SW FL-Bonita Beach: Nice Kings, Bonito, Shark, Snapper & Trout
Seasonal business is just beginning to pick up around here, though most of the recently reserved dates are for later this month and into next. I did get offshore Saturday, 10/10 with long-time customers Jerry and Barb Rudan, from Wisconsin. We headed out of New Pass to about 18 miles, but it was slow going heading out in sloppy seas. Predictions were for one-footers, and it did eventually calm to about that, but the trip out was definitely not that calm. We used live shrimp to catch a lot of different fish but many of our catches were frustratingly just short of keeper-size. We released red groupers that were as little as one eighth of an inch short of legal. The same was true of many yellowtails and mangrove snapper. Triggerfish were abundant and would have been keepers prior to the regulation change, which now demands 14-inch minimum, so we released those too, along with lots of ladyfish. On the bright side, we did manage to catch a mess of keeper-sized snapper too—mangs, lanes and yellowtail, as well as Spanish mackerel.
David Koenigsmark, son Adam, and father-in-law, Hubert, fished offshore with me Thursday, 10/15. We had a full-day so we headed out 37 miles west of New Pass to 74 feet. David had fished with me this summer, but we were bayside to accommodate his younger son. This time, he wanted his fourteen-year old son to have some offshore adventure. We caught a variety of fish, some of them pretty good size, which included a 34 inch king mackerel, a 28 inch king, whose tail was bitten off as Adam reeled him in by a huge barracuda, a 3 ½ foot sharpnose shark, a very large stingray, and an 8-pound bonito. We kept the kingfish and released the shark, stingray and bonito. We also caught some good table-fare—lane snapper, mangrove snapper and yellowtail snapper—all keeper-sized, though we released all the lanes and a few mangs, as we already had plenty of fish, and also released lots of grouper shorts. At one point, we spotted about fifteen large mahi-mahi, right beside the boat—we had just arrived and weren’t rigged up yet, and they spooked and swam off.
Sunday morning, 10/18, I had planned to fish offshore with Dan Wampler, son, Barry, and eleven-year-old grandson, Max. The weather, however, had other ideas, as our first real cool-front came through the area, bringing not only much cooler temperatures, but also stiff winds and rough seas offshore. Dan and family decided to brave the cold morning temps and fish in the calmer waters of the bay. We stayed as sheltered from the wind as possible, and used live shrimp along the mangrove shoreline to catch five keeper sand bream and nine keeper mangrove snapper. We released small sheepshead and two small snook.
As the winds continued to be strong and seas rough offshore on Monday, Chester Yanik, son Mark, and friends Jim Basara and Tom Murphey also swapped their offshore plans for two days of inshore fishing in Estero Bay. Monday, we caught a dozen keeper-mangrove snapper out of twenty-five total mangs, and four keeper-sheepshead out of a bunch of sheepies caught. We released the smaller snapper and sheepshead, along with a 16-inch snook. We were fishing with shrimp and small bait- fish along the shoreline, wherever were able to stay somewhat sheltered from the winds. Tuesday, the same group caught a bunch of trout–about 30 throw-backs measuring 14-15 inches–and they kept three nice trout that were 16 inches, along with keeper mangrove snapper. We released four redfish to 17 inches, an Atlantic spadefish, and a 3 1/2-foot bonnethead shark. We fished mostly in areas behind Ft. Myers Beach, using live shrimp and popping corks for the trout and reds.
The photo shown is of angler Mike Page, with an 18-inch sheepshead, caught on shrimp on a recent trip.
South Florida End of May Report
Blackfin tuna, bonito and kingfish have been biting well in the Miami area. North of Government Cut has been very productive.
The Florida Keys always have something that’s biting. There have been quite a few tournaments in the area and reports were excellent for dolphin (mahi-mahi). Other fish that are biting well are tarpon, wahooe, permit, jack crevalle and trout.
The Treasure coast has been good for snook, redfish, tarpon, jack crevalle and redfish. Out of the Port St. Lucie area, anglers are doing well along docks, bridges, jetties and inlets. The offshore fishing is also good in this area for cobia and dolphin (mahi-mahi).
Florida Bay is providing excellent fishing for a variety of inshore species such as snook, redfish, sea trout, tarpon and more.
SW FL-Bonita Beach: Bonito, Grouper, Snapper, Sheepshead (Inshore & Off)
Monday, 2/23 brought yet another windy start to this week. I headed out of new Pass with Jim Sistek, his son, Jim Jr., grandson and friend, Frank, in what was predicted to be two-to-three foot seas. We were barely out of the pass before we were contemplating turning back because of strong northerly winds and rough seas. But the wind calmed a little bit and allowed us to get to some live bottom in about 30 feet. We used live shrimp and caught eight keeper mangrove snapper, nine sheepshead to 20 inches, and some grunts. We also caught what would have been a keeper gag grouper, at 23 inches, but we had to release that one due to extended closed season. We also released lots of gag and red grouper shorts, porkfish, triggerfish and small snapper, along with a fourteen-pound goliath grouper and an eleven-pound bonito.
I delayed heading offshore by about an hour Tuesday, with Ron Musick, Dick Arnett and friends, Eddie, Larry & Bob, in order to give the winds a chance to decrease a little. The windy-morning, calmer-afternoon pattern of Monday was duplicated Tuesday. It was still pretty sloppy when we headed out, but we were able to get out from New Pass about 19 miles, where we caught keeper mangrove snapper to 15 inches, porgies and grunts. We released lots of grouper shorts and triggerfish.
Relief from rough seas came on Wednesday, when I fished inshore with Alene Haug, her son, Scott Kempfort, her mother, Carrie, and friends Doug & Cathy. We used live shrimp on oyster-bottom and caught five keeper sheepshead to 16 ½ inches. We released smaller sheepshead and snapper.
Fishing at the near-shore reefs off Bonita Beach Thursday with Ed & Margie Bock, we caught five nice sheepshead to 18 ½ inches, along with half a dozen keeper mangrove snapper. We released lots of smaller snapper and sheepshead, with an active bite all morning.
I fished central Estero Bay Friday with Joe Burgert, son Max, and friend, Jim Gunz. We caught six keeper sheepshead to 16 inches, along with a keeper mangrove snapper, and we released a 17 ¾ inch redfish, just ¼ inch lacking for keeper-size. We also released smaller sheepshead and crevalle jack.
Saturday morning, I fished 19 miles out of New Pass with Earl Meturfman and friends. We had lots of action all morning, but that included a lot of grouper and snapper shorts that we released. We ended up with two keeper mangrove snapper, three sheepshead to 18 inches, and whitebone porgies to 14 inches, all on live shrimp.
The photo shown is of angler, Ron Musick, with an 18 inch mangrove snapper, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.
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Fishing Blog- Web Updates - Nov. 4, 2009
- Salmo Sting Review - Salmo Lures
- Salmo Chubby Darter Review - Salmo Lures
- Salmo Bullhead Review - Salmo Lures
- Salmo Hornet Review - Salmo Lures
- Shrimp Tease Review - Creme Lures
- Killer Diller Shrimp Review - Creme Lures
- Jerk N? Shrimp Review - Creme Lures
- Devil?s Tongue Review- Saltwater - Creme Lures
- Creme Shrimp Soft Plastic Lure Review - Creme Lures
