Story Tools • • Date of Issue: July 23, 2008 Sharks in Terra Ceia Bay, grouper offshore By Capt. Mike Heistand Vacation plus fishing equals fun, fun, fun Tom Sujecki and son Joseph went fishing with charter Capt. Josh Peurifoy while on vacation on Anna Maria Island and caught grouper and mackerel, but "best of all," said Tom, was a "battle with a 100- and a 150-pound tarpon." Joseph is pictured with a mangrove snapper caught off the public beach pier. Look for great fishing action offshore in the Gulf of Mexico for grouper, snapper and amberjack right now, as well as some dolphin - the fish, not Flipper. For bay fishers, it’s redfish and trout that are the target catches, as well as mangrove snapper. And don’t forget those sharks in Terra Ceia Bay or the flounder. Capt. Mark Johnston out of Annie’s Bait and Tackle in Cortez said he’s putting his charters onto catch-and-release snook, plus some big trout. Bill Lowman at Island Discount Tackle at Catchers Marina in Holmes Beach said offshore fishing is stable for grouper, snapper and amberjack, plus some dolphin, with most catches coming from about 30 miles out in the Gulf. In the backwater, he said redfish were the best catch, followed by trout up to 25 inches in length. He also said he heard of a 22-inch flounder caught in the bay. Bob Kilb at the Rod & Reel Pier said fishing has been slow at the pier of late, with whitebait, mangrove snapper and mackerel moving away from the dock. Best bets have been sand perch and yellowtail jack, he said. Dave Sork at the Anna Maria City Pier said anglers there were catching a few snapper, jacks and some mackerel, but the mackerel have mostly left. Dave Johnson at Snead Island Crab House said it’s all mangrove snapper, most up to 26 inches in length, plus redfish too big to keep. At Tropic Isles Marina, reports are coming in from Terra Ceia Bay of lots of shark catches, with some blacktips of up to 6 feet in length. Capt. Rick Gross on Fishy Business out of Catchers Marina in Holmes Beach said his catch-and-release snook action has been excellent, as well as limit-catches of redfish and mangrove snapper to 17 inches in size. Capt. Zach Zacharias on the Dee-Jay II out of Parrot Cove Marina said“the rainy and cloudy days have helped moderate water temperatures a bit and the fish have responded despite a spate of 12-hour turn-around tides. The best action has still been mangrove snapper, trout and redfish on the inshore waters of Sarasota and Tampa Bays. The super-high full-moon tides have made success difficult when the tide levels get above 2.0, but it has been good from dead low to around 1.8 feet. Capt. Zack said he’s catching plenty of smallish bait, and dense schools of finger mullet are plentiful. Zach says they’re “killer bait for most inshore species.” He’s also catching scattered flounder, snook, mackerel, bluefish, jacks and ladyfish On my boat Magic, we caught some 38 snook, redfish to 31 inches, trout too 24 inches plus flounder to 21 inches last week, Good luck and good Fishing. Capt. Mike Heistand is a 20-year-plus fishing guide. Call him at 723-1107 to provide a fishing report. Prints and digital images of your catch are also welcome and may be dropped off at The Islander, 5404 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, or e-mailed to news@islander.org. Please include identification for persons in the picture along with information on the catch and a name and phone number for more information. Snapshots may be retrieved once they appear in the paper.