With April quickly winding down that also means that snook season is also coming to an end. With a short two month season and more days of wind than I care to mention the season went by to quick. This week the weather cooperated fairly well, the east winds prevailed once again by weeks end but strong incoming tides made the windy days fishable. I would not say the bite was on fire but the fish we caught were quality fish. Snook measuring up to thirty inches were caught in north Matlacha Pass and on the eastern shore of Charlotte Harbor on live shiners. The best bite was on the later stage of the incoming tide and like I mentioned we did not catch a lot of snook but the quality was there. Other guides also echoed the same result in catches from the area. Although snook season will soon be closed it also opens up some of the best catch and release fishing for snook of the year.
Fat sea trout have once again moved up around oyster bars in Matlacha Pass and in the northern portion of Pine Island Sound. From the top of the incoming to the first hour or so of the falling tide trout up to three pounds were caught feeding around the outside perimeter if the bars. For us we were using live shiners and other anglers reported catching the specks on top water lures. A few of our snook this week were also caught on the bars in with the trout.
Spanish mackerel continue to be the go to fish in our waters. We are catching them over the deeper grass/sand bottom mix in the upper end of Pine Island Sound and Charlotte Harbor and there were also reports of good mack action right outside Boca Grande and Captiva Passes.These fish are averaging from twenty to twenty-four inches with bigger fish mixed in, a blast for the kids.
The big fish are beginning to show up, I have sighted a lot of sharks up to six feet cruising the flats this week and also beginning to notice tarpon in their annual haunts. I have several sharks trips for the upcoming week, I will be fishing a large group that comes over from Denmark every year so it could be interesting.
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Have a safe week and if you get the chance GO FISHIN'
Captain Bill Russell