SW FL-Bonita Beach: Snapperfest

January 30, 2009 by fishbuster · Comments Off
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Monday, 1/26/09, I fished offshore in 45 feet with Barry Pfleuger and friends. We caught fifteen nice mangrove snapper in the 14 to 16 inch range, two keeper pompano and a keeper hogfish. We released gag and red grouper shorts, porgies, triggerfish and a bluefish, all on live shrimp.

The snapper bite was on in 70 feet Tuesday, when I fished with Ron Musick and Dick Arnett. We caught twenty-one nice mangs to 18 inches, using shrimp. We tried some cut bait, but shrimp was definitely the bait that worked so we stuck with that. We also caught six large whitebone porgies to 17 inches and two 30 inch king mackerel. We released the mackerel, along with grouper shorts and a couple of small yellowtail snapper.

Even in shallower depths on Wednesday, the snapper bite was hot and the mangs were good-sized. Fishing with Bob Wojtowicz, his brother Stosh, and friends Bob Bradley and Mel Stuart in 44 feet, we caught seventeen mangs to 19 inches, along with whitebone porgies, grunts and porkfish. We released lots of red and gag grouper shorts.

Thursday’s snapper fishing with Bill story, Jim and Mark Martin, and friends Steve, Dave and Marv, was decent but didn’t yield as many big mangs as the trips earlier this week. We kept five of them to 16 inches and released smaller ones, along with some grouper shorts. We also caught porgies, sheepshead, porkfish and grunts, all on shrimp in about 43 feet.

Weather predictions for Friday included a small craft advisory, with another strong cold front approaching. Sure enough, it was raining by 9AM. Once again, the Gulf was too rough to fish and the bay too dry for at least Friday and Saturday.

The photo shown is of angler Bill Evans with a 28 inch gag grouper, caught on shrimp in 45 feet, on a recent offshore Fishbuster Charter in January. Gag grouper are in closed season February 1st through March 31st so there won’t be many pics like this one for a while.

28 inch gag grouper

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Ft. Pierce Inshore - Offshore Report

January 30, 2009 by Capt. Joe Ward · Comments Off
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 JANUARY 30, 2009

INSHORE - The inshore fishing this week has been good one day and off the next.  The weather played a big part in it but, the water did warm up a little — it was 58 degrees on Sunday.  The colder temps have made the fish go deeper and move a lot slower.  There has been a decent trout bite at Bear Point and up around Harbor Branch.  Thy using a soft plastic bait like a D.O.A. Shrimp in the lighter colors or a live shrimp and put it on a light jig head.  The snapper bite has also slowed along the channel edges but there has been some caught on a live shrimp.  The sheepshead and black drum bite has been steady.  Try fishing around just about any structure or along the channel edges and use a live shrimp or a fiddler crab.  The catch and release snook bite has slowed too.  Try fishing the bottom in the Ft. Pierce Inlet and use a live pinfish.  Also, try around the docks and the bridges.  Remember that snook season opens on February 1st. 

OFFSHORE - Over the weekend we had a good number of dolphin come into the docks.  They were caught in 110 to 150 feet of water on a skirted ballyhoo.  Most of the fish were 15 pounds or under.  We also had a few sailfish releases.  The sails were caught and released in 120 feet of water to the north of the Ft. Pierce Inlet.  There was also a handful of kingfish that came in and they were caught in 70 feet of water on a live bait.  Bottom fishing for snapper and grouper has been steady when fishing over the reefs and wrecks.  Both live and cut bait have been working well.

TEEN ANGLERS - The Treasure Coast Chapter of Teen Anglers held their monthly inshore fishing tournament on Sunday — January 25th.  The Teen’s meet at Jaycee Park at 6:30am and went fishing until noon.

In the Middle School Division

1st place - Micah Begelman - Jackson Heights Middle - Oviedo - 2lb. 10oz. sheepshead

2nd place - Helen Kinchen - Stuart Middle - Stuart - 2lb. 4oz. sheepshead

3rd place - Dalton Logsdon - Samuel S. Gaines - Ft. Pierce - 1lb. 11oz. trout

In the High School Division

1st place - Dylan Sholander - Westwood High - Ft. Pierce - 3lb. 9oz. black drum

2nd place - Tyler Serio - Lincoln Park Academy - Ft. Pierce - 3lb. 8oz, sheepshead

3rd place David Brashear - Vero Beach High - Vero Beach - 2lb. 10oz. sheepshead

Biggest fish of the tournament went to Dylan Sholander for his black drum.

If you would like to be a boat volunteer or would like to donate to Teen Anglers just go to the web at www.teenanglers.org  Teen Anglers is a not for profit organization. 

If you would like to report a catch you can e-mail me at cward11605@aol.com or call me at 772-201-5770.  You can also reach me on the web at www.captjoeward.com

Capt. Joe Ward

Capt. Joe’s River Charters

SW FL-Bonita Beach: Snapper, Sheepshead, Hogfish & Lots of Rough Weather

January 24, 2009 by fishbuster · Comments Off
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Monday, 1/12/09, I fished offshore in 43 feet with Ed & Margie Bock, who fish with me several times each winter. We departed in a dense morning fog, with visibility of about 200 feet (thank goodness for radar) and in very low tide conditions. We headed out of New Pass to 43 feet, where we used live shrimp to catch eight keeper mangrove snapper, all about 15 inches, and a 14 inch yellowtail snapper.  We also kept six whitebone porgies that were all about 14 inches. We released smaller snapper, porgies, grunts, triggerfish and grouper shorts. We had one large grouper hooked, but not well enough—he got down in the rocks on bottom and came off.

Jerry Shaffran, wife Barb, and five and seven-year-old sons, Max and Jake, fished central Estero Bay with me on an overcast Tuesday morning that got progressively windier and chillier in advance of an approaching cold-front. The boys did very well catching sheepshead on shrimp, and we boated seven of those to 17 inches. We also caught two keeper mangrove snapper and a 16 inch trout. It was Max and Jake’s first introduction to fishing and I think they are now “hooked” for life!

The balance of the week consisted of nothing but cancelled trips. With two strong cold fronts kicking up winds and seas to not only unpleasant, but downright dangerous levels, offshore fishing was impossible. I had hoped to get Saturday’s party out in the bay but the high winds coming from the northeast literally sucked the water out of the bay. It was too shallow to even float the boat off the lift. So, I cancelled three trips and rescheduled one of them for Monday 1/19.

On Monday, 1/19, I thought I was going to have to cancel my rescheduled trip yet again, with three-to-five foot seas predicted near-shore and four-to-seven foot well offshore. But Dan Harper and Mott Wuttae are hardy anglers who decided they’d brave the conditions and see how far offshore we could get. We started out in three to fours but, in the big swells to come later, it was fives to sevens, in 45 feet out of New Pass. The snapper were biting our live shrimp, though, and we caught fourteen mangrove snapper to 19 inches, most of them in the 16 to 19 inch range. We also caught eight keeper lane snapper to 13 inches and three keeper sheepshead to 18 inches. We released grouper shorts and a small bluefish.

Tuesday’s forecast called for seas to 14 feet offshore, after yet another cold front moved through overnight Monday, with gale-force winds briefly and blustery winds to persist all day Tuesday. My scheduled anglers had their hearts set on fishing offshore, which was, of course, impossible, so they decided to cancel their trip, rather than fish the backwaters. It might have been tough even anchoring bayside in the winds we had Tuesday. Wednesday’s winds were predicted to be calmer but seas offshore remained treacherous and cold temperatures weren’t very appealing either. The temperature dropped even further on Thursday morning, which brought scattered frost to the area. So, even though seas had calmed to two-to-three feet by Thursday morning, the frost that was still on the boat by 9:30 that morning caused my anglers to re-think their fishing plans and cancel.

Friday, as a warming trend began, I fished in fairly calm seas with John Ballou in 43 feet out of New Pass, where we used live shrimp to catch six keeper lane snapper, three keeper mangrove snapper, a keeper hogfish and some whitebone porgies. We released a small bluefish, along with gag and red grouper shorts.

 The photo shown is of angler John Reardon with a 19 inch mangrove snapper, caught on shrimp in 43 feet, on an offshore Fishbuster Charter the first week of January.

19 inch mangrove snapper

http://fishbustercharters.com

South Indian River Fishing Report

January 23, 2009 by fishtales · Comments Off
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January 23, 2009

INSHORE:

As I look around outside and see brown grass….frost scorched plants & trees and my poor tomato plants….we sure did have one cold front move through this week.  The days haven’t been so bad, but the nights have chilled the water and made it more challenging to fish on the river this week.  Look for a fantastic weekend ahead to get out and do some fishing!

I was out over the past weekend, just before the cold front hit so hard.  Ray Boyd and his son-in-law, Mike, were out with me and we ended up having a great time on the water.  With the water so cold, we found trout, ladyfish and jacks on the flats.  Ray and Mike decided to have a contest to see who caught more fish.  We lost count of how many and they tried to keep track of who was ahead.  Well, rules continued to be changed and challenged so I have no idea who won the contest, but we all had a wonderful time on the river.  I think this was a continuation of the contest from last year…..

It’s important to find the warmer water to find the fish.  Deeper water will work better in early mornings and you can move to the shallows on these sunny days to look for redfish and trout.  Jerk baits, suspending lures and live bait will be good choices of baits.  Fish slowly as the fish will be slow to move and sometimes you have to put if right in front of their face to get them to eat.  Harbor Branch and Queen’s Cove have continued to hold trout, ladyfish and jacks.  Fishing around bridges, docks and deep cuts can pay off in this type of conditions.  It has been a challenging and cold week!

Tip of the Week:

It’s not as important in getting the early start in cold conditions.  As the sun warms up the water, the fish will become active and more apt to feed.  Fishing lures slowly along the bottom will give you more opportunities on each cast and have a better chance getting that hit from a fish.  DOA shrimp or CAL jerk baits are great ways to fish for trout and other species in cold water.  Deeper cuts along mangroves can also be a great area to target fish.  Fish slow and low and have success in this artic weather…….

As always, remember, fishing is not just another hobby….it’s an ADVENTURE!!

Good Fishing and Be Safe,
Captain Charlie Conner
www.fishtalescharter.com
email: captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com

772-284-3852
 

Ft. Pierce Inshore - Offshore Report

January 22, 2009 by Capt. Joe Ward · Comments Off
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 JANURARY 22, 2009

INSHORE - The weather conditions this week haven’t been that great with a lot of wind and plenty of cold temps!  I did get reports of scattered trout, catch and release snook and some redfish around the flats from Round Island south to the North Bridge.  A soft plastic bait like a D.O.A. shrimp or a Cotee jig will get the job done.  Remember, fish your bait slow — with the water temps down the fish will move slower.  Along the channel edges look for snapper, sheepshead and black drum.  All of these fish have been feeding on live shrimp.  The area bridges are giving up a lot of sandperch mixed with a few sheepshead, black drum and snapper.  In the Ft. Pierce Inlet there is still a good number of spanish mackerel, bluefish and the croakers are starting to show up in better numbers.  Again, a live shrimp has been hard to beat.

OFFSHORE -  The sea conditions have not been good for most of the week and it has kept most anglers at home.  But, the bigger boats that went reported scattered sailfish and dolphin starting in 95 feet of water.  Most of the fish were caught on ballyhoo.  I did get a report from the boat ONE ON about 2 blackfin tuna to 12 pounds and they were caught on a ballyhoo in 140 feet of water to the south of the Ft. Pierce Inlet.  The kingfish bite has been steady around the 90 foot bar for anglers trolling strip baits or a spoon.  When the sea calmed the bottom fishing on the near shore reefs was good for sheepshead, black drum, bluefish and a few sharks in the mix.  Along the beaches there is plenty of spanish mackerel, bluefish and pompano and they have been feeding on live shrimp and sand flea’s.

TEEN ANGLERS - This Sunday — January 25th is the monthly inshore fishing tournament for the Treasure Coast Chapter of Teen Anglers.  They will meet at Jaycee Park in Ft. Pierce at 6:30am and fish until noon.  Trophies are awarded for 1st to 3rd place in the middle school division and also in the high school division.  There is also a trophy for the biggest fish of the tournament.  If you would like more info on joining Teen Anglers or being a boat volunteer just go to the website at www.teenanglers.org

BRAGGING BOARD - I got a call from Jesse Pfeiffer about a bass his 4 year old daughter — Jessie Lee caught.  They were fishing in a canal off of Kings Highway when she caught the fish.  It is her biggest bass to date.  I got an e-mail and picture from Paul Meding about a snook his son — Trace got last week while fishing in the Indian River.  Trace caught and released a 32 inch — 12 pound snook!  He was using a D.O.A. shrimp.  Audrey Wilson caught a 5 pound Bermuda Chub while fishing in the Ft. Pierce Inlet.  She was using a piece of frozen shrimp.  Ed & Emily Hendricks were here fishing over the weekend and caught a bunch of fish in 20 feet of water just off the North Jetty.  They had a mix of sheepshead, black drum and a few pompano.  They were using live shrimp. 

If you would like to report a catch you can e-mail me at cward11605@aol.com or call me at 772-201-5770.  You can also reach me on the web at www.captjoward.com

Capt. Joe Ward

Capt. Joe’s River Charters

Ft. Pierce Inshore - Offshore Report

January 16, 2009 by Capt. Joe Ward · Comments Off
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 JANUARY 16, 2009

INSHORE - The inshore fishing this week has been a challenge with the cold temps and the north wind.  Most of the action that was reported came from anglers fishing in the middle of the day when things had warmed up a little.  The trout were in the deeper holes and cuts at places like Pete Stone Creek , the Dredge Holes to the south of Bear Point and in the Mooring’s channel.  A live shrimp fished on a jig head was the best way to go.  There is still plenty of snapper, sheepshead and black drum around the local bridges and along the channel edges.  Again, a live shrimp will do the job.  The catch and release snook action has slowed with only a few reports coming in from anglers fishing in the Ft. Pierce Inlet with a live mullet.

OFFSHORE - The offshore conditions have been a little sloppy but, I did get good reports of sailfish action  coming from the north of the Ft. Pierce Inlet and the bite started in 100 feet of water.  Look for the dolphin and blackfin tuna in 140 to 180 feet of water and they were feeding on naked ballyhoo.  Bottom fishing at Bethel Shoals has been providing some nice catches of snapper and grouper and most were caught on cut baits.  And, this is the time of year for plenty of spanish mackerel, bluefish and jacks along the local beaches.

JUNIOR TEEN ANGLERS - Last Saturday was the from shore fishing tournament for the Treasure Coast Chapter of Junior Teen Anglers.  It turned out to be a nice morning and plenty of fish were caught and released.

5 to 8 age group

1st place - Savannah Ward - age 8 - Lawnwood Elem. - Ft. Pierce

2nd place - Carrie Loupe - age 8 - St. Lucie Elem. - Ft. Pierce

3rd place - Andrew Evans - age 7 - Fairlawn Elem. - Ft. Pierce

9 to 11 age group

1st place - Jeffrey Garrett - age 11 - Olso Middle - Vero Beach

2nd place - Richard Henson - age 9 - Fairlawn Elem. - Ft. Pierce

3rd place - D.J. Markowski - age 11 - Lakewood Park - Elem. - Ft. Pierce

Biggest Fish of the Tournament  — Jeffrey Garrett - age 11 - Olso Middle - Vero Beach

For more info on Junior Teen Anglers or Teen Anglers just go to the web at www.teenanglers.org

BRAGGING BOARD - Last Friday I had Capt. Chop & Ray on the boat with me.  All Ray wanted to do was catch a few snapper.  Between them they did catch a limit of mangrove snapper and had plenty of fillets to take home.  Jim Doyle, Wayne Wilson & Bob Weinfurener also caught a limit of snapper on Tuesday.  They also had a mix of sheepshead, black drum, spanish mackerel and released 2 small snook.  They were fishing with live shrimp.

If you would like to report a catch you can e-mail me at cward11605@aol.com or call me at 772-201-5770.  You can also reach me on the web at www.captjoeward.com

Capt. Joe Ward

Capt. Joe’s River Charters

SW FL-Bonita Beach: 28 Inch Gag Best Catch & Big Snapper

January 10, 2009 by fishbuster · Comments Off
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Monday, 1/5/09, I fished offshore in 43 feet, to the north of New Pass with Alene Haug, Scott Kempfort, Loren Heintze and John Reardon. The snapper bite was hot all morning and we caught twenty-two of those to 19 inches, none of them smaller than 14 inches. We also caught a big whitebone porgie and a 14 inch hogfish. We were cut off twice by big king mackerel and we released some smaller mackerel, triggerfish, gag grouper to 21 inches and red grouper shorts.  Tuesday, seas began building mid-morning, in advance of a weather-front coming through, and we had 3-4 foot seas twenty miles out of New Pass, where I fished with Bill and Mike Evans. The somewhat rough seas were worth enduring, though—we were rewarded with a 28 inch gag grouper, caught on shrimp. That catch was a team effort, with Bill hooking it and Mike on the net. We also caught thirteen keeper mangrove snapper to 16 inches and a large whitebone porgie. We released lots of smaller snapper, red and gag grouper shorts, small king mackerel and triggerfish. Wednesday was a blustery, rainy day and I had to cancel my fishing plans. I had hoped for good conditions Thursday but, even though the sun was shining and the seas decreased to about 2-3 feet, those seas happened to be on top of a four-foot swell left over from the high seas of the previous day and night. I did not think my anglers would appreciate those conditions so I also cancelled Thursday’s trip. Friday, I fished is somewhat sloppy conditions, but better than they had been for a couple of days. Vince Tomlinson and friend, John, fished with me in 44 feet out of New Pass, where we caught ten keeper mangrove snapper to 16 inches and a keeper hogfish. We released lots of smaller mangs, porgies, triggerfish, bluefish and grouper shorts. We missed boating the biggest mangrove snapper when a shark bit it in half before we could reel it in—that one’s head measured about 8 inches so he was a pretty big fish. Ron Musick, Dick Arnett and friends fished with me Saturday in 44 feet out of New Pass, where the snapper bite was still on pretty strong. We caught twenty nice mangs to 18 inches and a half dozen whitebone porgies, all about 14 inches, on live shrimp. We let smaller mangs and porgies go, along with grouper shorts, grunts, a small hogfish and a few small king mackerel. 

The photo shown is of angler Sven Petersen with a 24 inch gag grouper, caught on a live shrimp on an offshore Fishbuster Charter 12/30/08.

24 inch gag grouper

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Pine Island Sound Fishing Report (1/03/09)

January 9, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
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  • It was to be a two trip holiday week, but one canceled at the last minute after changing the details on a daily basis. So, that left my favorite fishing buddy, Dr. John Hitt, and I to spend a day getting ready for trout season. He will be back to fish speckled trout on January 12 and 13, and we wanted to get a lock on where the big trout are.

 

  • We left John’s dock at 0645 hrs. and headed down the river to the A span for bait. It was a beautiful morning, and bait once again came easily. In four throws we had the big well on John’s Coastal loaded, and were ready to fish. A northeast breeze of about 10 had developed while we caught bait, so my first spot was chosen with that in mind; to put the wind at our back and the current in our face for a natural presentation.

 

  • We settled on a long shallow edge that drops off into about 4 ft. of water in Ding Darling. We had immediate action from both trout and birds. Once it tapered off we’d move up about the length of a cast and get back on a bite. We caught plenty of keepers, but nothing over about 18”. Finally, once the traffic began coming in droves we decided to move on.

 

  • We settled on a flat that I usually fish only in the spring, when it is full of big trout and other critters including tarpon. There were some trout there, as well as ladyfish, but none of the trout were outsized. After a while we moved on.

 

  • We were on what seemed a long slack tide while the tide changed. Action is hard to come by when the water isn’t moving. We settled on another flat and fished in 4 to 6 ft. We found more trout, including a couple of very nice ones, but once the water began moving in earnest, we had a big ladyfish invasion. There was no getting away from them. They were big as ladyfish go, and fun to catch, so the little boys residing in us kept us there catching them on every cast. We did catch one nice pompano on a curlytail white jig, and managed to while away the rest of the morning right there.

  

  • WINTER IS HERE!

       John with a pretty pompano  

  • We were back at John’s dock by around one o’clock. It had been a relaxing, fun day of steady catching trout and ladyfish. And, of course really showed off his skills by catching some half dozen pinfish on that jig. Man! I don’t know how he does it, but he’s got the knack! 

 

  • Happy New Year to everyone!

Fishing Report From Barhopp’R Charters

http://www.barhoppr.com/

Ft. Pierce Inshore - Offshore Report

January 9, 2009 by Capt. Joe Ward · Leave a Comment
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 JANUARY 8, 2009

INSHORE - The inshore fishing this week has been a good one.  The fishing for snapper, sheepshead and spanish mackerel has been very good when fishing along the channel edges from just north of the North Bridge up to Round Island.  Try a live shrimp and fish it on a 1/4 oz. Trol-rite.  The sandperch bite has been good when fishing from the docks along the Ft. Pierce Inlet and from the catwalks of the area bridges.  Use a small piece of shrimp on a #4 or #6 long shank hook and a small weight will work just fine.  I have been getting good reports about a steady trout bite coming from the Midway Road area.  I also got reports of a good trout bite to the north of Harbor Branch.  The redfish have been in shallow water.  Look around the mangroves, up around Jack island or try the west shore line just south of Harbor Branch.  Use a D.O.A. shrimp or a GULP! shrimp in a light color.  These have been producing the most fish.

OFFSHORE - There has been a lot of sailfish being reported the last part of the week.  Look for them in 120 to 140 feet of water to the north of the Ft. Pierce Inlet.  Look for scattered dolphin from the Sebastian Inlet down to the St. Lucie Inlet in 80 to 250 feet of water and they have been taking a ballyhoo — both naked and skirted.  The spanish mackerel are everywhere and hitting just about everything.  The best offshore action has been from the snapper and grouper when fishing over the reefs and wrecks.  Try fishing in 70 to 90 feet of water and use both live and cut baits.  And, last but not least the kingfish have been providing good action for anglers fishing in 60 to 90 feet of water. 

JUNIOR TEEN ANGLERS - The Treasure Coast Chapter of Junior Teen Anglers will have their from shore fishing tournament this Saturday — January 10th at Harbour Pointe Park in Ft. Pierce.  There will be trophies for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the 5 to 8 and the 9 to 11 age groups.  There will also be a trophy for the biggest fish of the tournament.  If you would like more info on Junior Teen Anglers you can go to the web at www.teenanglers.org or you can call 772-201-5773.

BRAGGING BOARD - On Saturday I had Ralph Kamsch and his son Ronnie Leone fishing with me.  They caught and released 2 redfish and 5 nice size sheepshead.  Ronnie flew in on Friday, fished with his dad on Saturday and flew back to Maryland on Sunday.  On Monday I had Morris Dorn and Tony Phillips on the boat with me.  They caught a limit of snapper, several spanish, sheepshead and jacks and Tony caught a 5lb. spanish mackerel.  Morris and Tony were visiting here from Greenwood, South Carolina.  Junior Teen Angler — DJ Markowski went on a family fishing trip to Octal, Costa Rica in November.  On November 16th the highlight of the trip was when DJ caught a very nice roosterfish.  He was using a 5lb. bonita as bait.  DJ and his parents also had some very nice dolphin too.  Wally Dressel and Larry Reed have been reporting a steady sandperch bite.  Wayne Wilson reported a good snapper and sheepshead bite to the north in the river.

If you would like to report a catch you can e-mail me at cward11605@aol.com or call me at 772-201-5770.  You can also reach me on the web at www.captjoeward.com

Capt. Joe Ward

Capt. Joe’s River Charters

SW FL-Bonita Beach: Good Start to a New Year of Fishing

January 3, 2009 by fishbuster · Leave a Comment
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Monday, 12/29, I fished in 44 feet off Naples with Tom Wolf and sons, Jordan and Patrick, and friend, Chris Coriddi. Using live shrimp, Tom caught a nice 23 inch keeper red grouper (see photo.) We released lots of gag and red grouper shorts, which provided steady action for us all morning. We also caught seven keeper snapper, including six mangs and one lane. We released lots of smaller mangs and a short mutton snapper. We also caught a nice whitebone porgie and a 25 inch king mackerel, which was the only keeper mackerel out of the three we landed. Tuesday, I headed out New Pass to 47 feet with Sven and Corinna Petersen. We caught a keeper gag grouper at 24 inches and released about thirty more gag and red grouper that were just short of keeper-size. We also caught about 100 mangrove snapper but only two of those were keepers at 14 inches so we released the rest of them, along with grunts and a 30 pound goliath grouper. We also caught four 15 inch whitebone porgies, all on live shrimp. Caitlin Froehlich, her dad, Toby, and her brother, Sam, fished with me Wednesday morning in 44 feet off Naples. We caught whitebone porgies to 15 inches and kept a half dozen of those, along with a 14 inch triggerfish, and a 16 inch yellowtail snapper. We released five king mackerel to 26 inches, gag grouper shorts, and a 30 pound goliath grouper.  New Year’s Day I was off the water for family happenings, but Friday, January 2nd found me fishing with Bob Sawyer, Don Stevenson and Katie Grote in 46 feet out of New Pass, where the winds and seas were kicked up once again but the fishing was good. We used shrimp to catch a mess of mangrove snapper and kept the largest eight of those, which were 15 and 16 inches. We also caught some large whitebone porgies and released lots of smaller snapper, grouper shorts, triggerfish and king mackerel. I had planned to fish inshore in Estero Bay on Saturday with a nice couple but, unfortunately, the Mrs. came down with a stomach virus overnight Friday and they were forced to cancel at the last minute on Saturday morning. So I spent Saturday doing some maintenance. Weather-permitting, I will have a full week of fishing beginning Monday with lots to report next week.                                                

The photo shown is of angler Tom Wolf with a 23 inch red grouper, caught on a live shrimp on an offshore Fishbuster Charter 12/29/08.

red grouper

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