Holiday is a great weekend to spend on the water
Over the week anglers had to deal with changing weather conditions. Early in the week onshore winds greeted us making it tough to fish the beaches and offshore waters, then from mid-week on unsettled weather brought heavy rains and thunderstorms that could pop up at anytime. On the bright side we had great tides with big daytime highs and strong afternoon and evening falling tides.
The height of tarpon season is beginning to wind down, the good news here is the tarpon are still around but they are getting less competition. Many of the out of town guides and anglers are leaving the area thus leaving the local anglers with a little more room. Tarpon fishing should continue strong well into the next month. Boca Grande Pass continues to be Grand Central for the oversize herring with jigging in the deep holes of the Pass or live baiting east or west of the pass the best bets depending on where the large schools of fish are working on a given day and time.
Before the heavy rains there were a number of king mackerel taking thread herring intended for tarpon around the Pass. These fish were averaging six to ten pounds with a few near twenty and they were hooked right in the middle of the tarpon schools. I gotta think with the recent rains and the freshwater dumping out of the Harbor that the kings have probably headed back offshore.
Anglers looking to relax a little and beat the heat are finding their prime fishing under the stars. Tarpon were boated or jumped under bridges in the Caloosahatchee and the Matlacha Bridge after dark. The bait of choice was fresh caught catfish tail soaked on bottom for several reasons; first, they are readily available and easy to catch. Second, as the catfish are generally thick near the bridges it’s hard to tarpon fish with any other bait and keep the cats away. And third, tarpon love the slimy tails.
For catch and release snook fishing it’s hard to beat the Gulf beaches and passes. For action the better bet is the beaches were fish average in the low to mid twenty inch range with a few larger fish mixed in. there are more snook on the beach this summer than I have seen in a long time. For the big girls it’s hard to beat the Passes on the afternoon and evening falling tides. Drifting with the tide while bouncing a big live bait over the bottom is the method most anglers prefer. Large thread he rring, pinfish and pigfish are great baits. When the tide is right you can expect to find several boats fishing this method at both Redfish and Captiva Passes. If you are unsure or new to this style of fishing stay back awhile and watch the other boats, you will quickly learn the pattern and etiquette then you can follow inline. Do not attempt to anchor in or near the drift pattern or you will become unpopular really quick.
Also in the Passes the mangrove snapper are getting bigger and more abundant. Drifting with a small jig tipped with squid, or live pilchards or shrimp on a small circle hook with enough weight to get it to the bottom is the best way to get a mess of these tasty guys for dinner. They are averaging ten to thirteen inches with some bigger ones mixed in.
The 4th of July holiday weekend is about to20happen and is one of the busiest weekends of the year on the water. If you are making plans to be on the water pay extra attention to insure a safe outing. While most boaters use courtesy and common sense there are always a few who just don’t get it. These are the ones you have to watch out for and always expect the unexpected from them. And please don’t drink excessively and operate a watercraft, law enforcement will be conducting DUI checks just like on the highway and more importantly you are putting yourself and everyone else in danger.
With that said it’s a great weekend to get on the water with family and friends and celebrate a great holiday.
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’.