Bonita Shores to Lostmans Key
Includes Naples, Marco Island, Everglades City and Chokoloskee.

July 30-Aug 1

Trout Offer a Refreshing Surprise in the Heat

July and August are not typically the months for trout fishing, but if you were in Estero Bay this past week, you wouldn’t know it. Captain Dave Hanson used popping corks and shrimp and averaged more than 15 trout each day with many of these being keeper fish. He also caught redfish, snapper, Spanish mackerel and snook. There is no reason to suspect that this trout bite will subside this weekend.

Gary Doner fished around Wiggins Pass and said that this past Sunday he saw more snook breaking water than he ever has before in 30 years of fishing this area. Doner caught more than a dozen of these fish using a gold spoon while adding snapper, ladyfish, and a redfish to the catch. He also jumped several tarpon in the backcountry, but couldn’t keep them on the hook. Again, there is no reason to suspect that this action will weaken on the weekend.

Farther south, the fishing has been equally good in the Naples area, and fair around Marco Island. The snook fishing remains poor south of Goodland, but there are tarpon and plenty of sharks that will take a cutbait, and there is probably some very good fishing south of Everglades City, but not many people have been going out.

It is however, summertime, and it has been a hot summer, so most of the fish being caught are biting early and late. There is more latitude offshore, but even there, the fishing can die during the heat of the day.

By Captain John Preeg
Captjohnpreeg@aol.com

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