Monday, July 29, 2002
Chokoloskee Charters On Vacation !!!
Sorry for the lag in reports, but we have been on vacation in the Keys. You guessed it fishing and diving!! Every year, Vickie and I go with several other couples to the Keys for the opening of the lobster season. This year, along with two other couples, we decided to join the sportsman's mini-season armada. . The opening this year was superb. All the lobsters, but a few, had carapaces close to four inches. I have been diving the same secret little area since I was a kid. On the whole, these were some of the nicest bugs that I have seen in a long time. We left the dock at ~ 7:15 and by 8:30 we had harvested our limit of six lobsters each for all six of us. It took until 9:30 the following morning!
Vickie and I drove the 20' Super Dolphin from Chokoloskee Island to the Lower Keys. The weather was beautiful, so the crossing took only two hours. On the way we were hailed (actually flagged down) by a small sailboat. The solo guy in the 24' sloop was not sure where he was. He had no chart, no VHF, no radar reflector, no hat, no cell phone, no iron sail (engine) and basically no wind. Apparently, he was sailing with another boat (~40+) and had become separated in a evening storm. After a bit of orientation training, verification of his water and sun-block supply, I gave him my chart and off he went on another big adventure. He was trying to make it to a marina somewhere near Sanibel and thought he could make it by nightfall. Nightfall yes, but 2-3 days later ... maybe. I wish people would put a little, no a lot more, thought into trips like this. This occurs way too often for my tastes.
As it turned out, we only made a couple of fishing trips while in the Keys and both were tough. None of us slammed in the same day, though we all had "visual" slams!! Capt. Bruce Hitchcock (Chokoloskee Charters Staff Guide) released a small tarpon, as did I, when went tarpon fishing. Capt. Stu, on the other hand, just about had his Penn spinning reel dumped on a very large critter! I blew my permit opportunity early in that phase of the slam game. Just as soon as we came up to the area that holds fish, I was busy running my mouth instead of looking for fish. As luck would have it, I came right up on a big permit (~30 lbs) slowly cruising on the flat ... a perfect opportunity. BUT, we were very close to the fish ... too close for a cast without spooking the fish. I had to wait for it to move off , try to cast over his head and hope that he would swim to the bait. He did, I did, but he did not eat ... Oh well, so much for the slam. My second permit opportunity ended the same way!!<
I fish the Keys quite often. It is a great fishery. I will be in Eleuthera Bahamas fly fishing for bonefish in mid-August. Also a great fishery. However, I still believe the fishing in Everglades National Park and Chokoloskee Island is the best this area has to offer. The Ten Thousand Islands fishing area still very special to me.
If you would like to book a charter with Chokoloskee Charters, contact Capt. Charles Wright @ 239-695-9107 or visit www.ChokoloskeeCharters.com. Good Fishing.
posted by Charles Wright Monday, July 29, 2002
Thursday, July 11, 2002
Mike and Charlene Astin -- July 8, 2002
Chokoloskee fishing for big snook and big tarpon was the name of the game fishing with Mike and Charlene Astin of Douglasville, Georgia. On a split-day charter, we fished the morning for snook and the evening for tarpon with good success.
Our first stop was a little pass cutting around a bar of an island. The area is surrounded by flats, so at low tides, the bigger fish fall off into the deeper cut. The lower the tides the better for this setting. We were a few days before the new moon and fishing near the end of the falling tide, so the flats were shallower than normal. Throwing a rattletrap, it was not long before Mike hooked his first-ever snook on 8lb spinning gear . As soon as the fish broke water, I could tell it was a nice fish. Of course, all you had to do was listen to what Mike was chanting (nice fish, NICE fish!!) to know that!!! It took a few trips around the boat, several nice runs, a couple of jumps and some bulldogging for the fish to settle down enough to come over the side. She weighed 13 lbs on the Boca Grip. Another "Snookaholic" is born!
We moved to a trout flat to put some dinner in the box for the evening meal and allow time for the tide to begin coming in enough to fish. The trout fishing, as it has been over the last couple of weeks, was a bit slow, but the ladyfish were feeding well. Leaving the flat we set up near another oyster bar at the mouth of one of the rivers. It was not long before things began to happen. Mike started things off again with another nice fish weighing in at 15lbs. Charlene, not to be out done, weighed one at 17lbs!!! We lost several other fish during the process, but overall it was a good morning. We headed back to the dock about 11-11:30 for lunch, air conditioning and a nap. We would meet again at 4:30 for the evening trip.
The weather was nice in the evening with an overcast sky from the afternoon showers. The wind was blowing a bit, but that actually made things rather comfortable. We first eased to a nearby trout flat to finish off the dinner fare... things were about the same as in the morning. There was going to be lots of rice and potatoes with this fish fry!!
Conditions were perfect for the big tarpon. Fast moving, deep water at the end of a falling tide, in the evening, just before a new moon. The setting was right, all we needed were fish. Mike is a big fan of crappie fishing because there is a limited amount casting, he can fish sitting down and there is lots of action. In order to properly demonstrate Chokoloskee Crappie fishing, I guess you would need a tank full of silver mullet rather than minnows.
Within five minutes of setting out the first mullet volunteer, we jumped a nice tarpon. As Mike took the rod, the fish was screaming out line, jumping and flipping towards the horizon. I scrambled to release the anchor. Guiding the fish to shallow water to hasten the fight, it still took Mike about 25 minutes of sweating and panting to subdue the fish. This was his first silver king!! We estimated at ~110 lbs. (You can tell the weight by the scales on the sides!). Mike was excited, but Charlene was beside herself with camera-a-flashing. Although this was Mike's first tarpon, but he fought it like a pro. It was beautiful.After a few photos and a couple of scales to record the event, we revived and release the fish. Returning to our anchor, I set out another bait to do it again. In less than one minute, we had our second pickup. Although, we did not land anymore tarpon that evening, we jumped off four other fish, including one monster probably close to 180lbs. Three other baits were tagged but did not hookup.
Fishing tarpon like this is a blast. Even if you do not actually land the fish, just watching them take the bait and jump against the setting sun is something special. Charlene is an excellent fishermen and really enjoys her time on the water, Mike says after her first tarpon trip, she is "ruined". Well I guess if you are going to be spoiled, this is a great way to do it!!If you are planning to come to Naples fishing or Naples fly fishing, you should consider the great fishing we have in the Everglades National Park. This is wonderful fishery 30 minutes from Naples and 90 minutes from Miami and Ft. Lauderdale.
If you would like to book a trip with Chokoloskee Charters, please contact Capt. Charles Wright at (239) 695-9107 orCaptWright@ChokoloskeeCharters.com. For further information, please visit www.ChokoloskeeCharters.com. Good Fishing!!!
posted by Charles Wright Thursday, July 11, 2002
Tuesday, July 09, 2002
David Siskin -- July 7, 2002
I had the pleasure to fish with David Siskin of Largo, Florida and Matt of Punta Gorda, Florida. Matt had just graduated (congratulations!!), so David was taking him fishing to celebrate. Both were excellent anglers and accurate casters. We decided to targeted snook and permit for the day. The snook fishing started out slow as did the incoming tide. We had several fish rise on our baits, but no hookups. Permit fishing was also tough. Conditions made the fish difficult to spot, though we did manage to hook two fish. With the first fish, the hook pulled very early and the second fish was cut off by another fish striking the line!! We were fishing 8lb line, so the slightest touch from a crossing fish will twang you off. We did get several more opportunities for permit, but the fish did not eat even with good bait presentations. Oh well ... fishing!!!
While we were in the area, both David and Matt jumped onto a school of jacks and boated several 4-5lb fish. When they are striking fast they are a blast to watch. We also got a "visual" on a nice cobia.We moved on about midday to seek some big snook since we could not see the permit very well and the ones we did find had lock-jaw. Firing in a couple of large, not-so-live baits did not produce any confirmed snook hits, but the goliath grouper were ravenous!!! David brought one very nice fish boat side. Four others would not be taken. We had one monster take a bait that was in the 2-300lb range. When these big groupers come up off the bottom to feed, it is really impressive. In the flurry, a nice ~50lb black tip was landed, but the flash by the boat of a 150lb bull shark ended the thoughts of a (another?) quick refreshing dip in the drink. An approaching storm ran us back to Chokoloskee, but we were still able to catch a few more snook, tossing jigs, before we had to call it a day.
Though fishing was a bit tough, both David and Matt fished well and had a good time. I am looking forward to fishing them again.
If you are interested in booking a trip with Chokoloskee Charters, please contact Capt. Charles Wright @ (239) 695-9107 or for more information, visit www.ChokoloskeeCharters.com.
posted by Charles Wright Tuesday, July 09, 2002
Wednesday, July 03, 2002
Joe Maher - July 3, 2002
Joe Maher of Jacksonville, Florida just had to get after the permit again!! He had a nice taste of light tackle permit fishing on his charter earlier this week (see the July 1st report). This time we were after big fish on light spinning gear. Conditions were a bit tough and the fish were not too cooperative, but we found them. It took Joe a couple of fish before he latched on to his trophy. In a 35 minute battle, Joe masterfully handled this beautiful 19 lb Permit on 8lb test spinning gear (Shimano 4000). The whole time he was fighting the fish, it was surrounded and closely followed by spotted eagle rays. One touch on this light line and the fight would be over. We were very lucky that the rays did not "twang" him off. Nicely done Joe!!!
We decided to step up the size of the snook from those we caught on our earlier trip. It did not take long for the bite to get started, unfortunately the first three fish "escaped" without being photographed. However, he did catch and release two nice 10 pound snook. In addition to the snook, we had opportunities at a couple of cobia and some goliath grouper in the 80-100lbs class. (Quite a tug aren't they Joe?) He also had his first black tip shark along side of the boat (~ 60lbs). I had a great time fishing with Joe and am looking forward to fishing with him again. Judging from his grin in these pictures, I am sure that Joe had a blast also. I think his has come to appreciate this very special fishery as much as I have come to love it myself.
If you would are interested in a trip with Chokoloskee Charters, please give Capt. Charles Wright a call @ (239) 695-9107 or the web at www.ChokoloskeeCharters.com
posted by Charles Wright Wednesday, July 03, 2002
Monday, July 01, 2002
Joe Maher - July 1, 2002
Joe Maher of Jacksonville, Florida had a good day fishing today with Capt. Charles Wright. We started out fishing one the remote river mouths. Early the weather was a bit "iffy" as we had to run through some rain to get to our first spot. We arrived a bit early and had to wait for the tide to turn before things got started. The water was glass calm, so we were able to see everything on the surface. The place was alive with head wakes. Unfortunately the only head wake that struck our surface baits (that we could identify) was a shark. Joe had another blowup on a Johnny Rattler surface plug that missed all six hooks ... go figure!!!
Before we left the river, Joe landed his first snook, a nice 30" fish. He also wrestled in a small juvenile goliath grouper about 10lbs. I told him that we would see fish later that would easily eat that fish. He looked at me with a bit of suspicion.
At about 10:30, with perfect weather, we blasted off to a nearby permit hot spot. Nearing the location we saw jack crevalle smashing baits on the surface. We could not resist so a Rip Tide Jig with a 12 Fathom swimming shad tail was put to work. Joe handled the rest nicely.
As the water was virtually calm, we could see the permit all around us in big schools. The first three fish were cut off by other fish in the school smashing through the line!. But Joe fought and released two permit on 8 lb spinning gear using a Shimano 4000. I think he now understands why people call me a "permit-holic". Joe may have to start attending P.A. Class (Permit Anonymous) with me if he keeps this up!!
In the midst of all this, we could not pass up the chance at feeding the telephone pole sized barracuda lurking all around us. We had three very large cudas pick up our baits, but landed none. I believe this quote is accurate ..."Man that fish was ripping ... I wasn't ready for that!!!" My response ... "Do you want to do it again?!"
Our next stop was Vickie's Snapper Hole which turned out to be a let down though Joe did land a nice 75 lb lemon shark ... his first. Our final stop turned out to be a real treat. We saw schools of snook, many goliath grouper going several hundred pounds, scores of permit and jacks, cobia, barracuda, turtles and mackerel. It was the heat of the day, so nothing would bite, but just seeing all the fish was something special!! It appears his morning suspicions were unwarranted. (ha-ha!)
One of the last things Joe said before he left the boat was "I really would like to get after those permit again". He's got a problem ... a real problem. From here on out, it is just going to take bigger and bigger fish to satisfy his passion. I am up to it.
If you would like to book a charter with Chokoloskee Charters, please contact Capt. Charles Wright @www.ChokoloskeeCharters.com or call him at (239) 695-9107.
posted by Charles Wright Monday, July 01, 2002
June 28 and 29, 2002
Phil of Light House Point, Fl. took his brother Ritchie from Connecticut fishing in the Everglades National Park/10,000 Islands with Capt. Bruce Hitchcock where he caught his first snook a nice13 pounder. He is hooked for life!!
Al and Lee Ann Lewis of Lee County fished with their son Tim and his wife Susie with Capt. Charles Wright for a 1/2 day in the morning on the flats. Lee Ann took top rod honors with a ~ 75lb shark. Fishing was sporadic, as the fish were in fast moving schools. They had a nice mess of trout and pompano for the freezer (and dinner). Happy birthday Al!
Don and Heidi Lewis of Key Largo fishing with their son Scott (Detroit) fished the afternoon with Capt. Charles Wright for snook using live mullet. They had one very large snook take a very large mullet, but the hook pulled that fish would have been Scott's first (big) snook. The rest of the mullet were repeatedly molested by sharks!!!
Kitty McGowan of Ft. Lauderdale and her friend Tim, fished a split day charter Saturday with Capt. Bruce Hitchcock. They fished the flats in the morning for trout and fished the evening for tarpon. The spilt day charter is a great way to get the best of a fishing day. You catch the morning bite, get back for lunch, some air conditioning and a nap, and the fish the even bite usually until dark. Even though the rains delay the evening launch, they still jumped six tarpon!! Everyone in Chokoloskee is still talking about Kitty's tarpon fighting hoops and hollers. Looks like we may have another Chokoloskee Convert on our hands!
If you would like to book a charter with Chokoloskee Charters, please contact Capt. Charles Wright @
www.ChokoloskeeCharters.com or call him at (239) 695-9107.
posted by Charles Wright Monday, July 01, 2002
