Flats action is hot in spite of heavy rains, tides and muddy waters. Trout lead the action in 4 feet of water with most fish being in the 16 to 17 inch range. Reds are a little spotty, but I found some decent action in the mouth of Poston Bayou near the banks behind Lanark Reef. Mackerel are pretty thick around Dog Island Reef with the biggest fish being taken on fresh cut baits.
For you Tarpon lovers, they are here and running pretty good. I had a few encounters on the flats while fishing for Trout. Both Turkey Point and Lanark Reef are local hot spots for staking out large Poon's.
Gary Mize and his 3 sons were my guests on Wednesday and hold top hook for my charters this week. We started out the day sitting out a nasty storm which rolled in from the West. But my party of eager anglers didn't mind getting a little wet so we headed out just as the last showers passed overhead. My first stop was an area we call the "Hockey Hole" which held a few nice Trout in the 17 inch range. From there, we headed east down the flats and picked up keeper Trout on every stop. Thick patches of floating grass prevented top water fishing and jigs so live bait was the ticket.
We continued to find decent Trout on every stop with the most action in 3 to 4 feet of water. However, the biggest Trout were found in deeper water (6 to 7 feet) near the FSU Marine Lab. A pair of 5 pounders made my anglers eager to stay on this spot but numerous baby sharks forced us to move.
My next stop was the Gas Transmission Reef followed by Dog Island Reef. The kids had a blast catching everything from White Trout, Big Mackerel, Crevalle Jacks, Bluefish, Whiting, sharks and a surprise...big Triggerfish like the ones you catch off deep water wrecks. Now, I caught many Triggers off the Gas Transmission Reef, but not like the monsters we caught Wednesday.
After we wore out the kids with some fast action fishing, it was time to find a few trophy fish. Dog Island Reef was a bust due to numerous Sharks and Mackerel, but we did pick up 4 "Horse" Mackerel in the 7 LB range. Still looking for a Trophy Trout, we headed back across the bay to Turkey Point Shoals and worked the area hard. We found numerous Trout and the cooler was filling fast.
Finally, on our way back to Lanark, we stopped at a spot which always holds Redfish. I figured that a big Red would cap off the day and the kids were ready for action. Dad stuck with his Cajun Thunder and live shrimp which he cast out behind the boat. Within seconds, it got slammed hard! A first I thought it was a big Catfish by the way it moved low in the water, but suddenly, it surfaced and I saw the monster yellow mouth. No mistake about it, we found the Gator Trout we were looking for all day, and it was a hefty 6.5 Pounder. A great end to a great day of fishing!
Keep those hooks sharp and lines tight!
Capt. Bob Soderholm
Sole Searcher Charters
Carrabelle, FL
(850) 899-0455
Member, National Association of Charterboat Operators
Carrabelle fishing report
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