Marco Island, Ft. Myers & Boca Grande

Capt. Scott Hughes
November 24, 2003
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report

Winds of Change

Cold winds from the north have started the cange from fall to winter. Water temps have dropped about 8 degrees in the last two weeks and fish are on the move. Snook, redfish, trout, mackerel, bluefish and grouper were on the catching list this week as well as a few bonito and king mackerel.

Most of the snook have started moving up into the backcountry and will move into the canals and creeks as it get colder. However, there are still some large upper slot fish in the passes. We caught snook last week up to 33 inches using pinfish and sardines along the passes of Northern Pine Island Sound. We found smaller snook along the mangroves that took the same thing.

Redfish are still around the mangroves on high tide and tailing on the flats during the lower stages. I have noticed a lot of under sized reds around, which signals that winter is here. Sardines and shrimp are the best baits. Throw plastics for the tailers or feed them a free lined shrimp.

Trout are just about everywhere. They are out of season until Januray 1st. We found good numbers of fish in potholes on low tide and along the bars in about 4ft of water. Live sardines and plastic swim bodies from love's Lure's did the trick.

We found lots of spainish mackrel and bluefish about a mile offshore of the barrier islands in Pine Island Sound. Look for diving Terns and Frigates to locate fish. We fished jigs and small spoons and caught all that we wanted. A few bonito and king mackerel are mixed in with them also so don't be surprised if you get smoked every once in a while.

There are plenty of gag grouper in the passes and along any kind of structure. The majority of these fish are under the 22 inch limit but are a lot of fun when everything is slow.

The forecast for the next few weeks should be much the same as long as the weather holds.

Good Luck!

Capt. Scott Hughes

Blackwater Charters

941-575-2389

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