In one word "HOT" was the best way to describe fishing over the week. And not so much the fish bite but the heat. Flat calm days with little or no breeze and the lack of our daily thunderstorms have really heated things up during the mid day. Fishing during the mid day heat a few better options were fishing depths where the water was a little cooler such as the Gulf Passes and near shore reefs or head out late in the afternoon after the sea breeze kicked in and the sun was less intense.
Again this week mangrove snapper were the go to fish for many anglers. They don't seem to mind the warm water temperatures as they were caught throughout the inshore waters. However the best action and largest fish came from water ten feet and deeper in and around Captiva and Boca Grande Passes and over reefs a short distance offshore. Live shrimp, pilchards and small pinfish on circle hooks fished just off bottom worked for snapper and lots of undersize grouper around the Passes. The same baits or jig heads with a live bait attached worked for snapper and a host of other fish including undersize grouper, grunts and mackerel over artificial reefs in twenty to fifty feet of water.
Spanish mackerel continue to be plentiful over the deeper flats and along the beaches. A summer spawn with lots of small baitfish occurred over the last few weeks and the macks are foraging heavy on them. The size of the macks can be anywhere from twelve to thirty inches with the average size about eighteen. About any small lure with lots of flash reeled fast or live pilchards or shrimp will get their attention. Trout going anywhere from eleven to twenty inches were also caught with the macks over grass flats in six to twelve feet of water around Bokeelia and on the western side of the Sound.
A good amount of tarpon are still hanging around Boca Grande Pass but the bite has been difficult during the heat of the day. Unlike last month there are not many boats competing for the fish, early morning, late afternoon and evening times should give the best chance at hooking a late season poon.
We have been doing a good bit of family fishing lately and waiting until late afternoon to head out when it's not so hot. My family enjoys shark fishing and catching the bait to catch the sharks. So we start by catching a well of live shiners, then we try to convert them into bigger baits like ladyfish and jacks. Once we get a few baits we anchor up, set out a couple shark lines then continue to catch more baits while waiting for the "big one" to bite. Lately there has been a lot of Bull sharks, most are running from four to six feet and a few lemon sharks. The best bite is generally the hour before sunset. With the use of a circle hook the hook up ratio is high for the kids; all they have to do is reel tight and hang on.
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"Catch The Action" with Captain Bill Russell