On the Water: Summer has arrived and the fishing is good, just watch the weather
Fishing was up and down for the week, particularly over periods with slow moving tides. Plus, we had a few breezy days around mid-week as Tropical Storm Arthur crossed the northern Gulf. Not windy enough to effect inshore fishing but making for less-than-ideal conditions offshore over several days.
Over the windy days anglers worked extra hard to locate tarpon and entice them to eat. Pods were reported off the beaches of Gasparilla Island and Cayo Costa, Boca Grande and Captiva Passes, and between Cabbage Key and Redfish Pass. After the winds settled, tarpon were located between the Sanibel Causeway and St. James, west of Demere Key in the Sound, and Charlotte Harbor near Burnt Store Marina. Hook-ups were reported on crabs, mullet, pinfish, thread herring and shad.
Fishing the eastern side of Pine Island Sound, anglers hooked into snook, redfish and mangrove snapper along shorelines during higher stages of the incoming tides. Similar reports also came from Matlacha Pass, north of the bridge. Fishing from the Matlacha Drawbridge yielded hook-ups with Spanish mackerel, mangrove snapper, sharks, stingrays, all the catfish you want, and catch-and-release snook through the night hours.
Seatrout, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish were caught over grass bottom in Charlotte Harbor and mid-Pine Island Sound. Many of the trout running 16-18 inches. Hook-ups with sharks up to 6 feet were common in the same areas. A chunk of ladyfish or mullet caught the attention of blacktip and bull sharks.
Offshore, captains found making a long run paid off for larger American red snapper. Smaller reds in the 2 to 25-inch class were caught in depths beginning around 120 feet, but the larger fish came from depths of 170 feet and deeper. Red grouper, mangrove and lane snapper were also caught.
It’s official, summer is here. Fishing is good throughout the summer months, just watch the weather and take measures to keep cool and hydrated.
Stay up to date with fishing regulations by visiting www.myfwc.com. Also, upload the Fish Rules app to your phone. It has current regulations and seasons with pictures to help identify fish.
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 can 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.