January 20 fishing report from Byron Stout

January 23, 2023 by Molly Brenneman

Fishing is back to normal after last week’s cold front. From his polling rig Thursday morning north of Pine Island Sound, Wildfly Charters Capt. Gregg McKee reported that some big speckled sea trout are biting in beautiful water on grass flats also full of redfish. spooky and mullet. Wish you were there huh?

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Offshore anglers should have a good chance with red grouper and mixed snapper with seas around two feet through Saturday. Sheepshead and snapper are reported to be biting in the bays and nearshore reefs. And inland anglers can go for trophy bass or tasty crappie. Or both!

ESTERO BAY: Get Hooked Charters Capt. Matt DeAngelis reports that clients have been catching sheepshead and juvenile redfish as the waters warmed Tuesday in Big Hickory Pass. A shrimp on a jig head was the ticket there.

CALOOSAHATCHEE RIVER: Mike Westra reports that two customers this week have reported “pounding” sundowns at the Ortona Lock. The lures of choice have been 3-inch crankbaits without the need for live baits, a different size reduction from the 1-ounce or larger lead heads that lock regulars typically throw for snook and tarpon.

Sanibel: Sheepshead fishing has been very good in the C-Span of the Sanibel Causeway, closest to the island, and in a lot of debris anglers have found seaward of the B-Span, according to Lehr’s Economy Tackle .

PINE ISLAND: In addition to the trout and redfish possibilities, Capt. McKee reported on Thursday’s plans for Pine Island Sound off Pineland, noted that the evening tides in the Indian Field area of Matlacha Pass are good for finding “a lot of redfish along the mangroves.”

OFFSHORE: Lehr’s has received reports of good catches of sheepshead and snapper by three separate guides fishing structure on the gulf. This would include at least Lee County’s man-made reefs, including MAY, Causeway, Belton Johnson and Helen reefs.

Boise angler Gerry Palmdale used squid and buddy Minel Biaz’s hand to catch and release this dandy, but out of season, grouper on his A&B Charters trip out of Naples Port O’ Call Marina.

Blue Line Fishing Charters Capt. Keith Edinger told Lehr’s that the sheepshead and snapper bite has been so good on recent nearshore trips from Redfish Pass that it has had time to return in Pine Island Sound to catch trout, redfish and smallmouth bass.

Capt. DeAngelis reports that he expects a quick return to pre-cold front conditions that were producing sheepshead and mangrove snapper, juvenile cobia and juvenile goliath, and snapper groupers on the shrimp and squid rigs at MAY Reef, at a depth of 20 feet. Gran Pas de Carlos.

Mike Westra of Lehr’s also predicts that “things are going to get crazy” (starting Thursday, 10/1) for offshore anglers, who had very good and diverse success before the front. An angler bottom fishing on the 11th and 12th in 110 feet of water reported easy limits of red grouper, good lane snapper, OK vermilion snapper, decent mangrove snapper and a 10lb blackfin tuna . Another, who caught three cat mitchells (spotted posts) in 400 feet of water, reported black fins “everywhere.” And another crew with good groundfish catches in 180 feet of water turned out a Nomad DTX deep diving lip plug that produced a 30-pound wahoo, while trolling and preparing the boat for the long run to at home.

FRESH WATER

LAKE TRAFFORD: Lake Trafford Marina reports that fish are still biting in limit numbers for anglers fishing shoreline vegetation in Lake Immokalee. That included guides Joey Draple and Cody McClelland, with Tuesday’s party featuring 100 nice spots. Minnows and chartreuse rigs worked well for boaters, including one angler from Immokalee whose fish produced 20 fish and 17 large ones. Up to 25 boats have enjoyed weekends on the 1,500-acre lake, and weekdays see up to 15 boats, most returning to the ramp by 10:30 a.m. Unfortunately, the big hits along the shores of the lake have not translated into good catches for anglers fishing the pier and shores of Ann Olesky Park.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE: Roland Martin Marina & Resort Capt. Jose Betancourt reports that the bass bite on lures has been “fantastic” in the Bay Bottom and Houseboat Cut areas for anglers throwing black and blue Senkos, Speed Worms and chatterbaits . Moonshine Bay in the Western Marsh and the northern shores from Horse Island to Tin House Cove have also been good for quality fish, although swimbaits, swim jigs and topwater frogs have been the best producers in these areas. The biggest and most biting bass are coming to anglers who choose to pay the premium for bright live bream.

Crappie fishing has also been great for anglers fishing the Kissimmee River, Lake Harney Channel and the Hog Pen area south of Uncle Joe’s (Mayaca) Cut. Minnows and minnows are producing well, but the Big O specks seem to prefer their blank fakes.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

South Carolina angler Parker Sipes used a live golden shiner to catch this 7-pound bass in the Big O’s Bay Bottom area on his trip with Capt. Jose Betancourt of Roland Martin Marina & Resort.

South Carolina groom-to-be Parker Sipes and six of his friends couldn’t think of a better way to party than bass fishing on the Big O.

FISH TIP

According to Lehr’s Economy Tackle customers, the Ortona Lock on the Caloosahatchee River has been biting well.

Lehr’s Economy Tackle customers are reporting great sun bass action at Ortona Lock, where hybrids have been feasting on relatively small schools of walleye. Their ability to control potentially unbalanced populations of albarca is one of the reasons why Florida breeds and stocks the sun. The other is for anglers to enjoy the hard-charging crosses between female white bass and male striped bass that can grow to over 15 pounds. Their voracious appetites result in a weight gain of five to six pounds in as little as three years. Mike Westra says that while they can catch a dozen or more sunfish, the anglers he’s talked to have kept very few of the so-called delicious fish.