Fort Myers Fishing Report 4-15-15

fort myers beach fishing charters

Fort Myers Fishing Report 4-15-15

Spring break is coming to a close but the fishing is still going strong! It has been a super busy past couple of weeks for me in Estero Bay and Fort Myers, and we have been doing very well on our trips. We managed some over-slot Redfish and a couple keeper Snook also. The Snook we released to fight another day. I am a firm believer in NOT keeping any Snook on my charters. They are a valuable resource for us here and any good guide will tell you that there is plenty of other fish to eat if a fish fry is what you want. Most of my trips have been out of Sanibel and we’re fishing either for Tarpon in the early morning or Reds and Snook. All of the fish we caught ate either a threadfin herring or pilchards when you can find them. Same deal as always i just use a leader (30lb fluorocarbon) and a 2/0 Owner circle hook on a 4000 size reel. If you can load up your bait well than chumming with live bait is the way to go. Set up on your fishing spot and grab a handful of pilchards or threadfins, stuff them in to a cut off wiffle ball bat and let them fly. Chumming is a great way to get fish that are already in a hole fired up and chewing, it also helps with fish that are not so willing to eat. Look for fishing to remain strong and the Tarpon fishing to get even better than it is now as we move through spring and eventually in to summer.

Fort Myers Fishing Report 4-3-15

Tarpon Fishing Estero

Fort Myers Fishing Report 4-3-15

This week started out slower than usual with mainly Jacks being caught and a few small Snook and Reds in Estero Bay and Fort Myers. We had a cold front come through late last week and the water temps dropped down almost ten degrees. The Jacks however were ready and willing to eat, i have been using mainly cut bait and so far it has been producing well. Bait is available if you are willing to make the run to Sanibel to get it, but the good news is once you are there it doesn’t take long to load your well a couple throws of your cast net and you are done. Later in the week just yesterday we also found the schools of Tarpon off the beaches and hooked up on a 150lber! These are the big migratory fish moving through our area on there yearly spawning pattern. It is pretty early so far for them to be here but we are not complaining! Finding them is a challenge and usually we rely on previous years experiences to make an educated guess as to where they will be. Once you do find them the biggest threadfins you have in your live well will do the trick. I use 7/0 Owner circle hooks and either 40lb, 60lb, or 80lb fluorocarbon leader. If the fish are spooky and you can’t get them to bite sometimes 40lb is the trick. You will lose more fish but its better than not getting a bite.  The fishing is improving and the Tarpon now here will be here for a long time, usually until at least June. If you haven’t ever caught a Tarpon its a definite “bucket list” fish for anglers so book a trip today or get out and try to catch them yourself!

www.calusafishing.com

Fort Myers Fishing Report 3-26-15

Fort Myers Fishing Report 3-26-15

This week has been a little weird in terms of fishing in Estero Bay and Fort Myers. Usually this time of year bait is fairly easy to find and fish respond well to it. Bait has not been easy and myself and other guides have been finding ourselves making long runs to Sanibel to get it. It is very plentiful up that way and having a boat that can make the longer runs safely is very important to a guide fishing in Southwest Florida. Almost all the fish that we have caught this week have been coming on cut threadfin herring. Some of the baits we have been using have been to large to use live so the next best thing is to cut them up. The same rig is used when we do this, 30lb leader 2/0 Owner circle hook and a small split shot to hold it to the bottom. When you do find a smaller bait hooking them through the nose with the same hook and no split shot will also work. When using cut bait use fresh pieces as often as possible. Fish like Redfish are very smell oriented feeders and the fresh blood and stink of the threadfins will definitely draw them in. Another way to draw them in is chumming with small pieces of the same cut bait you are using. A word of advice though don’t chum to heavy or you will find yourself a permanent resident of Catfish city! The fishing is only going to get better as spring and eventually summer roll around so if you haven’t been able to get out and enjoy our areas fishing yet i suggest you hire a good guide and do just that!

www.calusafishing.com

Fort Myers Fishing Report 3-13-15

Fort Myers Fishing Report 3-13-15

Spring break is here and so are the warm temperatures! This time of year is easily the busiest time for fishing guides in Estero, Bonita Springs and Fort Myers and the folks lucky enough to be able to get a trip in with their favorite guide have been doing well. There has been a resurgence of big snook as they start to move out of their winter time haunts and begin to respond to the longer days and warmer weather. They have been hungry too and with season being open alot of people have been targeting them. Always remember when targeting Snook to handle them with care when not keeping the fish, try not to use nets if possible and when releasing them take your time and revive the fish properly. Doing this right means holding the fish in the water in to the current if possible and not moving them back and forth. They will usually suck on your thumb when ready to go. Use Threadfins, Pilchards or even Pinfish to get bites right now on pretty much all three big species Snook, Trout and Redfish. As always fish areas the tides give you and focus on moving water and structure i.e Oysters Shorelines etc. Typically Spring is one of the best times to fish our area and so far it has turned out to be true. Look for good fishing to continue and other species like Tarpon to start showing as the weather and water steadily rise.

www.calusafishing.com

Fort Myers Fishing Report 2-26-15

Estero Fishing Charters

Fort Myers Fishing Report 2-26-15

The weather has definitely been warmer this week and has slowly started to help fishing conditions. The best portions of the tides (the incoming) have been in the late afternoons. I tend to focus on them right now because they have been giving us the best chances for catching fish in Estero and Fort Myers. Bait is still around if you are willing to put the time in and throw the net multiple times. Sometimes bait is extremely easy and one throw will fill the live well, while other times you throw the net what seems like a million times and barely get enough for the day of fishing. It definitely makes you appreciate the easy days and quite honestly as long as i get enough im happy however i have to do it. Bait is usually the easiest to get in the early morning hours and i am usually the first one to the spots throwing on bait sometimes in the dark. Once you get them focus on oysters and mangrove islands all over the bay, especially in the south and north ends that have good creeks and bays fed by creeks. Redfish have been small and Snook have been on the Small side too but they are being caught. The good news is that Tarpon season is just around the corner and that’s when we get the large schools of migrating fish through our area. The mornings have been very foggy and that can make it extremely dangerous when navigating our waters. SLOW DOWN and use caution. If you have a big boat use the radar which is required to be on as far as the USCG is concerned. Just this week i have heard a story of a Captain running his boat in to a restaurant in Tampa so it can happen to anyone! Look for fishing to only get better as spring rolls along and get out and enjoy the water and weather!

www.calusafishing.com

Fort Myers Fishing Report 2-19-15

Fort Myers Snook Fishing

Fort Myers Fishing Report 2-19-15

Cold fronts have really put a damper on our fishing this week. On top of that the wind has been the worst in a while. I fished Monday and Tuesday this week and both days were windy with Tuesday being the worst. It was “howling” on Tuesday and the fishing was definitely hurt by it. Spots that we caught fish at on Monday proved to be holding none on Tuesday. We did OK on Snook and Redfish this week before the cold. Whenever you think you have it figured out it changes as far as fishing goes and every day is different which was evident this week. Monday Pilchards were the best bait to use and we caught all the fish on them. Tuesday not a single fish ate a pilchard but rather Shrimp on the bottom boated a couple Snook. Be wiling to switch it up and don’t get stuck in a rut using the same techniques and tactics. Try using different baits, different ways of rigging them, put it on the bottom with a weight, free line it, use a cork, keep trying different ways of presenting the bait and hopefully you find out what they want then stick with it. Thats the best advice i can give someone trying to catch fish in tough conditions. The good news about weather and conditions in Estero and Fort Myers is that bad conditions USUALLY don’t last long and our weather by Saturday should be back to normal with highs in the 80’s. When the weather changes look for the fish to be hungry and you can bet the fishing will be great when that happens!

www.calusafishing.com

 

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