Sarasota to Bonita Beach
Includes Siesta Key, Venice, Englewood, Boca Grande, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Pine Island, Cape Coral, Captiva, Sanibel and Fort Myers.

Nov. 20-22

Offshore: A roller coaster bite off the beaches with good bites on and off with the flat afternoon tides. The deeper marks held, snapper, grouper, cobia and kings were on a morning chew and there were plenty of massive bait pods all along the coast. The close marks held snapper, cobia, permit and scads of Spanish. The best news is that the winds have calmed down.

Sarasota-Englewood: Good action on mixed size reds and snook near the passes and at the creeks and canal. The winter turnover is in full swing and there are good numbers of snook in the backwaters. Trout are out but there are plenty of active specks around so debarb those hooks guys.

Port Charlotte: The big bay was a cornucopia of actively feeding fish with oversized reds and big snook at the top of the charts. There was some fair sightfishing in the bays and lagoon behind the many bars throughout the bay. Bull and Turtle bays were very comfortable for a change with the winds lying down and the cool shallow water morning holding fish in the potholes. The fish havens are home to snapper, flounder, reds and sheepies. There are mixed size tarpon in the rivers and canals.

Ft. Myers: My crews found upper and over slot reds in Matlacha and around the piers and docks lining San Carlos Bay. Snook were taken on the Sanibel Pier and at the Sanibel Harbor Docks. The Ding was a relaxed and friendly venue with plenty of mixed size snook, reds and release trout. The Caloosahatchee is wintering up with numbers of big snook, reds, poons, tons of giant jacks and some moby black drum.

Estero Bay had a mixed up and down bite with sluggish tides making anglers work a bit. Moving water was available if you kept your eyes open and the sweeps around the many bars held snook, reds and big sheepies. There were plenty of hungry rat reds under the bushes. The docks and creeks were home to snapper, sheepies and mixed size reds and a few legal snook.

By Captain Ron Kowalyk
captronkow@aol.com | www.fishswfla.com

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