We are deep into the dog days of summer here in Southwest Florida, the weather is steamy and the fishing is on fire. Redfish, snook and Mangrove Snapper are the best bets during these summer months if you want both great fights and amazing table fare. Snook remain consistent on the beaches and passes as they prepare for their spawn. Big females can be caught using larger bait such as ladyfish and hand sized pinfish. Redfish are in their pre-spawn mode and starting to school up over the flats including a large portion of our bull reds (overslot redfish). Those fish are very interested in medium pinfish with the tails cut or chunked ladyfish on the bottom. Snapper prefer anything they can get their mouth around, small baitfish, shrimp, small crabs, you name it they’ll eat it. They’re quick and feisty and can be found in big numbers around any structure.

The summer fishing is heating up and you don’t want to miss a second of the action. Big beautiful redfish, powerful snook and an abundance of seatrout have been giving us some fun days on the water lately. Most of the anglers that step on my boat accomplish an inshore slam before the trip is over. Bait is all over the sound and it’s the perfect size to sit off groups of fish and access the bite with long casts. This time of year we really try to use a long light leader so as to not give ourselves away. These lighter leaders sometimes means tougher times getting those big fish to the boat and requiring a lot more maneuvering when these fish get us in a tight situation, but that’s what makes this sport so fun, the thrill of the fight. The water is heating up quickly which means we are required to keep less bait so they have plenty of oxygen in our well. We are starting to see some mangrove snapper moving into the inshore waters and it’s about to get even more exciting when we can fill limits of delicious snapper. Tarpon are all around and we’ve managed a few short hookups but with the windy conditions we’ve been facing some days just aren’t great days to fish for them so the time spent fishing tarpon has been limited unfortunately but that is sure to change with nicer weather on the horizon.

The spring bite is on fire here in Southwest Florida! Bait has arrived and is just about anywhere you look, the trout are big and in the middle of their spring spawn, redfish and snook are present all over the mangrove islands as well as some juvenile tarpon and the weather is great most days. As stated the trout are large and in charge, most of the trout we are finding are over slot, big females that are very obviously carrying eggs. Most trout range around 19-23 inches but we have been fortunate enough to catch a few in the high 20’s. We have had some really great fights with juvenile tarpon lately in some of the common spots in the backcountry. They put on a great acrobatic show with huge jumps and strong runs pulling drag along the way. Snook and reds are out and hungry, throwing bait fish chum around the mangrove lines will usually make for a great show as they begin chasing, popping and inhaling the greenbacks fluttering through the water. The fishing is heating up and lines are tight every day from start to finish.

Is it too soon to welcome spring into SWFL? I don’t think so, we are starting to see a glimpse of the most wonderful season for big trout, healthy snook, strong reds and many other fun times on the water. Gator trout are scattered throughout the sound right now as well as plenty of redfish. Soon we will switch our bait of choice from shrimp to greenbacks and pinfish giving us many more opportunities for big snook fights. It has been a blast out on the flats lately but also tons of action just a few miles offshore. Sheepshead are still strong even as we approach the end of spawning season, snapper, grunt and many other species can be found on the nearshore trips and it makes for a fun time especially for kids, the constant action keeps them fighting fish throughout the entire trip.

In most of the country the groundhog determines when spring will arrive, out here on the water we have our own signs of early spring. For one, when we start catching the big gator trout it’s a sure sign great weather, fishing and fun are just around the corner. For those who aren’t aware when a speckled sea trout gets over the 20” mark we consider them a gator trout, a term that has been around for as long as I’ve been alive and maybe longer. These big behemoths are fun to fight, and on the plus side the state of Florida allows us to keep one gator trout a piece because of the effect they can have on the young trout as they tend to prey on the babies. Aside from our increasing trout bite we are starting to see redfish that are just getting into slot size and the best sign of spring, the big snook are showing up. Spring will also bring us better bait to net and in turn great bites from all these big predator fish. The nearshore bite has been incredible lately as well with tons of tasty snapper, sheepshead and grunts. Spring is upon us and it’s going to be a blast.

Sheepsheada, sheepshead and more sheepshead. That’s what this time of year is all about. We are all in on these fish and finding a few bigger fish around docks and rocks in and around Pine Island. Using pieces of shrimp on a light jig head or circle hook with a weight is the method we’ve been using to catch these fish. Along with the sheepshead we are catching many black drum, mangrove snapper, redfish and starting to see some of the big snook moving back in the area, getting the snook to eat is a different story. They stay a little finicky while the water is still cold but come spring time they will be feeding great and moving a little less sluggishly. Weather has been hit or miss, the winter winds and rain have kept us off the water a few days lately but we are gearing up for the great spring fishing heading our way.