SW FL-Bonita Beach: Grouper, Snapper, Hogs, Trout & Goliath Fun
Capt. Dave Hanson
October 5, 2010
Bonita Beach - Saltwater Fishing Report
"No oil—No spoil
Our Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine"
Thursday morning, 9/30, after a couple of rainy days, I fished eighteen miles out of New Pass with long-time customer Pat Fitzgerald and his friends, Jimmy C. and Jimmy G. They wanted to feel the pull of a big fish, so we caught and released three goliath grouper to 50 pounds, using blue runners for bait. Then, we switched our attention to some table-fare and used live shrimp to catch four keeper yellowtail snapper, all 13 inches, five keeper mangrove snapper to 14 inches, a 25-inch Spanish mackerel, and two 14-inch whitebone porgies. We released lots of smaller fish of all those varieties.
Jason and Laura Faust, who were in Estero on their honeymoon, joined me for a morning of fishing Friday, October 1st. Seas were calming and were only two-to-three feet offshore, so we headed out to about 43 feet, where we caught a 23-inch red grouper, thirteen keeper mangrove snapper to 14 inches, a 13-inch hogfish, and Spanish mackerel to 25 inches. We used shrimp for all except the red grouper, which we caught on a blue runner. We also released three goliath grouper to 40 pounds, and had a generally fun morning of fishing in beautiful weather.
Mike Barnabee and his sons, Matt, Danny and Chris, along with another family member, Ben, headed out to about 43 feet to fish with me on a slightly sloppy Sunday morning. The winds were increased just enough to kick up the seas to two-to-four feet. The group had fun, though and caught a 13-inch hogfish, a few keeper mangrove and yellowtail snapper, and porgies. We also released a 25-pound goliath grouper.
Monday morning, 10/4, I fished a catch-and-release trip with Jim McCarty and his seven-year-old son, Alex. We used shrimp to catch and release fifteen fish in all, including two redfish, two snook, four trout, a ladyfish, and a half dozen mangrove snapper.
The photo shown is of angler, Jeanette Thron, with a 16 ˝ inch hogfish, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.
Bonita Beach Fishing Forecast:
I had planned to fish offshore tomorrow, but it doesn't look likely, with winds picking up to 20 knots and seas of 3-5 feet predicted. It looks like a few rough days ahead, so inshore might be the best place to be until things calm down again.
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