Stripers on the Fly

Fished with Mike in the back bay. Mike was looking to catch some stripers on the fly and we did. Mike caught and released several stripers on the fly rod. The schoolie stripers are a great target on the flyrod. Pro Tip: Sinking fly lines tend to be more productive in the spring since the fish tend to be deeper and less aggressive until the waters warm.
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Stripers

Got out with Patty, Ryan, and Brady a few times this week. Here are some of the highlight pictures. Fishing has been great! Follow me on Instagram @captainjoehughes

Back Bay Stripers

Fished with Paul and Dave on Thursday evening. We had good action with stripers and fluke in the bay. Fishing has been very consistent. Pro Tip: Make sure your dog plastic is straight on your jig. If not, it will spin and you won't get bites.

Weakfish

Fished earlier this week with Paul and Dave. We had good action with stripers, fluke, and we even had a few weakfish. The trout were a nice surprise. The schoolie striper bite has been good. Pro Tip: Depth matters. Slowing down your retrieve gets your jig or fly deeper. Getting your lure or fly down deep can make the difference between bites and just casting.

Spring has Sprung

Fished today with Darryl, Bill, Dave, and Matt in the bay. We had a great day and the good weather certainly paid off. We had fish throughout the day. We ended up with about 14 stripers to 27" and 18 flounder. The biggest flounder was about four pounds. All the fish were caught on jigs and released. The season seems to be a bit behind with the constant cold weather we have been having. However, things will heat up quickly with the warming weather. Pro Tip: Temperature gauges are great tools but they only tell you surface temperature. The bottom temperature can be significantly colder, especially in the spring. Keeps tabs on the bottom temperature by feeling your jighead. Your jighead will be the same temperature as the bottom water.

Ready to Go

Back in the water and ready to go. Just waiting on the weather....

Florida Farewell

I headed down to the keys last week to fish for a few days with the family and get the boat. We had a blast and head great site fishing on the flats. We caught a bunch of lemon and bonnet head sharks. The fish of the week was Patty's hundred pound lemon shark she caught on 10 pound test while sight fishing. We also had lots of jacks, snappers, and a bunch of other fish. Both boats are now safely back in Sea Isle City. It has been cold but the fish I'm sure will be ready to go very shortly. Pro Tip: When casting for accuracy, over hand is best. Side arm casting typically results in many missed opportunities.

Tarpon

Fished with Mike and Mike in Islamorada last weekend. I mixed up my days and said the monster cuda was on Saturday but it was on Sunday. Mike also had a nice tarpon sight fishing on the flats on Saturday. Sunday also produced a bunch of shark releases plus a bunch of nice jacks and snappers. A great weekend over all with nice weather! Pro Tip: Let sharks discover a bait on their own. However, if they are having trouble finding the shrimp, bumping the bait slightly sometimes gets their attention and results in a bite.

Tarpon

Fished with Mike and Mike in Islamorada last weekend. I mixed up my days and said the monster cuda was on Saturday but it was on Sunday. Mike also had a nice tarpon sight fishing on the flats on Saturday. Sunday also produced a bunch of shark releases plus a bunch of nice jacks and snappers. A great weekend over all with nice weather! Pro Tip: Let sharks discover a bait on their own. However, if they are having trouble finding the shrimp, bumping the bait slightly sometimes gets their attention and results in a bite.

Sharks and Cuda

Fished with Mike and Mike in Islamorada last weekend. We had great fishing. On Saturday we had amazing action on the flats and we had over fifteen lemon and bonnet head shark releases. We also had a monster cuda eat a plastic bait. That fish put in quite the show. We rounded out the day with jacks, snappers, and blue runners. Quality and quantity. Pro Tip: Tilting your head from side to side with polarized sunglasses will help you see into the water better at certain angles. Try it and you'll see the difference.