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Report for Naples, Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands
Capt. Matt Hoover
December 4, 2001
Marco Island - Saltwater Fishing Report
Still Holding
It seems as if winter has been put on hold these past few weeks. This last week we enjoyed mild breezes out of the northeast and fishing has been excellent. It reminds me of how good it can be in the spring. The beaches and bays are full of bait and birds. Fish are getting fat for the winter.
We had low full moon winter tides this week. Normally that can be a problem but this week most of us were able to use it to our advantage. Just fish where there is water. The water temperature has gone up a little bit and it seems as if the snook decided to put their winter pilgrimage on hold. I had double-digit days using live bait this week with snook that went from small to thirty inches. Some of the other guides reported fish up to forty inches. We are catching small to keeper size redfish as well. Client Shawn Drummond released a twelve and a half pound, thirty- four inch redfish today.
Fish are staging all over the place. I have been fishing from Marco to the Fakahatchee River. There are fish scattered throughout the islands and in the back bays too. We have been catching large jacks and mammoth ladyfish at every stop too. Don’t be surprised to catch a mackerel or two as well. Anglers have been doing very well with lures, jigs and flies. Don’t think that you have to wield a cast net to get in on some great action.
Mackerel, bluefish, and jacks are still thrashing pods of bait near shore. Just look for the birds. There have been some big kingfish mixed in with the carnage too. Keep your eyes peeled for a tarpon. I have been seeing a few tarpon free jump in the passes as well as near shore. I haven’t pursued them this week but I’ll bet you could get tight with one if you were so inclined.
It looks as if we might get a little of the rain this weekend from the front that is coming through. I don’t think that it will slow the fishing down too much. The weather has been ideal. Forget the golf course and get on the water before winter settles in. I’ll see you on the water.
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