The Day After the Super Moon
We where expecting a pretty good tide 3.7 ft. Given my past experiences with the full moon, was not expecting much. I have wanted to check the copepod population back in Centipede Bay for a while. With a nice high tide I was thinking that should be the best time to check.
We loaded the boat and headed out. By the time we got out the tide was too high to get mud minnows, so I knew it would be a day of casting lures. I saw a few redfish as I started patrolling the back waters. The tide was high enough that I could go anywhere, which means the redfish can be in many places they normally do not get a chance to get to.
After seeing 8 fish and not able to get close enough without spooking them I had all but given up. Then to my surprise a 31 inch snook hit the lure on the drop. It was really surprising, of course snook are out of season.
Next we trolled for copepods and found that Centipede Bay was loaded with them. Which is not surprise, since Centipede Bay is a fish nursery. Copepods are the first foods of most marine fish.
After the good news with the copepods I thought I would cast a few times out in the bay. The winds had picked up a lot and we could really cover some water. We caught a few lady fish and one nice trout.
Now that I had 2/3 of an inshore slam, I was off to get the redfish... The easy one. I looked a few places and flushed out a couple, but never landed one. I guess a slam was not in the cards for this day. ..
June 18th, 2012 - 15:21
Enjoyed talking to you today at Hernando Beach. It was refreshing for someone to give novices a few pointers. I really appreciate what you had told me today. There is plenty of fish for everyone. Just gotta no where to go and what to use.
Thank You Again,
Ken
PS I have a 2007 50hp Yamaha. Do I need to put non ethanol in it, kinda expensive, or can I use the regular gas at any local station? Perhaps there is an additive to use. Any suggestions?
June 18th, 2012 - 18:30
I agree there’s enough fish out there for everyone. The places listed on this site are some good starting points.
Given that you do not use much gas (I have the same motor), there’s no reason not to run non-ethanol. Ethanol always will have a minimum of 3% water. You can get it across the street from the boat ramp or at Hernando Beach Marina at the end Companero Entra.
Also next time you are out if you happen to see any whitebait around the Hernando Beach Channel let me know.
Good Luck and I hope to see you out there catching those pesky trout…
March 11th, 2013 - 02:28
I’m liking the blog. So far its tough to find good information about fishing in our area and I love the maps that you’ve made. I’ve never caught a snook yet and I’m eager to catch one. I never thought about fishing the Hernando Beach channel, in the summer there’s usually a LOT of people there partying. I guess you’re right about fishing it early morning and late evening.
March 11th, 2013 - 10:29
Weekdays are best in the channel. The end cuts around 5-7-9-11 are pretty good since few people hang out there, but on the weekends you have to watch for the crazy jet skis running through the cuts.
March 5th, 2014 - 13:12
Done any fishing lately? I have a kayak and have been doing a bit better. Starting to see some redfish but catching them is next lol
March 5th, 2014 - 16:11
Hey Xavier,
I have not had much time lately to get out. I started rebuilding the my boat. It should be ready by the time the weather get nice and warm. Are fishing in Centipede Bay?
March 8th, 2014 - 22:25
I have not been in Centipede bay recently. The creeks north of pine island are holding some.
March 10th, 2014 - 23:01
Differently stop back in and give me an occasional fishing report. I’m rebuilding my boat, so I’ll be out of the game for a few months.
March 20th, 2014 - 13:38
Heard a report of someone who does gigging that they went in Centipede Bay pretty recently and saw a lot of redfish while moving around
June 2nd, 2014 - 13:18
I caught a really nice red and trout there around March? Almost a month later I saw my first small school of reds from my kayak. There were at least 3-4 including one big one. I haven’t found any since. I might try to go this Wednesday