Fort Myers Fishing Report 5-8-14

Captain Marks recent fishing charter experiences

This past week i have spent two of my trips fishing for Tarpon or the “silver king”. The morning started off at 3:30am and soon after i was on the water bait fishing. The schools of Threadfins are around the bridges right now, typically they will sit on the back sides of the wash of the current in Estero Bay, but on the Sanibel bridges these bait fish see massive amounts of pressure from guides throwing cast nets on them and they have gotten smart and now they sit directly on the front sides facing the current. This makes catching them challenging since you have to “suicide throw” your cast net directly at the pilings and let the tide pull it straight in. The trick is pulling it in at the right time and not ruining your $300.00 custom cast net! The first day was great conditions in the afternoon once the wind laid down and the tide went slack. Fish were not rolling comfortably rather they were tail slapping , typically signaling they are on the move and not settled. They presented themselves to us a few times and we pitched a Threadfin at them at the right time but they did not eat. Typical Tarpon being picky. We did manage a few nice sharks which kept my clients happy bending the rods. The second day today was a complete wash out offshore, as we were leaving the inlet to head out offshore we were greeted by 4-5 foot waves, not very fun in a flats boat. I decided to err on the side of caution and not put us all in danger. We decided to run up north to Captiva and see if we can find some rollers. With the wind howling the waves inshore were not much better and we never saw any fish roll. We did however have a porpoise eat our Threadfin right off the hook! For a split second it had the bait in hos mouth but they are so intelligent he never let the hook get in him. All in all i had a great time fishing with my clients and glad we were able to have a shot at catching the elusive silver king. Tarpon fishing can be frustrating and you need a little luck on your side sometimes. Theses fish will be around for a month or two so get out and get on them, or hire a guide to put you in the best spot to catch one!

Captain Mark Yimin

www.calusafishing.com

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Fort Myers Fishing Report 4-29-14

The fishing this past week was good despite windy and rough conditions off shore. We spotted schools of Tarpon on our depth finder but never saw any roll, which is typical when there is 3-4 foot waves off the beaches! They were hunkered down staying out of the nasty conditions too, we did manage some sharks in the same areas and they kept the rods bent for clients while waiting for bites. The inshore fishing has been steady too and there are Redfish, Snook, and Spotted Sea Trout all to be had in the bays. I used some of the same baits we used for Tarpon this week to get a few strikes from some nice Redfish. Threadfin herring don’t last as long as pilchards do but when they die they make perfect cut bait for Redfish and whatever else is hungry for an easy meal. This coming up week will be perfect conditions to try and find the schools of migrating fish off the beaches. Slow tides during the day and light winds should make for some great opportunities. Stay tuned for more pics and information on whats happening in Fort Myers, Estero,  Bonita Springs, Naples, Sanibel and all of southwest Florida.

Captain Mark Yimin

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Fort Myers Fishing Report 4-28-14

Today we set out on a Tarpon hunt looking for the big girls migrating through our area this time of year. The weather report looked good with light wind and calm conditions…… Boy were they wrong! We were greeted with four foot seas offshore. We still went and looked, and we spent most of the morning with a bait in the water set up on the usual spots. Some people might think you’re crazy being out there in a flats boat, but we never got wet or took a wave over the bow or stern. I love Backcountry boats. Threads were around our bridges this morning and we managed enough for a tarpon trip in the am. After they did not cooperate we used the same 6 inch baits to land a few nice reds. When bait throws you lemons, you make lemonade! Tomorrow is more of the same we will be looking for Tarpon again and maybe some Redfish and Snook in the afternoon. Stay tuned to see how it turns out!

Captain Mark Yimin

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Fort Myers Fishing Report 4-23-14

The fishing this week in Fort Myers and Estero Bay has been steady, good incoming tides in the mornings have been the most productive with the bite slowing down in the afternoons. I searched high and low in my normal Tarpon fishing spots to no avail. We did however hook up on some really nice shark while trying for them. These are not a fish i target as a guide but when you don’t see any Tarpon around they will keep clients busy and smiles on their faces. Some of the fish have been in the five to six foot range and can really test an anglers determination and skill. I use the same set up as i would for Tarpon, 8 foot heavy action rods with 8000 size reels, 80lb fluorocarbon leader and a 7/0 circle hook. Be sure to use circle hooks if you want to land the accidental shark by-catch. Bait can be found for the dedicated guides who are willing to make long forty mile round trip runs to get it. I personally focused on finding thread fin herrings knowing i would be Tarpon/Shark fishing. The upcoming week should be good also and if the wind lays down the Tarpon will show again.

941-677-3474

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Fort Myers Fishing Report 4-16-14

Fishing this week in Fort Myers has been steady despite the bait being scarce. The good news is that the fish have been eating shrimp on circle hooks on recent trips. With the big full “blood moon” we had this week the tides have been very strong incoming and outgoing. Sometimes the fishing can be slow during the day on full moons because it is so bright the fish feed heavily at night, luckily for us that has not been the case this week. On the incoming find structure like mangroves and oysters, on the outgoing fish flats and deep edges. Shrimp on the bottom with a circle hook or pilchards when you can get them free lined on the same 2/0 circle hooks work well. Were coming up on May and June which means its almost the time of year when you have to be out on the water early, and off the water early due to the high heat. The last few days have been feeling like summer time with the humidity and temps where they are. The good news is the fishing heats up too in the summer time and early spring so get out on the water and find some fish!

Captain Mark Yimin

https://www.calusafishing.com

facebook.com/fishingguideswfl

The Wind Is Blowing!

The fishing this week has been put on hold for a few days due to the rain and wind, for the past two days it has been blowing 30mph and raining on and off. It is a good week to take the woman you love to the movies. When this clears up look for the fish to be on the chew though, after a few tough days last week the fishing has definitely rebounded. Tarpon will be here in large enough schools to fish for them shortly so be on the look out for pics coming up.

Captain Mark Yimin

941-677-3474

facebook.com/fishingguideswfl