Marco Island, Ft. Myers & Boca Grande

Capt. Scott Hughes
March 4, 2004
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report

It's Inshore Slam Time!

We had inshore slams everyday this week and fishing in general is started to bust loose. Breezy warm weather has warmed the water temps and fish have started to come out of hiding in both Pine Island Sound and the 10,000 Islands. Redfish, trout and snook are feding well in Pine Island despite the lack of bait in the area. Bait has started to show up south of Marco Island. As a result, snook catches have been excellent this past week.

Redfish: We had double digit days on reds the entire week while fishing Pine Island Sound. We fished shrimp under the bushes on high falling tides and fished potholes during low stages. Most of the fish were in the lower slot with a couple per day over the maximun slot of 27 inches.

Snook: Excellent snook fishing reports have been comming in from Everglades City and the upper 10,000 islands. Sardines have been the key to the snook fishing. Find the sardines or finger mullet and take them way back in the jungle and you'll get your limit. As the water starts to warm more the snook will start moving toward the outside and into the back and middle bays. Snook fishing in Lower Pine Island Sound and the Calusahatchee River was good for those who caught bait this week. We have been catching a few per day while fishing for redfish in the potholes as well.

Trout: We caught limits of trout on all five trips this week. We have been finding trout in almost every location. Deep grass flats have been the best areas but we also caught them in backcoountry creeks and near the pass channels. Plastic jerk baits in pearl and green caught the most quality fish.

Sheephead: Early in the week the sheephead were thick in the backcountry creeks and then moved out to the passes. They have been feeding well with the rising tide. We did well with shrimp and jigs Sunday-Tuesday and the bite tailed off later in the week as most of fish moved out to the passes.

The forecast for the rest of this month is excellent. The bait should move inshore anytime. When we use sardines we usually catch a lot more snook. Redfish and trout fishing will continue to be good. Tarpon will start to move into the 10,000 Islands within the next few weeks or sooner if the weather stays warm. Its a good time to fish so get out on the water. Just remember to give others some elbow room out there.

Good Luck!

Capt. Scott Hughes

Blackwater Charters

941-575-2389

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