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Venice - Offshore and Coastal - March 28th, 2005
supplied by: Super Strike Charters
RECORDED: 
75 °
FISHING: Great
This past week was another good one. The weather was nice, I was able to leave in the morning just wearing a long sleeve shirt and not get cold. It was a little foggy on Friday morn. but not the worse I have ever seen. The fish bit all last week. except Fri. We sat out Wed. because of the forecasted weather and 22 knots of wind in the morning but on Thurs. we were back at with Mr. Steve Ackley and friends. The bite was immediate. First fish hooked up was a black fin tuna. After that it was every time. The guys finished the day at 11:30 a.m. keeping 2 yellowfin (90lbs. and 150.3lbs), 12 blackfin, and 2 amberjack. More meat than you know what to do with right here. Friday was a completely different day. All that was to be had was 2 black fin tuna. The group had to be back in early so we called it a day at 11:30. The boats that did stay out late said the bite never got going. That's Fishing. The wind has got us at the dock today. It is blowing hard down here right now. Most likely be back out on Wed. The tuna fishing will remain good, start looking for some huge catches of wahoo and grouper. People call all the time and say now that the tuna bite is just about done what else can we fish for. Well, the tuna bite is not just about over. April and May are just as good as the rest of the months for tuna, but we can also catch a variety of other fish besides tuna, not only that the weather is usually as good as it gets. Our new boat will be ready in about a week.
Damon McKnight/Super Strike Charters
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Venice - Offshore and Coastal - March 11th, 2005
supplied by: Super Strike Charters
RECORDED: 
70 °
FISHING: Great
Ah, the crazy weather forecasters. I am thinking someone paid them to forecast winds for this past week and weekend so everyone would go to the sportsman show. But, then again they give a wrong forecast for free every now and then too. On Friday we had Justin Hanes and friends down. With the expected forecast we chose to go grouper fishing and headed out to the hole. Plenty of grouper were caught, only three good keepers. The snapper on the other hand were thicker than ever with plenty of 10-15lbers. We were only fishing in 50ft. of water and they were biting on the surface so none of them were killed. They were in the exact same place we left them last snapper season. Hopefully they stick around. After wearing out plenty of fish we moved back into state waters and caught a lot of bull reds. Not sure how many.
We cancelled yesterday because of the weather forecast and saved 10 hours of driving for the group. We felt it was safer this way. Turned out to be calm offshore anyway. We will be back out on Tuesday and fishing for the next two weeks, weather permitting of course. Right now the weather forecasts have been inaccurate. Although the wind blew 20 knots on shore yesterday offshore was a different story. This happens a lot this time of year with the transition from Winter to Spring. The best way to figure out the weather right now is to wake up, if it isn't blowing, jump in the boat and go. I have tried a few different forecast companies lately and one of them is wilkens weather. It is expensive but somedays I would think worth it. Their biggest clients are the oil companies. I find the 48 hour forecast to be right on the money but so is NOAA's usually. The only difference is they can give you the forecasted wave height for any block in the Gulf. We still have some open days in April, mainly during the week. We are expecting our new 32ft. Twin-Vee Boat at the end of the month. It will be powered with twin 250 H.P. Evinrude E-Tecs. These boats are the ultimate charter boat for our area. I have fished in just about every boat you can think of, well you can see what boat I chose. Back at it Tuesday.
Capt. Damon McKnight/Super Strike Charters/1 800 318 1720
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Venice - March 10th, 2005
supplied by: Florida Deep Sea Fishing Charters
FISHING: Great
March offers great fishing action for both inshore and offshore anglers
Fishing on Florida’s west coast is good all year long with March being an outstanding month. Now that daylight hours are growing longer by the day and water temps are steadily on the rise, both inshore bay fishing and offshore gulf fishing should be excellent.
Out on the gulf, bottom fishing for groupers and snappers will be dependable. The big change offshore will be the annul spring run. Sometime during this month we should start seeing large schools of baitfish showing up west of our beaches. With an ample food supply readily available, many different species of larger gamefish will begin to make their appearance on the spring stage. Inshore the bay fishing should get good over the next couple months with lots of different species to go after.
Following is a fishing forecast of the different species of fish anglers along Florida’s southwest coastline can expect to encounter during the next four week period.
Offshore on the Gulf of Mexico -
Kingfish (king mackerel) should start their spring run moving north up Florida’s west coast over the next few weeks. As this annual migration unfolds some of the most exciting fishing opportunities of the year will open up with plenty of fishing action for all. Look for concentrations of schooled kings feeding in areas where bait is located.
Spanish mackerel the smaller cousin of the big kings should also be making a good showing now that spring is at our doorstep. These silver speedsters will hit most any bait when actively feeding. Trolling small silver spoons is a proven technique for producing mackerels.
Little tunny often show up just ahead of the mackerels as they arrive chasing the migrating schools of bait fish. Locally called bonito, these small tuna offer excellent sport for the light tackle angler.
Grouper fishing should bust wide open over the next few weeks as the gag groupers continue to show up on area ledges and wrecks. Natural baits fished at or near the bottom is a sure-fire method to catch them. Another great way to hook into big gags is trolling large lipped lures such as Mann’s stretch-30.
Snapper fishing, especially for mangrove snapper will be very good in March as well. Mangrove snapper tend to hang on the same sort of bottom that attracts the gag groupers. Once again fishing with natural baits at or near the bottom will produce mangroves. Gearing down to lighter tackle can often mean the difference between catching these wary fish or not.
Cobia fishing should start happening as schools of these migratory fish move up the coastline. Often seen swimming at or near the surface, cobia will normally charge a fresh live baitfish such as a pinfish or threadfin sardine.
Blackfin tuna usually make a good showing about the same time as the mackerels do. These fish usually average 20 to 25 pounds, and can make for one heck of an exciting cap to a good day of fishing. When targeting blackfin consider starting your quest at least 20 miles out on the Gulf. Live bait fish drifted over structure such as a shipwreck or sinkhole spring will often produce blackfin tuna.
Greater Amberjack will also be caught while fishing around the deeper wrecks and springs during the month of March.
Inshore in the bays and along the beaches –
Snook fishing action should really start picking up this month. Favorite live baits will be pilchards, shrimp, and pinfish. Warmer water temps will draw schools of snook from the backwater creeks out toward the passes.
Red drum (redfish) will be found in skinny water as they seek warmth and churn the bottom for food. Good natural baits will include shrimp, crabs, and small live fish. Artificial baits should attempt to mimic local food source.
Speckled sea trout fishing will be excellent on any healthy grass flat. Trout will hit just about any artificial or natural bait, so keep it simple.
Sheepshead fishing is at its best in March. Look for the big sheepies to be hanging around docks, bridges and any bottom structure.
March is a great time for fishing. Remember, if you’re too busy to go fishing, you’re just too busy! Get out and go fishin cuz’ it’s good fer ya!
photos
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Venice - Offshore and Coastal - March 7th, 2005
supplied by: Super Strike Charters
RECORDED: 
70 °
FISHING: Great
Saturday, trip cancelled last minute so no fishing for us, but for the boats that I talked to that went out, they smoked the tuna. A good mix of blackfin and yellowfin. Yesterday we had Chad Heiser and gang. The morning started out slow for us, we made a little move and at about noon we started catching blackfin, by 1:00 we put 7 in the boat still waiting for the big boy, and it finally happened. The guys made a group effort and fought him for about 50 minutes. The gaff was in hand when a 140lb-150lb. yellowfin popped up, just out of range, one head shake, the line broke, and that was it for the day. I am a fishing tackle freak and have used just about every type of line, and used every type of reel on the market. Duel reels are definately the best. I cannot say enough about sufix fishing line, last year we caught some big blue marlin on straight 80lb. test, huge tuna, and plenty of other fish. Yesterday I was out of sufix floro. and had to settle for shakespeare brand floro. in the 80 and 60lb. test. The reason the leader broke is because it was rubbing against the tunas teeth. This has happened before and sometimes we make out o.k., but I found the shakespeare brand to fray easily as compared to sufix and ande floro. It is strong as long as it stays clean. Sufix and Jinkai are the strongest lines I have used for the diameter. I like using the smallest diameter line I can but still have enough strength to handle the fish we are after. Momoi and Triple Fish are also very strong, but there 80lb. test can be compared to 100lb. test in suf. and jink. As always it was a heartbreaker, because none of the guys had caught a yellowfin before. I think they will be back soon. Back at it when the weather straightens out.
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Venice - Offshore and Coastal - February 24th, 2005
supplied by: Super Strike Charters
RECORDED:
72 °
FISHING: Great
Another excellent week of offshore fishing down here. The black fin tuna bite has been about the best as I have ever seen. The yellow fin tuna bite has picked back up and the wahoo have started to move back in again. On Tuesday and Wed. Capt. B. Kenney ran the Super Strike as I catered to Jason Cannon who has done some incredible fishing articles for us and I have fished with for about the past four years. He was the managing editor of Sport Fishing Mag. for about ten years and now he is on his own. He needed to get an article so we were glad to help him out. On Tuesday Capt. Bob had 25 blackfin for his group and yesterday he had several tuna and five wahoo. Great Job Bob K. Yesterday Jason C, two other capt.'s from the marina and myself went out to see if we could get a money shot(Huge Yellow fin tuna or Mako Picture) for Jason. The action started out hot and heavy with blackfin after blackfin and we needed some yellow fin action fast. Well we got it but not the right size. We had five yellow fin total which were all about 40-50lbs. We were looking for what we call the Hundo.(tuna over 100lbs.) We finally got him on and after about a five minute fight the hook pulled. We tried again but kept catching black fin. With the weather deteorating quickly with wind and rain and not really being able to get the right pics. anymore in this type of weather we called it a day. Jason got plenty of tuna pics and should get an article out of it. He is inshore today. For all of you Full Mooners that won't fish tuna on a full moon. The moon doesn't get any fuller than the past three days and the tuna fishing has been on fire. This year more than ever most people calling do not want to fish for tuna on a full moon. It sure is hard to follow when the fish are biting like they are right now. The best advice I can give no matter what the moon is and you think you know something, ask the capt. first. If he sais the fish are biting, don't worry about the moon or anything else.It looks like the weather is going downhill fast and looks bad for the next couple of days. We still have open days left the second week of March. The tuna and wahoo bite should still be good.
Damon McKnight/Super Strike Charters/1 800 318 1720
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Venice - Offshore and Coastal - February 21st, 2005
supplied by: Super Strike Charters
RECORDED: 
70 °
FISHING: Fair
Where to start? I guess I will start with the fishing. Nothing to crazy or off the beaten path to report this week. Cancelled Thurs.-Sat. due to weather conditions and not a whole lotta fish being caught by those who were going no matter what. Yesterday we finally made it out with Warren Carro and friends. They caught 7 black fin, 1 A.J., 2 beeliners, and 2 kings. The big yella's seemed to have moved off the lump. There were a few caught but definately not like it had been. We should get a couple of more good runs with the big fish and then we will go back to our spring time techniques for tuna. The wahoo fishing is starting to pick back up again. We will be back out tommorow. The fog down here is very thick right now so if you are planning on fishing this week, make sure your radar is working. We still have open dates in March and April during the week. Don't forget Snapper season opens on April 21st. The grouper are already biting unbelievably good. But it is that time of year. Whatever you want to catch, we
'll put you on'em
Damon McKnight/Super Strike Charters/1 800 318 1720
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Venice - February 21st, 2005
supplied by: Florida Deep Sea Fishing Charters
FISHING: Good
Fishing on Florida’s west coast is good all year long with March being an outstanding month. Now that daylight hours are growing longer by the day and water temps are steadily on the rise, both inshore bay fishing and offshore gulf fishing should be excellent. Out on the gulf, bottom fishing for groupers and snappers will be dependable.
The big change offshore will be the annul spring run. Sometime during this month we should start seeing large schools of baitfish showing up west of our beaches. With an ample food supply readily available, many different species of larger gamefish will begin to make their appearance on the spring stage.
Following is a fishing forecast of the different species of fish anglers along Florida’s southwest coastline can expect to encounter during the next four week period.
Offshore on the Gulf of Mexico -
Kingfish (king mackerel) should start their spring run moving north up Florida’s west coast over the next few weeks. As this annual migration unfolds some of the most exciting fishing opportunities of the year will open up with plenty of fishing action for all. Look for concentrations of schooled kings feeding in areas where bait is located.
Spanish mackerel the smaller cousin of the big kings should also be making a good showing now that spring is at our doorstep. These silver speedsters will hit most any bait when actively feeding. Trolling small silver spoons is a proven technique for producing mackerels.
Little tunny often show up just ahead of the mackerels as they arrive chasing the migrating schools of bait fish. Locally called bonito, these small tuna offer excellent sport for the light tackle angler.
Grouper fishing should bust wide open over the next few weeks as the gag groupers continue to show up on area ledges and wrecks. Natural baits fished at or near the bottom is a sure-fire method to catch them. Another great way to hook into big gags is trolling large lipped lures such as Mann’s stretch-30.
Snapper fishing, especially for mangrove snapper will be very good in March as well. Mangrove snapper tend to hang on the same sort of bottom that attracts the gag groupers. Once again fishing with natural baits at or near the bottom will produce mangroves. Gearing down to lighter tackle can often mean the difference between catching these wary fish or not.
Cobia fishing should start happening as schools of these migratory fish move up the coastline. Often seen swimming at or near the surface, cobia will normally charge a fresh live baitfish such as a pinfish or threadfin sardine.
Blackfin tuna usually make a good showing about the same time as the mackerels do. These fish usually average 20 to 25 pounds, and can make for one heck of an exciting cap to a good day of fishing. When targeting blackfin consider starting your quest at least 20 miles out on the Gulf. Live bait fish drifted over structure such as a shipwreck or sinkhole spring will often produce blackfin tuna.
Greater Amberjack will also be caught while fishing around the deeper wrecks and springs during the month of March.
Inshore in the bays and along the beaches –
Snook fishing action should really start picking up this month. Favorite live baits will be pilchards, shrimp, and pinfish. Warmer water temps will draw schools of snook from the backwater creeks out toward the passes.
Red drum (redfish) will be found in skinny water as they seek warmth and churn the bottom for food. Good natural baits will include shrimp, crabs, and small live fish. Artificial baits should attempt to mimic local food source.
Speckled sea trout fishing will be excellent on any healthy grass flat. Trout will hit just about any artificial or natural bait, so keep it simple. Sheepshead fishing is at its best in March. Look for the big sheepies to be hanging around docks, bridges and any bottom structure.
March is a great time for fishing. Remember, if you’re too busy to go fishing, you’re just too busy! Get out and go fishin cuz’ it’s good fer ya!
photos
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Venice - Offshore and Coastal - February 14th, 2005
supplied by: Super Strike Charters
RECORDED:
65 °
FISHING: Great
The weather gave us a little bit of a break last week. The fish are there when you can get out. On Friday we had Wade McDonald and friends. The morning started out Windy and I expected it to be at least 5's when we got out there but surprisingly it was only 2-3's and spread out some. Luckily the current was going with the wind. The bite started out slow and picked up at about 10:00 a.m. Our first black fin came into the boat, followed by two more. Then Mr. McDonald called it a day due to sea sickness at 11:00. Back to the dock for us. I found out later that day the bite really got hot at about 1:30 that afternoon. I was not surprised, usually the day after a front the fish are somewhat lock-jawed and don't bite until mid-late afternoon. Friday was definitely the coldest day I have fished all year.
Saturday was a completely different day. Mr. Lyle Russell and two close friends, that made fun of each other all day, finally got to come down and go fishing with us. The seas were slick calm and the weather had definitely warmed up from the day before. We got an earlier than usual start due to the expected crowd at the tuna fishing grounds. Our first yellow fin came in the boat 10 minutes after we started fishing. From there on it was slow but steady. We ended the day with 4 yellow fins and 2 black fins. The largest for the day was 114.0lbs. and the smallest was about 40lbs. It was a great day out on the water with perfect conditions. Mr. Russell will be back down to fish in two weeks.
One remarkable note about the fish on Saturday. We fought no fish longer than 7 minutes. Good thing too because of the amount of anchor ropes out there. The 114 came in the boat after 7 minutes of fighting this fish. On average this should take about 15-30 minutes depending on the angler and the stamina of the fish. This is very uncommon but I have seen days when the tuna just do not fight very hard. No drag was taken by any of the yellows, until I gaffed one in the gills and he took off with my gaff leaving the foam grips in each of my hands. But the gaff shot almost killed the fish instantly and the gaff and the fish were recovered. I do not know what would cause these fish not to fight at all. But in most cases when we happen to have these types of days the tuna are so full that when you clean them it looks like their stomach is about to explode. Do fish that eat more than they can handle in a short period of time fight less than one that is not very full, I do not know. This is the only visual thing I have seen that would differentiate the ones that give an all out battle to ones that barely fight at all. And I am just not talking about a stomach full; most tuna have a full stomach. I am talking about an unbelievable amount of undigested food. I talked to another Capt. that fished Sat. and he was telling me the exact same thing about the amount of time it took to get his 100lber for the day in the boat. I have noticed this over the past several years but only now my curiosity is starting to get the better of me. If anyone has the answer to this please let me know.
We cancelled yesterday and today due to the weather forecast, although yesterday the wind really didn't pick up until about 3:00 p.m. which means we should have fished yesterday. Back at it tomorrow.
Damon McKnight/Super Strike Charters/www.superstrikecharters.com
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Venice - Offshore and Coastal - January 25th, 2005
supplied by: Super Strike Charters
RECORDED:
65 °
FISHING: Great
Incredible Tuna and Wahoo Fishing!
Once again it is that time of year when the big yellow fin tuna and wahoo move close to our shores to produce some incredible action. The wahoo so far have been averaging 50-85lbs. and the tuna have been in the 130lb. class with a few breaking the 180lb. mark. The weather has been beautiful with the exception of a few foggy days but so far this winter has been mild and great for getting offshore.
Most of our fish have been coming off of cut bonita but a fresh menhadden will work as well. Most of the wahoo have been eating just about any type of plug you put in front of their face. Rapala, Stretch 30, Mirro-lure, Braid, and Yozuri have been the bait of choice. If you want to try for a 100+lb. wahoo then live bait fished King Mackerel style will usually do the trick.
We are putting our heavy tackle to the test right now and it is doing good. Our fishing outfits consist of Duel 6/0 and 4/0 wide reels on Cape Fear 80-130lb. stand up rods. The reels are spooled with Suffix 80lb. and 60lb. mono. The 60 is lighter than I like to fish but some days the tuna are line shy and this helps with your hook-up ratio.
We will be fishing everyday that the weather allows so stay tuned for more reports. We will be doing a T.V. show with Americana Outdoors which will air on Fox Sports and OLN. I will post exact dates and times after we film.
Capt. Damon McKnight/Super Strike Charters
Weather and Lunar Phases
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Venice - December 8th, 2004
supplied by: Florida Deep Sea Fishing Charters
FISHING: Great
December can be somewhat of a transitional month when it comes to fishing out on the gulf. What species of fish to target, and how good the fishing action will be is truly dependant on the weather conditions. If we have a mild December, the fishing action should be red hot. Then again, if we get pounded with some early cold fronts, fishing activity on the gulf will be limited to the periods in-between the fronts when the wind and seas lie down enough to allow anglers to get offshore.
With this said, I’m looking ahead to some good fishing action over the next month. The shorter days and cooler air temperatures should make for comfortable days while out on the water. Just be sure to bring a jacket along. As the gulf’s water temperature continues to inch down, bottom fishing in closer to the coastline should really start heating up.
Following is a forecast of what anglers may expect to catch on the Gulf of Mexico in the month of December.
- Gag groupers should start showing up on some of the hard bottoms, ledges, and artificial reefs in closer to the coastline. Usually around this time of the year the gags move into “short bottom”. What this means to local anglers is that gags in the keeper size range should be showing in 35’ to 65’ of water. Trolling with large lipped, deep diving lures is a great way to hookup with one of these great tasting bottom dwellers. Another method to catch gag groupers is to anchor the boat just up wind from the bottom structure and drop baits such as live pinfish and cut sardines down to them.
- Mangrove snapper fishing should be dependable. The same areas that hold the gags will also draw in the schools of mangrove snappers. Gearing down to lighter tackle is often the key to hooking up with snappers. Once again, anchoring the boat just up wind from the bottom structure should prove productive.
- Cobia will be migrating south down the coast this month. On clear sunny days in-between cold colds will be the best time to target them. Look for lazy fish sunning themselves at or near the surface. Cobias are curious fish and love to hang around any sort of flotsam at the surface or down around any sort of bottom structure. The stone crab trap buoys are a great place to look for cobias. Also be on the lookout for tripletail fish around these buoys as well.
- Kingfish and Spanish mackerels may still be around this month. I’ve seen years in the past where we caught them good right up through the New Year, so don’t rule them out to early.
- Greater amberjacks should start making a solid showing sometime before Christmas. Most of the action with the larger “keeper size” fish will be found farther offshore in the 100’ to 150’ range. This equates to 30 to 50 miles offshore of local beaches. Live baitfish is a hard bait to beat.
- Blackfin tuna may be a viable option on some of the deeper wrecks. If we have mild December, then I would expect to see some blackfins at the filet table over the next couple weeks.
Usually the first couple weeks of December are very mild. This means all sorts of gulf fishing opportunities. If the weather is nice, you can bet that the fishing action will be sizzling!
Remember, if you’re too busy to go fishing you’re just too busy. Get out and go fishin cuz’ it’s good fer ya!
photos
Weather and Lunar Phases
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