Well the storms we thought would be a problem were not, and all the moisture that would usually be here has been sucked away most of this week. The typically summer patterns should pick back up shortly so no worries there, as we have got another month or so till things cool off a bit. There have been a few good days of normal this week, and this should be a pattern for at least another month or two. Those fishing our back bays did well all week as did a few nearshore anglers. The offshore bite was accessible only a few times, but those that got out far did best.
To start off we will talk about the back bays and inshore waters. Several back bay grand slams have been caught this week. Best bets for anglers are go for the tarpon first and move on from there. Redfish have been relatively easy picking this week on white bait, and pin fish, both on corks and flat lined. Snook are prevalent on all the islands and oyster bars near and in front of the passes as well as the beaches. Trout fishing is the last piece off the puzzle and suspending finger mullet hard baits on the grass flats should do the job.
Those that fished out past 130 feet of water did very well. Live pinfish and vertical jigs seemed to catch most of the fish. Mutton snapper, groupers, aj’s, and African pompano took up most of the bottom fishing time. There has also been a surprising amount of blackfin tuna, mahi and an occasional sailfish caught by those that took longer runs. Grouper fishing continues to be just ok as most anglers are not going out past 120 feet.
Nearshore the snapper fishing continues to be decent from 40 feet out on shrimp, small pin fish, and pilchards. Chumming these fish up for an hour before fishing continues to work well. The only problem with that method is if you pick the wrong spot, you have just wasted an hour of your trip. Permit in 40 feet plus are still going strong on small crabs, although the large tarpon bite has dwindled considerably.
Tight lines, Capt. Greg Stamper
Fort Myers beach Fl.
239-313-1764
Fishings great
