Estero Bay And Gulf Waters Are Warm And The Fishing Is Hot
Capt. Rob Modys
July 15, 2011
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report
It's hot here in southwest Florida and the amount of fisherpersons on the water is starting to wane. Seems some of them can't stand the heat. But if you get out early and get it done by 11AM or so, you'll be rewarded with excellent fishing and catching.
The rains have slowed a bit and that has diminished the amount of runoff, so the bay and Gulf temperatures are on the rise. There's not a lot of small bait to be found along the beaches but there's an enormous amount of large threadfin herrings just a couple of miles offshore. Mix that with some live shrimp and cut bait and you're good to go.
Pompano have returned along with some nice size trout and mangrove snapper to the nearshore rock piles and reefs. Live shrimp on a jig head works best for the pompano and a cut bait on a circle hook is the go-to for the others. Keep your eyes open for diving birds in the Gulf. They are usually working over surface bait and there's almost always spanish mackerel, bluefish and ladyfish near by. Small casting spoons work best but you can also use popping corks with live bait.
The backcountry is redfish central right now but most are under slot or just barely over. Live shrimp on jigs fished near mangrove shorelines is working well. You can also go with cut ladyfish on circle hooks. Schools of jacks are starting to chase small baits on the flats, so keep a rod ready with something flashy to throw their way when they pop up. You can't eat them but they sure are fun to catch.
The shark bite continues in the Gulf. Best area seems to be on sand or hard bottom in about 15 feet of water. Anchor up and then start chumming with cut threads, ladyfish or jacks, then put some cut bait on circle hooks in the chum line. It usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes for the first hit but they come in steady after that. We've been getting bulls, hammerheads, duskys, spinners and blacktips and yesterday we hooked up with a very rare 8 foot sawfish.
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