On the Water: It was a good week of fishing
Finally, a week of fishing with good tides and favorable winds, conditions that resulted in good catches inshore and off.
Strong incoming tides kept the fish active across the inshore waters throughout the week. Inshore grass flats and bar edges attracted hard-hitting Spanish mackerel, inside Redfish and Captiva Passes, in Charlotte harbor north of Bokeelia, and around the Sanibel Causeway. They were hooked on spoons, shrimp and pilchards along with blue and ladyfish, seatrout and small sharks. Larger seatrout were caught from these areas as well and off the beaches and around oyster bars over the high water.
Anglers catching redfish report that many were over the legal size with some pushing over 30 inches. They were hooked along shorelines throughout Pine Island Sound, and the east and west walls of Charlotte Harbor. The high water pushed them under mangrove overhangs where cut and live bait, plus gold spoons got their attention.
With water temperature back into the mid-70s, the snook bite was consistent. Most are running under the legal slot, but some bigger fish were caught. They were hooked in the same areas as redfish, plus around the Gulf passes and inshore structure. Snook were also caught from the Matlacha Draw Bridge over the early morning hours before sunrise.
Tarpon were jumped on both live and dead bait between the Sanibel Causeway and St. James, in the mid-Sound near the Intracoastal waterway, and Charlotte Harbor near Burnt Store Marina. The better bite was at first light and again as the tide moved in. Sharks and big stingrays were also hooked.
A few cobia reports came from inshore and offshore. Inshore around the Sanibel Causeway and off sand bars in Charlotte Harbor following big rays. Offshore around wrecks and reefs southwest of Sanibel where permit and barracuda were also caught.
A mix of red grouper and snapper filled fish boxes for boats running offshore. The best action came fishing depths of 90 feet and deeper. The bite was hot at times and slow at others, but with effort and patience good fish were boxed.
Another cold front is moving in as I write this, but it shouldn’t pack much of a punch. Hopefully just a couple of windy days then back to good weather.
Stay up to date with fishing regulations by visiting the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission at: www.myfwc.com. Also, upload the Fish Rules app. It has current regulations with pictures to help identify fish. If you enable your GPS, the Fish Rules app updates regulations to your location each time you open the app. In my opinion, it is more accurate and up to date than FWC’s website.
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.