Spectacular Three Days Of Fishing

Mark and Liz got into the Redfish
on all 3 days using
Bonefish Trek Diablo 350 combo

The last three days of fishing of my summer season were nothing short of spectacular. Doctors' Liz and Mark Harris from the Isle of Man were back and were chomping at the bit to go fishing. Mark said he had a goal, catching Redfish,Tarpon and a Snook in the same day which would be a West Coast Florida grand slam. I love a challenge, and with conditions and fishing having been good I felt confident as we headed out.

It was a magic morning. Slick calm with an incoming tide. I stopped at First National Bank hoping to catch a few baitfish but there was so much happening around us it was hard to concentrate on baitfish. Schools of small ballyhoo were getting showered constantly. I was able to castnet a bunch and the action began. Big Seatrout, Spanish Mackerel, Crevalle Jacks, Ladyfish and Mangrove Snapper kept the duo busy for a couple hours. They were using Bonefish Trek rod and Diablo 350 spinning reel. I was catching Pinfish in the chumline in my spare moments.

Liz Harris got her Grand Slam as well
with a Snook, Redfish and Tarpon
release in the same day

Liz with a major Seatrout

Mark caught this Snook on day 1 as part
of a West Coast Florida Grand Slam

Mark caught this Cobia on a
Permit Trek Diablo 550 combo

I hated to leave this action but did not want to miss the morning bite of Tarpon at Cape Sable. But that did not happen. You should have been here yesterday. Ha ha. So we turned around and headed back to one of the many channels that drain the flats on the way to Flamingo. With a nice outgoing tide we switched to some dead bait on the bottom. Liz and Mark must be living right! Within 20 minutes they were hooked up to a double header of 60 and 80lb Tarpon. Wow...

Mark had some great Tarpon fishing

Mark Harris with fine Tarpon
caught on Fox sport fishing tackle

Mark releases one of his Tarpon

Mark spent some time in the hot July sun fighting this
Tarpon on a Sailfish Trek Diablo 750 combo

Mark uses the Sailfish Trek Diablo 750 combo on this jumping Tarpon

With the Tarpon out of the way I guided us to a small spot way up on the flats. By now the tide was coming in.. Mark and Liz each caught Redfish on the Bonefish Trek rod and then we changed spots and tried an underwater obstruction free lining small live pinfish. Now they each caught and released Snook. On their first day of fishing they had succeeded in their quest. congratulations Liz and Mark.

Day 2

On day 2 Liz caught a monster
Snook on a Fox sport fishing
Permit Trek Diablo 550 combo

Baitfishing was good but the action on the flats from couple days ago had slowed. With a livewell full of frisky pilchards we went in search of Snook at Cape Sable. Very slow....We went to one of my favourite spots, a deep depression with a couple ledges. Liz and Mark free lined Pilchards with light leads on Permit Trek rod and Diablo 550 reel.

Liz was first to score with a Snook of at least 15lbs. nice going. Mark was into the small sharks. I gave Mark a Fox Boat XT rod fitted with an EOS Trolling reel baited with one of the mackerel we had caught earlier and told him to hold on.  First was a 100lb Goliath Grouper. Next a 150lb Bullshark. The day was coming together quite well.After this we headed towards Islamorada. I stopped by some broken trees up on a flat from a hurricane in the past. Using Bonefish Trek rod and Diablo 350 reel we floated live pilchards on bobbers in amongst the roots. 3 Snook and 4 Redfish. Mark scored yet another slam. And I forgot to mention that on the first day Mark caught a Cobia whilst trying for a Snook. He had slammed again. Cobia, Seatrout and Redfish for an East Coast Florida Slam.

angry Bullshark action

Liz puts the pressure on a Blacktip Shark
using the  Permit Trek Diablo 550 combo

Mark caught this big Snook on day 2 using a Permit Trek Diablo 550 combo

Liz caught this Blacktip

Mark got a nice Goliath Grouper on a
Fox Trek Boat  XT  rod EOS 50 combo

Liz poses with an itzy bitzy Goliath

day 2 another Redfish and a 2nd slam for Dr.Mark Harris

Day 3
We had so much fun the first morning that we headed to First National Bank again and action fished all morning. I was very happy that the Mangrove Snapper bite was on as I was keeping some for the freezer. This was my last guiding trip of the summer and I was heading out to home in Montana. Fish fries in the backyard were in my plans. Anyway the snapper were taking small ballyhoo and on the light Bonefish Trek and Rage Ultralight rods were great rodbenders. After keeping our limit and releasing 25 more we moved on to some larger sport.

We tried some Snook spots at Cape Sable and managed a few nice fish but not enough to hold us in any one spot. I went back to the ledges where we had fished the day before and set up. Mark jumped a nice Tarpon off and Liz managed a couple small groupers. Mark next caught a Snook, easily his largest to date. That was on a Permit Trek Diablo 550. Now Mark was free-lining a live pilchard on the same tackle and hooked something large. It made a pretty good run to start then started circling the boat. It was not coming in and Mark asked me if we had a chance. I did not think so on the light tackle. The 550 Diablo reel was packed with Fox Horizon super braid of 30lb test so I told Mark to inch up the clutch which he did. He also was cupping the spool. I coached him to not hi-stick the rod and Mark was able to put incredible pressure on his quarry. The Permit Trek rod continues to amaze me. After an hour battle Mark had a 9 foot long Sawfish breaking the surface and we were amazed. Mark had asked earlier if there was a chance of seeing on. Never did I think it would be on a live pilchard and a light rod. A catch of a lifetime for Dr.Mark. And a great job of angling.

Dr.Mark spent a solid hour battling a Sawfish on a
Permit Trek rod fitted with a Diablo 550 reel. Incredible that the  rod held out

Mark has a release on a Sawfish

another shot of Mark's Sawfish

at our last fishing hole 30 Redfish were released using
Bonefish Trek and Rage Ultralight rods

Last fish of a great trip

this left handed whelk was our second most unusaul catch

We took some video and pictures and released this prehistoric fish unharmed. Well after that my crew was tired but halfway home I wanted to give  a spot a try that I had not fished in years. We set up casting small baits towards the edge of a mangrove island and finished with 20 Redfish releases.

Another fishing trip to remember for Liz and Mark Harris.
Captain Skip Nielsen

Three Days Of Great Action

Annelies caught not only her first but
ended up with 6 Tarpon releases in
2 day of fishing.

Chester Brandes and his charming wife Annelies fished three days with me. After the hot Tarpon fishing we had had last week they were excited to give it a try. We headed out to the far backcountry but a big rainstorm was right where we wanted to go. Sometimes timing is everything. So we stopped mid way in the Transition Zone and did some light tackle action fishing. Annelies had barely wet a line in the past so this getting acquainted with spinning tackle ect really primed her for what was to come later in the day. Ladyfish, Gag Grouper, Seatrout and a nice mess of Mangrove Snapper were caught. We used Bonefish Trek travel rod fitted with the 350 Diablo reel.

I could see the clouds evaporating by about 10 am so we ventured on towards Cape Sable. We got lucky and came across an area with flipping mullet and muddy water caused by the mullet feeding on the bottom and clouding it up. A couple throws of the castnet and we were ready to go. It was perfect, after a rainy morning it was cool , overcast and slick calm. The Tarpon were rolling with an occasional freejumper. Annelies now was using the Fox sport fishing 8' four piece Sailfish Trek rod fitted with a Diablo 750. She had graduated to the next level.

It did not take long for lady luck to work her magic. Annelies went 4 for 4 on fifty pound Tarpon in the next few hours. Chester did well himself with 2 released. Pretty amazing. Not only her first ever Tarpon but 4 and she was loving it. And I may add there was somewhat of a competitive spirit there....

A Goliath Grouper was a change
of pace during the hot
Tarpon fishing

Day 2 was bright and sunny and the breeze had  picked up. We spent the morning at First National Bank action fishing. It was alive with birds, bait and feeding fish. We had loads of fun with the usual variety of light tackle gamesters. Today we went to lighter tackle and used the Rage 185 Ultralight rods fitted with Diablo 350's. Big fun!

Now of course Chester and Annelies wanted another go at the Tarpon. Today was a different day and they were not hungry. But we had plenty of action with Blacktip and Blacknose Sharks and Chester caught and released a fat Goliath Grouper which he caught on the Sailfish Trek Diablo 750 combo. We tried another channel and a few more Shark before heading home.

Chester finished out the trip with this
Snook. He had released a Redfish and
a Tarpon earlier in the day giving
 him a West Coast Grandslam

Day 3, Spent some time catching pinfish and pilchards and mullet. With the baitwells full we headed over towards Cape Sable. The wind had died out and we were going to give the Snook a try. But on the way saw a freejumping Tarpon. That immediately changed the gameplan. Chester and Annelies released 3 Tarpon and had 7 takes. We used Permit Trek rods and Diablo 550 reels for this action. These outfits are medium sized and make catching 20 to 50lb Tarpon a real thrill. But of course a couple of hefty sharks jumped on the baits which made for some tough work.

After that we tried the Snook. Slow at the first 2 spots but Chester came up with a nice Redfish and Annelies did get a Snook. Now we needed a Snook for Chester so he could complete a west coast florida grand slam. At our very last stop Chester caught a really big Snook. Congrads .

These folks have already booked their fishing dates for next May.

Captain Skip Nielsen

with slick calm conditions after a rainy morning the Tarpon were feeding

Annelies really caught Tarpon Fever

Chester did a fine job landing this hefty Gag Grouper
on a Bonefish Trek Diablo 350 combo

Chester enjoys a Tarpon battle

here's lookin at you

on the morning of day 3 Annelies and Chester jumped 6 Tarpon
and released 3 using Permit Trek Diablo 550 combos

while waiting for weather to go by we spent time action fishing

Great Variety For First Timers

I fished the Annis family on July 4 and 6 and we had a great time as you can see by the photos. Bob, son Bobby and friend Nolan and wife Pam used Fox Sport Fishing tackle to catch plenty of variety and some big Grouper and Sharks. It was their first time fishing the Florida Keys and will not be their last. The four and five piece Travel rods were a big hit with them.

Bob and Nolan releasing a Goliath Grouper caught on a
 Fox Trek Boat XT and the new EOS 50 Trolling reel

Bob Annis with a nice Snook caught on a Bonefish Trek Diablo 350 combo

Bobby and Nolan had big fun catching Sharks on the
EOS reels and Trek Boat XT rod

Bobby Annis gets in on the Goliath Grouper
action with the EOS 50 Trek Boat XT combo

Nolan and Bobby with the makings
of a Mangrove Snapper dinner

Pam Annis was thrilled to catch this Snook on the
Fox sport fishing Bonefish Trek Diablo 350 combo

Seatrout were mixed in with the Snook

Captain Skip Nielsen

July 8th through 10th Fishing Report

David Kubert and Steve Kost joined my for 3 days of fishing.

Steve Kosh caught this big Lemon Shark on the
Boat rod XT EOS 30 combo at the same river mouth

The wind was up from the South east so I decided to take a long ride around the backside of Cape Sable and do some exploring and be able to fish in the lee. The river mouths were alive with bait fish. Spanish Mackerel were feeding actively on the small bait fish. I rigged up a Bonefish Trek fly rod and David and Steve caught 20 Spanish on fly. When we arrived we had lost a big Snook to a shark so I rigged up a Fox Sport Fishing XT Boat rod fitted with an EOS Trolling reel with a wire trace and baited it with mackerel. It took about 10 seconds for a hungry Lemon Shark to inhale the mack. We caught several up to 8 feet in length. While having a little lunch we loosened the clutch and put the rod in a rod holder with the bait right a boat-side. A big boil and take and 20 minutes later a 150lb Goliath Grouper. We were anchored in 6 feet of murky water. What a surprise.

David was surprised when he landed this Goliath
Grouper while fishing for a shark at a river mouth

On the way back we stopped along the western edges of First National Bank. That is a shallow area between Sandy Key and the mainland. With a chumbag out and castnetting Ballyhoo for bait we had non-stop action with Snapper, Trout, Ladyfish and Crevalle Jacks. Steve used the Fox 9 weight flyrod and David used a Rage 185 Ultralight rod with a Diablo 350 spinning reel. Lots of fun.

David had fun with Spanish Mackerel using a
Fox sportfishing 9 weight Trek Flyrod

Steve Kosh had fun catching Ladyfish
on the Fox 9 weight Trek flyrod

Day 2 dawned slick calm. I was thinking Tarpon today. On the way out we sabbikeed pinfish and pilchards for live bait. We also threw the castnet and loaded up with live mullet as well. This took time but its "all about the bait" as I like to say. We rigged up Permit Trek rods fitted with Diablo 550 reels with bobbers and circle hooks. Using live pinfish off Cape Sable we were into Tarpon all morning. Steve also jumped a couple off on a Fox 12 weight flyrod and a Fox Cellmax flyreel.

David Kubert on a Tarpon with the Diablo 750 Sailfish  Trek combo.
This is one Happy Man

Foxsportfishing Tackle  lands another Tarpon

The action slowed around 11 am and we had 5 released Tarpon. I moved to a channel and we fished the mullet for bait. Now since we were fishing bottom I rigged Sailfish Trek rods and Diablo 750 reels just in case we hooked  some really large fish. The Tarpon were biting here as well. Most of these fish were in the 30 to 70 lb range. Not the giants of April, May and June but much more active jumping wise. 5 more releases by 1pm. Lets try something different. I could not believe the  Tarpon bite today. So staking up on a bank and chumming up small pilchards which we castnetted we then ran back towards Flamingo where we still had a good tide. Fishing the moats around Frank and Palm Keys we caught several Snook and yet another Tarpon making it 11 releases for the day. Steve and David used the Bonefish and Rage Ultralight rods and did a great job of pulling the fish away from the Mangrove roots.

so much action and the Foxsportfishing rods and reels are always dependable

this one almost came in the boat

using a Permit Trek rod and Diablo 550 spinning reel
David gets major air from his Tarpon

on July 9 David Kubert and Steve Kosh released 11
Tarpon using Foxsportfishing Trek rods and Diablo reels

Day 3 was a short 1. Steve had left the night before so it was just David Kubert. We fished at Murray Key first and caught a nice Snook then moved to a nearby channel. Deploying yesterday's mullet David caught a 90lb Tarpon along with several sharks. In between big fish David casted a Rage 185 Ultralight rod and released Seatrout and Snapper. Day after day and fish after fish the Fox sportfishing Travel rods and Diablo reels never miss a beat.

Steve Kosh with a jumper

Steve Kosh did an excellent job of keeping this Snook out of
the trees using the Bonefish Trek rod fitted with a Diablo 350 spinning

Captain Skip Nielsen