This weekend’s blue north will include small craft warnings that mean business. But that won’t rule out fish business for anglers following Southwest Florida’s temperature-sensitive species in sheltered waters.
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The weather should also push a significant portion of species south, including red and Spanish mackerel, tripletail and pompano, into local waters. And will throw in the winter sheep spawn debris, and freshwater bass and crappies in excess.
OFFSHORE: A&B Charters of Naples isn’t holding back on their reports of the best fishing season they can remember. Even half-day trips are producing grouper and snapper over structures that include artificial reefs and wrecks. The gag bite on live pinfish has been the best in recent memory, although the bite is only the beginning of battles often won by muscle grouper returning to the holes they came from. Night snapper fishing has also been spectacular, with an All In trip with Capt. Kees VanDerAa producing two dozen mangrove snappers and even more yellowtails that they caught off a wreck for Walter Spiece’s Naples party. Capt. Jim Rinckey also reports that fishing chrome spoons in 60 feet of water off Naples is already producing mackerel, possibly the fastest fish in the Gulf nearshore, in the 10- to 30-pound range.
Rice, Minn. angler Patricia Espinosa shows off her gag grouper limit she caught with Capt. Jim Rinckey of A&B Charters at the All In outside Port O’ Call Marina in Naples.
Lehr’s Economy Tackle, north of Fort Myers, received a report from an angler who joined three friends for a day of trolling Sunday in 20 to 30 feet off Sanibel, after making a well full of “sugar tortilla” in the driveway. Dragging Mann’s Stretch diving plugs produced five gags from 26 to 30 inches, and dropping live baits while fighting grouper produced a sub-legal cobia release and several bouts with suspected cobia that “absolutely smoked them.”
ESTERO BAY: Capt. Matt DeAngelis of Get Hooked Charters reports a delicious run of Florida pompano on the flats of Davis Key in Estero Bay, where speckled sea trout have also been biting in spectacular numbers. Bill Schirmer, Noah Miller and Russell Huebner caught several pompano and trout on cork rigs and live shrimp Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, with Huebner also catching a nice redfish.
West Bay Club angler Bill Schirmer’s pompano was one of four in addition to some nice trout he caught Wednesday on his Get Hooked Charter in Estero Bay with Capt. Matt DeAngelis.
Sanibel: Michael Lobbestael’s 32-inch snook happened last weekend near the Sanibel causeway. But it’s pretty sure he’ll be heading to warmer winter quarters this weekend, unless he wants to turn into a bike.
Bill Schirmer reports that Fort Myers angler Michael Lobbestael used a greenback to tempt this Sanibel snook near the causeway last weekend.
PINE ISLAND: Wildfly Charters Captain Gregg McKee reports that the flats north of the power lines in Matlacha Pass have been a great place to catch downwind, although the clouds and choppy water have made that sight fishing is a challenge. The good news is that the water is so teeming with life, blind casting whiteflies in that area was good enough for Pine Islander Chris Elkins to release three snook while losing “a really big one” and landing a dozen as well slot size. omelette
Chris Elkins of Pine Island’s snook was one of three he caught and released on a fly Wednesday morning. Capt. Gregg McKee of Wildfly Charters reports a “really big one” self-released alongside the boat.
The captain of the city of St. James George Grosselfinger and his friend, Dave, went out for a couple of hours Monday and never left home as they caught 25- and 31-inch snook, plus their limits of trout. Chino Island produced the best action and swimbaits proved more effective than topwater plugs.
FRESH WATER
LAKE TRAFFORD: “Everybody’s hit their shit limits over the last couple of days,” Lake Trafford Marina manager Sharon Turrubiaters reported Thursday. This good luck applied to boaters fishing the southwest, southeast, and northwest corners, but not those trying their luck from the Ann Olesky Park Pier, indicating that the spots have not yet have moved into full spawning mode in the shoreline vegetation of the 1,500-acre lake. Ten to 15 boats with two to four anglers each have been split fairly evenly between jig and fish anglers.
LAKE OKEECHOBEE: Lake levels above 16 feet above sea level have not hurt fishing as Big O bass and crappie have moved into the shoreline vegetation for spawning duties. Capt. Scott Patton of Roland Martin Marina & Resort reports that wild shiner fishing has been producing 20 to 30 bass, with many in the 3- to 7-pound range. Even better, action has been good on both the north and south ends of the lake, with some of the bigger fish biting in the afternoons, right up until dark. Artificial lures have also been very productive for anglers throwing white spinnerbaits, green or blue pumpkin crankbaits, or topwater frogs and dog walking lures such as Zara Spooks and Lucky Craft Sammies. And flipping black and blue Senkos or Strike King Rage Bugs has been great too.
“For the crap fishermen it’s been pretty simple. Just look for some kind of mat with reeds.” Then hang a white jig or live Missouri fish.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Alabama angler Bubba Jones used a live wild shiner to catch and release this pre-mother bass on his Big O outing with Capt. Scott Patton of Roland Martin Marina & Resort.
Fat females have big O bassers with big old smiles.
FISH TIP
Although they thrive in much colder climates around the gulf, even sea trout and speckled redfish seek warmer waters until they acclimate to the winter water temperatures of the Southwest Florida. As for the subtropical snook, it becomes a matter of life and death when the water temperature drops to 53 degrees for adults, and even as low as 57 degrees for juveniles. So many local fish head to warm-water havens, including the hundreds of miles of canals in island and coastal communities. If it is too cold, some become lethargic. But many often feed enthusiastically, even though it sometimes helps slow bait presentations to a crawl. Either way, sheltered channels tend to be a much nicer place for fish lovers when the cold winds blow.
Russell Huebner’s nice redfish were caught on the flats of Estero Bay, but Capt. Matt DeAngelis will likely be looking for fish in more sheltered waters after cold front blasts this weekend.
HOT POINTS
Nos. 1 through 9: Main channel systems from Port Charlotte to Fort Myers Beach for cold-natured fish.
No. 10: Lake Trafford for shit.
Lake OKEECHOBEE
No. 1: Harney Pond Canal to Indian Prairie Canal for bass and crappie.
No. 2: south bay area for wolverines and shit.
