Tomoka Basin Kayak Fishing and Tour Guide

1-21-2012 Highbridge

2012-01-21T18:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon I called a friend of mine"David L." for some good old fashioned kayak fishing, up in the highbridge mudflats. The mudflats are Davids second home and an old haunt to myself. Things started off laid back with a few keeper flounder and a nice red on the stringer. The red came out of the flats while the flounder were caught in the cuts. After prowling around a while in the flats we decided to make our way back to work a few cuts we both like to fish. Well, we found fish alright. Flounder every cast!! Shrimp on a jighead was the bait to bounce. 2 fresh flat fish on the stringer in just 2 cast. Within 10 minutes I was personally pulling around a 5 flounder stringer topped with a red. I got a little careless during the mayham and lost a decent little flounder that would have made six. I personal phone call forced me to leave earlier then I would have liked but man what a blast! Thanks for joining me David! For more info on my guided kayak fishing trips, please visit www.fishtomoka.com. The site is still under construction but the basics are there.

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Also, please check out my new site www.fishtomoka.com and tell me what you think so far. Please keep in mind its only a few days old and under construction.

Fishing Report 1-1-2012 Tomoka Basin/River Ormond

2012-01-04T12:33:00.000-08:00

For Information on my guided kayak fishing trips, please visit www.FishTomoka.com

Brought in the new year with a bang! Launched at 6am and immediately started to hunt trout for the season opener. The fog was so thick you could barely see the front of your boat from the outboard. Here's a shot after it cleared a bit.

Fished the nooks and crannies in the river and got 3 nice fish up to about 20" fairly quickly on jigs and topwater. Started throwing the 16-17" fish back in hopes of the big one, never got herbut did land about 12 in all. Had a few massive topwater strikes, one being a very large Snook that trailed my lure (dorsal fin out of the water) for about 3 seconds before finally taking it. Unfortunately I only got to hang on for one speedy run and the hook came dislodged. I decided after a little over an hour of fishing that it was time to search out a red. Luckily I spotted Johnny Law before he spotted me, no ticket today!
I came across a few other fisherman I couldnt help but admire for a few minutes before continuing on.

Puttered along for about 20 minutes to get to the spot and what a scene did I encounter. When first arriving I noticed those little bubbles all over the surface that come from either mullet jumping, boats running through, or fish eating, you know the bubbles. I sat back and pealed a banana and just watched. The first thing I noticed was the massive school of finger mullet hugging the shoreline. Halfway through my banana I found out where the bubbles were coming from! Big ol reds schooled up thick having a hay day on the mullet. The second cast of my topwater enticed a solid 25"er that put up a real nice fight.

After landing that fish, the school got weary of my topwater, with only the occasional pop or half hearted "tester hit". Instead of digging around my box I decided to troll down the bank a couple few yards and net up a some mullet. Came back to feeding fish again, the live mullet wouldnt last longer then 2-3 minutes before a red would slurp it up. Caught a few more and decided to leave them alone. What a great way to bring in the new year! The fishing has been top notch in Ormond lately, it will be interesting to see what this cold snap does. I know where ill be tomorrow morning :o)

Here's a nice Red from a few weeks ago. Sorry the background is hidden, a friend requested I do it for him as a favor.

2 days before xmas 2011 phone post.

2011-12-23T06:20:00.000-08:00

For Information on my guided kayak fishing trips, please visit www.FishTomoka.com

Due to the high number of calls, texts, emails, pm's, and Facebook wall posts, I will try to post a quick report via my phone. Computer has been down for a while now but I have been back on the water for some time. I know a lot of you are ion vacation and wouldn't mind a few pointers.

Ill start with Strickland Creek. We have found massive schools of legal sized trout. You know the spots where you cast a light colored jig and get a keeper almost every cast. Remember trout season is still closed so catch and release only. I have also come across some nice little schools of redfish waayyy back in, under us1 around the train tracks. I thought for sure I had finally found my long lost beloved snook but it was redfish city back there. That's about it for me in Strickland. Ive heard a few guys talk of a decent flounder bite back there but I haven't really seen it. Out in the basin and Halifax surrounding it, the bite has been ON if you can catch a break from the north and south winds. The water is clearing up nicely and allowing for some decent flounder gigging. We got 16 about a week ago. There has been a nice mixed bag of fish around the docks in the basin. I've heard the drum bite has been on and off at the bridge, I haven't gone after those tasty treats in a while though. I would imagine the sheepshead will be picking up anytime now. Trout are all over the place and will continue to be until opening day, then they will magically disappear. Scout your spots now and get ready. This is a great time of year to fish. I hope this helps.

4-28-2011 Fishing Report

2011-04-28T19:28:00.000-07:00

For Information on my guided kayak fishing trips, please visit www.FishTomoka.com

This has been one hot month of fishing. The Tarpon brought it in with a bang, the trout kept it hoping, the Flounder brought the snacks, and the Redfish.... Well, the Redfish tuck you in at night with sore arms. The occasional big Snook has been the icing on the cake. Yep, its been great and its only going to get better. The Tarpon are moving East on the Tomoka and have been loads of fun. DOA Shrimp have still been the preferred artificial in my bag. The downfall to all the Tarpon activity is, it has brought out a lot of anglers. With all the pressure, the Tarpon West of US1 have developed a bit of a case of lock jaw. The good news is, the pressure will wear off and the fish will bite again soon. The trout are all over the points of the islands along the park. Look for Reds anywhere from the shorelines of the Halifax, to the Basin, and in the Tomoka River East of US1. Try a lively free lined finger mullet or Saltwater Assassin new penny jerk shad. The fish we have been on, have been upper and over slot fish and are a blast on light tackle!

If you can handle the wind we have been having, the Flounder have been hot in the Basin as well as up river in the Tomoka River. My favorite artificial for them is still the trusty white or chartreuse paddle tail jig. The Snook have been popping at the bridges at night and early AM hours. Try a mid size to large lipped diver or topwater pulled along with the current past structure. A jig bounced near bridge pilings can also be deadly for the big linesiders. The Tomoka Bridge has been packed with folks fishing. This generally means one thing, that the Black Drum are hot. Fresh dead shrimp on the bottom is always a top way to locate schools of those bruisers. Once you find one, there are usually more. Anchor up and get ready for a fish fry. Don't forget about the fun, just not as popular fish that roam the area. Bluefish and ladyfish have been everywhere inshore and will eat just about anything you put in front of them.

Aside from fishing, I have started to take short video clips of the wildlife we see on our trips. Here is a short clip I captured of a Dolphin in about 2 feet of water hunting unsuspecting mullet.

Dolphin Attacking Mullet Tomoka Basin from Eric Flip Greenstein on Vimeo.

For more information on my Guided Kayak Fishing services, client testimonials, photos, and much more, please visit www.FlipFishman.com

Until next time, get up early, have fun, and be courteous to your fellow fisher folk!
FLip

Cool little dolphin video.

2011-04-26T02:35:00.000-07:00

For Information on my guided kayak fishing trips, please visit www.FishTomoka.com

Dolphin Attacking Mullet Tomoka Basin from Eric Flip Greenstein on Vimeo.

Fishing Report 4-22-11

2011-04-22T06:09:00.000-07:00

If your an occasional fisherman and are picky about when you go out, now is the time. April and May are great months to be on the water. Everything is coming to life. The water is warming to that magic temp that seems to be like coffee to a Snook. The baitfish start moving in droves and the predators will follow. Wooo-EE have we seen some good stuff out there lately. The Tarpon for example have been nothing less then INSANE. Rolling, smashing their tails on the surface, exploding on bait, its pure pandemonium. As usual the morning or afternoon hours, or pre front, are your best times for a solid hookup. Shrimp imitations have been working well for us lately. Retrieve with the current if possible and be ready, they strike when you least expect it. The Snook have also been good under the bridges and along the shoreline near structure. Nothing beats a good topwater strike early or late. Suspending or diving crankbaits can be deadly this time of year as well.
Here's a real dandy I got on a scouting trip

A friend of mine Captian Billy Pettigrew called me up a few weeks ago to inform me that the Redfish have been crawling all over the banks of the Halifax. Seeing them with half of their body's exposed is truly a site! Toss a shrimp past them and reel in a few times for a muddy showdown. A true battle from a kayak because of the many dock pilings that surround the area. If your not into fishing shallow water from a kayak and prefer the amenities of a boat, check out Captain Billy's site http://www.redfishtails.com/. He's a Redfish specialist, a native to the area, and he defines Southern hospitality!

The Trout and Flounder have been littered all over in the Basin. 1/8-1/4oz jigs with paddle tails have been the key. White seems to be the #1 color in demand, followed closely by chartreuse. Fish the shallow shorelines and bars early and late. In the middle of the day, fish deeper pockets.

If you are interested in fishing and experiencing old Florida's scenic back country at its finest, please contact me. Call 386 449 9043 or write FishTomoka@hotmail.com. Or you can visit For Information on my guided kayak fishing trips, please visit www.FishTomoka.com for more information on my services, client testimonials, tons of photos, reports, and much more. Hurry spots are going fast.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Flip

Drifting along...

2011-04-22T05:38:00.000-07:00

I launched my kayak an hour before dawn out of Sanchez park. No sights or sounds of humanity, peaceful and calm. The scent of the Magnolia fills the air. The water resembled glass save for the small schools of Manhaden skittering about at the surface. The tell tale pop along the shoreline reveals the locations of my favorite saltwater species, the Snook. I paddle on. A large Owl silently glides overhead and lands on an old cedar. As I drift along, the unmistakable "who cooks for you, who cooks for you, all" is reverberated over the water. My suspicion is confirmed, a Barred Owl. A lonely raccoon is heading home after a long night of scouring the shoreline for tasty treats. The mullet playfully launch themselves into the air and come down with a clumsy ker-plunk. I reflect on how lucky I am to have all of this in my life. I paddle on.

For Information on my guided kayak fishing trips, please visit www.FishTomoka.com

Here Snooky Snooky 4-20-11

2011-04-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

In the last few weeks we have been focusing on fishing the oyster bars in the halifax for Trout and Redfish. The bite has been good with some major schools of barely slot trout numbering in the hundreds. Redfish have been patrolling the shores, pushing wakes, and getting so shallow they protrude halfway out of water. I had been finding some nice fish (though scattered) along the West shoreline up near Tomoka Park. Willing eaters, strong shouldered fish, a real treat.

For Information on my guided kayak fishing trips, please visit www.FishTomoka.com

Fishing Report 3-28-2011

2011-03-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you have to take the good with the bad.

Had a banner day on the water yesterday March 28th. With my brother in law newly transplanted down here from GA, we had to get his saltwater fishing off to a good start. I knew the Tarpon and Snook had been really active on the West end of the River. I also knew the weather man was calling for showers all day that day. We took a chance and shot out first thing in the morning with my little Gheenoe in tow. We were fishing by about 7 and I had enticed a healthy Snook on a DOA Shrimp by 7:15.

Oh boy, way to start the day! We missed a few fish and decided to move to a little honey hole. I threw on a big super spook and the third cast produced a torpedo like explosion about three twitches past a submerged tree. I cast it out again and nothing. Couple more casts and KABOOM Snook number two, a real dandy!

We kept moving West and started to see a lot of Tarpon rolling and crashing Manhaden. Im talking a crash every minute or so. On more then one occasion we saw Tarpon coming completely out of the water with baitfish only escaping by millimeters. We switched over to Mirrodine XLs. I caught another Snook about the same size as my first one. Then we dialed in the retrieve the Silver Kings desired My B.I.L. (Josh) hooked up first, his Tarpon launched and hack poey, spit the lure. Seconds later it was my turn, perfect hookup! Great little fight, got him to the boat, and as I reached down to unhook him, I got a little surprise.

Im going to break away from my tales of epic fishing stories to eww and ahh you in another way. HORROR! So as I reached down to unhook this evil fish, he gave the perfect head shake and caught me with the other treble hook. I took a deep breath and looked at my finger, I was hooked past the barb, straight into the side of my pointer. OUCH! Even more exciting was the fact that I was still attached to a very well hooked and pissed off 3 1/2 foot Tarpon. We quickly netted him and got him in the boat. As he tried to thrash around, I held him down with my left hand as best I could. This is serious! Can't find the needle nose pliers! My brother from another mother found a backup pair of regular pliers and with some effort unhooked the fish and freed me. I quickly cut my line as Josh nursed the Tarpon back and released it. I took another deep breath and examined the sitchytation. I cussed a few good lines and decided there was only one way to do it. I had to push the hook point up and out so I could clip the barb off. As you may or may not know, barbed hooks don't pull backwards very nicely. We got the camera out and tried documenting this "how to" of sorts but it didn't really go as planned. Josh was so impressed by the seemingly endless collection of rare and sought after filth that I was verbally weaving together, that he unintentionally filmed most of it out of focus.
Here's a screen shot from the video. If you look closely, you can see the hook point, just peeking out.

I pulled and I pushed, I yelled and I hollered. I finally got the point of the hook about halfway out but had the darnedest time popping the barb out. Finally, I popped it out, finally!! I let out a good laugh, phew, we're past the halfway point! Found the needle nose and tried to snip the end off the hook but the pliers didn't have the umph. So, I simply bent the barb down the best I could and then slowly backed her out the way she came. A couple whoops, a splash of fresh water, a couple more whoops, a good chuckle, and I was fishing again. Wow and to even try to image what I would have done if I was by myself! Scary thought! From now on, you'll probably see me using lip grippers and wearing a holstered pair of quality needle nose! Spend enough time on the water and you to might start to get comfortable around hooks. Be careful friends and trust me, its not fun to get hooked past the barb!

Back to fishing :o) We casted a few more times to the Tarpon, a few bumps and misses. We decided we better try to catch dinner before the wind got to strong. By the way I didn't have time to snap a picture of the Tarpon I landed, sorry. I did however take a picture of the one scale he left behind.

We headed East to the nooks and crannies South of Tomoka Bridge. I cast out my trusty gold flake DOA Shrimp and POW, head thrashing mania, a nice keeper trout is on the stringer. The wind picked up pretty heavy and made fishing less fun, we got another nice Trout, thats dinner.

About to head back to the dock and I realized, I was one wish away from a grand slam. Hoooold up Joshy boy, I have just the spot to snag a quick red. We motored about 200 yards North, I cast a gold topwater Rapala into the mouth of a small feeder creek and there it was. He wasn't huge but he was the final piece to that days puzzle. Snapped a pic, set him free, and headed home.

What a horrible yet great day out on the water! Gotta love fishing!
Your Soar fingered friend,
Flip

If you have been thinking about booking a trip, now is the time. This is probably the best time of year to be fishing here in East Central Florida. For more information on my Guided Kayak Fishing trips, visit For Information on my guided kayak fishing trips, please visit www.FishTomoka.com Hope to hear from you soon.

Fishing Report 3-12-2011 Tomoka Grand Slamin

2011-03-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

This past month has offered some extremely good fishing here in good old Ormond Beach, Fl. The Snook have made it abundantly clear that they intend to make a dramatic comeback for 2011. What a huge improvement their population has made since the 2009 freeze. I have almost caught as many Snook this year, then all of 2010, and we're only in March. There has been Big trout in the Tomoka River for the past few months. The Tarpon have also been actively eating at the West end of the river. Reports and personal catches of large numbers of Redfish from Strickland Creek, Tomoka River, Tomoka Basin, Halifax River, up to the mudflats and creeks at Highbridge are abundant. Oh ya, dont forget the Flounder. Drag pretty much anything along the many mouths and bars of the Basin area and you WILL catch a Flounder or 5. The Basin has been tough due to high winds but it looks like smooth sailing this weekend.

Try trolling for Trout. Rig a 1/4oz jighead to a chartreuse paddletail and cast it behind your boat or yak. Vary your trolling speed until you start getting fish. When you find fish, stop and fish that spot, they will most likely be schooled up.

I would like to take a second to acknowledge local fishing Guru and Guide Captain Kent Gibbens. Kent has been fishing and guiding professionally here in Ormond much longer then anyone else that I know of. His knowledge of the area is truly top notch. Captain Gibbons Charter information can be found on his website http://www.backcountrycaptain.com/ Captain Gibbons, my hat is off to you!

To give you an idea of how good the fishing has been, here is a quick story with pictures. A few weeks ago I called a buddy of mine Sean, to see if he wanted to get out and catch some fish. I had been wanting to check out his Gheenoe Classic with 25hp for some time and figured this would be a great time. Also, he had never caught a Tarpon and I was really hoping we could change that. We met up around 7am to fish the West end of the Tomoka River. We got to the spot and within a very short time Sean hooked up with a very nice size Tarpon. After a nice fight, he got the fish boatside for a quick picture and successful release.

After a handful of nice ladyfish and a few more Tarpon misses, we decided to start fishing the Banks. Next up it was Largemouth Bass time. It was becoming apparent that today was going to be Seans day.

After the Bass, it was Sean again with a nice Snook. Tomoka Slam!

Now its time for a Tomoka Grand Slam. Sean gets into the trout and as he's unhooking his fish, I finally contribute something worth mentioning with a near slot Red.

Tomoka Grand Slam complete! Sean then proceeds to smack me in the face with some 20"+ Trout.

What a day! Great work Sean!

This is prime time to get out and fish. I am now booking reservations for guided kayak fishing trips. Please visit my site for more information on my services.

1-25-2011 Cold Crisp and Clear Fishing Report

2011-01-26T06:40:00.000-08:00

We are in the heart of winter down here in Central Florida and things couldn't be better... Or could they? As far as the fishing goes, its great, if you don't mind braving the elements. Crystal clear waters, schools of Redfish tightly packed, Flounder so thick you can use them as stepping stones. Lets not forget the Black Drum and Sheephead, which are busy chomping your crabs and shrimp to bits. The deeper creeks are holding stacked up fish.

Up near "grass camp" in Strickland there's a big school of whiting held up in one of the drum holes last time I was out.

There are also a ton of 14-16" Redfish back there.

If you want slot size fish, you need to get out into the Basin or Halifax.

Yes, the fishing has been good. Bundle up, grab your waders and get out there and fish!

So what could be better your probably wondering? Take a trip up to the US1 bridge and you will literally find thousands of dead Catfish and Mullet that just couldn't handle the freezing weather we had not to long ago. Head down Strickland creek and you will see a few Tilapia and Snook to add to the list. Thankfully, the Snook die off wasn't nearly as bad as last year. Its never ideal to see death in such great numbers, even if it is mostly Catfish. Hopefully the Vulture isn't going to become Florida's new state bird.

Its no bologna that the Flounder are thick in the Ormond area and everywhere else from Ponce to Matanzas. If you gig them you probably already know. The average size is not huge at about 16" but there are some dandies to be had. Gigging can be as simple as a sharpened broomstick, a stringer, and a coleman lantern, so get out there and give it a shot. A limit can be had in less then 2 hours if you know where to look.

Just make sure your careful and always tell someone where you will be in case of an emergency.

For bonus material, up to the minute alerts and quick posts, friend me at Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1511993495

Until next time, have fun, respect our environment, and be safe.

Flip

12-11-2010 Happy Holidays

2010-12-11T13:20:00.000-08:00

This goes out to all three thousand six hundred forty eight and a half (I didn't forget you little Pete) people that tried to book a trip with Flip in the last few months. Unfortunately, I was forced to take on some work around the house that needed my attention. My apologies are sincere and my regrets are deep, its a sad day when the Basin Bandit himself must put fishing off to the side. The good news is, I am very near completion and will be back in action by the new year. To all of you guys that have called and wrote asking me where the fish are, the fishing reports will also be back in FULL SWING!

On a lighter and more festive note. Most if not all of you folks out there that know me, know one thing for sure. Flip ain't no product pushing sleaze bag. It always amazes me at just how infested the fishing scene is with bologna gimmicks, over the top hype, and millions of sellouts willing to put there name on something for a few bucks or kick backs. Now don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great products out there and good people that stand behind them. One thing you will never see me do is suggest something that I haven't fully tested personally and stand behind 100%. That doesn't mean 2 fishing trips with a new reel. That means a full season with a reel that gets beaten, dunked, dropped. spooled, and stepped on. I recommend what I believe in, what I know works, and what I know will be worth investing in. Since Christmas is just around the corner, I would like to make a list for all the good little fisher boys and fisher girls.

Number One, my top pick for the 2010 Christmas Season is our very own, Local Author, Dan Smith's new book, "I Swear the Snook Drowned". Dan has been fishing our local waterways nearly full time for as long as many of us have been alive. His book is full of grade A humor, fish stories of epic proportions, and the occasional local hot spot tipoff. AN ABSOLUTE MUST HAVE!!! Best of all its only $10.95. To reserve yourself a copy call (386) 441-7793 or email apes123@mybluelight.com. Thank me later!

If your looking for some stocking stuffers, you can't go wrong with this hand picked list of fishing lures that are tried and true producers for our area.

1. DOA SHRIMP,
Colors: White, Gold flake, Clear, Chartreuse, and Rootbeer
Dicks Sporting Goods has a great selection, The fishin Hole, Walmart also carries the basics.

2. MirrOlure model MirrOdine, MirrOmullet, MirrOminnow, or *Top Dog*
Colors: *Red Head White Body*, Green Back Shiny Body, Black Back Shiny Body, pretty much any color you find locally will do the trick
Dicks, Walmart, and The Fishin Hole

3. Owner brand hooks are top top notch.
I recommend circle hooks in sizes 2 through 7/0 depending on whats on the menu. A mix bag never goes to waste.

4. If your looking to spend a couple more bucks and want to get him or her a Reel that will stand up to our harsh conditions. I am very partial to the Shimano Stradic Fi series. You should be able to find them for right about $150. For fishing our inshore waters, I personally prefer a size 2500fi or 3000fi about 95% of the time. For inlet of more structure you will need to step up to 4000 and up.
Walmart, Fishin Hole, Bass Pro, Online, maybe Dicks? Call around for best price.

3. Another must have for anyone that loves to be on, in, or near the water, is a waterproof camera. I owned the Fuji Z33WP and loved it. They dont float though and thats the reason I say "owned" and not own. They have come a little ways since I had that camera about 8 months ago. Do some research on Amazon for something that fits your budget.

5. The folks at the Fishin Hole have been in our area forever. If your looking for something thats not on my list, stop in one afternoon. They are always happy to help and have the local knowledge to outfit you right. Remember, the extra buck or two you might pay at the mom and pop stores will be compensated by the knowledge you gain.

I hope this helps some of you find that special something for that special someone. If I don't talk to you before hand. Have a Happy and Safe Holiday!

Your Friend Flip

9-02-10 Non Report

2010-09-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the lack of postings in the last few weeks. We recently took a family vacation to Western NY to visit family and relax a little bit. Had a great time kayaking the small streams up there and just taking things slow. Upon return I was greeted with a nasty cold bug. No worries as I am perking back up and will be back on the water asap.

8-10-2010 Fishing Report

2010-08-10T14:27:00.000-07:00

Get Your Shrimp while the gettins good!

Unless you have been in another country for the last month or so, you have heard about the insane amount of shrimp in the river. You've seen the boats in the channel, you've seen the shrimp jumping in your boat or away from your paddle, so why is your freezer devoid of these tasty little bugs??? With shrimping like anything else, you can get as fancy as you want to get. One things for certain, you dont need a big deck boat and a 12' net to get decent numbers. Anything that you can throw a net out of will work, heck I use a gheenoe and its more then enough. You also dont need a $200 net to catch your limit. Because I go through a fair amount of nets, I tend to buy el cheapos. I usually use between a 6-8' net to catch my bait. These are the same nets I use for shrimp. One of these days I might pick up a shrimp specific throwing net but for now old blue works just fine. Grananda bridge is still holding good numbers, I was getting between 3-15 keepers a throw. If you don't know me, Im pretty picky about what I consider a keeper. Once you pop the head and cook a 4" shrimp, the final product is kind of small. I always keep a few "4 and downs" to make up a couple bags of bait shrimp, especially if the black drum bite is on. The larger ones go in the pot. Boy are they good dipped in butter or some homemade cocktail sauce!! EwwEEE!

On the fishing front its more of the same. The islands tips along TSP are holding good numbers of trout and they seem to be really zero'd in on the shrimp. The reds are there but im not getting much more then lower slot sized fish. Still a fun time on light tackle and and super good eats! Doing the best with cut ladyfish and live mullet. The Snook have been good in the Tomoka River. Hit the banks before the sun does with a walk-the-dog style lure for big explosions. I lost a nice one in the cut on the east side of Tomoka State park last week. The Tarpon were good in that spot early last week but I think all the pressure has them skiddish. They are holding up well West of US1 in the Tomoka River though. The Black Drum bite has also been on. Hit up your favorite hole with fresh dead or live shrimp on a fishfinder rig. Bring a cooler and ice!

Here's a pretty cool image of Harry fighting a Tarpon near Tomoka State Park. I actually have a small video of this fight and I will get it up here as soon as I can.

Fishing Report 8-01-10

2010-08-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

From near to far, from here to there, funny things are everywhere.

There is no doubt that the fishing season has been a bit crazy this year. We have had some extreme weather in both the hot and cold climates. Some blame Global warming, some say its just coincidence, nobody knows for sure. I do know this, I can not remember the last time I have seen so much bait in the water. I know for a fact that I have never seen such a bountiful shrimp run, which by the way, is still going strong! If you have a boat you can throw a net from, go throw it in the channel under the Granada Bridge! Just remember, its illegal to anchor in the channel. Shrimping is hard work and not for everyone. If your in need of live bait shrimp and you see some guys out there, they are usually more then happy to throw you 50 for next to nothin.

The fishing has been hard to predict at times but for the most part has been decent. The Redfish bite has been on in the Basin lately. Live mullet has been the bait for us. Free-lined or fish finder rigs are the way to rig. Look for them pushing wakes along the shoreline or on or along shallow bars right now. If your a constant mover, you may want to slow down a little and anchor up for a while. Get a couple rods in the water to increase your chances.

Here are a couple 19.5 inchers from a recent trip

Trout have also been very active along all your favorite ambush points. Look for them early off the tips of islands with good water flow. Always try to cast up current and let your bait drift back down past the spot of interest. Light colored jigs have been good but a live shrimp on a popping cork is almost a guaranteed hook up.
Couple Recent Trout Pics

Tarpon are in good numbers in the Tomoka if your willing to make the trip.

In the past week the Snook have been about the best I have seen all year. My Green Back Top Dog has been getting a lot of attention when it lands under those big overhanging tree's. I landed a really nice slot size line sider a few days ago that put up a heck of a fight!

Just for the fun of it
The SailCats down in Port Orange have been good size. I have yet to keep one but I know a lot of people who say they are great eating fish. This one will be a little more street smart next time he see's a 12" mullet on a 7/0 hook. Thats a full size cooler by the way.

Short and Sweet 7-13-10 Report

2010-07-13T08:59:00.001-07:00

So here's the scoop. After an afternoon of getting skunked with a pal, I decided enough was enough. I rolled out the big chalk board and sketched up a serious plan of attack. I only had a couple hours to pull this off, so I had to make the minutes count. Here's how it went. I shot out of Granada Boat launch at about 6am this morning. Threw my cast net one time in the channel and got a few dozen shrimp, about 30 manhedan, and 3 croakers. YES! CROAKERS!! That buys me some time because my plan was to use the shrimp to catch croakers. All is working out perfectly so far. Hit a few docks lights with Manhaden and a small split shot. Wam, nice trout, dam, came off. Cast again, wam again, one on ice! One more and I got dinner. Couple more thumps but the sun was close to peeking out and the dock lights were losing their magic. Shot over to one of my little trout/ladyfish holes and decided to toss out a croaker on one rod and a free lined shrimp on another. Crashes all around me, the trout and ladyfish are busy sucking down all the shrimp they can, while the shrimp are running strong. WIZZZ, my croaker rod screamed! Hefty Trout on ice, nice fight! Need a lady now. Just then smash, topwater explosion where my shrimp once swam. Set the hook, airborn and into the cooler. Redfish spot! Toss out two rods with cut ladyfish. 5 minutes, bump, bump, bump, almost dead weight, slight wiggle, reel it in, small run, heavy, reel it in again, big gaftop, release. Other rod goes off, gaftop, time to move. Got a couple jumbo shrimp, i'll hit the tarpon hole. Tarpon are spooky, one take, miss. Back to redfish. Cast out a freelined croaker and a lady chunk. Chunk goes first, nice fight, good runs, 28 1/2" Red, Release. Croaker rod thumps hard, no commitment, reel in a smashed croaker. Tarpon?? Cast out another ladyfish chunk and almost immediately ziinngggg..... Set the hook, another decent fish, feels like a slot, Redfish, measure, 17 3/4", release. Time, 9:30, gotta go, darn...

Busy morning, lotta fun! Sometimes if the plastics not working, use natural bait.

Almost forgot to take a pic of the trout I kept. I could have easily bagged my limit but I try to only keep what im going to eat that night.

7-12-10 Gettin Bombed

2010-07-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes while out in the wild, things happen that you aren't really expecting. Last week we were on a trip and all was going well enough. The fish seemed to be active and the weather was perfect. As we made our way into one of the many cuts off the Basin we got a welcome that neither of us expected. No more then 8 feet away from our kayaks an eruption so fierce and so violent took place, that for an instant I feared for all things that were good in this world. As the waves settled and the froth dissipated, an osprey emerged from the waters depths like a mythological beast. All we could do was watch as it slapped its wings a few times on the liquid landing pad before it was air born. After a good laugh all we could do was laugh some more. Here's a picture of the Tomoka Basin Bomber himself.

7-01-10 Excuse me Miss, may I have this dance?

2010-07-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

Fishing report by Eric Greenstein aka Flip Fishman

Hit the spoil islands along the Halifax River and your guaranteed a good time. One fish that is super fun on light tackle is the high flying Ladyfish. She's not picky on who she plays with and will amaze even the most seasoned veterens with her acrobatic display. Ladyfish are everywhere right now in the river. You'll find them working any kind of structure, eddies, or drop offs. Look for shrimp jumping and surface explosions right behind. Cast shrimp replicas, small jigs, or even plugs to get her attention. Once hooked, look to the sky because thats where she'll spend most of her time.

Another fish that we have been seeing a lot of is the trusty Trout. Our toothy friends have been very aggressive lately and more then willing to hit those clickity clackity topwaters in the early AM. Once the sun peeks up, switch to the jig for line stretching fun. Bring a cooler or a stringer, nothing beats a fresh fish dinner that you have the satisfaction of saying you caught! I love my Trout coated in Italian bread crumbs and pan fried in 50/50 olive oil and butter. Squeeze on some lemon and Woaa Doggy!

Here's a nice Topwater Trout caught by a Tournament Bass Angler converted to the Brine!

I let the cat out of the bag last week in my report to the News Journal that the Tarpon were showing up in the river. Since then I have been getting a lot of emails asking me how I fish for them. If you dig around in my past post you will find lots of info on this subject. As of late, it hasn't taken much to convince these 15-40lb beast to take the bait. I've been getting pounded on DOA Shrimp, DOA Paddle tails, Mirrolure Mirrodines/XL, and Mirrominnows. Blind casting and casting to rolling fish have both been paying off. You can never lose with live bait. Toss out a nice size mullet or manhedan and they wont be live for long!

A couple Tarpon from a recent solo trip in my Gheenoe

I also understand that Black Drum have been pretty good lately in some of the deeper holes in the Tomoka. I haven't targeted them in a while so Im going on hearsay. Here is my favorite way to fish these bottom dwelling bruisers. Get yourself some fresh Blue Crab, pop off the top shell, pull off the legs, and break it in half if necessary. Drop to the bottom on a fish finder rig. Either troll or drift until you get some attention to your bait. If you find one drum, you will usually find more. Anchor up and play a game of tug o war with a fish thats hard to beat. Don't let anyone tell you Black Drum is no good to eat. Its one of the best and has been substituted for Redfish more times then anyone would care to know. If you dont want to bother with crabs for bait, fresh dead or live shrimp also does the trick.

Until next time, enjoy the outdoors and have fun!

Flip

6-12-2010 Pinch me, I must be dreaming!

2010-06-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

If you haven't had the best luck fishing in the past few weeks, its a good reason to feel crabby. Normally I don't promote feeling blue but when it comes to Blue Crabs, well thats another story. Yes, its been a Crab bonanza for the last month. If you fish with natural bait, you may know what im talking about. You feel a tug, a jerk, you think you may be onto something, you start reeling and dead weight, Great, another crab! Now granted, crabs are almost as annoying as catfish when your trying to catch a prized gamefish. Trust me, I know. On the other hand, there isn't a fish in the sea that tastes as good as Blue Crab dipped in drawn butter...EUUWWWEEEE!!! The best part about it is, anyone can catch them and quite easily at that! A family friendly activity thats sure to please everyone, young and old alike.

Here's a pic from our last crab boil! This guy was a real Hum Dinger!

There are a few different methods of taking these hard cases, i'll cover three of them.

The first and most basic is hand lining. All you need is a spool of string, twine, line, rope, or hemp, the crabs aren't picky. You'll also need a couple of long handled crab nets and a package of cheap raw chicken. We always used chicken necks but any part of the chicken will do. One word of caution when it comes to choosing your chicken, fat and skin float! If you decide you want to feed your crabs chicken breast, make sure you pull off the skin. You want your bait to sink to the bottom. Now you need to find a nice bank or dock to set out your lines. Once you have your lines out, you will want to monitor them by lightly pulling on each one from time to time. Now for the tricky part. This is best done with two people so you have someone to blame when the big ones get away. One person will want to ever so quietly, slide the net into the water and lay it on the bottom. The other person will sloooowly pull the crab in by the string. Once the crab is above the net, quickly lift the net up to capture the crab. Until you get the hang of it, you'll see its not as easy as it sounds.

The next method is a drop net or a fold up net. These type of nets make things a little easier. Basically, all you need to do is tie the bait into the middle and drop it down to the bottom. When you pull up the fold up or drop net up, they capture the crab.

The last and least labor intensive is the crab pot or cage trap. These are the same big wire boxes you see the commercial guys using. The bait goes into a compartment, you toss it in the water, you come back later and pull it up. Hopefully it is full of big ones. With a recreational fishing license, you are allowed up to five of these traps. They can be a very productive means of catching crabs. Here is a link to the Florida Fish and Wildlife crab page.
http://myfwc.com/RULESANDREGS/Saltwater_Regulations_recbluecrab.htm
Make sure you read the rules carefully!

Bring some heavy gloves if your not experienced with handling these guys. They are very powerful and can latch on and not let go. I've seen grown men cry over a good blue crab pinch! Some folks use grill tongs, i've never tried this but it seems to be a good idea. Keep an eye our for my next segment on crabs titled, Now how the heck do I open this darn thing.

6-4-10 WE ARE BACK!

2010-06-04T07:10:00.000-07:00

The last couple trips for Tarpon have been a little on the slow side. They are still there but after that full moon, they seem to be picky about what they want to eat. Oh well, I got the early season Tarpon bug out of me, now its on to tastier things. Had a few night time trips up in the basin and things are really looking good. Caught some nice keeper reds and trout up near Jones cut. The dock lights in the intra coastal have been fair for Trout. Flounder are also starting to show....Finally!

A few nights ago I was fishing a narrow cut that connects the river to a large backwater area. The tide was slack and was about to start to move out. As soon as it got moving at a good pace, I started hearing some loads surface disruptions. I would hear a crash, then a skip, skip, skip, crash. Loud, big crashes and skips! My first thought was it just didn't seem like mullet being chased. As I casted my plug to no avail, I moved in closer to try to catch a glimpse. Then it happened right next to me. I was right, they weren't baitfish at all getting clobbered, they were Monster Shrimp!! Im talking 6-8"ers and constantly. This being realized and accepting the realization that I had no net and no way at all to catch these guys, I moved on to question two. What the heck is chasing them? I tried and tried to get one to bite my artificial's but they were so dialed in on those Shrimp, they would barely even look at anything else. I was able to tempt one but only for a few seconds and then he slipped off. Whatever they were, they were big! I would really like to think it was a large group of Snook. Wishful thinking? Maybe, Maybe Not..

I get a lot of folks emailing me asking me what im using these days to catch my fish. For an all around killer try the chartreuse and white DOA paddle tail on a 1/8 ounce jig head. I had an ultra mega slam on it down in Port Orange a few weeks ago. The ultra mega is an ugly slam, bluefish, jack, and ladyfish combined with an inshore slam Trout, Red, and Snook or Flounder. All on this single jig. Don't get to fancy with it and watch the speed of your retrieve. Work WITH the current to get a realistic presentation.

If you have ever wanted to try gigging Flounder, now might be a good time to get your gear together and give it a try. They have started showing up in fair numbers if you can find water clear enough to see them. If you would like to learn more on this practice, let me know.

Pic of the week, last nights catch.

Before I sign off, I would like to talk about something very serious. Our shorelines are an utter disgrace! We should ALL be ashamed at he amount of filth scattered about. Our world isn't something we can just trash and then go out and buy another. This is all we have and we are doing a great job at ruining it!! Make a difference and do something to make it a little better! Next time you are out, please pick up a few extra pieces of trash. You'll feel good about it and so will future generations.

Flip

5-27-10 A week of Tarpon fun!

2010-05-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

Been a little blog lazy lately, its easy to do when the fishin gets good. Its all about the backwaters lately for me. The creeks and rivers of the Tomoka and Strickland have been teaming with life. Tarpon are the main target but the Snook have been a decent fall back and the reds have been good too. Don't forget to watch for big schools of jacks thundering through pods of bait. They are always a load of fun. Up the Tomoka I have been surprised at how far East of the US1 bridge we are catching Large Mouth Bass. They have been a reliable catch lately, nothing huge but still fun.

The Tarpon have been tearing up anything that resembles a shrimp. I prefer the DOA shrimp in either 1/4 or 1/2 oz. Cast to the roll or a congregation of fish and let that DOA sink to the bottom. Usually thats all it takes, sometimes you may need to slowly turn the reel a few times, again the emphasis is on the word SLOW. Set the hook fast and hard when you feel the hit. If you don't feel comfortable with the DOA, stick with the old free lined live shrimp.

A word of caution. The last Tarpon trip I took was the morning of Friday (5-28-10). We got out early and the Tarpon were Everywhere. With old reliable live shrimp, the bite was very slow. My client jumped one and had a few "hit and runs" but that was it. The tide was a good and strong outgoing and everything seemed perfect. We did have a full moon the night before and I think that is what threw things off. Still had a great time though and a nice upper slot red helped to save the morning.

During my free time, I have been on a hunt for the elusive monster Snook. I have lost a few really nice fish to the damed topwater lures coming unhooked or the Snook pulling me into structure. Also, last week a client (pictured below with Tarpon) lost something Really Nice to the docks on the Tomoka. Im guessing it was a big ol girl by the way the rod bent and the drag screamed. When the fish broke of the client said the same thing I always say when I lose a fish "I just wish I could have seen it!" Its all part of the game though, you gotta love it!

Out in the river we have been finding HUGE schools of fairly large manhedan/pogy. Dropping them down under the schools on fish finder rigs has resulted in a fair redfish bite but the catfish seem to be the aggressor. Free lining the pogy to the shoreline drop off has resulted in a few decent Snook and Reds. Still waiting on some decent Flounder gossip but so far its been pretty slim pickens. There are also huge schools of mullet everywhere you look. All good signs that the waters finally getting back to where it should be.

PIC OF THE WEEK

Shoot me a friend request on Facebook to see lots of additional pictures of my trips. Here is a link to my page http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=1511993495

Don't forget my web site at www.FlipFishman.com for info on my guided kayak fishing trips.

If you contacted me last week and didn't get a reply, please try again. I know there are quite a few of you that got lost in the fuzz that is my troubled phone. I do apologize for any inconvenience.

5-12-10 TIME TO BOOK!

2010-05-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

If you've been thinking about booking a trip, NOW IS THE TIME! The fishing is great Right Now! Spots wont last so don't snooze!

5-08-2010 Fishing Report

2010-05-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hopefully you took my advice last week and gave the Tomoka River a shot. The fishing there has been the best it has been all year! The Tarpon are in and are feeding full force. Bring along a dozen finger mullet and hook them on the dorsal so they swim at the surface. Cast to the Tarpon as he rolls on the surface. Hang on tight! Once hooked, they spend as much time in the air as they do in the water. When fishing for the backwater silver king, I use a 40# mono leader and a 3/0 circle hook. Medium light action gear will do just fine. A few days ago I took my 2 1/2 year old son Evan out in our Gheenoe and put him on his first ever Tarpon. The fish weighed about 10 pounds and was about as long as Evan. Truth be told, Dad had to help quite a bit to get the fish to the boat but the experience we shared together was priceless! Not many things will make you feel better then to share the gift of fishing with a youngster!

Please be informed that there will be a small price increase for my guided kayak fishing trips. Please read the blog post prior to this one or visit my site at www.flipfishman.com

Price Adjustment

2010-05-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

Starting June 8, 2010 a small price increase will take place for my guided kayak fishing trips.

The new rates will be as follows

For local trips including The Tomoka Basin, Tomoka River, and
certain sections of the Halifax ICW
4 hr trip $95 for the first person
$35 for each additional

The Highbridge area, Port Orange, and Ponce Inlet
4 hr trip $105 for the first person
$35 each additional

For trips to the Mosquito Lagoon and surrounding area's
4 hr trip $135 for the first person
$35 for each additional

You will have a small window to lock in the original price.
To do so you must purchase a gift certificate between now and June 8, 2010
Gift Certificates are valid for 12 months from the day I receive payment

5-01-10 Fishing Report

2010-05-01T11:53:00.000-07:00

Finally, some good news. A few recent trips on the Tomoka River have provided some good times and promising news for the near future. For one thing there is bait Everywhere! The salt level is improving and is good a few miles west of US1. We've caught some nice Trout early on topwater along with a couple snook. Nothing huge in the Linesider department, but their there! Im seeing about the same amount of bait now as I saw last year in early April. Its about time!

If you haven't taken a trip on the Tomoka River, now is a great time of year to do it. My favorite time to get out is the very early morning. Be on the water at 5:30am and you'll get to see all of our nocturnal friends before they call it a night. You'll also get to see all of our daytime (Diurnal) friends starting their day. You will most likely encounter very few if any people during these wee hours. This is a good thing because the wildlife will be undisturbed. I get asked about alligators a Lot. Will you see them? Yes, unless you keep your eyes closed. If you keep your eye's closed you will probably never know they were even there. Use common sense, stay away from them, and they will do the same. If you panic and fall out of your kayak next to a nest full of baby's, you may make the paper. I can't remember the last time i've seen an alligator attack in the paper. It happens very rarely.

For night time yaking, make sure you have a good headlamp with a spare set of batteries. Its not a bad idea to wear a life jacket although your only required to have one aboard. When there's no one around to help and its dark, wearing a life jacket starts to sound like common sense. A good whistle or blow horn is also required. If you do see a boat, make sure he can see you and get out of his way.

Have fun!

Flip
www.flipfishman.com

When life gives you lemons.....

2010-05-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

I call them the uglies, others call them trash, and yet some call them good eating! Im talking about the Blue's, the Jack's, and the Lady's. They aren't on everyones favorites list but I sure enjoy their company. Especially when there's nobody else to play with! They are providing nearly constant action down Dunlawton way. Cast a shrimp, a mullet, a spoon, a jig, a plug, their not picky. They jump, they run, they bite, they fight, "An Ugly Slam", well I just might! Pack that light action rod and 1000 size reel thats strung up with 8lb power pro and go have a blast!

Here's a theory. After about my 20th big ladyfish, I started to think. With the cold weather slowing down the Snook this year, Im thinking we'll have a "bumper crop" of Ladyfish. If my hypothesis is correct, will we be seeing a big Tarpon turnout? I sure hope so!

We used to fish off the Main Street Pier when I was a youngster. One of my favorite childhood memories was when we would catch a bunch of bluefish and bring them home to smoke. They were always tough to get lit but once you did, boy were they smooth :o)
We would bleed them by cutting their throats and throwing them on ice. When we got home we would gut them, brine them, and smoke them. Boy did I love that little treat! I don't eat many these days due to mercury/pcb concerns. Some also say that the Jack Crevelle is tasty if prepared right. I've never tried it but would like to hear from others who have.

On a side note, sorry for the lack of pictures guys. I know you all like to see them and I love to share them. Unfortunately, i've had some bad luck with camera's recently. Im working on a new one but it might take a week or two. Until then you just going to have to take my word for it.

Flip
www.flipfishman.com
fishtomoka@hotmail.com

Nuclear Redfish

2010-04-17T06:16:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, Jonathan from Orlando called me up requesting a kayak fishing trip. I told him about a place south of here thats been producing some Monster Redfish and Black Drum. He told me that he was very interested but had limited experience fishing from a kayak. I thought about it and called him back to cancel the trip. I was concerned about his lack of experience combined with the deep channel and large boats that move through the area. We ended our conversation on a somber note and I vowed to take him fishing in a more predictable area. That night as I was reading my emails, I noticed Jonathan had written. He had an idea that involved him meeting me at the spot with his own boat and me joining him that way. I said why not and we booked a day.

We met up in the morning. I brought the bait which consisted of whole and halfed blue crabs. Yes folks, blue crabs! These are big fish and they eat big meals. We motored to our spot and dropped anchor. The tide was slack and the nibblers were abundant, we both pulled our lines in to find our crabs had been picked clean. We decided to drop some shrimp to catch a few pinfish for bait. We brought a few extra rods so Jonathan decided to leave one crab out on his line. A couple minutes went by and all of a sudden we noticed a very slight tick.............tick...........tick....... It was Jonathan's crab rod. We were unsure if the drag was ticking because of the movement of the boat or if it was a fish. Jon started slowly reeling in what seemed like a large clump of seaweed, just a heavy mass coming to the boat. We watched the line as it got to the boat, when Jonathan stopped reeling the line kept moving. WOO HOO, FISH ON! The funny thing is, at this point this fish had no idea it was even hooked! When the drag was tightened up a bit the fish TOOK OFF! Whizz....WHIZZZZ....Whizzzzz..... We both watched as the spoool of line got smaller and smaller. We hurriedly pulled up anchor and started chasing the fish via the trolling motor. Up and down the channel it ran. We dodged sailboats and came very VERY close to getting swamped by a 3 story barge! The fish didn't want to come out of the deep pocket but was starting to tire. After another brutish run, we finally got a glimpse of what was a very large Red. WOW, we both exclaimed! Thats what I call a "Bull"! A couple more minutes and Jon played him to the side of the boat. After a 30 minute struggle the fish was finally landed! We snapped a quick pic and revived the monster back into the depths. Was it an experience we will ever forget? Look at Jonathan's face in the picture and you tell me! Do yourself a favor and click on the picture to view it in its entire excellence!

It started as a day of fishing from a small boat. We ended with a tale of survival and triumph. Jonathan that was one heck of a time brother!

Im sure many of you are wondering exactly where we catch these monsters of the deep. Unfortunately, I made a promise to the person that told me about it never to disclose this info to the masses. There are many places to catch them though. Fear not, I would never leave you all hanging without a little hint. When two large bodies of water are joined by a narrow waterway there is usually a deep cut. Fish the bottom with just enough weight to hold your bait in place or at a very slow drift. You will need heavy tackle! Most importantly, be careful!

For information on my Guided Kayak Fishing Trips. Go to my website www.FlipFishman.com

Thanks and until next time. Get out there and battle a beast!

Are we there yet????

2010-04-09T06:06:00.001-07:00

Well folks, its been a long cold winter but the fishing is finally picking up. The creeks are really starting to abound with life. Fishing the Strickland/Thompson creek area has produced a nice mixed bag of Reds, Snook, and a couple of Trout. Bait is plentiful so bring your net and get dirty! Theres been a couple teenager gators hanging out a little north of the Sanchez Park boat launch. Look for them in the first bay on your right. As with all wildlife, give them plenty of room and don't feed them. The manatees have also been showing up in decent numbers. Look for them in calm area's sunning themselves. That also means its time to SLOW DOWN if your in a power boat!

In the Halifax the waters still pretty brown, especially right here in good old Ormond. If you want to fish the main waterway, I advise a short trip North to High Bridge or South to Dunlawton to escape the soup.

Kayak Fishing Guide Info
I am starting to get booked up a week or so in advanced. Remember, if your time here is limited, set something up with me ahead of time if at all possible. This will insure you get some quality time on the water.

Copy and Paste to your web Browser
http://www.flipfishman.com/index.php?pr=Rates_and_Information

As always, stay safe and i'll see you guys on the water!

Flip
FishTomoka@Hotmail.com
www.FlipFishman.com

4-2-2010 Got the itch?

2010-04-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

Recently I took my two youngsters for an early morning neighborhood walk around the block. As we slowly strolled, I noticed a very faint sound. It reminded me of a Cicada in the far off distance but I was sure it was to early in the year for that. Was it the rustle of a plastic bag in the breeze? No, the morning air was breathless? I listened and watched but I couldn't find the culprit. The sound stayed steady, never slowed, sped, or paused. The volume undisturbed, I could only wonder. As I looked around I noticed something peculiar. So many boats sat untouched in driveways. The only movement in the river was a single crab boat heading north to check his traps. Could it be I wondered? Could the sound I hear be the itch? YES! How could I be so blind? The long hard winter is finally over! The water is warming and pushing the dial to that magic temperature. There's movement in the creeks! The bait is coming back! The crabs buoys are everywhere! YES! YES! YES! THE TIME IS NEAR! Will this weekend be the start? It very well could be! Will you be ready for the fish? Do you have the itch?

Flip Fishman
www.flipfishman.com

Fishing Report 2-26-10

2010-02-26T06:28:00.000-08:00

Working on a tip from Steve Carl up at High Bridge Bait and Tackle, I decided to give the mudflats a try. It took about a half hour to locate fish but the time spent was well worth it. Every fish I caught was oversized and full of pep. Unfortunately, the little pull tab broke off of my measuring tape so I was unable to get an accurate measurement. All in all a great couple of hours on the water! If you've never tried fishing these unique flats, you should really consider giving it a whirl.

I would like to offer up a few bits of advice. First and foremost, be careful back there! The tides are sometimes unpredictable in that area. As a rule your going to want to add about 5-6 hours to the tide chart at ponce. Basically, its the opposite of the beach. The changes from low to high tide can be very drastic! If you head out on a falling tide you may head back waste deep in mud. All of this depends on how much water we have at any given time. Your best bet is to arrive at low tide and move in with the water. This way you'll know the conditions at their worst and you can plan accordingly.

There are a few different ways to fish the Redfish in this hidden gem.

First, stop in at Highbridge Bait and Tackle and talk to Steve Carl. He usually has a pretty good idea as to where a few schools have been hanging out. He also offers live mullet, live shrimp, and many other natural baits, along with a host of tackle, including the "what hot" selection of lures for the area. Get to know him, he's one of the best in the business around here.

Spotting fish can sometimes be tricky, depending on weather conditions. On those smooth glassy summer mornings, you may spot them from quite a distance. Move up to them carefully and cast to past or to the outside of the school. Work your mullet or lure past the school and hang on! When there's a breeze on the water, it takes a keen eye. Here's another less technical way to try this. Just kind of semi carelessly travel through the area until you spook a school. Anchor up and cast as many free-lined, corked, or weighted mullet rigs as you have, out around your perimeter. Eventually the school starts coming back around and your set up in their front yard.

Remember to always respect your fellow fisherfolk and nature lover. A lot of the passages back there are very narrow. If you see someone fishing a cut that you have to get through, do your best to find another route. If you can't find an alternative route, be as quite and as courteous as possible when moving through. If you fish a main thoroughfare you have to understand that OBVIOUSLY there will be traffic!

If you decide you don't want to make your first trip out there a lone voyage. Maybe you want someone that understands the area to guide show you first hand the techniques used. My guided kayak fishing trips might be just the answer. I provide everything you need to get out there and catch fish (except a fishing license $10-$17). For more information check out my site at www.flipfishman.com. There you will find client testimonials, pictures, stories, rates, and much much more.

Thanks and as always feel free to comment or question.
Flip

2-21-2010 Fishermans Fury

2010-02-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had one of those days on the water where you wanted to throw every single item thats fishing related into the drink?k These type of days seem to make themselves apparent the instant you decide to start loading your gear into the car. Something happens that makes you think, uhh ohhh. Maybe you get a hook stuck in the upholstery of your vehicle? One of those snags that takes 45 minutes to undo and $900 off the value of your car. Maybe you slam your rod in the door. Maybe you open your tackle box to find a 1/2 cup of saltwater snuck in on your last trip and has rusted all the hooks off your lures. Your aireator is another place saltwater always finds its way into. I find that a good way to start OR end one of these days is with a nice birds nest in your reel! For those of you that aren't familiar with baitcaster type reels, let me explain. I am talking about the kind of reels that sit above the rod, the kind you have to thumb the spool a bit when you cast. If you don't slow the spool when your lure hits the water, it will continue to spin, thus causing the famed birds nest. Sometimes you can just pull a few yards of line out and reel in the slack. Other times you have to pull 60 yards off and untangle 8 or 9 of the most puzzling and complicated knots mankind has ever seen. Worst case scenario, you have to cut all $30 worth of power pro off your spool. Here's how to get a real hairball started. Find yourself a tight spot with low overhanging branches, preferably a stream no wider then 3 feet across. Now take that old 6 inch redhead bomber that weighs about 3 pounds and rip a two handed cast out HARD. Make sure your lure gets caught in the tree BEHIND you. Now kick back grab yourself a cold beverage and watch as your spools spins uncontrollably for the next 15 minutes. Once it finally stops the best thing to do is unscrew it from your rod and drop it in the water. Not really, we dont want the fish to get caught in it. Toss it in the trash when you get home.

Anyway, these kind of days happen to us all. When you feel one coming on, take a deep breath and relax. Don't use your new $150 rod as a sword, especially with a treble hook or three hanging off the end. Don't kill that poor catfish that has just taken your shrimp for the 18th time in a row. How do you think his mouth feels?? Don't gun your boat towards that group of helpless kayakers, please! Just ride it out calmly and it will pass. Beer is best suited for nursing yourself back to normalcy AFTER you get home. Kick the dog a few times and go for a bike ride! That always makes me feel better (especially if its the neighbors dog :o).

The fishing is still slow. The Black Drum ARE biting down at the jetties, saw quite a few dandies a couple days ago. The whiting have also been hot in the ocean. Sheepshead are good everywhere. Things are warming and we should have some GREAT fishing very soon. This is a great time to get organized. Grease and oil your reels. Change out that old line. Order a few packs of replacement treble hooks for your favorite lures. Keep your ear to the water and as always feel free to shoot me a question or comment.

Until next time

This is Flip Fishman saying;

If you like Ranch Dressing, try the Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning packets! You add one cup mayo (the good kind not that whip junk) one cup of milk and the packet, I kid you not folks, its the best ranch you will EVER taste!

Oh ya, for info, prices, testimonials, pictures and more on my guided kayak fishing trips, visit my site www.flipfishman.com or email fishtomoka@hotmail.com

2-08-10 Here we go again!

2010-02-08T08:56:00.000-08:00

Ooooh that smell....Can't you smell that smell??? Ooooh that smell....The smell of death surrounds you!

Anyone thats been boating or fishing in our sheltered backwaters in the last month or so, needs no explanation as to why I began this blog with those lyrics. Morbid as it may be, its the reality of our backwaters right now. I have absolutely no doubt that ALL of you have seen or at least heard about the carnage that was reaped upon or Snook fishery. We had a pretty bad....Ahhhhh, let me rephrase; kinda, sorta, really bad, cold front that killed a lot of fish.

I have gotten lots of emails asking my opinion on this subject, so here it is.

DON'T WORRY! It's happened many times before and will happen again. It's just the nature of the beast. As many of you know, we are about as far north as the Snook can actually flourish. To a Snook, Jacksonville might as well be New York. You might catch one or two freaks up that way but it's not something that happens on a regular basis. My point is, when we get a harsh winter, we lose Snook. A trip down Strickland Creek and you might think that we lost every single Snook we had, but thats far from true! We have a lot more then most people think. We'll still catch them this year and maybe you'll hook just as many as last year. Nobody can say for sure but we'll find out soon. I will tell you this and it's very reassuring news. I took my son out for a kayak ride yesterday out of Sanchez park. We bumped into a commercial fisherman who was netting Mullet. We talked for a few minutes and he said that in the short time he was out that day, he had already netted about 30 nice size Snook!

Now, keep in mind, the closed season has been extended until Sept 1st to give them some time to recoup. We are still allowed to catch and release Snook but we should really limit the amount of time we target them. This while ensure they have a speedy recovery. Lets do our best to target other species for the time being.

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. As my regular followers know, I had to take a couple months off to do some house renovations over the winter. Things should start to return to normal for your favorite fishing aficionado. Keep your eyes open for new blogs and updates on the happenings of all things fishing related!

Until next time. Polish up those reels, string on some fresh line, replace those dull hooks, and lets get ready for a great year of fishing!!

Your friend,
Flip Fishman
FishTomoka@hotmail.com
www.flipfishman.com

Give me a break

2009-12-10T13:25:00.001-08:00

Before you read this PLEASE, make sure your sitting down. For those of you that need a light drink to calm your nerves, I suggest you pour yourself a beer or ten. For those of you that find comfort in a nice slice of cake, send your husband to the kitchen with a box of Duncan Hines. Brace yourself folks, this may come as catastrophic news. I regret to inform you that your friend of the fin, is taking a small break from the Fishing report/Blog business. Yes, old Flip Fishman is going to be out of the game for a few weeks. Understand, I wouldn't leave you without a fishing report for any small reason. If it were only a heart transplant I would find a way. Believe me, this is much more serious. We are in the process of buying a house! Banks and Lawyers and Real Estate Agents, oh my! Actually thats the easy part. I will need to dedicate all my attention to a few remodeling projects. They shouldn't take longer then a month and hopefully I will be back on the water much sooner then that. I may be able to make exceptions for a few guided kayak fishing trips, as long as they are emergency "need to go fishing" situations. Other then that, you may not hear much from me for a few weeks.

In the mean time, please feel free to write in and let me know what your catching out there. I will be happy to put your names and reports in once a week.

Thanks for understanding and i'll be back soon.

Sincerely,
Flip Fishman

Fan of the Feather

2009-12-04T12:17:00.001-08:00

Most of you know me as Flip Fishman the fisherman, kayaker, guide, fishing reporter, story teller, and cat rescuer. What some of you may not know is I am also a wood carver. I will be attending lots of art shows here in Volusia County in the upcoming years. I am sure those of you that are local will see me standing in my booth. Please, if you do, stop and say hello. Im always happy to talk fishing or wood carving. I also plan to teach wood carving classes ranging from basic to advanced. If you think you might like to learn the art of turning wood into dust, email me and I will put you on a special list. When I start teaching classes, you will be my first students. I am reconstructing my bird carving web site so its offline. When its back up it will be at www.songbirdsinwood.com. If you would like me to email you the link when it is up and running, email me at carvinthings24@aol.com and title your email "Bird Man".

Here's a recently completed piece I did for a couple in England. Hope you enjoy!

11-30-09 Get Back "Pole Cat"

2009-11-30T06:35:00.000-08:00

For larger pictures and more information about guided kayak fishing tours, story's, recipes, client testimonials, and much much more go to www.flipfishman.com

A few months ago a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to do a little night fishing. I'de been "couped up" in the bird carving room for the last week so it was really an offer I couldn't refuse. We launched out of the Granada boat launch around 7:30pm and crossed over to the east side of the river to escape the wind. We fished the docks south of the bridge with only a nibble or two to show. We decided to head North and continue casting at docks. The day had been hot and the night was warm, I was skeptical from the start. It was great to be out though and thats half the fun. As we worked our way up, we heard an odd sound. I asked my pal if he had heard it and he said yes. Neither of us could be sure but it sounded like either a cat or some kind of weird night bird. I shinned my headlamp all over the dock that the sound came from. As we paddled on, we heard it again and again. All of a sudden, I saw a pair of glowing eyes? "What the heck is that", I said? We moved closer to find a soaking wet cat, stranded on the tip of a submerged piling, about 50 feet out from the shoreline! How a cat had gotten itself into this situation was beyond us. The real question was, how do you get a wet, pissed off cat thats stuck on a submerged piling, in waist deep water, in the middle of the night, back to the shore? Or do you just leave it there? Im an animal lover, so leaving it there to fend for itself, was out of the question. My first idea was maybe if I pulled my kayak up to the cat, it might hop on and I could taxi it to dryer ground? As I got closer the cat starting making these convulsing meows that made me rethink my strategy immediately. I wish I had a sound clip for you guys because the noise that emerged from this animal was just down right wrong. I backed away from the glowing eyed monster while imagining myself trapped on a kayak, trying to pry a rabid cat off of my face. I needed a better idea. I stuck my paddle into the water to find it was a semi hard, oyster shell bottom, about belly deep. I've got it, i'll get out of my kayak near shore and wade back out to the cat, pushing my kayak. It will politely hop into my vessel and I'll push him back to the shore. Simple! I got out in the murky soup, near the shore, and started scooting my flip flopped feet slowly through oysters and mud. When I got back out to the cat, I pushed my kayak up to it and.............of coarse it just looked at me, it did nothing. I pushed and prodded with my paddle but the cat wouldn't budge. Great, now what?? No towels or rags between the two of us, nothing to shield myself from flying teeth and claws??? I tried petting the cat with my paddle and it seemed friendly. Im just gonna go for it! When it turned away from me I lightly grabbed it by the nape and lifted it to the kayak. OK, phew, it's on! The rest went on without a hitch. I got him back to the shore and lifted the cat up into the grass. It meowed to us a few more times as we paddled off, thanking us for the help.

The moral to the story is........ Sometimes our furry, feathered, four legged, and no legged friends need a little help. Your never to busy to stop and help out! Pick up discarded fishing line and garbage if you see it along the shoreline or in the trees. I see more dead and injured birds tangled up in fishing line then you'd care to know about! If we all work together we can make a huge difference!

11-26-09 Fishing Report

2009-11-26T07:42:00.000-08:00

Its been a windy week here in Volusia County. When wind is a major factor, I retreat to a few favorite area's that always offer good wind protection. If the fishings been decent in the backwater creeks. Try the Tomoka River or Strickland Creek, they have many narrow cuts that block the wind from all directions. If you are daring enough to brave the Halifax, the Islands that border the channel near the Basin are another great choice. You can always tuck yourself away on the calm side of the island were its easy to forget the whitecaps and 20mph gusts. If you've been out to the islands recently, you have probably noticed the millions upon millions of schooling mullet. They find shelter in these same little coves and calm spots. If your an observant individual, you'll notice if you watch a pod of bait that it will scatter or flee from time to time. This is a big sign that larger fish are in the area. I hear a lot of people say, "I dont like to fish big schools of bait because the target species has to many meals to choose from". The truth is, predator fish like most other predator animals in our wild kingdom prefer to reserve their energy for the easy targets. Most of our inshore gamefish hang out in the shadows, dropoffs, structure, eddy's, current breaks, and wait for the weaklings or injured to stray from the pack. Obviously this isn't to say that the predators wont attack healthy fish but given the choice, they prefer an easy meal.

How do you make your baitfish stand out from the thousands of others? If the bait schools are at the surface, add a couple split shots or tie on a fish finder rig to sink yours a little deeper. Cast a freelined mullet to the outside edges of the school. If the fish are on the edge of a drop off, cast a bait into the deeper water. Cut your mullet in half, redfish especially love fresh cut mullet. If the fish are feeding on top, hook your bait in the back under the dorsal fin to keep it up top. Hook your bait in the mouth to have him swim deeper. Cast a couple rods out and put them in your rod holders. Nows a perfect time to practice with your artificails. Try "matching the hatch" and using a lure that gets to where the fish are eating.

As the weather and water start to cool down, look for Redfish in shallow water during the warmest part of the day. Flounder love the cold water. They are always best in shallow water during low light conditions. There are always exceptions though. Sheepshead are another fish that love the cooler temps.

Get out when you can and adjust your game plan accordingly. Always remember, the best part of fishing is being outside in our beautiful Florida outdoors. We are very lucky to live in an area with so much lush, unspoiled wilderness. Do your part to keep it clean and always leave with more litter then you came with! ALWAYS pick up discarded fishing line! You are NEVER to busy to save an animals life!

11-19-09 Fishing Report

2009-11-20T06:53:00.000-08:00

Not much has changed on the fishing scene since last week. The water has cleared up great and the mullet are moving in droves. I was down at the Granada Dock the other day watching really nice sized Sheepshead pick barnacles off the pilings. I was without fishing gear so when another local angler spotted the fish, I was glad someone might be able to pick a fight with the brutes. I had to leave shortly after he dropped his line, I wonder if he was able to hook up? Wading a few area oyster bars in the evening has produced reds and trout to 22".

This is the time of year that trout become very vulnerable to dock light fishing at night. Anchor up down current and cast up. Toss jigs, shrimp, small lures, or mullet, freelined or on a float. Look for lights that having boiling water underneath them :o) Those that have seen it, know what I mean. Remember, its catch and release until January 1st. Be very careful with them while unhooking and releasing.

This is also the time of year that big schools of mullet hug the shorelines at night and big, hungry, Redfish know this all to well! When you hear the mullet "raining" just outside the perimeter of your headlights illumination, it's time to put the fish finder rig on. Cast a few fresh cut mullet into these school and hold on tight! Its a surefire way to catch reds!

If you want a little guidence your first time out at night. Shoot me an email or call. I only have a few openings left for this week.

Thanks and good luck to all!

11-12-09 Fishing Report

2009-11-12T08:57:00.000-08:00

Im sorry to report that this weeks fishing report will be very congested, with a high fever, and sore throat. That is to say your local fishing advisor has been off the set with a nasty cold. The good news is, I do have plenty of second hand info to dish out.

Word on the water is the Flounder are starting to get active. The best action is low light conditions on the outgoing tide. A friend of mine prefers to use thin 4-8" strips of cut mullet on a 1/4-1/2 oz jighead or a fishfinder rig. Leave the skin on the strip, it helps to keep it secured on the hook. Bounce or drag along the bottom in your favorite flounder spots.

Sheepshead are still stealing baits up and down the halifax and should only get better as the water cools. Find fiddler crabs at low tide on sandy or mud shorelines. The eastern side of the point of Tomoka State Park usually has a nice herd of them. The barrier islands also hold many thousands if you can get to them. The Fishin Hole always seems to have them in stock if you can't find your own.

Black Drum are also biting in the holes of the Tomoka. Fresh dead or live shrimp on a fishfinder rig is the key. Hit the Tomoka Bridge or Western side of Tomoka State Park. The dock near the boat launch can be a killer spot if you know where to cast.

Redfish have also been active along the shorelines and bars. Live mullet and shrimp seem to be working best.

Trout are out of season until January 1st. Anyone that knows trout, knows that when the season closes, their mouths open.

I haven't heard much on Snook.

Hopefully this helps you guys find some fish. I should be back on the water by next week. Good luck and feel free to send pics and stories of your catches!

Flip Fishman, back to bed!

Whats in a Name?

2009-11-06T08:38:00.000-08:00

Anyone that knows me personally, knows my birth name is Eric Greenstein. What most people don't know is how the nickname Flip Fishman was bestowed upon me. Epic tales of greatness and grandeur have been whispered through the flames of open bonfires at midnight. Mystic lore of 20 foot Alligators flipping "Flips" comparably tiny vessel in the treacherous mud of the Tomoka river, run ramped. The memorable headlines "Flip Fishman hatched from an Egglands Best Egg" or "Flip Fishman delivered with a Shimano Stradic attached to his umbilical cord"..... Industrial propaganda exposed!! Have the stories outweighed the truth? Is the truth to much for mere man to accept?
The world may never know!

For more information about me and what I do, as well as fishing reports with large, full color picture's, client Testimonials, how to's and more. Visit www.flipfishman.com

11-05-09 Fishing Report Greater Daytona Beach FL

2009-11-05T14:22:00.000-08:00

Its time to feed the fish!

*Remember*
Trout Season is now Closed until January. You can still catch'em you just can't keep'em!

To view my fishing reports with full color pictures, please visit my wev site at www.FlipFishman.com and click the Fishing Report Blog.

Unless there is a major emergancy, I will be posting all of my fishing reports every Thursday.

The fishing is good all over, hear in the Greater Daytona Beach, Central Florida area. The Reds have been especially ravenous lately! Cast along the spoil islands on the low incoming tide with jigs, spoons, shrimp or mullet. They seem to be more active on the Western, more sheltered, side. Hit the creek mouths on the falling tide with multiple rods out to maximize your odds. Try to get a free lined bait out there along with a fishfinder rig and maybe a float rig. If they start to bite on one rig more then the others, switch the others to that rig. Also, don't skip those nice little pods of mullet you may be seeing.
The Trout bite has been good up at highbridge and the dock lights. Live shrimp seems to be the key for them.

The trout bite has been good up at highbridge and the dock lights. Live shrimp seems to be the key for them.

Snook are around but most that we are catching are under slot.

The sheepshead are active along the pilings off the channel. Drop fiddlers on number 1 or 2 hooks with a few split shots to get a nice stringer. Yank a 5 pounder out of a tight spot with a medium action rod and tell me it's not a blast! The sheep and black drum are often found together. If you have never tried to eat them, you are really missing out!!!

I would like to take a few minutes and talk about finger mullet. Lots of people are a little confused when it comes to fishing schools of baitfish. They always ask me, "if there are so many fish to chose from, why would they pick mine?" Basically, you have to convince the predator fish that your mullet would be the best candidate for his or her mouth. How do we do that? Well, if the baitfish are on the move, you want your soldier to lag a little behind. Big fish follow schools of bait around waiting for the slow, tired, weak, or injured to fall behind. If they are moving along the surface, which they probably are if you can see them. Cast a mullet hooked in the mouth with a small jighead or split shot/hook to get him lower then the rest of his piers. Cast out in front of the bait as to not startle them and change their direction. Let them pass over your line and wait a few minutes. If there are big fish around they will find the bait. If you are in a spot where pods of mullet seem to be constantly moving through. Anchor or beach your vessel and set up shop. Especially if you can find a nice dropoff, point, or bar, that the mullet have to navigate through or around. Set out that variety of rigs that I talked about earlier for Redfish. Put the rods in the rod holders, loosen the drags and wait for the hum.

Now lets talk about pinpointing pods of nervous bait. There are some very obvious signs that hungry fish are in the vicinity but sometimes we are only given subtle hints. If your moving along and see what looks like cinder blocks being drops into the water from 5 stories up, there's a big fish or two around. If you see baitfish exploding out of the water in every direction, thats another sign something scary is under them. Get your bait or lure inside that school asap! In the less obvious sitchytations you will have to pay closer attention to detail. Ever see a school of mullet hagging the shore so tight, they sometimes beach themselves in small boat wakes? Cast a freelined mullet a few yeards past them and reel back so your bait is on the outside edge, in the deeper water. How about on those calm days when you see bait schools peacefully moving along, seemingly unbothered. If you watch closer you may see that suddenly, they all try to dive at once, only to pop back up a few feet away, swimming in confused circles. Cast or drop baits right in the middle of those schools with just enough weight get yours to the bottom. You may see a swirl or a wake, or maybe even a pop or two, then again you may not. Sometimes you may just find a school of bait that shows no signs of nervousness. Maybe they feel safe because they are in shallow water or protected by thick cover. Cast to the edges and work your way in. If fish seem to be feeding at the surface, hook you mullet directly under the dorsal fin and he will have the tendency to stay on top. If fish are low, hook your mullet in the mouth and he will tend to swim down.

One last tip. Most everyone has a little spot he or she calls their "bait spot". You go there in the morning and net up a few dozen mullet, pack back up and head to your fishing spot. What lots of people don't do is take the time to cast a plug a few times to the outer edges of their "bait spot". These spots always seem to hold big fish that people constantly scare off with their cast net. We think of it as our "bait spot", the big fish think of it as their "refrigerator".

Guide News
www.flipfishman.com

For more Information or to book a trip
Email fishtomoka@hotmail.com
Call 386 449 9043

10-3-09 Topwater Snook Video

2009-10-03T08:22:00.001-07:00

Here's a little video of myself I shot while fishing for topwater Snook yesterday. The fish was caught in the Tomoka Basin but I have seen heavy Snook action from Granada Bridge North past Highbridge. Let me know what you think of the Video and if you would like to see more.
Enjoy!

9-18-09 Fishing Report Halifax River Central Florida

2009-09-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

Big News from everyone's favorite local fishing fanatic, Flip Fishman.
It's finally here, an easy to navigate, 100% free, web site, dedicated to the local fishing scene and my kayak fishing guide service. At www.FlipFishman.com you will find fishing reports, picture's, story's, my rates and information, client testimonials and much more. Check in often and let me know what you think.

I will now be posting all of the photographs from our trips on the web site only.

The fishing scene is still quite good south of Daytona in Port Orange. Although, the high waters have dispersed the bait considerably. We have been launching under the Dunlawton Bridge at about 6:30am to catch that early morning bite. Outgoing tide seems to be a bit more productive over all but don't turn down an incoming. We are catching nice 5-10 pound Jack Crevalle, slot size Snook, Redfish, a good amount of keeper Flounder, Black Drum and Sheepshead.
For the Jack Crevalle look for pods of bait moving in or near deeper water. If Jacks are in the area, they usually make it a point to let everyone know pretty quickly. When you find them, break out that old, battered, but still somewhat shiny, top water lure. Toss it in the mix and hang on tight! When you hook an 8lb Jack on 6lb test, your in for a fight! If your fishing for sport, not many fish play harder then the old Jack. Some even say they make for good eating smoked? I have yet to try.
The Snook are doing what Snook normally do. Cast under docks, along shoreline with structure and overhang, next to bridge pilings, and don't forget to work creek mouths. Use at least 20# flouro leader, if the water is a little murky you may even want to jump to 30#. Topwater or shallow diving plugs work best for early morning. When the sun comes up, go deeper. Try light jigs, or jerk shad with 1/8 ounce bullet weights. The suspending plugs are also great. This is all as a general rule. You may get that kamikaze Snook on a topwater at 3pm on a sunny day but I doubt you will tear them up like that.
We are getting most of our reds at lower incoming tides. As soon as they can get into the area's that they couldn't at dead low. Look for oyster beds and grass shorelines that is exposed at low and submerged at high. The water is high now so that shouldn't be hard to find. Throw anything weedless, gold spoons, freelined shrimp or mullet.
Big Black Drum are in the channel near the channel pilings. Drop down a fresh live or dead shrimp, cut blue crab, or fiddler. You may have to use 1/2-2oz of weight to have control. Keep in mind that if your using that much weight, you will want to fish straight up and down. If you let the current roll it along the bottom, you will probably get hung up a lot. Its pretty tough horsing the big drum out of the pilings from a kayak, so bring a few extra rigs and hope your fish heads for open water (they normally dont). You can also try using a little less weight and casting from an anchored yak outside of the channel. Let the current drift your bait slowly along the bottom. Keep a little tension on the line so you can feel the bite. When a fish hits reel fast and pull him away from the structure. Its not easy, they pull very hard! Use medium heavy gear, 10-20 pound test.
The Flounder have also been really busy down that way. Drift with the current and let your bait bounce along the bottom. Look for points and fish the bay that is created by the break in current. Flounder prefer to hang out right outside of the current in weak eddy's and bays. This is not to say you won't catch them in areas that do have current running over them. Just spend more stationary time in the eddy's and bays. 1/8-1/4oz jig heads with white or chartreuse curly tail jigs are great. You may also throw a live shrimp or mullet on the jighead or a fish finder rig. Just remember with Flounder you need to cover ground. Dont cast to the same place twice.

This about covers my fishing report. Go to my web site www.flipfishman.com and click on my Fishing Report Blog link to read about a recent fishing adventure that I won't soon forget.

8-28-09 Fishing Report Halifax River

2009-08-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

As always, my Guide Info is located at the bottom of each fishing report entry, as well as in my profile.

Head South For the Fish!
If you've fished the Basin or anywhere north of Granada lately, you may have noticed a few things. First, the salt level in the water is very low. Second, the water is very high. Third, the only fish really reliable at this time are The Tarpon, The Catfish, and The Ladyfish. Right now the Tarpon are very aggressive between sun-up and 9am After that they start to slow back down. You may also snag the occasional small Snook or Red but its been pretty slow, all in all. Heck even the Sheepshead and Mangrove Snapper have decided to go on a hunger strike! Its pretty bad when that happens.

The good news is, im going to tell you were you can catch a lot of fish and you don't have to drive all day to get there. Hop in the car and head on down to the Silver Beach (Orange Avenue) Bridge. A 10 minute drive will put you in another world. Park at the courthouse and drag your yak a very small distance to launch. Cast big, lipped divers and topwater plugs pre sunup for Big Snook near the pilings and shadow lines. Make sure you have relatively "stout" gear as those old "Bridge Snook" know how to use the pilings to their advantage! 3 Times this week, I have personally lost Monster fish because my leader was only 20lb test flouro. When I say Monster, I mean something that pulls 12 pound braid off a reel so fast, it only takes seconds to be spooled. Im talking "reel songs" here folks, BZZzzzzzzzz! Keep in mind, when im near structure I tighten my drag down Hard. Your Main line should be at least 8lb, I would recommend 10-15. Dont be afriad to jump to 30 or 40lb leader. Earlier in the week the Tarpon were schooled up on the North East side of the bridge. Again, they know how to use the pilings, so tighten that drag and get ready to play horse!

Here's a nice Silver King I was lucky enough to get into open water. Sorry about the low quality pics, all I had was a camera phone.

The Jack Crevalle are also out of control down that way! When you start seeing random, rapid fire explosions, within a 25 yard radius and mullet are flying in all directions. You know its a school of Jack! Toss just about anything shiny, topwaters being my number one choice. I caught about 7 this size within an hour on a big pink Top Dog mirrolure. Great Fun! Some say they are good eating if you throw them directly on Ice and Serve Fresh. Be sure to cut out the dark meat though.

The Drum and Sheepshead are busy downtown as well. You know the drill on those bad boys. If not, read the next blog down.

If its Reds you want, head South to the next bridge, Dunlawton. Work the islands and bars for nice slot sized fish. You'll also get Snook, Flounder, Jack Crevalle, and Ladyfish. This morning we saw a 3-4 foot Shark patrolling the shoreline and I believe I saw another (larger) one in the channel? We also saw Manatee and Dolphin.

Here's a pair of slot sized Reds caught by a very nice couple from right here in Ormond. I look forward to hear how much they enjoyed those babies blackened or cooked up on the grill!

Here's another I brought home a few days before

Summery
Unless your looking for a nice Tarpon from 15-50lbs, head south for a good day of fishing! If your near the bridge tighten the drag and take your chances, they may just pay off big! Also, be careful! The current gets a little stronger when it gets funneled through the pilings. Its also stronger the closer you get to the inlet.

Only a few more days until Snook Season Opens!

Guide Info
THE FISHING IS HOT RIGHT NOW! If you want to stay busy catching a good variety of food and non food fish. Give me a call and lets make a date. 386 449 9043 or email FishTomoka@Hotmail.com! I have morning and evening spots open for this week! I supply all of the gear and guidance to get you connected to the fish you have always dreamed of. Included in my low prices are Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120 12' Sit on Top Kayaks, rigged to fish. I supply high quality Shimano Fishing reels and Bass Pro and Shimano rods. I take care of all of the tackle, hooks, and lures. I do all of the rigging, baiting, landing, and dehooking. Do as much or as little as you like. You are free to bring some or all of your own gear.

If you've been thinking about booking a trip nows the time to get a good variety!

For more information click on my profile picture here on the blog or go to www.flipfishman.com

8-23-09 Fishing Report Ormond Beach Florida Tomoka Basin

2009-08-23T06:20:00.000-07:00

The Tarpon are Restless!

Yes, its true! The Tarpon are at their peek feeding season here in the Basin Area! With fall closing in, its time to pack on the pounds! Get out there with a big fat freelined live shrimp or a nice freelined mullet and hang on to your rod!

Here's a nice "poon" estimated at about 20# we got yesterday! Boy did he fight!!!

Guide Info
This feeding frenzy WILL NOT last long! If you want to book a Guided Kayak Trip, hurry up and call 386 449 9043 or email FishTomoka@Hotmail.com! I have morning and evening spots open for this week! I supply all of the gear and guidance to get you connected to the fish you have always dreamed of. Included in my low prices are Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120 12' Sit on Top Kayaks, rigged to fish. I supply high quality Shimano Fishing reels and Bass Pro and Shimano rods. I take care of all of the tackle, hooks, and lures. I do all of the rigging, baiting, landing, and dehooking. Do as much or as little as you like. You are free to bring some or all of your own gear.

If you've been thinking about booking a trip and want to catch big inshore fish, NOW IS THE TIME! Don't wait, the spots will fill fast!

For more information click on my profile picture here on the blog or go to www.flipfishman.com

8-18-09 Tomoka Basin Halifax River Ormond Beach Florida

2009-08-18T13:05:00.000-07:00

Fish Snobs Please, Do Not read this!!

What hits harder then a barracuda, pulls like a finger mullet, and taste like mud?

Definitely NOT a Sheepshead! Let me start off by saying that anyone who scoffs at the idea of serving up the striped sheep at the dinner table is Miss Sing Out! Your passing up one of the finest fish our waters have to offer. I mean come on folks, all they eat are mollusk for crying out loud. I have even heard of people boiling the meat and serving it with drawn butter and lemon. You know what those people say it taste like? Huh? LOBSTER! Ya, they dip it in butter and eat it like its lobster! In my opinion thats pushing it just a hair. BUT, it is honestly one of my absolute favorite fish of all time! Both to catch and to eat.

Yes, their rib cage is a bit larger then most. You don't get as much meat off one as say a Flounder.

Yes, their scales are a little on the tough side which makes them a little more challenging to fillet.

No, the fillets are not bony, if you fillet them right!

Yes, they fight like Jorge Saint Pierre, which is to say they are Bad Mama Jamma's.

Yes, they nibble like a Nervous Nelly Nibble's Nails.

Convinced? Ok, lets rig up!

Here's what I like to use. A medium action 6' spinning rod, matched with a 2500-4000 size reel, spooled with at least 10 pound mono or braid. I like braid because you feel the light taps much better, due to the zero stretch. Tie on a 20# flouro leader and a size 2 Kahl hook. If you use a swivel then you can throw an egg sinker on your main line before you tie the swivel on. If not just crimp a few split shots but only enough weight to keep your line straight up and down in the current. I usually have my weight about 6-8 inches above the hook. For bait, you can't beat the old fiddler crab. They are all over the place right now, so finding 50-100 shouldn't be to difficult. Figure you'll lose about 3-7 fiddlers for each sheepshead you land! Tighten your drag as tight as you can get it! You give a sheep an inch and he'll wrap you around a piling!

Hop in your boat, kayak, canoe, raft, air mattress, or pickle barrel. Now go find some structure! Bridges, docks, poles, oyster beds, anything that has lots of snags and barnacle. Drop your fiddler down to the bottom right next to the structure and then raise him about an inch off the bottom. Watch your line and turn your finger feelers to ultra sensitive. If your bait is down there for more then a minute with no nibbles and you reel your fiddler up intact, move a little, or allot. When you start reeling in empty hooks and you aren't feeling the bite, you my friend are in prime "head" country. There's an acquired feel to setting the hooks on these sneaky devils that only comes with practice. Use a good sharp hook and set it with gusto Sheepshead have hard toothy mouths. When you hook one, hang on for dear life. They pull Super Hard and will do their best to wrap you up in the structure. Basically its try to horse or be horsed! The limit is 15 per person and the minimum length is 12". Figure about a 12 incher per person for a meal.
Don't be surprised to find old Redfish, Black Drum, and Mangrove Snapper hanging out at Sheeps place.

They are a pretty close gang and they all love the sweet sound of the fiddler!

I recently had the pleasure of fishing with a younger but super knowledgeable, local angler, here in my area. Between the two of us we wrangled up this stringer of Sheepshead and Snapper within a couple hours.

In other news
The Snook have been busy in the creeks, and docks. We are also finding them along the bars blowing up on the the overabundance of Shrimp in the river right now. Its that time of year when the fish only seem to want live/natural bait. Give it to them folks or risk the chance of getting skunked.

Here's a nice first Snook for Josh up in Jacksonville.

The Redfish have been in and out. When their hot their on fire and when their cold their gone. We are still finding them in smaller scattered schools. Watch along grassy shorelines and oyster bars, while flipping bait under docks.

Here's one a friend of mine caught while we pitched under docks.

Here's one that I invited home for dinner

Here's a nice Bull that sat on my lap just long enough for a quick snap.

And his Little Brother

We are Jumping a Tarpon or two within an hour or so of our morning trips. They are very active as long as the waters calm when the sun comes up. Tide doesn't matter as long as its moving. Step up your gear to a 40# flouro leader and a 3/0 circle hook as long the water stays cloudy. We haven't landed one in a while but its only a matter of time. Anyone who fishes Tarpon knows you land about 2 out of 10 jumped, if your lucky. They have been so active on some days that they are jumping almost completely out of the water (not hooked) to crash schools of bait. I have more then one person that can vouch for that site! Its truly an awesome spectacle!

We are also getting scattered Flounder, some Trout, Ladyfish, and the big Gaftops.

Kayak Fishing Guide Info
Maybe you want a little guidance on your first real Sheepshead hunt. Not sure how or were to catch the fiddler crabs? Maybe those old fishing skills of yours are a bit rusty and you need a little kick start getting back into the game? Maybe you really want to have a Sheepshead dinner but don't want to do all the dirty work of cleaning the fish? Maybe its all of the above? This is were I come in! Keep in mind we aren't limited to sheepshead, we can target whatever you desire. Im always honest about what we are catching and when.

For a very affordable price, I will provide the kayaks, fishing gear, and everything else you need to catch and land fish. All you need to bring along is a bottled water, sun glasses, and maybe some sun tan lotion. You will also need to bring a fishing license, which is now mandatory for everyone that fishes anywhere in Florida. I am also happy to skin and fillet any fish we catch during our trip at no extra charge. All you have to do is go home and turn on the oven! I guarantee that if you have never eaten fish you caught only hours prior, you will never want anything else again. Its really that good and the way all fish should be eaten, Fresh!

Contact
You can contact me direct at 386 449 9043
or email FishTomoka@hotmail.com

You can also learn more about my services by clicking on my profile here on the blog or
visiting my site at www.flipfishman.com

8-05-09 Fishing Report Ormond Beach FL Tomoka Basin Area

2009-08-05T13:05:00.000-07:00

You know the fishing is Great when it takes me this long to take the time out to do a report. Every second I can get these days is spent on the water. To all that have been waiting, here's my report.

My Guide Info is Posted at the Bottom of this Blog or click My profile picture to the right.

If you've been fishing in the river lately you know the waters been a bit on the murky side. This does effect the fishing but the fishing has still been GREAT! What I do in situations like this is use brighter colors, louder rattling type lures, and more live bait. I especially like shrimp at times like these because they don't only smell good to fish but they make a lot of noise when they snap. Add a popping cork and you'll be calling fish in from miles around. Find the structure, find the bait, and you've found the predators! The bait is thick right now so finding it should not be a problem. We are seeing big schools of Mullet, Menhaden, and shrimp dodging predators left and right. We are catching a big mixed bag of fish right now. These include Redfish, Snook, Flounder, Trout, Ladyfish and Black Drum. We are also jumping a nice Tarpon or two pretty much every trip. For anyone interested, there has also been an excess of big 8 pounds plus Gafftop Sail Cats.

I understand the old catfish has a negative stigma about him and I can see why. He's slimy, got some nasty barbs, and gets in the way when your targeting other species. On the other hand, when you catch a good 10 pounder, hold on tight! These bad boys pull like a Clydesdale and will probably have a lot of you thinking your hooked to a big Red. I've also heard the Gafftops are great to eat. I have yet to try one but when I do, i'll let you know how it was. Make the most of the old Cat, enjoy his company, don't cringe at the sight of him. Also, be nice to him, just unhook him and release him back into the food chain. Im sure he's there for a reason. Nothing sickens me more then people who slam fish up against a hard surface to stun/kill them so its easier to get the hook out. A grown man, afraid of a little catfish prick!
The Ladyfish have also been pretty active along any point that you find bait travelling on. They will eat just about anything and might just be the highest jumper of all our inshore fish. They are masters of spitting the hook so be careful if you have a tendency to pull your rod directly back toward your face. I've seen a grown man dropped by a 1/4oz lead head caught straight to the forehead.

The larger Tarpon have made their entry into the ICW and Tomoka River/Basin area's. I can't say if they are in Strickland Creek because I haven't been back there for a while. When I say larger Tarpon, I mean fish in the 25-40 pound range. For us inshore guys around here, thats pretty big. They are hitting live mullet and big shrimp, im also getting reports that they are hitting larger Menhaden if you can get them. We have had quite a few on the hook but they either shake/jump free/spit the bait, or break the leader. If you find a group of them be patient and wait for the roll. Look for the direction in which he is moving and do your best to cast a few feet in front of him. I free line a lot of bait and it really seems to get their attention. Leave a little extra line out because if they feel any resistance, they will spit the bait. I have no doubt that me or someone on my charter is going to land a big one Very Soon!

The Trout have been on fire, or nothing at the docks at night. They seem to be preferring the incoming tide. Don't spend to much time at each light. If you don't see or feel anything after 10 minutes, move along to the next light. While your fishing one light, watch the other lights in your vicinity. If it looks like someone is dropping golf balls into the water directly under the light, get over there with a shrimp or jig.

This Client only wanted to keep a couple for a fresh fish dinner, we caught many more that night. All about the same size 19" and up!

You may consider bringing a little bit stouter gear then you normally would when fishing dock light trout. Mr. Snook has also been pretty active at the docks. You may need to horse him out away from the pilings so I would go with at least 12# line. You can also target the Snook by casting larger 4-6" diving plugs or topwater walk the dog style lures. Cast as far under the docks as you can and also work the shadow lines. If you have any type of heart issue, you may want to stay away from the topwater lures. When a Big Snook EXPLODES on one, you can actually count the seconds that your heart stops beating. You've been warned!

Im also spooking and catching a fair number of Flounder. Here's a little 14 incher I decided to release so she could grow up to be an under water UFO.

To catch these flatties, you might try a 1/8oz-1/4oz jig head combo'ed up with a live shrimp. Cast it up to the shoreline and drag it back along the bottom.

You'll also catch Reds

and plenty of Snook this way

Check out the Daytona Beach News Journal's Fishing report this Friday either online or in the hard copy to get my personal report on Redfish. I will then follow up on my blog with another awesome Redfish experience.

I also want to point out that I am working on being better about taking pictures of all of the fish we catch on our trips. Im sure many of you are wondering why I never asked to get a picture of you with your fish. Honestly, after a morning on the water I can get a little forgetful. I'll continue to try and do better about documenting everything worthwhile we catch with digital images. This way all of you will have a visual look into the fishing adventures of Flip Fishman and Guests.

Im always interested to hear your story's and to meet my readers. So if you see me out, say hello, im a real easy going guy. If you haven't emailed me to introduce yourself, please do.

Guide Info
Looking for an affordable way to spend 4-5 hours on the water? Look no further! I offer full service guided kayak fishing trips on the Tomoka Basin, Tomoka River, and ICW (Halifax River). I supply all of the gear and guidance to get you connected to the fish you have always dreamed of. Included in my low prices are Wilderness Sytems Tarpon 120 12' Sit on Top Kayaks, rigged to fish. I supply high quality Shimano Fishing reels and Bass Pro and Shimano rods. I take care of all of the tackle, hooks, and lures. I do all of the rigging, baiting, landing, and dehooking. You are free to do as much or as little as you like. You are free to bring some or all of your own gear.

For more information

Contact me Direct at 386 449 9043

Or email FishTomoka@hotmail.com to ask any questions you may have on my services.

Or

Click my profile picture here at the fishing report blog

Or

Go to my site at www.flipfishman.com
Bait will be provided at actual cost to me, usually between $5-$10. If I can net bait the morning of our trip, there will be no extra cost.

Hurry, the fishing is hot and these prices will not last forever.

7-21-09 Tomoka Basin Fishing Report

2009-07-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

Going up to the Country

I recently spent a few weeks up in Western NY and although its beautiful country, its chilly. Even in July it was in the low 60's and thats in the middle of the day! I have to admit it was a nice change of pace for the short time I was up there. By the end of the trip the lack of skeeters and sand spurs really had me feeling homesick. I did have a chance to break away from the group and do some Smallmouth Bass fishing in one of my favorite little lakes in the area. The name of the lake is Quaker Lake and its located in Allegany State Park.If your ever in the Buffalo Area, its about an hour drive but well worth it.

The morning of my trip, I burrowed my sisters 9 foot kayak and took a drive out. Upon arrival the scenery was even better then I remembered. With lush rolling hills and crystal clear water, I couldn't wait to get on the lake. I hurriedly launched the yak and got on the water by about 6:30am. The Smallmouth Bass fishing was lots of fun! I ended up catching and releasing 7 fish in the short time I
was there. In my hurry to get out there that morning, I forgot my camera but I did have my cell phone camera to capture a few pics. Also my brother in law showed up for a little row around the lake and was able to snap a pic of me with one of my catches.

I caught all of my fish on silver/green tail saltwater jerk shads. I saw Deer, Beaver, a Loon, and my Brother in Law said he saw a mom and baby Bear that morning on his way out (although you can't believe everything he says). Just kidding Dana if your reading this :o)

Home Sweet Home
The instant the plane touched down in Florida the first thing I wanted to do was go out and catch some real fish(sorry NY). I think anyone that has caught a few of our inshore saltwater species would agree that freshwater fish just dont fight as hard or taste as good. Tie the tail of a 10 pound Redfish to the tail of a 15 pound
Largemouth or Pike and lets see who wins! I knew I would have the bug when I got home so I left a few days open from my guided kayak trips. Its not that I don't enjoy taking folks out but there's something to be said about the occasional solo trip to really clear your mind. The first thing I heard when I got back was that we had a fair amount of rain while I was away, that had me worried. Where to start? It didn't take long for me to decide to hit the Tomoka Basin.

The morning was calm and the water was glassy. I paddled over to the Northern shoreline and was amazed at all the redfish I spooked along the way. I started off with a Top Dog Mirrolure and had a few BIG swirls but no commitments. Next I tied on a gold spoon and again had a few followers but they just didn't want to take the bait. I worked my way along the shoreline casting to a few miscellaneous wakes but I just Could Not Buy A Fish!!

Suddenly I saw a huge crash along the shoreline about 30 feet in front of me. I watched as a large blue crab paddled furiously at the surface. He seemed to be trying to get to dryer ground and fast. Then the monster hit again, BUCKAWWWW! Another miss! I thought about casting my spoon to the action but decided I would rather watch this awesome spectacle play out. Just when I thought the crab had made it to shallow enough water and the fish had given up, I saw it. The only way to describe it is to compare it to the Killer Whales on the Discovery Channel when they almost beach themselves to get to the seals. Out of nowhere this massive wake starts to form about 15 feet from the shore. The fish seemed to be building momentum to launch its attack. As it got shallower its shimmery crimson bronze back became exposed and the fish revealed its identity. Keep in mind all of this happened in the blink of an eye with the end result being an eruption so fierce
I feared I might be thrown from my kayak. Luckily I was far enough away from the explosion that I was only temporarily blinded by the blast of mud and water that pelted me like one of the water canons mounted on the Nisshin Maru (you've all seen Whale Wars I assume). When the water settled and my sight was restored all that remained was a few ripples, some bubbles, and one stoked fisherman.

I don't know how big that Redfish was exactly but lets just say he probably would have made my drag click a few times. Did I regret not casting to it?
Not at all! I may have hooked it, I may have spooked, most likely if I would have cast at that crab I wouldn't have got to witness the amazing event that took place that morning. It has to rank up there with the top three most amazing fish attacks I have personally seen in my life.

The lesson, sometimes its best to let mother nature take her coarse.

I paddled around aimlessly for the rest of that morning in what I guess you could call a starstruck daze. And though I didn't catch a single fish, it was one of the best mornings I have had in a while. Oh ya, saw a decent sized gator out there too.

Better Days To Come
The next morning was a bit better. I launched at Tomoka State Park and started working the islands along the park. Within 10 minutes of being on the water a nice Snook hoped on my Jerk Shad. He did a little dance for me and then released himself. I worked my way around the point and down the Western shoreline
catching 5 snook and a rat Red by about 9am. I caught everything on jerk shad and a mirrodine. I snapped a few picture's of a couple of the Snook, they were all about the same size.

Nothing huge but it was fun and I stayed pretty busy. Saw some larger Tarpon (15-20lb) roll about 30 feet out from the shoreline. Also saw some Dolphin vigorously attacking schools of mullet, thats always neat!

The Conclusion
Since i've been back I am seeing lots of fish but they seem to be on the picky side. The secret is Live Bait! Get your hands on some nice finger mullet and you will do good on redfish in the Basin, if you can find them (finger mullet and Redfish).

Guided Kayak Fishing
If you dont have a kayak or boat or you want someone with a little more experience in the area to guide you to the fish. I offer a very reasonable morning and evening rate for guided fishing trips. Check out my Profile here on my blog or visit my site at www.flipfishman.com. I offer 4 hour guided kayak fishing trips for morning, evening, and night. Make sure you request your day a few weeks in advanced to ensure your spot is available. As always if you have any questions or comments please post them to the blog or email me direct fishtomoka@hotmail.com. Im always happy to help.
Good luck and i'll see you on the water.
Flip

6-30-09 Ormond Beach Tomoka Basin Fishing Report

2009-06-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

I can see clearly now the silt is gone (almost).

Being so disgusted with the quality of our local water, I vowed to give up fishing all together. As I sadly went through my tackle boxes taking pictures of my lures to sell on ebay. I started to realize each one of them had a little story to tell. Ahh, the old black backed Rapala, I remember the day I bought you! We went out that very evening and you caught 4 trout and a Mangrove Snapper of all things. Ohhh and you Top Dog Jr. you have fooled many a Snook in the early morning hours. You too, Bomber Long A and you have the scars to prove it! The Mirrolures tried to convince me that with the rust on their hooks nobody would want them. My soft plastics pleaded, are you really going to split us apart!?! Thats when a saw it, shining under a 1/4oz bucktail, my oldest and dearest friend, the Gold Spoon. With his tarnished wisdom he spoke the words of a truly successful lure. He said in a shaky old voice, we live in a fast paced society Flip. These days we rarly have to wait for anything. With immediate gratification provided by the Internet and cell phones, waiting for something has become a very uncomfortable feeling. Look at fishing for example. Media like Television, and Magazines has transformed a once relaxing past time into a super fast paced "sport" littered with corporate sponsors and advertising. If you don't have the fastest motor, the highest resolution GPS/Depth finder, the newest lure, the lightest reel, your going to be left in the dust. Thats how they want us to think anyway. Instead of dreams of catching "Old Sam" and being the envy of the town or bringing home that nice fish dinner. Our youth now dreams of being the next overpaid "bad boy" professional fisherman. Have some patience Flip, when the water clears up you'll appreciate that long awaited cast so much more.

I never looked at it like that, Old Spoon. I guess even I get a little caught up in the buying pressure sometimes. It sounds like what your saying is, sometimes simpler really is better.

Fishing is not about catching fish but exercising our power of patience while we enjoy the beauties of nature.
Old Gold Spoon

As you might have guessed from the title of this Blog, the water has made a decent recovery. I received a few tips that things were perking up, up this way. So instead of heading South to the Inlet, like I've been doing for the past few weeks. I decided to give the Tomoka Basin area a try yesterday and today.
The tips were true! We have salt water again and the clarity is much better. Also the water has cooled a hair and doesn't feel so much like a Jacuzzi anymore. Work the structure along the shoreline for Snook. Don't be afriad to work your way into the narrow little creeks in the backwaters. It doesn't take a lot of water to hold large fish. Work the mouths, curves, eddies, and any ambush points you can pick out. Get your bait under those overhanging tree's and there might be a hungry 34" snook waiting there for it. Like this one I caught yesterday (6-29-09).

I had another big fish this morning, im guessing was a red but it came off 20 seconds after it was "hooked". Both days the fish have all but ignored the topwater plugs opting for another one of my favorites, the Jerkbait! Rig it weedless and you don't have to worry that a craggy old pine will steal it from your collection. With no weight it can be fished at the top with an almost walk the dog like retrieve. Let it sink a little and work the shoreline drop off. Use a jighead or weighted hook to bounce it along the bottom. The soft plastic jerkbait is a must have for any box! Try rootbeer or penny colors for stained water. If the clarity is pretty low, throw on a white or chartreuse. If the water is clear use natural colors. Its that simple! Also try the points of the islands for Snook and Trout and the grassy banks along the flats for Reds, Snook, and Trout.

The Inlet area has been great for the "Uglies" of our inshore sportfish. These include the Jack Crevelle, the Ladyfish, and the Bluefish with an occasional "pretty boy" Red or Trout. The first 3 fish mentioned are all great fighters. Hook into a 8lb Jack on 6# test gear and hold on tight! Watch for schools of Manhaddon moving between 10 and 40 feet off the shoreline. Fish a tail hooked manhaddon with a small split shot about 12" above the bait. Cast at the bait pods so your fish slowly sinks under them. at these schools and hold on. Also try "walk the dog" top water lures or slow sinking or suspending lures. Head West through the cut and work the grassy Eastern shoreline "flats" for reds.

Get out there and catch a memory. If you want a little guidance on the water check out my Profile or visit my site at www.flipfishman.com. I offer 4 hour guided kayak fishing trips at a very affordable rate. Email me today to reserve your spot!

6-10-09 Fishing Report Ormond Beach Florida Area

2009-06-10T06:53:00.000-07:00

It seems the freshwater runoff has really stirred things up lately. In Ormond, the visibility in the Halifax is way down along with the salinity. Its getting better but if you've been out in the last few weeks and tasted the water, you know that its pretty much fresh. We have been able to hook into a few scattered trout and reds on the points of the islands and oyster bars. Nothing real thick though. Use topwater plugs, divers, or twitch baits that make some noise. On calm mornings I use a more subtle topwater but when it starts getting choppy, go with that clacking rattling headache of a plug. The Flounder are here but because the water clearity is so bad you need to bounce that jig right on their eye for them to bite.

I named this guy cinnamon because he was a "Big Red" and boy did he fight!

I caught these three a few days ago wading off one of the barrier islands. All three fell victim to a red head white body slow sinking mirrolure.

The one fish that seems to be pretty reliable right now is the Tarpon. They can be found in the backwaters in Strickland creek. They seem to be best on an incoming tide but you can find them on the outgoing as well. Throw freelined medium to medium small finger mullet or live shrimp. They are also hitting small suspending twitchbaits. I like the mirrOdine with silver luminescent sides/black/green/or clear top. They seem to like a nice steady retrieve, not a bunch of twitching. Look for eddy's and other breaks in the normal current flow and hold on tight. Use light spinning gear, no more then 6-8lb test. Don't be surprised if you catch a gar or two as well, they are pretty thick back there right now.

A couple recent catches

If you have never caught a 3-10 pound Tarpon on light gear your really missing out. They are a blast to catch and one of the most acrobatic fish in the water. Click my profile to learn more about my guided trips. Reserve your spot today before someone else does!

This is also a great time to take a few hours and go for a relaxing paddle down the Tomoka River or Strickland Creek. To read more about my scenic kayak tours visit my site at www.flipfishman.com. The rates are unbeatable and the memories will last a lifetime! Don't forget your camera!

6-04-09 Take a tour of Florida's scenic backwaters

2009-06-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

By now you all know that I Really Like To Fish. I also find great satisfaction in teaching others how and where to catch fish. What you might not know is that im an artist as well. I have been carving birds out of wood, full time for over 8 years.

Carved and Painted Tufted Titmouse

My inspiration as a wildlife artist naturally stems from a true love for the outdoors. The instant I step outside and away from my cozy controlled environment, I get the sensation that I am truly alive. My senses awaken as a gentle breeze takes the bite out of the mid day sun. A mixture of freshly mowed grass and Magnolia pleasantly fill the air. The neighborhood Mockingbird with no one song to call his own, fills my ears with his renditions of the sounds that mean the most to him. A seemingly endless collaboration of perfectly mimicked melody's rendered both day and night. For 30 years the sharp twigs, sand spurs, rocks, and hot asphalt have been trying and failing to convince me to strap shoes to my feet. Oyster shells are another story.

If im happy being outside then im in Nirvana on the water.

In my opinion there is no better place to view the natural world then from a small self propelled watercraft. It has 0 negative effects on the environment, it keeps your heart healthy, and you dont have to pay to fill her up. Its virtually silent and travels atop the lifeblood of the universe, water. From fury and feathered, to scaly and slimy, everything needs water to survive.

Kayaks, Jon Boats, and Canoes come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and prices. You can buy a couple for less then what it cost to keep the cable company happy for a year. Best of all, anybody can do it and any car can haul one!! Now, I know at this very moment your gathering a mob to flip my car and burn my house down because I suggested that maybe you have the cable shut off. WAIT! I like The Office too and realize that only a true mad man (or woman) would live 3 days without the picture box. All im saying, is if you put a few bucks aside here and there and keep your eyes open in the classifieds, you will find something before you know it.

You all know I offer very affordable guided kayak fishing tours. What some of you might not know is I also offer 2 hour scenic tours as well! This gives everyone the opportunity to get out and give kayaking a try before you invest the semi big bucks. For $30 a person we will explore the wild backwaters or rivers of beautiful East Central Florida. We will launch right here in Ormond Beach at a predetermined morning or evening time and place. Common sights are Manatees, Dolphins, Turtles, Shore Birds, Birds of Prey, Song Birds, Deer, and Boar. Occasionally we see Alligators, Snakes depending on the launch site and time. Camera's are not required but highly advised! Due to all the rain the Manatee's are very active in the backwater creeks. If you have never seen one up close, from a small craft, it is truly an amazing experience.

Two of many curious Manatee's June 4th 2009.

5-30-09 Fishing Tomoka Basin Halifax River

2009-05-30T05:42:00.000-07:00

I have to be honest here, I really thought the fresh water would slow the Trout and Redfish down more then it has. Smooth, glassy, slightly overcast, mornings have been big producers for our last few trips.

We are hooking into some fat trout along the Western Shore of the Halifax up where it meets the Basin. I usually start fishing the points of the islands this time of year for big gator trout. Why bother when you only have to walk or paddle a hundred yards or so to find them.

The reds have been on the smaller size, not quite keepers but still fun on light tackle. That could change any cast though.

A client of mine lost a huge snook in this same area. We noticed something huge kept slamming the shoreline going after some pretty good sized finger mullet. The sun was just a dim candle, only light enough to show us the way. As we got closer it happened again. My guest made a perfect cast just an inch away from the Spartina Grass and immediately started walking the dog with his topwater plug. Within 4 twitches we witnessed an explosion that covered what seemed like a half mile radius with water reaching the highest tree top. The Snook hoped up onto a log on the bank and asked us to give him 30 seconds. He then reached behind the log, grabbed a pair of New Balance (I could see the "N" on the side of the shoe) sneakers and put them on. He ate a small crumpet and washed it down with a cup of tea, looked at us, tipped his hat, and said "good day boys". Next thing we know he's 75 yards down the shoreline and panic mode sets in. Our worry's didnt last long though because after getting clearance from air force one, this freak of a fish launched himself skyward. While in the air, he pulled the lure out of his mouth, used the treble hook to pick out a few crumbs leftover from his crumpet and then gingerly tossed the lure to the side. His landing would have made any Olympian high dive champion jealous, that is to say a flea couldn't have landed more smoothly. He was gone! My client looked at me and said, was that a dream? All I could say was, I dont know??

This is what fishing is all about. Sometimes you get skunked, sometimes you catch so many you lose count, sometimes you hook the fish of your dreams only to loss him 20 seconds later, and every now and then you fight and land something that you will never forget. Im happy if I get to see the fish, im ecstatic if I get to land it!

The backwaters are full of baby Tarpon and they are eating. Try small 3" mullet shaped sinking or diving plugs or shrimp imitators. Live shrimp and mullet are also great. Don't just blind cast. Have your rod ready and cast in front of the fish as soon as it rolls. Hold on! They put up a great fight! Oh and dont forget to bow to the king!

Guide News
The Night time trout guarantee is back in effect. To learn about it, go to my profile here on the blog. You will also find my rates and information there. I can almost guarantee morning trips in the river will produce a trout limit as well. Also, I highly doubt trout will be the only species of fish we will catch in our 4 hours out!

Dor more info visit www.FlipFishman.com

Contact me soon to assure your date. Make your next fishing trip one to remember.

Flip

5-20-09 (Part II) These are a few of my fave-or-rit jiigs..

2009-05-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

I know I mentioned I would snap a few pictures of my favorite jigs and how I rig them, in the 5-14-09 post.

Lets get right to it

This first one is one of my favorites for medium slow to slow tidal flow. This works great with old bayside shrimp, berkley gulp, and most other soft plastic shrimp and jerk baits. I tie my main line to a 20# flouro leader using an albright special knot (mono to mono) To connect braid to mono/flouro try the uni to uni, nothing beats it. The best site I have found to learn knots is http://www.animatedknots.com/. Tie on a 4/0-5/0 wide gap hook and push the point through the front of the shrimp about 1/4 inch, then slide it out of the bottom.

Now turn the hook around and slide it back up into the shrimp. The hook will come out of the top be be almost flush with the shrimp.

Hooking the shrimp this way not only helps avoid snags but also because the weight of the hook is distributed, the shrimp will sink very naturally. Just cast it up current and let the water do the work, reel it up to the surface every now and then. This also works great under a popping cork.

Jerk baits rigged in the same fashion as the shrimp above are also deadly. If you want to fish deeper or bounce on the bottom for flounder, throw a bullet weight and maybe an orange bead on before you tie on the hook (Texas rig). The bead and weight (especially steel weights) add a little click clack that the fish love.

You can also fish the above with a regular jig head. Always use as little weight as possible when fishing jig heads or anything for that matter. 1/4 oz should do it 75% of the time.

I also like the Mirrorlure soft plastic swimtails. They are very versatile and just about anything will hit them

Last is the curly tail grub i've been catching so many flounder on this season. They are made by cotee and are available at most tackle shops.

Don't go overboard on the lures guys. Most are made to hook the cash in your pockets, not fish. Start with some basic jigs, a few diving plugs, and maybe a topwater or two. Basic colors are white, chartreuse, rootbeer, natural and new penny. Remember, the best thing about artificials is the fact that they cover lots of ground. Dont go down to the local dock and cast at the same spot for 3 hours (unless theres fish), it defeats the purpose. Move around and learn the waters! Don't get discouraged if you don't get anything your first few times. You dont get as many fish on jigs and lures but the ones you do catch usually make for good stories. Keep your lines wet and your heads above water!

If your interested in guided kayak fishing trips, click my profile for more information. Or go to my site at www.flipfishman.com

This is Flip Fishman, over and out!

5-20-09 Hey, we needed it!!

2009-05-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

If your down here in Volusia County, you know it hasnt stopped raining for the past 3days now. Welcome to Florida folks. We live in a drought for 4-6 months of the year and then we get plastered with rain. This is a bit on the extreme side though. Always remember, the harsh times are well worth waiting out because when its nice, its NICE! Lets just hope we get some good tidal flow to wash some of this freshwater out to the ocean. Take advantage of this off time and do some reel maintenance. Organize the old tackle box and replace bent and dull hooks on your favorite lures.

I was able to sneak out a few mornings ago and wade up a couple decent flounder and a nice trout. The flounder came home with me, I snapped a quick pic of the trout and released it to fight another day. I also had a really nice Redfish that came unhooked right at my feet. That morning I fought five flounder but was only able to land 2 of them. The flounder and Redfish fell for a white grub with a pink curly tail on a 1/4oz white jighead, bounced on the bottom pretty slow. The trout went after a topwater plug, mirrolure top dog jr with a green back to be exact. Great little plug for morning snook as well.

If your familiar with jigging for flat fish, you probably know that your "fish fought" vs. "fish landed" ratio is usually about 65-35. You (hopefully) land about 35% of the flounder you fight. This is because of three things. The Flounder's mouth is sideways which makes for an awkward hook set. Number two is when these guys chomp down they dont let go. That is of coarse untill they see your head and then they spit that 1/4oz jighead right at your eyeball! Lastly, they have a tough mouth, so set the hook hard.

Thats about it for the fishing front. Since we have talked so much about how to catch fish, lets talk about what to do when we catch them. Hopefully you guys have some idea on how to fillet fish. If not, please send me some emails and I will do a little video or take some pictures of the way I do it. Once you have a couple nice fillets, you'll find that there are an endless variety of ways to prepar them. Here's a flounder recipe that I got from MY favorite fishing reporter, Dan Smith at the Hometown News. Everybody who tries this dish really loves it. I don't measure when I cook so i'll do my best to try to explain. There are a few variations on this dish, i'll explain the easiest first. Here's what you need

2-3 pounds of flounder

1 can of crab meat

2 cloves Fresh garlic

1 stalk celery

1 small onion

1/2 green pepper

1 tablespoon mayo

15 ritz crackers crushed

1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 Lemon

1/4 cup fresh parsley (if you don't have any, GROW SOME! Its easy and great on fish)

5 squirts of your favorite hot sauce (depending on how hot you like it) as far as brands, I like Louisiana and crystal extra hot)

1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

salt to taste

butter

paprika

The easiest way to do it is throw the celery, onion, pepper, parsley, and garlic in a food processor. Chop up until its finely minced, try not to make paste. Put this mixture in a bowl and add crackers, can of crab meat (juice and all), mayo, hot sauce, black pepper. Now stir it up. What you want is consistency just a little thinner then a can of re fried beans. I usually have to add some Italian bread crumbs to thicken it up a bit. Taste it, if it needs salt add a little. Now take your fillets and lay them down on a lightly buttered metal cooking sheet. Preheat your broiler to 450-500. While ovens getting hot, spread the crab stuffing on to your fillets evenly. Put a couple small dabs of butter on the stuffing and sprinkle with paprika. When broilers hot, put the fish in and cook about 7-10 minutes or until top is lightly crisp and fish is flaky. When fish is done serve with a slice of lemon and your favorite veggie. You'll love it and its easy.

The finished Product

The variation is to skip the can of crab and throw a handful of raw bay scallops and a handful of raw shrimp into the food processor with the onion, celery, garlic, pepper. You may need to add a little water if the mixture is to thick.

Enjoy!

5-14-09 Ormond Beach Halifax River Fishing Report

2009-05-14T10:38:00.000-07:00

Whats got big vampire-like canines, thrashes harder then your favorite metal band, is covered in spots, has got an appetite for destruction, and has some of the finest, most delicate, white, flaky flesh in our waters? If you said a pirate chicken with measles, your wrong. Im talking about one of our most abundant inshore gamefish/delicacies, the spotted seatrout.

We are having a great trout season so far here in Volusia. Get out early morning or evening, or try night time dock fishing, its a blast! As far as trout baits, you have lots of options. One of my absolute favorites is the Lindy Old Bayside soft plastic Shrimp in Rootbeer, Pumpkin/Chartreuse Tail, Glow, Closing Night, New Penny, Chartreuse Silver, and Glow/Pink Tail.
I tie my main line (6# or 8# mono) directly to a 20# flouro leader. I then tie on a 5/0 wide gap hook and hook the Old Bayside shrimp weedless. If the current is heavy, I use a weighted hook. I will add pictures to demonstrate. Cast so your retrieve is with the tidal flow so it looks as natural as possible. Slow and steady wins the race with this presentation. Basically you want the shrimp to just drift along in the current. Cast to the points of the islands and to any drop offs, oyster bars, sand bars. Dock lights are also trout killers!!

Fresh Trout for dinner a few days ago

Trout also love jigs. I throw a lot of white/pink curly tail grubs on a 1/8-1/4oz head. I also really like the mirrolure swim tail soft plastics, i'll post pics of my favorite colors. Slow sinking or suspending mirrolures are also great! Don't forget to try your favorite topwater on those glassy early mornings.

Recent Client with a nice catch.

If your fishing the spoil islands out by the Tomoka Basin your in prime territory for another one of my favorite fish here in Florida. The frisky flaty himself, Mr. Flounder. I was out a few days with redfish in my sights and must have spooked up 5-6 flatties. Normally this time of year im scanning the water for them but the water clarity was pretty bad so I just shuffled along. Unless the water is nice and clear it is very hard to see them as they lay partially buried in the soft sand/mud. I did however quite chasing the redfish and started casting parallel to shore with one of my favorite flounder jigs. After about a dozen cast I hooked into something that ran like Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, it just kept going and going. Finally, he slowed and I fought him back to the yak, as he revealed himself I saw he was a real nice size flat boy. As I fumbled with my net he made one last ditch effort but it wasn't enough. He was eventually served up with a crab stuffing at the Fishman household, earning me rave reviews, YUM!

Here's a pic of that handsome guy with me in the background

I like to fish or gig flounder in the dark with a dead low tide. As the tide moves in, so do the fish. Keep your eyes open for the "footprints" they leave when they move up to fresh ground. You'll be amazed at how shallow you find them. Live shrimp or mullet on a fishfinder rig is good, so is a nice white curly tail jig. Cover lots of ground, flounder move as little as possible.

As I said above, the redfish bite in the river has also been pretty decent. If you go early, fish under schools of finger mullet with fresh live cut mullet. Hook it through the lip on a 1/4oz jighead or a fishfinder rig. If you see a lots of surface disruption in the schools of bait its probably Jacks, Ladyfish, Trout, or Reds. Throw a free lined finger mullet (hooked under dorsal or above anal fin) out to the outskirt of the pod or wherever most of the action is. Or throw a surface or diving plug out. Experiment to find what works best for you.

Strickland Creek/Tomoka River
The Snook bite in the backwaters is still going strong. Here's a recent client with a slot size snook.

Guide Service News
If your interested in learning first hand from an experienced local on how to catch these fish and more. Contact me about my Kayak Fishing Guide Service. The mornings fill up fast so don't wait long to set something up. Go to my site www.FlipFishman.com for more info and new pictures.

Keep the emails and comments coming.

Until next time, this is Flip Fishman signing out.

4-11-09 Ormond Beach Florida Strickland Creek Via Sanchez Park

2009-04-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning was a great day of fishing down at Strickland Creek. I met my Client Mike down at Sanchez Park at 5:45am. We were paddling up the dark waterway by 6am listening to the thousands of baitfish around us scatter everywhere. The action was intense. Mike's goal was to catch a variety of fish and a variety we did catch. First up was a healthy 4 lb Jack Crevalle that fought like, well... a Jack Crevalle. Next was a nice 21" red that kept up its rep as being the freight train of the inshore game fish. Next it was time for the Snook. We both fought a handful of throw backs when we had a double hookup. I ended up hooking into big Momma and Mike fought off what was either her undersized husband or maybe her healthy son. After a nice battle on 6lb test, Momma was finally netted. I rowed her to the shore for a quick measurement and she came in at 28 1/2 inches. After admiring her for a minute we snapped a few pics and decided to release her so she could pass those powerful genes onto a new generation of fish. Finally, to round things off Mike landed a nice keeper trout to end the morning with.

To catch a nice variety of fish your best bet is Free-lined Live Shrimp. Move slowly and cast along the shoreline watching for any splashes or wakes. Dont be surprised if a large fish slams your bait while it is in very skinny water. Cast to structure, downed logs, rocks, or over hanging trees. Again, move slowly and watch your surroundings.

Book your guided fishing trip today! More information can be had by visiting my profile or by going to my website at

www.flipfishman.com

I will do my best to start adding pictures to my post. Below are a few from this trip. Hope you enjoy and keep those questions and comments coming!

3-31-09 Fishing Report Holly Hill Ormond Beach Area Halifax River

2009-03-31T08:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at about 5pm I got an email from Todd in Ormond asking me if I could put him on some night time trout. I told him no problem, meet me at the Boat launch at Sunrise Park in Holly Hill at 8pm. I arrived at about 7:45 and my client was already there biting at the bit. Equipped with light action rods spooled with 6lb test, live shrimp, and gulp jigs we paddled across the river to the lighted docks. Todds first cast landed him a schoolie size 14 incher and the action never slowed from there. We both easily had our bag limit of trout within about an hour. I had something big that horsed my line around a piling and cut me off within 20 seconds of being hooked. We also landed a nice 22 inch flounder that went home with Todd. For 4 hours we battled fish under the lights and had a blast doing it!

What made this trip really exciting was the fact that between the 2 of us, we must have seen 15-20 wild shrimp popping up under the lights, trying to escape the hungry trout. This of coarse means that the spring shrimp run is getting close or its here now. I'll be out there first chance I get to see what I can cast net up. Cast from the shore or sandbar if you dont have a boat. If you have a boat hit the channel! This could be it folks so get out there! Dont miss it, it doesnt last long!

Not only was the fishing great but to be out in the river at midnight, in a kayak, is something that has to be experienced to be understood. The dark water, the sound of dolphins blowing air just out of sight, the occasional mullet jumping, or what you hope was a mullet splash, all add an eiry feeling to the experience. As you fish, you can't help but watch the city around you slowly shut down for the night. If you haven't tried it, you really should! Just be safe, make sure you have a headlamp, life vest, small air horn, and someone who knows where you are.

I am accepting reservations for guided kayak fishing trips and tours in April. Please contact me soon to guarantee your spot. See my profile for rates and details. Dont miss out on an adventure you will never forget! For more information and pictures please visit www.FlipFishman.com
Sincerely,
Flip

Do you dream of fishing?

2009-03-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

Imagine yourself in a 12 foot kayak, the sun still an hour away from making its morning appearance. In your hand is a fishing pole doubled over by a 12 pound Snook. As your drag screams and the fish on the other end performs a ballet on the waters surface so majestically you might for a second imagine it was dancing on glass. As you hold on for dear life, the huge linesider brutishly pulls your tiny craft around bends, up creeks, through low hanging trees, and back into the river. Finally the fish tires and he is landed, 37 inches! To big to keep, so you hold it up for a picture and release it to fight another day. This story is repeated time and time again on my guided fishing trips. There is one exception, its not always a Snook. Sometimes your connected to Redfish that pulls so hard and steady you feel like your connected to a Mack truck. Sometimes its a 20 pound Tarpon that spins your kayak around so many times you count your lucky stars your already sitting down. We catch trout, drum, and flounder that taste so good, your family will beg you to go fishing all the time. Best of all its so affordable anybody can do it! Prices start at just $75 for the first person and $25 each additional! Launch is at 6am and we pull out at 10am. Kayak and fishing gear is provided or you can bring your own. You may bring your own live bait at no extra cost or I can provide for a small fee. Snacks and drinks are not provided. Contact Flip Fishman at fishtomoka@hotmail.com

Also before I forget.
Please visit my website at www.FlipFishman.com for lots of great pictures of fish.

3-24-09 Fishing Report Tomoka Basin Strickland Creek

2009-03-24T06:52:00.000-07:00

March has been a Snook fishermans dream here in backwaters of East Central Florida. Our Linesider friends have been very active in the early morning and late afternoon hours. Try putting in at any number of the local launch sites here in the Ormond Bch area. Some of these sites include Tomoka State Park, the bridge on N. Beach St just past the park heading North, Sanchez Park, Highbridge, and anywhere else you can squeeze the car in and toss in the yak. Once your in the water head away from the main rivers and into the small creeks. I prefer to toss topwater, walk-the-dog style plugs. But crank baits and jigs are working just as well. Of coarse you cant beat a jumbo free-lined live shrimp or mullet hooked to stay near the surface. Work the bends and mouths and very your retrieval speed. Watch the shorelines for any telltale sign that fish are in the area.

As a side note:
Dont be surprised to see Mr and/or Mrs Gator while out in these lower populated areas. We are coming into our reptilian friends mating season so they can be a bit on the aggressive side. Just remember, if you see one, dont approach it. These are wild animals and can be very dangerous. If one starts to approach, stay calm, and slowly paddle away from it. They arent out to get you, they just want a little spot they can call their own (dont we all). Be careful, if you have to get out of your kayak. Alligators like a nice sloping shoreline to easily slide in and out of. If the shore has this characteristic along with what looks like someone dragged a stick in and out of the water, move along to another spot. STAY AWAY FROM LITTLE GATORS! A quick release on your stringer couldnt hurt. Dont let the thought of being attacked scare you from going fishing. Just use common sense and you will be fine!

Flip Fishman