# Trout in Steinhatchee



## teethdoc (May 1, 2015)

Anybody catching?  Rapid fire and I are trying to decide wether to hit the Hatch or run down to Delacroix, LA where the redfish bite is on fire.


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## pottydoc (May 3, 2015)

Go to La still slow at the Hatch.


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## CBqakNflats (May 3, 2015)

We just got back from the Hatch.The weather was good and the trout bite was great...except the majority were short! My guys caught over 100 trout Sat alone,but between 2 boats we only kept 8 trout and 1 flounder in 2 days.Several nice ones but it was very random.I would opt for La if you wanna fill the cooler!


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## bhdawgs (May 4, 2015)

x2 on LA..   Fished all weekend in the Hatch and only caught 15 keeper trout between two boats.   Bunch of shorts....  Grass still has not greened or thickened up on the flats which is very strange for this time of the year.   

Several guides saying the red tide did a lot of damage last fall as far as fish numbers are concerned.


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## Coppertopdog (May 4, 2015)

LA would get my vote if I had the choice, been to Keaton two times and struggled both times, very few keepers, don't know what is wrong. Wish someone with a good explanation would chime in on hear. Would love to know what has happened to the fish.


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## grouper throat (May 4, 2015)

Guys in the know say red tide. From what I heard it never got really good this year with constant limits every day. The big female trout just aren't out there like they use to be or you'd see 6-7 lb trout win all these local tournaments like they did back then.


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## brotherinlaw (May 4, 2015)

I agree it's been slow in the Hatch this year. Fished Saturday and covered a lot of water with only 2 keepers.


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## FREEDOM22 (May 4, 2015)

*red tide*

You would be correct on the red tide, I have been fishing it for over 20 yrs and this year has been tough, I could take my customers out last year and get a limit for 4 people in about 2 hours (trout and reds).

I have called it off for the rest of this yr for me in the hatch, all the other guides who normally do really well are also struggling to fill limits. I've talked to some of the guides and they said they personally saw thousands of dead fish last fall both north and south of the river. It will likely take years to recover assuming we dont have another red tide this fall.

LA is the place to be right now.




brotherinlaw said:


> I agree it's been slow in the Hatch this year. Fished Saturday and covered a lot of water with only 2 keepers.


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## bhdawgs (May 4, 2015)

Something has killed a ton of turtle grass all the way to Homosassa... there is just no grass right now which could be red tide or something else contributing.   It is messed up that's for sure...


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## teethdoc (May 4, 2015)

Sounds like we are off to Delacroix.  I miss the Hatch, but I want to catch some fish.


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## jimbo4116 (May 5, 2015)

Friend slayed the trout north of Suwannee toward Horseshoe yesterday.

3 fishermen limited out and had to throw back several over 20" size limit.


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## FREEDOM22 (May 5, 2015)

*i don't doubt you but at this point we need pics ...lol*

as bad as it's been this year we need pics.....lol






jimbo4116 said:


> Friend slayed the trout north of Suwannee toward Horseshoe yesterday.
> 
> 3 fishermen limited out and had to throw back several over 20" size limit.


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## IIICrkRepr (May 5, 2015)

We did well down in Pine Island 2 week ago.


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## teethdoc (May 6, 2015)

Decision time, I leave tomorrow.  Any updates on the Hatch?


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## DEERFU (May 6, 2015)

We're here now. Only had about two hours on the water but had no trouble putting fish in the boat. Gonna be here till Sunday and hoping for the best


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## rapid fire (May 7, 2015)

Deerfu, you mind saying if you went north or south?


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## jimbo4116 (May 7, 2015)

FREEDOM22 said:


> as bad as it's been this year we need pics.....lol



I don't have pics. They were sent to my sons phone and I saw the pics.   I don't do text and smart phones sorry. But you can take my word they caught the fish. 

That don't mean you will catch a thing,  you know they bit yesterday be sure to come back tomorrow.


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## DEERFU (May 8, 2015)

We went south. Lots of grass still around. Find that= find fish. We put over a hundred fish in the boat and landed two short cobra. No reds. Had a great day but can definitely see a reduction in slot fish. Doesnt bother us we love catching em


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## bhdawgs (May 8, 2015)

We caught a ton of short trout last weekend, but keepers are hard to come by right now.


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## CBqakNflats (May 8, 2015)

^^^ditto^^^


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## DEERFU (May 8, 2015)

Lots of short fish again today. Flats are loaded with bait and the trout should grow fast (fat by fall). Hooked up with 3 cobia today and landed the 2 small ones.


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## teethdoc (May 8, 2015)

Caught several shorts.  Only thing in the box was sea bass and a flounder.  The smooth puffer were destroying our jigs and even our floats.  Those things are aggressive!
Are yall fishing with gulp under a float?  That seemed to work the best for us.


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## teethdoc (May 8, 2015)

What did you catch the Cobia on?  I saw a school of 3 of the biggest tarpon I've ever seen.


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## DEERFU (May 8, 2015)

Those puffers have cost us about a hundred bucks in tackle. Gulps with and without jig heads and gulp jerk shad. Caught the cobia on the jerk shad and gulp with jig head. The one I landed I cast the shad to and he inhaled it.


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## rapid fire (May 9, 2015)

Decent amount of shorts. Zero fish in the cooler.


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## DEERFU (May 10, 2015)

We packed up and headed home yesterday afternoon. Had about 20 keepers in the boat but only kept 5. Lots of bait on the flats now. Trout will be fat by fall.


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## pottydoc (May 10, 2015)

Fished the Hatch yesterday. We crushed the reds again, but had to sort through a bunch (20 or so) to get our legal ones. We caught all of them in about 40 minutes just after light right after the tide changed to go out. After that, it was slow only two legal trout, around 16-18 shorts and a bunch of ladyfish. I talked to my bud that is a guide up there and he said its the worst its been in years for the trout. His biologist friend says the red tide from last year is to blame. I don't know one way or the other about that I do know its the toughest I've seen it in about 20 years of fishing there


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## bhdawgs (May 11, 2015)

pottydoc said:


> Fished the Hatch yesterday. We crushed the reds again, but had to sort through a bunch (20 or so) to get our legal ones. We caught all of them in about 40 minutes just after light right after the tide changed to go out. After that, it was slow only two legal trout, around 16-18 shorts and a bunch of ladyfish. I talked to my bud that is a guide up there and he said its the worst its been in years for the trout. His biologist friend says the red tide from last year is to blame. I don't know one way or the other about that I do know its the toughest I've seen it in about 20 years of fishing there




I've talked to several guides PD and they said the same thing... they are also saying too much freshwater spring rains in 2013 and 2014 is keeping the seagrass growth down.   I have never seen such a lack of seagrass on the flats this late in the year


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## Permitchaser (May 11, 2015)

I am confused teethdoc are you in Hatch or LA were you saw those poons


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## teethdoc (May 11, 2015)

Sorry, last minute we decided to go to the Hatch instead.  My buddy who has the place in Delacroix had a commitment come up and I didn't want to be trying out a new boat and water I'm not familiar with.


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## wellwood (May 18, 2015)

I love Delacroix. Went there for the first time earlier this year. Normally go to Venice but the water was to muddy so we fished up there. It was fun.


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## BOWHUNTER! (May 18, 2015)

Just got back from the Hatch and it was the worst trip for putting fish in the boat that i've ever been on. We tried every trick, bait, bottom, depth etc... and could not find the fish. In two FULL days of fishing, we put two keeper trout in the boat. Everyone for the most part was experiencing the same thing. Not sure what's going on but there was some talk about the red tide last year having some effects???


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## CamoDawg85 (May 19, 2015)

BOWHUNTER! said:


> Just got back from the Hatch and it was the worst trip for putting fish in the boat that i've ever been on. We tried every trick, bait, bottom, depth etc... and could not find the fish. In two FULL days of fishing, we put two keeper trout in the boat. Everyone for the most part was experiencing the same thing. Not sure what's going on but there was some talk about the red tide last year having some effects???



That stinks and hate to hear that for you man! Although, a bad day on the water is better than....well....you know 

I have heard the same about the red tide as well. I hope that it did not make it northwest of the Hatch to the Panacea area. Headed that way this Friday for a week.


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## bhdawgs (May 19, 2015)

BOWHUNTER! said:


> Just got back from the Hatch and it was the worst trip for putting fish in the boat that i've ever been on. We tried every trick, bait, bottom, depth etc... and could not find the fish. In two FULL days of fishing, we put two keeper trout in the boat. Everyone for the most part was experiencing the same thing. Not sure what's going on but there was some talk about the red tide last year having some effects???



Bowhunter - don't feel bad, it is happening to most people who are fishing the Big Bend area this Spring... Guides included.   No seagrass = no baitfish, no trout


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