Princess for a 1/2 day!

Chris Vincent brought along his two children, Jake and Grace to do some fishing. It was a very windy day with lots of sunshine and smiling faces. The day started out as a day of fishing in tough conditions and it turned into a day of catching in tough conditions. It seems as though when family comes on board my boat, there is a bet made. This time it was for the biggest fish and the prize was king, prince or princess for a half day. Meaning the winner would be waited on hand and foot by the losers. I always try to warn the boys and men, do not bet against the girl. This time it was the same as all the others, the girl won. The fish were not cooperating in the very beginning but after a few drifts over grass we found the fish waded up on the edges of deep water drop offs. All anglers caught a variety of Sea Trout, Ladyfish, Mackerel and Pompano. Grace was the only angler to catch all four species. The newly crowned “Princess” Grace got to be served by her Dad and brother for the next morning. I would have liked to have seen that! At one point, we literally had to take a time-out because we kept catching too many fish and we (Captain Sam) needed a break.

The Great Nate!

Nate Beckman, just 17yrs old, fished with me on Saturday March 27th and had a stellar day of fishing. You can see that he did a fantastic job catching Sea Trout, Ladyfish, Mackerel and Redfish. Nate seems to know a lot about the different species of fish that are located throughout the world. He taught me that there are freshwater stingrays which I didn’t know existed. Apparently the stingrays can measure over nine feet wide. That’s a huge stingray in my book. This was a perfect weather day for fishing and the water clarity was excellent. The fish were biting on shrimp under a popping cork as we drifted over grass flats.

DeWyse Duo Does Double!

Brad and Cole DeWyse duo does well on their fishing trip. I recently fished this father and son team from Michigan and they had a great experience. Brad and Cole each caught their first Sea Trout making it a double feat. Cole caught Sea Trout, Spanish Mackerel and Ladyfish. After catching so many Ladyfish, we determined that Cole was a ladies man. Brad caught a lot of nice fish and had fun playing photographer. Cole was so enthusiastic about catching fish that he did his most of his own casting, landing, and unhooking of the fish that he caught. I detect a future fishing guide or professional angler. They had an enjoyable fish dinner that night as well.

Father and Son Team!

On Thursday March 25th, I fished Korean War Vet, Morrey Matzke and his son Mike from Wisconsin for the second time. Morrey caught a 30 inch Redfish last year and was excited to return to Estero Bay to fish with his son. We started off in some deep water areas and found Sea Trout, Ladyfish and Spanish Mackerel hitting on shrimp. After the tide came in we headed to the grass flats to try for some more Sea Trout. On the grass flats we found larger Sea Trout with the shrimp on a jig head and a popping cork. Most fish were caught over grass in about three feet of water. If you belly hook the shrimp it seems to catch the mackerel and pompano that are running right now. It was a great day for fishing and much warmer than Wisconsin. It was a pleasure fishing the father and son team. I’ll take this time to thank all of the veterans that have served our great country. Thank You.
"Anglers are on a fishing journey"

Masters of Fishing: March 23, 2010

I fished Arthur Mann and relative Bobby Higgins this past week. We worked grass flats on a very windy and cool day and drifted for Sea Trout. By using jig heads attached to floats we were able to boat over a dozen Sea Trout with several going over 19 inches. Later in the day, we targeted Sheepshead along mangrove shorelines. Since the Sheepshead are spawning, they are very hungry and eating heavily. Many keeper Sheepshead were caught by Bobby as he seemed to have the skill for hooking these small mouthed toothy fish. AJ got in on the action as well and boated some nice Sheepshead. There was plenty of fish to feed the family so it was a productive day. AJ is pictured with his 3 pound Sea Trout and Bobbie shows off his 3 pound Sheepshead. AJ is the master of the Sea Trout and Bobby is the master of the Sheepshead. During the trip we got to see a Dolphin show us that he is the master of the sea.

The weather is very nice now with temperatures over 80 degrees. Fishing has turned on strongly and the fish are biting. Many different fish are eating the shrimp right now. April is getting booked up so keep that in mind if you are trying to fish during the month. Book early for prime fishing times! Today I had to turn people away because they waited until the last minute.

Fishing Report March 17, 2010

I woke up Tuesday morning extra early which was a good thing as the phone rang about 20 minutes after I was dressed. One of our cool captains had some boat trouble, we’ve all been there, and needed a back up captain to cover a fishing trip. I jumped into action and met the client at Fish Tale Marina by 9:00 a.m. Paul and Grayson Gable, who made up a father and son team, were from Pasadena, MD. They were both enthusiastic anglers with years of fishing experience. We headed out to a ladyfish hole and waited for the warm tidal waters to come in. Afterwards we jetted to the flats in Estero Bay for non-stop Sea Trout action. Grayson boated several 3 pound trout while his dad Paul completed several double headers. Being that they were from the Chesapeake Bay area, I was surprised to hear that our Sea Trout were much larger than theirs. It was a nice warm day and we used popping corks combined with jig heads to catch the trout. One pompano hit this hybrid setup as well. The Gable family was a fun group to fish with. I appreciate receiving the trip and I always give back so I owe you one captain!

Three generations of fishermen!

This past week, I fished with my client Ken Kohls for the eigth year in a row this past wednesday. It was a multi-generational trip as his dad and son came out on the charter together. Eight year old, Bobby Kohls, caught most of the fish and claimed bragging rights for the day. He has become quite the fisherman over the past few years. It was a great pleasure fishing the family again. I cannot wait to fish Bobby again next year. It was very difficult having to wrap things up at the end of the day. Maybe Bobby will be able to come down for Tarpon season, now that would be cool. Fishing is heating up as spring has sprung. Capt. Sean Davis donated some fish to the Kohls family which was appreciated all around. Thank you Sean for sharing.

This blog has moved

This blog is now located at http://teamarcure.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://teamarcure.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

Fishing Report March 9, 2010

Capt. Sam Arcure of Team Arcure Fishing fished Jim Ewers and his son Jeremy in the flats of Estero Bay. The two had a father and son contest going for the first fish, biggest fish and the most fish. What started out as a friendly family wager turned into a full blown ‘bragging rights’ competition. Son Jeremy caught the first fish while his dad caught the biggest fish. The only category left was the most fish. Jeremy held onto the lead until the last fish of the day when his dad tied it all at 14 fish each. The two were happy because neither one lost any money. Jim felt that he should have bet on the most variety and his son felt that his dad should have been penalized for catching pelicans. Of course his dad disagreed and felt that they should have been counted since Capt. Sam touched the leader. Oh well, maybe next time the rules will be written down beforehand and it won't end in with such a controversy.

Fishing Report March 4, 2010

Capt. Sam from Team Arcure Fishing fished this week near the canals on the back side of Fort Myers Beach. Several keeper Sea Trout were caught on the afternoon outgoing tide. Sheepshead are next to the mangrove islands that have deep warm water. Suburban fishing seems to be the key though as the warmer water is flowing out of the residential canals.

Redfish On Fly

On Tuesday, September 12th, I went out for a few hours of fishing with the Fly Rod. There was a lot of fish activity around as the incoming tide continued to flow. A school of Jack Crevalle were spotted near some oyster bars. I blind casted a red/white Arcure Fly towards the oyster bar and started stripping the line. A fish immediately hit the Arcure Fly but just as quickly let it go. A few more casts were made around the area and then a heavy pull was felt on the end of the line. A lot of leverage was required to pull the fish away from the structure of the oyster bar. That was when the fish realized that it was hooked. A moment later the fish revealed its identity as it boiled the surface of the water in a bronze color. This Redfish made several strong runs and seemed to want to play a game of tug of war. The thrill of catching this size of fish was magnified by the method in which it was caught. For many years, catching a large Redfish on spinning tackle was a lot of fun as a great fight was always a guarantee. This time was different because catching a Redfish on fly is difficult and landing the fish seems impossible. The experience of handling the pressure of the drag with the palm of my hand brought me back to stories that my dad told me. I remember him telling me about the knuckle busting type of conventional reels that would spin the handle backwards as the fish would take out line. After envisioning this situation, I am reacquainted with the fish on the end of my line as it takes another run towards the oyster bars and continues to spin my reel handle backwards. I soon realized that a different type of fish-fighting skill would be necessary to steer the Redfish away from the razor sharp oyster structure. Mercifully, the fish did me a favor and decided that he would steer clear of the oyster bars and run along side them instead. I'll have to figure out how to turn a large Redfish away from structure next time. Meanwhile, this fish was finally starting to wear out. The fight came to me this time and I am very glad that I was able to land such a nice Redfish. I measured the Redfish at 29.5 inches with a pinched tail. Since it was so large, I decided to forgo the boga lip grip weight method inorder to keep from harming the fish. After admiring the Redfish, it was released back into the water so that it could get back to feeding and future fun. The experience will be remembered for a life-time as a Redfish on a fly rod is hardly forgetful.


Tight lines,
Capt. Sam
"Anglers are on a fishing journey"