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Fishing Report - Naples, Ft. Myers, Bonita Beach & Estero Bay
Capt. Dave Hanson
March 18, 2006
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report
22 lb. king mackerel, 100+ lb. nurse shark, sheepshead: Bonita Beach, SW FL
The photo shown at right is of a 21 inch trout, caught on a recent backwater trip in Estero Bay.
I fished the north end of Estero Bay Monday. We used live shrimp to catch a dozen sheepshead, three of which were keepers. We also released ladyfish and small snook. We lost something pretty big just at the boat, but the water was murky, and we couldn’t tell what it was.
Wednesday, fishing the west wall of Estero Bay, inside New Pass, we had good action for the young anglers on board. We caught lots of sheepshead, two of which were keepers, three keeper mangrove snappers, and a three pound cravalle jack. A couple of big ones got away when the hook wasn’t quite set, but the boys had plenty of fun, and plenty of fish to take home.
I fished the reefs off Bonita on Thursday. Using live shrimp and cut ladyfish, we caught four keeper sheepshead to 19 inches, keeper lane snappers, and released small mangrove snapper. We also hooked a nice-sized fish on a little 360 Penn Slammer, but a big goliath grouper bit it, and swam off with it before we could reel it in.
Friday, I fished the reefs and a few other areas near shore. We had a great day, landing a 49 inch, 22 pound king mackerel, and releasing a 6 ½ foot nurse shark that weighed over 100 pounds. We caught a mess of nice sheepshead to 19 inches, and a few keeper mangrove snapper and grunts. The same group returned to the reefs fish Saturday morning, on a catch and release trip, and released sheepshead, gag grouper shorts, and blue runners. We had one big fish cut off the line, perhaps another king.
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