Captain Bob Bushholz
Jensen Beach, Florida
(772) 225-6436
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ALL YEAR LONG!!!!' | | Fishing Report for
August 19th, 2002
"Fish Deep,Deep,Deeper"
It's been a busy week on the Catch 22,
running several charters, with the morning trips producing better catches.
Starting on Monday, it was a party of five "the McClouds".
Departing at 8 a.m., we ran north near Walton Rod on the west side of the
Indian River, trying the grass flats in 3-4 feet for trout. A combination
of DOA shrimp and live shrimp under popping corks produced several trout
under 20". By 9 a.m., it was time to move north, running to Little
Mud Creek on the east side. During the past eight weeks tarpon in the
30-lb. class could be seen rolling on a regular basis. That particular
morning we observed a flats boat that was fishing smack in the middle of
the entrance to Little Mud tossing live mullet. While we were there these
guys hooked up 2 bull sharks to 100 lbs, but there was no sign of tarpon
("poons") in the neighborhood. We did witness a few manatees in
the area, which really topped off the flats boat fishermen's day. After
watching the manatee frolic for a while, I departed Little Mud in pursuit
of some bottom fishing action. It proved to be the right move, with plenty
of fish caught, including a 6-lb. snook, 5-lb. tripletail and tons of lane
and mangrove snapper. Results have been good at both the channel markers
and the Jensen Beach Causeway.
Tuesday was another 8 a.m. departure with a party of three, Richard
and Hank Janczewsky and Bruce Raymon. Heading north again produced lots of
action with mangrove and lane snapper, lookdowns, tripletail, flounder,
black drum and a real mixture of other fish. I just need to say here that
the tripletail was #71 for the year so there's still time for me to hit
the 100 mark.
Due to unfavorable conditions in the St. Lucie Inlet the past two
months, I've had to head northward away from the "nasty water".
The Spillways were opened up again this past week and believe me, it's not
a pretty sight. Just ask anyone sitting in a riverfront restaurant what
the water looks like and most of the time they say "iced
coffee". Not only is the view nasty, the smell isn't so great either.
Thursday was a full day charter with the Shupenko family from Miami.
Heading north in the morning produced lots of fish and lots of action,
hitting channel markers and bridges. Departing at 8 a.m. allows only a
limited shallow-water action due to the heat factor. Normally by 9 a.m. in
the summer I like to head to deeper water. Around noon we headed for the
Inlet for incoming tide. It was good to be able to fish the Inlet on an
incoming tide, finally seeing some sign of salinity in the water. There
were some excellent fish caught drifting on the south side, including a
3l" snook (safely released).
To sum it up, it's still extremely hot so get out early and hit the
flats until 9 a.m. After 9, fish deeper and try to time your inlet trips
to fish the incoming tide. There's still a chance for some tarpon in the
surf, but again fish early. Snook season is just around the corner
(September 1) and I'm looking forward to some great night trips. It's been
a great summer, but remember we've still got the best area for some great
fishing no matter how hot it is. Sometimes I think the fish are smarter
than we are. They have enough sense to stay in the shade and look for
deeper water. I've heard they're a little short of sun block and no one
cruises their area with "Foster Grants". Until next time, tight
lines everyone.
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