Another good week has gone by, and fishing continues to be good. We had a few slow tides that we had to get through but overall, it was good. The offshore trips do not have to worry about tides as much, and their trips went well on the low wind days. Nearshore trips did have a few days with wind to deal with. The back bays continue to be consistent minus a few days that the wind got going good.
The nearshore fishing continued to be all about tarpon and permit. Those that didn’t want to go after the bucket list fish, concentrated on action. Lots of mackerel, jacks of several varieties, as well as trout were found on the local rock piles and artificial reefs. A few schools of black drum were reported in @0 feet of water coming from the South. The tarpon fishing did have a few tough days mainly because of westerly winds, making it tough. Permit fishing continues to go well around mid-day before the same winds make things tough.
Offshore fishing has been good everyday that the wind was not strong. Those that fished in the 70-foot range caught mainly mangrove snappers. The bigger snappers that came in during the week have been caught in !00 feet plus. Red groupers, some vermillion, as well as a few random porgies filled up the rest of their coolers. Those that went out deep said the red snapper are thick, so that should bode well for recreational anglers in a few weeks.
The back country fishing for snook, trout, and redfish was good. Depending on what the tide is doing will dictate what to fish for. When the tide was slow fishing near the squeeze points or passes worked out best. When we had good tidal movement fishing around the structure with live baits or even throwing artificial lures caught fish. The mornings when the wind is not blowing is a great time to be fishing our beaches. The beach fishing primarily for snook and trout will be consistent for many months to come. Redfish continue to be caught all upper and over slot, with virtually no small “rat reds” being seen anywhere.
Tight lines, Capt. Greg Stamper
Snookstampcharters.com Fort Myers beach, Fl
239-313-1764
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