Fishing is as good as it gets
Fishing started off good early in the week then slowly declined each day. No doubt coming off a full moon and dealing with slow tide movement the later portion of the week did not help matters any. Also the water temperatures have risen very quickly, too quickly; our afternoon rain pattern appears to have kicked in this should help to cool the waters back down. With that said fish were caught both inshore and offshore.
Tarpon fishing started off good then became more difficult each passing day. Large schools of fish were noted in the harbor and mid-Pine island Sound and also off Knapp’s Point of Sanibel early in the week. The fish were often sighted free-jumping and rolling in all directions. Live baiting with large thread herring and hand-sized pinfish or dead-baiting with ladyfish or mullet soaked on bottom were the popular choices for most anglers. Also, short distances off the beaches in the gin-clear water, tarpon were also hooked on flies and small live crabs early in the mornings. Most of the tarpon are running 70 to 100 pounds. By mid-week the fish were not very cooperative after late morning.
Sharks of all shapes and sizes are roaming our waters and continue to be a nuisance for the diehard tarpon angler. For those of us that appreciate the action they create during a slow tarpon bite, they are fun, but when they keep snagging all your baits and taking your hooks it gets old after a while. Inshore there are bull and blacktips roaming both the harbor and the sound with most going three to five feet with a few larger ones reported. Off the beaches there are loads of small hammerheads hanging in the same waters as the tarpon, they are averaging about four feet. Hammerheads well over 10 feet were also sighted around the tarpon pods off of Sanibel and also at Boca Grande Pass.
Mangrove snapper are beginning to show up around the gulf passes and nearby mangrove shorelines. Fish up to 16 inches were caught drifting Captiva Pass while dropping a live pilchard during the slow incoming tide. Fishing the full moon also produced catches of snapper offshore. Fish up to four pounds were reported in 50-foot depths by boats anchoring up tide of ledges and chumming during the moonlight hours. A few nice gag grouper, barracuda and several king mackerel up to 20 pounds also came from the ledges.
The best trout fishing over the week came from the beaches or near the gulf passes. Fish averaging 16 to 20 inches were caught along the surf near the midpoint of Sanibel Island, off the rock jetties at Blind and Redfish passes and from the Sanibel Pier. White Bass Assassin Redfish Magic jerk baits or live pilchards both worked well on the trout in these areas.
It’s always frustrating when we go from the strong four a day tides back to the weak and often non-existent two-a-day events. Fishing generally goes from very good where everywhere just feels fishy to the point where you scratch your head and wonder what the heck happened, where did all the fish go? Well, the good news, it’s an age-old cycle we can’t control but in a few days the advantage goes back to the angler as the four-a-days return.
If you have a fishing story or photo that you would like to share or for charter information, please contact us at (239)283-7960 or visit us at www.fishpineisland.com.
Have a safe week and good fishin’.