Capt. Larry Fishes with a Tennis Pro!

Recently, Capt. Larry had the pleasure of taking out Sly Black and his daughter, 11 year old Alecia Black of Bradenton, FL. What made this trip special, other than Alecia catching her first amberjack (while using live pinfish), is that Alecia is rated #1 in the world for girls 12 years old and under. This explains why when asked if fishing was better than tennis, she quickly replied “no way”! Alecia is a student of her dad’s school, The Sly Black Tennis Academy in Bradenton, and has also won the USA tennis championship for juniors. So far on my boat, she is rated #1 for 11 year old girls for amberjack and grouper and amberjacks; way to go Alecia! She was able to catch them herself, but since they were so heavy her dad did need to give her a hand with the gaff hook.

On that same trip, the party each caught and released several big amberjacks. Usually we would keep these impressive specimens, but now they are now out of season until the start of the new year. Even with the release of the amberjacks, our boat was still filled with fish. We caught monster red grouper, gags, with a smattering of snapper and sharks while we were fishing about 35 miles offshore of Anna Maria Island.

Another notable trip was on 11-18-09, my first mate, Larry Bethke caught a 9ft hammerhead shark in about 130 ft of water, and subsequently released it. The shark was entirely too dangerous to bring in the boat for a photo shoot. In general, we’ve been catching a lot of gag, red and scamp grouper, and also mangrove snapper, porgies, triggerfish, along with a wide variety of large sharks. Action has been good and steady along the beach for kingfish and mackerel, whereas we’ve been going offshore for everything else.

The weather is beautiful, after the 2 weeks of wind, and shows Florida is truly a paradise! The fish are biting as if they’ve been starving, and life is indeed good! Now is the time to come and get you some, while the fish are hot!

Thanks,
Capt Larry McGuire
SHOW ME THE FISH CHARTERS
Cell 941-720-6475
captlarrymcguire@gmail.com
Located at the Cortez Fishing center Bradenton Fl.
Sly and Alecia Black can be reached at 954-822-8435 for any more info about their catch.

Tis the Season To Catch Gag Grouper!

December is my favorite month of the year; not just because of the Christmas holidays, but because gag grouper are at their peak for copious catching! These bad boys tend to migrate and move into the 'hood; what I mean by that is, closer into the gulf, where they are easier to snag. Look for them anywhere there are rocks, ledges, or structures. This goes from the Tampa Bay shipping channel to 250 ft offshore. Personally, I fish for them for 40 to 130 ft, and on some day catch a limit without traveling farther than 60 ft. That all boils down to less travel time, and more quality fishing time!

On the days I don't have a charter, I'll still go out fishing because it's just THAT good in December. A valuable tip for catching them, is to start out with some frozen sardines and a squid combination; it gets a magical scent going on down in the water. That will have them coming in, and once they do start biting, drop down a live pinfish, sandperch or even a grunt for dessert...at that point, all you need to do is be ready! When that monster grouper hits you, it's like being hit by the Rock on WWE Smackdown; he will bruise you and abuse you! Your rod will bend over, and that's when you need to start cranking the reel as hard and fast as you can, raising it up. Otherwise, he will take you down into the rocks and break your line. My personal term for that kind of action is “taking you to school;” on a few trips, i've seen guys bent over the side of the boat, rods bent almost around the bottom of the boat when that big grouper hits and they lose control. My first mate and I always try to assist someone before the situation gets that extreme. It's much like lifting heavy weights... sometimes you just need a spotter.

With plenty of large red grouper, monster mangrove snapper, not to mention the cobia and kingfish (if we have a warm winter), it's definitely an adrenaline rush out there! So far, both cobia and kingfish have still been available. Always keep that flat line out while you are bottom fishing, because you might be rewarded, and even hook a blackfin tuna or wahoo when you are out deeper (120-160 ft, or more). Chum blocks also always help.

Amberjack will be moving in closer and feeding better as the water temperature cools, but they're out of season until January. Remember to watch the rule book very closely, because regulations are always changing. During this month there could be a front moving through every week, and you need to be ready to fish in that window of opportunity. There's usually a few calm days in between, and you might just have that awesome fishing trip of a lifetime you've always dreamed of! Now is the time to come and get that Christmas present-- a big gag grouper! Have a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Thanks,

Capt Larry McGuire

SHOW ME THE FISH CHARTERS

Cell 941-720-6475

captlarrymcguire@gmail.com

Located at the Cortez Fishing Center Bradenton Fl.

The Grouper are Moving In!

The offshore biting is going strong with many different species available for the catching! My personal favorite fish, the big bad black grouper, are moving closer to the shore and bunching up, which makes them easier to snag. Our parties have been catching them, along with red grouper, a few scamp, awesome amberjacks, smoker kingfish, cobia, sharks, barracudas, as well as mangrove and yellowtail snapper.

We had more than a few fantastic catches from 40 to 125ft, using live bait, as it seems to be working the best. Even as I'm writing this report, the wind has picked up from 20 kts and 4 to 6 foot sees (or more), and will keep us offshore anglers in port. Once the weather calms down, the fish will be feeding ferociously, with a myriad of new fish. With this tropical depression, it will be the grouper and snapper especially that are pushed into our areas in the ledges, reefs, and rock piles. My plan is to head offshore as soon as the gulf clears up, and it should be wild and crazy times, with non-stop action! Now that's what I'm talking about! It's definitely the time to come and get ya' some!

Pictures: the picture to the right is Cory Patterson with two large gag grouper and the picture below is Shawn Green of Palmetto with the largest gag grouper he's ever caught! Both were caught 125 ft offshore of Anna Maria Island, on our special Halloween trip. Just goes to show you that fishing is a great way to celebrate any holiday!

Thanks,

Capt Larry McGuire

SHOW ME THE FISH CHARTERS

Cell 941-720-6475

www.captlarrymcguire.blogspot.com

captlarrymcguire@gmail.com

Located at the Cortez Fishing Center Bradenton Fl.

October Fishing Forecast

t’s Going to be an Octoberfest for Fishing This Month!

In October anglers can expect a cornucopia of action that is sure to produce a variety of tasty treats. Warm waters of the gulf will begin to cool as our days get shorter; it sends most species into a feeding frenzy with the fall patterns. Gag groupers have started migrating closer to shore and anywhere there are rock piles or ledges. Look for them in about 25 to 100 ft of water, and they WILL be hungry, getting fat to prepare for the winter.

Fire-truck red grouper will still be hot as ever, and look for them at 100ft and farther out. The fall kingfish run should start any day now, even though there have been some smoker kings around all year. The fall run can get wild and crazy, especially when you chum a large school. It’s like trick-or-treats while bottom fishing for grouper and snapper… That’s how I like to fish for kings; I make them come to me, instead of chasing them around.

Most species of offshore fish will be available and hungry, especially many mangrove & yellowtail snappers, as well as amberjacks. These are found in abundance in about 150ft on the wrecks and springs. Cobia can show up anytime in large schools, both near the beach to deep offshore. Mahi-Mahi (a dolphin unrelated to flipper) will be out deep until the first cool front pushes them south for the winter. Keep an eye out for blackfin-tuna; last fall we caught some nice ones on our flat lines. Summer action was boiling hot, but it’s only going to get hotter as the water temperature cools. Fall and early winter are my overall favorite times to fish. Now is the time to come out and GET YOU SOME!

Thanks,

Capt. Larry

Capt Larry McGuire

"SHOW ME THE FISH CHARTERS"

Cortez Fishing Center

Bradenton Florida [941-720-6475]

captlarrymcguire@gmail.com

Fishing Report & Forecast: Go Deep for the Summer Heat

Action offshore is boiling hot, with our catches of ginormous red grouper and a few gag grouper. Lately we've been catching a spectacular variety of snappers – mangrove, yellowtail, lane, and patriotic American red snapper. We've also had the pleasure to get cobia, nice sized amberjacks, and mahi-mahi (don't worry kids, it's not Flipper)! Believe it or not, despite it not being their prime months of spring or fall, we are still catching kingfish.

The most awesome action is out deep, past 135 ft. Our bait has consisted of live pinfish and frozen sardines. With some grunts and sandperch being thrown in too sometimes; it worked like a charm! Some of our most recent trip, we've had pelagic species mentioned above- sharks, cobia, mahi-mahi, and kingfish – were swimming around the boat, following the large groupers (especially red grouper). One trip last week, Pastor Greg Dumas (pictured) of the Crossing Church in Brandon, was quick to put his bait in front of a large cobia. He's an avid fisherman, and when the cobia bit, Pastor Greg caught his biggest cobia ever; a whopping 30 lbs!

This time of year, be ready with a few light rods to throw out live, or even artificial bait to those free swimming pelagics. You never know what can happen in the summer heat! The forecast for the remainder of the summer has the species that are ripe in season, mentioned above, biting fantastically for the rest of the season. Perhaps, you'll even run into a smoker kingfish like I did! Now's the time to come out, AND GET YOU SOME!

Thanks,

Capt. Larry McGuire

"SHOW ME THE FISH CHARTERS"

Cortez Fishing Center, Bradenton Florida

(941) 720-6475

captlarrymcguire@gmail.com

Grouper, Snapper Mahi Mahi Hot Offshore off of Anna Maria Island

On 07-28-2009, while we were fishing 37 miles offshore Anna Maria Island, we filmed another episode of "The Reel animals Fishing Show" with Billy Knobles, Mike Anderson. We left the dock knowing that the possibilties were endless, because this group has the right chemistry, and when we get together anything can happen! No one doubted amazing things would happen, because it can get downright nasty out there. I anchored on a spot I found recently, a little ledge in about 137 ft deep. Though I started out having a big redneck grouper busting my line, a little later I did catch him with my first leader in his mouth.

After catching a few more, we moved to a different spot, where big Mike Anderson drew the first blood with a nice American Red Snapper; a few more huge red grouper followed. When we were heading to the third spot, I told my first mate Jarrod Vineyard "I'm looking for that special spot where the fishing just goes off the chart!" Before I made it to my third spot, I was watching my depth finder closely and saw a big grouping of fish on a little ledge. I had never seen this spot before, so I acnhored on it and entered the coordinates into my GPS, and i'm glad I did because this spot was the pot of gold we were searching for! Cpt. Billy Knobles hit the first fish, a humongous Fire Truck Red Grouper, soon followed by a large group of Mahi Mahi. It was such a hot spot, it had more quality fish than us or any other group could manage to catch, no matter how much time we had; large red grouper, monster mangrove snapper, and more mahi-mahi than we can handle! Though we were all expecting something like this, it was still a surprise, and true pandemonium. There was even a bull dolphin, approximately 30 lbs at the back of the boat, but unfortunately he didn't hit.

After two hours of non-stop action, the guys said that we had enough film footage, enough for two shows. The coolers were full and life was good; it was everything an awesome trip should be! Cameraman Kyle Marter said he had never experienced this type of a trip before, it was fast and furious to say the least. The Reel Animals Fishing Show will air in about three months, Saturday at 6:30 a.m., on NBC Channel 8.

We headed in early and left the fish chewing for another day. All of our fishing trips are different, and each has it's own unique exciting offerings. On some of our most recent trips, we caught exceptionally bit kingfish, amberjacks, black tip sharks, barracudas, both gag and red grouper; not to mention, the variety of snappers- scamp, red, mangrove, and lane snappers. Last Saturday, one of my best fishing buddies Skip Shipley of Cortez had a catch like ours. One big notable difference was that he had a ten ft hammerhead shark circling the boat thirty-five miles out. Needless to say, no one went diving on that spot! You never know what can happen; action has been great, and the summer is the time to go deep - 130 ft or more. I've found live pinfish to get optimum results. Fishing is hot, just like our weather, so come on out and get ya some!

Thanks,

Capt. Larry McGuire

"SHOW ME THE FISH CHARTERS"

Cortez Fishing Center Bradenton Florida

(941) 720-6475

captlarrymcguire@gmail.com

www.captlarrymcguire.blogspot.com

Fishing with Frank Almeda, July 2009

Offshore action is intense! We've been catching large red grouper, amberjacks, mahi-mahi, mangrove snappper, gag grouper, yellow tail snappper, big sharks – including black tip sharks. The best action is past 100 ft, and live bait such as pinfish has been working best.

Last Tuesday we guided Frank Almeda & his party through a bunch of gag & red grouper and snapper. Fishing was fast and furious, but because of his experience and skill, we were catching the largest and most impressive grouper. Frank is not only a thirty-eight year resident of Anna Maria Island, but he's 87 years old, which made his fishing skills even more astounding. Though he's the president of the Rod and Reel Pier Fishing Club, it was his first trip with Show Me The Fish Charters, and it was most definitely phenomenal. Way to go Frank!

July 15th Fishing Forecast

Offshore fishing is and WILL be great this summer in West Central Florida area. Monster red grouper are one of the hot species this month. The best action you'll find is 120 ft and deeper for the fire truck red grouper. Along with these bruisers of grouper, we are catching gag & scamp grouper, American red snapper, mangrove snapper, yellowtail snapper, lane snapper, tilefish, and mahi-mahi on the offshore wrecks; also we've been seeing many amberjacks, permit, cobia, barracudas, and a variety of sharks lately out there on those same wrecks. For our red grouper trips we start out on swiss cheese bottoms, that range from 120 to 160 ft, using dead sardines and squid. This combination of bait gets the red grouper fired up and then we throw in some dessert of live baits, such as pinfish, sandperch, and grunts; that's when we catch some serious monsters. Many of our parties need some help or even a spotter to help get these bad boys off the bottom because they are so heavy. Sometimes even our most fit anglers needs to tap out and recieve some help! August is also a tap out month for deepwater pelegics, especially bull dolphin. You can catch schoolies 100ft out and deeper, but the bull mahi mahi are usually out past 150 ft; that seems to really be the hot zone this month. We like to troll skirted bally-ho at about 5 knots at this time of the year. Using the trolling method, you can certainly catch wahoo, swordfish, billfish, and blackfin tuna... It's both exciting and intense! While I troll, I'm always watching my depth finder, and ferreting out new grouper and snapper spots. If you fish offshore, and do bottom fishing at around 350-400 ft, you can definitely catch some nice kitty mitchell groupers and Warsaw groupers. Remember to stay hydrated and drink plenty of liquids, because that summer heat can catch you off guard. August is hot, and this offshore fishing is REAL hot! So now is the time for you to come out and get ya' some, while the action is happening.

Capt. Larry McGuire Show Me The Fish Charters
Located at the Cortez Fishing Center, Bradenton, FL
cell: (941) 720 - 6475 email: captlarrymcguire@gmail.com