2012-1-27 Another beautiful week in Venice, Fl. paradise.The weather has been awesome and fishing continues to get better each week.  We caught pompano, trout, redfish, sheepshead and snook this past week. Each day was a little different but all were good. Of course we have some ladyfish and other species to help add action in between the gamefish. Fishing has not been fast and furious like spring time yet but we are usually catching at least twenty fish and some days many more. We had two on at a time, “double headers” of trout, snook, and ladyfish several times this past week. With the fair weather more folks seem to be deciding to go fish this year. Maybe our economy is improving finally because I am defiantly doing more trips this season.  I’m sure the warm sunny days help too.

I was presently surprised to find minnows abundant on both Wednesday and Thursday’s trips. Finding whitebait and threadfins in January is most unusual, go figure? We did manage to catch some bigger trout, up to twenty-four inches, and nice reds plus several snook on Thursday with the minnows. Shrimp under rattle corks has been the ticket most days. The trick seams to be to make noise with the corks with short, sharp jerks every minute or so. The bubbles and noise seems to really help call fish in;  if it’s not slick calm. Very calm days are more challenging so take it easy. I am using the electric motor frequently to move along shorelines and edges quietly. We pick up a few fish and move downwind a little every twenty minutes or so.

The few delicious pompano we did get were just mixed in while we were trout fishing deeper edges. Sheepshead are not thick yet but improving and should get much better if things cool off. They can be tricky to catch but eat great. We did get a windy front with some rain this AM which will bring temps back to normal; like lows in the fifties and highs into the mid and upper seventies.

Water temps ranged from low sixties early in the week to over seventy degrees in protected waters yesterday. My guess is this is why some snook bit once in a while.

I did see a few very small mackerel and little tunny striking in the minnows early mornings in the near shore Gulf, but the winds picked up so we did not get to try them outside last week. If the weather does not run those minnows south we could enjoy some unusual but wonderful action next month. We didn’t get any flounder last week because we were not jigging any. The corks kept our presentations above the grass in front of trout but away from flat bottom fish.

If warmer weather continues expect to see migratory action early this spring and summer. Please set up your snook, kingfish, and tarpon trips as soon as you can to insure your preferred dates. Life is great from Boca Grande to my south, up thru Englewood and north to Venice right now; and I’m smiling right here in the middle! Stump Pass and Lemon Bay waters have been clear and fishy so far this year.

Thank you and Let’s Go Fishin’ soon. Captain Van Hubbard  <www.captvan.com>