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

May 9-11

SW

Offshore: It was decent weather much of the week, with a bit of the now typical windy periods. That didn't stop the diggers though, with good reports from 3-35 mile plus miles out. Grouper, snapper, cobia, permit, goliaths and plenty of sharks made the day. There with tarpon reported at one mile to 11 miles off the beaches, still none of the great mobs close to shore. The 'poons are still very fishable though with good results reported from those willing to put in the effort.

Sarasota-Englewood: Good action across the board with reds, snook, trout and tarpon all chewing. The bushes and bars held reds and trout. The canals and feeder creeks were loaded with snapper, sheepies, rat reds and juvie snook. The passes had good big fish action with snook, oversize reds and tarpon eating bigger whitebait.

Port Charlotte: The big bay was more inviting this week with less chop and more tarpon throughout the bay. The holes at the northeast end held ‘poons as did the rivermouths. Bull and Turtle bays had good mixed bag action as did the Burnt Store Bars. The Bokeelia Bars held pods of bigger reds, trout on the dropoffs and some poons in the sloughs between bars.

The Boca Big drift is holding it's own with good tarpon action and way too many big sharks, that's show biz! The shark bite is becoming a thing of its own now, for better or worse, too many teeth for me. There are poons in the shipping channel and a lot fewer anglers; you can also catch a grouper, snapper, snook or big reds there.

Ft. Myers: It was a bang-up week in Estero Bay with reds around the bushes, trout and tarpon on the flats of the central bay, and some release snook in the passes. The feeder creeks held reds, snook and baby poons. Henry Creek, Estero River and the Imperial had a mix of snook and smallish tarpon, fly guys did well on both.

The passes were hotspots on the afternoon outgoing with numbers of snook all hungry for whitebait, shrimp and jig or better yet scented soft plastics. In Pine Island Sound there was good mixed-bag action with scads of trout, reds on the bushes and snook around the passes. Tarpon were scattered around the bay near Captiva and Redfish rocks. Matlacha had good redfish bites on the eastern shore. The Caloosahatchee held tarpon, cobia and snook along the Cape Coral shoreline and bridges.

By Capt. Ron Kowalyk | www.fishswfla.com | captronkow@aol.com | 1-877-267-9312

* 4cast updated each Thursday by 6 p.m. Click the refresh button if the report date isn't current.