Hello fellow anglers, January 2022 can you believe we made it. Lots of Covid stories ones that survived and those that did not. If you are reading this you are a survivor great job. Looking back at the fishing we had to rebound from the red tide and its after affects. They changed some rules and reversed some. One that I am going to rite about is the Speckled sea trout in S.W. Florida. The state adjusted the length and bag limit in our area the length / slot now is 15" to 19" and the bag limit is 3 per person or 6 per boat total. They still will let us have what I call a trophy one per person over the 19" length. You have a nice 24" fish and 2 between 15" and 19" that is your limit of 3 fish per person. And this month is a great time to target trout. There several ways that you can target the trout. They like to hang around grass flats and the edges of  a sand bar. Personally I like to drift over the grass along the areas that have patchy grass and sand holes. The trout like to lay along the edges of the grass they blend in very well, this is where they like to ambush unsuspecting baits. You can use suspending lures like the Mirro Lure , mirrodine or catch 2000 both work well. Or top water will work in 4feet or so of water. Then there is the good old popping cork. You can find wooden ones , foam ones with wire or beads in them. I use a simple cigar bobber, you buy the ones with the slot in it . This way you just keep a couple of them in your boat when you need it pull the pins and slide it onto your line and adjust the depth you want your bait from the bobber put the pins back you are in business. No cutting and retying put a live shrimp on or even a Gulp Shrimp. Drifting over the area you have scoped out cast and pop the cigar bobber on the surface. So my theory is you pop the cork it sounds like a fish feeding on the surface, this gets the attention of the trout and all they see is a shrimp drifting down, or a gulp. This is food for them they will grab it and it is game on. Trout have a tender mouth if you pull them in to fast they WILL come off. Just use a little finesse hold your rod tip up and reel enough to keep some bend in the pole and tension in the line. If you handle them always wet your hands to hold them. DO NOT use a rag it takes most of the slime off the fish and there is a good chance it will get bacteria and not survive. I use the danco de-hooker made for baits on a Sabiki rig. It fits in your pocket and used properly there is minimal impact to the fish. I will try to explain how to use this type of de-hooker. When you get the fish up to the boat and you have the line in one hand with the fish on it. Using your other hand with the de-hooker, the curved part of the tool slides down the line to the curved part of the hook too. This is when you hold the fish between your hands hanging , you pull the line and the too tight so it makes a straight line and tight. Then you flip the fish over into the water as the tool is still kept tight and straight. Always try to let the fish land in the water not the bottom of the boat LOL. If it is of size use a tool to hold the fish to measure it and be as gentle as you can with these they are our future stock. After you catch a few you will be able to tell if they are of size or not. Trout are good eating fish filet them and skin them and eat them fresh not frozen. To me they are great fried in butter with salt and pepper maybe a little garlic too. As a side dish some southern tomato gravy over some white rice, and some fresh made Cole slaw. So if you would like to come along with Capt. Bart Marx to catch some of these trout or you would like me to come on your boat for a training session give me a call. 941-979-6517 or e-mail me captbart@alphaomegacharters.com  And always remember singing drags and tight lines make me smile. <*(((((>{

Hello fellow anglers December 2021. I have learned this year fish aren't affected by covid any strain. What I have noticed this year too red tide affects the fish. I have worked around both of these things and have stayed busy this year. I also have added a boat to the fleet at Alpha Omega charters. We retired one and replaced it with another. We now have a 25ft. Parker Walkaround Cuddy Cabin, it is a very roomy boat and has a potty for the ladies. We have a State of Florida fishing license that allows us to travel out to 9 miles in the Gulf. And we still have our 22ft. Aquasport Center Console it too is a good fishing boat, it is good for in the harbor and flats. We also have gift certificates that can be purchased for Christmas or just if you have guests coming from out of town, or birthday gift. Yea this is the time of year we get lots of visitors from up north they may enjoy a half day on the water. And this time of year we find in the harbor red drum, sheepshead, flounder, and trout. These are all fun to catch and good table fare. This would be using the 22ft. boat around Placida , Charlotte Harbor, and Pine Island sound. Depending on the area you live in or are visiting in S.W. Florida. And I furnish all the tackle and licenses that are required for a fun day on the water. Looking at what could be available offshore this time of year, the King Mackerel will be migrating to the south as the Gulf waters cool down. There should be plenty of Spanish mackerel too moving south. And the hogfish bite should be going on as the waters cool down they feed better out to 50 to 60 feet on natural bottom structure. Also the nearshore artificial reef should be covered up with sheepshead. If you like to do some site fishing you could go into the Gulf and follow the lines of stone crab traps and search for some tripletail hanging around the floats to ambush shrimp or small fish. Okay live shrimp or artificials do work, and remember not to set the hook when you see the fish take it, WAIT till you feel it then it is game on. So if you would like to come along with Capt. Bart Marx give me a call or e-mail at captbart@alphaomegacharters.com And for those of you that have moved to the area I will go with you on your boat and do what I call a training session to shorter your learning curve here in S.W. Florida. And always remember singing drags and tight lines make me smile. <*(((((>{