Estero Bay -Pine island Good Fly and Artie Action
Capt. Ron Kowalyk
February 6, 2014
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report
Backbay: The back waters were still a tad challenging with sluggish tide, afternoon weather and wind a problem. Steady Eddy Crews hung in there and came up with upper slot reds, fat limits of trout and numbers of release snook. The bite really picked up with the arrival of the whitebait on the beaches. Chum bats aided dispersing minnows and turned on the bite. My crews are sporty dudes who preferred to pitch swimbaits, DOA's and flies and we stayed in the game with good numbers of snook to 28 plus inches, a few reds and a mess of trout, jacks and ladies. There re mega jacks in the rivers and feeder creeks, these "Canal Tunas" will give you a tussle on your buggy whip that matches any Keys permit, well maybe! Fly selection is simple, depend on red and white patterns and you can't go wrong. Trout inhaled orange and brown Clousers, black and orange Closures and my fav the Bloody Nose fly. Other productive lure were the Die Zel Minnow Z and pee-pee yellow DOA's with an orange tail, just an Estero Bay heads-up. The biggest trout still like a finger mullet or pin in a sand hole; don't be surprised if that sow red inhales as well. There are sharks cruising the flats as well with reports of black tips and bull sharks eating hooked up trout.
Conditions are going to be favorable for the weekend so hit your favorite haunts as the tides are going to be generous starting today, a couple of feet high in the afternoon. Good Stuff, hope to see you on the water!
Capt. Ron Kowalyk: 239-267-9312 [email protected]
Capt's Corners: The "Ham and Eggers" (bait fisherman) probably have a leg up on fly and artificial addicts. There is an upside to fishing plastic and feathers, many more convenient presentations and less handling. Fly fishing can be clean, quick and efficient if you like to cover ground. Poling along is pretty much the way to cover the real estate with arties. Unlike bait fishing you're depending on attracting active fish. Of course flipping sardines to the bushes can be even a tad more productive, flies and plug s don't have that sweet scent trail and it's a trade off. The many varieties of add-on scent are a great way to perk-up your arties. I think if you scent your plugs stick to floater divers that will hang in the strike zone giving your scent trail a chance to work the water, especially under the mangrove canopy. Soaking a plastic shrimp, DOA s and Gulps a couple of seconds under the canopy and fishing them with very short hops will trigger some outstanding takes. Patients make the master, slow hand is best near the bushes. One of my fishing buddies times his shrimp hops per his cigar puffs, who knows? Different strokes for different folks.
Fort Myers Fishing Forecast:
Weathers get real nice, cool, sunny , good tisea, come on down 239-267-9312
Target Species:
Redfish, snook ,sea trout, tarpon
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