Day two with the Beeson party and we had the same game plan. The bite was quite a bit slower then yesterday, as there was much more boat traffic on the river and makes it a bit congested. The team and I still caught a few small snook and a fine trout using jigs along the shorelines. The darker colors seem to work a little better for the snook as using anything "flashy", will guarantee a lady fish on the end of your line. A fun, but very cold couple days and I thank you all... Capt. Dan
A quick update before today's report.. Well folks, it looks like a major snook kill for our area from the Withlacoochee area to Chassahowitzka. I've seen lots of pictures of dead snook of all sizes and even though we still have several thousand that are safe in the rivers, the "outside" population took the hit. We'll still have fish to catch, but like the 2010 freeze; it will take some time to recuperate... However though, I did have a great first charter to start 2018 with the Beeson party in Homosassa. Myself and Capt's. Mark Zorn, William Toney, Rick Spratt and John Hamilton all had ice on board our boats and we made something happen in the cold conditions. The gang and I stayed in the river and had some luck with a mixed bag around the springs. Snook, red fish, jacks, large mouth bass, trout and we even jumped a tarpon, filled out our day. It's a small area, but we did OK, as the gulf will be slow for quite a few days. Here's Phil with one of the larger snook of the day... Capt. Dan
Hello everybody, what a start to 2018! Winter has set in for the first week of the new year and it's down right COLD. Not to much to report fishing wise as myself and no one has really been out. The tide has been extremely low and it would have been just about impossible to launch your boat, especially on Tuesday. The gulf water temperature from what I've seen, is in the upper 40's to 50 degrees. A little bit of bad news to report - with a couple dead snook reports from the back country, but not nearly extensive as 2010. A couple hundred fish have perished, but I'm hoping the majority have made their way in to the spring fed rivers for warmth. Looking to get back on the water soon and stay tuned to see what happening... Capt. Dan
Happy New Year Everyone!!! I wish you all a very prosperous new year and many great days on the water. As 2017and grouper season came to a close, my wife Becky and I finished up the fantastic grouper season, good as it gets. This particular grouper year started out slow as it usually does, but as September came around; the grouper action heated up. It has taken a couple years for the new 24" size change to come into effect, but now I'm seeing the results of much larger fish. Also, the two fish per person limit, along with the six month closure are truly keeping the fishery healthy. I'm constantly learning, trying, experimenting etc... new techniques and tactics and this year; we had a good grasp on what the fish were doing. I thank you all that have fished with me throughout the 2017 year and I look forward to another fantastic year. God Bless and we'll see you on the water soon... Capt. Dan