Naples Fishing March

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How to Find a Guide

Shorten the Learning Curve - Save Money & Time -
More Productive Fishing - all good reasons. Here's one more....

(excerpt from Secrets from Florida's Master Anglers)

Friends and acquaintances are good sources for recommendations, but if none are available for your intended destination, use the internet.

Most professional guides maintain web sites that can be found by Googling the location you want to fish. Organizations such as the Florida Guides Association (florida-guides.com) are also good sources.

“These organizations,” says Capt. Tom Van Horn, “hold their members to high standards. Members are required to provide their legitimacy annually.”

Proof of a Coast Guard captain’s license, a state issued vessel license that covers all anglers on the boat, marine insurance that includes liability coverage and adherence to a stated code of ethics are some of the things to look for in a qualified guide.

Now here's your part.

Guide #1: Guests should recognize that not every day will be full of fish and aim to share a fun day on the water.

Guide #2: I value clients who discuss their experience and level of fishing skills before the trip. Let me know if inexperienced anglers, small children or special needs persons will be accompanying them. This assists me in planning the strategy for the day.

Guide #3: Patience and willingness to listen is the best virtue of a prospective client. I want to accommodate them in every way. Their willingness to trust me and follow instructions will normally improve the day’s productivity.

Guide #4: I really appreciate it when my clients show up on time and are prepared to deal with the weather and willing to listen and learn.

Fishing Report: Snook starting to rebound

Posted March 30, 2011

NAPLES — At the end of last week, the weather pattern changed somewhat, with the east winds that had been around for a couple of weeks switching to a west then southwest wind.

That made for a few more bumps in the road for anglers heading offshore, and also created challenges for people throwing a net just off the beaches. One thing it didn't hurt was the fishing. Reports coming in from all areas indicate good to great fishing both inshore and offshore.

Snook are really starting to show up in decent numbers from Marco up through Estero Bay, and a number of really nice fish are being landed and gently released.

On Friday, J.T. Ford hooked into a big girl that we finally measured at 37 inches. The big fish are really liking the larger pilchards or even the jumbo threadfin herring that are being netted. Before the wind shift, we were seeing a good number of fish on the beach, and with the warming water, more should be there this next week. While throwing some of those larger baits, don't be surprised if it is crashed by a big jack , which are hunting in packs this time of year. Some of these fish are running up to 10 pounds.

This is the time of year when we get some really nice trout, too. Fish up to five pounds are being caught, and three-pounders are not unusual. They are readily eating whitebaits, and I am fishing with some weight on the line most of the time. Reds ranging from the undersized school fish we have been catching for the past eight months, to some mid-slot fish, have been eating both shrimp and pilchards.

King mackerel are here , and in good numbers. While most of the fish are the smaller school size, there are some catches of much bigger fish. Some of the reports are stating that catches are being made as close as five miles off the beach. Farther offshore, there is lots of action to be had, with mangrove snapper, lanes, small to large grouper, Spanish mackerel, barracuda, and even sharks providing anglers with great action.

Another much-sought-after species making their annual appearance is the cobia. They are making the trip up the coast and are being found anywhere from just off the beaches to well offshore.

Fish of over 40 pounds are being landed, and even larger ones are tearing up tackle. If you can find them, they will usually be willing to eat whatever you throw in their direction.

Ten Thousand Islands: On Monday and Tuesday, Capt. Rob Walczak took the Jim Petro group out of Goodland for some light tackle action.

Using mostly jigs , they landed a bunch of reds, ranging from 17 inches to 25 inches on Monday. Their catch also included a mix of trout, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, and jacks.

On Tuesday, they went fly fishing, and landed two reds and a 26-inch red. Then they went south looking for tarpon, and found some in the 40- to 80-pound range south of Everglades City. Rob reports that the water has been dirty, but warm. That dirty water didn't hurt much on Saturday when his charter landed 35 reds, 15 snapper, and three snook.

Capt. Steve Hatcher, fishing out of Caxambas Pass, has been doing well on snook in the 22- to 32-inch range this past week.

He is using live bait, which is also being readily consumed by mangrove snapper, too. The mangs have been ranging up to 14 inches. A few small reds have been rounding out the catch for Steve, who also reports seeing a few tarpon rolling, though they weren't interested in eating. On a recent charter, John Portelli hooked and landed a nice, 33-inch snook. Capt. Hatcher says the water has been dirty for some time now, and you have to go well south for cleaner water.

Down Everglades City way , Capt. Pete Rapps says this is the best snook fishing he has seen since the big kill in 2010. He is finding his fish well into the backcountry.

On Sunday, brothers Scott and Jay Newsome, along with Jessica Scull, landed a dozen snook including two at 29 inches, and one three-incher. Several other larger snook won the race to the roots. Tuesday, another brother combination of Dennis and Kalvin Woodland put nine snook in the boat, including two at 31 inches and one 34 incher. Added to the catch was a 27-inch red and a 17-pound goliath.

Pete says that the bite is best at the beginning of the incoming, until the dirty water makes its way to the back. Water is in the mid-70s.

If you are interested in some competition fishing out of Goodland , be sure to check out the third annual Yamaha Backwater Series event that kicks off April 9. Some of the proceeds will benefit the Make A Wish Foundation. Email Backwaterseries@yahoo.com for more information.

Naples/Estero Bay: Capt. Neil Eisnor has been doing well on snook in Estero Bay recently, using whitebait. Neil says that the fish have moved into their summer locations, and barring any late cold snaps, that pattern should hold.

Neil has also been doing well on slot-sized reds, while using shrimp on a jig, around the bars and bushes. These fish are hitting more vigorously than a month ago, when you barely felt a tap. On Sunday, Richard from Fishtail Marina was out with Neil, and he landed a nice, 27-inch red.

Mike Larko of Tall Tales Bait and Tackle says the fishing in North Naples has been very good in the last week. Around Wiggins Pass, anglers have been hitting snook, reds and trout with regularity.

Mike states that he is selling a lot of shrimp that are being used on the trout and pompano around the pass . Small tarpon are being caught, according to Capt. Jason Moore, and Capt. Matt Malone has been targeting near shore cobia recently. On his last trip they managed to land five, with three of those over 40 pounds. Larko also reports that recently a tarpon in the 120-pound class was jumped in water between Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel.

In Estero Bay , Capt. Seth Hayes reports consistent action on snook, with the average catch for a half day being 15 to 20 fish in the 20- to 29-inch range. Along with the snook, his anglers are encountering some large jacks, and landing a half dozen or so each trip. Water was relatively clean before Monday, and will take a couple of days to clean back up after the storm.

Offshore: Capt. Jim Wheeler targeted kings this past weekend, and his charters landed over 40 of them using pilchards for bait.

Running out of Gordon Pass, he found fish as close as six miles out. Al Allison of Naples landed a 42-incher, and another angler bested that with a 46-inch fish. As a challenge, they tried and succeeded, using a fly on a couple of the kings. Jim said they stripped it as fast as they could, and the aftermath was wild.

Onboard the Sea Hooker, Capt. Condon has been hitting the kings as well. Fish up to 12 pounds have been common.

On a recent trip, they landed cobia, bonita, kings, and an eight-foot shark, in addition to the snapper and grouper normally encountered. Richard Fox and family were onboard Monday for the action, and Mr. Krause and family took advantage of a bonita bite on Tuesday. The water was a little stirred up after Monday's thunderstorms, but the temperature is up to the mid-70s.

Capt. Tommy Robinson says fishing is good, and there are plenty of fish willing to eat. Running offshore six to 10 miles , Capt. Robinson has been putting his anglers on grouper, Spanish, snapper, and the occasional king. He says the majority of the kings are out about 16 miles out, and eating live bait.

Fishing Report: Calmer winds just adding to perfect conditions

Posted March 23, 2011

NAPLES— On Saturday, the anglers that were out early in the morning were treated to a great visual sight. As the sun was rising over the eastern horizon, a huge orange moon was setting into the Gulf waters. It was almost like sunset and sunrise at the same time.

Speaking of the sun, we have seen it plenty in the last week and, at the same time, the wild winds of March have taken a leave of absence. Easterly wind in the morning have made the near shore Gulf very smooth, which in turn makes the task of netting bait fairly easy.

The offshore boats have enjoyed the calmer winds, too. In March, the wind is frequently the cause of a lot of canceled trips due to heavy seas, but this year, the reports are of not only light seas, but we are getting some gorgeous looking water.

The kings have started to make their presence known, and some of the captains are trolling for school-sized fish in the 15- to 17- mile range, with the bigger fish sure to be close behind. Cobia are on the annual migration up the coast, and have been caught everywhere from just off the beach to miles offshore. As the water warms, the red grouper are returning to the near shore waters, and April 1 the season for these critters reopens.

Inshore , redfish continue to be caught up and down the coast. Yes, most of them are still under the slot, but be patient, they do grow fairly rapidly.

A number of reds ranging from mid-slot to over 30 inches are being reported. In some places they are eating live pilchards and in others shrimp is the meal of choice. Snook are showing up in reasonable numbers from Naples to Estero Bay, but not too many reported in the Ten Thousand Islands. Later this year, we should hear if there will be a season in 2011 or if the closure will continue.

Some of the largest trout of the year are being caught now. We're talking fish up to 28 inches and approaching five pounds. Last week, I weighed one at four-and-a-half pounds, and have seen several top three pounds.

Pompano can be found around the passes , and they range from undersized to 20-inchers. I also got a firsthand report of a permit caught in Estero by Philip Young. At the cleaning table there are still good catches of whiting and sheepshead being processed for dinner, too.

Ten Thousand Islands: Fishing out of Caxambas Pass, Capt. Bill Jones reports that big trout and pompano have been his targets of late. The trout are taking shrimp and ignoring white bait, but who cares as long as they are eating?

Bill reports fish in the 22-28 inch range that are weighing over three pounds. When he can find some cleaner water to fish, he is nailing pompano of 15-20 inches. He has picked off several tripletail recently, too. A few tarpon have been seen rolling, but no reports of recent hookups. Capt. Jones reports that the water has been dirty, especially on the outgoing. During the incoming tide, "fingers" of clean water make their way toward the islands.

Farther down in the islands , Capt. Jesse Karen has been focusing on redfish most of the time. Even though the water is dirty, he has been finding nice concentrations of fish around the "middle grounds" oyster bars. When you find one, you find a bunch.

While most of the fish are in the 16- to 18-inch range, Jesse has been putting his anglers on some bigger fish, too. On a trip on Tuesday, his folks landed three slot-sized and one 30-inch fish, and about a dozen of the rats. Add to that a couple of snook and about 10 nice trout, and you have a pretty good day.

Naples/Estero Bay: On Monday, I had a great group onboard, and they nailed the fish. The group: Nora Cobb, Rob Jewell, Bo Jewell (age 10), and Brown Jewell (age 8).

During a half-day trip, they landed 25 snook (with most in the 3- to 5-pound range), 14 reds (all short), 4 trout (3 at 18-21 inches), 3 jacks and 4 ladyfish. While they all caught their share of fish, the outstanding angler award goes to 8-year-old Brown. This fellow is quite a fisherman.

Whitebait was all we used, though we did change up the way it was offered: some under a popping cork, some free swimming, some weighted down, and some on a jig. Estero has its ups and downs, and Monday was certainly an up. On Friday, we had to work real hard to find fish -- definitely a down.

Fishing Naples Capt. Steve Sabara of Six Chuter Charters has been fishing shrimp in the deeper holes, and finding some good-sized whiting for his customers for dinner. Small specs and some pompano are rounding out catches.

Steve reports that the back has been slow recently, but that there are a good number of mackerel to be found there. He also has found that most of the time, the fish are turning away from the live baits and choosing shrimp to eat. Tuesday, he had an interesting catch (almost)! Jason Babin, a defensive end for the Tennessee Titans, did battle for an hour and a half with an estimated seven-foot lemon shark. In spite of good technique, the shark was determined to foul things up, and it was the second crab trap that ended the battle.

Capt. Pat Gould states that Saturday, Sunday and Monday were fantastic fishing days in the Naples area.

Bait has been easy, and the fishing real good. In the early morning while waiting on water to fill the bays, Pat has been hitting the pompano and ladyfish in the passes. After the water has been coming in for a while, he has been looking for snook and reds. —

On Sunday, he took out Reggie Pratt, his son John, and brother-in-law Burt for a day on the water. They landed two dozen snook, including a 29-inch, a 31-inch and a big 33-inch fish. Another couple were in the slot, and add to that four reds and six keeper trout, and that spells success.

Offshore: Capt. Mike Avinion of the "Captain Marvel" reports that he has been catching school-sized kings 17-18 miles offshore. He has been trolling for them using spoons and a homemade lure called a "bug."

Mike feels that the bigger fish will be along soon. He has had anglers land a couple of cobia recently with the largest going a stout 54 pounds.

Farther out, the amberjacks and mangroves are still willing participants, and recently one of his anglers caught a tagged amberjack. This fish was tagged by the University of Florida in 2008. At that time, the fish was 24 inches long. When it was caught last week it was 48 inches long and weighed 43 pounds. Now that is some growth rate, double the size in just over two years! Capt. Avinion states that "everything seems to be a little late in starting, but it is now really starting to click."

Half-day trips have been the norm recently for Capt. Ed Nichols. He has been taking his groups 10 to 12 miles out where the action "has been great."

Lanes, grunts, and grouper are providing lots of action for anglers. With the water warming, he is seeing keeper-sized red grouper in that close. Ed says that just a few weeks ago, you had to get out about 30 miles or more to find keeper-sized reds.

A couple of days ago, Ed had a six-hour trip where the anglers specifically wanted lane snapper. Well, by the end of the trip, they had 60 of them in the ice box and caught (and released) a number of grouper, including several keeper-sized fish. He says the water is absolutely beautiful.

Fishing Report: You don't always have to go for the big fish to enjoy it

Posted March 9, 2011

Yes, we have had some windy days recently and yes, a little cold front moved through, and yes, the water temperature has bounced around a bit -- but we are in paradise.

We don't have to do our March fishing through a foot or two of ice and brave sub-zero temperatures. Local fishing has generally been pretty good, and a lot of people have been out on the water enjoying it.

On Monday, I saw three older gentlemen at the Lovers Key dock who were from the Midwest, and they had just completed a great day on the water. No trophy snook or load of reds for these guys. That wasn't for them. Instead, three friends went out and caught a mess of whiting to have for dinner. It isn't always about the big one or the glory fish. Enjoy your time on the water.

Snook continue to work their way out of wherever it is they go in the cold months. They are showing up around oyster bars and under docks, and while most are the small to medium-sized speedsters, there are some really big girls stalking the shallows. Tuesday we had a screamer on, and before the angler could stop her, the fish found a favorite mangrove and secured freedom. These fish are ranging from slot-sized fish to snook well into the double-digit weight class.

The rat reds of the summer and fall are now inching into slot-sized fish. While most are still well under the 18-inch minimum, we are seeing the 19-inch fish more frequently. Some will take a live pilchard, but most are being taken using a shrimp on a jig or on a hook with a slip sinker. Work the shadows near the islands, and be patient. At times, the bite is very soft, just a little tick on the line and that is the signal to reel.

Some larger trout are being caught around the bars, too. These are usually single fish, and they are ranging up to 24 inches. Of course, we still have sheepshead, whiting, ladyfish, and jack crevelle that are on the feed. The pompano made another appearance while the water was briefly clean, but seem to have gone away again.

Offshore, the various types of snapper are making for enjoyable trips with plenty of action. Boats running out 30 miles or more are bringing home limits of mangroves with yellow tail and lanes also bending poles. The water out there has been real clear, so scale down on tackle to get the bite. Long, lite fluorocarbon leaders, and just enough weight to get to the bottom will increase your odds.

but we are in paradise.Offshore: Tom O'Reilly and his party went out 31 miles with Capt. Ed Nichols for a day of fishing recently. Using live shrimp and cut bait, they put a limit of mangroves (to 3 1/2 pounds) on ice. Some yellow tail (to 3 pounds) and large porgies (to 2 1/2 pounds) added to the action.

Several small amberjacks, as well as some nice gag grouper were caught and released. Capt. Ed says the water is very clean out there.

Capt. Kevin Condon had a recent half-day trip with two adults and four youngsters on board. They had non-stop action on but we are in paradise.snapper, grouper, and mackerel while using live shrimp and threads for bait. They saw several large barracuda, but couldn't interest one in a meal. On another half-day trip, they repeated the hot action, and added a few goliaths to the tally as well.

Ten Thousand Islands: Capt. Matt Hoover has been targeting reds and trout for his customers recently. He has been using shrimp on a jig to entice good numbers of fish to hit.

While fishing for the above species, he is hitting an occasional big trout to about 20 inches. Of course, the ladyfish continue to compete for all your shrimp, and according to Matt, we are now seeing "micro jacks" darting after the jigs. A couple of snook here and there are adding to the catch. Capt. Matt says the water around Goodland is dirty, and only starts to clean up around Panther Key.

Joe Moore Sr. and Joe Moore Jr. fished a couple of days recently with Capt. Rob Walczak. On Friday, they actually fished in the Naples area, and did real well on large trout up to 24 inches, and caught about 20 snook and a couple of reds, too. Saturday, they fished out of Goodland and did well on smaller trout and lots of the smaller reds. A good percentage of the reds were in the 18- to 21-range.

According to Rob, the trout were biting better on the outgoing tide and the reds on the incoming.

Naples/Estero Bay: On a recent trip in Estero Bay with Capt. Steve Nagy, Mark Tesar of Naples boated eight reds to 20 inches and 20 snook, with the largest being a nice 30-incher.

The snook are hitting live bait for the most part, and the reds are still partial to a crunchy shrimp. The reds are taking the shrimp right off the bottom. Jack crevelle have started to show up, and some of these fish are in the four- to six-pound range, with an occasional eight-pound monster stripping line off a reel. Ladyfish and trout are also eagerly eating a well-presented shrimp on a jig.

Capt. Seth Hayes says he isn't getting the real big baits in recent days, and that has reduced the big snook hits, but the snook bite overall has been good. Between the snook and the rat reds, Seth has had anglers catching 30 to 40 fish in a full day of fishing. Some jacks are starting to take baits and provide a good pull on the rods.

Down in Naples, Capt. Tim Daugherty had been seeing some pompano taking a shrimp/jig combo, but once the water got dirty, they got left town. If the water clears back up, look for the pomps during the last of the outgoing tide and the first of the incoming tide. Using beach baits, Tim has been getting some snook, too. Trout and rat reds make up the rest of the normal catch. On recent fly trips, using a surface fly, he was able to sight fish some nice snook and reds.

Freshwater: Thanks to Capt. Shane Miller, we have an update on the freshwater scene. For the past couple of weeks the bass fishing has been on fire, according to Shane.

Running back into the Everglades, he has been catching 100 to 130 fish on just a four-hour trip! Many of these fish are post spawn, and they are popping surface baits and eating soft plastics like there was no tomorrow. While most of the fish are in the two- to three-pound range, catches of five-pound or better fish is not unusual.

Fishing Report: Snook action starting to increase

Naples Daily News Posted March 2, 2011

NAPLES — Spring is busting out all over, and we have been blessed with outstanding weather the last week or so. In fact the offshore guys have had about two weeks of mild seas and sunny skies.

InshoreI, schools of bait are showing up all over and the predators are enjoying the buffet. Offshore, the water in spots is so clear that you need to use lighter tackle and long leaders to get the bite.

NAPLES Snook are picking up the pace, and there are some really large fish showing up. These fish are really dark, and have been spending the winter in the creeks and deep canals in the back bays. Large pilchards and threads have been working well on these fish. Along with the big girls, there are a good number of fish in the three- to five-pound range coming into the bays around the bars and islands.Another flash for the fishing news is that tarpon, yes tarpon, are being caught already. Of course, the tarpon don't use a calendar to decide when to make their debut; it is all about water temperature and bait availability. Most of the fish reported so far are in the 30- to 50-pound range, but a few larger fish have been hooked.

Offshore, the focus is still on the snapper, at least until the end of March when red grouper come back on the menu. On the half- day trips, the action is constant, but on the full days the action is on bigger fish.

Look for the action to continue to improve as the water temperatures climb well into the 70s. Inshore, this is the time of year that you can catch eight or 10 different species on a single outing. Trout, reds, mackerel, jacks, and snook will lead the list, but many others are still around and there for the taking. Pompano may be the fish of the week, with nice catches of fish in the three- to four-pound range being reported.Sheepshead are still willing to eat a shrimpTen Thousand Islands: Capt. Matt Hoover has been scoring some nice pompano using untipped jigs. Fish ranging up to four pounds have been making it into the cooler.

Sheepshead are still willing to eat a shrimp, and Matt has had anglers putting fish on the boat ranging up to 15 inches. The redfish are still around and willing to take a shrimp dangled under a popping cork. If you can find one, you will usually get more in the same spot. Capt. Matt is also seeing catches of snook, which is a great turnaround for the area after last year. Most of the fish are in the 18- to 26-inch range are eating shrimp and live bait.

Fishing out of Goodland, Capt. Aron Blaisdale reports that lots of reds are being caught, and the fish that were in the 16- to 17-inch range a couple of months ago are now in the 18- to 19-inch range, and some are going home to dinner. Along with the smaller reds, an occasional large one is being caught. On a recent trip with Joe Russ and family, a catch of 25 reds was tallied. Aron also had jumped five tarpon in the 30- to 80-pound range this past week, and two of those were brought to the boat for a picture and released.

Naples/Estero Bay: I had the pleasure of taking the Davies boys out one day recently. The boys include 94- year-old Bill, who hooked, and with the help of his over 70-year-old son, landed a 35-inch snook in Estero Bay. Grandson Mike also had a monster on, but when he jumped, the hook was returned to the angler. Catches of snook have been picking up almost daily. Water temperatures are getting into the mid-70s, and the clarity is better than it has been in a while.

Capt. Seth Hayes has also been doing well on the big snook. In the last week, Seth has seen his anglers catch a 39-, 42- and even a 44-inch giant. Capt. Seth Hayes says he is throwing giant threads that are big enough for tarpon, and the big snook are chomping them up. On a trip Tuesday, his anglers caught 40 snook up to 29 inches, and three nice keeper trout in just four hours. A few large jacks are also starting to show up.

Offshore: Capt. Pete Rosko reports fishing in 80 feet of water recently, and doing real well using crippled herring jigs both tipped and untipped. He has been doing well on large porgies, mangroves and yellowtail snapper using a 1/3- ounce jig tipped with shrimp. One of his anglers also brought in a 27-inch porgy using a 1-ounce kandlefish jig. In his 40 years of guiding, Pete has never seen a porgy this large.

Running out of the Naples City Docks, Capt. Tom Robinson, onboard the "Sea Legs," reports that the water for the past two weeks has been exceptionally good for this time of year.On Saturday, he took out the Gene Burgat group, and they caught a nice bunch of mangrove snapper up to 20 inches. After the snapper were in the box they went hunting amberjack. Once found, they kept a limit of amberjacks to 35 pounds, and released some larger ones since they were too big for the fish box. Some grouper were also caught and released.

Half-day trips are producing a lot of action with snapper, small grouper, etc. Tom says the Kings are around, and should be showing up on hooks any day now. Hint from Capt. Robinson: for snapper use as light a tackle as you can get away with, and use a three- to five-foot fluorocarbon leader.

Angler's tactics bring surf fishing bounty

Fishing buddy Drop-Kick Dave and I went to Venetian Bay for a day of surf fishing. The sun was shining bright, temps in the mid 70's, the Gulf water incredibly invigorating, no humidity, truly "a tropical paradise".

I regress now, The Jetty Point at Doctors Pass was our destination but two other fishermen were already there. Just had to sleep in a little to long but we were looking for the bottom of low tide and fish the incoming tide.

When the fishermen from the jetty left the point, they passed by us and we got to talking with Ted from Toronto and another angler and I'm sorry I do not recall his name but he caught several Teo Mackerel. He explained to me what a Teo Mackerel is. It's a cross between a Spanish Mackerel and a King Fish. Okay, could be, I love any Mackerel.

Interestingly, Ted showed us his homemade pompano rigs and we got to talking about Pompano and how we both love Pompano for many reasons.

( His Picture is above. Click to enlarge and check Larry out) This lead to Ted introducing me to Florida Legend and pompano expert, a native of Florida fishing the Gulf shores all 57 years. Hence this article I fished off of the Internet (sorry for the pun), I couldn't resist. Enjoy.

Then he showed us his homemade tackle box that cost nothing. It consisted of 6 paper coffee cups ( previously used of course) all of the same size and in each was a single rig/tackle. So anglers, save your used coffee cups, they're light and for the cost of six morning cups of joe (Dunkin Donuts Coffee of course) you got yourself a great tackle box.

It's always interesting talking to fellow anglers. Whether your a seasoned angler or a novice your a fisherman at this moment. I learn and pass on many tips about fishing and the waters of Southwest Florida. From Everglades City and the Ten Thousand Islands to Sanibel-Captiva, Pine Island and of course The Boca Grande - Home of the summer Tarpon. Again you never no what great tips you are going to hear.

We had great success and had a great time doing it. Caught a bunch of fish for sure; 2 flounder, one 3' shark, schoolie reds and a ton of ladyfish. Catch and release was the order of the day. Didn't catch Spanish Mackerel Though the fishing guys on the point were catching Mackerel, one of my favorite florida Fish Dinner. Oh well, there is always tomorrow.

So Enjoy the tips. Enjoy "Larry the fishermen of Florida". And good Fishing in "paradise found".

By WILLIE HOWARD

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

HOBE SOUND — With the ocean water sullied by runoff from Tropical Storm Fay, surf fishing regulars had their doubts about catching pompano there Tuesday. Larry Finch was not about to listen to the naysayers.

Loaded with confidence and packing a box full of live sand fleas, Finch demonstrated that pompano will bite, even on a steamy August morning in water the color of weak coffee.

What are these?

Finch - a Jacksonville angler and fish market owner known around Duval County as The Fish Man - loves to share his surf-fishing expertise. He is scheduled to speak about beach, bridge and other types of on-foot fishing during the Florida Sportsman Fishing Show, set for Sept. 13-14 at the South Florida Fairgrounds.

At Hobe Sound Beach, Finch began by making two pompano rigs. He wrapped 15-pound-test fishing line from his surf rods around pegs on a board and twisted parallel lines to tie two dropper loops, which extend out from the main line at a right angle.

He threaded plastic beads onto the loops - the orange beads resemble sand-flea eggs, a favorite pompano food - then threaded on 2/0 Mustad circle hooks.

After tying on snap swivels, Finch completed the rigs by clipping on 4-ounce Sputnik sinkers, whose wire "legs" make the sinker resemble the Russian satellite. The sinker legs hold the sand, then fold away when a fish hits, reducing drag when the fish is being pulled back to the beach.

Heading out to the beach at Hobe Sound with his loaded beach cart in tow, Finch paused on the dune and scanned the beach, looking north and south for a fishing spot.

"I want a break," he said. "I want it where the wave is breaking on the bar."

He headed to a spot where waves were breaking on a sand bar about 75 yards off the beach, leaving a foamy sheet on brownish water.Breaking waves unearth sand fleas, crabs and shellfish that bottom-feeding pompano eat.

Read more of Larry The Finch

Fishing Report::
Beautiful weather means beautiful fishing

NAPLES — If you were one of the many boaters out on the water the last few days, you can count yourself very fortunate. Just think, in many other areas of the U.S., the only fishing being done takes place in a little hole in the ice. Our beautiful days and mild nights have allowed the water temperatures to edge up without big drops every three days, and the fishing has improved accordingly.

For all the inshore anglers , this means some larger trout are being caught, in addition to the hoards of little guys. Snook also are becoming more plentiful, even down in the Ten Thousand Islands, where we had a major kill last winter.

Of course, those little reds are still found up and down the coast, and guess what? There are more of them creeping up into the 18- and 19-inch range, and with our bait run beginning, the food buffet will spur some additional growth. Pompano are being caught in some of the passes on jigs tipped with shrimp, and off course you can still catch a zillion ladyfish if you wish.

Offshore, good catches of mangrove snapper are being reported, and lots of grouper are being caught and released. As the water warms, more schools of bait are appearing, and that means the king mackerel should start showing up soon. The water offshore is absolutely beautiful, and with the light winds we had, it was an easy ride to the ledges.

Offshore: Capt. Allen Walburn sent me a picture of a 30-inch mangrove caught on one of his recent trips. Now that is some fish! It was caught on a bare crippled herring jig.

Tuesday, Capt. Allen ran out about 22 miles with anglers Jim Clapper from Illinois and Bob Arnold from Michigan on board. Using shrimp and the above mentioned jigs, they put limits of mangrove in the ice box. They ran up to seven pounds. Tip: Capt. Walburn is using a very light leader for these fish. They also released grouper up to 17 pounds.

On Friday, Geoff Shepard and Bill Hickman ventured out 30 miles to the ledges for a day of fishing . First stop was at the Gordon Pass head pin, to net some real nice pilchards. Once out on the ledges, they caught and released over 50 grouper, both gags and reds. Also in the mix were quite a few large lane snapper and an occasional mangrove. They were fishing in about 80 feet of water, and Geoff reports that it was very clear and calm as a lake.

Vince and Donna Gallo went out with Capt. Brant Keller recently for a day of offshore battle. After netting some bait, Capt. Brant ran west-southwest out of Gordon Pass, where they fished from 28 to 40 miles out . Donna caught and released a nice 20-pound gag, and they both caught snapper and other grouper before a move to a wreck for amberjack. Once on the wreck, they got worn out by AJs in the 25- to 50-pound range. Brant says the weather was perfect, and the water temperature was 69 degrees.

Ten Thousand Islands: Down in Everglades City, Capt. Pete Rapps has been on the water about every day recently. He reports that there are lots of small trout on the outside, but he is finding some nice 22- to 23-inch fish farther in the back. He is getting his trout using DOA Terror Eyz.

Sheepshead are plentiful , and a lot of them are smaller fish, but he did put a 4.5-pounder in the boat this week. An occasional snook is also making an appearance as a by catch while fishing for other species. The water is about 70 degrees and somewhat dirty, but better in the back bays. Catch of note was by Bill Cataldi, who caught a 36-inch bonnet head shark using a bucktail.

Fly fishing has been pretty good, according to Capt. Jeff Legutki down in the islands. He is seeing good numbers of fish. The primary target has been reds in the 25- to 31-inch range, and they are falling for a crab imitation fly. A few nice-size snook are making passes at the fly, too. On a recent trip, Bill Hill put the fly on a 28-inch red and Bill won the battle. Jeff reports that the water is "dingy."

Naples/Estero Bay: Snook are starting to pop in the Estero area. Tuesday, I had Bob Shulenberg, Jim Van Deuson and Micky "Big Fish" Payne on board for a half day of fishing.

While the first couple of spots were zeroes, the bite started at the third. Bob caught a large bonnet head on a jig, and Mickey landed some jacks up to five pounds. Snook were next on the agenda, and we ended up with 16 boated and released. One at 28 inches and two at 26 topped the list, but all the fish were nice size. A couple of reds to 19 inches and a nice keeper trout rounded out the day. We used live bait for most of the fish.

On Tuesday, Capt. Chick Burke had Larry and his wife, L.A., on board for a half day, and they hit the trout hard. With about 25 landed, it was not difficult to come up with two limits, with fish in the 22-inch range. Chick was using shrimp under a popping cork to coax the bite. A few sheepshead and a bunch of ladyfish rounded out the day.

Capt. Pat Gould has been fishing the Naples area, and says we are seeing a move into the spring fishing pattern . He has been able to net bait every day, but on some days the fish seem to prefer shrimp over the pilchards.

The reds are still around and scattered about, with one or two at a location instead of the 10 to 15 we saw when the water was cooler. On Tuesday, Pat took out Kim Shearburn and his friends Scott, Marvin, and Eddy. The days total was 17 snook and six reds on live bait. Capt. Pat reports the the water is dirty, and the afternoon onshore breezes seem to slow down the bite.

Gulf grouper sport season closes Feb. 1

Posted January 26, 2011

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission advises anglers that the recreational harvest of all shallow-water groupers (gag, black, red, yellowfin, scamp, yellowmouth, rock hind and red hind) is prohibited from Feb. 1 through March 31 in all Gulf of Mexico state and federal waters off Florida, except in all waters of Monroe County, the Keys.

Closing the recreational harvest of all Gulf shallow-water grouper species for two months during the spawning season is designed to reduce overfishing of Gulf gag grouper by limiting the unintended catch and possible mortality of gag grouper to help rebuild its populations and achieve larger annual harvests in the future for this important species. Recreational gag grouper fishing has been closed in Gulf federal waters since Jan. 1.

More information regarding grouper fishing regulations, including the current shallow-water grouper closure in Atlantic and Monroe County waters, is available online at MyFWC.com/Rules (click on "Fishing – Saltwater").

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