tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74726062272114315732011-07-07T17:28:37.378-07:00spottedtailnoreply@blogger.comBlogger731100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-89926591423018279572010-07-31T05:17:00.000-07:002010-08-09T05:21:02.999-07:00

The tarpon fleet after some Georgia silver kings.

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-91712571724816350632010-06-03T20:10:00.000-07:002010-06-13T20:30:21.446-07:00

Had a trip for South FL the last couple of days, good stuff down in the Everglades. Mangrove jungles, skunk apes, and hungry fish!

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-4831392287104023852009-11-21T19:32:00.000-08:002009-11-21T19:36:48.135-08:00

Had another order from my distributor for the DVD's so I have a whole new box of inventory on hand. Perfect timing for the Holidays, in case anyone out there is looking for some last minute gift ideas for a Christmas present this year.http://www.spottedtailproductions.com/store.html

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-72826288056806040182009-11-14T10:23:00.000-08:002009-11-16T11:00:39.116-08:00

Day 2 started out with similar weather as day one - good sun, light winds, and a little bit warmer. Today we were hoping to get into the big reds and find them feeding a little better than yesterday. We worked the entrance to a pond at our first stop, only to find a decent sized black drum that was not interested in eating my fly. Along the bank, however, were some fish working the white shrimp

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-51027487830578441732009-11-13T18:49:00.000-08:002009-11-15T19:45:17.090-08:00

Headed down to New Orleans Thursday night for my annual trip to the marsh. This year, my Dad joined me for 2 days of outstanding redfishing with my buddy Capt. Christian Yergens of Shallow Water Expeditions. We had some very favorable weather conditions following Hurricane Ida that blew through earlier in the week.Day 1 was sunny, light winds, and temps in the 70's. We started out the day seeing

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-31504098047104867682009-10-18T05:25:00.000-07:002009-10-19T05:33:21.162-07:00

Went back out today for some more redfish action. Today was windier and colder, but the fish seemed to have adjusted better to the cold front that came in Friday. The wind had the water stirred up a little, but the fish were more comfortable and eating a lot better than yesterday.I had Russ Gibbs and Tom Dekle with me today and we had a great morning with nonstop action on our first flat. We

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-34769607587448141622009-10-17T05:16:00.000-07:002009-10-19T05:25:37.727-07:00

Been too long since I was down on the coast, but got down there this weekend for some fall redfishing. Got the boat uncovered and cleaned back up and went out Saturday with Carolyn. Windy and cold, but we found a few reds up on the flats chasing the white shrimp that are in the bay this time of year. Only got one little guy to eat.

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-53772811135918192872009-07-06T19:30:00.000-07:002009-07-06T19:33:08.695-07:00

Was down for a few days this past week in search of tarpon. Between the rough weather I was able to get a couple of eats but no hook-ups on the fly. One day, after getting run off the beach by big swells, Carolyn and I found some decent redfish up shallow. Good light and protected water made for some exciting sightfishing.

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-91674361296498230382009-06-21T19:27:00.000-07:002009-07-06T19:33:23.616-07:00

Took my dad and Father-in-Law out on the bay for Father's Day. It was hot and muggy and generally pretty slow. But we did find a few fish sleeping in the grass, one of which decided to wake up and eat when my dad made a cast right by his head. About 28", 9 lbs on the boga.

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-10132233038075898782009-05-31T07:50:00.000-07:002009-05-31T08:14:15.612-07:00

Got down to the coast for a long weekend. Pretty wet weather for the most part, but did get a chance to slip the new boat out a couple of times. Fished in the bay with Jeff the last day after the weather had passed and tallied 6 reds plus some trout. The change in weather really had the fish more active and feeding.

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-35557779152186495112009-05-05T20:08:00.001-07:002009-05-05T20:31:04.537-07:00

Its been a while since I've had a fishing report to post, most recently due to the murky waters the gulf has seen from the spring rain runoff throughout the Southeast. Hopefully it will clear up soon. Until then, its been nice to play around with my new boat, a Dolphin Renegade:

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-23006714610779471752009-01-03T05:17:00.000-08:002009-01-22T05:24:13.510-08:00

Started out the new year exploring a new and less fished area close to home with my buddy Jason Stacy. While there weren't a ton of fish out, this area looked to be promising for later on in the season when it gets a bit warmer. Some nice grass flats and salt ponds, which should hold a lot of bait during Spring and Summer. We did stumble upon this little guy, who was slowly cruising a bank and

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-67377489653275829192008-12-10T19:59:00.000-08:002008-12-10T21:13:19.369-08:00

Headed down to New Orleans on Thursday night for a weekend of fishing the Louisiana marshes for giant reds with my buddy Capt. Christian Yergens of Shallow Water Expeditions. Had three days planned, and favorable weather, albeit cold and windy, forecasted for about half of that time.Capt. Yergs at the helmDay 1:Cold and windy, just as NOAA had predicted. We let the sun warm the flats a little

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-17094740215654766512008-11-29T15:56:00.000-08:002008-12-09T19:37:15.059-08:00

Got a chance to slip out on the water during the holiday break, and I extended my thanksgiving to all the redfish that decided to put on a show for us today. I was fishing with my friend Travis from Birmingham, and we decided to give it a shot despite the morning storms. After sitting through a heavy shower at the boat ramp, the radar looked clear and the bay had turned to glass, so we headed out

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-37562740623003512412008-09-27T10:58:00.000-07:002008-10-03T12:48:16.594-07:00

Slipped out on the bay this morning to enjoy the fall weather. Despite the fact that there was a Redfish Cup tournament going on out Pensacola and there were quite a few boats racing around the bay, it was a pleasant morning. Was fishing solo, had great sunlight, 5 mph N winds, temps in the 70's, and a decent tidal flow. Saw a handful of fish, and fed 2 from the platform with my fly rod while

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-89222020677730838262008-08-28T06:31:00.000-07:002008-08-28T09:26:47.792-07:00

Carolyn and I tied the knot last week down at WaterSound Beach and then headed straight to Belize for our honeymoon. We enjoyed nice weather all week, along with good tides and plenty of bonefish.We arrived on Ambergris Caye via a Tropic Air puddle jumper and flew directly over the many flats and channels that made their way through the maze of mangrove islands. After landing, we drove through

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-15239606306662763272008-08-14T14:19:00.000-07:002008-08-14T14:31:27.237-07:00

Fished with my dad and Carolyn's dad this morning under overcast skies and a full tide. We've had storms the last 2-3 days and the water was pretty churned up, despite the heavier push of new tide water during the morning incoming swing. After some searching, though, we found some clearer water and a few willing redfish tailing up in the skinniest of skinny waters. Congrats to Big Phil on his

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-85526672674027761722008-08-10T19:40:00.000-07:002008-08-13T13:00:41.156-07:00

Had a pre-wedding fishing trip with two of my best friends from home this past weekend. Matthew and Bucky drove down and we met over in Port St Joe to fish for a few days. Though we had late season tarpon on our minds, we came prepared for a variety of species.Day 1: We fished over in Crooked Island Sound and ended up getting on some tailing reds during the morning since the beach front was

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-40580967441729017702008-08-10T16:46:00.000-07:002008-08-10T17:13:34.251-07:00

Went back out to the bay this morning with Carolyn, but we were met with unfriendly wind gusts when we got to the ramp. We went on anyway, figuring we could blind cast some grass flats for reds and trout. Not too long into our first flat, Carolyn hooked a nice little trout. Fortunately, the wind died and the white caps disappeared about the same time the sun came out, and we were then able to

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-58670054461308764332008-08-06T13:17:00.000-07:002008-08-06T13:30:02.119-07:00

Got to slip out for a quick morning trip today with my good friend Jason Stacy, manager of the Old Florida Outfitters shop where SWE is based. Its always a treat fishing with someone who can see and throw to fish as well as Jason can, and then will hop up on the pushpole and switch ends of the boat. We were dragging bottom all morning trying to find some crawling redfish. We saw some with their

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-90443940213790118562008-07-28T10:42:00.001-07:002008-07-28T10:50:15.812-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of taking Tom Wilbanks and his son-in law out on their first search for panhandle tarpon. The fishing gods were certainly smiling on us that day as hoards of fish swam by out boat throughout the morning and afternoon. We experienced several pushes of big pods of tarpon all day long. They were just pouring by the boat, usually in groups of at least 6 fish.

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-41171272989227511022008-07-14T19:46:00.000-07:002008-07-15T06:26:24.469-07:00

Woke up today to thundering clouds and gloomy skies, but as soon as the sun burned the cloud cover off the horizon, we had some pretty good weather. Light winds, good sunlight, and a pretty high tide on the bay.  We first found a group of about 30 redfish, but they were pretty spooky. So we moved on to an area that I knew the fish would be feeding in. Sure enough, the fish were there but they

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-82104564156416061642008-07-08T10:03:00.000-07:002008-07-08T10:13:51.299-07:00

Had some great weather over the holiday weekend, low winds and good sunlight. The tides were high this week and the fish were taking advantage of the increased water flow. I fished Sunday with a friend from Birmingham for a much needed day off. Travis and I found a bunch of fish tailing very shallow, mostly in groups of 2-3 fish at a time. Though they weren't the biggest reds in the world, we had

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-8706261098508300652008-06-21T21:57:00.000-07:002008-07-08T10:03:31.837-07:00

Fished with Fred and Larry today from Tallahassee for some afternoon redfish up in the bay. Once the wind died a little we were able to work a few flats and find some nice fish. They were cruising tight along the bank while the water was still up, providing us with some great visual shots.

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-4395259633588096132008-05-22T13:58:00.000-07:002008-05-22T15:01:02.854-07:00

Spent a few days last week down south in the Florida Keys chasing tarpon. Day one was out of Islamorada, and the trip officially began the night before at the Lorelei with a blackened fish sandwhich and some cold Kaliks. In the first hour of the first morning of my trip I found myself and my 11wt fly rod tight on a tarpon of about 80 lbs. Got a bunch of great jumps right at the boat, and landed

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-38114442027294588452008-05-09T19:43:00.001-07:002008-05-09T21:29:51.189-07:00

Been fishing some still water around Nashville the last few weeks for hybrids and stripers. Early mornings and late evenings have been hot, with fish feeding on baitfish patterns fished under sink tip lines. Also got to see the spawning carp do their thing up in the shallows at the lake. 

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-20351533549130014632008-04-05T22:49:00.000-07:002008-04-07T10:58:06.210-07:00

Went to Knoxville this weekend to visit a good friend of mine from home. While there, we took his canoe out for a float on the Holston River just outside of town in search of smallmouth bass. It was overcast and the water was a little off-color from the recent rain showers, but we were able to find about a half dozen or so smallies throughout the afternoon. Most of them were in the deeper

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-79866840070946973642008-03-29T18:02:00.000-07:002008-03-29T18:15:01.568-07:00

Back on the flats for some more schooling fish with Mel and Lucas Bailey from Cullman, AL. Despite the wind, the fish were very active - pushing large wakes as they moved around in the shallow water. We found small schools on just about every flat we fished, including a large school of big fish on our last flat of the day. Mel connected early with a 24" red, and Lucas followed up later with a

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-29621749063466874962008-03-29T17:42:00.000-07:002008-03-29T18:02:05.420-07:00

Fished the Brodericks from Indiana today for some spring time redfishing on the bay. The reds were schooled up and became active as the sun warmed the flats throughout the day. We saw plenty of fish pushing, tailing, and rolling - and three nice reds were brought to boat.

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-2271306454475406622007-11-06T08:24:00.000-08:002007-11-12T08:41:38.472-08:00

The Mountain Film Festival was also hosted at Watercolor this past weekend and Ben, Travis, and Frank from Felt Soul Media* were down to help host the event and show their film, "Running Down the Man". If you havent seen it yet, you owe it to yourself to check it out as well as the trailer for their current project on Bristol Bay and the proposed Pebble Mine that has the potential to ruin the

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-44263910340667291492007-11-04T08:17:00.000-08:002007-11-12T20:38:30.786-08:00

Was down at the coast over the last week and got into some bonita on the beach. There was an IFA redfish tourny screwing up the bay fishing so Jason, Kyle, and I decided to head out on the beach instead in Kyle's tower boat. We were greeted by pods of glass minnows and blood minnows that were being busted up by schools of bonita, chicken dolphin, and sharks. We had a great time drifting into

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-27663776223989292522007-09-14T08:13:00.000-07:002007-11-12T08:16:52.511-08:00

Well, I've found myself in middle Tennessee away from all hopes of salt air and tailing fish. The closest thing I've found to a tide, however, is the effect of power generation on water flows of the the Caney Fork, a short 45 minute drive away. I visited that tailwater with my friend Wes Jones the other day and experienced a "flood tide" typical of that found on the coast during a full or new

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-3047813575307556892007-08-12T07:18:00.000-07:002007-11-12T09:39:47.186-08:00

Spent the last few days out in Jackson Hole, WY with my girlfriend and her family - enjoying the cooler weather, mountains, and trout streams that the region had to offer. Quite a nice break from the 100+ temps of Florida, and a good way to end the summer season. Following are a bunch of photos from our trip.The first day we took two boats out of Jack Dennis Sports for a float down the Snake

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-88192187744627251462007-08-03T00:25:00.000-07:002007-11-12T00:28:07.864-08:00

Went out on my own with the intentions of doing some more filming on the bay. The reds have been very camera friendly lately on the lower tides, but yesterday they were acting a little different. They were still up on the flats, but not sticking their backs and tails up in the air too much. I was contemplating whether to fish or run back in, and I noticed a wake coming right at my boat, which I

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-19513420861775433482007-08-02T00:03:00.000-07:002007-11-12T00:06:29.919-08:00

All the guides for Shallow Water Expeditions took a trip over to the Louisiana marsh for a couple of days to mark the end of the summer season. It was hot and muddy water, but we still all had a great time. 9 of us altogether and 3 skiffs, making a big parade through the marsh creeks and ponds.A redfish of almost 15 lbs I caught on the cast after I pulled the hook on a 20+ lb fish

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-20271265603595340302007-07-25T23:22:00.000-07:002007-11-11T23:26:26.784-08:00

Had a rough start today with some car trouble, but somehow managed to make it to the boat ramp and slide the boat in. Had to drive the whole way to the boat ramp without taking a foot off the gas or else it would stall out and require jumper cables to get going again. Big thanks to David for caravaning over to the launch with me. Mark Powell from Arkansas joined me on board today for a bay trip

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-38736977188510429332007-07-24T23:30:00.000-07:002007-11-12T00:30:00.727-08:00

In the spirit of one of my clients this season from Norway, who had come to fish for 'tarpoons', I headed out today on the beach with a guide friend for some tarpon fishing. Found some fish swimming and we were able to feed about 5 between the two of us. Three of those came unbuttoned, but we were able to jump one a few times and land another. Shot some video on one fish. Also got the clip

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-36133912162510039162007-07-23T23:26:00.000-07:002007-11-11T23:29:14.054-08:00

My parents came down from Alabama to visit me for a couple of days and I took them out on the bay first thing this morning. Its been an ongoing project to get my Dad his first red on fly and though we've come close in the past, it finally happened today. We had a few fish up skinny just cruising around looking for food. Dad's cast was in front of the fish and he let it sit till the fish moved

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-30121162143344426892007-07-22T23:18:00.000-07:002007-11-11T23:21:41.619-08:00

Went out this morning with the fly shop manager Jason Stacy for some much needed fun fishing. Had spent the whole week on charters watching fish swim up in the shallow water with their backs exposed, so I decided to take advantage of a morning off and the neap tides and wade around for some of these hungry reds. Jason and I hopped out of the skiff and found a handfull of slot fish right off the

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-57096873983251183072007-06-29T23:14:00.000-07:002007-11-11T23:18:28.984-08:00

This week has been good up on the flats, with lots of tailing fish around up in the flooded grass. Stealthy approaches and accurate casts were in order for the week, but we were able to bring some nice fish to the boat. Tarpon out on the beaches and reds up in the bay, plenty of summer still to come.Nice fish we got out of a small group cruising the early morning flats. This fish was feeding

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-53104253344877221712007-06-11T23:11:00.000-07:002007-11-11T23:14:01.531-08:00

Had a textbook day on the water today with Blake Hearnsberger from TX. We arrived at the ramp and were greeted by a dead slick calm covering the bay. The tide was high outgoing, and we were able to see many fish along the grassline as we poled down the flat at first light. The first fish came at a perfect head-on shot, and we were able to see the fish turn, follow, and eat the fluke all right

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-17610119737868574702007-06-08T23:03:00.000-07:002007-11-11T23:10:47.481-08:00

Fished with my good friend Bucky today out along the beach looking for some tarpon. Before today most of the fish I had been seeing were "wrong way fish" headed East, but today most of them were coming from the East. We saw about 30 tarpon throughout the morning, but got no good shots. Also saw a big bull shark probably 8 feet in length that swam up to the boat and circled a couple of times.Once

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-16969485673603366822007-06-04T23:01:00.000-07:002007-11-11T23:03:14.948-08:00

High winds and gray skies didn't keep us off the water today. It did keep us throwing topwater, though. We had some great blowups from reds and trout up on the grass flats. Once the winds give us a break we should get some good tailing sightfishing going on again.

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-82442425247375340272007-06-01T22:58:00.000-07:002007-11-11T23:00:49.176-08:00

Had a great week out on the bay this week. Lots of tailing reds up in the skinny water. The higher tides allowed the fish to get up in the grass as well. Fished with Rick and Manny from Texas this morning, and had a good time as they brought 6 reds to the boat - including one double between the two of them. Looking forward to the winds giving us a little break and the beaches clearing up so we

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-50747609074061824702007-05-29T22:50:00.000-07:002007-11-11T22:57:50.313-08:00

Despite high winds and muddied water, the fishing has been exciting over the last week or so. Reds are showing in the bay - some still schooled up in big wads and others spread out providing individual shots. We've seen a handful of big trout in the 30" range as well, including a recent catch of a 29" speck.Along the beaches the tarpon are moving around - mostly what I've been seeing are "wrong

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-41410339392659488932007-05-24T22:48:00.000-07:002007-11-11T22:50:00.550-08:00

Fished with Frank Whitaker from Athens last Thursday and had some great shots at redfish, despite the wind. Frank got his first red, a nice 26" fish, sightfished to in about a foot of water.

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-44066553639953566812007-05-21T22:45:00.000-07:002007-11-11T22:48:02.879-08:00

Travis Volion from Louisiana joined me today for a day on the bay. After the morning wind settled down we had some good sunlight for sightfishing on the flats. We worked around for a while before finding a good group of fish. Travis pulled a nice red out of the group, measured 29" and 9 lbs on the boga.

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-15301529072476204492007-05-16T22:41:00.000-07:002007-11-11T22:45:09.948-08:00

Had a bay trip this morning with Brad and Jayson from Texas. Started out a little slow as we only found a few fish tailing on the bank. As the light shifted more overhead, we were able to see some fish over the sand holes and get some better shots. We eventually found a good sized school of fish and made a couple of passes at it, hooking up each time. Jason was able to get a multispot 24" and a

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-82513043356575525702007-04-19T07:49:00.000-07:002007-11-11T07:52:25.763-08:00

Got my first day off in a long time and headed out on the water by myself this morning with hopes of finding tailers in the grass. It was windy, so I went to a flat on the other side of the river where it was a little more protected. Water depth was good up on the flooded grass flat, but there were no fish to be found. Figured it'd be about time for the tailers to start up, but must still be a

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-87306491528611417162007-03-24T07:47:00.000-07:002007-11-11T07:49:15.742-08:00

Woke up this morning and was on the flat as the sun rose. It was slick calm and the fish were pushing water and even tailing on the flat we were fishing. We had a few schools working around us, and even a few very big singles pushing in water that barely covered their backs. At one point after the sun had gained a little height we saw a lone cruiser that was close to 40" long, a rare sight on the

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-44603664321225740352007-03-11T23:44:00.000-07:002007-11-10T23:54:28.711-08:00

After a three week hiatus, I finally got a chance to slip out on the water this morning. I've been busy with work and taking classes for my captain's license, and missed out on the past three weekends. This one was a good one to come back on. Woke up this morning at 5:45 to warmer air temps. The Charleston Harbor was blanketed with a thick fog, and the water was dead slick. I put in about 30

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-82336164290788081262007-02-11T23:39:00.000-08:002007-11-10T23:42:34.270-08:00

6 A.M. - 30 degrees. Scraped the frost of the windshield and was on the road to the boat ramp. 5-10 mph turned out to be about 10-15. Headed back to an area that's been holding a bunch of fish and found them all grouped up, and of course spooky. Had to scare off a few dolphins from their morning feeding, then tried to give the reds time to calm down. Despite the cold and wind, we did have good

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-55004873036960646332007-02-03T23:34:00.000-08:002007-11-10T23:38:29.971-08:00

Had to work today, so I made sure to go in early enough to make it out of the office with time to fish the afternoon low. After last weekend, I was looking forward to the low tide being in the afternoon - hoping that the sun would warm the mud flats up a little and get the fish a bit more active. Much to the contrary, it was cold, windy, and overcast. Nevertheless, I had the boat ready and my

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-86912746875747759082007-01-28T23:29:00.000-08:002007-11-10T23:32:43.497-08:00

Headed back this morning the same spot we fished yesterday - to find the same fish being beat up by the same dolphins. I fished today with my friend Dave Dalu, and it was a bit windier. Still, we had a few shots at some rather large wads of fish. Today it was more like one giant school rather than 3-4 divisions like we found yesterday morning. Most of the time, the fish were skittish before the

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-31995254328988616952007-01-27T23:25:00.000-08:002007-11-10T23:28:57.288-08:00

I woke up this morning at 5:45 to find a layer of frost covering the deck of my skiff. Forecast said 36 degrees, and I think for once it was right. The plan was to drive up the road to scout out a new area for the low tide, which was at about 8:45 this morning. I met my friend, AB Puckett, for an early breakfast and then headed for the boat ramp. We were in the water by 7:00 and I was up on the

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-49856983075119630212007-01-14T23:14:00.000-08:002007-11-10T23:25:27.020-08:00

Headed down to Florida for the weekend to meet up with Capt. Chris Herrera to do some fishing and filming. Saturday we fished around Palm Coast and St. Augustine under near perfect conditions. Wind was down, sun was out, and the tide was coming in. However, the 80 degree weather in mid-January has the schools of reds confused and spread out. We did some searching and only found some spooky reds

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-49817714325055681882006-12-17T23:08:00.000-08:002007-11-10T23:14:12.766-08:00

Fished around low tide on a mud flat that was holding an impressive school of over 100 fish. I poled over them the first time and bumped them up, but realized what was going on and let them settle back down again. There were fish of all sizes in this school, many in the 30" range near the front of it. As I circled around, we found the school again and I picked one out of the group that turned out

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-18747972031602344222006-12-16T23:05:00.000-08:002007-11-10T23:07:29.851-08:00

Went out Friday at noon with friend Dave Dalu in his Super Skiff and poked around on the incoming, looking for reds along the grass line. Saw a few moving thick into the grass, but they never came out to give us a shot. Picked up one little red on the fly, probably 17" long. Ate a rattle copperhead fly as I stripped it out of the grass.Went out again Saturday morning to fish a mud flat that

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-42049399931371760372006-11-19T23:02:00.000-08:002007-11-10T23:05:05.162-08:00

Went back out today for round two of the weekend. Had similar conditions as yesterday, but a little more wind. Lots of boats on the water today, seemed to all be fishing the same water, so I tried to find a spot to myself. Went to a good flat that is usually productive, only to find another boat already there. As I was leaving the area I noticed the other boat coming out as well, so I turned

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-88141589720425256662006-11-18T22:57:00.000-08:002007-11-10T23:01:44.781-08:00

Today was a great day, spent scouting out a new area during the low tide at mid day. I have been out quite a few times since my last report, but have had nothing worth mentioning. Been struggling with weather and muddy water. Today was different. Had a front come through a couple of days ago, cooling things down and leaving this morning glassy calm. I put in at mid morning and began scouting this

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-15152115287361379792006-10-15T22:54:00.000-07:002007-11-10T22:56:57.483-08:00

Went back out this morning to scout out a different mud flat from yesterday morning. Wasnt disappointed. Was a chilly run to my spot, but started to warm up pretty good at about 9:30. Got to the flat at slack tide, and once it turned the fish became active. Fish were skinny again, feeding in just inches of water with their backs exposed. I was fishing with a friend this morning and we caught 4

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-12048138313424463622006-10-14T22:46:00.000-07:002007-11-10T22:53:46.555-08:00

Was meant to be this morning. Alarm was set by accident for PM, but I woke up anyway. Weather was cool and in the 50's, 5-10 mph winds. Fished solo on the incoming tide on a mud flat I've had some success at before. Poled for a while before seeing my first fish, but then it was steady for the next hour or so. Mud was soft and I was pushing the boat through it, so I figure the fish were in about 5

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-89651706006122812212006-10-08T22:41:00.000-07:002007-11-10T22:46:53.069-08:00

Went back out this morning to the grass flats for the 7.2 ft high. Water came in early and flooded the flat quickly. Bucky and I got up and on the road before the sun came up. We found a few tailing at the first spot on the incoming and fed two that broke off. Water came up too high to see them tailing, so we waited for the tide to start ebbing. Found a few more once the water level dropped some,

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-9308898868293425112006-10-07T19:40:00.000-07:002007-11-10T22:47:52.321-08:00

With the full moon being last night, this morning's tide was way up into the grass and more than plenty for the reds to move up onto the flats. A front pushed through the area during the evening, bringing strong winds and a drop in temperature. Fortunately, the winds had weakened from about 30+ mph down to 10-15 mph by sunrise this morning. Up at 5:45 and on the road by 6:00, to meet up with

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-91350648399190089122006-10-04T19:34:00.000-07:002007-11-10T19:39:17.547-08:00

We had a big tide this evening with the approaching full moon, and I slipped the boat in the water for a quick after work trip. Met my friend Dave Dalu at the ramp and made a short run to some nearby flats, only having about an hour before it would be too dark to fish. The water was calm and way up in the grass, thanks to the 6.4 ft tide. It didnt take long before we were on fish, and I was on

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-14817757933476130742006-09-17T19:18:00.000-07:002007-11-10T19:29:54.390-08:00

Yesterday I spent the majority of daylight hours on the water. I got up and fished the low tide in the morning, mostly for trout. It was slick calm on the harbor and a great ride all the way out to Ft. Sumter. I poled around a flat out there looking for pushing reds, but did not find any. Instead, we ran into a bunch of finger mullet and large shrimp, which we caught in the cast net and filled

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-26426383013024714312006-09-10T19:10:00.000-07:002007-11-10T19:12:25.422-08:00

Went out again this morning for another big tide of nearly 6.7 feet. Conditions were just as good or better as yesterday morning, only an hour later. We poled up to the edge of the flat as the tide was just beginning to cover it with water and watched as the reds began to move into the submerged grass. It was still skinny, and the fish were crawling around again. Against my better judgement, I

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-54624303621716722912006-09-09T16:23:00.000-07:002007-11-10T19:08:29.187-08:00

This morning was textbook. Bucky and I were up at 7:00, a Bojangles biscuit, and on the road to my favorite spot for big tailing reds. We were not disappointed. Today's tide was about 6.6 feet, enough to flood even the highest points of the marsh and provide us with plenty of time to search the flooded grass for reds rooting around for an early morning meal. We poled into an area just flooded by

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-58578103988960182992006-09-05T16:15:00.000-07:002007-11-10T16:22:51.317-08:00

Made it out tonight to fish the flood tide here in Charleston with my friend Dave Dalu. With the approaching full moon, the tide was big and way up into the Spartina grass that is normally high and dry. There was a steady breeze blowing and it was overcast, just enough to cool things down a bit and get the fish active and hungry. Upon coming off plane and poling onto the flat we were immediately

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-13096696931006497052006-08-26T13:27:00.000-07:002007-11-10T14:51:30.189-08:00

Headed out to Montana with my Dad and brother for the week last Saturday early morning from the Atlanta airport. Arrived in Bozeman, MT and drove down to West Yellowstone along the Gallatin River, where I was immediately submersed in trout country.Checked into hotel and prepared for next morning's float on the Madison River, just down from Quake and Hebgen lakes. Woke up to a 33 degree morning, a

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-80464046004479695082006-08-13T13:12:00.000-07:002007-11-10T13:14:37.425-08:00

Had some friends visiting this weekend, so wanted to get them on some fish. Got up Saturday morning and made it to the boat ramp just as the rain started. After seeing a tail from the ramp before even launching the boat, we decided to not let the rain deter us - despite the looming black clouds appearing to be headed our way. I started poling the flat and we were seeing a good number of tails

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-21173037564411699492006-08-08T12:07:00.000-07:002007-11-10T12:21:41.721-08:00

With a hovering storm cell and a severe thunderstorm warning, I opted for wade fishing tonight rather than putting the skiff in the water. Got to my spot a little early and had to wait for the tide to come in. Passed the time by watching a racoon feed on various foods the marsh had to offer, all while the water slowly creeped in. Just as the sun began to set I saw a red working in the grass with

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7472606227211431573.post-57809277563081400852006-08-07T11:29:00.000-07:002007-11-10T12:15:12.723-08:00

Made it out for the flood tide last night up here in Charleston. Tide was big due to the near full moon, around 6.3 feet, so the grass was plenty flooded. I think it might have been a little too flooded, as I could see fish pushing around and creating swirls that would normally be made obvious by their tails breaking the surface in lower water. It was a little windier than forecasted, more like

spottedtailnoreply@blogger.com0