Report for Naples, Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands
Capt. Matt Hoover
January 11, 2005
Marco Island - Saltwater Fishing Report
Over The Hump
The New Year signals the beginning of open trout season. It also means that our days will start to get longer. The Earth will pull away from the Sun and the tides will get less radical. It also means that we are another month closer to the return of giant tarpon. Now is the time to call your favorite guide for the months of March, April, May and June for the best of the tarpon season.
The trout fishing has been super theses past two weeks. They are over the grass flats from Cape Romano to Chockoloskee.The deeper sides of islands have been producing well too. I have been catching most of my trout using quarter ounce jigs with Hybrid jig bodies. They have a paddle tail and work for snook, redfish or just about any other fish that will whack live bait.
When we haven’t been pursuing trout, we have been catching sheepshead, snapper, redfish and black drum by dropping live shrimp into the deeper runs of Marco and the Ten Thousand Islands. I usually put enough weight above the shrimp to have it slowly bounce with the current.
The water temperature has warmed up considerably in the past two weeks. We have been catching a few more snook as a result. Redfish of all sizes have been hitting the Hybrid as well. You have to have a lot of patience casting along the shorelines. Some days are hot. Some days are long and unproductive.
I might add that there have been a few pompano in the passes of Marco and the Ten thousand Islands. Small pink jigs and tube jigs worked slowly along the bottom will get results.
You can’t beat the weather that we have been having and there is plenty of action for this time of year. Go out and get some. I’ll see you on the water.
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