Florida Fishing Reports: Pompano

Finally found a canoe for the family to cruise around in. Thanks to Noles for making me a smoking deal. It's a 16 ft. Mad River kevlar and weighs much less than my kayak. He also hooked me up with the bent handled bending branches paddles and a seat. Thanks again dude. We had friends in town this weekend and we really got to use the canoe as a fishing machine. The fishing, while not electric red hot has been steady. The cold winds have driven the fish up near shore and we've been catching nice fish in canals and shallow shorelines. Check it out!

This is a classic family fishing shot.

Hippys, you're going to love this canal. Its real pretty.

The cold weather makes the water so clear. It's much harder to catch fish when its this crystal clear. They see everything.

Caught some of these sunning themselves on a shallow bank.

The wily Jack Crevalle made a cameo.

This is yours truly with the elusive pompano!

Attention FL hippies - nature shot and potential idea for a nice big tattoo - I think you should go for it, nature boy.

Best empty seawall picture ever.

That kid was born to angle and surf professionally and be a major investment banker. No pressure though.

I get the feeling this crab trap has been here a long, long time.

Trout fishing remains sick.

My buddy Kris, through some miracle of my guiding expertise, managed a snook in the slot with two two year olds in the boat. Amazing.

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“When I found the skull in the woods, I called the police. But then I got curious about it. I picked it up, and started wondering who this person was, and why he had deer horns.”
- Jack Handy

How you doing, fellow anglin' aficionados? I've returned to the greater Sarasota metropolis and have resumed angling. The fishing has been really, really good. Fish everywhere. I caught a really big snook but fumbled the monster during the photo shoot. You'll have to just imagine a really great picture of a really big snook because all I have is a nice clear picture of my hand. Report follows...

Weather has been beautiful. Really nice clear windless days this week. I managed to get out early in the morning and found the fishing to be extremely good, as I mentioned. I have developed a theory about fish location as it pertains to where the sun is.

HORNETBEARS GUIDE TO FINDING WINTER FISH IN THE MORNING:

The sun rises in the east and sits in the southern sky. Therefore, the northwest corner of bays, canals, lakes, and kiddie pools get the first immediate light. Thus, this area will heat up first and in the cold mornings of the Florida winter the fish will congregate there. I have been having amazingly good luck seeking out this exposure ASAP when I get on the water in the morning. I have been paddling over a mile to get to these hot spots (no pun intended) and have been rewarded with radically improved fishing over the eastern shores. Cloudy and overcast days to not have as dramatic a difference but fish, like people, are creatures of habit. Fish the northwest corners in the morning. Just roll up like you own the place. You might want to scream some crazed expletives at the fishing guides that are there already. They love the local color this adds for their clientele. You will also want to twitch uncontrollably and talk to your paddle, hand and/or beer.

HORNETBEARS GUIDE TO FINDING WINTER FISH IN THE EVENINGS:

Do the same thing but the northeast corners become the hot spots.

HORNETBEARS GUIDE TO FINDING SUMMER FISH:

It's so hot in the summer do the exact opposite of what you do in the winter. in the spring and fall you're on your own...

Ok! Fishing is easy! Cast, retrieve, unhook, repeat...

WHITE PELICANS. SO BEAUTIFUL BUT QUITE STINKY WITH ALL THE PELICAN POOP AND WHATNOT...

WOULDN'T BE A SARASOTA REPORT WITHOUT THIS SHOT. I REFRAINED FROM TAKING MORE OF THESE SHOTS. YOURE WELCOME.

HERE'S THE WORLD'S CRAPPIEST STAKEOUT POLE. IT WAS A REAL PIECE OF CRAP UNTIL IT BROKE THEN IT AMAZINGLY BECAME EVEN CRAPPIER. I OWN A SUPER NICE CAPT. DICKS STAKEOUT POLE BUT I KEEP IT AT CUBS HOUSE IN PINE ISLAND... CUBS? YOU READING THIS?

CAUGHT A BUNCH OF THESE. I GOT A NICE GATOR TROUT AS WELL BUT, LIKE THE SNOOK, I CHRIS SIMMS'D HIM BEFORE I COULD TAKE A PICTURE. NOTE THE WHITE GRUB LURE. ITS A GULP. THEY'VE BEEN KILLING IT ON ALL SPECIES.

WHOA! DANGER! CAUGHT A BUNCH OF THESE UNDER SOME DOCKS. EVEN WITH PLIERS THESE FISH ARE HARD TO UNHOOK. INSERT SAILCAT HORROR STORY HERE.

WHOEVER SAID THESE HOOKS TEND TO BREAK WAS RIGHT. NOTE THE "KEEPER" PART OF THE HOOK WAS "KEPT" INSIDE THE LURE. I STILL LIKE THEM BUT THEY DO TEND TO SELF DESTRUCT AT SOME INOPPORTUNE TIMES...

YEAH! GAMEFISH. THIS IS IN THE AFTERNOON AND IN THE NE CORNER OR THE BAY. THIS SHOT CAME IS RIGHT AFTER I DROPPED THE BIG SNOOK WHICH KIND OF SOFTENED THE EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER I WAS ON.

"I'VE GOT MY EYE ON YOU MR. LURE!"

OHMYGOD! THE SURF IS GOING OFF! LOOKS LIKE HAWAII!

OH. WELL THEN. MAYBE THE SURF ISN'T ALL THAT BIG. PERHAPS THAT SANDPIPER BROUGHT HIS BOARD...

ALL GOD'S CREATURES ARE BEAUTIFUL, EXCEPT FOR THIS UGLY MOTHER.

THAT, FRIENDS, IS A SOLID LITTLE LURE. I CAUGHT MORE SPECIES ON THAT IN 2 HOURS THAN I'VE EVER CAUGHT BEFORE...

HEY! YOURE A FUNNY LOOKING JACK! HOW'D YOUR FACE GET SO SMALL?

FOR ME, THIS IS AN ETHICAL GREY AREA... DO YOU TURN THE FLOUNDER INSIDE OUT TO GET YOUR FAVORITE LURE BACK? OR DO YOU LET HIM GO WITH A NICE RED SOUVENIR TO SHOW HIS FRIENDS? I CUT IT AS SHORT AS I COULD AND LET HIM HAVE THE LEAD HEAD... WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO? THERE IS NO BIGGER BUMMER THAN SEEING THE FISH UPSIDE DOWN AND FLOATING AS YOU PADDLE AWAY...

PHOTOGRAPHIC NOTE TO SELF: IN THE FUTURE, KEEP THE EXOTIC BIRD IN FOCUS NOT THE ROD TIP

POMPANO! IN MY OPINION THIS IS THE BEST FISH TO EAT. NOTHING COMPARES. SNOOK IS A DISTANT 3rd PLACE BEHIND THE TASTY, TASTY GROUPER.

I CALL THIS PHOTO "ABSTRACTION #3: ROD, CHANNEL MARKER, HERON" I ALSO CALL IT "A BIRD BUTT"

SO MANY TROUT. SO LITTLE TIME. OR IS IT LITTLE TROUT SO MANY TIMES? HARD TO SAY.

FILTHY HIPPY, TAKE A MOMENT TO ENJOY THIS BEAUTIFUL REFLECTION. THEN ITS BACK TO WORK AT THE WHOLE FOODS LOADING DOCK.

SOON, TERPS NEW BOAT WILL SIT IN THE PLACE THAT THIS LITTLE SNOOK CURRENTLY OCCUPIES. THIS SNOOK ALSO REPRESENTS THE 3rd MEMBER OF THE COVETED INSHORE SLAM, ALBEIT A RATHER SMALL MEMBER.

"THIS SUCKS. I'M NEVER GOING TO EAT ANOTHER GRUB AGAIN SO HELP ME GOD. THAT LITTLE RED HEAD ON IT THOUGH... SO ENTICING...SO TASTY..."

The fishing has been awesome. Another week comes to pass. Can you believe it's February? Feels like May... Fin.
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