Report for Naples, Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands
Capt. Matt Hoover
September 23, 2002
Marco Island - Saltwater Fishing Report
Prelude To A Storm
Tropical storm Isadore hangs in the balance. As of right now, weather soothsayers are not quite sure what path the storm will take. One thing is for sure; fishing was good to excellent this past week. Although there are a lot of feeder bands coming in from the storm, the breaks in the weather have provided opportunities for some fine catches.
Redfish have showed up on the nearshore wrecks and in the major passes from Naples throughout Marco and the Ten Thousand Islands. With so much live bait available, it is not hard to fill up the well and get to the task at hand. Redfish of various sizes are staging on points and are hiding among the bushes along mangrove islands. Anglers have been doing well with jigs too.
There has been no shortage of snook either. Snook have been mingling with the redfish in passes as well. But look for snook along the shallow shorelines and points where the current is flowing. It seems as if fish are tuned into the advent of a storm brewing. This past week has been proof positive of that theory. The fish have been going bonkers with double-digit days on snook and redfish being the norm. Most of the anglers that I talked to were using live bait. However, many folks did fine with plugs, soft plastics, flies and jigs. Whatever your method of choice was, it seems as if it was a win win scenario.
The trout fishing has been spectacular over the grassflats of Cape Romano this past week. Some of the fish were in the twenty-inch or better range. Jigs, lures and shrimp under corks were the way to score big with trout. Look for mackerel while you are on the grassflats. They have been providing great action. The trout are starting to move into the islands in greater numbers too. Try fishing along the deeper sides of the islands with jigs. Trout will often stage where snook like to hide. The trout like to stay a little farther off the bank than snook.
There are a few large tarpon plying the waters too. They will start to come back down the coast as the water cools. It is not a bad idea to keep a larger rod rigged on the boat for a surprise attack of tarpon. You are liable to see them rolling in a pass or quiet bay. You may even find tarpon laid up in shallow water. It is not uncommon to find tarpon just offshore. Plugs, live bait, cut bait and flies will all work under the proper circumstances.
It looks as if we have some major weather systems brewing right behind Isadore. It’s time like this when you have to steal your fishing time. Make the best of it. I’ll see you on the water.
More Fishing Reports:
