This time it was Chris Carey’s 26-1/2 inch “gator” trout that earned the envy of Robert Wilson. Winner: Captain DeAngelis.
He never wondered what was for dinner Monday, after Hunter Leake and Jarrod Eberhard turned their live sardines into Estero Bay redfish.
Easton Berner’s “hog” was caught on a wild shiner in (guess where) the Hog Pen area of Lake Okeechobee, on his trip with Capt. Jose Betancourt of Roland Martin Marina & Resort.
Liam Palmer, 9, his father Steven and grandfather Ricky Oyler had plenty of red grouper to smile about on New Year’s Day, fishing with James Stout and friends.
James Stout, senior, found limits of red grouper in Sunday’s season opener for friends Tyler Myers, Jonathan Blauvelt and Colton Flint, fishing in 105 feet of water west of Redfish Pass.
Master Walt Phillips, 7, used live mountain fish to take his limit of grouper snapper last Friday, just before the season closed on Jan. 1. I was fishing A&B Charters’ All In out of Port O’ Call Marina in Naples.
Cheryl McGregor rang in the new year, and the red grouper season opener with this rude, caught in 70 feet of water aboard the All In, with Capt. Jim Rinckey of A&B Charters.
New York angler Matt Burris used cut bait on Davis Key to close out 2022 with this 26-inch walleye, on his Get Hooked chart with Capt. Matt DeAngelis.
Matt Burris’ 14-incher was one of eight keeper-sized sheep among 25 he and Frank Mullaney released last Thursday on their Fishbuster trip with Fishbuster Capt. Dave Hanson.
Frank Mullaney’s “puppy” black drum launch started with live shrimp on his Fishbuster Charter in southern Estero Bay.
3.) Merritt Johnston’s 17-incher was the largest of six keeper lane snapper his family caught on squid on their Fishbuster Charter Monday, 17 to 25 miles west of New Pass.
This 18-inch walleye, a 15-inch trout, two black drum and six potential keepers among 25 sheep got lucky Mike Connealy and his brother, Ted, chose to release it all on their Thursday trip to Fishbuster in Estero Bay.
It would have been tough offshore, but Ted Connealy and his brother, Mike, had a lot of fun in the Estero Bay area, releasing four species totaling 29 fish last Thursday on their Fishbuster charter.
Michael Derengowski and a friend brought home their limits of crappie from Lake Trafford on Saturday, in just one of three big trips to Lake Immokalee.
Sophie McKee’s dad Gregg brings home the bacon, but she brought home trout for dinner on several family trips this week to Matlacha Pass.
Recent red tide sampling revealed medium bottom concentrations in Sarasota County, high concentrations offshore Charlotte County, bottom concentrations Lee County, and bottom concentrations offshore Collier County.Southwest Florida anglers closed out the old year and ushered in the new with a bang, offshore, inshore and in fresh water.
He went out with gag grouper, and boatloads of red grouper and lane snapper when the seasons changed on January 1st.
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Warming coastal waters produced double-digit catches hailing the winter run of sheepshead, along with plenty of sea trout dinners.
Crappie also went into full spawn mode at Lake Trafford. And Roland Martin Navy Capt. Jose Betancourt reports “the best walleye fishing I’ve seen in years” on Lake Okeechobee. Which is to say nothing of the generous Big O bass bite.
OFFSHORE: A&B Charters fishing out of Port O’ Call Marina in Naples didn’t miss a beat as the gag grouper closed and the red grouper opened on January 1st. The difference was where the captains anchored, on a reef structure that was good for gags as well as battles. with jumbo banks, or on the live bottom beds of sponges and soft corals that harbor red grouper and lane snapper. Seventy feet of water out of Gordon Pass was the sweet spot.
Cheryl McGregor rang in the new year, and the red grouper season opener with this rude, caught in 70 feet of water aboard the All In, with Capt. Jim Rinckey of A&B Charters.
Jay, Tim, Amy and Merritt Johnston, 9, used squid and cut bait to hook six keeper lanes and a dozen white grunts, while releasing 14 undersized red groupers and “an abundance of squirrelfish (perch of sand)” Monday, fishing. is 17 to 25 miles from New Pass on his Fishbuster charter.
James Stout, Colton Flint, Jonathan Blauvelt, Tyler Myers, Ricky Oyler, and Steven and Liam Palmer caught 10 red groupers and over 60 lane, mangrove, yellowtail, and vermilion snappers while releasing several off-season red snappers and mutton undersized snapper and black grouper on Sunday. They fished in 90 to 105 feet of water west of Charlie’s Reef. Father David Stout, who couldn’t make the trip, was left wondering where son James has hidden his lucky horseshoe.
Liam Palmer, 9, his father Steven and grandfather Ricky Oyler had plenty of red grouper to smile about on New Year’s Day, fishing with James Stout and friends.
ESTERO BAY: Whopper spotted seatrout and high slot redfish transitioned into happy days in 2023 for Fishbuster Charters anglers with Capt. Matt DeAngelis. The action was on freshly cut bait around Davis Key in the outer bay.
Historic Mound Key in the Central Bay was the dinner spot for Hunter Leake and Jarrod Eberhard, who used live sardines Monday to whet the appetites of 22- and 23-inch redfish.
Bonita Beach Capt. Dave Hanson made three Fishbuster trips to the south bay country, where anglers released a half-dozen species last Wednesday, Monday and Thursday. Matt Burris and Frank Mullaney released five black drum 25 sheepshead, a mangrove snapper, a puffer and a ladybug. Adam, Dale and AJ Smith and friend Yang used live shrimp to catch and release nine sheep and one short redfish. And Mike and Ted Connealy released 25 sheep, two drum, a trout and a hen to close out the week’s work.
PINE ISLAND: Capt. Gregg McKee of Wildfly Charters reported a return to flats action as the Matlacha Pass waters rose back into the 70s. Family fishing with his daughter, Sophie, produced keeper trout in several trips to the Indian fields north of the bridge, and customers also had good speck fishing south of the bridge in the area of the power lines.
FRESH WATER
LAKE TRAFFORD: Many invasive exotic cichlids, such as oscars, mayas and tilapia, as well as armored sailfish rose during the recent cold snap, according to Lake Trafford Marina. This has made for an especially happy new year for Lake Immokalee’s alligators and a flock of local vultures and snowbirds.
All of this is secondary to the lake’s snapper fishery, which hit hard when most of the male specks moved into the shoreline vegetation to begin winter spawning. Roger Bartley, Charlie Byrd and guides Joey Draple and Cody McClelland reported limiting separate trips. The action was so good that Michael Derengowski fished the lake three times, Thursday, Saturday and last Monday. He and a friend pushed their limits on Saturday and caught 13 likely female “slabs” in half a day on Monday.
Michael Derengowski and a friend brought home their limits of crappie from Lake Trafford on Saturday, in just one of three big trips to Lake Immokalee.
The bite has been “about half and half” on Missouri walleye or green curlytail jigs. “Most of the fish have been caught on the tails, or just outside, in about two to four feet of water.”
LAKE OKEECHOBEE: “The crappie bite has been incredible,” reports Roland Martin Marina & Resort Capt. Jose Betancourt. The action has ranged from just outside of Clewiston, to Observation Shoal to the Harney Pond Canal, to the Kissimmee River area and to the Monkey Box area of the western marsh. Minnows always produce, but jigging with “white leads seems to work better than none.”
Easton Berner’s “hog” was caught on a wild shiner in (guess where) the Hog Pen area of Lake Okeechobee, on his trip with Capt. Jose Betancourt of Roland Martin Marina & Resort.
Bass fishing has also expanded, with good catches being made “down south” at Bay Bottom and Houseboat Cut, west to Moonshine Bay and along the north shore from Horse Island to Tin House Cove. When you can’t see a bottom stuck to a wild bright, darker colors in topwaters, ghosts, frogs and swim suits have worked well. Like Senkos, Zoom Flukes and Speed Worms when fished slowly. The bass have been of “quality” size, but are expected to get bigger as the gravid females move into the bedding areas with the males.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Sophie McKee’s dad Gregg brings home the bacon, but she brought home trout for dinner on several family trips this week to Matlacha Pass.
The trout came in strong as the flats warmed up this week.
FISH TIP
3.) Merritt Johnston’s 17-incher was the largest of six keeper lane snapper his family caught on squid on their Fishbuster Charter Monday, 17-25 miles west of New Pass.
Everyone is looking to bring home a grouper, but finding the right species at the right length at the right time isn’t always easy. Fortunately, finding a lane snapper willing to fill the bill is a much easier task, and both can be fished in the same places: hard bottom areas where sponges and soft corals grow in what some divers call Chinese gardens. The trick to catching lanes is to downsize the baits which, if intended for grouper, can be difficult for smaller mouths to get. Cutting live or frozen baitfish, squid and shrimp will tempt the lanes every time.
HOT POINTS
No 1: Pas Matlacha for trout in the shallows.
No. 2: Redfish and trout in central Estero Bay.
No. 3: South Estero Bay for Bigeye and Black Drum.
No. 4: Lake Trafford for shit.
No. 5: Hard bottom areas for lane snapper.
No. 6: Hard bottom farther offshore (from about 70 feet) for keeper-sized lanes and red grouper.
Lake OKEECHOBEE
No. 1: Mouth of the Kissimmee River for shit.
No. 2: Horse Island at Tin House Cove for bass.
No. 3: Moonshine Bay for bass.
No. 4: West wall to Harney’s pond area for shit.
No. 5: Monkey box for stonemasons.
No. 6: Bay bottom and houseboat cut for bass.
