For the second year in a row we’ve had a colder winter than normal. But, the good news is that it looks like old man winter has let go of his grip in Florida and we’ve had several days of weather nearing 80 degrees. This has fish turned on in the New Port Richey, Tarpon Springs, St. Pete and Tampa Bay areas.

The trout bite has been going really well for about a month now but now the redfish are joining in the fun. Trout have been biting really well on the incoming tide around area spoil islands as well as around area oyster bars and troughs in the flats near our barrier islands. They been readily taking artificial lures as well as Shrimp fished under a cork. the average fish is up as usually for this time of year as fish 3-4 lbs are normal and several fish pushing 6lbs have ben brought to the boat recently.

The redfish bite has seen real improvement as 10+ fish a day is getting more and more frequent. The bigger fish are coming out to play as well and we’re pretty regularly getting fish 3-8 lbs. Redfish are eating soft plastic baits as well as live shrimp.

Look for the bite to just get better and better as we are transitioning into spring. The wrmer weather will really turn these fish on.

Don’t forget that Tarpon Season is right around the corner and that dates fill up fast. If you’re interested in catching a “Silver King”, get in touch with us as soon as you can!

Capt. Clay Eavenson and Capt. Greg DeVault offer some of the most exciting, and some of the most unique, fishing opportunities in all of Florida.

With over 25 years of combined professional, full time, guiding experience, we offer adventures that you’ll never forget.

Whether you want to chase tarpon in Tampa Bay or Boca Grande, sight fish the clear water on the West Central Gulf Coast, or fish the back country out of an air boat, we’ve got you covered.

The hot nights and sticky mornings have finally given way to the cool breezes of Winter. This is one of my favorite times of  the year, our weather goes from hot sticky mornings and days to cool dry and almost brisk mornings. The fish can also feel this change and know it is time to start getting ready for what is coming. This means we are going to have about 2 months of great fishing.

When the water temperatures start to fall it triggers the fish to start to feed, along with the temperature drop we have a large influx of all types of bait fish moving into our area. All of these factors combine for a couple of things; lots of action and increased feeding times on our waters. The Redfish that have been scattered out all over the flats are beginning to school up in large numbers and it is common to see groups of 200 or 300 fish in one school. This is the time  when you can chum them into a frenzy and catch them almost at will. The snook have started to return from the beaches after a summer of spawning and are looking to feed on almost anything that moves, they will take up residence along our many creek mouths and river points and when a sardine comes by it will be met with a viscous hello! Our Trout that have been on the smaller side have began to grow, the 20 to 25 inch gators are showing up and will be very persistent in there quest for food. The number of big gator trout will keep growing as the water temperature continues to fall. Along with the Trout, Snook, and Redfish will be a host of others showing up to feast on the bait that has migrated our way. Tarpon, Spanish Mackerel, Kingfish, Bluefish, Jack Cravelle, Ladyfish, Mangrove Snapper, and Cobia, are just some of the species that will be here for all to catch!

Fall is a great time to fish smaller crowds on the water, cooler temperatures, and fishing that is literally “Off The Hook”! Now is the time to get out there and catch just about everything that swims in our water, they are hungry and they are here! Lets go gettem!

It looked like old man winter wanted to spoil our fun for a while but he’s let go of his grip here recently and the trout bite has really turned on.

Fish from 15-26″ (1-6 lbs) have come in the boat and they’ve been coming in good numbers. We’ve caught as many as 30 in a single half day trip this week.

The trout have been readily taking live shrimp under a cork but the most fun has been catching them on artificial lures such as Mirr-O-Lure soft plastic baits fished either on Slayer Inc. jig heads or Mustad weightless plastic worm hooks. If you’re proficient at throwing lures with spinning tackle, I suspect you could out fish someone throwing live shrimp as the bites have been aggressive on the lures and you can cover more water with them than you can with live shrimp.

Redfish are beginning to get back into their normal patterns and we’re seeing several fish each trip. Look for this bite to keep getting better as winter wanes.

Don’t forget that tarpon season is just around the corner. Check out this year’s Tarpon Planning Guide and make sure you book early so that you can get the best dates.

The 2011 Boca Grande Giant Tarpon season is coming! The months of  May and June are prime time to catch Giant Tarpon in Boca Grande.

Alot of people have started to inquirer into reserving there dates.I am starting to take reservations for next years Tarpon Season now. Don’t miss out on your chance to catch the fish of a lifetime

As most of you know I look forward every year to this time of year. The north wind pulls the cold air down from the north and while other fishermen stay in the warmth of there houses we are out absolutely hammering  the fish with no competition. I know your asking why would anyone sit home if the fishing is this good, well I have a small advantage over them other guys….I fish out of my airboat during the winter which allows me to access water that outboards cant even think about getting to. This is the reason I love to feel the cold north wind blow, it makes our low tides even lower and alot longer. The fish get trapped in all the holes and troughs and I drive up to them and me and my clients catch fish all day long.

December 2 was my first trip of the year and it was chilly to say the least a cold front had past right on time and the wind was out of the north east. My clients for the day were a surprise set up by a good friend and partner on our PTTS Tarpon team. The surprise was that our team Frank, Artie, Jon, and me were going to fish for the day. needless to say the fish would not have the advantage today, as all of us are very accomplished fishermen. When the day was done we had landed 125 redfish and a couple dozen trout with a flounder and some other stuff, Jon was the big winner with 38 or so redfish. The next 3 trips were very much like the first we did not have a day that we did not break the 100 fish mark. One of the best parts of these trips are all we use for bait in artificial lures, so for those that are not sure of how to use them, by the end of the day they are pros.

This type of fishing will continue through out the winter and usually only gets better as the water cools off. As long as we do not get the bone Chilling cold of last year, it looks like it will be another great year for jumping around the holes in the airboat. As for the fish I tend to target mostly reds and trout this time of year. They are much easier to target with the cold water and will not get lockjaw as badly as some of the other inshore species. I like the lowest water I can get no matter what boat I’m fishing out of, the low water groups the fish together and forces them to become competitive for food. When you find the right hole you can sit there for hours and catch fish on every cast.

Good luck dress warm and get out there, and if you hear the big fan blowing you are probably close to the fish!!

Summer is over and sure enough, cooler weather has arrived. And none too soon I might add. I woke up to run a charter a few days ago and the thermometer in my truck said it was 60 degrees! Awesome! Highs have been in the low 80’s and humidity has been just about nil. In short, it has felt absolutely wonderful out on the water.

The fish have really turned on with the cooler weather as well. Redfish are beginning to school up in large numbers to get ready for their fall spawn. I’ve already seen and fished a few schools of redfish that number well over 1,000 fish. If you hit them at just the right time of the tide, you can really have a lot of fun catching over slot redfish right now.

Bigger trout are starting to show up and that’s a welcome change from the smaller trout that are typically around during the summer. We’ve had nemerous days recently with several trout being over 20″. We’ve even had a few trout over 24″ lately.