On the Water: There will be better fishing ahead
As expected for this time of year with changing weather conditions, fishing reports varied all across the board. Most anglers are finding it very difficult to establish any type of consistent fishing pattern due to the ever changing conditions.
Fishing for spotted sea trout was fair in both Pine Island Sound and Matlacha Pass. In the sound, many of the fish are running less than an inch under size, but a few bigger fish to 20 inches were reported. A few anglers report limiting out on trout from 16 to 20 inches over the incoming tide while fishing shrimp under popping corks in sand potholes, southwest of Useppa Island. Also in Pine Island Sound, trout were caught from sand/grass bottom in 4 to 7-foot depths and along bar drop-offs near the Flamingo Bay channel and west of Galt Island. Bonnethead sharks, flounder, ladyfish and an occasional pompano were also caught with the trout. Best baits were live shrimp or white DOA shrimp drifted under popping corks.
In Matlacha Pass a large percentage of the trout are running an inch or two undersize with an occasional keeper. Fish were caught just off the east side of the channel between marker 69 and 72, mixed with the trout were ladyfish and a few pompano.
Kayak anglers report redfish tailing and pushing wake over the morning low tides in the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel. Fish were most active the first hour of the incoming tide east of the observation tower near the small mangrove Islands. Also in “Ding” Darling, snook, sheepshead and a few redfish were caught from the deeper creeks with a hard oyster bottom while free-lining live shrimp.
Fishing from kayaks also worked for redfish near Pineland in the sound were fish to 24 inches were caught near Big Jim Creek and to the east of Josslyn Island. A few snook and keeper size trout were also caught from these areas in the deeper sand holes. The best fishing was over the first few hours of the incoming on the mornings with the lowest tides.
From the Sanibel Pier anglers landed sheepshead up to 5 pounds and a few pompano while fishing small white jigs tipped with shrimp near the pilings. Sheepshead were also reported around the Blind Pass Bridge and near Redfish Pass where a quarter-ounce chartreuse jig head with a small shrimp threaded up the shank tail first was the best bait. These same shrimp/jig combinations also worked for pompano along the beach on the inside of Captiva Pass.
Sheepshead catches were also noted in the gulf less than 3 miles off the beaches. Fish up to 6 pounds were caught over hard bottom along with a mix of mangrove snapper, porgies, grunts and a few hogfish. Further out between 65 and 90-foot depths, red grouper and mangrove snapper were boated on both live and cut bait. One boat also reported catching a big cobia while fishing structure around 80 feet.
With weekly cool fronts coming and going the water temperature is constantly fluctuating up to 10 degrees inshore. The days are getting longer, the fronts should be getting weaker, and the average water temperature will slowly begin to rise and hold. Generally, sometime between the middle of February and March there is a week when the water temp hits that magic number and the sea comes alive. It looks like we have a few more cool days to look forward to this week, but change should be coming soon.
If you have a fishing story or for charter information, please contact us at 239-283-7960, www.fishpineisland.com or email gcl2fish@live.com
Have a safe week and good fishin’