Estero Bay redfish and snook were leading the way
Capt. Brad Brown
August 2, 2016
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report
Lasts week's low tides were good for scouting. Worked the back bay of Estero Bay looking for bait and gamefish on the move. There is a ton of live bait available to anglers with a cast net. Look for the pods along the beaches and in the backcountry on the open flats. The pilchards have finally grown up to casting size and the redfish and snook are happy about that.
If not throwing live shiners, we were using live shrimp on jigs. Those worked best for the pompano, mangrove snapper and ladyfish. You might want to keep a few ladies on ice to use as cut bait for the reds. They love ‘em, especially when the tide is way up in the bushes.
If you hit the water early before all the boaters arrive on the scene you've got a good chance of a close encounter with a tarpon or two in Estero Bay. They aren't real big but they sure are fun. They were hitting pilchards free lined and under corks.
I fished on Sunday with Chris Collins of Estero and his boys Rocky and Dominic. The guys picked up three nice redfish along with some snook, trout, ladyfish and jacks. The reds averaged 24 inches in length. I also fished on Monday with Capt. Rob Modys, also of Estero, and we caught reds and snook along with some keeper mangrove snapper. The best live bait rigs for both days were circle hooks under corks fished along the mangrove edges.
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