By: Capt. Tim Esgro
The type of fishing and species that we have in Florida is the type that would make any angler jump at the chance to catch if they were given the chance to. This past weekend while fishing in the Manatee River my clients had the chance of a lifetime to catch the fish that they came aboard the boat hoping and dreaming to catch. Most Florida natives know that during October and November the fishing can be somewhat slow so when you have a chance at a big fish you take it. That is exactly what my clients did this past weekend. Throughout the day we had many laughs, tight lines, and plenty of mangrove snapper and snook on board the boat, but we were all still hoping for that dream fish, the redfish. In particular, my clients specified that they wanted a trophy redfish that they would be able to brag about to their friends for years to come. However, during this time of the year, it’s not always easy to land a fish of that size but my clients were up to the challenge and so was I. After catching a plentitude of snook and mangrove snapper, we decided it was time to go get that dream fish. We started off trolling around looking for any kind of movement or tailing along the mangroves. At first, we had no luck but with a little determination and a skillful eye we finally spotted a huge boil in front of the boat. Immediately, I set spot lock on the trolling motor and made sure that my client had an extremely lively bait so that we could get this redfish’s attention. I told my client where exactly to cast his bait and he absolutely nailed it on the first try. Within seconds you could hear the most beautiful sound a fisherman could ever hear, the ringing of his line going out. This clever redfish took the bait and ran with it under the mangroves expecting that he would be able to stay under there and escape, however, what this redfish did not know was that my client was smart and knew how to pull him out. He did put up quite a fight but at the end of the day we pulled the fish in and he was exactly what my client wanted. A fat 34-inch bull redfish that he had been dreaming about catching. Give us a call when you are ready to catch your trophy fish!