Grayson Andel’s barracuda, caught with Capt. Jim Rinckey of A&B Charters, was a double handful. He pulled it from a wreck in the Gulf using a live herring rigged with wire.Ritch Blasi’s keeper-sized snook was one of three he caught and released, along with a crevalle jack, while casting pink and white Saltwater Assassin jerkbaits in the southwest Cape Coral channels.
Bob Mignogna turned to local ponds when red tide messed up Estero Bay. He used a Royal Coachman fly to catch eight Mayan cichlids in 1 1/2 hours on Wednesday morning.
Dean Parinis, Jr. and Sr., landed this dandy doublet of Big O bass while fishing live wild shiners at Roland Martin Marina & Resort with Capt. Jose Betancourt.
John Halverson’s henhouse was one of four reds caught on the Get Hooked a Hell Peckney Bay card shared with Brad Halverson.
Michigan angler Scott Thron started this snook cast with a shrimp on a jighead in Estero Bay’s Hell Peckney Subbay on his Get Hooked Charter with Capt. Matt DeAngelis.
Goliath groupers are open for harvest in Florida, but not the size of this baby, and only for anglers who have pre-purchased a permit after winning a lottery. Frequent contributor Karen Theis rarely keeps a fish in any case.
This mid-island channel produced this speckled sea trout, multiple ladyfish and a baby goliath grouper for Karen Theis and her friend Anthony.
Josh Dean’s 39-inch snook release was hard-fought, starting with a live herring cast under the mangroves of Matlacha Pass. He fished with fellow Traverse City, Michigan angler Dean Parks, hosted by his friend Todd Brown of Fort Myers.
Matlacha angler Kody Payne was casting a white Seaducer on the south shore of Matlacha Pass with his friend, Capt. Gregg Mckee on the pole, when this slot-sized red took notice.
Horseshoe crabs have been around for 450 million years, but there is concern that this important niche in Florida’s saltwater ecosystems is declining in population. So Florida fisheries scientists are asking citizens to observe crabs to input the database they’re building. Mating behavior is especially important. If you see something, say something here: https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/crustaceans/horseshoe-crabs/
In Southwest Florida over the past week, red tide took a back seat with high concentrations in Charlotte County, with high concentrations in Lee County and low to high concentrations in Collier County.
The news on the red tide is not great, with dead fish being washed up from some area beaches by the literal ton. It is noted that the fish in the images with this report were caught within the past week, so there is still plenty of water to fish. Sometimes out there, sometimes far from the beaches, and sometimes in fresh water.
In Southwest Florida over the past week, red tide took a back seat with high concentrations in Charlotte County, with high concentrations in Lee County and low to high concentrations in Collier County.
March also offers open season for snook in Southwest Florida, and even juvenile goliath grouper for anglers who have pre-purchased special harvest permits.
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OFFSHORE: Capt. Jim Rinckey of A&B Charters reports that pelagic species including barracuda, cobia, riviera, permit, mackerel and even sailfish are showing up in the gulf waters off Naples. This is in addition to excellent bottom fishing prospects for red grouper and mixed snapper, which Alabama Capt. Kraig Dafcik has been landing limits on daily trips in depths around 85 feet, while it is baited with live fish, shrimp and crabs. Wreck fishing, where Grayson Andel caught a dandy barracuda, has also been excellent.
Steve Walther, his uncle Keith and father-in-law Ron used squid to load up on grunts Wednesday, 20 miles from New Pass. Fishbuster Charters Capt. Dave Hanson reports that they netted 40 while releasing many more, as well as two 13-inch gray spearfish.
ESTERO BAY:
Goliath groupers are open for harvest in Florida, but not the size of this baby, and only for anglers who have pre-purchased a permit after winning a lottery. Frequent contributor Karen Theis rarely keeps a fish in any case.
Frequent contributor Karen Theis reports that she and her friend Anthony had a great day fishing from a jetty at the back of Fort Myers Beach mid-island after encountering poor tidal conditions red further south at Big Carlos Pass. They used live shrimp to catch and release baby goliath grouper, speckled trout and ladyfish.
Capt. Matt DeAngelis sent two reports from the Hell Peckney Subbay area of Estero Bay, well back from shore. Wednesday’s trip with Wisconsin anglers John and Brad Halverson produced four 22- to 32-inch redfish when hardhead catfish weren’t coming to their lures first. On Monday, also fishing with live shrimp on the machines, Michigan angler Scott Thron topped three snook at 24 inches.
CALOOSAHATCHEE RIVER: Mike Westra of Lehr’s Economy Tackle, north of Fort Myers, reports very good snook fishing from about the Midpoint Memorial Bridge to the Ortona Lock, where close-to-close action was reported. One angler reported that his daughter’s attitude changed from grumpy to bright after she stepped on the fenders of the I-75 bridge with 1-1/2-ounce Gulf Stream Flair Hawk jigs. His first fish was a 34-inch snook, and he landed others, releasing all the fish, including some in the 28- to 33-inch slot. Other anglers reported great action downstream at the railroad trestle, and Westra said the SR 31 Wilson Pigott Bridge and the north shore pier at the WP Franklin Lock have also been good for snook.
PINE ISLAND: Lehr reports Cape Coral tarpon anglers have been hooking tarpon in the lower Pine Island Sound in their usual spots, along the drop-off outside the JN “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Westra reports that there was a lot of talk about red tide in the sound before last weekend, but very little of that nature since the recent strong southerly winds that may have blown much of the toxic algae ashore.
Matlacha angler Kody Payne was casting a white Seaducer on the south shore of Matlacha Pass with his friend, Capt. Gregg Mckee on the pole, when this slot-sized red took notice.
The waters on the east side of the island have remained clear of red tide, according to Capt. Gregg McKee of Wildfly Charters. On Monday morning, his friend Kody Payne caught a slot-sized red trout, several keeper trout and some large ladyfish while casting a white Seducer along a shoreline south of the bridge, where they also saw a lots of mullets and pieces of glass (bay anchovies).
Fort Myers angler Todd Brown entertained Traverse City, Michigan anglers Josh Dean and Dean Parks with an outing at Matlacha Pass that produced live herring for bait, and a 39-inch snook release by josh
The captain of the city of St. James George Grosselfinger reports that he caught 23- and 24-inch trout from Bokeelia last weekend.
FRESH WATER
BONITA SPRINGS:
Bob Mignogna turned to local ponds when red tide messed up Estero Bay. He used a Royal Coachman fly to catch eight Mayan cichlids in 1 1/2 hours on Wednesday morning.
Bob Mignogna reports, “The red tide is taking me ashore, so I’m fishing local ponds.” He caught eight Mayan cichlids between 7 and 8:30 a.m. Wednesday while flying a classic Royal Coachman, popularized in the late 19th century on both wet and dry permutations.
LAKE TRAFFORD: Lake Trafford Marina reports that Lake Immokalee is still in a steep decline, fishing-wise.
LAKE OKEECHOBEE:
Dean Parinis, Jr. and Sr., landed this dandy doublet of Big O bass while fishing live wild shiners at Roland Martin Marina & Resort with Capt. Jose Betancourt.
JJ Bass Fishing Capt. Jose Betancourt reports great action in almost any direction out of Roland Martin Marina & Resort. Largemouth bass moved inshore with the recent full moon, and moved heavily in South Bay Bottom, Moonshine Bay in the Western Marsh, Horse Island on the North Shore, and the mouth of the Kissimmee River , where the big fish were also biting well. . Wild shiners are always a golden ticket to action, but crankbaits, spinners, frogs and ghosts “are catching them really well, too.”
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Josh Dean’s 39-inch snook release was hard-fought, starting with a live herring cast under the mangroves of Matlacha Pass. He fished with fellow Traverse City, Michigan angler Dean Parks, hosted by his friend Todd Brown of Fort Myers.
Southwest Florida snook are back on the table, after a four-year shutdown due to the deadly red tide of 2018. Snook can only be caught with hook and line, but baits range from shrimp and live baitfish to a wide range of lures and artificial flies. . On the Gulf Coast, including Monroe County (Florida Keys), the season is open in March, April, September, October and November. The daily bag limit is one per angler, 28 to 33 inches in total length. A saltwater fishing license with a snook permit is required for non-exempt anglers (see MyFWC.com for details).
FISH TIP
Ritch Blasi’s keeper-sized snook was one of three he caught and released, along with a crevalle jack, while casting pink and white Saltwater Assassin jerkbaits in the southwest Cape Coral channels.
Head angler Ritch Blasi reports that casting pink and white Saltwater Assassin soft jerkbaits produced three snook at 28 inches and a strong crevalle jack in the city’s southwest spillway. The keeper-sized snook was lucky that Blasi is “a catch-and-release guy.”
HOT POINTS
No. 1: Large trout on the Bokeelia Island flats.
Number 2: Snook, trout and redfish in the Matlacha pass.
No. 3: Snook and jacks in the Cape Coral channels.
No. 4: Caloosahatchee River bridges and locks for big snook.
No. 5: Hell Peckney Bay for snook and redfish.
No. 6: Deeper artificial reefs for migratory pelagic species.
No. 7: Hard bottom areas seaward of 70 feet deep for grouper and snapper.
Lake OKEECHOBEE
No. 1: Mouth of the Kissimmee River for bass and walleye.
No. 2: Tin House Cove for bass.
No. 3: Horse Island for down.
No. 4: Moonshine Bay for bass.
No. 5: Bay Bottom for bass.
