Fishing Reports by Capt. Dave Hanson

Quarterly Fishing Report - Amy Charlson treated her sons and their friends to a near-shore, catch-and-release excursion on Tuesday morning, 8/3. It was rough going out to the near-shore reefs, about five miles off Bonita Beach, with numerous showers in the area. The boys used more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Fishing good but pandemics are no fun - Frequent fisher, Mike Conneally, joined by his sister and brother-in-law, Rod and Cass Bromm, fished 35 miles west of New Pass with me on Wednesday, 3/18. The family used squid and cut-bait to box nine nice porgies to 15 inches and grunts to 13 inche more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Fort Myers

Big Sheepshead Inshore; Triggerfish Offshore - Ed Thompson and his family fished offshore with me on Tuesday morning, 2/11/20, 18 to 20 miles west of New Pass. The family used squid and cut-bait to catch and release five red grouper shorts to 18 inches, along with a bunch of blue runners and sand more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Busy season here, and the fish are cooperating! - Saturday morning, 1/4/20, was a windy one, but the tide was good in Estero Bay's backwaters, where I fished a catch & release trip with David Dunbar and his girlfriend, Emily Eiteljorg. The couple used live shrimp to catch a dozen sheepshead, four of more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Triggers, Grouper, Shark, Redfish, Sheepshead & More! - The day after Thanksgiving, 11/29, I fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with Dianne Hogler and her seventeen-year-old son, Ryan. They used live shrimp to catch twenty sheepshead, including four keepers that were all around 13 inches. They r more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Fishing action good offshore and inshore - I was off the water for all of September, but fished in southern Estero Bay on a windy morning Tuesday, October 1, with Roy and Derek Brown. The guys used live shrimp to catch and release three redfish to 19 inches. The 19-inch red would have been a more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Lots of rain, but fishing good when you can go - On Wednesday morning, 7/3/19, I fished miles west of New Pass with Dwayne McCoy and his family and friends. Although seas were predicted to be less than two feet, that was not the case until it was nearly time to head in from our ½-day excursion. But more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Fishing is great again! - I fished offshore, about twenty miles west of New Pass, on Wednesday morning, 5/29, with Paul and Belinda Parks. It was sloppy heading out, despite a seas forecast of two feet, but it calmed down toward mid-morning. The couple used squid to catch two more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Slow season, but the fishing is good - Wind, wind, wind, and more wind! That describes our weather pattern lately. Monday, 4/22, was predicted to be calm, after a couple weeks prior of mostly strong winds and rough seas. But long-time customer Roy Mittman and his son, Zack, who headed off more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Fighting winds & seas, but worth it! - Saturday morning, 3/23, I fished southern Estero Bay's backwaters with Tom Weid and his son, John. The guys caught thirteen sheepshead on live shrimp, including eight keepers from 13 inches to 18 inches. Seas were a little sloppy heading offshore more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach