Captain Favorite

Tom Darin aboard FishWhere holds up Ken Jackson's catch

Catch of the Week:

Ken Jackson was aboard FishWhere, 84 miles west of New Pass in 260 feet of water when he caught this giant red snapper using live pinfish. The fish was 32 inches in length, and he estimated its weight at about 25 pounds.

Have you ever wanted to show off a great catch? Each week The Bradenton Times will be selecting what we deem as the best catch of the week. Contributors will be featured in Monday’s article, pictured with their fish and placed in the catch of the week online photo album. Anyone can participate as long as you include a picture and a short summary of what you were using for bait, where and when the fish was caught and the angler’s contact info. Please send submissions to merab.favorite@thebradentontimes.

Fishing Q&A: How do you release a fish with the maximum chance of survival?
We’ve all had those moments that we dread when after hooking a fish, reeling it in and throwing it back you notice the little guy is doing less swimming and more floating. There a several rules to insure that this doesn’t happen.

First off, set the hook! When you set the hook you are more likely to hook the lip instead of the gut. Use a pair of forceps or long-nosed pliers to quickly and efficiently remove the hook. If the fish is deeply hooked back in the throat or stomach cut the line as close to the hook as possible and leave the hook in the fish – you’ll only do more damage trying to remove a deep hook than leaving it where it is and fish are sometimes able to work it out themselves.

Never try to remove a hook through the gills. Never use treble or double hooks -- these can really damage a fish, and can be very hard to remove.

If you are saltwater fishing try using circle hooks, which are proven to hook the in the corner of the jaw more often and are much easier to remove. You don’t have to jerk the line with circle hooks to set them. Instead, you have to wait until the fish starts to swim away and come tight for the set without jerking.

Don’t keep a fish out of water – throw him back as soon as possible! Some people claim that the It is likely that the survival rates decrease exponentially as fight time increases. If you fish on a catch-and-release basis you should use gear that will minimize the fight time as well.

If it is possible, get the hook out while the fish is still in the water. If it is not, use a landing-net with a wide mesh, and a mesh made out of soft material. Rough, hard netting will remove slime and scales from the fish, which is its natural protection against parasites and infection.

On bigger saltwater fish, it may be necessary to use a gaff. If so, try and gaff the fish from inside the mouth and out the lower jaw. Lay the fish on a wet towel or cloth while the hook is removed. If you must touch the fish, use a wet cloth or wet gloves. Never touch a fish's gills. They are extremely delicate can be damaged easily. The safest way to hold the fish is to have one hand under the gill and hold just in front of the tail with the other.

Never, ever lift a fish out of the water by holding the belly area. This is called the death grip because it will almost certainly damage internal organs.

Instead of tossing the fish in the water, it is always better to gently cradle the fish in the water, until it moves off of its own accord.

Kirk Grassett, from Middletown, DE, caught and released this albie off Longboat Key on a fly while fishing with his brother, Capt. Rick Grassett.-Rusty Chinnis photo.

Weekly Fishing Report
By Charter Captain Rick Grassett
 
Anglers fishing were with me on my flats skiff, the Snook Fin-Addict out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel and albies on flies last week. John Evans and his son-in-law, Charlie, from the UK,  fished deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay at Stephens Point and near Buttonwood Harbor on Monday and caught and released a few trout to 17 inches and a couple of Spanish mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. John Lacy, from Kentucky, also fly fished the same areas with me on Tuesday with similar results.
            
My brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, came down for a visit and we fished Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, joined us on Thursday as we fished the coastal gulf near Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island. We caught and released more than a dozen albies to 10-lbs on small white flies. Sharks and kings also joined the fray, skyrocketing on baits and cutting one of our albies in half. A front pushed through that evening and on Friday it was much rougher. The rough water scattered bait schools and predators, but they were still actively feeding over a much broader area. Kirk and I caught and released four or five albies on Friday and almost landed a 25 to 30 pound king mackerel. We found a few tarpon rolling in bait schools so Kirk tied on a big, black Deceiver with a heavy fluorocarbon bite tippet. After only a few casts

Kirk Grassett, from Middletown, DE, caught and released this big red on a fly while fishing Pine Island Sound with Capt. Rick DePaiva (www.saltwaterflyfishing.org)

the big king skyrocketed on his fly, almost jumping into the boat and screamed off more than 100 yards of backing. We got the fish alongside the boat, only to have it chomp through the leader -- an exciting battle!

On Saturday, we fished with Capt. Rick DePaiva of Flynutt Charters in Ft. Myers, FL. He expertly put us on lots of cruising reds and snook and a few ”tailers“. Kirk caught and released a big red and we hooked and lost a couple of others on flies. Capt. Rick is an excellent spin and fly-fishing guide in the Pine Island Sound area and can be reached at www.saltwaterflyfishing.org

Next week’s tides are favorable. With water temperatures now in the mid 70’s, fishing should continue to heat up especially in the coastal gulf waters.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

We are still looking for charter captains to contribute a weekly fishing report. If you are interested, contact merab.favorite@thebradentontimes.com

5 Day Fishing Forecast:

High pressure will ridge across the waters from the northeast through Thursday. A weakening cold front will then move through the waters Thursday night through Friday. Over the weekend marked the month's best fishing because of the full moon. As the moon wans from full, the fishing will become more aveage so the best fishing this week will be on Monday.

To create your own forecast specific to your zip code visit www.wunderground.com.

This Week's Tides

To create your own tide chart, follow the link to NOAA's website.

Solunar Chart

To create a solunar chart specific to your zip code visit www.solunar.com