‘Follow the Fish’ Archives
February fishing in the 10,000 Islands
FOLLOW THE FISH Capt. Pete Rapps Pete@CaptainRapps.com As January passes, we shall see some small changes in fishing. We were lucky not to be hit with many cold fronts in January. Hopefully the mild winter temperatures continue and the coldest temperatures of the winter will now be behind us. Water temperatures will continue to hover [...]
SPECIES SPOTLIGHT: SNOOK
Follow the Fish Capt. Pete Rapps Pete@CaptainRapps.com The common snook (Centropomus undecimalis) are the most widely distributed species within the Centropomus genus, and have been reported as far north as New York (USA) and throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Common snook are abundant along the Atlantic coast of Florida from Cape Canaveral [...]
January fishing in the 10,000 Islands
FOLLOW THE FISH Capt. Pete Rapps Pete@CaptainRapps.com January is typically our coldest month of the year. The days when the fronts are absent, the sun is shining, and the thermometer gets up into the mid 70’s, can make for some awesome fishing! January is another month when you should keep an eye on your tide chart before planning [...]
Species spotlight: Redfish
Capt. Pete Rapps Pete@CaptainRapps.com Another species of fish that we catch all year round here in the 10,000 islands is the Redfish. Its true name is Red Drum, however, most in our area refer to the fish as Redfish or just “Reds”. Its Latin name is Sciaenops Ocellatus, and it is closely related to the Black Drum or the Pogonias [...]
December Fishing in the 10,000 Islands
By Capt. Pete Rapps Pete@CaptainRapps.com December is here and with it comes some big changes to the fishery in the Everglades National Park. Some good and some not so good. We typically have our first major cold front hit us after the middle of the month. We already had a few minor cold fronts come through in November, but nothing too [...]
Species Spotlight: Sheepshead
Capt. Pete Rapps Fall is here in the 10,000 Islands and with cooler water temperatures and the change of seasons, comes the migration of the Sheepshead fish. These fish begin to arrive in big numbers about this time each year to spawn. They inhabit many of our near shore structures, oyster bars, and the deeper mangrove pockets in the back [...]
November means fantastic Fall fishing in the 10,000 Islands
Capt. Pete Rapps I always look forward to November because it is one of my absolute favorite months here in the 10,000 Islands! The reasons are numerous and I could probably go on forever describing them, but some of the highlights are…. 1) The weather patterns are typically mild with little rain and light winds, 2) Many fish are [...]
Thank you Mother Nature!
Capt. Pete Rapps It seems as though every day is a new adventure out here in the 10,000 islands. Every day we go out, there is something new or different from the day before. The tides are constantly moving and Mother Nature is always showing us something new. This past week we had wind, rain, & big full moon tides. One day the water [...]
Fall weather is here and it’s time to “Hunt for Reds in October!”
Capt. Pete Rapps With all of that tropical storm activity that has been going on out there, it’s nice to see the change of seasons. It seemed as though summer would last forever. October is here and what a great month it is to fish the 10,000 Islands! Our day time air temperatures should now be averaging around 87 degrees, as water temps [...]
Keeping up with Gulf Grouper Rules and Regulations
Capt. Pete Rapps Sometimes keeping up with all of the fishing regulation changes here in Florida are like tracking stocks. If you miss an update, it may cost you. The FWC updated their 2011 Gag Grouper Closure and Fall Harvest season regulations on August 30, 2011. Below is a short synopsis of the observations and updates obtained from their [...]
