Captain Terry says “Great fishing for Snook, Redfish and other species alike.”

(Ft. Myers Beach to Charlotte Harbor) Last week was fantastic fishing for Redfish, Snook and Seatrout. I prefer fishing the northern half (Redfish Pass to Charlotte Harbor)  as well as the back waters of Matlacha Pass in light of the high tannin water influxes at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River. The water is much clearer up there with plenty of Pilchards available to cast to. Pilchards have been the ‘bait of choice’ for me and most of the other captains that I have talked with. I have had lesser success with artificial, live shrimp and cut baits.

Pictured here is Kristen Mory of St. Petersburg, Fl. with a nice Snook she took on a live Pilchard after chumming up the area. Her friends, Emily and Cornelia of St. Petersburg are pictured here with their fish as well. Cornelia had to boat her Redfish by hand when the reel malfunctioned on the retrieve. These ladies were a pleasure to fish and I enjoyed watching all three prove their angling expertise on a number of occasions that day! Nice going ladies!
Christen's Snook UsseppaCornelia UseppaEmily's Snook Usseppa

Moreover, I had the pleasure of fishing a wedding party from Tarpon Lodge at Pineland last week. Ms. Sammi Willis (the bride), is pictured here with her Seatrout. Her brother (Brandon Willis together with father) is shown with his nice ‘slot’ Snook of 28 inches, while the ‘father of the bride’, Bill Willis, shows off a nice Redfish. Congratulations to Seth Wadas and his ‘Bride’, Sammi on their marriage.
Sammi Willis WeddingBill Willis Father of BrideSeth Wedding Party Tarpon Lodge

This week should continue to produce great fishing for Snook, Redfish and other species alike. Mackerel and Triple Tail along with grouper are all available and closer to shore. They are all active. I wake up every morning ready to go and capitalize on the October Redfish and Snook action that awaits most any angler. I am still available for charters during some of the October days for anyone that wants to get in on the action. Call me at 239-357-6829 or email me at [email protected]. Check out my website at www.fishfacecharters.com for complete information and more fishing reports.

Posted by Scott Q Boating Pro Tips Fishing Reports

Captain Terry says “Fish as close to the mangroves as possible”

(Ft. Myers Beach to Charlotte Harbor) Overall, this week has provided good fishing results, acknowledging however, that there have been a couple of days when finding fish south of Redfish Pass has been a challenge, mostly because of the extensive water releases from Lake Okeechobee coupled with additional water from the afternoon storms.

I believe that great fishing opportunities exist for the next week or so for the following reasons;

  1. We are ‘on’ and soon ‘off’ of a new moon.
  2. Snook season is open (offering more opportunity to target another species for both sport and harvesting).
  3. Season change is bringing in the big ‘Bull’ Redfish to feed before returning to the ‘Gulf’ for the winter months.
  4. The bait fish (including shrimps) are bigger and more abundant.

 

When fishing the ‘back country’, I suggest the cooler, early morning hours when water levels are at their lowest and the fish cannot hide in the mangroves. Fish as close to the mangroves as possible and one should be rewarded as the water is deeper than normal and holds fish.

I have spent much time fishing new areas (from Punta Rassa to Bokelia) in an effort to locate and track the target fish (Snook/Redfish). I am convinced ( based on recent catches) that the northern half of Pine Island Sound and  Matlacha Pass will produce the better opportunities over the next couple of weeks.

Those with the desire and ability to fish the northern  and eastern side of Charlotte Harbor (including the ‘Burnt Store Bar’ areas) might find more success with Redfish over the next couple of weeks until the weather brings more of the

Johns Redfish

m southward and into Punta Rassa Bay. Moreover, the water clarity is better.

In regards to the northern most areas mentioned above, I had the opportunity to fish with a friend of mine, Mr. John Medsker of Cape Coral, a superior angler with lots of local knowledge. We enjoyed ‘sight-fishing’ for Snook and Redfish. The morning started early, catching bait. We fished the incoming tide for Snook with some success. Several species were caught before the day was over, including the two Redfish (each pictured here with John), both measuring over 32 inches.  Our presentations included both live and artificial.

Offshore fishing should remain very good as long as weather permits going out. Tripletail should be showing up in bigger numbers with grouper moving in closer and into the passes.

Johns Redfish2

In closing, there are good days of fishing in the forecast. Feel free to contact me at 239-357-6829 or email me at [email protected] . Visit my website; fishfacecharters.com for additional articles and charter information.

Posted by Scott Q Boating Pro Tips Fishing Reports

“Even in tannin waters, fish must still eat!” Says Captain Terry

(Ft. Myers Beach to Charlotte Harbor) Last week I wrote that the best opportunity to catch fish in our tannin waters (inshore and back country) is in the early morning hours or late evening hours, regardless of the tide flow. Naturally the times mentioned above, coupled with moving water will most always prove the best scenario. At this time, with all the rain and large amounts of water releases from Lake Okeechobee, I still believe the ‘outgoing’ tides will provide anglers with the most success. The excessive amount of water is giving the fish extra protection and more hiding places deep into the mangroves and into some shoreline structures not normally accessible by boat or wading. Other than water holding in deep pockets in ‘back country’ locations, the ‘outgoing’ tides force fish to move out and off of many structures to relocate on or just off of the flats until the tide turns. This strategy has proven effective on my most recent charters.Danielle's Pompano

Last week, I had the pleasure of fishing with Ms. Danielle O’Banion, ladies basketball coach at Kent State in Ohio (Go GOLDEN FLASHES!). Danielle was taking a last minute vacation prior getting back to school to help prepare her team for the upcoming season and chose southwest Florida as her destination. We departed around 7:30 A.M. in time to fish during the majority of the outgoing tide. Our first stop was in Pine Island Sound (‘Sound’), on the flats, beside a creek mouth in about 5 feet of water. We used live shrimp under a cork and caught numerous fish including; Seatrout, Mangrove Snapper, a Redfish and Pompano.

The second stop around Galt Island proved non-productive, as the outgoing tide had all but subsided. We decided to relocate to a spot on the east side of Sanibel where the bottom half of the outgoing tide was still moving the fish out of the mangroves toward the flats to hold in about 3 feet or more of water. Since Danielle is a seasoned angler, I decided to change angling strategies by giving her an opportunity to cast artificial lures and scented soft baits toward the mangroves. Danielle proved herself as the best lady angler I have had the pleasure to fish with (other than my 1st Mate Vicki; of course).

Danielle's RedfishThe 26” Redfish pictured here was caught on a Gulp Penny color shrimp on light tackle and is only one of many fish and species we caught that morning. We finished the charter chasing some resident Tarpon on slack tide in the back waters. We had a brief encounter with one, but were not able to get a good ‘hook-set’, which may have ‘topped off’ the charter with a ‘SUPER SLAM’ (SEATROUT, POMPANO, REDFISH, SNOOK AND TARPON), all within about 6 hours.

EVEN IN TANNIN WATERS, FISH MUST STILL EAT! THE ‘KEY’ TO A PRODUCTIVE CATCH IS TO BE WHERE THE FISH ARE MOVING AND HOLDING!

This is Captain Terry Fisher of Fish Face Charters wishing you the best. Charter inquires or additional fishing articles may be obtained at my website www.fishfacecharters.com. Feel free to email me at [email protected] with any questions or call me at 239-357-6829.

Posted by Scott Q Boating Pro Tips Fishing Reports