Fishing Reports by Capt. Dave Hanson

Big game and Tablefare - Long-time customers, Jim McGrath and Bill Crockett, fished 19 to 23 miles west of New Pass with me on Monday, 3/19. They used squid and cut-bait to box fourteen keeper lane snapper and three 12-inch grunts. They released seventeen smaller grunts and more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Nice catches offshore and inshore - Sunday morning, 2/25, I headed out to 19 miles west of New Pass to fish with Charles Bisgaier and his friend, Andy. The red grouper bite was active, and the guys released twenty red grouper shorts to18 inches, along with two mangrove snapper shorts. more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Still windy, still fishing! - Monday, 2/5/18, I fished with frequent customer, Ron Musick, joined by friends who are visiting for a few days. We used cut-bait and squid to fish spots out to 28 miles from New Pass. The spots that have consistently yielded lots of lane snapper have more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Battling winds and tides, but catches good! - After a few days of cold temperatures, high winds, and rough seas, causing me to cancel a couple of trips, Saturday, 1/20/18, was finally calm enough to get offshore. I fished in spots from 18 to 28 miles west of New Pass with Joe Hahn and his friend more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Weather isn't helping, but we're catching fish anyway! - As 2017 was drawing to a close, I had hoped that the good fishing weather we had over Christmas week would hold steady. But on Saturday, 12/30/17, when I fished with Rich Driscoll, Sr. and Rich Jr., joined by son Jack and his cousin, Sadie, sea condi more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Christmas Time Fishing in Bonita Beach, SWFL - On Wednesday, 12/20, John and Kim Zitur treated their six-year-old daughter, Carlyn, and their five-year-old son, Quinten, to a catch-and-release trip in southern Estero Bay. The kids had a great time using live shrimp to catch and release a 15-inch more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Shark, Grouper, Snapper, Sheeps, Drum & Reds - Bart Arrigo, his wife, K.C, and their friends, Brian Bialas and Lori, fished 35 miles west of New Pass with me on Friday, 12/1/17. The group used squid and cut-bait to catch seven yellowtail snapper, including three keepers to 13 inches, seven mangro more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Shark, Grouper, Snapper, Sheeps, Drum & Bream - Mike Connealy, a long-time customer, fished southern Estero Bay's backwaters with me Friday morning, 11/10/17, using live shrimp for bait. We caught fourteen sheepshead, four of which were keepers ranging from 13 to 18 inches, and four mangrove snapp more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Nice Trout Inshore; Keeper Mutton Offshore - Gary Wilson, Larry Jones, and Kevin Scully fished 19 miles west of New Pass with me on Monday morning, 10/16/17, in calm seas. The guys had a productive morning of fishing, using cut-bait and squid. They boxed a dozen keeper lane snapper to 16 inches more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Fishing pre and post Hurricane Irma - For Craig Seacrest and family, it was a toss-up as to whether to fish offshore or in the backwaters on Thursday, 8/24. The threat of rain was a concern offshore, with its timing uncertain, and with its potential to rough up the seas. The bay was at a more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach