Pompano, Redfish And Trout Chewing Near Fort Myers Beach
Capt. Rob Modys
October 31, 2011
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report
Another near miss from a tropical depression brought southwest Florida and Estero Bay quite a bit of rain, but it didn't seem to slow the bite at all. This coming week calls for sunny weather with highs in the 80's and NO SNOW.
The trout have made a solid move to the grass flats and the bigger sheepshead are moving to their winter haunts near oyster bars and interior mangrove islands. A popping cork rig with live shrimp for bait is the best bet for the trout. Set up a drift on the flats near Mound Key or across from Week's Fish Camp and you should be rewarded with with some nice size fish.
For the sheepies, a small jig head tipped with half of a live shrimp is all that's needed to catch these tasty fish. They are great bait stealers. If you keep missing them try scaling back on your tackle to smaller jigs and smaller bait offerings.
The redfish are still feeding well on the higher tides and that should continue into late November. Live shrimp under corks or on jig heads worked close to the mangroves is still the way to go. We've been getting some shorts but most are in the 2 to 3 pound range.
If it's dinner you're looking for then the nearshore Gulf waters are a good place to start. The pompano just moved back to the sandy areas near the passes and they are chewing! We've been getting a half dozen or so on each trip. Near the rock piles there are a lot of spanish mackerel, which are good light fried or smoked, along with mangrove snapper and flounder.
Remember... Sea trout season closes in the southwest region of Florida on November 1st and reopens on January 1st. It's catch and release only for a couple of months in our waters.
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