Fishbuster Charters--A few trips for May
Capt. Dave Hanson
May 28, 2022
Bonita Beach - Saltwater Fishing Report
Between some personal time off the water, lots of windy rough days, and intense heat this month, I only managed a handful of trips this month.
After losing a few offshore trips the two weeks prior, due to high winds and seas, I finally got back on the water on Monday, 5/16/22, and fished in the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with Gary Carr and his two sons, Adam and Cameron. The guys used live shrimp to catch eight sheepshead, including one at 12 inches. They boxed four keeper mangrove snapper and released seven mang shorts, along with a 12-ich mutton snapper short and an 18-inch redfish.
Todd Rynaski fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with me on Tuesday morning, 5/17, using live shrimp and artificials. He caught two permit, including a keeper-sized one at 17 inches. He also caught seven sheepshead, including a 15-inch keeper, and boxed one keeper mangrove snapper.
Winds blew hard again for several days. My offshore trip for Monday, 5/23, was met with choppy seas, and we ventured no further than the near-shore reefs off Bonita Beach. Action there wasn't optimal, but the Scott Scheifelbein family used squid and shrimp to catch and release a 21-inch gag grouper, (see photo below) three grunts, three lane snapper shorts, and a bunch of blue runners.
Bonita Beach Fishing Forecast:
Winds and rough seas persist, though it looks like they might calm down a bit for a couple days next week. Bring lots of water--it's hot!
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