Fishing Report: IFA Red Fish Tour Special Edition

Fishing Report: IFA Red Fish Tour Special Edition
Sarasota FL. July 19th, 2008
By: Jimmy Jones, Tampa Bay FL.

“Hot” was an understatement for the weather report, more like light a match and set yourself on fire. You would probably be cooler if you did that. The temperatures were around 95 degrees with no shade, be sure to wear lots of sun screen before you hit the water. As far as the fishing went, we could have used more pre-fishing time instead of fixing a blown tire on the side of the road. This was about a ½ day delay and we could have used the time to find a productive fishing spot. The tournament had some really good anglers and some quality fish at the weigh-ins. During our time on this tour we have met some great anglers and made some great friends.

The fishing was slow for us in the morning and it started to become more productive as the hours past. We weighed in a 2.23 pound redfish caught on a Berkley Gulp. The redfish we caught died and we were not the only ones with a dead redfish. The heat was the cause to this and you have to constantly change your water. My suggestion is to make a run to clean blue water and run it through your live well. We had reports of big fish at Pine Island and it showed at weigh-ins. We saw several 7-pounders and nice 6-pounders. The water had a lot of grass floating at the top and using top waters was a challenge. We used weedless rigs with a greenback color D.O.A jerkbait. We used Carolina Lunker sauce to give it sent. Due to the heat and the high tide in the early afternoon the redfish were pushed up underneath the mangroves. We did see several nice redfish blowing out of mangrove points. Using Berkley Gulp was the way to go and dead sticking it was the key. It’s simple and it catches the fish if there are around. Several teams made long runs but we decided to stick to areas not flooded with 20 other boats. Even though are day was not as productive as we wanted it to be, we did learn some valuable tips for days like this. First, make sure that you have some good sun block and protective UV clothing. Second, make sure you stay hydrated! Don’t drink sodas and eat heavy foods, this will put a severe strain on your body and dehydrate you of important vitamins. I like to bring lots of water and drinks loaded with Vitamin C. This helps with energy levels and keeps your body replenished. Third, when you leave for a tournament make sure you check your boat trailer for tire pressure and lights. You don’t want to break down on the way to the tournament. All in all, we had fun and weighed in a red fish to earn some points. Our next tournament is the IFA Redfish Championship in Panama City Beach, Florida on November 7th & 8th. Wish us luck and Keep Fightn’ Fish………..

The Swamp Thing