On the Water: Overall, it was a good week out on the water
With the exception of a couple breezy days, weather was decent all week for anglers. With a bright full moon, offshore anglers report a slow bite in the morning and picking up as the day progressed. Inshore, the big moon brought very low negative tides over morning hours.
Red grouper, lane and mangrove snapper, plus porgies came from depths from 80-110 feet west of Sanibel. A couple tripletail were also caught on live shrimp on the trip out.
Over nearshore waters, rods kept bent with a mix of bottom fish, including snapper, grunts, porgy, sheepshead, triggerfish and plenty of small grouper. Most fish took live shrimp fished on bottom in depths from 30-50 feet.
Spanish mackerel mixed with large ladyfish went for silver spoons, shrimp and live pilchards just outside the Gulf passes and around the Sanibel Causeway. If you run into those two fish together, odds are good some sharks are around, and often large. Heavier tackle with a wire leader and a big chunk of fresh caught ladyfish should get their attention if you’re up for a fight. Large mullet are schooling up for their winter spawn. If you see a school, chances are good sharks are nearby as well.
A mild week warmed inshore waters allowing for a good snook bite. Snook were caught throughout Pine Island Sound and Charlotte Harbor on a variety of live bait and lures. Season is closed, you can still catch and release them, just handle them as little as possible, return them to the water quickly and do not feed them to Flipper.
Trout catches came from areas west of Galt Island fishing sand holes on low water and 3 to 4-foot grass bottom over the incoming tide. Trout were reported between the intracoastal channel and Buck Key, and further north between Useppa Island and Captiva Pass. Drifting shrimp or DOA’s shrimp tails under a rattle or popping cork worked for trout up to 18 inches, plus ladyfish, small sharks and jacks. Seatrout mixed with ladyfish came from south Matlacha Pass near McCardle’s Island and north of the bridge around the S-curve.
Sheepshead anglers are catching good numbers of smaller fish, but not so much with larger ones. With each cold front, this will improve. Last year the larger fish arrived late, but the numbers were good when they finally showed up. After the first of the year, we should see a notable uptick in bigger sheepshead.
Before hitting the water make sure you are up on current fishing regulations as they change often. You can go towww.myfwc.com or better download the Fish Rules app. It updates every time you open it. It’s free, and has all local fish species, regulations, and pictures of each.
If you have a fishing report or for charter information, please contact us at Gulf Coast Guide Service; phone (239) 410-8576, email gcl2fish@live.com or you visit us on the Web at www.fishpineisland.com
Have a safe week and good fishin’.
As a lifetime resident of Matlacha and Pine Island, Capt. Bill Russell has spent his life fishing and learning the waters around Pine Island and Southwest Florida, and as a professional fishing guide for over 20 years.