Today I fished with a brother and sister from the Tampa and Gainesville area.  We started our day fogged in and making a "slow" run to the North end of the lagoon.  Our first area had a large school laying up on the flat.  We managed a couple of hook ups but couln't keep the school bottled in.  I made a call to a friend to come help us out.  We did box the school back in on the flat and hooked up with more fish but by the time the fight was over we had another six boats on top of us.  Thus the fished pushed deep and we were out of there.  I fished my second area off the East Bank and while it was cloudy the fish were few and far between.  We caught two right away and poled on.  Around noon the sun came out and the flat lit up with reds.  There were fish everywhere we poled just a little spooky from having their heads run over all morning.  ( Weekend traffic is the fastest way to slow the bite).  They caught a few more fish and called it a day.  I you get the chance try fishing the Lagoon during the week.  The fish are much more eager to eat and not as spooky.  As Always "GOOD BITE"

Today I had the pleasure to fish with Eric from here in Port Orange Fl.  We had a great day on the water.  Besides catching a boat load of reds, Eric is a blast to fish with and keeps you laughing the entire day.  We fished the entire day in two areas (both spots are in zone1).  Our first area didn't produce today but our second area gave up 14 reds in the boat and numerous other opportunities.  Eric said it was his best day redfishing in his life and couldn't believe the numbers of fish we were seeing.  The largtest red of the day was a perfect 26.5" and had others in the 25" to 26" range.  What a tournament day we had.  All fish were sight fished and came on live shrimp.  The reds are starting to school up and our average was about 5 fish per pod with pods EVERYWHERE!!!!!  I am doing my first spec trip tomorrow and then back to the lagoon for three days next week.  I still have openings for the holiday weeks.  So if your interested in tapping into our plentiful redfish population give me a call.  As Always "GOOD BITE"

12/21/10
Today I fished with long time clients Morgan and Paul who both love to catch red fish.  We started our day in the area that we tore the fish up in on the last trip...We poled the entire flat with 0 reds.  I have no idea where the fish went.  The water level in the North end of the Lagoon is "SCAREY" low.  We dry poled over areas that I floated a few days ago.  We checked our second area and found one keeper trout and "no reds"  I ran to the third area and found the mother load..We pulled into fish pushing.  It toook a little guide no how to figure these fish out but we did and boated 14 or 15 reds to 29".  They justy wanted to keep pushing up on the bar.  All we had to do is pole quiet and they would show time after time.  I think Morgan had the big fish of the day and is one "REEL LADY".. Paul did a great job today to.  This pair make it easy on a guide by making good casts and being able to see the fish I was pointing out.  I do have to apolagize to the poor guy that stayed on the outside watching them catch fish after fish.  We caught all our fish on "large" live shrimp.  They are gulping them down as soon as you put ith in front of them.  I have a charter in the morning and will post a report.  Pictures will be downloaded by Morgan on Facebook and my site.  The bite is going off so book a charter soon.  As always "GOOD BITE"

Today I fished with Andy and his father Kerry.  These two are great fishermen and booked me when I first started guiding.  So it is only fitting that we had the best day in the Lagoon since becoming a full time guide.  This is one of those days you dream about and takes angler with television shows days to film.  We ended our day today @ 2:30 p.m. with 45 Reds, yes I said 45 (REDFISH) a trout and a keeper flounder.  Until to day my best day with clients was 43 reds.  We could have caught 60 or 70 fish if we didn't run low on shrimp.  Hell they even left the guide start fishing @ 11:00 after we had 25 or so reds in the boat.  The were eating so good I think I boated 10 or more on "Gulp" .  That way I didn't use up the 6 dozen shrimp we went out with.  The fish are in zone 1 of the Lagoon and are stacked thick as wood.  We had the same spectator boat as yesterday with us and again I apoligize for my clients hurting his ego.  He just isn't fishing shallow enough.  These fish are getting very little experienced pressure and are not going anywhere.  The bait is there, the water temp is warmer and they are there to eat.  So if you want to have an EPIC day of your own.  Give me a call, I promise it will be a fishing experience o a lifetime.  As Always "GOOD BITE"
Captain George Martinelli
386-506-1438

Today I fished a half day trip with a great friend that I have known since I have been here in Florida.  Christmas came early for us.  We fished on a school of 200+ reds.  I knew the school was big but had no idea it was that big.  We got a real  good look at the school and I know it's well over 200 fish.  By 11:30 a.m. we had boated 25+ reds (once again we lost count) and at least a half dozen trout which we were not even targeting.  We knew it was gonna be a great day when the first two casts of the day produced two upper slot fish.  It was just like fishing in a barrel from then on.  I had a "Great" day on the water with an ol' friend.  All fish were sight fished and caught on live shrimp. I am really looking forward to spending more time on the water with Randy. He may not be pretty but he does fish good and is one of the best archers I know.  As Always "GOOD BITE" and Merry Christmas to all.

12/29/10
After a couple of slow days fishing today we had a great day on the water.  Both the water and air temp are again climbing.  We fished Zone 1 today and found three very large schools of reds.  The largest school was well over 200+ fish.  They are on the "spooky side" because of all the holiday boat traffic and fishing pressure.  But if you slow down and use the trolling motor fishermen to your advantage the schools will come to you.  We ended the day with 30+ reds with the largest right on the 31" line.  We did have some motor problems and were assited by two out of town fishermen.  I thank you because there was no way the trolling motor was gonna make the ramp.  I hope to be back on the water tomorrow and will post a report if my boat is ready.  As Always "GOOD BITE"

Today I fished with Steve from right here in Port Orange Fl.  We started our day a little late and got on the water about 11:00 a.m.  Our first area didn't produce so we moved into area 2.  Steve wanted to catch fish sight fishing but we lost most of our sun early and found schools pushing.  He ended his day well into the double digits on red fish and was able to sight cast to a few of his hook ups.  Steve is a retired flounder gigger, so him spotting fish was second nature.  We had a great day on the water telling stories and catching fish.  I am really looking forward to fishing with him and his son on our next trip.  I have to thank my good friend Pat for letting me borrow his flats boat while my 2010 Evinrude is getting a new power head.  Thank God for friends like him.  So now I'm back fishing a Ranger and can dig out all my old Ranger shirts.  Thanks again to Pat and Steve for a great day.  My next trip is toward the end of the week so I'll post a report.  As Always "GOOD BITE"

Today I fished with Jeff and Lorrie from the Daytona Beach area.  We fished the entire day in zone 1 and had reds on us all day.  The afternoon bite was tough with the 20+mph winds but we did find another school.  We started our day in the North end on a large school.  We stayed there until noon and moved farther North.  They ended the day about 2:00 p.m. with we are guessig 16 reds in the boat with quite a few upper slots to 26.5"....Jeff and Lorrie were great, made good casts, did a great job getting the fish to the boat.  The school was on the spooky side because other "Fishermen running over top of the school with not only trolling motors but big motors.  Some people just have no etiquette on the water.  Fisherman and guides that poll 100% of the time really dont appreciate others running over top of them with motors.  I give those the respect on the water that they give me and my clients.  I know this report is going to ruffle some feathers.  No I don't own the water, but I do pay a fee each year to be licensed in the Lagoon.  As Always "GOOD BITE"  next report on Sunday

1/9/2011
Today we fished a four hour trip.  We stayed in zone 1 of the Lagoon.  The wind was tough and the fish were spooky on the flats.  Our first area greeted us with 8 other boats plus ourselves.  We did boat 8 reds (the largest 26") in about a two hour time by slowing down and almost "dead sticking" the schrimp.  We moved up into the Edgewater area and found a few small schools of fish but had a hard time staying on them with the wind.  My bad luck continues, I am fishing a loaner boat while my boat is in the shop.  First thing yesterday we lost the sensor on the powerpole so we had to use the hard switch.  That's hard to do from the poling platform.  Then at the end of the day we lost the trolling motor.  The wires got hot and never kicked the breaker.  I'm taking today off so I don't tear anything else up.  As Always "GOOD BITE"

Today I fished a private pond here in Volusia County.  I was fishing with Greg from South Florida.  We started our day about 3:00 pm and ended at dark.  We ended with well over 60 Specs "all trolling".  The fish were staged ready to go up and spawn.  90% of the fish we cleaned were females.  The bite was going off with the overcast weather.  I look forward to many more Spec trips this year.  There isn't no better eating fish than Specsa early in the year.  They are also catching good numbers on the St. Johns either trolling or jigging the wood,   They are only starting!!!!!  As always "GOOD BITE"

Today I had the pleasure to fish with Chad from right here in New Smyrna Beach.  We started our day on the North end of the Lagoon and Chad crushed the fish on Sebile's.  We had boats all around us and even wth the cold cold temps he had fish blowing up on almost every cast.  After 8 or so reds and a few "Gator" trout we moved North.  We found fish in every area we checked.  We ended the day with him catching at least a 14 "reds" and a good number of trout.  He made a believer in me that artificial can sometimes outfish live bait.  He is one hell of a fisherman and I look forward to our next outing in the Lagoon.  I really enjoyed the time on the water with Chad.  He taught me while I was guiding him.  You just don't get days like that as a guide.  We found other schools that we didn't even fish.  Just kept them for future charters.  Thanks for a great day on the water with a good friend.  As always "GOOD BITE".  Give me a call if you want this kind of adventure in the World Famous Mosquito Lagoon.  Capt. George

1/24/2011
Today I fished with new clients Judson and Joan from Ormond Beach.  They were interested in looking at the new line Mitzi T-17 and learning some techniques for catching Specs.  We got on the water around 1:00 pm and there was a feed going.  We didn't get all the trolling rods out before they started catching fish.  The jig bite was slow and the floating vegitation made trolling a challenge.  We did catch a good mess for them to eat along with showing them trolling patterns, knot, jigging patterns ect.  I look forward to our next outing.  As Always "GOOD BITE"

I got a call from Rick on 1/24/11 about doing a charter for his son Zac's 14th birthday.  He wanted to book a half day on 1/25/11.  I was a little concerned about the booking because of the pending weather forcast and never want to put my clients in danger.  He convinced me that the weather would hold off and we met at the North end of the Lagoon.  I am so glad that I didn't schedule a different day.  The bite was going off and we had a school of well over 100 fish all to ourselves.  Zac is a member of a local BASS club and is a great fisherman.  He is one I'm going to have to watch out for as he get's older and starts saltwater fishing.  His casts, presentation and fish fighting skills were perfect.  I'm not suppose to say this but he put a good ol" woopin on dad.  By 10:00 am we had a steady 20 mph wind out of the South and they were still getting bit almost every cast.  We ended our day around noon with both catching some where around 20 reds, a few trout hook ups and some flounder hook ups.  I had a great day on the water with this father and son team.  We fished in Zone 1 and all fish came on live shrimp.  As Always "GOOD BITE"  Capt. George

1/28/2011
Today we fished zone one aroung the Government Cut area.  We fished a school that have been in the area for weeks.  We were first in and our first fish was rght on the 30" mark.  The second went a on the line 29".  We had two other boats come in on us and zeroed while we caught fish after fish.  Boat position was critical with the fish wanting to come back to the same drop.  We left that area with at least a dozen reds and went hunting trout.  The first oyster bar area we worked on a outgoing tide produced four trout all over the 20" mark.  We checked a few more areas and were off the water at noon having a great day.  All fish were caughtby dead sticking live shrimp.   The fish wanted a slow presentation today.  As always "GOOD BITE" Capt. George

Today I made my first trip to the south end in a least a month.  We started our moring in the Wigion area and moved south of Whales Tail.  The early bite was slow and we pushed up of few reds but not great numbers.  I headed North to an area south of Tiger Shoal and found the mother load.  We "sighted" at least two hundred reds just coming in waves.  Our largest fish was 31" with a 30", 29" and two perfect on the line 27" fish.  We caught others in the slot and my clients caught two perfect fish for the grill.  They couldn't believe the numbers of fish just migrating by the boat.  I know we ended the day over a dozen fish with some very large and healthy reds.  If you are wanting this type of action give me a call and book a charter.  The fishing has been on fire with few boats on the water especially in the South end.  I will be out there again tomorrow with another great day in store.  As Always "GOOD BITE"  Capt. George

2/1/11
Today we fished from the area aroung Government Cut all the way south to Pardons Island.  We found fish but had to make the big run.  The Parks Service is spraying the Islands on the north end and nothing spook fish like airboats.  We headed south and noticed the eight boats on Hong Kong.  These fisherman don't realize that we found those fish before Thanksgiving. By now they have been hammered.  Thats not my kind of fishing...So we ran south to an area that had well over 200 reds this weekend.  We didn't sight 200 but we did see plenty and they weren't as spooky.  I have no idea how many fish were boated but we had a great day on the water.  Next couple of days are going to be "Spec" trips with this front moving in.  As Always "GOOD BITE"

Today we had the front come through thats dumping all the snow and ice from the Cental U.S. to the East Coast.  Here we had overcast sky's and 80 degrees.  It was too overcast for the Lagoon bite so I decided to give the Specs another go.  I fished with a good friend Randy and we had a great time.  I began trolling earlier in the day and picked up a few small fish and one 17.5" / 2.5 lb female.  Both of us are chasing the goal of a certified 3 pounder to put on the wall.  The trolling bite ended and I picked Randy up and we went jigging.  The first set of pads we hit were full of fish.  We never left a 40 yard stretch untill dark.  We caught a nice mess of specs (20 +)...All fish were caught in Western Volusia County on the St. Johns river.  The spec bite will keep getting better and better.  We are on a New Moon now and have the next Full Moon to look forward to.  If you are looking for a Spec charter give me a call.  As Always "GOOD BITE"  Capt. George

2.4.11
Today I fished the Middle St. Johns for Specs.  The bite was going off.  I had another great day of females eating my jig.  The trolling bite is slow and the fish are against the bank or in the pads.  You just have to find the right pads.  The fish are staged in about three to four feet of water and eager to eat any jig you put in front of them.  I have reports that they are killing them on Cresent Lake but have no need to go that far North.  If you want a cooler full of Specs give me a call and book a charter.  I promise that it will be your best day on the water..As Always "GOOD BITE"  Capt. George

2.9.11
Today I fished the North end around the Edgewater area.  We found small schools that didn't have the heavy fishing pressure on them.  The larger "COMMUNITY" school had 9 boats plus a full pontoon parked on them as went by.  I am not into that.  Those fish have been hammered for months and everyone in the Lagoon knows about them.  The Lagoon is super low and I spend quite some time out of the boat pushing off bars.  As one of well known catains told me at the ramp "if you aint pushing you aint looking".  My back and arms wish someone else was doing the pushing while I was looking.  The bite is still steady and you can find fish that aren't being pounded.  Spec fishing today and back to the Lagoon for the weekend.  As Always "GOOD BITE"  Capt. George

2.10.11
Today we fished the North end of the Lagoon again.  We did however manage to find a school  around Longy's  area.  This school had no pressure and was farther to the west than the school that was getting hammered.  My clients boated 20+ reds and about a dozen or so trout.  It was a pleasure fishing an area that didn't have other boats pounding the school.  Today we caught our fish in Sebils and live shrimp.  As Always "GOOD BITE.

2.15.11
Made a long awaited trip to the South end of the Lagoon.  My client today prefers the flats down south.  We poled my usual fats will a few fish scattered.  We ended up finding two schools of about 75 or so fish on the outside edge of the Klinkers.  This is not a place I normally fish but I new they had to be somewhere.  We found the bait and the fish were there.  I know we were in the 15 + fish range by noon.  The wind was a little rough but the fish were there when we left.  Todays bite came on Sebils early then live shrimp later in the day.  As Always "GOOD BITE"  Capt. George

Today I fished with two clients from here in Port Orange.  The weather man really blew it today.  It was scheduled overcast with winds 5 out of the East.  We got rain pretty much the entire day with winds 15.  Our bite was slow!  I checked the area that produced yesterday and we did push a few out but nothing like 24 hours ago.  We headed North to the  COMMUNITY Schools and found a couple of fish at Hong Kong and Middles Island.  For the"guide" at Middles that made a comment that I was cutting his clients off this is for you.  Two weeks ago you ran across my bow up at Longy's after I made a 100 yard pole into the school.  Your  professionalism there left my clients with good idea of what kind of respect is shared between  some guides in the Lagoon.  I give the same respect that I receive.  I try to get along with all guides but when it comes down to it we all pay our money each year to fish down there.  Most guides  however I would not even think about going in on their fish, "THATS RESPECT".   Enough bitching about people that don't matter to me.  We did head South and as you can see from the pic. my clients brought home two nice reds to eat.  They ended the day with 7 + reds.  We missed some fish and boated some.  Not a great day on the water but better than work.  As Always "GOOD BITE"

Thank God today I was back on the St. Johns River Spec fishing.  I fished the morning with one of the best all around sportman I know.  Mike or as I call him "Cheezy" can catch fish, shrimp, gig flounder, gator gig, deer hunt and so on.  If it swims or has fur he can kill or catch it.  We went out in his boat trolling and ended our morning with 23 good specs.  I really enjoyed myself on the water.  It was a guide being guided, and I don't get much time just to fun fish anymore.

That afternoon I met up with Judson and Joan from Ormond Beach for some spec fishing.  We have fished together before and they are new owners of a Mitzi Skiff.  So we shared secrets and boated a good number of fish both trolling and jigging the wood.  These two are a class act.  They are fun on the water and are up for any type of fishing.  Our next trip is going to the Lagoon and then a spec trip to a local lake. Thanks again guys for a great day.  As Always "GOOD BITE"

2.18.11
Today I decided to fish the South end of the Lagoon due to the attitudes up on the North end.  I will never again put my clients in a situation such as on Wednesday.  There are way to many fish and less testosterone in the South end.  I wish someone would have told me that the fish in the North end were owned by certain guides.  Anyway we didn't need them, my client had a 20+ fish  half day and we neve had another boat around us.  Thats the way I like to fish...just slow poling the flats and minding my own business. The water is still low so use caution...Look for bait and you will find fish.  The flats fish are showing a little later in the morning so be patient.  As Always "GOOD BITE"  Capt. George

2.22.11
Fished the Middle St Johns today for Spec.  Had agood bite in the morning jigging the banks but the bite ended by about 10:00 a.m.  Still caught a good mess od nice specs.  The fish seem to be hanging on the wood after the moon.  Didn't catch as many females as last week but had a few.  As Always "GOOD BITE"

2.23.10
 Fished the Middle St. Johns again today with Rick and his son Zac.  We mainly targeted bass and has a great bite on spinnerbait in the afternoon.  I hope that what we learned will help Zac on Sunday.  As Always "GOOD BITE"

Today I fished with Mike and Vince from Pa.  They live not to far from where I grew up.  We had a great day on the water.  The fish in the North end were a little on the spooky side so we made the run South.  We did end up putting fish in the boat off one of my schools in the Klinkers.  Our big fish of the day was right at 30" and Mike caught it on my medium action Carrot Stick.  We were in for a 15 min. fight.  We headed North and found a few more small schools and called it a day.  I really had a great time on the water with these two.  All fish were caught and released and hit live shrimp.  As Always "GOOD BITE"  Capt. George

2.28.11
Today I fished from the Klinkers all the way up to the Edgewater area.  I sighted more reds today than in the past month.  They are starting to break up out of the schools and get out on the flats.  The water was up at least a foot and had the opportunity to fish areas that I havn't seen in weeks.  We ended the day with double digit reds and a good number of trout.  The largest red was 30+ and caught a few trout in the mid 20's.  Some people are still hammering the community schools but we found all our fish away from the other boat traffic.  At one time this morning we were looking at well over 100 reds.  We checked an area around Edgewater and found a good number of trout along with some small schools of reds.  To the St. Johns in the morning then back to the Lagoon the rest of the week.  I think it will be one of the best weeks this Winter.  As Always "GOOD BITE"  Capt. George  386-506-1438

2.28.1 to 3.6.11
This is the updated weekly fishing report.  I fell a liitle behind.  Spec fishing has been hot and cold with most fish coming trolling jigs in the runs.  The Lagoon has been turned upside down with the wind and fish have moved from the Winter pattern of schools to starting to spread out over the flats.  The bite has been a little tough.  I have trips all week and I am still seaching for a good pattern.  You can sit still and cut or live bait or you can push the flats.  The water is dirty and high making fishing even tougher.  Combine that with a cold front coming in last night.  I will keep the reports up as best I can but at the end of the day I whooped and wanting some time to rehab the shoulders.  As Always "GOOD BITE"

Well Bike Week came and went for another year.  I did get to fish three charters during the week along with riding my scooter on the weekend.  First the fishing report.  The wind blew all week and I spent most of my time hiding in the North End.  We did get one day down South and caught a good number of Reds around the Preachers Island Flats.  The rest of my time was spent from Catfish Bay, north to Longy's.  Each day we caught fish, some days were better for reds and some for trout.  On Thursday I did fish in a 30+mph wind with two new clients from Michigan.  I was shocked we put both Reds and Trout in the boat along with one hard fighting Jack. It was a tough week of fishing with fighting the wind. Fish were eating live shrimp, finger mullet and Sebile's.
Now the Bike Week Report.  I had a great time with Paul and Morgan (and Morgan's parents) from Reel Ladies Apparel.  Morgan made a smokin hot bikini out of a Shaky's Charters T-shirt and sported it while working at the Cabbage Patch.  She did an awsesome job.  I have fished with her and Paul a number of times and are one of my all time favorite charters.  It's also a plus that both of them a great anglers along with great friends.  I am looking forward to fishing Morgan's parents after they return from vacation.  I also have to thank my wife for going along with all the Bike Week craziness and having a blast at the Patch with me on Saturday. I also have to thank my friends Pete and Amy for driving my wife and I to the ER that night.  I was shucking clams and oysters at home when I slipped and burried the shucker in my left palm.  After trying to repair the gash with Super Glue off to the ER we went for some much needed stitches and a good ass chewing by the Doc. for the Super Glue try.  So I am down for a few days, I get the stitches out Monday but plan to fish the Lagoon later in the week.  As of now I have no feeling in my thumb or half my palm.  At least I don't have to worry about that hand getting tired while poling anymore.  This was not one of the smarter things I have done.  But "SHIT HAPPENS"  As Always "GOOD BITE"  Capt "hook" George