El Jobean-Harbor-Venice

December Saltwater Angling from the mouth of the Myakka River at El Jobean, across the skinnies of the harbor and down the beach line to the jetties can be quite productive for table fare even though the closures of Snook and Trout take a bite out of the daily bag or harvest. On the inshore look for Red Fish and out of season Sea Trout, their pals and hang together, in the skinnies as long as the waters stay moderately warm, as now. I enjoy this time of the year best in salt to any kind of water fishing because dark thirty is almost nonexistent. A couple of extra cups of coffee in the morning before loading the canoe up for a trip to fish, as we await the rays of the sun to warm to chilly Fall waters before us. Angling out of the wind, if possible and holding to pockets of sunlight around grass to sand bars until the sun is right over head. Then the cast and if on an incoming tide, is into the banks for holding fish. El Jobean has produced this week a number of small Tarpon under the bridge on the out going tides, along with many a Lady to small, three to four foot, Black Tip sharks. Into the Harbor and onto the pockets are masses of out of season trout and in season Reds but we were only catching Rats. The big boys were either holding in the channels or hiding from the sharks; I know I would!

 I'll download the shark pics in the AM, wife want to play POGO...

The surf along the beaches this week has been spotty at best, depending on water conditions. Muddy gets you kitty-cats and Sail Cats along with a few whiting. Off color green to clear and the Mackerels are still on the move. The flounder run can last through the end of the month, if conditions allow. The stragglers, like the smokers are the big loners and usually move last through the passes and openings to the Gulf. On an out going tide, the North jetty of the Nokomis/Venice area is hot for the flatties! During the westerly winds of December, you can expect Pompano to be moving from off the inshore to the swells along the beach lines. The swells of a beach are the troughs between the sandbars. Greenies are not invisible but pretty tough to find but Glass minnows are off their spawn and moving along area beaches this time of year and should continue to do so until the water dips below 65 to 66 degrees; then they are gone too. Following these Glass Minnows are the left over Mackerels and the Blue Fish. Catching either on anything that looks like a glass minnow will work; Sabik! D.O.A. Cals and Gotcha or even my favorite the Silly Willy and Straws are too killer lures.My favorite fish story of the week is on our forums, where Mel Larsen, also a member of our forum, where he just spends too much time out on those boards, caught a 300 pound plus Goliath Grouper on an EmmRod of all things but on the other hand I have seen him pull in five foot sharks to forty pound Kings on the same. Great rod, when your done, just put it in your back pocket, NO REALLY, Check out THE EMMROD!