Report for Naples, Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands
Capt. Matt Hoover
November 8, 2000
Marco Island - Saltwater Fishing Report
Just Perfect
Wherever you go you may hear someone say that the weather has been too hot or too cold. I think that everyone would have to agree that these past few weeks the weather has been just perfect. This past week was no exception. Cool mornings and pleasant afternoons have made for some fine fishing.
There is still an abundance of bait everywhere you point the boat. Throwing live bait seems to be the method of choice. Some folks are doing some serious jigging in the major passes around Marco for pompano. The pompano fishing has been very productive. But most anglers are still trying to catch a snook or redfish. Trout has closed as of November first in our section of the state. There have been plenty of snook to catch. Most of them are small to medium size. We did see a few keeper snook this week. Some were in the thirty-inch range.
The redfish action hasn’t changed this past week. Anglers are catching one or two with each outing. Some of the redfish that have been caught have been in the thirty-inch range. I have been getting reports of people seeing very large redfish cruising along the beaches of Marco.
There have been a few encounters with large tarpon. Angler Donny Kish jumped one fish and landed another in one of the passes of the upper Ten Thousand Islands. He said that both fish were over one hundred pounds. Kish was using ladyfish for bait. I had a client out in the middle of the week and we got spooled by a big tarpon. We were pitching shiners against the bushes when the tarpon hit. That fish ran so fast that it left the two of us with our mouths hanging open. Ten-pound test is hardly a match for a large tarpon.
We have been catching plenty of trout, jacks, ladyfish and mackerel while trying for snook and redfish. Some of the jacks have been very large and will cause an angler to take a break after dealing with one. All of these fish make for a well rounded day on the water.
We still have plenty of warm sunshine ahead of us. It is not too late to get in on the fall migration. Anything goes. I’ll see you on the water.
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