Beautiful weather in southwest Florida means lots of fish
Capt. Rob Modys
February 20, 2014
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report
Cool mornings and warm afternoons have kept the water temperatures up and the fish are responding. The boat traffic is up a bit, as it should be this time of year, so getting an early start is a must. Another good time is late in the day. A lot of boaters clear the water between 4 and 5 pm to seek out their favorite libations. Take advantage of the time just before sunset. It's beautiful out there and the fish will bite!
We had a great week on Estero Bay and it's hard to list all the species we caught. A combination of great weather, full moon tides and warming water temperatures really turned the fish on. The backcountry produced redfish, big seatrout and a mix of sheepshead, pompano, jacks, ladyfish, spanish mackerel and small sharks. Small bait is showing itself on the surface of the water around the mangrove islands. Look for diving pelicans and you'll find the fish.
Just outside the passes, my anglers caught spanish mackerel, bluefish, pompano and a mix of small fish. Live shrimp on lead head jigs worked slowly over the bottom worked best. The nearshore reefs are the place to be for action and dinner. The large sheepshead have moved back in, along with quite a few keeper sized mangrove snapper. Circle hooks weighted with split shot and tipped with shrimp or cut bait worked well. Also... Be sure to have a stout rod on standby. The occasional cobia has been showing up.
I usually don't start focusing on shark fishing until late March, but the warm weather has brought the bait within a couple miles of shore. That's attracted lots of spanish mackerel, bluefish, bonito and a few tarpon. The big sharks have moved in as well. On a recent trip we landed several hammerheads, bulls and blacktips with the biggest at about 7 feet in length.
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