Captain Terry says “October finished strong for most inshore species”

(Ft. Myers Beach to Charlotte Harbor)

October finished strong for most inshore species, including Flounder, Spanish Mackerel, Mangrove Snapper and decent size Seatrout joining the ‘party’. Pictured here is Dave Anderson of Lake St. Louis, Missouri holding a nice Flounder he caught around Cabbage Key while ‘free-lining’ a shrimp under a cork along mangrove trees. I was ‘Captain for Hire’ on Dave’s new 24ft. Boston Whaler Bay Boat. Dave and his wife Barbara learned some fishing locations, strategies and techniques that yielded each of them a Redfish along with a number of other species, including Snook.

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Notice to Navigation: Canaveral & Okeechobee Waterway Lock Closures for Manatee Protection System Maintenance

Notice to Navigation

Notice is given that Canaveral, WP Franklin, Ortona, Moore Haven, Port Mayaca and St Lucie Locks will have scheduled 4 hour closures 7:30-11:30 a.m. and 12-4 p.m. at locations and dates listed below to support annual maintenance to the Manatee Protection System.

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Fishing Florida’s East Coast Mullet Run at Captain’s Annual ‘Costa’ Slack Tide Gathering

Jensen Beach, Florida

This year Costa Del Mar, along with other ‘industry’ leading vendors (Simms, Yeti, G. Loomis, Hell’s Bay Boat Works and Nautilus Reels), rallied over 170 Charter Captains to attend a 2 day educational, informative and competitive event, in support of our livelihoods and continued longevity. It was a rewarding experience, held at River Palm Cottages & Fish Camp, hosted by the owner, Captain Rufus Wakeman. The location, hospitality, attention to service and detail was second to none.

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SaraBay Marina to Open Second Location in Naples

Sarasota, Florida – SaraBay Marina, one of Sarasota’s most prominent marinas, has announced they are expanding with a new Sales, Service, Parts and Storage facility in Naples, Florida.

SaraBay-Naples will be located just south of Naples’ iconic ‘Tin City’ at 3470 Bayshore Drive, Naples, FL 34112 (formerly Gulf Shores Marina). SaraBay-Naples will be offering New & Used Boat Sales, Factory Authorized Service and Repairs, a fully stocked Parts Department and Dry Rack Storage.

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Captain Terry’s October 24th Fishing Report

(Ft. Myers Beach to Charlotte Harbor)
October 24th, 2016

Fishing has been very good north of the power lines in Pine Island Sound (‘Sound’) for species such as Snook, Redfish, Seatrout and Mangrove Snappers. South of them, the water is ‘coffee’ color due to the excess releases by the Corps of Engineers from Lake O. Red Tide seems to linger in specific areas from time to time. The Punta Rassa launch ramp is slow with few charters going out as of last week, due mostly to that. I run most of my charters out of Pineland Marina and Matlacha when possible, even though water levels are higher at the southern end of the Sound’, allowing good access to more remote areas.

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‘Tis the Season… To Buy a Boat

A boat show goers guide to doing it right.

Most boaters agree the best time to buy a boat is during the winter boat show season. They also agree that boat shows are great opportunities to take advantage of manufacturers’ incentives on new boats—as most manufacturers run promotions to correspond with winter boat show season. Even if you aren’t in the market to buy a boat yet, boat shows make a great family day to just have fun and take it all in.

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Captain Terry says “Hurricane Matthew is finally gone”!

(Ft. Myers Beach to Charlotte Harbor)

Hurricane Matthew is finally gone so we can all go back to doing what we love to do; fishing and boating! The water temperatures and wind conditions should allow most anyone good opportunity over the next week to fish both offshore and inshore. Naturally, the winds will mostly dictate offshore activities. Offshore bottom fishing should produce good numbers of Grouper, Snapper, Porgies, Cobia and an occasional Triple Tail. Baits of choice include, Pinfish, Threadfins, Finger Mullet, squid and shrimp. Use circle hooks when fishing for reef species. Know the species by sight or compare to a ‘fish species’ color chart. Know size requirements and harvest restrictions.

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