Fishin' with Bob and Capt. Jonnie: Mixed Bag Keeps Rods Bent

On another episode of Fishin' with Bob and Capt. Jonnie, the grass flats were holding tons of threadfins and mixed bag of inshore species to keep anglers drags humming.

But this trip also featured a grandfather with his 15- and 16-year old granddaughters.

Click here to see the video.

The anglers drifted grass flats in Sarasota Bay for bluefish, Spanish mackerel and trout.

Once again, Capt. Jonnie found the fish on a gorgeous day, netting plenty of bait.

Anglers wanting to fishing with Capt. Jonnie out of Sarasota, Florida can call him at 941-232-4970.

And tarpon season is about to bust wide open off the beaches! Now is the time to book that charters for a trophy poon!

Tips for Maintaining Tackle

Here are some "bang for your buck" tips for maintaing tackle and saving money when you're out on the water - straight from Capt. Jonnie Walker.

• Eagle Claw hooks. One of the cheaper hooks on the market, Eagle Claw has managed to develop a reputation of being relatively durable and reliable. For species such as Spanish mackerel and bluefish, whose sharp teeth cut off the most stubborn of leaders, try 202 Eagle Claw 4/0 longshank hooks. Buy them in boxes of 100. Again, bulk purchases pay off in the long run, especially if you often pound the water.

• Oh, and there's a little trick to preserving your hooks (and weights). Keep a smaller box with an assortment of hooks — around 10 with different types of hooks, weights and jigheads — in a handy spot on your center console. This way, the hooks are less likely to rust. On the other hand, if anglers are constantly reaching into a big box of hooks, dripping saltwater on the hooks each time, rusting is sure to occur. (And you wonder why that silly tarpon snapped the hook.) Keep the rest of the tackle in a dry Tupperware container in the bottom of the console.

Circle Hooks Key to Sarasota Bay Pompano

Capt. Jonnie this week guided Andrew Reding of New York to a four-pound pompano in Sarasota Bay on a sand bar next to a grass flat.

The pompano hit a live shrimp on an outgoing tide.

A circle hook was key.

“When it first got on we thought it was a real large trout," Walker said. "Pompano, for them to be able to eat shrimp, they’ve got to work at it. You’ve got to let them play with it for awhile. They hit it and hit it and hit it. They have such a small mouth they have a hard time swallowing the shrimp. The main thing is when the come up after it you can’t strike right away. That’s why I put (the bait) on a circle hook. I’ve been using circle hooks a lot because I don’t want the angler to strike it. Let them play with it.”

Walker also caught a mosster 27 1/2-inch trout in the bay.

Once the weather lays down, look for some real Florida fishing to bust loose. Finding a fishing guide in Florida has never been easier, as Capt. Jonnie is rigged and ready for inshore and nearshore charters for the plethora of species in the area - kingfish, cobia, tarpon, Spanish mackerel, snook, redfish and (pant, pant) well, let's stop before we run out of breath.

Need to save some of it for those bruising fish, anyway.

Tight lines from Capt Jonnie!