This year we did not get a chance to go over to the west coast of Florida as much as last year. The weather this year produced some high winds keeping most of the anglers off the water for both inshore and offshore fishing.

We did fish Steinhatchee a few times this year. The Trout fishing was average at best, but the Red Bass fishing was unbelievable! We found a small cove that produced 8 to 12 pound Red Bass almost every cast. I would not have believed it if I was not there myself.

We had a friend from Tampa that turned us on to Capt. Mike’s Willow spoons. I was doubtful they would produce much, but we decided to give them a try. Boy was I wrong when it came to catching Reds. We caught 28 in about 2 hours all between 8 to 12 pounds. It did not matter too much regarding the color. They just loved them! I tried other lures, but nothing produced the strikes as well as the spoons.

Well it is now time to try the Red Bass fishing in our backyard, so check back on the St. Augustine report. I will let you know if Capt. Mike’s Willow spoons are an east coast success!

I fished the Red Fish Round Up or Spot Tournament with a friend. This is the largest charity fishing event in the southeast. There were over 500 boats all seeking the Red Bass with the most spots. I had high hopes we would place this year. Unfortunately, the Red Bass we caught with 6 spots was not legal. We did have a great day of fishing. We caught several Reds and Trout.