Black Drum - great on the line & great on the table:

Black Drum regulations:

Size - not less than fourteen inches, or more than twenty four inches

Bag - five per day

You may have one over twenty-four inches, and there is no closed season.

Recipe for Lemon-Crusted Black Drum:

Four tablespoons mayo - half tablespoon grated fresh lemon rind - quarter tablespoon salt - quarter tablespoon coarse ground black pepper - two tablespoons butter - two-thirds cup Italian breadcrumbs - cooking spray - four black drum fillets.

Combine first four ingredients in a small bowl. Arrange fish on a foil-lined broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Spread mayo mixture evenly over fish.

Microwave butter until melted; toss with breadcrumbs. Sprinkle crumbs evenly over fish. Bake at four hundred fifty degrees for ten minutes or until fish flakes easily.

Certain species of fish may have an "off flavor" this can easily be eliminated with just a little preparation. Put the fillets in a bowl and cover with water - add about a half cup white vinegar and let sit for an hour - drain and rinse fillets. Do not let sit much longer than an hour or the fish will cook. I do this with species like black drum, redfish, and sheepshead - it really makes a difference with little effort.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 09/17/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Pompano, redfish, and trout tightened a few lines aboard the Reelin & Chillin this week. Also, jacks, ladyfish, lizard fish, sail cats, and small sharks have been around for some fun. Tarpon are still around if you look hard enough and are skilled enough to coax them into biting.

Just a quick review at what's happening in the Sarasota bay area:

Capt. Doug of Tearin' Em Up! Charters gave me a little heads up - while wade fishing on his day off some diving birds on the east side of north Sarasota Bay gave away feeding tarpon, redfish, trout, and ladies. I took my charter over to this area the next day and the water was alive with diving birds, bait all over the place, and fish breaking the surface including rolling tarpon. We couldn't buy a bite from a tarpon, however John Barrier and his grandson Brandon caught and released redfish, ladyfish, and a few bluefish. We headed a little further north just south of Longbar and caught some nice slot sized trout and Brandon who is only four years old caught a seventeen inch pompano. We then headed to some areas in mid Sarasota Bay with structure and John caught and released a beautiful thirty-three inch redfish (tail wasn't pinched). Soon after four year old Brandon caught and released a twenty-five inch redfish. "Fish Story"? Just check out the web site "photo album" and you can see the photos.

Same Day as above Capt. Greg Abbott called and said he was getting three foot, (give or take a few inches) black tip shark in the middle of Sarasota Bay. My charter was at it's end so I didn't head over to his location, however he picked up three sharks - this had to be fantastic fun on light tackle. I told my son Jesse Frankford about this and he headed to the approximate area a couple days later and did just what Capt. Greg did - chummed with white bait and "Bam" his daughters friend Danielle hooked up with a small lemon shark. Soon after his daughter (my granddaughter) Makaela also caught a little lemon - great light tackle inshore action.

Anthony and Susan Baglino headed out for an afternoon charter on a hot sunny day. Well to make a long story short we didn't tear them up, however we did have a neat experience. Susan was reeling in an unknown fish when near the boat suddenly a large bluefish showed up and for a second looked like the fish she had. Then the action stopped - no more fight, we found out what Susan was catching. It was a sea trout, however now it was only a part of a sea trout - the blue bit it clean in half. Just at the end of the trip the trout started to cooperate. Both caught a couple with Anthony catching and releasing a nice slot sized trout.

Heading out on a double boat charter just for catch and release fun Capt. Doug and myself split a group of eight. My crew, Deek, Steve, Gillian, and Mary all had some great inshore action as well as Capt. Doug's crew. Trout, ladyfish, jack, lizard, and catfish all provided for some great action. We ended the trip in the radio tower flats area checking out manatees, something that these folks from Chicago really enjoyed.

Bait and Tackle:

Two types of live bait were used - live handpicked shrimp and live white bait or spanish sardines. The shrimp were bought at Hart's Landing and can be bought at most bait stands in the area. The white bait was netted in Big Sarasota Pass - just look for diving birds around sandbars and you will find the bait. I used Bett's Halo shrimp and D.O.A. night glow shrimp for artificial baits.

Terminal tackle ranged from number four to 2/0 Owner circle hooks tied to twenty pound to forty pound fluorocarbon leader. Ten pound test line was used on the reel.

I used an Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod for most of these trips.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 08/23/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Among the species anglers caught aboard Reelin & Chillin Charters this week was the Ladyfish. This fish is often looked down on by locals as a nuisance fish that waists your bait and has no food value - I know because for years thats exactly the way I looked at these slimy bait thieves. The only time I really would target them is when I needed bait for Big snook, Bull Redfish, or Sharks. However, after becoming a guide I have found these fish to be a great source of catch and release action for young and experienced anglers alike. Many folks come from far away and have never seen a Ladyfish and really aren't looking for dinner, this makes the Ladyfish a prime target species. If you downsize your tackle, loosen your drag, and forget about dinner for a minute you just may find yourself having a ball. Your drag will scream, they will put on a show of acrobatics like the nick-name "Poor Mans Tarpon" implies, and there is a good chance you will find yourself running around your boat trying to keep them from breaking off on your outboard prop or trim tabs. So next time you are out maybe throw an old rod in the boat with four or six pound test on the reel. When you see the terns hitting bait motor on over and flip just about anything to the feeding Ladies and have a ball for a few minutes. It's also a great way to provide action and sharpen the skills of that young angler aboard your boat.

Here are a few fish stories to enjoy from anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin this week.

Kristi Polston, husband Don and children Hayden and Heather had a fun day on the bay with Ladyfish showing up for some of that great action mentioned above. Several other species were also caught including Mangrove Snapper and a really nice twenty-one inch trout that Hayden caught using only eight pound test line.

Valerie Smith and son Cody had a great day starting with Trout and Ladyfish for fun. Then Cody picked up a nice Bluefish that really gave him a run for his money, but he finally did get it to the boat. Then is was off to the the docks in Sarasota Bay to target Reds - and that's where Cody came up to the plate. He landed three altogether with a twenty-four incher being the prize for the day.

Gary Miller with son Trent and Grandson Chris enjoyed some good Redfish action along with a few Mangrove Snapper. Things were a little slow, however Trent hooked a nice Red. As Trent he was fighting it I asked Chris to reel in to keep his line clear of Trent's. That's when I realized that Chris also had a nice Red on. To cool, two slot sized Red's at the same time, way to go guys.

Bait? In Sarasota at this time the shiners have been running to small to use for bait. It's not that the fish won't eat them it's first when you put a small bait on a hook it will quickly kill the fish, and second, you can't cast it far enough from the boat to keep from spooking the fish. I have found a way that you can use these small baits including peewee shrimp and still beat the issues above. To keep from killing the bait downsize the hook. I use a #6 Owner MUTU circle hook. Take a look at this hook and you will know what I'm talking about, not only is it small, it's made of thiner wire that will not weight down the bait keeping it active longer. Also, downsize the leader to twenty or maybe seventeen pound test. This will help the bait to be more active longer. For the casting distance use a cork, adjust your leader according to the depth your looking for. Be sure to consider drift and or current conditions when judging the length of the leader. A small split shot about twelve inches up from the hook will also help to keep the bait in the target zone.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 08/08/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin Charters have been catching many species this week including Redfish, Trout, Pompano, Ladyfish, Sheepshead, and Mangrove Snapper to name a few. Trout are really starting to come back in the north Sarasota Bay area and Redfish are still around structure like docks and mangroves. Snapper are also hanging around structure and on grass flats in water between four to six feet.

Here are a few fish stories to enjoy from anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin this week.

Kim Bastin and family Kim, Julie, and Jami all had great action with Ladyfish, Trout, and best of all Pompano. Three Pompano were landed that provided fantastic light tackle action - 10lb test line and a Pompano equals a great battle for the angler. Also, Pompano are super on the table so these anglers completed the day with fun and food.

Chris Autiello, son Zach, daughter Gabby, and Chris Giordano had a slow start with a great end on a morning charter. Starting out we did manage a few Trout and Ladyfish, however they were few and far between. We kept moving around to different grass flats hoping to find a little faster paced action with no luck. I decided to move to structure in mid Sarasota Bay and it paided off. Before we new it we had four Reds in the livewell all caught in the last hour of the charter.

David Potts, wife Ann, and daughters Gill, and Jess had some great action on the grass flats. All enjoyed catching Trout and Ladyfish using corks with a live shrimp underneath. Then we headed to some docks and David picked up a nice Redfish that he decided to release and a few Mangrove Snapper were also caught and released.

Eric Moore, wife Vanessa, daughter Erica, and sons, Eric, Bryce, and Braden all had an action packed day on the flats and around structure. All anglers caught and released plenty of Trout, Ladyfish, and Jacks with Eric Sr. landing a Jack that went around five plus pounds. This made for a great fight even though Eric was NY Giants 1988 first round draft pick and retired from the Miami Dolphis in 1995 you still need finesse to catch a fish this big on light tackle. Then later in the afternoon Eric Sr. also caught a nice Redfish to complete dinner for the evening.

David Wright, son Chris, friends Fran Schaap, and Daryl Quinn had a good day on the bay. Lots of fish, however not to many keepers. The big event was when Chris flipped a big hand-picked shrimp under a dock and a thirty inch Redfish decided to eat. We had to pull anchor and back away from the dock with the intention of getting into open water to fight the fish. We managed to do so and the Red was caught and release after a quick photo.

Bait used inshore on these trips was live shrimp, free lined or with a Billy Bay Aggravator cork when necessary to keep the bait from getting into the sea grass. At times depending on current or wind conditions when free lining shrimp I would add a split shot sinker to keep the bait in the target zone. I used a number four MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species tied to a twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader that went to ten pound test line on the reel. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 07/26/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin have been catching plenty of fish with trout being the main event. Trout were hit hard in the Sarasota Bay area during the 2005 red tide and one would think they may never return, however for the last few days we have caught and released plenty. Most are undersized to about fifteen inches, I have caught a few up to twenty inches as well as a few other guides that fish in the same area. Capt. Scott Green and Capt. Jack Hartman have reported great luck with catching slot size trout.

Here are a couple fish stories from the Reelin & Chillin during the last couple of weeks.

Tim Norris with wife Jen, son Parker, and daughter Kate all caught and released plenty of fish on a half day trip. First we hit some open grass flats on the west side of Sarasota Bay where all anglers caught Trout, Bluefish, Jack, and Ladyfish. Then it was back to structure in mid Sarasota Bay where we fed quite a few shrimp to Pin Fish and Mangrove Snapper before Parker caught and released a nice twenty inch Redfish.

Next trip with Frank Habic and family proved to be successful for the whole family. First heading out with Frank, son Pete, and Grandson Juan Pablo we headed to the grass flats. First cast - four year old Juan Pablo caught his first fish a nice trout. Then it was non-stop action for two hours with Trout, Bluefish, and Ladyfish keeping us plenty busy. My guess would be at least thirty fish were caught and released. Then we headed back to the dock to pick up the ladies. Franks wife Joanie, daughter-n-law Valeria, and Granddaughter Maria. With dolphin and manatee the first priority we hit payload. Dolphins were hanging around the Ski-A-Rees and several Manatees with a baby were basking in the sun just north of St. Armands Key. We then fished a few docks looking for that big red, however the big Redfish must have already ate. All was not lost because Juan Pablo picked up a few Mangrove Snapper to add to his list and three year old Maria caught here first fish, also a Mangrove Snapper.

Orlando, Jose, and Mike Garcia headed out for some fast action and then for some Redfish with dinner in mind. We started in the grass flats catching Trout, Ladies, and Bluefish for some catch and release action just for fun. Then headed to some mangrove shorelines where we managed to pull out two Redfish. Then we headed for structure where two more Reds were caught. With dinner in the live well we called it a day and headed in.

Eric Workman, and Debbie Zittel headed out and I had the same agenda in mind as I did with the Garcia's. We hit the grass flats and had no problem enjoying catch and release action. The flats were alive with birds in the air, glass minnows on the surface and fish underneath. We then headed for the mangroves - no luck, so we moved to structure and used all the shrimp we had left on bait steelers, Pinfish and Snapper. Eric decided to extend two hours so we picked up a few more dozen shrimp and headed back to some docks in Little Sarasota Bay. It paid off, the last dock of the day brought Eric a nice twenty inch Red and Debbie a twenty-three in Redfish. With just enough for dinner we headed for port.

Bait used inshore on these trips was live shrimp, free lined or with a Billy Bay Aggravator cork when necessary to keep the bait from getting into the sea grass. At times depending on current or wind conditions when free lining shrimp I would add a split shot sinker to keep the bait in the target zone. I used a number four MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species tied to a twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader that went to ten pound test line on the reel. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 07/08/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin have been catching several species - on the list this week is Redfish, Trout, Mangrove (Grey) Snapper, Nurse shark, and Sand sharks to name a few.

Here are a couple fish stories from the Reelin & Chillin during the last couple of weeks.

Dave Barfield, wife Robin, and Father Joe fished a full day inshore with a good part of the day being slow, however we did end up with a few fish for dinner and a couple of great fish tails. After feeding pin fish for the first part of the day Dave decided to surprise us with a huge catch - a thirty-three inch Redfish picked up his bait and started swimming towards the boat. Before anyone new what happened all heck broke loose. I don't think this Red new he was hooked until he saw the boat, but when he did he let Dave know all about it. After a great fight we did get the Red to the boat for a photo and release - great catch Dave. Joe didn't fool around with the big stuff he wanted to put dinner on the table so he picked up a nice nineteen inch Red for the live well. It was the last hour of the trip and thinking all we had was an hors deorve with Joe's Red the trout decided to bite. We ended up with three in the boat and a nice one on Dave's line until the line broke above the Billy Bay popping cork. Watching the cork swim away was to tempting, so we took off after it - the water was only a couple of feet deep so we didn't have a problem keeping up. A lucky cast went over the line between the fish and the cork and as the hook slid up the line it hooked onto the cork, and behold another nice trout in the live well. So we went from hors deorve to dinner in about a half hour - don't get better than that.

Heading out to a near-shore reef with Doran Stark, his sons Aaron, and Austin we decided to target some shark action on light tackle - calm seas with a five to ten knot breeze to keep us cool was just what the doctor ordered. We barley casted the baits out and the first rod went down - Austin picked it up and started to fight a nice shark then slam the second rod went down, and now Doran was on. Austin's line went limp and when reeled in there was nothing left - this was most likely caused by the bait riding up the line and another fish hitting the bait. Meanwhile Doran was still fighting something big so we pulled the anchor and let the fish pull my twenty-three foot SeaPro around for a half hour or so. Finely the fish surfaced and behold a seven foot Nurse shark appeared. Austin said "what do we do now Capt. Terry" and I said - hey buddy it's your fish I just put you on them what you do with them is your business. OK - I drug this fish story out long enough - after a couple of photos the shark did a nose dive breaking the line - all were happy - photo and release with a great fish. We then caught several Sand sharks maybe six or seven before all were worn out and called it a day.

Bait used inshore on these trips was live shrimp, free lined or with a Billy Bay Aggravator cork when necessary to keep the bait from getting into the sea grass. At times depending on current or wind conditions I would add a split shot sinker to keep the bait in the target zone. I used a number four MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species tied to a twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader that went to ten pound test line on the reel. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action

When fishing for shark I would use chunked ladyfish for bait free lined with steel leader and a 5/0 circle hook. I had thirty pound test line on the reel with a few feet of fifty pound test tied using a surgeons knot before the leader. I beefed up the spinning tackle a little using A Shimano Spheros 8000FA reel on a St. Croix eight foot tidemaster rod, extra heavy-extra fast. This setup gave the angler a great fight with the line being heavy enough to not completely drain the fish before the release - this helps to increase the survival rate of the fish.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 07/01/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin have been catching several species including Trout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Mackerel, and Bluefish. We have been really burning the shrimp because there are pinfish everywhere – seems it takes ten shrimp just to catch a targeted species. Sounds like a good time to use lures, shiners, or cut bait.

Here are a few fish stories from the Reelin & Chillin during the last couple of weeks.

Doran Stark with sons Aaron and Austin enjoyed a morning charter with a nice breeze, this time of year it was very much welcomed. We did the usual aboard the Reelin & Chillin going from spot to spot looking for some hungry fish. We started out a little slow with again the pin fish, snapper, and small sheepshead just tearing into our shrimp, however we hung in there and managed to have a pretty good day. We ended up with three nice reds to the boat all in the slot limit. We were fishing structure and close to it - we really had to stay on top of these fish because if you didn't get them out from the structure quickly they would pull you into it and a bare line with no terminal tackle was all you would bring in.

Jim Mee, son Kyle, Jimmy Wren, and Mark Jank all went out for a full day of fishing with the last part of the day being a fun cruise with the ladies aboard. As far as the fishing it was mostly a day of feeding the small fish - we just couldn't seem to find any decent sized fish. Lots of small pinfish and sheepshead kept steeling bait, a few ladyfish tightened our lines for some fun jumping action. Mark saved the day just at the end with a nice redfish caught off of structure in Sarasota Bay. We didn't break any records but all anglers had a good time including Kyle who for being such a young angler was a fantastic caster and his attention never wavered for the entire eight hour trip.

Dave Reis with wife Valerie, and daughters Amanda and Michelle had a fun trip Friday morning - it was actually cool out making for a great trip. The day started out with again lots of small fish biting in between the larger ones. Michelle broke the ice with a nice in slot redfish then Valerie picked up a second one. Amanda hooked a couple reds but they won the battle, however she did slay the mangrove snapper catching several. Last but not least we have to give Dave the most credit catching I believe the smallest redfish I have ever seen on a hook, anybody can catch a big hungry red but when the bait is not much smaller than the fish it takes a skilled angler to snag the fish - nice catch Dave.

Bait used on these trips was live shrimp, and the Billy Bay Halo artificial shrimp. I used a number four MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species – when using shrimp I would free line or sometimes use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area. At times when there was grass and or rough vegetation on the bottom I would use a Billy Bay Aggravator popping cork to keep the bait from getting hung up or just to make it look natural drifting with the current. A twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 06/17/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin have been catching several species including Trout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Mackerel, and Bluefish. We have been really burning the shrimp because there are pinfish everywhere – seems it takes ten shrimp just to catch a targeted species. Sounds like a good time to use lures, shiners, or cut bait.

Here are a few fish stories from the Reelin & Chillin during the last couple of weeks.

Frank and Joanie Habic with grandkids Jacey, and Michael had a great day when it came to redfish. We had to work around the pinfish stealing our bait, however by the end of the four hour trip we ended up with four reds in the slot.

Brent Tucker with daughter Riley also had a good day on the bay. Catching several species including trout, mackerel, and redfish. We hit several locations from open water grass areas to docks in Sarasota Bay. Riley really tore up the fish, it was great to see this nine year old angler have a great day with Dad.

Roger Crast with son John and grandson Lewis headed out on a morning trip for some catch and release action and boy did the get it. We started out a little slow in the first half hour, then ended up at one location where we had none stop action for the remainder of the trip (sorry can't tell location). We forgot how many reds we landed along with sheepshead and Jacks. It was one of those days you dream for as an angler and the neat thing was all fish were released for future anglers to enjoy.

Bill and Lisa Witcher also enjoy some structure fishing in Sarasota and Robert's Bays with redfish being the fish of the day. Both anglers picked up redfish and a few other species making for a great four hour trip.

Bait used on these trips was live shrimp, and the Billy Bay Halo artificial shrimp. I used a number four MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species – when using shrimp I would free line or sometimes use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area. At times when there was grass and or rough vegetation on the bottom I would use a Billy Bay Aggravator popping cork to keep the bait from getting hung up or just to make it look natural drifting with the current. A twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 05/30/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reeling & Chillin have been catching several species including Trout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Mackerel and more. We have had to move around for the most part to find the fish but with persistence we would always find action somewhere. I found that I can still catch Sheepshead by just looking – I cruise the docks until I see a few around the piles and then fish it – if I don't see any I just keep cruising. Redfish seem to be hanging in just a little deeper holes where the water is moving fast.

Here are a few fish stories from the Reelin & Chillin during the last couple of weeks.

Chad with father Bob, and Uncle Rick had a fantastic late afternoon trip. First we went to a location where I had been picking up some decent size reds but after an half hour of just getting robbed by pin fish we decided to hit some structure in Sarasota Bay. This one particular dock that I have had some good luck on hit pay dirt for these anglers. It was non-stop action for a good three hours with Redfish, Sheepshead, Jacks, to mention a few of the species caught. The secret to this location is lots of pilings with a swift moving current.

On a morning trip with Steve and Becky we headed out with two goals in mind. To catch dinner and to see manatees. Fishing on structure I was hoping to pick up some Sheepshead for dinner or maybe a Redfish. I had just casted Becky's shrimp to a hole where I picked up some reds lately when here comes a manatee. She handed me her rod to get the camera - snapped a shot when I felt a tug on her line. I quickly took her camera and handed her the rod so she could reel in dinner – a nice nineteen inch Redfish. We then moved to another location where Steve started catching Reds and three manatees showed up and put a show on for Becky. Keeping two of the five Redfish caught for dinner and taking home plenty of manatee picks made for a great trip out for these two anglers.

Christen, Nate, and Michelle all went out for a catch and release day – things started out a little slow so we headed north around Buttonwood outer flats and just across the bay where there is a deep water flat. We caught Trout, Bluefish, Mackerel, Needle fish to name a few of the species. Lot's of action and lot's of bait – we went through twelve dozen shrimp – picked up another four dozen and burnt them up just at the end of their day.

The next day I took Jay out with his girlfriend Dedra, son Maddux, and daughter Lillian. I decided to just head north to see if we could get into some of the same action I had the day before and sure enough the fish turned on. With the major feed being just after nine a.m. we went through eight dozen shrimp before we new it – went back to Hart's Landing picked up another four dozen and went through them. Tied on a few Billy Bay Halo shrimp with the Aggravator cork and continued to catch a few more fish. The feed slowed down so we took a quick tour of the area ending a great day for this group of anglers.

Bait used on these trips was live shrimp, and the Billy Bay Halo artificial shrimp. I used a number four MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species – when using shrimp I would free line or sometimes use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area. At times when there was grass and or rough vegetation on the bottom I would use a Billy Bay Aggravator popping cork to keep the bait from getting hung up or just to make it look natural drifting with the current. A twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 05/09/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reeling & Chillin have been catching several species including Mackerel, Trout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Pompano, plenty of Ladyfish and more. Up and down days on the bay, but never shut out. Slow days still produced several species in the slot with a couple of days providing non-stop action for anglers.

Here are a few fish stories from the Reelin & Chillin during the last couple of weeks.

On a trip with five anglers Steve, Vic, Nick, Monte, and Scott we had a slow day, the bite was just not on. We did manage to pick up a few Trout and four Sheepshead in the slot, just enough to provide fish for dinner as long as the menu included turf, i.e. “surf & turf” for dinner.

My good friend Karen brought her boyfriend and two of his friends out for a fun day on the bay. We fished hard but again the bite was just not there. Several small Sheepshead did tighten our lines – the big fish of the day was caught by Joe who tossed a live handpicked shrimp up under a mangrove that was slammed by a twenty-six and half inch Redfish. Not a bad fish when your only using ten pound test line.

Craig Hollingsworth with friends Richard, and Robin had a six hour trip that Craig's wife gave him for Christmas – what a wife. We went south because Craig owns his own boat and wanted to test out the areas south of the south Siesta Bridge. We picked up some Jacks, Trout, Catfish, and Ladyfish in a couple of locations near Turtle Beach on the ICW side. Then two nice Redfish in the slot were caught by Richard and Robin around structure near Blackburn Point. Heading back up the the Sarasota Bay area Craig managed to snag a Redfish. All fish were released except for Craig's Pompano that was saved for dinner.

Chad Wiest with dad Bob, and Uncle Rick Rudolph enjoyed a fantastic evening charter. Heading out around five p.m. we went to an area that I have been snagging some nice Redfish. When we didn't hook up I was a little worried that we may be in for a bad night – boy was I wrong. Heading to a dock that I had been having luck with Sheepshead I was hoping to get at least a little action – to make a long story short we arrived at the location around six fifteen and didn't move for the rest of the night. Non-stop action with Sheepshead, Mackerel, big Jack Crevalle, and close to ten Redfish. Safe to say I had three very happy anglers and a few fish to clean.

Brad Johns with his uncle Larry had a steady afternoon charter catching several species. Brad started out with a nice Redfish caught off a mangrove island using a live spanish sardine and later in the trip Larry picked up a nice Trout. In between the slot size dinner fish several Sheepshead and Jacks tightened our lines and Brad snagged a big Jack Crevalle that ran him around the boat before he could settle it down for a photo.

Bait used on these trips was live shrimp and spanish sardines, I used a number four MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species – when using shrimp I would free line or sometimes use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area. Same setup with the spanish sardine except I would never use a split shot. At times when there was grass and or rough vegetation on the bottom I would use a Billy Bay Aggravator popping cork to keep the bait from getting hung up or just to make it look natural drifting with the current. A twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot.An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action. Spanish Sardines/White Bait was caught in New Pass east of the bridge at the very east side of the flats - just look for diving pelicans. I used a 3/8 inch mesh Betts Super Pro Cast net and was able to fill the bait well in no time with some nice size baits.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 04/23/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin have been doing fair this week, redfish, sheepshead, mackerel, permit, and trout have tightened lines to name a few of the species caught. Several days the wind really prevented mobility and anchoring direction which limited the spots I fish in, however we did managed most of the time to pick up some nice fish and good action.

Here are a few fish stories from the Reelin & Chillin during the last couple of weeks.

Roy Swan and crew - Justin, Chad, and Roy Jr. caught sheepshead and redfish. We used live shrimp casting around structure in Robert's Bay and around the Radio Tower flats. A few ladyfish tightened lines for some great acrobatic action on light tackle.

Terri and Jake Whiting made a great Mother and Son team. Jake really hit on the trout in white spots on the grass flats in little Sarasota Bay. He picked up several with three being in the slot to seventeen inches. Both angler's caught and released trout and ladyfish for some great action. Also, they enjoyed a dolphin feeding frenzy on the flats – dolphin racing in about a foot and a half of water after a school of mullet was a real treat especially because they stayed out of our fishing hole that was kicking with ladyfish and trout.

Bob Batchik and family, Mary, Molly, Christen, and Jim enjoyed some great action. Bob an experienced fly fisherman picked up a Spanish Mackerel and of all things a Lizard fish on the fly. Jim nailed a huge Sheepshead that had to be close to six pounds. In the afternoon the ladies went out and did really great with sheepshead, trout, and permit. Molly enjoyed fishing from the tower landing trout and Christen caught the grand prize, a nice permit on only ten pound test.

I used live hand-picked shrimp on these trips, Bob used several flies of his own. I used a number four MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species - free lining a handpicked shrimp or sometimes I would use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area. A twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 04/08/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reeling & Chillin have been doing fantastic to fair depending on the fronts moving in during the last couple of weeks. Some days when the fronts came and the fishing slowed we had to work for our catch, however we still managed to land some nice fish including snook, redfish, trout, pompano, and sheepshead inshore. When the weather cooperated the near shore reefs were targeted for king mackerel, spanish mackerel, and cobia. Angler's caught plenty of mackerel both kings and spanish, a cobia at thirty-six inches was also caught at the Silvertooth reef just off Lido Key.

Here are a few fish stories from the Reelin & Chillin during the last couple of weeks.

Peter and Nicole Brozio enjoyed a little of both nearshore and inshore fishing. The mackerel didn't turn on for them, however Nicole picked up two nice sheepshead on a nearshore reef. We then moved to structure in the New Pass area and on the first cast both angler's hooked up – Peter with a three pound bluefish and Nicole with a nice sheepshead. Then both angler's ended up catching several more sheepshead to end the day with great light tackle action.

Scott, Paul, Todd, and Mary Ellen went offshore catching some nice king and spanish mackerel. Mary Ellen landed the largest weighing around six pounds, Todd also landed a nice king and Paul a nice spanish.

Jessie, Susie, Honey and Carl all enjoyed a days inshore fishing things were a little slow all day however this crew did manage to bring home dinner with spanish mackerel and pompano being “Catch of the Day”.

Ken, Eric, Jacob Paulsen and Jerry Baker tackled some nice trout during an inshore trip bringing several in the slot to the boat. Pompano also showed up for some great action on ten pound test and providing some great eats for dinner.

Scott Brown, wife Christen, daughter Samantha, and son Jared had some great light tackle action in Sarasota Bay. Sheepshead, bluefish, and mackerel provided this crew a fun day with plenty of fish for a nice afternoon fry.

Mark Story with wife Lynn, and sons Kyle and Joey really cleaned up on ladyfish for some great light tackle action with over fifty caught. Also, Kyle caught a nice jack weighing in at about five pounds. Mackerel, sheepshead and trout were also caught and released on this trip.

Mike Barraclough, Meredith Boice and Bill Kane enjoyed some good ladyfish action with sheepshead, pompano, and Meredith's redfish also tightening lines.

Don, Matt, Collin, and Randy all caught blue runners and spanish mackerel with non-stop action on the Silvertooth nearshore reef. Matt hooked up on a nice 36” cobia that took close to thirty minutes to land using only 10lb test.

Dan, Mark, Nate, and David had some slow but good action on a morning just after a front. Not a lot of fish were caught but the ones caught were nice. Don with a nice four pound sheepshead, Nate with snapper, mackerel, and a 22” snook and David with a 19” redfish and a 28” snook. Not a lot of fish but a good variety of nice fighting fish.

Bill Meisle with sons Liam, Adam, and Cole enjoyed some great King Mackerel action fishing the M1 reef out of New Pass. All caught king mackerel from five pounds and up with Cole catching one just over ten pounds. Cole at nine years old had a tussle with his ten plus pound king but he managed to get it on board for a nice photo.

Tom Longwell with son Mark, and Grandson's Alex and Jake had a slow day that ended with a bang. We were fishing the day after a front moved in and things started out slow. Alex managed a sheepshead to around four pounds and Jake picked up a trout just at fifteen inches that was to close to keep. We tried several spots with no luck just pin fish dinning on our hand-picked shrimp. At the end of the trip dad told the boys “one more cast guys then we need to wrap it up” both Alex and Jake hooked up with redfish and both fish were in the slot. A great ending to a slow day for the Longwell crew.

When targeting the kingfish I used a Rapala CD-11 Mag lure tied to a twelve inch steel leader with a swivel, then a three foot piece of fifty pound mono leader went to the thirty pound test line to the reel. A Shimano Spheros 8000FA reel on a St. Croix eight foot tidemaster rod, extra heavy-extra fast was used to handle these smokers. Live bait used on the inshore trips was hand-picked shrimp, I used a number four or two MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species - free lining a handpicked shrimp or sometimes I would use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area. A twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 03/23/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin have been catching several species including Trout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Pompano, and Ladyfish. Also the first in-slot snook for the Reelin & Chillin was caught this year by ten year old angler Keegan Flynn, a nice twenty-eight incher. And the neat thing is he caught it using my “kids gear” an Okuma Equinox EQ-30 combo rod & reel spooled with eight pound test – a twenty pound fluorocarbon leader with a number four Owner MUTU circle hook – a live hand-picked shrimp was used for bait.

Here are a few fish stories from the Reelin & Chillin during the last couple of weeks – I can't include all trips because this is the busy time of year and my report would be to long. I apologize to my clients who's trip didn't make the report.

Todd, Judy, Alexander, Mitchell Ostrow and Larry Isaacson had a great trip in Sarasota Bay with trout, pompano, and ladyfish providing fantastic action. These folks needed eight fish for dinner and planned to release all other fish. We started out catching one trout after the other and had seven in the live well - then we caught a pompano. I explained the great taste of the pompano so the crew decided to replace trout with pompano if we caught more pompano. To make a long story short we ended up with seven pompano and two trout left in the live well at the end of the day. I would guess we caught and released over twenty trout.

Mike, Jacob, Henry Perez, Seth Hurwitz, and Jerry Gordon had a busy day with mackerel and trout. You would have thought we were fishing at a stocked pond the way the mackerel were on. All angler's had great luck with light tackle providing plenty of fast and fun action. Seth at one point must have had a rabbit's foot hidden in his pocket because he was catching fish left and right including some nice size trout.

David, and Ryan Abbott, with friend Bob Hoonhout had some steady action with mackerel and pompano. Lady fish also provided some great action for catch and release. We found some pompano in the north Sarasota Bay area just outside Buttonwood Harbor and mackerel in Central Sarasota Bay near the Twin Bridges.

Jennifer Care had a fantastic day with mackerel, pompano, and trout. Well only one trout but it was her first. She tore up the mackerel catching over ten and I was fishing along with her and picked up a couple pompano. I'm not sure but I bet she broke in her new grill with a big fish feast.

The Walker's Cliff, Denise, Eric and Confetti along with Debbie and Lexus Nixon had a great day with plenty of mackerel, trout, and ladyfish action. Cliff and Eric were the fisherman of the bunch and caught plenty of nice fish providing dinner for all. The gals also pitched in and did their share also catching several species having a great time.

The Flynn family Brian, Lesley, Keegan (10), Manon (7), and Devlan (5), had a bit of a chilly afternoon charter but boy did it pay off. All the kids caught and released mackerel and ladyfish and Keegan for a ten year old young angler did a fantastic job catching a twenty-eight inch snook on only eight pound test – see above comments at beginning of the report.

Bait used on these trips was live shrimp, I used a number four MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species - free lining a handpicked shrimp or sometimes I would use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area. A twenty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot. When fishing for mackerel I would use a 1/0 long shanked hook and thirty-pound fluorocarbon leader to avoid their teeth. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 03/04/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reeling & Chillin have been catching several species including Trout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Pompano, plenty of Ladyfish and more. Seeing and hearing about Trout in the Sarasota area is a great thing – after the past severe red tides we haven't seen trout for quite some time and they seem to be coming back. The up and down weather has affected fishing, however it has been pretty steady considering the time of year. The water temp has been in the high sixties for several weeks but I did see seventy-two degrees in one area this week – come on snook...

Here are a few fish stories from the Reelin & Chillin during the last couple of weeks.

David Stewart & Jeff Brown Caught over a dozen Sheepshead with a couple tipping the scales at six pounds. Also, several Reds were caught and released.

Joe Went out for a morning trip and even though it was a little cold we still managed to get the bite on. Joe managed to bring home dinner and have some great catch and release action with Sheepshead, bluefish, trout, Redfish, and Ladyfish tightening his line.

Callen Cooper, Dick with wife Nancy Hawkins, and Peter Ladd all had great action with Trout, Pompano and Ladyfish. Eight trout and three Pompano were caught that made the slot limit. These angler's had a great afternoon with catch and release action and taking home a few for dinner

Kelly Schappacher, Herb Stalh, Scott Clark, Brandon and Sarah Strock had a slow start but by the end of the trip managed to come up with some nice fish. Kelly caught three Redfish and a Pompano in the slot, Brandon landed a nice Sheepshead.

Dick and Felcia Valus with Grandson's Trevor and Ken Seferi started out in a dense fog with little action the first part of the day. We spent the morning part of the charter getting robbed of eight dozen shrimp and with only one Sheepshead in the live well we headed back to Hart's Landing to buy more shrimp. With another four dozen shrimp I went to a Sheepshead spot hoping to get the bite on. It paid off by the end of the four dozen shrimp we then had five nice Sheephead in the live well and released a few nice ones also. Then it was back to Hart's Landing for more shrimp. Now armed with another six dozen we went searching for Trout and Pompano. We didn't managed to find a Pompano, however Trevor caught a nice seventeen inch Trout, and Grandma Felcia caught a beautiful twenty-two inch trout. The rest of the shrimp were burnt up by some hungry Ladyfish that made for great action.

Bait used on these trips was live shrimp, I used a number four MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species - free lining a handpicked shrimp or sometimes I would use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area. A thirty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot. At times when there was grass and or rough vegetation on the bottom I would use a D.O.A. Deadly combo popping cork to keep the bait from getting hung up or just to make it look natural drifting with the current. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action. On one charter Trevor Seferi stuck with my ultra light tackle an Okuma Guide Select six foot six inch medium light rod and an Okuma AL-15 reel spooled with six pound test line. Trevor caught Sheepshead, Trout, and Ladyfish with this outfit and had a ball.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 02/12/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reeling & Chillin are starting to see the Sheepshead bite as the spawn starts up. This month has been fair fishing, however next month should really heat up. We are also catching bluefish, redfish, ladyfish, mackerel, and more.

Here are a few fish stories from this weeks trips:

Tom & Sherrie Mandigo treated their two Grandson's Clayton & Colin to an afternoon fishing trip. All angler's caught fish on this trip including redfish, sheepshead, trout, ladyfish, and mackerel. Plus one big nine pound jack crevalle that gave Clayton the fight of his life. Clayton fought this fish for a good fifteen minutes before we were able to get it on the boat for a photo – the fish was released to fight another day.

Jim Humphrey with father Jim Sr. enjoyed a mid-morning trip on Sarasota Bay and nearby areas. Both angler's caught and released several species including trout, ladyfish and redfish. Jim Sr. an avid fly fisherman had to give up the fly rod for a day due to high winds, however using lite tackle still proved to be a blast for this seasoned angler.

Harry Shapiro with Father In Law Kenton Wagner had to really work to catch something. Kenton really had the luck of the day catching four nice sheepshead for the dinner plate. Harry and Kenton both caught and released some ladyfish weighing up to three pounds.

Bait used on these trips was live shrimp, I used a number four MUTU Owner Circle hook for most species - free lining a handpicked shrimp or sometimes I would use a small split shot to keep the bait in the target area. A thirty-pound test fluorocarbon leader was tied to my ten pound test mono with a surgeons knot. When sheepshead were around I would thread a shrimp onto an Arkie jig head (Walmart), pinching the tip of the tail off and threading the shrimp on. I would use a regular size shrimp so when the barb came out it was even with the shrimps legs keeping it out of site. An Okuma V-30 spinning reel mounted on a St. Croix Tide-master fast action rod made for great light tackle action.

Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford

Fishing Report 01/22/2007 – Capt. Terry Frankford

Anglers aboard the Reelin & Chillin caught a variety of salt water species with pompano, redfish, sheepshead, and mackerel topping the list. Also, ladyfish and small blues tightened lines for some great light tackle action.

Here are a few fish stories from this weeks trips:

It was a slow day for Evy & Chris Silcox, a front just moved in and the temperature dropping must have had the fish turned off. A big surprise this time of year was Evy catching and releasing a nice snook around twenty-four inches – kind of rare when the water temp is in the low sixty's.

An afternoon charter on the same day seemed to prove that the warmer part of the day did waken up some hungry fish. The Leiby's with Grandpa Wayne, Grandma Liz, Mom & Dad Amy & Bill, along with the two little angler's four year old Brooke and six year old Chloe all had some great action. It only took four hours to use up eight dozen shrimp with ladyfish, bluefish, and trout being the main fish of the day.

Mike Gauthier and Nickole Bilinski of New York found some “off the beach” action with Nickole nailing a couple nice mackerel and a few little blues. Then we came inside to a dock or two and Mike caught a nice sheepshead then Nickole picked up one also.

 Marcene and Justin Coburn (Mom & Son) had a great afternoon fishing together – it was great seeing this combination on the water for a days fishing. It's normally father and son so this was a real neat treat. Starting out Mom was catching ladyfish and small blues that were being drawn into Justin who was testing some of his home made flies. He didn't hook up but did have some blues follow his fly to the boat. This may not seem like a big deal to the average fisherman but when you can get a fish to hit at a fly you've made it's a great feeling. We then decided to head for so