Estero-Pine Island Redfishing

Capt. Ron Kowalyk
April 3, 2014
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report

Backbay: Crews floundered around in the roiled up choppy waters much of the week but by Tuesday there was green water to be found on the strong incoming tides. Trout action picked up if you could hold a drift and there were mixed baggers around the channels and oyster bars. My crews lucked out with redfish in the wayback lagoons and leeward mangrove edges. We drown shrimp on cork rigs and headknocker set up and found a few nice braces of upper slot spotails in Estero Bay. The feeder creeks held scads of juvie snook and some baby poons, they're there and will take a fat shrimp, streamer fly and pinfish with soft plastics good if you want to cover lots a ground.

Black drum, sheepies and mobs of snapper are eating shrimp and cutbait under the docks, in deeper creeks and potholes. You'll want a digger rig around the bridge piling for the bully black drum, half a blue crab on a 0/8 circle hook dressed headknocker rig are about as good as it gets. There are grouper and Goliaths in the mix so be ready for some serious yoking, pump up, reel down!

Jacks kept buggy whippers busy on the flats and in the feeder creeks, you'll need to upgrade your rod, line and fly when fighting the recent gales A 9wt with a shooting head or chubby weight forward will help you punch that streamer mop into the schools. Short homeboy leaders 5-6 feet of 30 lb. on a modified wf, trim back your taper 4-6 ft. should do. Obviously you won't want to butcher a primo high-end line, just fool around with the beat up old practice caster you've got in the garage or tool shed. Dap, flap, slap and hack, I like It! Easy big fella!

Capt. Ron Kowalyk: 239-267-9312

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