On the Water: It was another hot week of fishing
Fishing inshore, offshore, the beaches, piers or bridges all had one thing in common, it was HOT! It’s typical for mid-August – days with no to very little wind to jack up the heat, add a lack of daily afternoon thunderstorms to cool things down and it only makes it worse.
Inshore, despite water temperature pushing over 90 degrees, the bite was still good at times, even through the mid-day heat. Mangrove snapper appear to be getting thicker with each passing day; limits have come fairly easy. Fish to 16 inches were found over grass flats and bar edges under schools of small baitfish, often chumming right up to the boat. Fishing the slower tide stages also produced limits of nice fish in Boca Grande and Captiva Passes. Good numbers of snapper were found throughout Matlacha Pass, Charlotte Harbor, Pine Island Sound and also areas adjacent to the Sanibel Causeway.
Trout numbers were good but the average size was generally an inch or two below keeper size, with many anglers reporting about one of every dozen measuring over the 15-inch minimum. Look for trout feeding under the many schools of small bait fish over grass bottom in 3 to 6 feet of water. Most fish are keying on the bait fish – your best chance for fast action is to either catch and use the real thing or cast small lures that mimic the little baits. Trout were found on both sides of the Sanibel Causeway, off the shoreline between the Sanibel Pier and the C-span of the Causeway, outside Shell Cut off Bokeelia, Between Cabbage Key and Captiva Pass and flats off Demere Key.
Spanish mackerel, bluefish, small sharks and ladyfish were often found over the same bottom as trout.
A few redfish schools of 50 or more fish were located in mid-Pine Island Sound and Charlotte Harbor on the lower stages of tide. Most of the school fish are in the 30-inch range. Smaller fish averaging 21 to 26 inches were reported around oyster bars in Matlacha Pass on the morning rising tide and under the shade of the mangroves in northern Pine Island Sound on the high water.
Offshore, red grouper to 25 inches were caught 19 miles off Sanibel over live hard bottom, along with a good number of lane snapper. Closer to shore over artificial reefs, shrimp/jig combinations worked for a mix of fish including mangrove snapper, mackerel, trout and a few flounder. Sharks and barracuda were also common around offshore structure.
Despite the intense heat there were a couple mornings over the week that I could feel a change of season is coming. As the sun hit the horizon I was greeted with a light north wind and cooler temperatures. It was subtle, if on land you would probably not notice, but on the water you could feel the difference for a couple hours. Sure, it was brief, but it was a sign that change is coming, and with snook season right around the corner, that’s a good thing.
If you have a fishing report or for charter information, please contact us at 239-283-7960, on the web at www.fishpineisland.com or email gcl2fish@live.com
Have a safe week and good fishin’.