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.
SW FL-Bonita Beach: Gulf &Bay Report
The bay was good fishing on Friday morning, 9/4, when I fished a catch-and-release trip with father-son anglers Dennis and Mike Page. Mike hooked a bull red at the edge of the trees and fought that until it broke free in the mangrove roots. We also caught and released eleven keeper-sized trout to 16 inches, two sheepshead at 14 inches and 18 inches, and fifteen keeper-sized mangrove snapper to 15 inches. We fished with shrimp under the edges of the mangrove trees, and used popping corks on the flat for the trout. Monday, 9/14, I fished in 38 feet, 18 miles offshore from New Pass, with Dennis and Jamie Riddel and their friends. We were lucky with hogfish—caught five of those, three of which were keepers to 16 inches. The Riddels will definitely be eating well! We also caught some keeper Spanish mackerel, nice whitebone porgies and grunts, which are good to eat too, but hogfish have a way of making everything else seem unworthy! We caught keeper yellowtail, but released a bunch more of those that were just short of the 12-inch legal size, along with four mutton snapper at 15 1/2 inches, also just shy of keeper-size, triggerfish, and red and gag grouper shorts. Tuesday, 9/15, I headed out of New Pass again to about 18 miles, with Doug Sapp and his two friends, one also named Doug and the other, Brian. Brian released two goliath grouper, one of which was 5 foot long and quite a monster to fight. The other was a small one at about 15 pounds. We also caught keeper Spanish mackerel and whitebone porgies. There were lots of big ladyfish around, which were a nuisance, so we had to move several times. The photo shown is of angler, Robert Deering, with a 15-inch hogfish, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.
SW FL-Bonita Beach: Gulf & Bay Report
The bay was good fishing on Friday morning, 9/4, when I fished a catch-and-release trip with father-son anglers Dennis and Mike Page. Mike hooked a bull red at the edge of the trees and fought that until it broke free in the mangrove roots. We also caught and released eleven keeper-sized trout to 16 inches, two sheepshead at 14 inches and 18 inches, and fifteen keeper-sized mangrove snapper to 15 inches. We fished with shrimp under the edges of the mangrove trees, and used popping corks on the flat for the trout. Monday, 9/14, I fished in 38 feet, 18 miles offshore from New Pass, with Dennis and Jamie Riddel and their friends. We were lucky with hogfish—caught five of those, three of which were keepers to 16 inches. The Riddels will definitely be eating well! We also caught some keeper Spanish mackerel, nice whitebone porgies and grunts, which are good to eat too, but hogfish have a way of making everything else seem unworthy! We caught keeper yellowtail, but released a bunch more of those that were just short of the 12-inch legal size, along with four mutton snapper at 15 1/2 inches, also just shy of keeper-size, triggerfish, and red and gag grouper shorts. Tuesday, 9/15, I headed out of New Pass again to about 18 miles, with Doug Sapp and his two friends, one also named Doug and the other, Brian. Brian released two goliath grouper, one of which was 5 foot long and quite a monster to fight. The other was a small one at about 15 pounds. We also caught keeper Spanish mackerel and whitebone porgies. There were lots of big ladyfish around, which were a nuisance, so we had to move several times. The photo shown is of angler, Robert Deering, with a 15-inch hogfish, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.
SW FL-Bonita Beach: A Little Girl and a Big Red
It’s that time of year when fishing trips are spaced more sparsely. Add to that a three-day hiatus in celebration of a wedding anniversary and the net result is just a couple of days on the water this week. Tuesday morning, 8/25, I headed out of New Pass about eighteen miles with Harold Matthews, his son, Chad, and Chad’s wife, Misty. Seas were not as calm as predicted on the way out, but they did calm as the morning progressed. We caught four nice porgies and porkfish on shrimp, but we did more releasing than keeping. We released lots of undersized gag grouper, lane snapper and yellowtail snapper. We also had fun catching and releasing two goliath grouper, 35 pounds and 45 pounds. Eleven-year old, Anna Perry and her dad, Evan Perry, fished central Estero Bay with me, using live shrimp, Thursday morning. Anna had done some fishing from piers but had never before fished from a boat. She had no trouble acclimating: The first catch of the day was Anna’s 25-inch redfish (see photo), which she reeled in on her own, from beneath the mangroves around New Pass. She also caught a 12-inch sheepshead and three trout, one of which was a 16-inch keeper. Add to that mix eight keeper-sized mangrove snapper, five of which the father-daughter team kept.
SW FL-Bonita Beach: Goliath Beasts & Redfish
Monday morning, 8/31, I fished in 45 feet, out of New Pass, with Mike & Denise VanHorn. We fished for goliaths first, while the couple had their best energy–Good thing because Denise hooked one that was most likely over 300 pounds. Mike followed up with one that was around 100 pounds. We used Spanish mackerel, blue runners and a grunt for bait. After we released those two fish, we got serious about finding some fish to eat. We ended up with ten keeper lane snapper, all caught on shrimp. We released mangrove snapper just short of the twelve inch requirement, along with red grouper shorts. Estero Bay had good tides most of this week. Wednesday morning, the tide served us well, when I fished with Bob Flesch and his friend, John. Bob caught a nice red. We could tell it was going to be good-sized from the way it fought, and we were hoping it would be within the slot for keeping. We were lucky, as it measured exactly 27 inches (see photo.) We also caught five keeper mangrove snapper and a 14-inch sheepshead. We released two small snook, as well as a 50-pound stingray, which was an admirable fight!
SW FL-Bonita beach: Near-shore Report
Saturday morning, 8/15, I fished with Greg Sommesi and family at the reefs off Bonita Beach. With a 70% chance of rain predicted and seas beyond 20 miles at 3-5 feet, we decided the near-shore reefs might be our best bet, especially with three youngsters on board. We did well with snapper, catching thirteen keepers to 12 inches, and releasing lots of smaller ones, along with undersized triggerfish and flounder. We also caught a keeper lane snapper, Spanish mackerel and grunts.
Monday morning, I fished the reefs once again, this time with Mike and Noreen Weber. We limited out on keeper mangrove snapper to 14 inches and released lots of others after we had our ten. We caught two keeper flounder also, as well as some grunts. We released three small goliath-grouper to 20 pounds. We used shrimp for all but the goliaths, which bit blue runners. Tuesday, Robert and Roberta Duhlberg and their two young children, Daniel and Rebecca, planned a ¾ day of fishing with me in the bay. Those plans were foiled when a surprise thunderstorm hit about 11:30 AM. We had to quit fishing and take cover as best we could until the storm slowed to a light rain. By that time, we were all wet and ready to head in. we did manage to catch three keeper mangrove snapper and a 16-inch trout, on shrimp.
The photo shown is of angler Dawn Croft, with a 21-inch red grouper, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.
SW FL-Bonita Beach: Goliath Adventures & Table-fare Too
Wednesday morning, I fished about 17 miles west of New Pass with Harry and Melanie McDaniel and their daughter, Molly. We had steady action, which helped compensate for some prettyrough seas as we were on the storm-fringe much of the morning. We used shrimp and caught ten keeper Spanish mackerel to 24 inches, a keeper mangrove snapper and porgies and grunts. We released lots of just undersized mangs, yellowtails, and red grouper, along with a twenty-pound goliath grouper. Thursday, I headed out 19 miles from New Pass with Mack Wilson, his son, Jonathan and grandson, Scott, who was celebrating his eighteenth birthday. We caught fourteen nice whitebone porgies, which the group looked forward to cooking. We released lots of undersized gag and red grouper, as well as mangrove and yellowtail snapper. We also caught lots of keeper-sized Spanish mackerel that we released, since the guys much preferred porgies for table-fare. We did, however hook one of the Spanish macks on a heavy pole, to give Scott a chance at hooking a goliath grouper. Sure enough, moments after casting, he hooked a huge one, about six-foot long and three-foot high, and estimated at about 400 pounds. Scott reeled that fish in, released it boat-side, and required a twenty-five minute break to recover! But it was a nice thrill for him to feel something that big on the line and a great way to top off his birthday adventure. The next time I fished was on Monday, August 10th. David Conway, eighteen-year-old son, Kyle, eleven-year-old son, Will, and Kyle’s friend, Eric Legal, fished with me about 18 miles west of new Pass. Will caught a 14 inch hogfish and the group also caught two keeper mangrove snapper, 16 and 17 inches, keeper Spanish mackerel to 24 inches, and keeper porgies. We released lots of smaller mangrove snapper, yellowtail and red grouper. We also released two goliath grouper at 100 pounds and 175 pounds, along with a 3 ½ foot sandbar shark. We used shrimp for everything except the goliaths, which bit blue runners and mackerel. The photo shown is of the 100 pound sailfish I caught the end of July on a busman’s holiday to Marathon in the FL Keys…not a local catch where I usually fish but I just had to post it!
SW FL-Bonita Beach: Nice Muttons Offshore; Trout & Reds Inshore
Tuesday, 5/26, I fished central Estero Bay with Wayne Hawkins and his niece, Lauren Mullinax, both from Cumming, GA. We used live shrimp and popping corks to catch three keeper trout to 18 inches and release lots of smaller trout. We also caught two keeper sheepshead, and we released a 23 inch snook.
Wednesday morning, I headed out of New Pass to 43 feet to fish offshore with George Noonan and his two sons. We fished with shrimp, hoping to catch some nice mutton snapper, like I had last week. But the goliath grouper had other ideas and ate two of those before we could get them off the bottom. We managed to beat out the goliaths and keep a nice yellowtail, some porgies and grunts, and two king mackerel at 25 inches and 32 inches. We also caught and released a 25 pound goliath grouper, along with lots of mangrove and yellowtail snapper shorts, undersized gag grouper and smaller kingfish.
I headed offshore Saturday morning with Leon Mead and son, Spencer, but we only made it to the near-shore reefs because of three-to-four foot seas, even near-shore. We used shrimp to catch keeper mangrove snapper, grunts and Spanish mackerel, and we released grouper shorts, smaller mackerel and blue runners.
Fishing Estero Bay Sunday with Steve Vender and Shawn Hennessey yielded some decent trout to 19 inches. Steve fished with me a couple more times this week too, on Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday, 6/2, we headed offshore to 43 feet, about 20 miles west of New Pass. We caught three mutton snapper at 16 ½ inches, 18 inches and 19 ¾ inches. We lost another big one when it cut the line and also hooked a hogfish that got free about three feet from the boat. We also caught whitebone porgies and Spanish mackerel, and released triggerfish, grouper shorts, grunts and blue runners. Thursday, we’d planned to head out for more muttons but the rain offshore kept us in the backwaters, where we caught a 24 ½ inch redfish, a 14 inch sheepshead and a few keeper mangrove snapper.
Backwaters fishing Friday morning with Dave Koenigsmark and his five-year-old son, Tyler, was good for three keeper trout, two at 18 ½ inches and one at 17 inches, on shrimp with popping corks. We also caught a few keeper mangrove snapper to 13 inches.
The photo shown is of angler, Gary Click, with a 23 inch trout, caught on shrimp, on a recent inshore trip.
SW FL-Bonita Beach: Backwater Reds, trout & Shark; Yellowtail & Muttons Offshore
Monday morning, 5/18, Tim Guthman and his six-year-old son, Tyler, had hoped to go fishing offshore. But the time-line on an approaching weather front was uncertain and had me concerned about rough seas offshore for the little guy so I recommended we fish the backwaters. We did well with shrimp in central Estero Bay, and Tyler caught a keeper redfish at 18 1/2 inches. We also caught four keeper trout to 19 1/2 inches, and we released a three-foot bonnethead shark, a three-pound crevalle jack, and undersized snapper, jack, snook and trout.
Wednesday morning, father and son anglers, Gary and Bryant Click, fished Estero Bay with me, having given up plans to fish offshore because of four-to-six foot seas out there. We had a very good morning of fishing in the central bay, using shrimp and popping corks. We caught three trout, two at 23 inches and one at 20 inches, and we released some smaller ones. We also got two keeper redfish at 21 inches and 23 ½ inches, two keeper mangrove snapper, a keeper sheepshead at 13 inches. We released two snook, 21 inches and 23 inches.
Gary and Bryant fished with me again Thursday morning, and we caught numerous trout, seven of which were keepers to 20 inches. We also caught a keeper redfish at 18 ½ inches and a keeper sheepshead at 14 inches. We again fished with shrimp and popping corks. Although the guys had hoped for one morning offshore and one in the backwaters, we ended up fishing both mornings in Estero Bay, due to high seas offshore.
After a rainy Friday, Saturday presented my first opportunity to fish offshore this week. Mack Wilson and son-in-law, John France, headed out 22 miles west of New Pass to fish in 45 feet. We did well with shrimp for snapper, and caught nine yellowtail to 14 inches, three mutton snapper, 16 ½, 17 ½ and 19 inches, and ten whitebone porgies to 15 inches. We released smaller porgies, along with undersized triggerfish and grouper.
The photo shown is of angler John Kakatsch, with a 19 inch sheepshead, caught on shrimp, earlier this month on an inshore trip. It was kind of a surprise to find this big of a sheepie in bay waters this late in the season.
SW FL-Bonita Beach: 400 lb. goliath whips two of us!
Saturday morning, May 2nd, I fished Estero Bay with brothers, Steve and Howard Potash, and their wives, Loree and Bonnie. We caught three trout, two of which were keepers at 17 ½ inches, and we released two undersized snook and mangrove snapper.
A morning of catch and release fishing in Estero Bay with Paul Oleff on Monday yielded trout, Spanish mackerel and mangrove snapper, all on shrimp.
Tuesday morning, I was back in Estero Bay, this time with Bill Henry and John Kakatsh, fishing the oyster bars along the east wall of the bay. We caught a 19 inch sheepshead, kind of a surprise in the bay with the water so warm. We also caught and released a four-pound crevalle jack, two snook, 22 and 23 inches, and five trout.
Thursday, I headed offshore in calm seas with Mark and Angie Evans, Jeff and Richard Evans and Nicholas Quarterman. We caught some nice whitebone porgies to 20 inches, keeper mangrove snapper and keeper Spanish mackerel. We released red and gag grouper shorts and undersized triggerfish. The highlight of the trip for Mark was when we switched from light tackle and shrimp baits to heavy tackle with double blue runners—He and I hauled in a 400 pound goliath grouper, which we released boat-side after it put both of us on the floor of the boat, and looking more like a bar brawl than a fishing expedition!
A morning of fishing with Shawn Hennessey and Dave Johnson on Friday produced keeper mangrove snapper, triggerfish, Spanish mackerel and lots of red and gag grouper shorts, in about 45 feet out of New Pass, using live shrimp.
The photo shown is of angler Dan Bernardi, with a 19-inch pompano, caught on shrimp on a recent inshore 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
