From World Records to Baby Blacktips, Sarasota is Shark-Fishing Paradise

The mystique of shark fishing lies no farther than a couple miles off the Sarasota beaches, where Spanish mackerel dart and Capt Jonnie Walker’s boat prowls for gamefish.

As Walker fished for mackerel during a trip this week, free-lining sardines, an array of sharpnose and blacknose sharks up to 4 feet in length cranked lines, splitting the Gulf waters and making for intense light-tackle action.

Although Sarasota-area anglers have long been accustomed to monster sharks, the possibility of anything from a two-foot blacktip shark to world records are possible.

In 2006, Bucky Dennis of Gardens of Gulf Cove, brought back an unofficial world-record 1,262-pound hammerhead, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The article said Dennis caught the monster off of Boca Grande, just south of Sarasota.

But where does the official world record come from?

That’s right. Sarasota.

In 1982, Allen Ogle caught the record 991-pound hammerhead.

Ah, the possibilities.

“You can catch them out on hard bottoms and artificial reefs – they’re around everywhere,” Walker said.

Those from states such as Minnesota, Colorado, New York or other northern states long to vacation in Sarasota, and travel thousands of miles for a chance at saying they caught a shark.

“They’ve never caught one before,” Walker said. “It’s the whole mystique.”

Who Needs a G.P.S.? Try Triangulation

There's good news in the world of Florida fishing for anglers without a G.P.S. -- triangulation.

To remember a honey hole, Capt. Jonnie still uses triangulation, a method in which an angler picks three spots on shorelines far in the distance, and once he or she has followed each point and is at the "cross-hairs" of all three, the artificial reef or ledge is below the boat.

For example, an angler can mark a spot by finding -- a tree in front of a house with a high chimney (a great example of a marker) at 12 o'clock, a water tower at three o'clock, and a channel marker at six o'clock.

The angler can make a note of an artificial reef, for example, by jotting down these three points.

On the way to the spot, find one such "marker", then follow a line to the next marker, and finally to the third, and you have triangulated your position. You can feel like a seasoned fishing veteran and war strategist simultaneously.

"That's the way we used to do it years before there were condos on the beach," Capt. Jonnie said.

So for those who cannot afford a G.P.S., this "old-school" method is effective and, in its own way, a tad adventurous.

Spanish Mackerel Back off Gulf Beaches

SUNCOAST SALTWATER SCENE

Capt. Jonnie has been catching a lot of Spanish mackerel in the Gulf of Mexico again. “All of a sudden they started showing up again,” Walker said. “It hadn’t been very good.”

Big threadfins have moved in from the south, and with it has come reports not only of Spanish mackerel, but of kingfish. Now that’s a Florida fishing report we like to hear.

Walker said tarpon fishing has been tough the past couple days as the tarpon return from their offshore, full moon spawn. “There’s a lot of fish,” Walker said, “but we can’t get them to bite that well.”

He said trout fishing also has been slow following the full moon. “I think a lot of them spawned because a lot of the spawning fish are full of roe,” Walker said. “Before the full moon we were getting lot of 20-inch trout.”

SOMETHING TO TRY

To target the Spanish mackerel, head off the beaches and net some of the 3-to-4-inch scaled sardines. Try a 30-pound test leader and a 4/0 202 Eagle Claw hook that prevents the bait from getting cut as much. Walker uses 5-to-6 foot leaders so that he does not have to re-tie every time he gets cut off. The big, 26-to-28-inch Spanish he’s been getting simply dice through leaders.

CAPTAIN'S TIP

Don’t set the hook on Spanish mackerel -- simply reel. “They hit so hard and fast anyway,” Walker said. “If you jerk, you end up jerking it out of their mouth.” And Walker does not like to use braided line with Spanish mackerel – monofilament will give anglers the shock absorption they need to ensure the hooks embeds in a mack’s mouths.

Boy Catches 24-inch Trout on Florida's Sarasota Bay

Capt. Jonnie Walker battled strong northwest winds during another episode on http://www.mysuncoast.com/ of "Fishin' With Bob & Capt. Jonnie."

Jonnie's theory that women and children catch the most fish held true once again, and one boy caught a seatrout of 24 inches in length -- almost as big as himself.

Fishing charters in Sarasota Bay with Capt. Jonnie are great for family fun because of the variety of fish that can be caught -- depending on the season, snook, redfish, trout, cobia, bluefish and ladyfish make for a good fight for everyone from dad to daughter.

Summertimes are getting muggy, and fortunately Capt. Jonnie has a T-top anglers can stay cool under.

Wanna Tussel With Tarpon? Bring your Moxie

You could say it is the Super Bowl of fishing.

And that is why Florida tarpon fishing, although a one-in-a-lifetime experience, is not to be taken lightly.

Especially in the sweaty, muggy summers.

Those looking for a fishing charter in Sarasota should consider, first of all, if they are in good enough shape to tussel with a 100-pound-plus tarpon for more than an hour. Do you have the moxie? Do you love to sweat?

And do you live for competition?

If so, you just might be a tarpon angler.

“It's not for kids,” Capt. Jonnie Walker said.

But while the adults tame tarpon offshore, there are plenty of trout inshore for the kids to tangle with. Trout are extremely abundant on the deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay, Walker said.

“It's fantastic,” Walker said. “You need the tide to be moving. Preferably incoming. But it doesn't seem to matter. As long as it's moving they've been biting.”

And a few toothy, excellent-fighting Spanish mackerel and bluefish are mixed in.

Come and get your fill with the most experienced fishing captain in Sarasota, Florida.

Tarpon Busts Filleted Trout on Fishin' with Bob & Capt. Jonnie

On another episode of Fishin' with Bob and Capt. Jonnie, a day that began with a hot trout bite ended with tarpon busting the water for filleted trout near the Sarasota docks.

Click here to watch the video.

A lackluster bite during the full moon gave way to a strong trout bite over deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay.

Capt. Jonnie brought his wife, Jo Ann, along for the trip. She of course caught loads of trout.

"I bring my wife and what does she do?" Capt. Jonnie said on the WWSB abc7 show. "She out-fishes me everytime. Women and kids, women and kids."

Afterward, the crew went to Dry Dock Restaurant, which deep-fried the trout they caught. Fishing charters in Sarasota do not come much better -- catch the fish, feed the skins to fish, eat fresh fish at the restaurant.

Florida fishing at its finest.

Summer Tarpon Fishing an Angler's Dream

Short of mounting a replica tarpon over your mantle, having a picture of yourself with a tarpon is one of the world's best fishing accomplishments.

Capt. Jonnie Walker has been targeting the silver kings off the Sarasota, Florida beaches his entire life and looks forward to guiding anglers – whether it's their first time or hundredth time – to these prehistoric-like fish.

Summertime fishing in Florida is upon us, and anglers looking to book a charter in Sarasota should consider a once-in-a-lifetime tarpon trip.

Just be prepared to drink a lot of water and sweat all day.

“I've poured water on guys and put soaking-wet towels on their heads,” Walker said.

As any tarpon angler knows, once you've caught one of these massive, aggressive fish, tarpon fishing is in your blood.

They skyrocket out of the water, iridescent scales glimmering in the sun, allowing the angler to drop their jaw before “bowing to the king.”

A regular angler truly becomes a legitimate Florida angler after such an experience.