Report for Naples, Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands
Capt. Matt Hoover
June 7, 2000
Marco Island - Saltwater Fishing Report
Dick's Hatband
It has been hotter than Dick’s hatband. That hatband has to be hot because every time my grandfather said that it was ninety in the shade. It has been hot but so has the fishing. We are still catching a few tarpon. Snook, redfish, and trout have been no problem.
The Marco area is alive with small shiners and Spanish sardines. They are hard to throw but they work. I had several double-digit days on snook with Steve Isaacs and his sons Cameron and Rick. We used the small bait and caught snook, snappers, flounder, and trout. We managed a redfish in there as well. They bait is small so we used ten pound test. You can always put it under a popping cork if you need the weight to throw it. Other guides did very well with the micro bait too. I received a report from a friend that slayed the snook on Bass Assassins on quarter ounce jig heads. Topwater and shallow running plugs are taking a few fish as well.
Most of the tarpon have been in the passes of the islands early in the morning. Folks are hooking up with them along the beaches by pitching or slow trolling live threadfin herring. The fish have been huge. Most of them are large females. They have been a little picky because they seem to be interested in each other rather that eating. Persistence with them will pay off even if it can be frustrating. There have been daisy-chaining tarpon so you might want to try a fly.
Summer storms are starting to brew in the afternoon. It is my favorite time of the year. The afternoon storms seem to equalize the concrete jungle of Marco that can be seen from the Ten Thousand Islands. I think of the quieter times of twenty years ago. The snook don’t seem to mind so I shake it off and release another one for my client.
One can not stop progress but we can treat each other kinder on the water. Use common sense out there and have some fun. I will see you when you do.
More Fishing Reports:
