Well we had some strong winds throughout Southwest Florida for most of the week giving anglers few options. Nearshore or back-bays was the place to be as anyone wanting to go out far could not. No worries though as the bite in the shallow water and the first few miles from the beaches was good for most of those that gave it a go. The water is a bit dirty in areas due to water releases from lake Okeechobee and the last of the rivers, creeks, and canals getting back down to their normal levels.
The back-bays and shallow estuaries had good fishing all week. We had a combination of great early morning tides followed up with the wind direction pushing water out fast on the outgoings. This created a great opportunity for anglers early in the mornings till about noon. Redfish was the most popular catch this week, using cut pinfish, mullet, and top water lures. Snook fishing did slow down a bit, probably because the white bait that has been in my area seemed to disappear for awhile as the salinity levels dropped with all the rain. Tarpon fishing continues to be productive during the low light hours or even at night on strong tides.
Nearshore fishing for tarpon continues to be fruitful. The areas from Blind pass up to Boca Grande seem to be doing best with Fort Myers beach down to Wiggins pass decent. There is a ton of sharks cruising around for anglers that just want to have some easy fun. Sharks will eat about anything, but fresh cut ladyfish or mullet is a no brainer on 5/o circle hooks soaked in about 15-25 feet of water. Mackerel schools are getting thick in these same depths and if your simply paying attention you will see them free jumping out of the water telling you their there.
Lastly with no offshore bite to talk about, get ready for pompano, bluefish, bonito, and tripletail to start showing up as our waters begin the slow transition into Fall. There will certainly be more reports of cobia and other pelagic moving down from the North so check your gear and make sure you have got your favorite set ups for these fish, before another angler buys them all.
Tight lines, Capt. Greg Stamper
Snookstampcharters.com Fort Myers beach, Fl
239-313-1764
Windy
