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Report for Naples, Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands
Capt. Matt Hoover
September 3, 2001
Marco Island - Saltwater Fishing Report
Increaing The Numbers
As predicted, fishing continued to improve this past week. The morning shift enjoyed a strong incoming tide. There is an increasing amount of bait flowing into the Marco and Ten Thousand Islands areas. It is a mixture of small thread herring, Spanish sardines and scaled sardines. When the bite is on, you can see the bait spraying at every turn. Fishing has been very good now matter where you go.
Plenty of small snook are around. We managed to catch a few fish that ranged from twenty four to thirty three inches. It is apparent that larger snook are starting to show up. The redfish are starting to make a strong showing too. Anglers have been averaging three to five reds with me on each outing. I had my father and son Atom out this weekend and we caught seven reds that were legal in a half day of fishing. We did not have to leave the Marco area. We caught numerous small to medium sized snook too. There were some large jacks smashing our baits as well. The guides that I talked to gave me similar reports.
Anglers have been doing well with trout in the deeper runs around Cape Romano. They are catching a few redfish and snook while tossing jigs for trout. Look for trout in the deeper water around the grass in front of the islands too.
Most of us have been seeing fifty to one hundred pound tarpon while we are beating the bushes. I think you could actively pursue them if you had patience. These fish are in the mood to feed. Spawning season is over. They want to get fat for the winter months. If the weather remains calm, tarpon will come into the area to feed before they disappear for the winter. All of your favorite methods will work for hooking into one of these fall fish.
It looks as if the weather pattern will remain the same in the upcoming week. The mornings have been the best. When the tide gets higher, try fishing on the outside points of the islands. Late afternoons have been very productive as the tide falls. The oyster bars will show and the little bays will hold fish until it is time for them to drop into deeper water.
This is one of the best times of the year to catch double-digit numbers of fish. It will not be long before the rest of the world heads south. Get out on the water while the kids are in school and the snowbirds are still up north. I’ll see you out there.
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