This Week's Steinhatchee Fishing Report 10/30/02
Sea Hag Marina Fishing Report by Captain Dennis Voyles
of Sea Hag Charters
Good news, last weeks cold front did almost no damage to the fishing on the flats. Morning fishing suffered some, but the Trout and Spanish Mackerel rebounded after lunch both days. The water temperature dropped twelve degrees in just four days, totally bypassing temperatures in the seventies. Today's water temperature is a brisk sixty-seven degrees, which may drop even more as another cold front approaches. Spanish Mackerel are actively chasing small glass minnows around the sandbars west of the river mouth and south toward Pepperfish. Although the number of fish may be down some, the size of the Mackerel in the area right now is very impressive. Along with the schooling Mackerel good-sized Bluefish can be caught as well. Very fast moving artificial baits will trigger a strike, but if you fish too slowly you will only get a follow. Many times Saturday several fish would follow the lure within a few feet of the boat only to turn away at the last second. The two-inch silver/redhead/white tail Got-Cha Plug (made by Sea Striker) is almost irresistible to both Spanish and Blues. As a last resort, cigar minnows cast into a feeding frenzy are very effective as well.

I hate to sound like a broken record but Saltwater Assassin's Electric Chicken Paddletail Grub was the hot trout color again this past weekend. Candy Corn and Arkansas Shiner accounted for a few fish, but Electric Chicken was by far the most effective. We slowed down our presentation considerably compared to just a week ago. Swimming the jig a few feet then letting it rest worked well. Short Trout still outnumber keepers by at least five to one in most shallow areas. Topwater lures did not provoke many strikes in the choppy and recently chilled flats over the weekend, but when the weather calms down try "walking the dog" again in shallow areas. Fall is one of my favorite times to fish with topwater lures.

Offshore fishing keeps getting better as our days shorten and water temperatures fall. Grouper are moving into shallower areas and some very large ones to boot. Captains Paul Cronk and Bill Shearin both returned to the Sea Hag Marina this weekend with excellent grouper catches. Several grouper passed thethirty-inch mark, pushing twenty pounds. Offshore trolling is still difficult in most areas due to floating weeds. Some very large King Mackerel and Amberjack were caught on flat lines this past week. Both live and frozen baits worked well on flat lines. Cobia catches seem to be on the decline as water temperatures and daylight length decrease.
November 11 is a very special day. Remember to thank those who gave us and preserve our freedom.

Shown Here - Captain Paul Cronk with Gene Harrell, Jim Coffey, Mitch Miller, and Rick "Lucky Dawg: Summers Remember click any photo to see enlarged. Right click on photos to save to your own computer. November 3, 2002 16 Grouper and Florida Snapper - largest 13.5 lbs.

This Week's Steinhatchee Fishing Report 10/30/02
Sea Hag Marina Fishing Report by Captain Dennis Voyles
of Sea Hag Charters
Hey, if you did not fish this past weekend
YOU MISSED OUT BIG TIME!

Inshore, offshore, near shore, it didn't matter, the weather was perfect and the fish were ON FIRE. The only downside was that Miss Danielle did not get her fix of Blackfin Tuna this week. Other than that, amazing numbers and sizes of all types of fish showed up at the Sea Hag Marina cleaning table. Huge Cobia, awesome Amberjack, smoker Kingfish, Gator Trout, pan-sized Flounder, bull Redfish and a possible world record Spanish Mackerel were all present here at the marina. My Friday charter even had a small Tarpon crash a trout rig. The FWC creel recorder reported a sailfish hookup on a charter boat just south of Steinhatchee.

Grouper, Florida Snapper, and another delicious eater (per Danielle) Triggerfish! All caught aboard Neva-Miss Charters

On the flats Friday's overcast skies kept the fish actively feeding in shallow water all day. All of my three-inch cigar shape Cajun Thunder Floats are broken in two and have most have their paint removed from being attacked by trout and bluefish. Presentation and paying attention to light were the keys to success lately. On cloudy days three to four feet deep will hold active fish all day. But on bluebird days, especially if it is calm, trout will be more active in deeper water and may need a touch of flavor (shrimp or cut bait) to entice a good bite. Electric Chicken was by far the hottest color, followed by Arkansas Shiner and Candy Corn (Saltwater Assassin). Bone Diamond, which has been hot, moved to the bottom of the box this weekend. The "Georgia Pontoon Crew" fished out of Sea Hag Marina for four consecutive days and finished only five trout short of their total allowable limit. Needless to say, these guys will be back as soon as they can. Redfish are still active in very close to the shoreline. Mirrolure's Top Pup and gold spoons still remain the food of choice for active reds. Very large Spanish Mackerel can be found crashing white bait in sand holes and drop-offs on the flats. Watch for birds flocking above the feeding fish and approach up tide of the action. Just about anything will work when tossed into the boiling frenzy. If you toss a trout rig into the frenzy, move it quickly and you will lose fewer jigs to the toothy rascals.

Left: Capt. Voyles with Trout & Spanish - Right: Capt. Shiver's Trout & Spanish - 10/25

Offshore, the grouper and king mackerel are in full swing. Due to the unseasonable floating weeds, trolling is still not an option in most areas. Cigar Minnows and Spanish Sardines fished near the bottom are by far the most popular bait. Although some fish are coming in close, fifty to sixty feet appears to be the most frequent depth for keeper grouper. There seems to be an abundance of 19 1/2 inch red grouper just about everywhere. Somebody must have dropped a copy of our regulations overboard, because they certainly seem to know when to stop growing. King Mackerel are still crashing bait pods at all depths. Several large kings were caught this weekend just off the flats running bait with little tunny.

Clint Darby and Party Caught these nice fish 10/26/02

Water temperature is currently 81.4 degrees, which is up slightly from last week. Expect this to drop some as the weatherman is calling for two cold fronts to arrive later on this week. The cold may slow the trout action some during the front, but will likely improve the bite when the weather settles. Grouper fishing will steadily improve as the days get shorter. The kings will likely stay as long as the bait pods stay, but as water temperatures fall, so will the action.

These Grouper were caught aboard the Neva-Miss Charters on 10/26/02 - They had a great time! All fish 22-25 lbs.!

Remember Red Snapper season closed for recreational fishermen on November 1st.

Larry Smart of Orange Park, Florida with large Kingfish! The Kings are really happening right now!

...

Andy, Crystal, Andrea Lawrence and Tim Horn from North Carolina display this fine catch!!!

Gainesville Offshore Fall Tournament Results

Saturday, October 26, 2002

The Gainesville Offshore Fishing Club (GOFC) 34th Fall Tournament had excellent weather, cooperative fish, and a great club turnout with 47 people participating in the GOFC Fall Tournament based out of SeaHag Marina in Steinhatchee.

Overall, seven of the eight species were caught that the club fishes for; everything except sheepshead was weighed in. Those eight species fall under two categories inshore & offshore. The offshore category includes grouper, kingfish, Spanish mackerel, and cobia while the inshore category includes trout, redfish, flounder, and sheepshead. A number of bluefish, trout, redfish, grouper, kingfish, Spanish mackerel, and 2 cobia were weighed in.

The following anglers won some nice Sea Hag Marina gift certificates and can claim bragging rights until the next GOFC Spring Tournament. The heaviest combination won a custom BillyStix rod.

Of particular interest, there were 7 young anglers signed up for the event and each of them received a Goodie Bag full of fishing items. It was really great to see those young anglers in the tournament! Of notable mention were Devon Perry (9 years old) who caught a nice 1.04 lb trout and Bridget Rustemier (also 9 years old) who caught her first red grouper, eventually catching a very nice 22 inch red grouper 15 miles offshore (see photo below). Then there was 5-year-old Ian Daniels who successfully bested a good sized stingray.

Many thanks go out to those too numerous to list that helped with the tournament and those members and guests who participated. I would however like to specifically thank Charlie and Danielle for the gracious use of their Sea Hag Marina facilities and for donating $350 worth of SeaHag gift certificates. THANK YOU very much!

Brian Kiel, GOFC President

http://www.afn.org/~gofc/gofc.html

A few photos from the Tournament:

Some of our GOFC young anglers in the tournament

Devin & Dave Perry with her nice 1.04 lb trout

Devin Perry with a nice bluefish

That’s a smile! 9 year old Bridget with her first red grouper while fishing 15 miles offshore

Brian Holt with a nice brace of fish (redfish 6.6 lbs, black drum, & 2.69 lb trout

Some of the kingfish weighed in by Danny Martin & Charlie Courtney

Bernie “Thumbs” Fowler with a 12.78 lb gag and Brian Kiel with a 27.94 lb cobia grouper

Award winners: Brian Kiel, Largest offshore species by male angler (cobia 27.94 lb); 9 year old Austin McDavid Largest Youth species (20.87 lb kingfish); Juanita Biles, Largest species by female angler (14.01 lb gag grouper); Brian Holt, Largest Inshore species (6.6 lb redfish) and Heaviest Inshore Combo (redfish & trout, 8.8 lbs)

Gainesville Offshore Fall Tournament Fishing with Brian Kiel
Saturday, October 26, 2002

Fishing in the Gainesville Offshore Fishing Club Fall Tournament (GOFC) out of Steinhatchee the plan was to stop at two spots for cobia then head further offshore for grouper & kingfish. The plan was to troll, as we were more likely to pick up the two species at the same time. I was fishing with Bernie “Thumbs” Fowler of Gainesville and I was secretly hoping I wouldn’t hear any woman noises from Bernie as he fought some good fish.

We left the dock around 6:40 a.m. and using a spotlight we found the pinfish trap some friends had put out for us the day before. Only 15 pinfish and black seabass but they were welcomed aboard the boat. We hit the first cobia spot with no success. The first drift through the second spot in 40 feet of water didn’t get any hook ups but the second did. Using a black seabass I thought I had a AJ as the fish was shaking it’s head right away and took a small a short run. With not too much effort the fish was at the surface and it was a nice cobia. We started a motor and put the boat into gear to surf the fish away from the vertical structure. A second cobia was with him but we decided to keep things simple and only hook one at a time. Discussing our options, gaff or net, we ended up 2 tenths of a mile away before we brought the cobia into the boat. I was concerned about bringing in a “green” cobia. One bent AFTCO gaff later the cobia found a new home in the fishbox. We estimated her at over 25 lbs. Heading back we did a few more drifts but no hits. Twenty minutes after setting the anchor we had a nice hit on a flat line with a pinfish and Thumbs took control of the 20 lb. test rod. The fish was a large one and it was soon realized that 20 lb was not going to cut it. We pulled anchor and tried to lead the fish away from the structure but the fish didn’t want anything of it. Despite trying to keep it’s head down current and away from the structure the fish took drag towards the structure. It must have wrapped around something as a stalemate went on for a few minutes before Thumbs had to apply more drag, as we weren’t making any progress. You know what happened. We believed it to be the second cobia.

After that we headed to a small hardbottom are and caught more live bait. We then headed offshore for a little trolling for kings & grouper. It was obvious that trolling was going to be problematic as the surface weeds were thick. On the way we did find an area in 50 feet with patchy hardbottom and not as much weed. Our intention was to head to 60 feet but the radio chatter indicated that there was a lot of weed there. So lines out and we started trolling. Within 25 minutes Thumbs had two 24inch gag in the box. The color blue black on the Stretch 30 seemed to work well. Trolled a little more but no other hits.

With only a little more time to fish before we had to weigh in we decided to stay where we were rather than run to 60 feet to some proven numbers (we were the cooks for the Tournament cookout). We finally trolled over a large pod of baitfish on the bottom but didn’t get any hits on the trolled offerings. Trolling through a few times we couldn’t discern any significant hard bottom. Tired of trolling and cleaning weeds we switched gear to bottom fishing. At anchor over the bait we were rocked by hard hits almost instantly. AJs and some of them large. Getting baits through the AJs was difficult but Thumbs managed to add two nice gag to the fishbox plus he kept one 34 inch AJ for smoking. After a while the AJs got a little old and it was frustrating to get anything down to the bottom. I was having problems with snapped 60 lb main lines and didn’t add anything to the box.

Winds were light all day, it was overcast for most of the day and it only got hot once. Barometric pressure was steady at 30.00 psi and it was 4 days pre-last quarter moon. Low tide was 11:44 a.m. with a tidal range between 2.9 and 3.2 feet. Offshore water temp in the early a.m. was 74.6 warming to 76.2 degrees F. On the bottom we only saw bait in two small focal areas in 50 feet. We saw no surface bait pods in the morning and only saw pods at the surface twice; when we were running in starting around 37 feet. We stopped at one school of bait where we could see macks jumping but the surface weed was just too bad. Pretty much trolling was difficult where ever we went.

It was interesting to see that of the two grouper trolling rods the one with the Spectra had ALL the hits in comparison to the 40 lb. test mono. With the minimal line stretch of the Spectra that rod really showed all the gyrations of the Stretch plug. I suspect the smaller diameter also let it fish deeper than the larger diameter mono. It obviously outperformed the mono. I know Bernie liked it as he already bought some to replace his mono. What seemed logical and what paid off for us today was to fish a concentrated bait pod on the bottom. For some reason this pod stayed in a small area and it didn’t move very much. On the bottom finder there was no suggestion that there was any significant hardbottom there to hold them-but obviously there was something. On the bottom finder we could see a solid thin line of fish above the bait varying between 10 and 30 feet above the bait-AJs. While I didn’t dive this spot I have seen on occasion grouper tracking a bait pod as it moved about hard bottom so I suspect that same thing was happened here regarding the two gag we were able to take home.

We ended the day with one 27.94 lb cobia, an AJ, and four gag to 12.78 lbs. It was one very nice day with extremely pleasant conditions offshore. It was nice to not hear Bernie make any more woman noises this trip too. I’ll post a GOFC Fall Tournament summary in another post. Our cobia did win the Largest Offshore Fish category for males and the boat netted a $100 SeaHag Marine gift certificate. Sweet.

Brian with an early morning Cobia (27.94 lbs)

Bernie with the 1st and smallest grouper. Getting him to stop to take a picture is difficult hence the only grouper photo to include-unfortunately it was one of the smaller ones.
- Brian Kiel

This Week's Steinhatchee Fishing Report 10/24/02
Sea Hag Marina Fishing Report by Captain Dennis Voyles
of Sea Hag Charters
Last week's cold front gave the trout lockjaw for a few days, but they seem to be fully recovered and possibly making up for lost time. Mr. and Mrs. Bart Morrisroe fished a half-day with me Wednesday afternoon and easily caught their limit of hefty 18 to 21 inch trout. Although bone diamond (Saltwater Assassin) has been hot, electric chicken and candy corn performed best under yesterday's cloud cover. Several times during the trip the aggressive trout savagely attacked our Cajun Thunder floats. Mrs. Morrisroe's float was attacked so many times it was broken in half. Cobia are still roaming the flats and feeding aggressively in preparation for their migration to warmer waters. One Horseshoe resident reported that he and his wife each had a trout hooked up coming to the boat when a huge Cobia (estimated at sixty pounds) appeared from under their boat, devoured both trout, and sped off breaking both of their ten pound test rigs. Most trout are being caught in relatively shallow water. Two to four feet deep seems to hold the most active trout. My depth finder indicated the flats water temperature was 75 degrees on Wednesday, nearly ideal for Trout and Redfish.

Click photos to see enlarged
Offshore action is excellent. Justin Voyles landed a beautiful twenty five-pound Blackfin tuna while bottom fishing in sixty feet of water. Justin gave Charlie and Danielle (owners of Sea Hag Marina) a generous portion of the Tuna, which Danielle slightly seared with hot Wasabi sauce. "This sushi was the best I have ever had!" reports Danielle. King Mackerel are still attacking bottom rigs and trolled lures offshore. Trolling is still difficult to impossible in most areas due to a large amount of floating grass. While bottom fishing try putting out a flat line rigged with a live menhaden or threadfin. Loosen the drag significantly as these kings and tuna will hit the bait at speeds that would amaze superman. Grouper fishing is very good as well with impressive catches coming to the cleaning table all weekend. This weekend the time falls back an hour, so remember to set your clocks accordingly. Good luck, and if you happen on to some fish we are happy to take your picture. See you on the water.
This Weekend's Fish Pictures 10/20/02
Fishing Report to follow...

Jake Floreos with Dad (Todd). Jake is 6 years old and caught this spectacular Kingfish on S&H Kin Buster from Sea Hag Marina on October 19th. Click photo to see enlarged.

Marc Miller caught these find Grouper on Sunday, October 20th. Grouper and Kingfish were really hot this last weekend! Click photo to see enlarged.

Bob, Ronny, Robert, Brent, and Cid from Atlanta landed these fine Grouper. Click photo to see enlarged.

Justin Voyles lands a Blackfin Tuna!! Click photo to see enlarged.
This Week's Steinhatchee Fishing Report 10/17/02

Tony Wilson, Jason Murphy, Chris Williams, Glen Ray aboard the Neva-Miss Charters out of Sea Hag Marina.
Click Photo to See Enlarged
Sea Hag Marina Fishing Report by Captain Dennis Voyles
of Sea Hag Charters
This past weekends fishing can be described by one word, AWESOME. Offshore, the king mackerel continue to gorge themselves with young threadfins and menhaden. Most kings are associated with groups of little tunny feeding on the same bait pods. Both species have been found as close in as the grass flats and as far out as forty miles. Bottom fishing with cigar minnows is most productive for grouper since the grass is too thick in most areas for trolling. The present cold front combined with several days of northeast winds should improve the trolling conditions and hookup rates. Captain Paul Cronk Returned Friday with sixteen beautiful grouper to 18 pounds a twenty-five found cobia and a big king. Captain Bill Shearin has been doing well offshore also. Most grouper are sill being caught in over fifty feet of water.

Weyerhaeuser Company from Lithonia, GA caught this awesome display of trout - Click Photo to See Enlarged
Inshore action is nothing short of fantastic. The Weyerhaeuser gang from Lithonia Georgia returned to the sea hag with nearly sixty trout Saturday afternoon. This was probably the single most impressive bunch of trout that I have seen since spring. Candy corn saltwater assassins awoke from a deep sleep and was by far the favorite color of the weekend. Electric chicken and space guppy accounted for several limits of trout this weekend as well. Most trout have moved into five feet of water or less and the big gator trout seem to be rubbing elbows with the Redfish around the rocky areas and creeks. Chartreuse still seems to be the king of topwater action, especially in the early am and during cloudy conditions. Top pup and she dog are both the hot picks for topwater baits. As this cool front cools off the shallows, hard sinking baits (Mirrolures) will take their toll once again. As far as where to fish, both north and south of the river are about equal right now. The sand trout have still not made their fall run around nine-mile bank and bowlegs but this cold front this week should bring them in. The wind and cold from this front will only help the fishing both inshore and offshore. It may move some of the inshore species, but some of the year's best fishing is still to come. Good luck, and I'll see you on the water.

Don Gambel, wife, Charlotte, Scott and Seth - Click to see enlarged

Richard McLean, Marshall Adams, Mark Sweat - Trout, bluefish, Sea Bass, Shark!

The Bryan's and friends had a great day! - Click to See Enlarged

Caught aboard the Neva-Miss - Greg Butts, Rickey Blackmon, Billy Garmon, Randy Moon,
Richard Fincher, and Willard Earwood - Click Photo to Enlarge

Randy Couterior gets skunked by Capt. Dennis Voyles and Jim Hunt of Fiddler's Restaurant!

McClellan's Catch - Click to See Enlarged
This Week's Steinhatchee Fishing Report 10/10/02
Sea Hag Marina Fishing Report by Captain Dennis Voyles
of Sea Hag Charters
The Kingfish are fully engaged in their fall run in the Steinhatchee offshore waters. Big Kings are being caught as close as a mile from the number one marker to as far as forty-five miles out. Susan Ragan talked me into taking her fishing last Sunday at 2:30 PM for a short trip to try out some new tackle. I have to admit I thought our chances of landing any decent fish in two hours was very low. However as luck would have it, just a mile or so out from marker one hundreds of birds were gathered over an incredible feeding frenzy. Most of the fish that were visible were little Tunny, (also called False Albacore). Susan's first fish was indeed a little Tunny of about twelve pounds caught on eight pound test monofilament. After landing the Tunny we decides to try trolling with heavier equipment and Magnum Rapala. The first fifty yards of trolling yielded a good-sized king of about twelve pounds. After a celebration and photo session we began trolling again and again and traveled maybe fifty yards but this strike was serious. After four awesome runs of sixty or seventy yards, I gaffed the twenty five-pound King (actual weight 24lbs 12 ounces). We docked the boat at 5:00PM back at the Sea Hag Marina. It was definitely one of the better two and half-hour trips that I have run.

Grouper numbers at the cleaning table continue to increase each week. Both charter boats and recreational boats are landing with impressive grouper catches. Trolling has not been as productive as bottom fishing so far, however trolling will pick up as the water temperature falls.

Inshore fishing is red hot! The trout are all over the flats and some very large trout as well. My clients have had their best luck in three to five feet of water. Topwater plugs and soft baits fished under Cajun Thunder floats are actually catching more fish than live bait. Mirrolure's Top Dog and Top Pup in chartreuse are really hot for both trout and Redfish right now. Salt Water Assassin Sea Shad in candy corn, bone diamond and chicken bone were all effective this past week. Offshore Redfish are also present out from Steinhatchee right now. Several of our customers waged tug of war battles with huge oversized reds last weekend. These fish make excellent photo opportunities, but because of their size must be returned to propagate the species for the future. The fishing and the weather are nearly ideal right now so try to get over here and take advantage of both. Good luck, and stop in the marina to get a photo of your catch. See you on the water.

This Week's Steinhatchee Fishing Report 10/4/02

Click photo to see enlarged
 Courtesy of Captain Dennis Voyles
Fishing for Sea Hag Charters
October is one of my favorite months of the year for fishing. The cooling water temperatures and declining daylight length puts most all species of fish into a feeding binge. The fish feel the need to gain weight for the winter and prepare for the calorie deficient period of spawning next spring. Fishing can also be more comfortable since average temperatures are ten to fifteen degrees cooler than the summer months. On the down side I do hate to see the cobia, tarpon and kingfish retreat to their winter lair far to the south of Steinhatchee.  

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