The weather was beautiful and the temperature about 60 degrees. It was fun fishing again. A nice break from the duck hunting but I think I will have to hunt again tomorrow. Should be good with high winds and rain.
Captain Al Lorenzetti
1/8/2008
The first fishing report of the year.
It was a beautiful day and I decided to do some freshwater fishing. I took a jaunt to Argyle Lake in Babylon about a mile from my house. The trout were obliging.
I caught two nice trout on artificials and had a good time.
1-26-2008
Al and Dave have been working the show at Farmingdale University. Stop on by and check out their workshop at 3:30 pm. Come by the booth and fill out a free chance to win a DVD of your choice. Yesterdays winner was Paul Zummo.
Here is Jodi with a real nice black grouper. Jodi is another great angler and loves to fish with her family.
I'll bet this beauty was on the dinner table that night.
Great shots guys and I hope to see you real soon and do some fishing with you.
Captain Al Lorenzetti
Here is Tanner shoeing off a black grouper. He is the most dedicated fishermen that I know. He will fish all day long and never get bored. He can cast a mile and will be a fishing superstar in the future.
2/4/2008
I received these photos from Scott Little who is now in Marco Island and fishing hard with his family, wife Jodi and son Tanner. Scott and his family are great people and really know how to have fun.
Scott is a cousin of Wes Little who I fish with when I am in Florida.
Here is Scott with a real nice Goliath grouper. It must have been a blast fighting this big guy to the boat.
Nice fish Scott.
And this is their beauty. A 200 pound tarpon at the boat. Real nice fish Tom and Afrie!
I hope to be down south soon.
Captain Al Lorenzetti
Here is Tom with a big redfish. Looks like he is having a tough time hefting it up. I wish I was having such a hard time lifting big fish.
2/24/2008
I received these nice photos from Tom and Afrie, Wes Little's wife AnnMarie's mom and dad.
Here is Afrie with a nice cobia caught fishing out of their place in Key Colony Beach in the Florida Keys.
2/27/2008
Tanner Little is at it again. This guy is the ultimate junior angler. He hooked-up and boated this 36 inch snook fishing somewhere down by Cape Romano out of Marco Island.
Nice catch Tanner!
Captain Al Lorenzetti
We are catching big king mackarel out of Marco fishing with Wes Little Apt. Dave Zarrello and Wes's father-in-law Tom.
Captain Al Lorenzetti
Captain Dave with his goliath getting him near the boat.
We had a great time and look forward to getting in some more time down south.
Captain Al Lorenzetti
Wes and dave with a quick shot before releasing a goliath. We quickly get the hook out and put them back in the water. The bigger ones are released at boatside after we remove the hook if possible.
Captain Dave releasing a small goliath of about 50 pounds.
Here is a picture of determination. Scott Little fighting a huge Goliath grouper with his wife Jodi looking on. Scott fought the beast for almost 3 hours and traveled a mile but never got the fish to the top. The reel finally gave up and exploded and the line popped. He was a hurting puppy the next day but loved every minute of it. He is investing in some heavier tackle for the next attempt.
The big kings are tough at boatside with a mouth full of sharp teeth and a lot of power. You have to know what you are doing when you have one close. They can strip line off the reel like crazy and were just tearing up the tackle and anglers alike.
The best action with hot fish was with big kingfish south of Cape Romano. We had some nice "smokers" and lots of cero and spanish mackarel to round out the action all on live bait.
This is a 30 pound fish that Wes landed. We kept two fish for the table and took them to the "Sand Bar" restaurant on Marco where they cooked them for us blackened and lemon pepper. They were outstanding. We all ate like it was our last meal.
3/5/2008
I spent the past week in Marco Island fishing with Wes Little. Captain Dave Zarrello spent a couple of days there with me also. We had a great time fishing and the weather was beautiful.
Here is Wes with a nice keeper snook at Cape Romano. On this day we had snook and pompano for the table and took them to "Pelican Bend" on the Isle of Capri where they sauteed them for us. It was an unbelievably great meal.
Wes Little sent me this photo from 3/14. The kingfish are getting bigger south of Marco. This one is about 40 pounds. Nice fish.
Captain Al Lorenzetti
Here is Mark with his kids who look to be well dressed for the weather. Real nice fish. It is exciting to think that the cod have made a comeback. Nice catch Mark!
Captain Al Lorenzetti
3/22/2008
A couple of photos from Mark Sunderland's trip with family and friends aboard the Viking out of Montauk for cod.
I would say they had a great day of codfishing. A real nice catch of fish up to 30 pounds.
4/1/2008
Due to the weather I never made it out on the water today. I heard Scott from Augie's Bait and Tackle gave it a shot but the bay was all churned up. The biggest problem was the weed fouling the line so the Flounder never had a shot to find the bait.
Tim C. Smith
We had some fun catching some big sharks. This is a big nurse shark I estimate went about 250.
This is the "Peg Leg" out of Goodland with Captain Ron. He is one of the best known charter captains in the area. He fishes all the pieces in the gulf and does real well with all species of fish. He was kind enough to show us a new fishing spot. He is a real pro.
http://peglegcharters.com/
The remains of a 40 pound kingfish after a great hammerhead made a meal of it.
Here is Scott, a friend of Wes and a native Floridian wading a beautiful flat near Round Key looking for snook.
3/30-4/4-2008
I fished out of Marco Island for the last week. We had a good time with big kingfish, sharks, tarpon snook etc.
Here is Wes little wading on the hunt for snook.
4/8/2008
Red Hot Flounder action today! That's the good news...the bad news is that the flounder bite is forty miles to the west in Raritan Bay.
I worked with Rich and Andy today shooting a Flounder episode for the fifth season of North East Angling TV show. Today's guest was Captain Lou Grazioso out of Key Port New Jersey ( http://www.stripermania.net). Captain Lou had us on the fish on the first drop, Looking at the Flounder's bellies these fish where hungry and on the feed. We had our limit in few hours and where off the water by noon. The show will air this Fall.
Tim C. Smith
It was not a great day due to cold weather overnight but as it warmed up the fishing got better.
Captain Al Lorenzetti
4/14/2008
I fished with Scott Leonard and Mike Andriani of Augie's Tackle. We had a few flounder and a bunch of skates in West Channel.
4/18/2008
I fished with Mike McGrath for a few hours just outside my canal in the East West channel . We used the new Berkley Chum and the traditional variety of ground clam. The one Flounder we caught was on a Berkley Gulp Alive Blood worm, and measured 15.5 inches . We also used live blood worms. So far I'm impressed but today was not a good test.
Tim C. Smith
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On Wendensday I will be traveling to the Casa vieja lodge in Guatemala Central America on a photo and video assignment. Captain Al Fished here a few years back when it was the Fin and Feathers fishing lodge and now it's my turn. I will updating this page daily from the newly renovated Casa Vieja Lodge.
http://www.casaviejalodge.com/
Tim C. Smith
I received mail from a good customer of mine Rich Nelson Jr. who lives in Maryland and fishes a lot with his sons James and Jack.
Hi Capt Al,
Finally a fish to show you. Caught this 32 inch fish this evening in the Chesapeake bay near Annapolis. It was James and Jack's first striper. As you can tell by the other picture they enjoyed eating the fish as much as catching it. See you in a few weeks.
Best Regards,
Rich
Captain Al Lorenzetti
5/1/2008
Tim C. Smith is shooting video and still photos in Guatemala at the Casa Vieja Lodge, (formerly "Fin and Feathers"). http://www.casaviejalodge.com/
4/30/2008
After ariving in Guatemala City, our driver Edgar took us for a tour of the city of Antigua. The city dates back to the 1500s, and is a shoppers' paradise for hand- made Mayan crafts. The city has been destoyed by earthquakes in the past, and many of the ruins can be still found throughout.
The top notch service started the moment we arived at the lodge with ice cold mojitos followed by a great dinner.
Tomorrow we go Sailfishing.
Tim C. Smith
5/1/2008
After a wonderful breakfast at the lodge, we headed out for Sailfish. The morning started out slowly, with only a few small Dorado we picked off a floating pallet. We continued to troll South and that's where we found the Sailfish. The boat handling of the captain was amazing, and the 2 mates took great care of us once again.
5/1/2008
The mates prepared a delicious lunch with fresh guacamole all in the middle of a great Sailfish bite. We brought to boatside 8 of 11 Sailfish, including a double header where the two fish ran in opposite directions challenging the captains skill, but he prevailed. Pictured in the photo are Paul Michele and Andy LoCascio with a nice Sail. When we arrived back at the lodge, we were treated with poolside cocktails, and enjoyed a great shrimp dinner.
5/2/2008
Headed out for Sailfish again today, and once again the Pacific kept up to its name sake with flat seas. We had a very leisurely day fishing from a comfortable fishing boat perfect for day trips.
5/2/2008
Captain Mike once again did a great job running the boat while Kristine Anderson fought the Sailfish to the boat.
5/2/2008
Here is the happy angler, Kristine Anderson, posing with Captain Andy and Paul Mickele with a nice 75 pound Sailfish.
5/2/2008
Of course, when we arrived back at the Casa Vieja Lodge, there were mojitos waiting for us at the pool.
Tim C. Smith
http://www.casaviejalodge.com/
5/3/2008
Our last day out on the Pacific started out slowly, with only two Sailfish by lunch time. We received a call on the radio from another captain in the area who found a large pod of Spinner Dolphin. Where there are Dolphin there are Tuna! Spinner Dolphins can leap well over 15 feet in the air. Watching the aerobatics of these mammals was one of the highlights of the trip.
5/3/2008
We worked the Dolphin pods for a while, chasing the crashing Tuna. Just like spooky Bluefish schools, they always show on top of the water where you just were. We managed a few Tuna up to thirty pounds.
5/3/2008
Just before we were ready to end the day, we had a Double Header Hookup!! What a way to end the day and to a great trip!
Google Map
5/3/2008
Special thanks to Captain Mike, Skinny and Edwin (the Great Chef). This was the most amazing crew with which I have ever fished. The Captain never said one word to the mates; it was like they were communicating telepathically. This was one well-oiled machine!
Special thanks also to the staff who took such great care of us at the Lodge.
http://www.casaviejalodge.com/
I will be putting together a photo essay soon with more photos and captions.
Tim C. Smith
New item on the Skimmer Store!
1-1/4" Striped Bass Dog Collar and 6' Matching Leash now available on our online store.
Click Here
Scott and Frank with a couple of nice fish.
Captain Al Lorenzetti
5/13/2008
I fished with Scott and Frankie for a late day tide. We fished live bait which is very tough to get. The big fish are here and we had a good time boating a dozen fish with two about 30 pounds.