Southwest Florida Forecast
December 11, 2025
By Capt. Greg Stamper
Capt. Greg Stamper of Snook Stamp Charters talks fishing from Sarasota to Bonita Beach, including Siesta Key, Englewood, Boca Grande, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Pine Island, Cape Coral, Captiva, Sanibel and Fort Myers. Contact Info : Capt. Greg Stamper; Snook Stamp Charters, Bonita Springs; 239-313-1764; www.snookstampcharters.com Dec. 12-14 Report Our fish are getting used to this cold for a day or two, nice for a few days trend. Other than the two days when the water temperatures dropped, it’s been good. There have been a lot of fish in the deeper channels during the cool-offs, and they seem to spread back out as the water warms up. We had a bit of reprieve from the extremely low tides occurring in the mornings. Winter super lows hit their bottoms around noon all week, so the backwater bays were not empty at first light. This gave early risers some moving water to work with and catch fish.
Most of the backwater action consisted of redfish, jacks and snook during the warmest days. Our water was as warm as 76 in the beginning of the week and eventually hit a low of 66. Some areas stayed a bit warmer as I’m sure there were some spots that got even colder. During the coldest of days, we fished the local passes, docks and deep troughs for sheepshead, snappers and black drums. For anglers that are using live bait, it’s mostly either whitebait or shrimp right now. During the winter the shrimp that you buy in the bait shops is bigger. So, using a whole live shrimp tossed along mangrove shorelines is a lot easier to both throw and see these days.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper The local reefs and wrecks continue to hold good numbers of cobia. Most of the cobia range in the 15-35-pound class. There are some bigger cobias around, but honestly the smaller they are the better they taste. These same reefs and rock piles also hold sheepshead and black drums at this time of the year. The sheepshead is starting to get bigger now and catching a bunch is common. Shrimp, barnacles and small crabs work best for these bait stealers, and a smaller hook works better. Other options in these areas like random kingfish and mackerels are also in play.
The few chances anglers could get offshore red grouper was easy pickings. The fact that it has been windy so often means there has been very little pressure on the fish. If you’re the first boat to be anywhere near them in over a week then your chances of getting hooked up are very good. Pin fish, squid, and frozen threadfin herring worked well. Snapper fishing apparently has not been as good as expected. This seems a bit strange to hear from multiple anglers, but fish do move around. I would expect that to change soon, as snapper is a very common target that is fished often.
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Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
PREVIOUS REPORTS Dec. 5-7 Report Another week of going through the up and downs of cold fronts has passed. The battle through water temperatures cooling off them warming back up has begun. Add super low tides to the equation and it can make for some tough days. Even with diversity anglers still caught fish, and some good ones too.
The nearshore fishing on the days when the water temperature was not dropping was good. There are a lot of cobias moving around the area. Any structure that has decent relief will hold cobia near it this time of the year. Often these fish will swim up to the boat curious about what is going down. Both surface fish have been easy picking when anglers have thrown a live pilchard or threadfin herring in front of them or even a large shrimp. Fishing around these same reefs and wrecks also produces a chance at sheepshead, trout, and mackerel.
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Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper The back bay fishing in Pine Island sound for trout has been good. Most of the trout are on the grass flats from Captiva north. You can catch good numbers of trout with a simple popping cork that has either live bait or plastic artificial under it easily now. Trout in the southern part of the region has been hit or miss along the beaches and passes. Red fishing was decent on the days when we had water. The super low negative tides make fishing in some of the areas impossible. It’s hard to catch fish when there is no water to fish in, and with low tides one foot plus lower than a normal low, that’s what we had. During the lowest of tides, the only options we had were to fish along the channels and docks, where we caught whiting, ladyfish, jacks, and some black drums.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Nov. 28-30 Another week of great weather kept the fishing going. The best bite for many was in our near-shore waters. Those of us who fished in the back bays and shallows still dealt with some low water at times. Offshore fishing was good for many bottom species as well as some pelagic. Overall, it was good as water temperatures climbed back into the mid 70s before this next cold front arrived.
The push of cobia from the northern waters has been strong. Cobia are being caught frequently on the nearshore wrecks up to 40 pounds. Most of the fish are in groups and are sight fished as they rise from the structure to check out the boats that pull into these areas. Live shrimp, threadfin herring, bucktail jigs, and even soft plastic swimbaits are working well for them. Those who are fishing the bottom in these areas continue to catch snapper, sheepsheads, black drum, and a few groupers.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper The beaches still hold a good amount of white bait. Cast netting these baitfish has been easy, and it is working well in the back bays. Once the water has risen enough, usually in the afternoons, we use the pilchards and catch redfish, snook and jacks. Most of the decent trout fishing has been in the Pine Island area. Trout can be found in 2-4 feet of water, and a simple popping cork with a live shrimp will catch many. Some black drum have been caught in our local passes up to 15 pounds using jigs bounced along that bottom minicing crabs or shrimp.
The offshore bite for red grouper has been good. Most of the fish have been caught using pinfish or squid and limits have been caught quickly. Once the grouper limit has been meet anglers have been moving into the rock ledge areas where mangrove snappers, yellowtail, and some lane snappers have been caught using shrimp, cut sardine pieces, and the left-over pinfish that are small. Those that keep a flat line out while fishing these areas will also come across kingfish occasionally.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Nov. 14-16 Report Well, it got cold around here this week. It has been a while since I’ve seen 43 degrees on my cars dash while driving to the boat. This blast of cold air lasted three days and dropped water temperatures 14 degrees in the first 24 hours. This temperature drops stunted local fish from biting for a day or two making life tough. Those of us who fished for species that don’t mind colder water as much still did well.
The cool-off shutdown the tarpon and snook fishing as soon as water temperatures dropped from 72 to below 66. No worries though this shock isn’t a killer one long term as we already started to catch a few snook again today. During the coldest day it was difficult to catch fish other than snappers and catfish. Probably my toughest day in a long time did get better though as the day warmed up. As we went from the low 40s’ into the low 50s’ we found mackerel and ladyfish off our beaches and in our passes. These mackerel, black drum, ladyfish, and a few shovel nose sharks saved the day through Wednesday.
Jack crevalle. (Photo by Capt. Greg Stamper) Nearshore fishing was all about shifting to snappers, sheepshead, and black drum while it was cold. A few cobias showed up for those on the wrecks even on the coldest days. Once the Gulf calmed down from the strong winds fishing the nearshore stuff was decent. There was a good kingfish bite just before the front came through, but I have not talked to anyone that has tried for them in the last two days.
The offshore recreational anglers did have a day to get out far and catch some more American red snappers. There were nice fish caught in 130 feet along with red grouper, kingfish, and plenty of mangrove and yellowtail snappers. The cooling water affects the bottom fishing less since the major water temperature change occurs at the surface. The part that affects offshore trips the most is the conditions caused by these cold fronts. 20-30-mph winds can really make things messy out far for a while. Remember getting out to 130 feet here is about 50 miles offshore.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Nov. 7-9 Report It was a good week overall, even with a bit of wind. For the most part winds came from an easterly direction keeping inshore and nearshore waters nice. There were also a few days for those fishing offshore to get out. Most of the days we dealt with the beginning of our low winter tides, as we will deal with these for many months to come. The low water in the mornings means back bay fish are forced into the channels, passes, and deep spots in the bays. Nearshore it doesn’t affect much other than you’re 2 feet closer from the bottom. Offshore fishing will see stronger currents during these super lows, so more weight will be needed during these times.
The bay fishing for redfish, snook, and the tail end of tarpon was all in play this week. Snook took top billing with lots of fish in the 14-25-inch range. Most of the junior size snook were more than happy to eat whitebait both freelined and cork around oyster bars on the low tides and mangrove shorelines during peaks. The redfish bite was good one day and off the next. Juvenile tarpon has been seen moving back toward the rivers and creeks as water temperatures drop into the low 70s. Those fishing in and around our passes are starting to have banner days on mackerel, some trout, and lots of shovelnose sharks.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper The near-shore cobia run has been good. Cobia has been caught up and down the coast around all the decent structure that has high relief. A few cobias have been caught off the bars in Charlotte harbor near burnt store. Anglers fishing structure continue to find bigger snook. Snook on the reefs and wrecks have averaged 30-35-inches. Most are caught using large threadfin herring slightly weighted on circle hooks. There has been some tripletail on the buoys, but most are small. Occasionally kingfish can be seen free jumping in the bait schools along with mackerel, so there are plenty of options available until the winds get going again. Tight lines, Capt. Greg Stamper
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Nov. 2 Report Well, the bite got better than it was last week. Finally, we had a few days with lower winds making things less sporty. The baitfish are still thick along our beaches and continue to get ambushed by predators. Those who wanted to get offshore this week were stuck at the dock for all but one day. The near-shore fishing was fine out till about 5 miles, as the easterly winds usually keep the first few miles from shore calm. One thing strong wind from the east do effect is the tides ability to push into the back bays. With strong winds our already low tides became even lower.
The pure fact that getting bait is easy right now makes life a bit easier. Having a livewell full of bait is great as we can chum with it as well. This technique gave us the ability to fire up some fish in areas and put a few on the hooks. Snook, redfish, jacks and snappers were the main targets all week. There was a nice surprise one day when we caught three tarpons while freelining large pilchards around docks. The trout fishing continues to be tough in the southern part of the region and better in Pine Island sound and up through Charlotte harbor.
The nearshore fishing still continues for big tarpon, but that is certainly winding down. This next cold front coming looks stronger than what we have been dealing with, thus the fish will push further south. The tarpon was cooperating this week though. The large amounts of baitfish on our beaches and in the inshore waters certainly are keeping them around. Some of the tarpon are right on the beaches easily within range of shore anglers. Those that stayed out on the reefs and wrecks did well on groupers, snappers, black drum, and snook.
Hopefully the offshore conditions will get better so the guys can get out, but that does not look like it is happening till later this week. In the meantime, there may be a chance if the winds stay below 20mph to get out and see if the snapper are biting in the 50-70-foot mark. Tight lines, Capt. Greg Stamper
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Oct. 24-26 Report The back-bay bite was a bit tougher this week in the southern part of the region. There seemed to be a push of small baitfish that moved into the area from the south, as the big bait we had pushed toward the north. This helped the fishermen in the Pine Island area and hurt those fishing Estero Bay down to Naples. Nearshore fishing reports slowed down a bit this week as well, so hopefully we just had our slow time.
We did catch fish but compared to the week previous we had to work for it. Fishing seemed more productive during the outgoing tides on several days for both redfish and snook. Water temperatures are holding steady around 80-degrees, so the slowdown is not from a cold front dropping water temperature drastically. I think the brief cold front we did get just gave the fish a bit of a shock letting them know dry season is beginning. There was one species that did not mind the slowdown, and that was Jack Crevalle. Jacks of all sizes have been seen just about everywhere.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper Nearshore the large push of bait fish along our beaches did get the tarpon fired up again. Tarpon has been seen just off the beaches harassing the schools of bait. The fish vary 50-100 pounds and anglers are hooking them on large pilchards and swimbaits. There are also decent numbers of snook patrols at the beaches going after the same schools of baitfish. Those that have been fishing the reefs are catching lots of mangrove snappers up to 3 pounds using shrimp, small white bait, and pinfish. Occasionally gag groupers, snook, and redfish are being caught in the same areas.
There have been a few days when the wind has calmed down. Mangrove snappers and lane snappers seemed to be the big target for many starting in about 90 feet. Those that used larger baits like grunts or pinfish found some red grouper in the 20-25-inch range. No reports of kingfish yet, but that should change soon.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Oct. 17-19 Report Well, we got our first cold front. It wasn’t much in terms of temperatures being cold, but it was a front. We had some windy days leading up to it which kept the offshore boats at the docks. Water temperatures did not change much, so fishing continues as it has been. Most of the fisherman that stayed in our nearshore and inshore waters did great, as most of the winds had an easterly direction.
The redfish bite continues to take top billing. If you want to catch redfish, it is time now. Most of the fish I’ve been catching are on whitebait or pinfish. Those throwing artificial lures like spoons and topwater on the open flats also caught plenty of redfish. The open flats also have an influx of large Jack Crevalle, and they are eating anything. Fishing for snook has been good, with most ranging from 20-30-inches. Most of the snook have been hanging under the mangrove shorelines during the high tides. Snappers, sheepshead, blackdrum, and small sharks are the bycatch this week.
Courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper The nearshore fight is consistent, most of the nearshore wrecks and reefs have been productive for snook, snappers, and some cobia. Those that fished with crabs are still able to catch some permit, with the best time of the day being around noon. The snook are hanging around these structures as well, and a live pilchard or threadfin herring will get their attention. There continues to be tarpon along our beaches. Cayo Costa beaches down to Naples have had schools of fish moving in close to the beaches. These tarpons feast on the large amounts of baitfish available in these same areas.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Oct. 10-12 Report Another week of wind kept the offshore boats at the docks, for all but two days. Those that fished nearshore could, Easterly winds that are strong flatten the first few miles of the gulf from land. Guys like me that mainly fish in the shallow back bays and estuaries have no problem catching fish, even when windy. Overall nearshore and inshore fishing was good almost every day.
Nearshore fishing was good on the wrecks and reefs within the first 5 miles. After you got past about 4 miles the strong winds that influenced the region for most of the week made things sporty. Those that did fish nearshore caught snook, sharks, barracudas, snappers, and some sheepsheads. There are still tarpon patrolling our beaches. These tarpons range from 80-120-pounds. The tarpon are happy as they eat the massive amounts of bait fish in the area. Live mullet has been outstanding bait for tarpon all week.
The Inshore fishing was good all week long. There are a lot of snook around ranging from 15-28-inches. Red fishing is fantastic as it should be in October. You know it’s good when the clients are seeing who catches a redfish with the most spots, over who catches the biggest. Big jack crevalle are also patrolling the area. Some of these jacks are up to 15-pounds and are a blast when using topwater. Snappers, sheepshead, blackdrum, and some random sharks took up the rest of our time.
Those that did try the offshore trips did so sparingly. There were only 2 days that the winds laid down long enough to go 60 miles offshore. There are fish out there though. Snapper fishing reports were for yellowtail and mangrove snappers particularly. Those that used squid and pilchards had no issues catching limits quickly. No reports of sailfish or wahoo this week.
Interesting spots on this red drum. (Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper) Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Oct. 3-5 It has been rather nice all week. Another hurricane shot by the East side of Florida, with nothing more than high surf affecting the eastern side. Here on the West coast, it brought some lower humidity and a day or two of Northwest and North winds. These winds brought down some cooler than normal air and less humidity. Dare I say it almost felt cool out during that first morning run across the bay. Overall, the fishing was decent, mainly during the outgoing tides. Those that fished in the deep stuff also had a few days to blow some gas and load some coolers.
The redfish bite continues to be great. Fish are being caught both in good numbers as well as size. The outgoing tides were primarily what we have been fishing this week. Most of the days the bite was best early in the morning and slowed down my midday. There are a lot of redfish out there so whether you throw artificials, live bait, or cut something it will all work. Snook fishing in our rivers and back bays has been good. Most of the snook range from 18-32-inches in these areas, with a pig seen here and there. Trout fishing is beginning to pick up again, but not great. Most of the areas I have been fishing are still tannic from the local water sheds and thus a little bit less salty.
Those that did have the chance to go offshore for a day or two did well. Reports of good fishing in about 120 feet of water came in from several boaters. Most of the action was on the bottom catching snappers. American reds could be kept on the weekends, otherwise it was muttons, lanes, mangrove snappers, and porgies. There were a few reports of wahoo, sailfish, tuna, as well as mahi from boats that got out to about 150. The best, easiest, and shortest run that is productive continues to be an evening nighttime snapper trip. These evening trips can be super good starting at about 75 feet.
The tarpon bite is still on, and it will continue that way until we receive a significant cold front or two. So, if you fish along our beaches from the shorelines to about 3 miles out you still have a chance at a silver king. Cobia, snook, snappers, and black drum continue to be caught on the local wrecks and reefs by those nearshore fishermen not tarpon fishing. The permit bite continues to be good.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Sept. 26-28 Report It is time for those that like to catch redfish to be out. All week reports came from every part of the region about red fishing being great. Those fishing in the northern areas of Pine Island sound and Charolette bay are already finding redfish in schools. “Red October” as we call it, has come early. These schools of redfish will have a lot of fish that are generally the same size. All week-long redfish from 24-30-inches have been caught not only from schools, but also along the shorelines plucking out singles. Live baits work greatly for redfish like pilchards, pinfish, and shrimp. Most popular now becomes topwater fishing as these schooled up fish are very aggressive.
The nearshore fishing for permit, cobia, and snook was also very good this week. Many anglers also had a blast with barracuda, sharks, goliath groupers, and mackerel in these same areas. The water is still hot, but there has been a small drop in temperature over the last few weeks. This cool off can fire up the cobia bite as fish will begin to push down from the north soon. This migration applies to several species that will set up residence here through November.
The offshore fishing was doable this week. Most of the good stuff was caught in at least 100 feet of water. The yellowtail and mangrove snapper bite continues to be good, especially during the evening. Those that fished during the night found some yellowtail up to 26-inches.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Sept. 19-21 Report The rain is finally slowing down and fishing without dodging storms all day has arrived. Hopefully we will continue with a normal summer pattern for a while, making fishing more predictable. The backcountry waters continue to be very tannic in the very back areas where all the freshwater runoff is dumping. As you move toward the frontal areas by the beaches and passes, the water looks more like it should. One thing is for sure; all the runoff brings lots of nutrients into the system and the bait fish population has benefitted from that.
Most of the fishing was done in the back bays and nearshore waters all week. The constant threat of rain, sometimes very strong, kept most anglers from going far. Those that fished in the shallow waters had good luck with redfish, some snook and jacks. The areas that received the most amounts of rainfall made trout fishing tough. It seemed like the outgoing tides were better during the week, but that might be because in the beginning it was the saltiest in the areas I fished. Pinfish, large white baits and cut baits like mullet and ladyfish worked well. Those fishing in the Pine Island sound area, especially on the west side, found schools of redfish. These schools will become more common through October and sometimes have hundreds of fish.
Redfish fishing is starting to build. Those fishing on our nearshore wrecks and reefs did well on snook. Most of those trying to catch snook around wrecks are using live threadfin herring with enough weight to keep them on the bottom. Occasionally a freelined herring will produce a cobia, shark, or barracuda in these same areas. Did not hear much from the offshore guys this week, but hopefully some days with lower winds and consistent weather will help them this week.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Sept. 5-7 Report Another good week of fishing went by, even with the rain and wind. Most of the decent fishing was done in our back bays and estuaries all week. We received some winds up to 20 mph from the Northwest as a front stalled out over Southwest Florida. This front did nothing in terms of cooling things off but did make for tough runs offshore and nearshore for a few days. Thus, the place to be remains the back bays, fishing the shallow water catching redfish, snook, and tarpon.
The redfish bite continues to improve. We are certainly on track to have a great Fall fishery. Hopefully, with some luck we can get through the next few months hurricane free. The redfish have already begun to show up in good numbers. The fish are eating artificial lures, soft plastics, and occasional topwater. The redfish size varied all week, but we consistently caught fish up to 27-inches. Snook was also fired up with the weather as well. We caught some nice fish this week with a few fish in the upper 30s’ Often we caught them in the same areas that we were targeting redfish. The juvenile tarpon bite continues to be good. Most of the action happens early in the morning or before sunup, so plan accordingly.
Photo courtesy Capt. Greg Stamper Offshore and nearshore fishing varies as the weather dictates. If you are planning on a fishing trip in the area where the winds are blowing hard from the West, good luck with that. The few days anglers could get out deep they caught yellowtail, mangrove, and lane snappers mainly. This month gag groupers open back up, so you will certainly start seeing those at a fillet station near you soon. There should also be an influx of blackfin tuna, the occasional wahoo, and some mahi for those that go out past 130 feet. Those staying in the nearshore waters continue to find permit on the wrecks, as well as a few cobia and snook.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Aug. 29-31 Report The waters in our backcountry bays and estuaries got very dark this week. Think of tea-colored water, but with two feet of visibility. The copious amounts of rainfall we received over a four-day period had a lot to do with it. Those who fished in these areas noticed the fish acted differently. Some of the repercussions of lots of rain are salinity levels being lower. This in effect pushes baitfish closer toward the mouths of our passes and onto the beaches. Lower salinity levels also push fish like pompano and trout toward saltier waters. Tarpon, redfish, snook and sharks were abundant throughout the bays all week and with good size.
Redfish (snook and sharks, too) have been abundant throughout the bays in the region. (Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper) The offshore fishing reports were best from those that fished in the evening. The bite during the night hours was outstanding for snappers like yellowtail, mangrove, and lanes. The morning storms that we had often all week, take some energy out of the atmosphere. This transfer of energy to the morning hours gives afternoon thunderstorms less bite. This usually results in less lightning to deal with during the afternoon and early evening storms. The bite for many of the evening trips started in about 80 feet of water over small ledges. After chumming well for about 45 minutes the anglers could first see the snappers on their bottom machines. After the chum had done its job, the snappers were practically behind the boats on the surface.
The nearshore fishing continues to be decent. There was less tarpon caught this week along our beaches, probably due to westerly winds making things tough. The few calm days when fishing the local wrecks was doable brought opportunities at permit, trout, small snappers and snook.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Aug. 22-24 Report The bite was good this week, if you fished during the cooler hours. There were a few mornings that popped this week as we carried overcast into the first light hours. The mornings that had overcast, gave fishermen a few more hours of cool conditions. The inshore fishing was best during these times, and the fish were actively feeding most of the days. Those who fished in our nearshore and offshore waters also had good luck.
The offshore bite went well with several flat calm mornings to make the long run offshore easier. Those that fished in about 100 feet of water found red groupers easily. Some of the red groupers weigh up to 14 pounds and were more than happy to eat good ole squid. Those that downsized their tackle and fished for mangrove snappers, yellowtail, lane snappers, and some vermillion also did great on simple jigs with cut squid, shrimp, and sardines. Limits of the snappers also came easily for many.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper. The nearshore fishing for permit, tarpon, cobia and sharks continues to be good. Those targeting tarpon did well fishing on the Gulf side of Sanibel up to Boca Grande. The permit bite continues to be best during the midday hours. Those that used live crabs had no problem catching permit on any day it was calm. Other options on these reefs and wrecks include snook, redfish, trout, snappers, and of course the random cobia.
The juvenile tarpon fishing continues to be great. We caught tarpon from 10-30-poubds everyday we tried. After catching tarpon for a few hours transferring to the shorelines with our same baits, it produced snook from 12-28-inches one after another. Fishing in the open bay produced redfish on cut baits when the tidal movement was at its strongest.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper. Aug. 15-17 Report We are coming off our full moon swing, which gave us some tough morning tides. The transition to having better moving water in the mornings will be a big help to those that do not want to roast. The best time to be fishing on the water continues to be at night or during the first few hours of sunrise. Having slacking tides that occurred around 8am for a few days hampered the first light bite considerably.
Those that fished in the nearshore waters had some good luck at midday. Yes, it is hot but the permit tend to like it more when the sun is up higher. Sometimes I think that the crabs that are free swimming by them must stand out better then. Schools of permit have been seen tailing on the surface in good numbers as they hunt down crustations. Most of the permit range from 10-30-pounds so you will need to tackle up appropriately. Around these same wrecks and reefs snook continue to be caught. There are plenty of threadfin herrings around, so catching a few for snook bait will be easy going.
The offshore fishing took a bit of a dive this week. Reports of red groupers in 100 feet of water seemed to be the best bet. Those that fished in the same areas for snappers, porgies, and African pompano did not do that well. Most of the red grouper were barely legal and the snapper bite was off. I can catch snappers the size that they brought in in our back bays, and most of the back bay snapper are barely legal. A few boats did a bit better when getting out to 120 feet plus, but most had what would be considered a tough day.
On a side note, many of the weirs and levees from Cape Coral down through Fort Myers are starting to crest. This is a great time to throw some artificial bait around the fall out. Snook, tarpon, bass, jacks, and an assortment of predatory fish can be caught during this time. Once these baby waterfalls begin to dump, typically the first few weeks are very good fishing.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Aug. 14 Report The fishing got a bit tougher as the week went on, as early morning slack tides hampred the bite. Most of those who have been fishing early in the mornings had no choice but to deal with slow-moving water as the full moon was setting. A few days also brought us some much-needed rainstorms in the afternoons. These storms produced inches of rain for some, and lots of lightning. Water temperatures started in the high 80s earlier in the week. The rain does help cool off surface temperatures a bit and on Friday morning we had 87-degree water at 5am.
Some fish are being caught if the tide is moving. It did not matter if the water was coming in or out, if it was moving, we caught fish. Redfish have been actively feeding around oyster bars during the morning hours. Trout, snappers, and snook are also mixed in throughout the bays now. Trout has been randomly caught in some odd places. Typically, trout do not like lower salinity water. With the lack of rain so far in August trout up to 20 inches have been caught far back in the bays. Snook seems to be found anywhere there is some shade and some current available and are feasting on the small baitfish. Snappers are everywhere, making a shrimp’s life short when on a hook.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper. Those fishing nearshore continue to hammer the permit. When permit fishing those that drop a live pilchard or threadfin to the bottom, are finding some big snook, cobia and snappers. The permit themselves is primarily eating crabs. Those fishing nearshore beaches for tarpon continue to do well. Most of the fish are found in schools moving around as they harass the threadfin herring schools.
Offshore fishing has been good. Most of those that got out of 85 feet of water or more, caught lots of red grouper. Limits of red groupers were caught by many, and some snappers also made the coolers as bycatch. Most of those that fished used basic presentations of sardines, squid, or live pinfish to get the job done. It is important this time of the year to try and get back in before the afternoon thunderstorms begin.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
July 25-27 Report The Saharan dust kept things hot this week, with feels-like temperatures around the 110 mark. When the dust is here, we seem to be a bit warmer with hazy skies, and slightly less rain. Hotter temperatures mean fishing during the heat of the day will be tougher, especially on slower-moving tides. Overall fishing in the back bays was good early, offshore was excellent out past 150 feet, and the nearshore bite continues to do well.
Those who chose to make the long runs out past 150 feet or more caught lots of fish. Red snapper is still a headline fish here and will continue to be a target until the season is over. The red snapper is being caught relatively quickly on pinfish, squid and flutter jigs. Those who fish in these deeper areas, some 60 miles offshore, also get some pelagic. Mahi, blackfin tuna, sailfish and wahoo are good examples of the pelagic. There were also a lot of porgies, African pompano, and scamp grouper caught in these same areas.
Photo by Capt. Greg Stamper The back bay fishing was good early and tough midday. Most mornings anglers targeted tarpon, snook, jacks and trout. All these fish seemed to be active until the sun started getting up above the mangrove shorelines. So, fishing until about 10 am was the best bet as the water temperatures in the shallow waters are around 89 degrees. Live baits like pinfish, threadfin herring, pilchards, and even mullet, were all easy to catch on the local grass beds. Not everyone needs live bait though as the artificial bite was also good, as long as you fished early or at night.
The near-shore fishing continues to be good. Once you are in the gulf, the water temperature drops to about 86 degrees. Ya, that does not seem much cooler, but it makes a difference. Tarpon will continue to be a big target until we get into October. Most of the tarpon of the beaches ranged in the 80-to-130-pound class. Live crabs have been working well as well as live mullet or ladyfish. Those fishing the local wrecks and reefs will be catching permit, mangrove snappers, mackerel, trout, and snook. Most of the fishing for the tarpon was good earlier in the morning, and the reefs and wrecks popped during the mid-morning / early afternoon time frames.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
July 18-20 Report Unsettled weather is what the weatherman calls it. We got a bunch of downpours all week-long giving communities plenty of rain. Most of the time the rains were isolated in bands as a tropical depression moved across the top of the state. This meant that anglers did have to pay attention to the weather and make good decisions all week long. Fishing was good both inshore and out. Those who stayed away from the lightning did well. There was a push of big bait moving down our beaches that did not hurt the cause and thus beach fishing was excellent.
The back country bite was outstanding. Most good fishing occurred late in the evening and into the early a.m. hours. Snook was the No. 1 target this week. Fishing at the dock lights along Fort Myers beach and in the Caloosahatchee River was excellent. Fishing these lights on docks, shorelines and bridges is a blast this time of the year. Those who fish at night, not only get a reprieve from the rain, but it is cooler out. Fishing during the night does have its downside though, mosquitoes this year are bad. Those who are fishing from dusk till dawn better be wearing bug spray. The mosquitoes are unbelievable, even with bug screen on they are going to get you.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper Offshore fishing has been good. The big target for those who get out deep are red snappers. These red snappers range from 10 to 30 pounds and are being caught regularly. Live pinfish, sardines and squid have been the main baits when fishing out deep. They have been seeing some pelagic caught while fishing out past 150 feet. Blackfin tuna, mahi mahi, cobia and even a random tripletail was also caught out deep. If you do not want to make the far run to the red snapper grounds, then fishing inside of 100 feet has worked as well. There are a few small red snappers in these areas, but mostly it’s a red grouper, mangrove snapper and yellowtail area.
The nearshore bite continues to be good for tarpon. There are a lot of fish moving along the beaches of Captiva and Sanibel in about 15 feet of water. Live threadfin herring freelined with 5/O circle hooks is all you need. You can cast net or sibiki the threadfin in the same area as the tarpon. Otherwise, you can go buy some crabs. Those who continue to fish on the nearshore wrecks are catching permit. The permit fishing will continue to be great for many more months.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
July 11-13 Report There was a lot of rain early in the week, as we received a small tropical depression moving across Florida. Luckily it was not anything to worry about, and only brought a bunch of rain for a few days. The weather kept most of the offshore boats from going out during its passing, but the back bay fishing continued. With rain coming in waves at all hours of the day, it wasn’t for those who do not like getting wet. As we moved toward the later end of the week, we got back to our normal weather pattern.
During the beginning of the week, we fished when we could. Some mornings it was pouring early and when I mean pouring, we were getting inches of rain. So, we kept dodging back and forth throughout the bay, doing our best to stay out of the hard stuff. As the week moved toward hump day our normal fishing began again. The rain seems to have pushed the trout out toward our passes and local reefs. The copious amounts of rain have certainly lowered the salinity in the back bay areas. Snook and tarpon fishing has been excellent. The flush of water made fishing great anywhere that water was flowing into the bay from local runoff. The redfish action was good, but tough late this week.
Photo by Capt. Greg Stamper The inshore fishing continues to be good, if the water is relatively calm. Those who have small live crabs continue to have the best luck when permit fishing. Most of the permits range from 10-25 pounds. Occasionally a permit over 30 pounds is being caught, and a cobia or two. The bottom fishing on the local reefs and wrecks for snappers, mackerel, trout, and porgies continues to be productive. The tarpon fishing just continues to go on. There have been a lot of boats fishing for tarpon from Cayo Costa all the way up into Boca Grande. Tarpon fishing for some goes well and they catch a few, others spend all day just starring at the gulf, but that’s tarpon fishing.
The local lakes and ponds are full once again. If you enjoy a little freshwater action now is a good time to do it. The massive amounts of rain that drain into the local ponds is cooler than what was there. It will take a few days for the water temperature to get back to whatever it was. During this time bass, peacock bass, cichlids, and even the saltwater fish stuck in the ponds will be fired up and eating
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
July 2 Report The bite has continued to be productive both offshore and inshore. Most of the days we are seeing rain in the late afternoons, so fishing patterns are consistent. There have been a few mornings when the rain started in the Gulf before sun-up, giving the coastal areas some early showers. For the most part the fish enjoy these rains as it cools the water surface down and adds more oxygen to the water.
Those that prefer to fish in the shallow waters of Pine Island sound, Matlacha, and the Fort Myers beach areas did outstanding during the pre-sun-up hours and the first few hours of sunlight all week. Tarpon fishing was outstanding on the local bridges and deeper parts of the bays all week. The big tarpon are hammering live ladyfish that are being freelined in these areas. Those who stayed in the backcountry during these same times had to wear bug spray but caught a ton of fish. The action in the bays has been good for redfish, snook, and even a few random permit. The snook action has been strong. Most of the snook range from 12-14-inches, but a few 35-inch-plus fish are caught here and there. Most of the redfish caught this week were mixed in when we snook fished, making for some nice by-catch.
Photo by Capt. Greg Stamper The offshore fishing for red snapper and other bottom fish has been easy going. We have had a lot of decent days to go out far, making the long runs doable. The red snapper fishing starts getting good in about 130 feet of water. Limits are being reached quickly and easily. After catching your red snappers since you are out that far keep an eye open for mahi, blackfin tunas, and wahoo. Those that continue to bottom fish will also find an array of other keepers like yellowtail snappers, mangrove snappers, porgies, and groupers.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
May 30 Report The fishing was good when it was cool out and tough when it was hot. We have seen a lot of rain inland, but not much on our coastlines. The rain is the next big trigger around here, and the coastline shore rains should start soon and daily. Most of those that found good fishing did so when the water was cooler or at night this week. As soon as we start getting good rains that soak Pine Island Sound, Fort Myers Beach, and other barrier island areas, things will be very good.
Those who are waiting for the rain want it for different reasons. Fishing the spillways, small creeks, and even the freshwater ponds benefit from our first rains. The rain not only fills up ponds and lakes, but it starts the small creeks and drainage ditches moving. This pushes bugs, small critters, and fish fry toward the rivers and bays. Once this begins, we have a good month of solid fishing where these places meet deeper water.
Courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper The back bay fishing all week was decent. We caught redfish up to 27 inches and a lot of small snook. Trout fishing was good, but I personally did not find any fish over 20 inches. The baitfish schools are getting thick along our beaches as well as on the flats near the passes. If you chum for a few minutes when there is good tidal movement, the schools of bait will come to you, and you can throw at them with your cast net. I would recommend using a ¼-inch mesh when throwing in the bay, as there are small glass minnows in the bait schools. The glass minnows are just small enough if you throw a net with a bigger mesh, you will Christmas tree the net. For those of you who do not know what Christmas treeing is, it is when thousands of small baitfish get caught by their gills in the net mesh itself causing a big problem.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
May 23-25 Report The fishing was good, not great this week as we had some North winds move through the area. It is not a cold front per say, but we did have high pressure sit over us and a change in the winds. This made for some tougher days inshore and nearshore for many. The good part is that the fish are still were we left them and this should all change this week.
The tarpon bite continues throughout the area. Besides the last few days of the week when the bite was tough, tarpon are beginning to be caught. Most of the fish being targeted are along our beaches out to about 50 feet of water. Large schools of threadfin herring can be found in these same areas, undoubtedly this is the main food source. Those that fished around our passes and in the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River did well using live crabs on the outgoing tides. Our local wrecks continue to produce permit and some cobia regularly. The higher the relief you find to fish, the better the permit fishing has been. The main bait for permit is a live crab or large shrimp freelined on a 2/0 circle hook with a lot of leader.
Courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper The redfish bite has been decent this week. Overall fish have been caught on the mornings when the tide has been strong. A few days we had very week tides at first light, so the bite did not get going until 730-8am. It starts feeling hot about 9am these days and in a week or two it will feel hot and then rain in the afternoon on a regular basis, so starting early on the best tidal movement possible is a must. Snook fishing continues to improve along our beaches. Fish up to 38-inches have been caught by anglers walking the shorelines. The artificial baits work well when shore fishing allowing anglers to cast a bunch and with distance. The snook will typically be within a few feet of the shoreline, so keep your casts parallel to the shore for the best success.
The red snapper fishing season has now begun and those that are getting out far are crushing it. Red snappers up to 25 pounds have been found starting in about 180-feet. Live pinfish works well, as does frozen baits like squid. You will need lots of weight to get your baits down to the bottom and still be vertical. Start with at least 6oz of lead to start and go up from there.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
May 16-18 Report The heat has begun, as air temperatures reach into the mid-90s. This is the beginning of summer around here, minus the rain. Our rainy season has theoretically begun. Unfortunately, we need rain badly, but it is not happening yet. My guess is June will be the real start of our consistent afternoon rains. The fishing is still good, and bait has shown up thick on our beaches. This in turn has made beach fishing good for both those anglers on foot and in a boat.
The snook, redfish, trout and jacks love cruising along our beaches to pester the schools of glass minnow, threadfin herring and pilchards. Those fishing these areas merely need to match the hatch to have success. Your best chance of sight fishing with these fish will be on low easterly winds when the beaches are calm. If you get out too late in the morning then you will have to deal with people hanging out on the beach and lolly gagging in the water. Those fishing in the back bays will have plenty of redfish, snook and trout to play with. Most of the trout range 12-20 inches now. The red fishing continues to be good. Most of the redfish caught in the open bay areas range 17-28 inches. Those who fished in the creeks and small rivers found smaller ones. The snook are very happy to see all the bait moving in. Most of the snook are males and range 12-27 inches. Occasionally you will come across a big female giving you a chance at a fish that can be 40 inches.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper The nearshore bite will be a mix of tarpon, permit, cobia and bottom fish for many months to come. The change expected in June now will allow anglers to play on a more consistent weather pattern. Most of the summer days are calm until our afternoon Seabreeze kicks in. Once the wind begins blowing in from the West, it gets choppy. Until the wind shift that usually does not start up till 2ish you will have calm seas and clean water to have your fun.
The offshore runs now start early so they can avoid the afternoon storms. Most of the trips will be targeting snappers on the bottom starting at about 70 feet. The further out you go the more action there is, and the bigger fish will be found. The reports of wahoo, kingfish, mahi and some African pompanos are still coming in from those that are out past 120 feet.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
May 9-11 Report This week things just kept on rolling. There has not been much rain around here yet. The fish do not seem to mind however as water temperatures continue to rise, but eventually we will need the rain to cool things off—86 degrees is the temperature of the water I have been fishing in. The recent influx of bait as well as pilchards along our beaches officially starts the best time of the year. It was a few weeks behind schedule, but whatever, we have been catching fish regardless.
The inshore bite has been good for everything you could want. Snook have begun their beach haunting and are fattening up on the plethora of baitfish cruising only feet from the shorelines. Once you see the anglers catching them on fly rods from shore, you know it is good. The redfish continue to cooperate. Redfish from 22-30 inches have been more than happy to take artificial lures and soft plastics all week. The trout fishing continues to be easy pickings over the grassy areas in 2-4-feet. Most of the trout will be 12-20 inches with an occasional big one here and there.
The offshore fishing has been very good, especially at night. We have some of the best snapper fishing for anglers who are willing to start when the sun goes down. Mangrove snapper fishing has been good during the day trips, but the fish being caught at night are bigger and more consistent. Yellowtail, mutton snapper, as well as porgies have been the other popular catches. Those that went out far continue to catch African pompano, the occasional wahoo as well as some sailfish. It will not be long till they start taking long runs for American reds soon.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper Most everyone that is nearshore is tarpon fishing. There have been a lot of fish along our beaches from Sanibel all the way up to Boca Grande. You know fishing is good when there is a tower boat every 500 feet in an area posting up on the big schools of fish as they mosey around. Jokingly in seminars I tell people if you can’t find tarpon, just look for the tower boats, but I think that’s good advice these days. With the invention and evolution of side scan, it is very easy to figure out if you are in the right area or not. For those that have no side scan, good luck.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
April 2-4 Report The week went well for all those who fished. With good weather most of the days fishing inshore and nearshore was the place to be. Most anglers find the mornings with the good tidal movement very productive. Tarpon, snook, redfish and trout have been what most anglers have been fishing for. Our offshore guys did have several days and did well most of the days.
Those who fished out in the 120-foot or more mark found plenty of action. The biggest surprise was the influx of wahoo into the area. Most of the wahoo were caught while bottom fishing, as the fish swam up to boats in schools. Some of the wahoo caught were up to 50 pounds. Those who were not lucky enough to run across the wahoo found plenty of snappers, groupers, porgies and an occasional African pompano. Most anglers used frozen bait like squid, threadfin herring and sardines. Those who used live baits like crabs, pinfish and grunts caught mainly grouper. Amberjack, bar jacks and sharks completed the bycatch for most.
The nearshore guys are tarpon fishing every day. Tarpon have been found inside pine island sound as well as off the beaches of Sanibel and Captiva. There are plenty of tarpon packed into Boca Grande pass now, so if you’re up for the combat fishing, have at it. Most of the fish range from as small as 60 pounds, all the way up to 150 plus. Threadfin herring and crabs led the way for most anglers all week when fishing off the beaches. Live ladyfish, and cut baits worked fine in the back water areas.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper The snook, redfish, and trout bite remains consistent. Trout in the pine island areas are bigger than those caught down south. Most of the grass flats have trout on them in 2-4 feet of water. Top water lures will give anglers the best chance of catching the biggest ones in the area you are fishing for. Snook and redfish continue to hang around the oyster bars early in the tide and along the mangrove shorelines during the higher tides. White bait has begun to show up along our beaches, and they are good size. Throwing a ¾ mesh net may be a better option for many now, as there are also a lot of glass minnows in the same areas. The larger-meshed net will help you have less minnows get stuck in the net, preventing Christmas treeing your net.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
April 11-13 Report The weather cooled off a little bit midweek. Hopefully this is the last of our cold fronts until October. The front was not too significant and only dropped the water temperature below 70 for a day or two. Most of the shallow areas did get stirred up and thus it will take a few days for things to settle down, before we get rolling good again. Overall, we have begun fishing our spring patterns and can expect a few months of outstanding fishing.
The inshore bite has been outstanding. Even on windy days redfish, snook, and traout have been caught daily. This is a great time of the year to be fishing here. Anglers that want action can catch as many trout, ladyfish, jacks, and pompano fishing our shallow grass flats and in our local passes. Fisherman that want to go after trophy snook can start now. There have been a lot of snook moving out of the rivers and creeks that they were hiding in during the winter. These fish are moving into our bays and feeding. Artificial baits as well as live pilchards are the best bet. These big snook can be up to 40-inches so using the appropriate tackle will be important. 40lb fluorocarbon leader and at least 15-pound braid is a good start when trying to catch on of these big line-siders.
Keeper-sized redfish. The nearshore tarpon bite has now picked up. The fish have been here for a month or so, but now the big push has arrived. You will undoubtably see lots of tarpon pictures for the next few months as there will be plenty of opportunities for anglers to catch them. Depending on where you fish a variety of baits will work. These fish average 100 pounds and have the potential to reach 200. Using heavy tackle is a must, for quick fights and the safety of the fish. We are not at a water temperature where the fight can exhaust and potentially kill a fish yet, but it is always something to think about.
The offshore boats have had a tough week of wind to deal with. Those that did get out had a day to do it. I guess that means when it does calm down, the bite will be good, as there has been practically no fishing pressure out there for a week or more.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
April 4-6 Report Spring has sprung, and the fishing is great. Water temperatures have been holding above the 72-degree mark for two weeks now. Once the water temperature stays above that mark our Spring fishing is in full swing. Anglers can now target anything they want and usually do very well. The front lines that reach us now will bring a slight cool-off and wind. These fronts only impact the water quality, making sight fishing tough in some areas. Anglers can expect good fishing from now until our summer rains begin.
Inshore we have plenty of opportunities to catch backcountry slams daily. Snook have definitely moved into our bays. Snook average around 16 to 25 inches, with some 35-inch plus fish available. Cut baits, pilchards and artificials have all worked well. The redfish have been plentiful. Most days catching 4 to 10 fish is common and the fish have been found around the oyster bars and mangrove points with good current. Trout is spread out on all the grass flats. Trout ranged from 12 to 22 inches and can be caught in good numbers.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper Nearshore has turned into tarpon mayhem. Schools of tarpon have been found moving slowly North. Many of these tarpons are over 100 pounds, so tackle up accordingly. Occasionally you will see the tarpon rolling on the surface. Once you find them anchor up and freeline crabs or live threadfin herring on 5/0 circle hooks. If you do not see them on the surface, drive your boat off the beaches in 15-20 feet of water and side scan until you mark them. Permit is another nearshore fish that has just shown up. The permit are moving back into the nearshore wrecks and high relief reefs in good numbers. Permit also eat crabs, just a bit smaller than the ones the tarpon like.
The offshore bite was excellent for the red grouper every day when the wind was down. Most of the fish are legal when you get out to about 80 feet plus. The standard frozen squid ar sardine is all you will need. Once you have your limit on reds, lighten up your tackle and catch the mangrove, lane, and yellowtail snappers that are in the same areas.
Tight lines, Capt. Greg Stamper
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
PREVIOUS REPORTS March 21-23 Report Well, we keep getting cold fronts and that’s not great for fishing. In between the fronts fishing starts to get good, then it gets cold, the water gets dirty, and we start all over. Most of the fishing that was good occurred on the prefrontal side of the front lines. The day or two afterwards things got tough.
The nearshore fishing was surprisingly better than the week previous. With a few days of lower winds, anglers fished near the wrecks and reefs. These areas still hold sheepshead, snappers and some black drum. The best surprise though was the showings of cobia. Cobia have been found sporadically when fishing in these areas with baits meant for snook. Most of the snook average from 27-35 inches and should stay there for many months moving forward.
The back bay fishing gets the toughest for a few days post front. It takes a few days for the water temperatures to start rising back up in temperature, and for the water clarity to return. Fishing prefrontal was good early in the week with redfish, trout, and snook caught. The post-frontal days were tough.
The offshore guys had two days to give it a go. Those days went well for them with lots of fish caught. Red groupers were found in about 85 feet and caught using squid and sardines. Those that got out past 120 feet had very good action with African pompano, yellowtail snappers, mutton snappers, and vermilions. A few reports of sailfish came from boats that fished in the 150-foot-plus range.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
March 14-16 Fishing Report The cold fronts got to us two times this past week. Water got mucked up inshore and the water temperature dropped again. Fortunately, water temperatures during the morning hours are back up to 69 degrees now, so the bite is getting better. Most of the week we also had some good winds that kept many nearshore and offshore boats at the dock. This pattern looks like it will break starting Friday, so we will get a better offshore report next week.
The back bay fishing was not easy, but we got it done. A few days winds kicked up to 40 mph, making for sporty conditions even in the shallow water. We hid anywhere we could to get reprieve from the winds and found a few fish. Most of the bites were from snappers, sheepshead and whiting, but we did get a few surprises. Several areas, even with the dirty water, produced some redfish and snook. The redfish ranged from 17-25 inches and snook got up to 28 inches.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper Considering the conditions, that’s a good day. Trout fishing picked up later in the week, as the water started to clean up a bit. Visibility as of Thursday in some areas was a few feet, and in others a few inches. All week if I could see the bottom of my live well, then we fished. Tight lines.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
March 7-9 Fishing Report We had a good week, all the way up to Thursday. Thursday the cold front reached us, turning the shallow waters into mud. Prefrontal everything was in play inshore and offshore. In many areas the water was starting to clean up nicely, as the water temperatures warmed up into the low 70s. Clean water will certainly come again, until then we wait. After our second cold front blows through this weekend, it will take a few days for things to clean up. Hopefully soon we will stop getting these weather systems from the North, so the great fishing can begin.
The inshore fishing was good early in the week. The red tide that loomed around for a few weeks’ past is gone. The water began to clear up and, in some areas, visibility was over six feet. There have also been some small baitfish returning to the beaches of Fort Myers. Redfish, snook, trout, pompano and sheepshead were the main targets. After the cold front on Thursday the bite was tough for everything except sheepshead, snappers, and whiting. The snook is starting to move out of the rivers, creeks and canal systems. We caught several snook randomly this week when we were fishing for other species. Moving forward as we warm up just a bit more and our water temperatures stabilize over 72 degrees constantly, snook fishing will get good.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper The nearshore fishing for sheepshead was great this week. Lots of sheepshead up to 7 pounds have been caught using jigs and shrimp on our local rock piles. Most of the rock piles are in 25-40 feet of water and are public numbers. Other species can be found in these same areas such as mangrove snappers, hogfish, porgies, and occasionally big black drum. The big school of bull redfish that had been cruising around in the gulf seemed to disappear this week. They are still around, but until someone runs into them again, they are safe.
Offshore fishing was only doable for two days this week. The fishing continues to be good especially for those that get out past 120 feet. African pompano, mutton snappers, AJs and grouper fishing have all been easy pickings when out that deep. Those that fished in 75-90-feet of water found mainly red grouper and smaller snappers to fish for. The water out deep is still cooler than the water inshore, so expect the offshore bite to get good when it warms up a few more degrees.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Feb. 28-March 2 Report Fishing has started to get better after dealing with a combination of red tide, cold fronts and wind. Water temperatures stabilized in the low 70-degree range, making fish happy again. Those who fished in the shallow waters found an array of species to target. The nearshore bite picked up for those who got out when the wind laid down. Offshore fishing was great for many all week, minus a few days when it was just too rough to give it a go.
The offshore bite continued to be great. Those who chose to fish in the 50- to-75-foot range had plenty of action. Mangrove snappers, hogfish, sheepshead, and grunts took up most of their time. Shrimp on jigs worked for most fishermen as well as using cut baits like squid and herring. The best bite for many was in the 70- to-100-foot range, some 40 miles offshore. There anglers were limited out quickly on red groupers as well as the same snapper selection those 10-15 miles closer in were catching. A few boats did get out past 50 miles into 120 feet plus. Those who did found African pompano, gag grouper, mutton snappers, as well vermillion snappers when fishing the bottom.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper The nearshore fishing produced some big redfish found in schools around 40 feet of water. These bull red schools do move around so some days they are in the same general area as the day before, other days you have to find them again. Snook, sheepshead, and black drum up to 25-pounds were caught in areas that had structure. A few tripletails were caught while moving around from place to place as they sunbathed on the surface around the crab buoys.
The inshore bite finally started back up. Redfish could be caught again ranging from 18-27 inches. Most of the redfish and snook were caught along mangrove shorelines on the higher tides. Trout fishing is still hit or miss in some areas. Those that fished in the Pine Island sound areas did the best. With the water still cool for another month or so we continue to find nice sheepshead and snappers around our dock pilings and bridges. Small pieces of shrimp, crabs, or tubeworms worked best for the sheepshead all week. Hopefully the bait will come back sooner than later, as the red tide unfortunately took a toll on that.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Feb. 21-23 Report Depending on where one went this week, fish were caught. Some of the effects of red tide could be felt in areas, other parts stayed clean. There were some winds that made the gulf rough for a few days. These winds helped to break up the algae blooms and thus helped fisherman. Although we must deal with this from time to time, hopefully this one does not stick around to much longer. Typically, we begin to see a push of fish moving into the area from the South, and we certainly do not want that messed up. Offshore fishing was still excellent when the winds died down. Nearshore fishing was the biggest crap shoot depending on whether or not red tide was present. Our back bay fishing was good in some areas and bad in others.
The offshore fishing produced a lot of fish this week. Red grouper continues to be the main target for many, and limits can be reached starting in about 75-feet of water. Squid seemed to be the number one bait for most anglers. Those that used live bait had to catch it and put them into their live wells with a bubbler or recirculation pump. Once they knew they had gotten past any red tide they could open their sea cocks and pump in gulf water. African pompano can be found regularly of the ledges staring in 120 feet. Using 4-6-ounce jigs worked in the middle half of the water collum tipped with a squid worked well. Those fishing on the bottom found an assortment of vermillion, mangrove, and mutton snappers.
Photo courtesy of Greg Stamper Nearshore fishing was a bit of a gamble. When anglers found clean water around the reefs and wrecks snook, sheepshead, cobia, and even a few permit were caught. In other areas you could barely breathe from the toxic bloom. Having red tide around also affects the bait fish. Typically, this time of the year we find massive schools of threadfin herring close to shore. The threadfin herrings are still out there, but we do not run into the big schools of them till we get out past 60-foot or so.
The back bay bite was off this week. Some days on the lower tides we found sheepshead, whiting, snappers, and some black drum using shrimp tipper jigs. As the water rose we only caught fish in areas that had clean water. A general rule of thumb all week was if you did not have at least 2 feet of visibility, then keep moving. Redfish were found in these cleaner areas, as well as snook. The snook fishing should get better as we move into March, as long as the bait fish return. The open flats where I am are very void of pinfish and pilchards currently.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Feb. 14-16 Report The red tide continues to hang off our beaches out to some 20 miles. We have been finding fish in the back bays, but it is not easy. Those fishing nearshore found some pockets where red tide did not seem as bad, but even that was slight. The best chance to find fish this week was for those that fished out far. Unfortunately, the winds started blowing again midweek, making offshore runs tough.
The best fishing for the back bay guys was in the creeks and rivers. At some point the tide can only get so far up these areas, so the fish that have moved them up or started there are safe. Most of the dead fish I have seen have been dead for a while. These fish have been brought in on higher tides. When you are around red tide often your throat will itch or you will cough. I personally did not get this effect in the areas I fished. The scent of all the dead fish seems to bring in a lot of shovel nose sharks and small bull sharks into the bays. These sharks are swimming just fine and are feasting on the fish affected by the red tide. There was an absence of trout in the area all week. Trout is very sensitive to poor water quality and is always the first one to disappear. We caught a lot of snappers, whiting, and catfish all week. On a few days we found some snook and redfish, but again it was tough.
Capt. Greg Stamper photo The nearshore guys are struggling to find clean water. Those who did try did better in the southern part of the region. Some snook, snappers, and sheepsheads were caught in these areas. Most of the baitfish that we had nearshore and along our beaches have disappeared. Most of these baitfish have either died or got lucky enough to get out of Dodge. Hopefully with some East winds and stronger tides in the future this will move further offshore, but for now it is here.
The offshore guys caught lots of red groupers starting in about 110 feet of water. After they caught their limits of red grouper, it was all about snapper fishing. Mangrove snappers ranged from about 1-3-pounds and were caught on shrimp, cut sardines, and pieces of squid. Yellowtail, vermilions, as well as African pompano were also in the bycatch.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Feb. 7-9 Report The water is warming up as our weather continues to be great. Winds have been low almost every day, making the offshore guys happy. Calm conditions continue to help with water clarity being better as I can see the bottom in most of the areas I am fishing now. The red tide blooms offshore start from about 9 miles out till almost 30 miles. Those that plan on fishing in those areas should probably make up a new plan. Overall, the back bay fishing has improved greatly, and the offshore guys are doing very well.
Offshore fishing seemed to be great all week long. Once anglers got out past the 100-foot mark there was clean water. Most of the fishing was of the bottom variety. Dropping frozen baits down to the bottom produced red grouper quickly. After limits of red groupers were obtained, the attention turned to snappers. Frozen shrimp, sardines and threadfin herring chunks all caught fish. One of the bad parts of having red tide is keeping live bait alive. Bait one may have in their live wells as they run through the blooms will die. Some boats close their seacocks when they run through these areas and reopen them once they think it is clear. This works sometimes, other times you end up with freshly dead bait.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper The back bay water temperatures finally got back over 68 degrees. This helped to bite significantly. Lots of sheepshead and black drum were caught around the docks and oyster bars using small presentations of shrimp, fiddler crabs, and tube worms. The redfish bite in the deeper pockets seemed to be the best bet. Most of the redfish ranged from 18-24-inches. Lots of small snook have been caught in the creeks and rivers all week in artificial lures skip casting under docks and mangrove shorelines.
The nearshore fishing will be tough going until the red tide moves out. Probably best to cancel those plans until further notice. Stay way offshore or fish in the back bays and rivers for the best chance of catching some until things change.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Jan. 31-Feb. 2 Report Another week finally gave anglers warmer weather and lower winds. This combination slowly warmed the water temperature up, making fishing a bit better. The water temperature moved from the high 50s in the morning hours up to the low 60s at 8am. As we fished throughout the day, we eventually found water temperatures moving into the high-60 range. Although this is not an ideal condition, it is closer to what we expect this time of the year. The lower winds also gave fisherman a chance to go back into the gulf and see how things are.
The backbay fishing was tough on the coldest of mornings. We were able to find some action near our passes catching whiting, small trout and a few jacks during these times. As the water warmed up, the fish became a little bit more active. Trout and sheepshead were the primary targets for many, as they can handle colder water better. Using live shrimp and pieces of shrimp on jigs with very little movement worked. Most of the fish during the cold hours of the day were all small, with some size increase as the day went on. The warmer part of the week from Wednesday on did produce some redfish, black drum and even a few snook. Most of the fish took bait that were not moving, just like in the morning hours.
Photo by Greg Stamper The nearshore bite was also tough. The reports of red tide came in from many anglers that got out past 9 miles. Depending on what future wind conditions become, this may become a problem for even those within sight of land. There has been a nice school of bull reds out around the nine-mile mark, so hopefully those fish will not be affected. The schools of bull reds range 35-50 inches and once found and will eat anything that is thrown in their direction. Other than the big redfish, there were a few tripletails caught on the crab buoys.
The offshore guys finally got to stretch their legs, as the wind was low several days. Most of them were able to find mangrove snappers, lane snappers, and red grouper starting around 100 feet of water. A few boats got out to the 140-plus range and found some blackfin tunas, sailfish, and kingfish.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Jan. 24-26 Report It has been very cold throughout the area. Temperatures have been in the low 40s during the coldest of times. Water temperature dropping into the 50s is dangerous for many of our tropical fish to deal with. Should water temperatures drop much more we can expect a fish kill of sorts. Snook and tarpon are the main species that most people think of when this happens. However, the effect it can have on small baitfish, small forage, worms, etc. is also in play. Hopefully things work themselves out and all this worrying is for nothing, but we are certainly close to a critical water temperature number.
With that said, there was not much good fishing this week. A few trips were run for clients that just wanted to give it a go, but it was tough. Sheepshead took up most of the inshore time along the docks and deep troughs along mangrove shorelines. Using small pieces of shrimp on small hooks is the standard. Most of the sheepsheads ranged from 10 to 17 inches with a few bigger ones. Mangrove snappers and a few black drums were also caught while sheepshead fishing. Trout were still on the open flats, but none of them were over 16 inches. Reports of some small redfish caught came from those that fished in the creeks and river mouths.
There were no reports of offshore or nearshore this week. Until we get into next week we will not have low winds and warmer temperatures to make going out far worth it.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
PREVIOUS REPORTS Jan. 17-19 Report Our winter fishery seems to be about the same as last year. So far fish have arrived on time and are in the places they should be now. A few days this week we did have some colder than normal weather to deal with, but we still caught fish. When it is cold, I wonder who complains more—the fisherman who hates the cold weather or the fish in the cold water. When it is cold we go after species of fish that are temperamental to cold water. By doing this you can see what their attitudes are like and make the decision to go after harder ones next. Somedays it is best to stay with what you have biting, rather than to search for a new bite.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper The trout fishing was a go to this week. Trout ranged from 12 to 18 inches throughout the southern part of the region. Reports of bigger trout along the west side of Pine Island were good. Sheepshead has been a big target with the water being cold. Sheepshead have been more than happy to take pieces of shrimp, fiddler crabs and oysters around the dock pilings with barnacles on them. Small hooks and a small split shot should get the job done for many. Black drums have been found often along our shorelines that are a bit deeper. Most of the black drums were small, up to 7 pounds. Redfish and snook are still around, but were not fired up this week, at least not for me.
The nearshore reefs and wrecks still hold some nice snook. A few snook were caught this week up to 34 inches by dropping threadfin herring around the structure. A simple 4/O circle hook with enough weight to keep the bait on the bottom will get the job done. Snappers, sheepshead, small groupers and a few bar jacks will be the bycatch when you use shrimp in these areas. Some reports of red tide starting about 8 miles out showed up this week. Hopefully that does not impact the nearshore and offshore bite to bad. Tight lines.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Jan. 10-12 Report Man, it was cold this week! We had temperatures in the 40s several mornings, making fishing early brutal. The water temperature has dropped some 17 degrees in a matter of a few days, and Florida fish DO NOT LIKE THAT! Fishing at midday seemed to be the best option for the best opportunity to catch fish. With the cold fronts comes wind, also adding to the struggles. We did not receive much rain which would have helped the cause a bit, only adding to the struggle.
The back bay fishing was all about targeting fish that do not mind cooler temperatures as much. These fish have recently moved into bays, as they came from the North. Black drum, sheepshead, pompano and trout are the main targets. The cooler water usually brings in some bigger trout onto the grass flats and along the passes. These fish can range from 12-20 inches and are OK with cold water. Using small twitch baits slowly worked well, as well as the good old popping cork and shrimp. Trout fishing will continue to be a staple for months to come. Black drums have been seen schooling up along channel sides and in our passes. Some of these black drums are up to 30 pounds and will eat crabs, shrimp and jigs that emulate them. Looking for muddy water in areas that have been relatively clear previously. The mud is caused by them rooting around on the bottom looking for food. Sheepshead have started to get bigger as they begin the spawn. Small jigs tipped with shrimp, sand fleas, barnacles, or crabs are the way to go. Sheepshead will also become one of the biggest targets to catch during these cold times.
The offshore guys had only one day to really get out far. Fishing was good on that day for many. Snappers, groupers, porgies and a few king fish have been caught. Most of the bigger fish started in about 120 feet of water, so that’s a good starting point when things calm down again.
The freshwater bite reports are good. The water levels that have been dropping for a few months now have forced all the fish into the drainage canals. With a lot of fish that used to be spread out over flooded lands now forced into a canal-like scenario, it is easy picking. Largemouth bass, Peacock bass, cichlids, Oscars, as well as an assortment of panfish are all easily targeted now. Tight lines.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Jan. 3-5 Report Fishing was good this week even though we had to deal with some thick fog. Some mornings the fog was so thick visibility in the mornings was less than 100 yards. Those that did go out before the fog lifted had to be very careful. Idling to fishing spots was the norm, as our tides were also very low during these times. The fish did not mind though, as water temperatures peaked in the low 70s keeping the bite going well. As of Thursday, we had some cold weather move in upon us. This next week or so we can expect back bay water temperatures to drop some 15 degrees, making things tough for many. Anglers will need to pay attention as to when water temperatures begin to warm up before fishing will be decent again.
Pre-front redfish, trout and snook fishing was good. There was finally a good showing of pompano in the bays this week, hopefully the beginning of more. Most of the fish caught this week were on the lower end of the slot but caught in good numbers. The higher the tide the easier the fishing became, especially as the water rose high enough to get under the mangrove shorelines. Most of the mornings the fog moved out by 10 am and then started to set back in early evening, giving anglers a good 6-hour window to see the sun.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper The near-shore reports were not that good this week. Most anglers that fished the local reefs and rock piles caught sheepshead, small mangrove snappers and grunts. A few snook were caught on the structure that have higher relief along with the occasional cobia. Surprisingly, I did not hear much about kingfish, tripletail, or bonito.
The re-opening of red grouper season was good. Those that fished 100 feet plus caught their limits. The red grouper varied in size with small ones caught around the 18-inch mark, all the way up to some 15-pounders. Mangrove snappers, small porgies, lanes, and jacks were their by-catch.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Dec. 27-29 Report The low winter tides have definitely been a factor this week for the backcountry fishermen. Combine extremely low morning tides with northern or eastern winds and there is practically no water in some areas. This phenomenon occurs mostly in the morning hours at this time of the year. Often even marked channels become difficult to navigate for big boats, keeping some of the offshore boats coming out of the rivers and neighborhoods at the dock. Many of the people who bought homes on canals along the interior of areas of Fort Myers beach, Cape Coral, and Bonita Springs find out that their boat lifts can only go so far down before bottoming out, thus they cannot get their boats off the lifts.
Fishing during these extreme lows is good for boats that can handle skinny water. With no water in some areas, fish are pushed to the edges of flats and channels in groups. Those that float in less than 10 inches of water can reap the benefits of this for many months to come. Often redfish, snook, and sheepsheads will be seen tailing or pushing water during these times, making sight fishing an opportunity for many. Anglers must be aware however, as oyster bars, sand banks, and rock piles are a mere inch or two below the water’s surface now. Those that are worried about hitting things with their boats during these periods of low tides should move around slow, or just stay in the channels until you learn the area better.
Most of the fishing nearshore will be targeting sheepshead, cobia, groupers, and snappers this time of the year. We have a good cobia fishery here as many of the local wrecks and reefs hold cobia regularly for months to come. The best practice is to go out and fish in these areas for the bottom fish like the sheepshead or snappers while dropping a larger bait near the structure for the cobia. Having a spare rod rigged up with a jig ready to throw at free swimming cobia that shows up is also a must. Most of the sheepshead this time of the year will be keepers, so if you do not catch a nice cobia, you will still have some good eating.
The offshore fishing revolves around the wind at this time of the year. In between cold fronts we usually have a few days when the winds lay down. This window is when most boats take the 40-60-mile trip offshore. Groupers, a variety of snappers, sailfish, as well as kingfish will be the typical targets to go after. Once we get into the new year, anglers will have more species reopen making the trips out that far more worthwhile.
Photo by Capt. Greg Stamper Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Dec. 20-22 Report Cold fronts come and cold fronts go, that’s the next 2 two months down here. Consistently during this time of the year, the bite starts getting good and then the water temperature drops 15 degrees, and we start all over. During the warmups fishing has been good both inshore and off. The reports of red tide offshore have not affected our back bays, at least in the southern part of the region. Fish were active up until the high pressure moved through Thursday these dropping temperatures significantly through the weekend.
Trout fishing continues to get better and better. Not only are we catching good numbers of fish, but the size is beginning to increase. You can expect limits to be met and possession of one fish over 19 inches should not be a problem for many months to come. Red fishing has been good, usually on the days with Southern winds in them on the higher tides. Cut baits worked best with shrimp and white bait coming in second. Snook fishing was getting good in the bay’s prefrontal, but this cold front will shut down until we see the water temperatures rising back up toward 70.
The nearshore reports from about everyone contained cobia. Cobia fishing is very good throughout the area at this time of the year. Anglers can expect to find cobia showing up when fishing the local wrecks so have a swim jig, a large live bait, or even a hand-picked shrimp ready to throw at one when your out there. Most of the cobia are being caught while targeting sheepshead and snappers on the nearshore structure. Reports of kingfish nearshore slowed down to almost nothing this week, as did the Spanish mackerel. Triple tail reports had a few nice fish in the 10-pound range caught, with a lot of 10- to 15-inchers seen.
Photo courtesy off Capt. Greg Stamper The offshore guys are having a tough go at it this month. With red snapper only being open on the weekends, less trips are run during the week. Unfortunately, the weekends as of late have been cold and windy, keeping boats from going out some 60 miles. Those that got out during the week mainly stayed inside of 40 miles, where they caught small mangrove snappers, grunts and lane snappers.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
PREVIOUS REPORTS Dec. 16 Report Well, I’m back up and running after dealing with water damage from our last two hurricanes of the year. We have had a few cold fronts that have dropped our water temperatures sometimes by 15 degrees overnight. It is that time of the year and as guides we have learned how to deal with it. During the first day or two post-front fishing the docks, deep channels and nearshore reefs were the best bet. Sheepshead, black drum, mackerel and redfish have been the main quarry. Those who fish offshore now must pay attention to the weather and look for those magic windows.
Most of the fishing inshore was best at midday. Starting to fish mid-morning verse sunup not only gives it some time to warm up a bit, but also for the tide to come up. Remember this time of the year we experience winter tides. Our winter tides can give us very low water, sometimes over a foot below a regular mean low tide. These low tides will typically occur during the morning hours for several months to come. In some instances, local boaters may not be able to get their boats off lifts or even through some of the marked channels. So, pay attention to this and work around them accordingly.
The offshore boats are dying to go out far and catch some red snappers this month. Red snapper season is open only on the weekends and weather is the deciding factor on that. A few boats did go out during the weekdays this week.
Talking with the captains, they caught a lot of snappers, some cobia, mackerel, kingfish, as well as African pompano. Many of them found a lot of red snappers out past 120 feet and say it will not be a problem to limit out quickly on the weekends.
Inshore fishing for redfish has been average overall. The shocking of the water by these cold fronts is messing things up a bit. Reports of redfish up to 28 inches came from the Pine Island area, with small fish south. Snook fishing was surprisingly decent around the river mouths, and estuary entrances on the incoming tides. Snook is being caught on shrimp, both freelined and corked in these areas. Those who found some whitebait and snook fished in these same areas caught more. Trout continues to be caught throughout the area on the grass flats. Most of the trout range from 12 to 18 inches with a few big ones here and there.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Oct. 3 Report Well, it took almost an entire week for the coastal waters to start cleaning up after Helene. The low-lying areas took another beating with 4 to 5 feet of storm surge. We all got displaced for a few days, but overall, we are ok. The fishing was also in disarray this week, but we eventually found a few fish here and there. Hopefully this will be the last scare for Southwest Florida till next year.
Toward mid-week, we started seeing bait fish back on the flats and along our beaches. Generally, catching bait is easy this time of the year, but it was not this week. If we keep the weather in check, we should be able to catch lots of bait soon. If you cannot find bait, you can always use artificials. Imitation shrimp, baitfish, or popping corks with something underneath them will all work well. Heck, sometimes these things work better, as anglers can cover more water with them and covering more ground, is a good thing. Other options when our ecosystem gets thrown out of whack, are using frozen bait like mullet or ladyfish. Cut baits work great in muddy water and will often catch redfish and snook.
No one went offshore this week, at least no one near me. Between rough waters and debris in the water, as well as many of the marinas still cleaning up the Helene mess, it just was not the right time yet. Trips are planed for this week, but that all depends on the weather. Hopefully I’ll have some better reports for you next week.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Sept. 20-22 Report The harvest moon gave Southwest Florida some higher-than-normal tides. These high tides flooded out the mangrove shorelines, allowing fish to get way back under them. The best part of these higher-than-normal tidal movements are the stronger incoming and outgoing tides that come with them. These “Hill Tides” create a lot of water movement and fish like that. Good reports came in all week both inshore and off, when it was not raining. Rain did make things tough a few times this week as thunderstorms occurred both in the mornings and afternoons several days.
The redfish bite continues to be outstanding. There are lots of redfish schooled up in the mornings. As the day moves on these redfish schools spread out along the mangrove shorelines in groups. The best reports came from those fishing from Sanibel to Boca Grande on the East side of the islands. Snook fishing continued to be good as well as trout. Another week of tarpon fishing went well, especially during the outgoing tides. The strong outgoing tides suck crabs, shrimp, and small baitfish through our passes giving tarpon lots of food to pick on.
The nearshore fishing continues to be good when it was not storming. The snook and this week redfish fishing were good on the reefs and wrecks. The snook are averaging about 32-inches and the redfish are of similar size. If you’re targeting these species using live threadfin herring is the way to go. Those that use shrimp or other baits in these areas will find snappers, sheepshead, and other bottom feeders.
Offshore continues to be good starting in 70 feet or deeper. Here anglers had good days catching lane snappers using shrimp of small offerings of squid. Those that fished deeper starting in about 100 feet of water caught some nice sized mangrove snappers and yellowtail. There was only one fisherman that I spoke with this week that ran out for a night trip, but that one guy crushed it with large snappers and groupers in 125 feet of water.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Sept. 13-15 Report We got lucky again as another hurricane passed far to our west. We did get some remnants in the form of swells and variable winds, but overall things went well. Fishing was tough for those that went offshore, as it was rough on several days. Our inshore and nearshore fishing was doable though, and fish were caught. The shifting winds caused our inshore waters to get dirty in some areas, but that’s already starting to clean up. On the days early in the week, things were normal.
The redfish bite continues to be good. During the early morning hours fish can been seen schooling up and pushing water on the open flats. As the day moves on and the afternoon sea breeze picks up, the redfish seem to group up on the points with shade. During the morning hours using topwater “walk the dog” lures is a blast. Once the wind picks up and you can no longer see the schools, cut bait, live shrimp or white bait is the way to go. Snook fishing was also good this week. Snook have been caught consistently on the beaches and in the back bays. Once the winds shift from the West, beach fishing turns off. The snook caught in the back bays are not as big, but in good numbers. Trout fishing slowed down a bit this week in the areas I fish. We did have a lot of fresh water run off due to the rains lowering the salinity of the water in smaller bays. Those who trout-fished in Pine Island Sound did better.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper The nearshore fishing was good, when the wind was not strong. Snook fishing around the rock piles and wrecks continues to be good. Most of the snook caught in these areas are big, and eating live threadfin herring. Look for the bait around the structure you are fishing for and there will be snook there. Snappers, sheepshead, grunts, and small groupers can also be caught in these same areas. There were no reports of cobia this week.
The offshore fishing was minimal most of the week. Those that did go out early in the week reported big swells from the passing hurricane. Most of the trips fished relatively close in 60-90 feet of water. There they mainly caught lane, mangrove, and yellowtail snappers. This week the weather looks normal, so plenty of boats will get out far this week. Tight lines.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Sept. 6-8 Report Fishing was good all week throughout the area. There were a few days when Mother Nature forced anglers off the water but overall, we had plenty of time between these storms to get out. Our afternoon thunderstorms started up a bit earlier in the afternoons this week, around 1 pm til 7. The storms were strong with lots of lightning and brought 2-4 inches of rain each day. All this weather cooled off the water each evening a little, and those who fished at night or the next morning reaped the benefits.
The backcountry fishing was excellent every morning this week. We had dirty water in Estero Bay and the areas around the Caloosahatchee River mouth, but the fish did not seem to mind. Anglers who fished further up into Pine Island sound had more visibility in the water and did very well. Redfish took top billing in the shallows of the sound as well as the southern part of Charolette Harbor. Fish are beginning to school up and can be found in good numbers now. This pattern will continue thru October. Snook fishing was good when fishing from Sanibel to Cayo Costa. Starting around the docks on the lower tides throwing live pilchards or threadfins worked well. Once the tide gets higher the fish spread out along the mangrove shorelines that have shade. Trout fishing just keeps improving with lots of trout in the 13 to 22-inch mark.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper The nearshore fishing for permit and big snook continues to go well. The mornings before our storms fire up are when you want to be out there. The pattern of early morning east winds keeps the gulf relatively calm, making things pleasant out front. The snook are staged up around our local rock piles more than happy to eat live threadfin herring presented to them. A few cobia, some snappers, and even a few tripletail are also available in these same areas. Having an assortment of bait options will give you opportunities to catch them all. Catching some whitebait, pinfish, or bringing some shrimps are a few options.
The offshore fishing trips have had some more species options opening. Gag groupers and red snapper have some open seasoning dates coming up, so check your FWC rules before heading out. Snapper fishing continues to be good starting in about 60 feet. The common snappers to catch will be lane, mangrove, and yellowtail primarily. The deeper you go the bigger they seem to be, and if you can fish at night, you will do even better.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Aug. 30-Sept. 1 Report All week long a serving of severe afternoon storms gave us up to 3 to 6 inches of rain each day. Depending on where you were trying to fish, these storms had to be respected. Those who fished inshore were affected the most as many of these thunderstorms seemingly just popped up out of nowhere. Most of these storms stayed near the beaches and into the mainland. Most of the storms fizzed out after they got pushed a few miles into the Gulf, so they did not affect those offshore. Regardless, lots of people fished all week as we dogged the storms.
The back bay fishing had to be done by about 2 or 3 o’clock all week. The afternoon thunderstorms and the vicious lightning they had with them, forced this pattern. Most of the good fishing was early in the morning regardless, so fishing midday was not necessary. Redfish fishing continues to be good, with some fish schooling up in areas. The snook bite along the beaches seemed to be best early in the mornings. The mornings when we have winds coming off the beach are typically the best to fish there, so usually the East winds work out best. Trout fishing in the shallow grass flats that are away from the mainland was the best place to find them. The flats that are located close to the mainland seemed to be a bit less salty from all the runoff from the rains, and trout do not like that. Jack crevalle, snappers, as well as the good old catfish was the rest of our bycatch.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper Nearshore had a surprising amount of tripletail caught this week. It seems to be a bit early for the tripletail to be coming down from the panhandle, but I guess they decided to head this way. Most of the tripletail were caught while bottom fishing for snook on the local reefs and rock piles. During these times an occasional tripletail in the 6-to-10-pound class would appear. A simple shrimp on a 2/0 circle hook freelined to it, will get the job done. So, if you’re nearshore be sure to have a rod rigged and ready for just that. Permit fishing seemed to slow down a bit this week, but some were caught. There has been no lack of crabs to be caught for bait however, as there are a lot of them around our local passes during the later half of the outgoing tides.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Aug. 22 Report Great weather and good tides kept the fishing good this week. We even had a bit of cool weather come through dropping our morning temperatures all the way down to 77 degrees. Ya, I know that does not sound very cool but considering the highs have been in the low 90s with feels-like temperatures in the 110 range, it feels cold. The water finally cleaned up post Debby, and our baitfish have moved back into the bays. This combination turned on the bite for those fishing inshore and near shore.
The backwater fishing was very good this week. With lots of pinfish, pilchards and threadfin herring schools in the shallows, the predators are there. Redfish fishing was the best of the big three this week. Redfish have even been seen schooling during the early morning hours. This is a bit early to see this as a pattern, but we will take it. Using topwater walk-the-dog lures is a very effective way to target these fish.
Redfish fishing was the best of the backwater last week. (Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper) The big topwater plugs allow anglers to cast great distances so reaching a school of fish working through is easier. Snook fishing on the beaches was also good this week. Most of the fish ranged from 12 to 25 inches, but some nice 30-plus-inchers are also around. Trout fishing continues to be decent, with most of the trout in the 13-18-inch size.
As a result of having calmer and cleaner water this week, nearshore fishing was also decent. There are still plenty of big tarpon roaming around for those that would like to catch them. Fish have been in schools along the outside of Sanibel to Boca Grande pass all week. The nearshore trips that fished on the local wrecks and reefs also did well on permit. Most of the permit fishing has been best midday and live crabs is the bait of choice. Mackerel, trout, pompano and snappers will be the bycatch in these areas. Probably the biggest surprise this week was a good number of tripletails found cruising around in the 25-35-foot depth.
These fish are coming down from the North and some have been up to 10 pounds.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Aug. 16 Report Well, we got a bit lucky as hurricane Debby skirted offshore of us a week ago. We did receive some storm surge of 2 to 3 feet flooding out in some of the low-lying areas. Winds blew up to 50 mph for a day and 20 mph for a few days after. These conditions kept anglers off the water for a bit, but we are all back at it now. It did take a few days before water started to settle as the water was very dirty. Surprisingly though fishing was still good when we fished before the oppressive heat began. Anglers both inshore and nearshore did well fishing in the early morning hours till about 11am.
Photo by Capt. Greg Stamper The inshore bite took a few days to get going again. We had very muddy waters the days following the storm, however the strong tidal days that proceeded it helped clean things up. Once a few days passed the red fishing got back to normal. It did take a few days after for the trout bite to get back to normal as well. Once the water cleaned up a bit and the salinity levels began to rise, the trout were happy again. Snook fishing along our beaches was still good. Those that fished on the first calm days we had did very well using fly rods and small flies that mimicked the baby pilchards along the beaches. Sanibel and Captiva saw some big fish along the Gulf side beaches all week long. We also had good reports of large tarpon being seen in Pines Island sound near the power lines as well as near Captiva pass and Boca Grande.
Offshore fishing picked up just as it was pre-storm. Once the wind died down, we had several flat calm days. This break in the weather allowed anglers to get out far and quick as the Gulf of Mexico was glass. The reports of lane snappers, mangrove snappers, and yellowtail in as shallow as 60 feet were good. Those that used simple cut squid dropped down on 1-2oz jigs had no problems reaching their limits. The few boats that went out past 100 feet caught African pompano and an assortment of groupers on the same set ups. No reports of wahoo or sailfish this week that I have heard of, but I’m sure they are still out there. Tight lines.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
Aug.2-4 Report Lots of good fishing occurred throughout the area this week. Paying attention to the weather was a must though. We had thunderstorms on a few mornings and every afternoon. The fish do not mind rain because they are already wet but add lightning to the mix and we should not be fishing. In between the storms fishing was very good overall. The best fishing continues to be consistently early in the morning, late in the evening, or at night.
The shallow water fishing was good and many back country slams have been caught. The trout have come back strong and in good numbers. Most of the trout ranged from 10-20-inches and were more than happy to eat 2-4-feet over the grass beds. Redfish are starting to be found in schools occasionally being seen pushing down shorelines. The nice part of schooling fish is the double ups and triple ups that occur from it. Snook continue to feed on the enormous number of baitfish throughout the area. Probably the highlight of the week was the insurgence of juvenile permit found in the bays. These permits ranged from 1-3-pounds and are eating shrimp, small crabs, and small jigs.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper The offshore fishing continues to be good for a variety of snappers. Simple cut baits of squid or live shrimp was all one needed. Most of the snapper trips fished in less than 100 feet of water. The key to snapper fishing during the day is having just enough weight on the line to keep the line somewhat vertical. There was a push of small red groupers in the same areas those were snapper fishing, which added to the excitement.
The nearshore bite for snook around rock piles and reefs continues to be good. Threadfin herring that can practically be sabikied and dropped right back down is the way to go. Dropping these fresh baits around not on top of the structure will catch you some good ones. If you do not want to catch bait, you can use shrimp. Shrimp will give you plenty of snapper, grunt, spadefish, and other reef specie action.
Tight lines!
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
July 25-28 Report Well, our water temperature in the back country has now reached 90-degrees. This trend of hot water will not change for a few months as even the gulf water surface temperature will stay in the high 80s. Days with slow tidal movement will make fishing tough, so finding moving water is now a must. As we have talked about in weeks past, fishing early in the mornings or at night will be your best bet. Those that fish in the offshore waters can still do very well at midday, as the water temperature in depths of 100 feet or more will be cooler.
Starting with the offshore report this week, we had a lot of good days to get out. Practically every day had low winds until the thunderstorms built up near the coastlines in the afternoons. Those that fished during the night had excellent reports of big mangrove snappers being caught around the 100-foot mark. Nighttime bycatch consisted of yellowtail, mutton, and lane snappers, as well as a few groupers. The trips that started their runs in the mornings also caught the same species, just not as big. African pompano, ajs, wahoo, as well as some blackfin tuna filled up the coolers when fishing past 140 feet.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper The back bay fishing was just ok overall. Trout fishing in the southern part of the region was tough, but good reports came from those fishing the upper Pine Island areas and the grass flats closest to Boca Grande. Snook fishing, especially along the beaches has been good, probably because that is where most of the white bait can be found. Redfish fishing was about average for most, with some better reports coming from those fishing the West wall of Pine Island. We continue to have a good bite for the juvenile tarpon in the 10-25-pound class early in the mornings when the tide is moving well.
Nearshore fishing was good for tarpon off the beaches. Most of the fish can be found in 20-30-feet of water from Captiva North. The wreak fishing for permit was hit or miss this week, but once you find them, they will eat. Probably the best nearshore report was the amount of big snook caught using threadfin herring around the rock piles from 2-9-miles out. Some of the snook caught were close to the elusive 40-inch size, but most were 28-34-inches. Other species found around these same areas included a variety of snappers, barracuda, and grunts.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
July 12-14 Report Southwest Florida received a blast of Saharan dust this week. This Saharan dust layers the air almost like smog. When we get this anomaly, it can often last for a week or two. The weather patterns during this time are affected by this. Less rain generally will be in the forecast, but humidity and hot days will still be common. This dust, when present in high levels, acts like a blanket holding in heat. So, fishing early in the morning, or at night is the way to go. Combine the dust scenario with slacking tides that occurred late mornings and midday, and fishing during the cool hours will give anglers their best chance.
Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper Those who fished during the night did very well this week. Most anglers use local bridges, weirs and shorelines as the starting point. Tarpon, snook, sharks and redfish have been the primary targets. Those who fished with artificial lures did best. Throwing swim baits, large swim jigs, and in some cases topwater caught a lot of fish. Some anglers used live ladyfish dangled near pilings to entice tarpon and big snook to eat. When fishing the bridges and shorelines it is best to fish for them an hour before and after the slacking tide. This timeframe will have current, but not so strong to make fishing in the area tough. If you are fishing the levies and weirs current is your friend. The weir fishing is best after the rains when water is flowing over at a good pace.
Offshore fishing continues to be a go when the weather cooperates. Those that got out did well on the normal targets. Mangrove snapper and mutton snapper fishing was best at night. If you plan on fishing for these 3-7-pound mangrove snappers or 10-pound plus muttons it is best to anchor up on your spot as the sun is setting. Once you are set up try chumming for an hour or two using both boxed chum and a constant flow of sardine and threadfin chunks. After an hour or so of darkness, the fish will rise into the chum slick and be fired up. Once you see the fish rising, a freelined or slightly weighted piece of the chunks will get you to a limit quickly.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
July 5-7 Report Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper Another good week of fishing has gone by, but things are beginning to change. The outgoing tides that we have been fishing during the early morning hours have now turned into incomings. This shift in tidal influence made things a bit tougher the last few days. Undoubtedy the shift in tides with the continuance of heavy rains had things off kilter a bit. Similar stories of the fishing patterns being a bit off also came from the near shore and offshore guides.
The biggest difference in the back bays was the lack of redfish and snook catches. During the outgoing tides we did very well with many upper- and over-slot redfish being caught often. During these same outgoing tides, snook fishing was very good near our passes and along the beaches. Once we transitioned into the incoming tidal days, all that stopped. To be fair, we did receive a high-pressure system that probably hurt the bite a little. The heavy rains also continue to keep the waters near our river mouths and creeks very fresh. Some areas had enough freshwater in them to support some cichlids, tilapia and gar that must have pushed out of the rivers themselves. Another downfall of having so much freshwater was it was tough to keep pilchards, threadfin herring and shrimp alive in our livewells for any amount of time.
The nearshore fishing for permit and large tarpon was also good on the outgoing tides. Most of the good reports came from late last week through the weekend. Once the water started to come in early in the mornings about mid-week, things got tough. These same reports echoed the nearshore wrecks and reefs. As this high-pressure system moves out, we will see things get back to normal.
The offshore trips continue to be far runs. The lions share of trips have been heading out for their red snapper limits. Most of the good red snapper fishing starts in about 120 feet of water or more. The best reports came from those that fished in 150 feet of water or more, so 60 miles plus. African pompano, wahoo, mahi, and an assortment of mangrove snappers, vermillion, and lane snappers were the bycatch.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
June 21 Report Tarpon Our inshore waters have been most affected by last week’s torrential down pours. The drainage of the inland waters does take a while, as runoff makes its way from the inland areas to the waterways themselves. This massive drainage of some 16-inches of rain over the last week has turned some area waters very fresh. The low salinity drives many fish out of smaller bays towards the passes and out. With so much water coming out of areas often the tide lines that typically bring water back into our bays from the Gulf never make it that far in. We probably will have another week of this before things go back to standard.
One effect of so much water being pushed out is many of the river and creek species are now in the bays. These fish are used to brackish or even fresh water and are now able to manage just fine in our back country. Some odd sightings of tilapia, cichlids, and even gar have been found in areas that are typically too salty for them. Juvenile tarpon up to 30-pounds have also been seen throughout these same areas, undoubtable feasting on small baitfish that came from the freshwater runoff. These freshwater species become easy picking for tarpon as the salinity creeps up. Eventually this freshwater fry will either make its way back up the rivers and creeks or become fish food.
The winds been blowing good all week making offshore fishing tough. Very few are getting out past 20 miles or so as once you get out a few miles with the strong East winds, it starts getting rough. The hard easterly winds do allow some nearshore fishing. The land acts as a wind buffer, so the waters are calm on the beach and progressively get rougher each mile you head out. Some large tarpon can be caught in these areas, as well as bottom dwellers on the nearshore reefs, rock piles, and wrecks.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
June 14 Report Capt. Greg Stamper photo It has been a long time since we have seen a rain gauge overflow in a 24-hour period. Southwest Florida went from drought conditions straight into local flood advisories overnight. Some of the rain has been gentle for hours on end followed up with torrential downpours, as a tropical wave soaked us for four days straight. Whenever we get rain, fishing does continue if there is no lightning in the mix. Many anglers this week took advantage of the lighter rain timeframes to fish at many of our local spillways, locks and levees. Inshore fishing was doable on three days, as well offshore and nearshore.
Before the rains began, we had some excellent reports from offshore. American red snapper season has begun, and everyone that went out far to get them. The key to catching big red snappers was starting in at least 150 feet of water. Those fishing out this far also ran into nice African pompano, mahi and wahoo. One wahoo caught this week came in at 92 pounds. When boats did not get out past 40 miles, mangrove snappers, lane snappers, porgies and lots of grunts took up most of their time.
The nearshore bite was very good pre-monsoon. Permit fishing was the best it has been so far from this year. Lots of permit have been caught in the 10-to-25-pound class, with a few permit over 30 pounds in the mix. The same structures that held permit also had cobia, mackerel and snook on them. Those that continue to fish for tarpon are doing well. Tarpon fishing especially off Cayo Costa and Captiva on both the gulf and bay sides was good. The best tarpon baits this week was using a live crab. This totally made sense as we had predominantly outgoing tides to fish on the good days.
Inshore fishing continued to be easy for catching back-country slams. Snook are actively feeding along our beaches these days. Generally, if you find bait schools on the beach, then there are snook around. Redfish are active on the good moving water along the mangrove shorelines. Fishing for redfish has been best on the higher tides. Trout continue to be on all the grass flats in as shallow as a foot of water up to about four feet.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
June 7 Report Photo by Capt. Greg Stamper The rain has begun, and with it we are officially into our summer. Moving forward we can expect a consistent forecast for months to come. The afternoon rains are a blessing, helping to cool things off a bit. With the rain our rivers, creeks, culverts, and drainage ditches feed critters into the bays. Along with a new place to find food, some fish push out of these areas into our bays. These fish will call the bays and river mouths homes for many months to come. Anglers will notice more schools of white bait and finger mullet in our shallow waters, as they reap the benefits of the new nutrient filled run off water.
The insurgents of bait moving in from the beaches and nearshore waters is a blessing to predators. Often juvenile tarpon, snook, jacks, and redfish will be the happiest of recipients. From this point forward when you find bait in areas throughout the bays, the big fish will not be far behind. Just like before the rains began, it will still be hot out. Temperatures will be in the upper 90’s, with feels like temperatures in the mid 100’s. Fishing early in the mornings or in the evenings will continue to be your best bet.
The offshore runs for American red snapper have begun. These trips start at about 50 miles offshore or at least in 130-feet of depth. Typically, American reds are easily found once out that far on the wrecks and any significant ledge or depth change. Baiting up with squid, pinfish, or sardines is all one needs to be successful. Those that do not go out that far to reach their two limits on Ars’ may choose to start in about 90 feet of water. There anglers can catch plenty of mangrove snappers, lane snappers, and with a flat line out a possible king fish.
Nearshore fishing continues to be good. There are lots of tarpon available, for those who do want them. Tarpon schools continue to be up and down our coastal beaches as well as sightings out to around 40 feet of water. Your best chance of catching a tarpon will be just off the beaches from Cayo Costa to Captiva just of the beaches. If you have side scan imaging on your GPS unit, they will be easier to find if they are not rolling on the surface much. Permit, cobia, mackerel, as well as small snappers continue to be other options for the nearshore guys.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
May 30 Report Trout fishing in the region continues to be very good. We are getting closer to our afternoon thunderstorms becoming a daily occurrence. We need rain not only for better fishing, but to cool things off midday. It continues to be very hot, and based on weather predictions for the next week this trend will continue. Until these afternoon thunderstorms become a consistent part of our day, fishing early or at night is the way to go. Those that followed this pattern all week did well, especially during the night and first light timeframes.
The snook have begun their beach life and can be reliable for many months to come. Those that plan to walk the beaches in search of snook, will do best on easterly winds. The low wind mornings give anglers a good chance of sight fishing the snook harassing the schools of pilchards, threadfin, and finger mullet. Mimicking the baitfish you see with swim baits, flies, or even hard baits will work well. Those throwing artificials parallel to the shorelines, will often do better than the live bait guys.
Redfish continue to be active before the sun gets up to high. Redfish have also been seen around our local passes when the water is moving well. The beach redfish are feasting on the same baitfish as the snook and seem to move from the bays to the beach based on how much bait is available. Those fishing for redfish in the shallow waters had a good bite on the higher water morning tides, with less action after 11 am.
Trout fishing continues to be easy. We have a good trout fishery as of now. The impact of our red tide event of 5 years ago has finally dissipated. Trout are consistent in 2-4-feet of water on practically every grass flat from Boca Grande down. If you want action for kids, or just those that need it, then pull out a popping corks with a shrimp on it and have fun. Most of the trout will range from 12-20 inches, and you can literally catch as many as you want for hours at a time.
Nearshore fishing continues to be good for tarpon, permit, cobia, and snappers. Those fishing off our beaches from 1-5-miles will see the tarpon rolling, free jumping, and tail slapping periodically. Crabs, live threadfin herring, as well as cut baits will work. If you find yourself around and of the local wrecks, rockpiles, or reefs then expect your quarry to be a mix of snappers, mackerel, some pompano and trout.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
May 24 Report Summer heat is setting in as afternoon temperatures reach a “feels like” of 105. This pattern will continue until we start to receive our afternoon thunderstorms that cool things off. These predictable storms should start up in about 3 weeks, and we need rain. Those that fished during the morning hours, or at night this week did well. We have water temperatures reaching the high 80s’ now, combine that with the heat of the day and that’s why those fishing when it is cool are doing best.
The local bridges during the evening hours were great. The best fishing seems to be from midnight till sunup. Tarpons are the number one target around these bridges, with snook being a close second. Anglers have been throwing swim jigs along the shadow lines and are getting great results. Another option is to catch a live ladyfish, that are there, and put that right back out on a 10/o hook.
During the morning hours of the first light, the back bay fishing was good. The redfish bite continues to be top notch with lots of upper slot fish being caught. Snook fishing has finally gotten predictable. Snook are feasting on white bait schools along our beaches as they fatten up for the spawn. Snook can be found cruising our local shorelines along Sanibel and Captiva in good numbers. Often the schools of male snook can have 20-40 fish in a group. These fish are competitive and will eat. As you walk the beaches catching these 14-24-inch males, hopefully you will run into a big female and join the 40-inch club. Trout, pompano, some small permit, and jacks will be your bycatch.
The offshore fishing was all about snappers this week. A lot of mangrove snappers came into the fillet stations all week in the 2-4-pound class. Vermillion snappers, mutton snappers, as well as a few dog tooth also met the fillet stations. Only one report of wahoo, tuna, and sailfish came my way this week, but that is most likely good fishing as well. Should you be after those pelagic, then start in about 150 feet or more of depth.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
May 16 Report Photo by Capt. Greg Stamper The bite slowed down a bit this week inshore, mainly due to slow morning tides. During the same slow moving tidal stages, near shore followed suit. This is typical this time of the year as we move through 4-6 good am tides, into some crappy ones. This coming week things move back into the fisherman’s favor, and likewise fishing will be good again.
Starting of with the back bays on times when water was moving well, fish were caught. We had a very good redfish bite for short periods before slacking tides. Redfish up to 37-inches have been caught by many. Live pilchards, shrimp, as well as artificial baits worked around the mangrove shorelines worked well. There has also been a lot of snook in play. Most of the snook range from 16-25-inches, but several big fish have been caught.
Many of the snook are being found near the passes, as they patrol the beaches that are full of bait. Trout fishing continues to be good in 2-3-feet of water. Most of the big tarpon seen recently in the back bays have moved into the passes and off the beaches. Certainly, both tarpon and snook are in the beginning stages of their spawn.
The permit fishing along with cobia on the beaches is good. Again, moving water affects these fish like those in the bays. Live crabs worked best for the permit ranging from 8-20-pounds. The cobia is kind of a surprise for many fishing the wrecks. Often cobia just shows up on the surface for a few minutes then moves back down to the structure. Mangrove nappers, triggerfish, trout, pompano, and even lane snappers have been the bycatch when using shrimp.
The offshore bite was doable three days this week. Those that went out mainly fished for bottom species of mutton snappers, lane snappers, as well as red grouper. There were a few African pompano caught while fishing for the bottom fish along with Ajs’, grunts, and an occasional vermillion snapper. No reports off wahoo, sailfish, or tuna came in this week.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
May 10 Report There are plenty of redfish, trout and snook to be had in the back bay. (Photo courtesy of Capt. Greg Stamper) The continuation of great weather has kept the bite going. We have had some great days to be fishing this week, and there is no end in site. The occasional threat of weak cold fronts making their way into Southwest Florida is about the only game changer. Until these fronts no longer make their way into Florida, fishing patterns will stay the same. The Summer rains have not yet begun. The prequel of these afternoon thunderstorms is the midday sea breeze. These sea breezes give us a wind shift coming from the west, and in about another month will supply the energy needed for the thunderstorms to develop regularly.
The back bay fishing continues to be excellent. There were a lot of redfish, snook, and trout available. The ironic part as far as the trout are concerned is a surprising number of upper and over slot fish caught all week. Redfish continue to be found in good numbers, especially along the shady mangrove shorelines both early morning and a few hours before sunset. The snook are now being seen cruising along the shorelines in what appears to be the beginning of their first spawn.
Of course we must talk about tarpon fishing. The tarpon bite has been on fire all week. Some days especially after the sea breeze had begun, Pine Island sound was the place to be. If you’re not sure where to fish for them in Pine Island sound just look for the forty boats all parked near each other. Live crabs, ladyfish, and threadfin herring are your best baits. Those fishing the nearshore waters from the beaches out to 40-feet of water have also done well on the east winds. A good day of tarpon fishing currently will be jumping 8-10 fish and hopefully getting a leader touch on a few.
The offshore bite has been status quo. Those fishing inside of 100-feet are hammering mangrove and lane snappers daily. Trigger fish, kingfish, ajs’ as well as cobia are also being found in the bycatch. When anglers take the long runs, some 60-miles plus, African pompano, mahi, sailfish, as well as wahoo have been reported both trolling and freelining while bottom fishing for big grouper.
April 5 Report Fishing for red drum continues to be very good. (Photo by Capt. Greg Stamper) It has been an interesting week. We had Mother Nature deliver two cool fronts to Southwest Florida. Although the temperatures did not have huge swings, the wind associated with them was strong. Strong winds over shallow water stirs up the bottom, making the water muddy. The result was one or two days of tough fishing, followed up with the bite getting back to the status quo.
The redfish bite continues to be very good. On the days when the water was its worst, fishing with cutbaits or shrimp on jigs worked well. Even on the days after the high winds, redfish, trout and snook were caught. It will take a few more days of strong tides to clean up the water, then fishing should be great. The surprise this week was catching small mutton snappers in the back bays. Although these fish are small, it is very cool to see a species you do not expect to catch. A few reports of bluefish also being caught this week. Shows you never know what may show up.
The nearshore fishing for tarpon gets to a halt when the winds are blowing hard. There are tarpon off our beaches as well as in the bays, but fishing in 30-mph gusts is not fun. On the days when the winds were lower, tarpon were caught even in the muddy water. Those who have side-scan on their GPS units can find them. The next week looks like we will have some great weather and low winds, so finding the silver kings will be much easier. Reports of tarpon schooling up near the Caloosahatchee River and Sanibel causeway areas came in often. The best tarpon reports came from those fishing from Captiva and Cayo Costa.
Offshore fishing only doubled twice this week. The boats that did get out started fishing in 130 feet of water and did well. African pompano seemed to be fired up this week and whole squid dropped on large jigs worked well. Snapper fishing was good as it has been for a while. Most of the snappers ranged from 1 to 4 pounds and were a mix of mangrove, lane and mutton. Groupers were caught when large live baits like grunts or pinfish were used in the same areas that the snapper was in.
March 29 Report Leaping tarpon. (Photo by Capt. Greg Stamper) We continue to keep getting the little tail ends of cold fronts. These fronts drop our temperatures a little, but things warm up just as quick. The main issue with these fronts is wind. Wind mucks up the shallow-water areas making sight fishing impossible. The good part is most of the week fishing was good.
The back bay fishing for tarpon, redfish, snook and trout was good all but two days. On the good days, we were able to catch grand slams of tarpon, snook, redfish and trout. Shrimp has worked best for the redfish on simple jigs. Our snook are eating pilchards and are beginning to get bigger. Trout continue to be found in roughly three feet of water anywhere there are grass flats. The tarpon can be found along our beaches on calm days. If it is rough in the Gulf, try fishing in Pine Island sound where you can get some wind block.
Nearshore fishing will continue to be a tarpon thing for several months to come. Those who are fishing the reefs will do well on snappers, grunts, sheepshead, trout, mackerel and the occasional hogfish. Most anglers who fished the reefs use shrimp, but if you can use live white baits as well in the same areas, you may expand your species. Permit continues to be caught on the wrecks using both shrimp and crabs. Reports of large hammerheads and bull sharks moving into these same areas happened often. These big sharks follow the tarpon around but are more than willing to eat a permit.
The offshore fishing happened a few days this week. Most anglers did not go out very far. Most fished around the 40 mile out mark and caught snappers, a few porgies and small grouper. Those who trolled in the same areas had plenty of kingfish to play with, but nothing else but a few barracudas.
March 22 Report Red fishing continues to be good. It has been an interesting week of fishing. The north and east winds late in the week hurt the good tide days. Winds moving in from these directions will hold water out of the bay, making tides lower than expected. This effect of holding water out also allows for dirty water to develop in the shallows. Regardless of the challenges we did manage some decent fishing. Water temperatures did fluctuate a bit, but not enough to shut things down. Before this last cold front water temperatures steadied out in the low 70’s by midday.
Tarpon fishing continues to be a big target for many anglers. Tarpon have been active and are being caught daily. Schools of fish are now being seen along our beaches and around our passes in good numbers. An assortment of baits ranging from cut baits to live crabs have worked all week. Most of these tarpon range 80-to-120 pounds so set up your tackle appropriately. Red fishing continues to be good. We did have a few days on the northern winds where the bite did not happen until nearly the end of the high tides, but we got them. Snook, small jacks, snappers and even some bluefish became our bycatch.
Nearshore fishing for permit, cobia, kingfish and Spanish mackerel continues. The Spanish mackerel and kingfish can often be seen free jumping as they attack the schools of bait fish. The permit and cobia continue to inhabit the wrecks with higher relief and can be caught using small crabs, shrimp and artificial lures. When fishing the same wrecks and reefs sheepshead, snappers, pompano and spotted seatrout will be your bycatch.
The offshore trips have gone well this week. They had about four good days to go out far, and many anglers did just that. Lots of lane snappers, mangrove snappers, as well as porgies were caught. Those who fished out past the 130 marks did well on red grouper using squid, pinfish and sardines.
March 15 It is tarpon time for those anglers who want to mess with 100-pounders. The big schools of threadfin herring have made their way inshore, bringing the silver kings with them. Fish have been caught in the back bays, along the beaches and in the passes practically every day. Using threadfin herrings, crabs, live mullet and cut baits have all worked. Be sure you come armed with heavy spin rods with plenty of line, as the water temperature is hovering around the mid-70s. When the water is in this temperature range the tarpon are full of piss and vinegar making for some long fights.
Fishing for red drum continues to improve. (Photo by Greg Stamper) In the shallow waters of the back bays, we continue to catch a mix of winter fish along with the resurgence of our summer targets. Sheepshead fishing continues to be good but will begin to tapper off. Black drum also are continuing to be found, especially during the outgoing tides. These black drum are looking for crab coming from the shallow flats. If you’re targeting black drum look for them near or in channels where the water is flowing off a large grassy flat. Snook are beginning to show up throughout the bay. There have been a few big snook caught, but most of them are small. Red fishing continues to get better and better. Redfish can be caught from 17 to 30 inches using shrimp, pilchards, flies and jerk baits. Most of the redfish are still a bit silver in color, meaning they just moved into the area. We also have tarpon in the back bays and they are big. The tarpon is targeting the schools of mullet that are filling in as well as ladyfish and trout.
The offshore fishing continues to be good. Our weather has allowed plenty of days to get out far without getting beaten up. Grouper fishing starts getting good in about 120 feet. Those that are fishing in 60-80 feet of water are catching their limits of lane, mangrove and grunts easily. Kingfish as well as cobia are also available and an easy way to end up with one is to always have a flat line out with live bait on it.
Capt. Greg Stamper www.snookstampcharters.com
