On the Water: Now is a fun time to get on the water and enjoy it
Finally, we put together a week of good weather. If you were on the water fishing, you probably noticed mullet and baitfish everywhere and a lot of them. The water is alive with activity from fish of all sizes, dolphins, manatees and birds right now. It’s a fun time to get on the water and enjoy it.
Offshore, grouper, snapper and bottom fishing in general was steady if you made the run to 75 feet and deeper. Red grouper were boated, as well as big mangrove snapper, plus lanes and various other bottom dwellers.
Near shore, schools of Spanish mackerel were reported a short distance off the beach from Sanibel north to the Captiva Pass. Fish were crushing bait schools with lots of birds present to give up their location. Sharks of various sizes and species were also in the mix.
Mangrove snapper were caught bottom fishing the Gulf passes and nearshore reefs. Many in the passes are running undersize with some larger fish mixed in. Live shrimp was the best bait. A few sheepsheads were also caught around the passes on small shrimp or cut shrimp.
Schooling ladyfish and small sharks were reported in the south Pine Island Sound between the Redfish Pass and Chino Island off the east side of the channel. Drifting 4- to 6-foot depths with a grassy bottom yielded action for young and old anglers looking for fun. Similar action with ladyfish was also reported all around Bokeelia and the north Matlacha Pass or the southern Charlotte Harbor near marker 76.
Catch and release snook action was good on days with good water movement throughout the area, including the Pine Island Sound and Charlotte Harbor. Water temperature near 8 degrees has kept them active, aggressive and feeding. Fish up to 31 inches were caught on live and cut bait, plus artificials.
Redfish to 30 inches were caught and released from deeper sand holes and depressions across the eastern side of the Pine Island Sound and in the southern Matlacha Pass on lower tides and under mangrove overhangs on higher tides.
A good variety of fish, including sea trout, bluefish, sharks, jack crevalle, mackerel and ladyfish, were hooked in the northern Pine Island Sound and in the Harbor off the west side of Bokeelia. The best bet was drifting areas with 4- to 7-foot depths with grass bottom or a mix of sand and grass. Live shrimp or small pilchards worked best. Look for birds and bait schools.
We are getting to that time of year that gives us extreme low tides during the day. Low tides give anglers and boaters a good chance to learn new areas as real estate is exposed that you rarely see. We will have plenty of days in the coming months with very low water. This is my favorite time to explore and learn. If you are not very familiar with an area and your boat drafts, take it slow and work the beginning of the incoming tide. This way if you mess up and end up grounded — we all have — while taking it slow, the incoming water well have you floating again soon. Learn where you can and cannot go during the low water of winter and the rest of the year is a breeze.
Keep up to date with fishing regulations and seasons as they change often. You can visit www.myfwc.com for all current state and federal regulations. Also, you can upload the Fish Rules app. It has current regulations and seasons with pictures to help identify fish.
If you have a fishing report or for charter information, contact us at Gulf Coast Guide Service by calling 239-410-8576 or emailing gcl2fish@live.com. Or you can visit us online at www.fishpineisland.com.
Have a safe week and good fishin’.
As a lifetime resident of Matlacha and Pine Island, As a lifetime resident of Matlacha and Pine Island, Capt. Bill Russell has spent his life fishing and learning the waters around the Pine Island and Southwest Florida, and as a professional fishing guide for over 20 years.