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Reely Informative -
Fishing Reports from Captain Bill!
Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting your fishing journey, this report is your friendly guide to what’s biting, where to drop your line, and which baits are making waves along our stunning Gulf Coast.
Captain Bill Rutherford shares insider tips, local hotspots, and helpful tricks to make sure your next trip is not just successful, but unforgettable. So grab your gear, bring your sense of adventure, and let’s make some memories on the water!
Read more fishing reports at Coastal Angler and Sun Coast News.
 Jan 24, 2024Brad Gray shows off an oversized trout taken on a Rusty Bucket charter with Capt. Bill Rutherford. The big trout are in the backwaters and creeks right now and they’ll take live, jumbo shrimp or white, soft-plastic flukes. |  May 1, 2024Steve Andux shows off a nice snook taken on a Rusty Bucket charter with Capt. Bill. This fish took a large, live shrimp drifting along a mangrove line. Note that snook season is now closed and fish should be handled carefully and release quickly. |  Jul 9, 2024Angel Avila displays an oversized trout for the camera. The fish was pulled from 15 feet of water on a Rusty Bucket charter with Capt. Bill, where the bigger trout are found this time of year. |  Sep 14, 2021Mike Leach hefts a 42-inch snook he took in the Cotee River on Saturday. Moments before, he had purchased a single live pinfish at the Rusty Bucket on Main Street in New Port Richey. That pinfish apparently had this snook's name on it. |
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 Jan 12, 2022Darlene Medina holds a junky jack. Bill at the Rusty Bucket reports schools of jacks between 5 and 7 pounds have been common along the Pasco County coast. |  Feb 9, 2022Bill from the Rusty Bucket shows off a black drum taken while fishing a New Port Richey backwater creek. He and angling partner Capt. Dustin Bush also took some redfish and trout to 25 inches. |  Mar 2, 2022Bill, owner of the Rusty Bucket in New Port Richey, shows off a 27-inch red he took using a live shrimp in Gulf Harbors on Sunday. |  Apr 20, 2022From left, Shedrick and Henry Mobley, and Lindell Gordon Sr. and Jr. show off a nice redfish taken on a VetCatch trip Saturday. Bill at the Rusty Bucket says the inshore fishing is about as good as it gets right now, and the offshore red grouper bite is hot. |
 Jul 14, 2022Bill from the Rusty Bucket has been putting his anglers on up to 20 redfish per charter working creek mouths, points and bars along the shores of New Port Richey. This 32-inch fish was landed Monday morning. The water has cooled a bit from rain, turning on the bite over the past week. Cut pinfish have been working best. |  Jul 20, 2022Scores of youths showed up for the Bait Bucket’s annual kids fishing tournament along the Cotee River in New Port Richey. Trophies, rods and reels and other items were awarded in every age group. |  Sep 13, 2022Afghanistan veteran Andrew Fillip shows off one of several reds taken on a VetCatch trip with Capt. Bill from the Rusty Bucket. Bill says the reds are schooling in big numbers along the Pasco coastline. |  Nov 9, 2022Elizabeth Laker, 9, displays a nice redfish she caught on the Rusty Bucket's charter out of New Port Richey. Capt. Bill reports the reds have been on oyster bars away from the shoreline around Green Key. |
 Dec 7, 2022Gregory Baker holds a nice trout taken on a Rusty Bucket charter while fishing off Green Key in New Port Richey. |  Mar 1, 2023U.S. Army Capt. Cain Battles shows off a snook taken on a Vetcatch charter with Capt. Bill from the Rusty Bucket. Capt. Bill says the snook are fired up and feeding with the warming Gulf water. |  Apr 5, 2023Clarence Feltner holds a nice snook he took while fishing on a Rusty Bucket Charter. Fishing is great right now, and with the water warming, there is plenty of bait around and the fish are hungry. |  Jun 4, 2024Young Peyton Busch gets a trophy for her winning catch in the recent Kid's Fishing Day at Sims Park in New Port Richey. The annual, fun tournament is organized by the Rusty Bucket bait and tackle shop in downtown New Port Richey. |
 Jun 18, 2024Trevor Johnson displays a snook taken on a Rusty Bucket charter with Capt. Bill Rutherford, who says all the beaches from the little island of Durney Key at the Cotee River to Honeymoon Island is holding them in the sandy shallows. It's catch and release only, as snook are out of season. |  Jul 18, 2024Emily Mornger shows off a nice redfish taken on a Rusty Bucket charter with Capt. Bill. The reds have been in the shade of mangroves when the water is high. The backside of Anclote Key is a good place to try, as it is one area that has not been seeing a lot of boat traffic from scallopers. |  Jul 24, 2024Joe Sharp hoists a couple of jumbo red snapper taken in 150 feet of water off Pasco. Capt. Bill at the Rusty Bucket reports keeper red snapper can be caught as shallow as 60 feet of water, but deeper is much better. |  Sep 17, 2024Ryan Viamari shows off an oversized redfish taken on a Rusty Bucket charter with Capt. Bill Rutherford. Capt. Bill notes that most of the reds caught over the past week have been under 20 inches, there are some slot-sized and oversized reds around. |
 Jan 31, 2024Raelyn Stang shows off a black drum caught on a Rusty Bucket Charter. Capt. Bill Rutherford said holes in Pasco’s backwaters and creeks are holding a mix of drum, reds, trout and sheepshead, all of which are taking live shrimp well. |  Sep 20, 2022Vietnam vet Dennis Entwistle holds a nice redfish he took on a Vetcatch charter with Capt. Bill. Bill says the reds are schooling and the action couldn’t get much better along the Pasco coastline. |  Mar 11, 2024Juvenile tarpon like this one have been in many canals in the Anclote area, taking live sardines and fresh cut bait. Capt. Bill Rutherford of Rusty Bucket charters shows off a nice silver king with angler Bobby Ledford. |  Jul 2, 2024Alexander, left, and Darren Moyer show off a snook taken on a Rusty Bucket charter with Capt. Bill Rutherford. The snook are in spawning mode and on all the island beaches along the coast, Rutherford said. |
 Nov 6, 2024Sid Rutherford shows off a nice sea trout taken on a Rusty Bucket charter. Capt. Bill says the bigger fall trout are showing up in good numbers on the grass flats in waters of New Port Richey and at Anclote Key. |  Nov 27, 2024Capt. Bill at the Rusty Bucket says the hogfish bite offshore has been great, with fish like this one common between 25 to 60 feet of water. Live shrimp is the top bait. |  Dec 3, 2024Capt. Bill Rutherford of Rusty Bucket Charters and young angler Trevor Johnson show off a nice sheepshead. The bigger ones are offshore on rocky bottom right now and live shrimp takes them. |  Feb 19, 2025Chuck Hamby shows off one of the redfish taken on a Rusty Bucket charter. Capt. Bill says the reds have been a good bet in backcountry areas along the Pasco coastline. |
 Mar 12, 2025The redfish bite has been solid along the Pasco Coast, with fish like these an example of the reds being taken on Rusty Bucket Charters over the past week. The anglers here are Gloria and Dave Stanley. |  Mar 25, 2025Vietnam vet Bill Sabin, right, along with his son, Bill Jr., shows off a redfish he caught on a recent VetCatch trip with Capt. Bill Rutherford. VetCatch is a service that takes veterans fishing at no cost to thank them for their service. |  Apr 16, 2025Capt. Bill Rutherford of Rusty Bucket Charters has been hammering the cobia on the flats from the Anclote power plant north to Hudson. The fish can be spotted on the surface in calm water, sometimes trailing pods of stingrays, turtles, and even manatees. They are hungry and will take about any bait thrown. Here Capt. Bill shows off one of several he's landed. |  Jun 10, 2025The snook and tarpon around Anclote Key have been one of the best things going over the past week, but working mangroves and flats for reds remains a staple. This angler on a recent Rusty Bucket charter shows off a nice red he landed. |
 Feb 5, 2025Capt. Bill Rutherford of Rusty Bucket Charters holds a nice trout for the camera. Trout and redfish action picked up thanks for warmer weather, and the forecast is for more warming through the weekend, so he advises getting out and taking advantage of the much-improved bite. |  Aug 2, 2023Kyle Talkington shows off an oversized redfish taken on a recent Rusty Bucket Charter. Capt. Bill at Rusty Bucket says fresh-cut dead bait is the ticket, as it produces best in the very warm water we are experiencing. |  Nov 15, 2023Trevor Johnson shows off his first-ever snook. He landed the fish on a Rusty Bucket charter with Capt. Bill Rutherford. Capt. Bill says look for the snook to turn on with warm days predicted through the weekend. It’s catch-and-release only, so fun fishing only. |  Apr 25, 2023Kyle Happel is proud of his first-ever redfish, taken on a Rusty Bucket Charter with Capt. Bill. The reds, snook and trout are good inshore bets right now, but Capt. Bill says an unusual abundance of cobia in the shallows is the biggest news right now. |
 Feb 8, 2023Jessica Varela holds up a nice sheepshead she landed on a Rusty Bucket charter trip sponsored by Angling for Relief, a nonprofit group that helps kids battling cancer. |  Apr 1, 2025Matthew Slentz displays a nice snook taken on a Rusty Bucket charter with Capt. Bill Rutherford. Capt. Bill says the warming weather and water temperature has activated the snook, which over the past week started to come out of their warmer, wintering spots to explore the Gulf around deeper mangrove lines, docks and channels. Live sardines have been the most effective bait for his customers. |
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