The winners of the OnShore OffShore Magazine/Pirates Pointe Resort Flats Tournament were Mike Otto and David Daniels pictured below, along with yours truely.The next tournament is in the works for sometime in January so, stay tuned for the date.The weather has finially cooled off and that means the fish are on the move. On a recent trip Captians Danny Guarino and Jason Prieto Hooked up with Tarpon, cobia, trout, and snook. Danny tells me that not only will the cooler weather help the snook bite but the shorter days will get the snook moving inland towards their winter hang outs. Bait was everywhere prior to the cold front,I guess I'll have to get out and see whats doing with it now. My best guess for this comming weekend will be to fish the flats and bars on the outside of the south shore north to the Manatee river.Sandy and I are planning to spend the Halloween weekend at the resort and look foward to seeing some good friends and sharing good times, food, drink and fishing. 

Onshore offshore Magazine/Pirates Pointe Fishing Tournament.Two nights three days of fishing,grilling,and chilling!Everything included for $200.00 per person.Very limited availability so call now.

What a great labor day weekend we had at the Pointe. Old friends Billy and Nancy Sexton with their son Billy Jr. and grandson Jimmy, along with Paul and Karen Verrocchi, joined us, as did a full house of first timers. As always, Paul and I spent a lot of time on the water and what a beautiful weekend we had. Hot doesn't come close to describing the heat index, more like blistering, but due to the lack of wind we were able to fish far and wide.
From the river to the Gulf to far south of the Skyway Bridge, we saw most of Tampa Bay. The bait getting was easy at the Skyway. On Saturday Paul and I headed to the Fort Desoto area and found plenty of reds but only one that was hungry. Nice catch and release by Paul; that's him and his over sized red in the picture. Sunday we headed south of the Skyway where we had plenty of action and again, Paul had the hot hand for reds. I managed to land a really nice snook.
Monday I was very pleased that Paul and I were joined by my son George, and Billy and his son were joined by my son Travis. All I can say about Monday is that although no fish were actually landed, at least conventionally, I can't remember the last time I had so much fun and laughed so hard. After being broken off by what I assumed was a large red I called over to Travis on Billy's boat and told him to be on the lookout for my yellow Cajan Rattler. The next thing we heard was that Travis had also been busted off. I cannot describe the enthusiasm Billy, BJ and Travis displayed in their efforts to catch up to and retrieve both floats and fish. Trust me; the Marx brothers would have been proud. After what must have been an hour Paul, George and I decided that maybe two boats would be better than one; besides we weren't catching any fish so what the heck. Travis did confirm that he had gotten close enough to my float to identify a large red. He was sure that if mine was a red, his must be also, and was not about to give up. I never was able to catch my redfish but Travis, due to perseverance I have rarely seen in him, did manage to catch his eventually. Man, that was a beautiful sailcat!Thanks to everyone for all the great food and companionship. We look forward to seeing you next time.

Labor day is this weekend and I'm looking forward to spending time with good friends and family at the Pointe.I haven't been fishing lately as I have been in the Bahamas and want to thank Carlile Roberts and his friends for inviting me along for what was a great time.I never thought I would say it but I am lobster and conked out for a while.What I am hearing is that the snook bite is on and redfish are making a strong showing. I guess I'll find out this weekend.
Sunday night I will have the grill fired up so bring something to throw on and join in the festivities. See ya soon.

What a great week we had at Pirates Pointe.
The IFA Redfish Tour was in town and we were the host venue for the captains meeting Friday night.
About 150 or so fisherman showed up for our famous pig roast and libations. Saturday was the tournament and all went well. Check out the IFA web site for more info and pictures. I personally have not had much time to fish this past week but hear from our captains that the fishing has been good. Lots of trout and snook.
I am heading to Marsh Harbor in the Bahamas today and will report on that when I return.
In the meantime take care.

Jonathan
Pirates Pointe
Fishing,grilling,and chilling!

Well fishing fans it's been hot, and I'm not necessarily talking about the fishing. Although the early morning bite has been very good, it's just been too damned hot to stay out for long. The bait has shown up at the mouth of the river and it is really easy to get plenty.  Nice trout on the grass in the 3'-5' depth and some nice reds are starting to show up on the flats. This past week while fishing w/ one of our best guests, Billy Sexton, we landed several blacktip sharks just off the mouth of the river, using pin fish. From what I hear the sharks are everywhere. Nancy (Billy's wife) landed a nice cobia by the port;
cooked it up w/ onions, peppers and capers, a splash of wine and a little olive oil. It was out of this world. Tons of Spanish macs all over the bay w/ an occasional kingfish. Grouper are still hanging around structure, as are the mangrove snapper. The water has not been clear; more like coffee; but hasn't slowed the early bite. Things get active again late in the day with some great action.
Dont forget: the IFA Redfish Tournament will be at Pirates Pointe Aug. 21st, so if you're coming, you need to book a room now.
September 18th and 19th will see the first annual Onshore-Offshore Magazine/ Pirates Pointe Flats Tournament.
Entries are very limited so if you're interested call me for details.

Jonathan