Dave Hanson

Tuesday, 9/4, I fished in 35 feet out of New Pass with Dennis & Jamie Riddell and Doyle and Kay Payne. We limited out on twenty mangrove snapper to 14 inches, and also caught some keeper Spanish mackerel and porgies on live shrimp. We used blue runners to entice three goliaths to fight with us, and released one approximately 40 pounds, one 80 pounds and 150 pounds.

Thursday, I fished with father and son anglers Jerry and Greg Elliot about fifteen miles west of New Pass. We played with goliath groupers for a while, baited with blue runners, and released two of those, one about 25 pounds and one about 80 pounds. We used live shrimp to catch a few mangrove snapper to 13 inches, a 13 inch triggerfish and a dozen whitebone porgies to 14 inches. We also released a few gag grouper shorts.

Friday, Mike Stong, his dad and two brothers fished in 37 feet out of new Pass with me. We caught a 24 inch Spanish mackerel, thirteen lane snapper to 13 inches, and a half-dozen keeper mangrove snapper to 12 inches. We released a bunch of smaller mangs, along with a 30 pound goliath grouper. We used shrimp for the mackerel and snapper, and hooked the goliath on a blue runner.

Saturday, Billy and Angel Fritzo fished with me in 40 feet out of New Pass, where we caught a 13 inch hogfish, five mangrove snapper to 15 inches and a 14 inch triggerfish. We released red grouper shorts.

The photo shown is of angler Mel Vaughn with a 23 inch gag grouper caught on live shrimp earlier this month on an offshore trip.

Fish Species: mackerel, lane snapper, mangrove snapper, red grouper, hogfish, goliath grouper
Bait Used: live shrimp and blue runners
Tackle Used: light and medium spinning
Method Used: bottom fishing
Water Depth: 30-40 ft.
Water Temperature: 92
Wind Direction: S, SE
Wind Speed: 5-10 knots
23 inch gag grouper, on shrimp, off Bonita Beach, SW FL
23 inch gag grouper, on shrimp, off Bonita Beach, SW FL


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Dave Hanson

About The Author: Captain Dave Hanson

Company: Fish Buster Charters

Area Reporting: Bonita Beach

Bio: Captain Dave Hanson is a native of southwest Florida. He has been fishing local waters since childhood, and has been fishing professionally for over fifteen years. He is Coast Guard licensed, and is a member in good standing of the Bonita Springs Chamber of Commerce. He has been featured in several national fishing magazines, and he also appears weekly in the fishing reports sections of the Bonita, Ft. Myers, Ft. Myers Beach, and Naples, FL newspapers.

239-947-1688
Click Here For Past Fishing Reports by Captain Dave Hanson