Captain Terry says “ Be on the lookout for Tarpon, Cobia, King Mackerel…”
(Ft. Myers Beach to Charlotte Harbor)The first part of last week proved to be very challenging finding and catching fish, with the exception of small Sheepshead and Mangrove Snappers. Nonetheless, three to four days after the cool front, the bite came back on, with reports of more fish being caught. The species included large Redfish, Snook, Spanish Mackerel, Pompano, King Mackerel, Cobia, Shark and Seatrout. Pictured here is one on my best junior anglers of 2014, Wyatt Day (11yrs young), holding his 16 inch Pompano he caught on a shrimp (under a cork) on the flats in Pine Island Sound. Wyatt caught lots of other fish. He is a Junior Rodeo Champion from Cheyenne, Wyoming, with three Belt Buckles to his credit. Other pictures are with his mother and father, Lorie and David Day and a picture of a nice Spanish Mackerel that Lorie caught. It was a beautiful day on the water. Uncle Marshall, from Boca Raton, Florida was on board to witness their angling abilities.
The fishing should continue to produce decent numbers as the water is very warm for this time of year as tide levels become higher and stronger. Be on the lookout for Tarpon, Cobia, King Mackerel offshore as well as in Pine Island Sound, as I have seen them all.
This is Captain Terry Fisher wishing you tight lines! Stay tuned for more reports on my website at www.fishfacecharters.com. Charter and other information may be obtained by calling 239-357-6829 or email me at fishfacecharters@yahoo.com
Another charter client, Mr. John Manteuffel of St. Paul, Minnesota is shown with a large Sheepshead caught on a Fiddler Crab ‘deep in the pilings’ in Pine Island Sound. John also hooked and successfully ‘angled’ a larger Sheepshead (around 18″) but was lost at the net ( I took responsibility for not getting the fish in the boat) and gave John credit for the catch.
(Ft. Myers Beach to Charlotte Harbor) Prior to the cold front and the ‘Full Moon’, fishing for all of my clients was fantastic! Boat loads of Spanish Mackerel were all over areas of Bokelia and Foster Bay, just to mention two prime locations. Big hungry Seatrout were present in deep holes (4-6 ft) while small Seatrout, Crevalle Jacks were all around. We caught Redfish on incoming and outgoing tides at openings (deeper ‘cuts’) protecting grass flats. Mangrove Snappers and big Sheepshead were caught around pilings using small shrimps and Fiddler Crabs. My baits of choice for the Spanish Mackerel were small to medium size shrimps. Cut Pinfish, ‘jumbo’ shrimps and Ladyfish were more effective for the bigger Seatrout and Redfish. Artificial baits were effective as well for Spanish Mackerel, Seatrout, Snook, Crevalle Jacks and Redfish.
Also, pictured are friends and repeat clients from Marshalltown, Iowa. Roger Chase is shown with his catch of a nice size Spanish Mackerel. His wife Sally, is proudly displaying a big Seatrout she caught on the ‘flats’ north of Foster Bay. Their friends (also from Marshalltown), Dennis and Sondra Buffington are pictured with a couple of their catches. Dennis (‘Buff’); is holding a huge Spanish Mackerel while his wife, Sondra displays her first Bluefish. Over one hundred fish were caught that day. Needless to say; ‘we all had a blast!
(Ft. Myers Beach to Charlotte Harbor) My fishing article in the January Issue of the Lee County monthly publication; The Nautical Mile, was titled ‘Seatrout Fishing 101’. If you are having or was having trouble catching Seatrout, may I suggest that you go on line to that publication or my website and read the article. Since the cold fronts have passed the trout fishing has been fantastic utilizing those basic techniques and strategies discussed therein. Pictured here are some of the Seatrout that was caught by my charter clients within the last week. They were found in ‘pockets’ surrounded by ‘Turtle Grass’ at depths of 3′ to 5′ deep. Jayne Henderson and Bob Wunsch of Kewaskum, Wisconsin are proudly displaying their catches of of 22 and 23 inch Seatrout. Their friends, Todd Schmidt and his wife Jo Ann of West Bend, Wisconsin are holding their prize catches as well.
Snook, Redfish, Spanish Mackerel, Sheepshead and other species have also been very active. Ten year old Vince Young of La Crosse, WI. (on the left) had a special birthday treat when he landed this nice 22 inch Snook in the canals of Cape Coral. His cousin, Jack Brooks of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (pictured with him) was along to witness the catch.
(Ft. Myers Beach to Charlotte Harbor) Regardless of the full moon cycle, the cool fronts have definitely slowed down the fishing as well as the ‘bites’. I have worked the flats and back country ‘on and off’ all last week and have found most success working the mangroves, pilings and structures for Mangrove Snappers, Sheepshead and Snook. Spanish Mackerel, Pompano and Seatrout still roam the flats but have been difficult to find during the cold spells. ‘Off-shore’ fishing and reports have been far and few between, due to the sporadic high winds.
Ft. Myers Beach to Charlotte Harbor) Since my last report, we experienced some real shallow (‘skinny’) water in conjunction with a cold front and strong north/northeast winds. Fortunately, the fish remained active. Shown here is Maik Lindner of Frankfurt, Germany holding a nice size Crevalle Jack he caught in a Cape Coral canal on the way to the ‘flats’. His brother, Christoff is shown with his first Snook on an artificial presentation while trolling the canal. Both fish were caught the day before the last cold (cool) front. Once we were on the ‘flats’, both fishermen continued to enjoy angling Spanish Mackerel, Seatrout and other species.