For the better part of the week strong east winds dominated the weather around Pine Island. We still fished every day with the exception of one very rainy day and to my surprise the bite was actually better than what I would have thought.
Spanish mackerel action slowed a little in the Harbor, but I believe it was a combination of the water just too rough to fish some of the areas and the winds really have the Harbor stirred up. We are still catching macks off of Bokeelia but not in the numbers of last week. Once the wind lies off the bite should improve.
Trout fishing was good all week with plenty of upper slot fish in the eighteen to twenty inch range and several each day well over twenty inches. Most of the slot fish we caught off deeper grass flats around Bokeelia and north Matlacha Pass and the larger fish were caught in potholes, around oyster bars and right up against the mangroves on high water. The best action came over the last two hours of the incoming tide.
We are catching a few snook each day but we really haven't targeted them too much. Our largest measured thirty inches and came from Matlacha Pass. You can tell the water temperature is getting right for them and I expect a good snook bite once the east wind lies off. We had a difficult week with redfish only catching two; both were in the mid to lower slot.
Big jack crevalle are showing up again all along shorelines in Matlacha Pass and the north end of Pine Island Sound. They are a welcome sight as I wasn't sure how well they survived the winter freeze, as I heard stories of dead ones in the canals of Cape Coral. However, they are alive and well and if you have never battled one, I challenge you to find a harder fighting fish pound for pound.
Despite some very strong winds and one very stormy day I really can't complain about the fishing this past week. It was pretty darn good given the conditions and I know it is going to get very good going into the weekend with a more favorable weather forecast.
Contact us at:
Phone: 239-283-7960
Website: www.fishpineisland.com
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