Fort Myers to Boca Grande inshore spring fishing report
Capt. Scott Hughes
April 6, 2011
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report
Spring has arrived and so has the wind. South winds help the flats fishing but hurt tarpon fishing, beach fishing and nearshore fishing.
Fishing for redfish is still excellent although they are starting to favor live bait over artificial lures. Scaled sardinees have moved into the bay and this has motivated the gamefish to start looking for fish instead of shrimp and crabs. I had better luck this week catching redfish on top water lures and suspending hard baits. Soft plastics and jigs produced well also. I'm thowing more more baitfish patterns now that the minnows have moved inshore.
Snook are moving out of the creeks and rivers and are holding on the flats and feed heavily on the scaled sardines. They will be on the beaches and in the passes soon. Sardines, pinfish and herring are the best live baits for catching trophy snook.
Speckled trout fishing is still very good but not nearly as good as it was a month ago. The fish are still here but they are starting to scatter out as they migrate to the beaches to spawn. Jigs and soft plastics fished in 3-5 feet of water will produce better than the shallows at this point.
Tarpon starting moving into the area over a month ago but the fishing is far from consistent or good. Even on nice weather days the fish are to scattered and to few and far between to make it worth while. I tried to catch them a couple of days last week but the winds wouldn't let me fish for them long. That's what you get when you try to tarpon fish in April. Don't get your feelings hurt when you try to beat mother nature. But I'll be trying again this weekend. If the weather gives us a break, we have a decent chance a hooking one.
Fishing for spanish mackerel is good near Pine Island. The mackerel are running 24-30 inches and are taking jigs well. It's weird but they are not liking live baifish or shiny spoons very much right now.
Sharks are all over the flats of Pine Island Sound. Bulls, blacktips, spinners, lemons and hammerhead are hanging around the tarpon grounds. Cut baiting will get them going and you might get lucky and hook a tarpon while your at it. I haven't yet but maybe your luckier than me.
Fort Myers Fishing Forecast:
I expect redfishing to be good for the rest of April. I will quit fishing for them all togather pretty soon as my focus will be on tarpon for the next 5 months. But they will still be available.
Snook, tarpon and shark fishing will get better this month.
Speckled trout fishing on the flats will tail off by the end of the month.
Mackerel fishing will get better as more baitfish migrate into the area.
Target Species:
redfish, snook, speckled trout, tarpon, sharks, mackerel
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