A change of seasons just in time for Bobby Holloway Memorial Tournament
It sure feels good to have winter behind us as the first day of spring arrived with warm sunny skies. It actually felt great on the water for the first time in a while. Fishing started off slow early in the week, but by the weekend anglers were finding a pretty good bite. Trout, sheepsheads and a few redfish were caught in Matlacha Pass and Pine Island Sound and Spanish mackerel showed up throughout Charlotte Harbor and in the Sound.
The arrival of spanish mackerel inshore is great news as it’s a sure sign the water is warming and fish are beginning their northern migration. We caught mackerel just about everywhere we fished for trout including the northern end of Matlacha Pass, Charlotte Harbor around Two-Pines and Bokeelia and in the northern Sound near Useppa Island. None were huge as they were averaging sixteen to twenty inches, but still fun. You can expect larger macks, bluefish, pompano, sharks and maybe a tarpon or cobia very soon.
Good numbers of trout were found over grass bottom in the northern Sound in depths ranging from five to seven feet. They are averaging from thirteen to sixteen inches with a few larger and limits coming fairly easy for anglers slow drifting live shrimp under popping corks or casting soft plastics in a shrimp tail or shad tail in a variety of colors. These baits also worked for mackerel.
Trout fishing was also good in southern Pine Island Sound in potholes on both sides of the Sound north of the power lines. Fish up to twenty-one inches were caught on free lined shrimp, gold spoons and DOA shrimp. The best bite at both ends of the Sound occurred over the incoming tide. A few large trout up to twenty-three inches were also reported from Matlacha Pass while fishing near oyster bars south of McCardles Island.
Fishermen are still reporting good numbers of redfish along shorelines in Matlacha Pass, but they have been difficult to catch. As usual the small fish are eating everything but the larger reds have been a challenge. A few anglers fishing from kayaks or small skiffs hooked into a few upper slot fish with a quiet stealthy approach and long cast. In the Sound redfish were reported in potholes on the low water around Black Island and Panther Key and on the higher water on shorelines in the same area and around Cabbage Key.
Sheepsheads up to twenty inches came from areas including the docks inside Captiva Pass and the old phosphate dock at Boca Grande. Bait of choice was shrimp and small crabs fished on bottom, several mangrove snapper were also caught with the sheepsheads.
Looking for something to do this weekend? Saturday is the 12th annual Bobby Holloway Memorial Fishing Tournament. It’s the longest running tournament on Pine Island and all proceeds go to a good cause, to help our children right here on Pine Island in a number of ways. Little Bobby was a very special person on Pine Island and this annual event has grown over the years to far more than just a fishing tournament in his memory. This tournament has a tremendous amount of support from both Island and off Island Businesses and there is always lots of great stuff to take a chance on in raffles and prizes, not to mention an Island style fish fry & barbeque.
You can still sign up to fish the tournament or you can just come out for some good food, Island atmosphere and take a chance at winning one of the great raffles and prizes. Either way you will be supporting a great Island cause and I promise you will be glad you came.
You can find more information on the tournament at www.hollowaytourney.org or call (239)281-8225. It is located at the end of Maria Drive at the Lee County Fishermen’s Co-op south of the center. Don’t forget it’s this Saturday, so sign up and fish, come and watch the weigh in at 3 pm or just come out and relax with some good food and atmosphere.
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 online at www.fishpineisland.com. Have a safe week and good fishin’. “Catch the Action” with Captain Bill Russell.