Dreaming of a "brown christmas"

Greetings everyone,
I'm back from my Christmas break. I was visiting my future in-laws in michigan,we were all dissapointed that there was NO SNOW!!!!! Booooo!
Can you believe it, no snow in michigan or any place close! I was very surprised. Just a few years ago I can remember building the 'ahi spirit" in maine and was sooooo cold I almost died in the streets trying to run a few blocks!!
Well ,this got me thinking about how all this attention to global warming is affecting our lives and on a small level for me -- the changing of the fishing seasons down here in florida. I'm tring to gather more facts about it just so I can rule out the man made global warming factor.( I don't like to agree with the bleeding heart liberable who chooses to blame mankind for all that's wrong with the world)
This may sound dumb to you, but for me there has been some definate changes in the fishing around here. It's Hot ...!!! really Hot!!!! We are still catching kingmackerel around here !.It's carzy to be catching kings and tunny's (tuna)this late in the season. But the warm weather is still here.
When I go hunting , I sweat, when I go fishing, I sweat!!! I can get away from the heat. However,let's not forget that we live on a freakin live rock. A rock that has undergone catastrophic events and cycles of different elemental changes.
I'm just want to say, I hope we are just going though a 2-4 year change.
This post I read from Dr. Jeff Masters was worth sharing with you all. This is what the talking heads on the news don't tell you!

What causes El Nino?
In normal, non-El Nino conditions, the trade winds blow towards the west across the tropical Pacific. Warmer water near the surface of the ocean, heated by the sun, is blown to the west by the trade winds. Warmer water "piles up" in the west Pacific (the sea surface is about one and one half feet higher at Indonesia than at Ecuador) as cooler water rises from deep in the ocean in the east Pacific to replace the water that was moved away by the winds. The sea surface temperature is about 8 degrees C higher in the west, with cooler temperatures in the east Pacific due to upwelling of colder water from deep in the ocean. Rainfall develops much more frequently in rising air over warm water so normal rainfall amounts are higher over the west Pacific and the east Pacific area is relatively dry.

During El Nino, the trade winds relax in the Pacific. This leads to warmer water temperatures in the eastern and, especially, central Pacific because upwelling is reduced. As the pool of warmer water moves eastward, the areas of best rainfall development also move to the east, with associated flooding in Peru and drought in Indonesia and Australia. The eastward displacement of this heat source (the warmest water) results in large changes in the global atmospheric circulation, which in turn forces changes in weather in regions far removed from the tropical Pacific.

El Nino episodes typically occur every 3 to 5 years. However, this interval has varied from 2 to 7 years. They typically last 9 to 18 months. El Nino episodes tend to develop from March to June and reach peak intensity during the December to April period, weakening from May to July. Prolonged El Nino episodes have lasted 2 years and even as long as 3 to 4 years. Every El Nino is somewhat different in magnitude and in duration.
I'm curious to see how it will affect everyones traditional florida getaway to the warm weather. You might not have to go to far from your beautiful michigan or minnesota area after all!!!

Happy Holiday's Everyone !!!

Greetings,
I just wanted to wish you and yours a peacefull and enjoyable christmas and may you have the best health and happiness in the new year!
Fishing has been great on half days with catches of tunas and mangrove snappers.
The long trips of december are coming up for me over the holiday season, I'm sure we will catch amberjacks and grouper on them.
This is the time of year when I like to travel offshore on long trips. The cooler weather and calm seas between cold fronts sure make for a beautiful day, also the el-nino weather pattern we are having right now for the country has sure been making for warmer then usual conditions down here. The day's have been outstanding for weather these past few weeks.
I look foward to fishing with you all ,see you soon!
capatin Tommy Tinacci

Fishing Report for September - October 2006

Greetings everyone,

I would like to take this time to appologize for not posting up to date reports. I'm made for fishing not computing.

Ok, a word about the fishing. I know some of you have been reading and hearing alot about red tide and the reports of it being here in Sarasota. It's true, Red tide is here, but the fishing we are doing is offshore and away from red tide. So upon leaving the dock lately the only evidence of it is water discoloration and a few dead baits here and there dispersed by the wind and tide. The fishing offshore I did this week was very good for 4hour trips. We caught large spanish mackerel and lots of mangrove snappers. The trip I did with Peter Young this weekend was fantasitc. Together the group of five caught 25 spanish mackerel to 6lbs and had a total of 35 keeper mangrove snapper. Their grocery list was definetly not in need of fish. Deep offshore on my 10 and 12 hour trips I'm catching amberjacks, mangrove snappers, yellowtail snappers, false albacore, barracuda, red and black groupers.

The fishing thoughout this next month will hold this same report. There are lots of great fishing trips for September, even when you are hearing about hurricanes on the news. Today as I write this report the seas are flat calm and have been. Funny thing is there is supposed to be tropical storm force winds here on Wednesday.

When it comes to planning a fishing trip for September, don't let the news reports get you down. Instead, call the captain and find out what he thinks about going out on the day your planning. There are many beautiful days to fish on thoughout September between hurricane reports. Use common sense and make inquiries.

Thank you and tight lines,
Captain Tommy

Fishing Report for June 12, 2006

Greetings,

I must say that I'm sorry for not being the posting guru as I have an aweful way of posting anything I want to say. I'll be quick so I don't get timed out an lose the 3 paragraphs I tried to send last night.

The fishing on the 4 and 6 hour trips has been very consistant. Catches of kingmackerel, tunas , sharks , spanish mackerel , permit and barracudas have kept me busy. The fishing will remain the same for the next month minus the kings .

My 8 and 10 hour trips have been catching mahi -mahi , groupers and snappers. Mostly yellowtail and mangrove snappers. The amberjacks also have been on a great bite too!. I have been catching them with light tackle on top.

Call me for a more detailed report if you plan on visiting in the future.
941-376-8669
capt . tommy tinacci

Fishing Report for April 25, 2006

Greetings,

Continued great weather and excellent kingfishing are going on strong!!!! All that can be said right now is to drop what your doing and go fishing when it's good. Golf later //// fishing when it's good. You'll have plenty of time while you're down here to golf. First you need food and kings are delicious fish to cook up. I will not get into my famous receipies now, but when you're on the dock and watching me expertly clean them for you, I'll fill you in.

I will not get into how I catch them either, no, I'm holding out for my own show on bspn. Kings are not the only fish we are catching. If you can get on one of our 10hr trips to the deep water, I've been getting into the American red snapper. Great fighting on light tackle and a taste so good, your tongue will beat your skull silly man. Besides that, red and black groupers are givin it up too. Half a dozen groupers and a mixture of red, mangrove and yellowtail snappers is what we average, in addition to amberjacks kingfish and or shark and or tunas. 300lbs + on any givin 10hr day is an average catch.

Plenty of fun and food for everyone on your trip. You'll even be in good with the neighbors after you share some with them! Everybody enjoys when you go fishing, what a country. The water seems to be one of the only places left to go where you'll never find a crowd - that's awesome!

B y the way, we consistantly put you on big fish with light tackle --- for 15 years now in Sarasota, Catch The Spirit and Capt . Tommy Tinacci continue to strickly use only light tackle for your pleasure.

Thank you and take good care of each other,
Tommy Tinacci

Fishing Report for April 17, 2006

Greetings everyone,

Just wanted to take a momemt and let you all know how I did this week. I’m still fishing kingfish and tuna off the beaches and they are making their way further offshore. The bait is too, which means to you and me a longer ride to the fish, but not much though, 15 minutes maybe. The kings have been so cooperative this year and no signs of red tide anywhere in our area.

This has been a terrific season for us here at Catch The Spirit. My charters this week were very happy with what they caught. Big Spanish mackerel and king mackerel have been flying over the rail onto the Ahi Spirit, my offshore boat. The fish are ranging from 5 to 15lb-ers, a great fight on the light tackle rods that I suppy everyone. I use Troll Yozuri lures exclusively, crystal minnows to be exact. I find they are as close to having the perfect sardine at the other end of you line as you will ever find. Hands down, they are the best lure in the world in my opinion. And they don’t even sponsor me! Anyway, they always produce when the fish are in or out of the mood and better than bait because you can fish faster without having to rebait.

The amount of kings we are catching right now is borderline obsene. The fish are plentiful if you know how to find them. You just don’t go out there and troll and start catching them, unless your behind me offshore. :) Our highlight catch of the week was a 30lb cobia that hit our trolled yozuri, caught by Pete DeWolfe from Ohio. Ok, well that pretty much sums up the kingfish inshore bite on the 4 and 6 hour trips. As for the offshore trips in the 30 - 50 mile zone, 8-12 hr trips, we had a 12-hour blaster this past week and I’m waiting for the folks to email me some pictures. They caught amberjacks consistently in the 25lb class on light tackle. Then we made several stops on some of my grouper and snapper holes. We managed to land 7 grouper and 6 snapper for the rest of the day. Beautiful weather, a nice ride out, and more fish than we needed… Nice!!

Well, enjoy your week and hope you get the chance to fish soon!

Captain Tommy

Fishing Report for April 12, 2006

Greetings everyone!

Just wanted to report that the fishing is fast and exciting right now off Sarasota. We are all workin' our butts off down here catching a lot of fish and getting little sleep.

For starters, 4 and 6 hour trips have been just pounding the kingfish, Spanish mackerel, and little tunnys (10lb tuna). This is top water fishing at its best. The Spanish mackerel have been jumbo sized (2-8lbs) and the kingfish 7-15lbs average, with the exception of a fine 19lb-er caught this week. We only use light tackle to catch them as many of you already know.

Catches have been in the range of 40-60 fish per hour worth of fishing!!! Yes,.. one hour!! For the offshore 8 and 10 hour trips, we are catching amberjacks, grouper, and snapper. Mixed in with the last 8hr was some barracuda. They were in the 12 lb class. The jacks have been fired up and hitting topwater zara spooks. Lane and mangrove snapper were also on the menu this week. Fishing in general this time of year is hard to beat. The weather this year has been mild and no rain at all. The videos i included are the best I could do while taking care of my crew. Well, I'm off to my next trip. Until next time, keep your lines tight.

Captain Tommy Tinacci

PS: My 25' boat and 36' are running and either can be available for you to charter. Please make your reservations at least 2 weeks in advance to get the day you want. We have charters everyday this time of year and so over-extending myself only goes so far. I don't fish at night right now because I'm just too tired by then. :)

Fishing Report for March 6, 2006

Greetings from Captain Tommy!
We are off to a great start for the month of March. The awaited cobia migration is here. This past week was very exciting and fun for anglers aboard my 25 foot boat 'Catch Spirit' as they were treated to some of the most fun fishing there is to do around the Sarasota area and maybe even the west coast of Florida. We have been sight fishing for cobia along our gulf beaches in 15 - 20 feet of water. Cobia migrating in the area are seen swimming on the surface giving us the opportunity to cast topwater lures or flies at them. I have been using Zara spooks of all colors and Cottee jigs with Exude tails as well as many other lead head grub tail combinations and 10lb. test line with my very own hand-crafted custom spinning rods. This has to be my favorite of all types of fishing trips we take. It's so much fun to watch your lure get charged at by a dozen cobia all at once!

This is what my week was like... The beach waters were feathered over by a smooth southern breeze and nothing but beautiful sunshine glistening on the surface. The beach run is so nice because the boat ride is mesmerizing. The scenery is beautiful and knowing you'll be seeing cobia in a few miles just gets you psyched up and makes you feel great. See, fishing really is good for the soul, and you haven't even caught anything yet! The point is this: Projecting success brings happiness to you and this is what matters. This is what a cobia trip is like mentally to me.

As for the catching, my 5 groups fishing 4 hour trips this week caught and released more then 60 cobia! Most trips are boating 10 cobia but have many opportunities to catch more. Between bait refusals and bad casts, I would have to say I think my anglers this week did just fine. The beginning part of the week we were seeing 1- 3 fish showings. Later in the week there were many pods of fish moving along the beach to cast at. Well, that's it for the cobias. Hope you can join me on my next trip!

Offshore Report -
We're landing amberjacks and mangrove snappers mostly, but there's definately a chance to get a big shark! The mako shark we hooked last week is still out there eating my people's fish!!! Darn him. "I'm gonna get that bird!" :)

Today's bay fishing trip was also a blast . We got into schools of 5 -7 lb. jack crevelle and boy did they work over my tackle. This kind of fire drill fishing isn't easy for keeping all your lines in order. With jacks of any kind you have to let them have all the line they want. Pounding fish on the surface can take most of your lures and patience in just a few short minutes. :) Casting around the edges of the marauding fish and birds can keep you hooked up instead of digging in the tackle box for another jighead. Well, after a healthy jack session we went to some back bay canals for our sheephead friends and managed a half dozen. Not bad! We went though 6 dozen shrimp!! I saw a lot of snook in one canal but could not get them to bite. Maybe next time... There's always next time. :)

Many thanks for your business and patience. Be good to one another!
Captain Tommy Tinacci

Fishing Report for February 26, 2006

Greetings from Captain Tommy,
Wow!!!!!! This week was as exciting as it was exhausting in the offshore fishing world 40 miles off Sarasota. But before I start I would like to thank everyone who decided to fish on board the 'Ahi Spirit' with me. Your business is very much appreciated and all of us guides here in Florida know just how much we could use the continued good weather and patrons like you.

This week was full of long range 8 and 10 hour trips. Action-packed deep water bottom fishing trips saw catches of amberjack, red grouper and snapper. We even had the opportunity to fight an 8 foot long, fat mako shark that kept hanging around the boat. My 14 year old client, Kyle, had him on the line for a while before our line parted. We did manage to get hooked up though and the adrenaline rush that fish left us with was awesome! Fishing is very good right now and will continue to get even better with this great weather we have going on!

Hope to see you soon! We have many split charters you can get on during the week and we are booking up fast for March. Bay fishing trips were steady with sheepshead, redfish, ladyfish and some large jack crevalle. We have been averaging around a 30-50 fish mix of the above mentioned species.

Until next time, enjoy and great fishing to you!
Captain Tommy Tinacci

Fishing Report for February 7, 2006

Bay Fishing -

My last trip in Sarasota Bay was a nice outing. A sunny day, calm winds and a rising tide encouraged redfish, sheephead and a few snook to bite for us. Using cotee jig heads tipped with live shrimp and cast from 8 lb. class spinning rods made for 12 battles with tackle-busting sheepshead up to 4 lbs., 6 redfish up to 20 inches, and a couple of 20-22 inch snook.

Fishing the back waters of Siesta Key can be such a fun trip, provided the fish are biting. Most of the time you catch an assortment of bay fish including flounder, mangrove snappers, and jack crevalles.
Most of the fish we caught this past week were caught on grass flats with oyster bars or seawalls with long open areas to cast at. You're surrounded by beautiful, lush landscape and multi-million dollar homes, but more importantly, you're very sheltered from wind that might hinder your efforts in other open spots of the bay. I like to fish my clients around the high tides of the day, or night if I can. The trips planned for the end of this week should be productive too as we approach the full moon on the 12th and also early evening high tides.

Looking to share a trip? No problem - split trips for the bay will cost you 5 for 4 hours. You will share the boat with no more than 2 other people! Offshore Fishing -

This past week the wind, cold weather, and a lack of interested patrons has kept us at the dock. Yes, this does happen every time the weather gets chilly. Not to worry! The fishing out here is terrific!! It's catching the customer that is hard work sometimes. :) That's ok though. Every business has its ups and downs; however, the sun will shine again and we'll be out there catching fish and making customers happy.

If you were to venture out there tomorrow with me (let's just say on an 8 or 10 hour trip) you would have a great time catching big tackle-busting amberjacks (20-40 lbs. on average), red or gag groupers (5-15 lbs.), and really nice sized mangrove snappers (2-7 lbs). I'm running my trips out in the 30-40 mile zone and the fishing out there has been outstanding! It takes us 2 hours to get out there, but once you're there you're catching fish immediately. When we have to move to other spots, it's only 1-3 mile moves. This gives us more fishing time in an area that doesn't get overfished. I have also been observing little tunnys (5-10 lb. tunas) on the ride out crashing the surface. They're eating these 2-4 inch Spanish sardines. These tunnys offer a drag-screaming run of the reel, and if you like sushi they are excellent! These are the fish you will run into out there on our long trips. If you want big fish, and lots of them, there's no question you must fish an 8 hour trip.

Four hour trips are seeing catches of sheepshead, Key West grunts, mangrove snappers, and short gag groupers. The 4 hour trip (at the moment) would be great for the person that wants a lot of action catching smaller fish. The sheepshead is going to be the biggest fish on this trip, ranging 2-5lbs. The snappers and above mentioned fish on the 4 hour trip are caught on light tackle (10 lb. test spinning outfits). It's an enjoyable and fun trip. This trip, for the longest time, has been sending people home with 30-40 snappers for dinner. I fillet them to perfection for you and offer suggestions on how to cook them as well.

Thanks for stopping by my site and I hope to hear from you!

Peace, and be good to each other,
Captain Tommy Tinacci

PS: We will be sight fishing for cobia next month. March is kingfish and cobia time!!!! Really, don't miss out. You can then catch big cobia on a 4 hour trip along our beautiful beaches guaranteed!! :)

Fishing Report for January 22, 2006

Greetings ,
This weekend's overcast weather helped produce some exciting fishing for us offshore. The seas were less than 2 ft and it made for a great 2 hour run out there to the big fish!

We caught plenty of amberjack in the 15-35lb range and that made for many sore wrists to go along with the purple welt many of my clients got from putting the rod in there guts this weekend! (just kidding!)

Actually it was very enjoyable for me to see my clients so happy when their rods came alive with the stike of another amberjack. Most people who have never caught an amberjack don't realize how hard they pull, but when they set the hook into one and lean back on the rod to see what they have .......well.....it's like my friend Brad Boland say's, " You'd better grab your hat and your a** cause you're gonna need both of them!"

If you have never been out deep sea fishing in Sarasota, treat your family or friends to an 8 or 10 hour all-day fishing excursion on my new 36 foot downeaster 'Ahi Spirit.' You will absolutely love it! I still do, unless the weather's really bad. Longer trips just give you more fishing time out there and believe me, you could stay out there all night catching fish. I would be happy to show you around out there. We hit as many spots as we can fishing as a team. The spots are found using my high-intensity bottom recorder. We normally catch grouper, snapper, and amberjacks. All taste wonderful and I have some really good recipies for cooking them all. There are a few recipies I suggest over others though. The fish you catch are kept alive to ensure freshness upon arrival to the dock and then filleted and packaged.

I posted a video sample below of 2 couples that joined me this weekend for my 8 hour trip. The four chartered me for the day. The total cost was 00, which including gratuity. They mentioned to me that they had enough a couple of times, but it was hard to hear them over their laughing and grunting while fighting the fish they caught!
Enjoy the sample. Thank you and be good to each other!

Captain Tommy Tinacci

PS: I try to put together 8 hour split trips every week so it can be more affordable for all of us -0 per person or private boat 00 (6 person max). This week I'm running splits Thursday, Friday, and Saturday - 8 am - 4 pm.

Call 941-376-8669 for immediate reservations with Capt. Tommy!
(emails are answered every evening of every day)

Fishing Report for January 6, 2006

Happy New Year!

Just wanted to report that we are off to a nice start this new year. Catches on the 4hr trips have remained stable with 30-40 keeper snapper and a few short grouper showing up inshore ( within 10 miles). If your looking for big fish , the 8 and 10 hour amberjack trips this week were great! Many fish in the 25-40 lb range hitting the deck of the Ahi Spirit as well as a 60lb heavy weight per trip. There have also been red groupers out there for those of you would would like to target them. My 8hr trip this week also caught red grouper to 15 lbs in addition to amberjack. The red groupers have been easy to get, fishing ledges and bait stacks in 130feet of water. The limit for grouper is now 5 per person but only 1 can be red. Longer trips will get you out to deeper water and are always better trips for the winter time fishing. Guaranteed big fish and good numbers too!

I started a Friday 10hr split charter so you can get on at a lower price than having to absorb the whole cost of a private charter.


Every Friday is 8 am - 4 pm Split Charter day - a boat to the big ones! Get on for 0 per person!!
( Please note: There MUST be 6 people in order for this special price to apply.)

Thank You!
Captain Tommy Tinacci