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You can find Reel Animals on these Media General stations throughout the Southeast. Check here to see local listings for day and time!

KALB-Alexandria, LA
WBTW-Florence, SC
WCBD-Mt. Pleasant, SC
WFLA-Tampa, FL
WHLT-Hattiesburg, MS
WJBF-Augusta, GA
WJHL-Johnson City, TN
WNEG-Toccoa, GA
WRBL-Columbus, GA
WSAV-Savannah, GA
WTVQ-Lexington, KY

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1470AM WHBO - Tampa
1080AM WIXC - Titusville
1060AM WH00 - Orlando

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Dodging the Storms
    Well, they say "time flies when you're having fun," but can June be over already? They also say, "April showers bring May flowers," well, July thunderstorms bring kings, Spanish, trout, redfish and sharks. (Okay, I'll admit poetry is not my thing!) I've been on the water almost everyday dodging thunderstorms and I've got some great action pictures to show you of the great fishing.
For the kings, I've been using live cigar minnows rigged with a small steelhead Tormenter trolling lure, and I've also been running a few Mann's stretch 25's. The two most productive colors for the Tormenter lures were blue/ silver and black/ red/ silver.
With the stretches, it's the bonita and pink colors. Slow trolling these lures around 3 mph has produced some quality fish. On the flats, I've been tossing a few Exude lures, and the golden bream RT slug rigged on an 1/8oz jig has been generating some great bites from some decent trout. Mann's new hard nose soft body jerk bait got me a nice 3lb speck two days ago when I rigged it with the weed-less hook set up that comes in the package.
When it comes to shark fishing, I've been using bonita for my bait. I hook small four-inch strips of bonita on a Gamakatsu 3/0 - 4/0 circle hook rigged with 90lb coated Berkley steel leader and 60lb Stren stamina line. We've been hooking mostly black tips, but on my last shark trip, we hooked three nurse sharks with one easily nine to ten feet. I wired the leader and was very careful not to harm this magnificent creature as we got him boat side where we took a bunch of pics before we let him off the hook. For summer fishing that's off the charts, give me a shout, and I'll get you on the fish!

- Capt. John Rivers
To book a charter with Capt. John, click on the charter link at the top of the page and the Reel Animals Fishing Team will help arrange your charter fishing excursion

About Us!
Capt. John has a lifetime of fishing knowledge and over 9yrs of experience fishing the northern gulf coast and our local waterways. I have enjoyed fishing all my life. While living in the Midwest, I fished Kentucky & Barkley Lake for years along with the Ohio River and many local waterways. My first passion was bass fishing, but when I visited the Gulf Coast I found my new love: Salt Water Fishing ! The excitement of saltwater fishing is like nothing else. Hooking into monster Trout on the flats or having a big King pull off 80 yards of line in seconds is what it's all about. Fishing is my life, and I enjoy seeing my clients hook up on fish just as much as if I caught them myself. Depending upon what time of year it is, there is always some type of fish to be caught in our area.