 |
Report for Naples, Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands
Capt. Matt Hoover
January 15, 2002
Marco Island - Saltwater Fishing Report
Winter Windows
Last week I mentioned that you had to be ready to go fishing at the drop of a hat. This week provided only a small improvement of that statement. Winter weather patterns many times only offer you a two to four day window of opportunity to get some quality fishing done. We have had winters where you will get fifty days of sunshine but that is not the norm. The beginning of this week started out fair. We actually had warm weather. By Saturday, I saw a renewed life return to the Ten Thousand Islands. Then the rains came. Oh well, back to square one.
Popping corks with shrimp, “deep dropping”, and jigs are the preferred baits and methods of winter. The snook have thinned out so most of us concentrate on trout, pompano, sheepshead, and black drum. We do catch our fair share of redfish this time of year. Sightfishing for redfish with a fly or light jig is at its best during the winter because the water becomes very clear. I had the opportunity to bonk a redfish right on the head with a fly this week. You want to get close to the fish, but you don’t want to put a dent in his head. We caught a few redfish later that day with jigs. For those of you who love to beat the bushes, now is a great time of year to do that. You will have miles of bank all to yourselves. It can make for a long day, but you are bound to produce a few redfish and a couple of large trout.
Trout and ladyfish will steal the show if you get in the deeper areas along the islands with a jig. Grass patches out in front of the islands in five to ten feet of water have been producing trout too. Do not neglect to fish the flats of Cape Romano. We also caught a few mackerel while fishing for trout.
As the weekend rolled in, it became apparent that the water temperature was on the rise. Large jacks began showing up. They were a welcome sight. These fish were eight to ten pounds. They are not shy about taking a jig. We had lines smoking off the reels in all directions. Large jacks reach a different stature amongst anglers during the dead of winter. They have always been tops in my book. I have been praising them for years by giving them the title of the “junkyard permit”. Shoot, a permit is just a “designer jack”.
Rain came in with the front on Sunday. We were able to fish but the weather went downhill quick. It is raining as I type. I think we will have a very nice weekend. The rest of the week is supposed to be mostly sunny with the temperatures in the high seventies. It looks like a window of opportunity to me. I’ll see you on the water.
More Fishing Reports:
|
|
|
|
