It's not just me/Most Guides in SW FL are.....
Capt. John GiddyUp-Bunch
July 26, 2009
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report
3 of my last 4 charters have really sucked. Think about this for a second. Imagine finding perfect bait. Imagine going to a historically great beach fishing spot famous for being the Mustang Ranch of fishing. (In other words, you pay a professional and your wildest fantasy becomes reality) CyberAngler gives me a long leash as do so many of my newspapers but the current fishing pattern has many old and young pros completely baffled.
Docks are not producing. The beach has really sucked and this is double bad news because you have to run so far to realize happiness. Even the flippin' Nav Markers are not producing.
Over a several cold ones many theories abound. The one which seems to make the most sense is the F-huge "H" in the middle of the Gulf of Mex.
"H" stands for High Pressure. Dudes, even the flippin' sharks have gone off the bite. I have seen no Tripletail. Maybe this pattern is a pre-cursor to a Red Tide.
Guides take tough days very personally. Nothing gets my attention more than gorgeous women on my charters or a Father/Son combo. Lately it has been more of the latter. One Dad and Son came all the way from Tenn to fish with me. Get this:
Fish passed on the greatest white bait you have ever seem in favor of DOA Shrimp! I kid thee not.
We didn't catch 1 single trout, red, snook, or mackerel on live bait. Upon switching to DOA shrimp, the rods did get bent with a few (very few) trout and a grouper. The 4 Hr trip took me over 6 hours. No matter what I did, nothing F-Worked except DOA over the grass flats. KNOW THIS: I was contending with a slow INCOMING TIDE to a 3.1 Outgoing at 2PM. But I don't think it was the tide. I think dominant High Pressure gradients are super tough adversaries.
There it is. I wish it were good. In talking to several other Guides I trust including The Bar Hopper, things have been difficult in SW FL of late. In other words, "I got nothin"
More Fishing Reports:
