June Inshore Fishing Promises Big Fish
Capt. Todd Geroy
June 20, 2015
Naples - Saltwater Fishing Report
I admit that I have been lagging in producing my fishing reports during the last month. It has been a very busy month, fishing with clients every day. I have been getting on the water well before the sun comes up both catching live bait for the days trip or chasing tarpon at sunrise. The sweltering afternoons have been spent resting up instead of writing often before heading back out for an additional sunset fishing trip.
The long hours have been worth it, producing some great catches for my anglers. Big tarpon, snook and redfish and sharks have all been cooperating keeping rods bent and anglers smiling.
Tarpon action has slowed a bit the last couple of weeks, but there are still some to be found off the beaches early in the morning as well as in some of the large bays just inland. On the beach the best bet has been at first light, finding small schools of fish outside of the passes in 10 feet or so of water. Live crabs fished under a float and cast or drifted near the fish have been getting bites. Once the sun gets up though, the magic hour is over as the fish hunker down. There have been some big hammerheads on patrol out there and a couple of fish have met their doom with the sharks.
I have been moving into the interior bays later in the morning and finding some cooperative fish. I have been getting bites on a variety of live baits such as thread herring and blue runners as well as cut catfish tails.
Snook fishing has been pretty consistent with most of the fish staging near area passes as they are all about spawning this time of year. I have had many anglers join the "40 inch" club recently, releasing some beautiful snook weighing in at over 20 lbs.
There have been some nice redfish caught in the same areas. Live sardines have been the bait of choice for both.
My son Capt. Ben and I have also located some massive schools of pompano along some stretches of beach. These schools contain hundreds of fish and can actually be sight fished with jigs in the shallow, clear water.
Sharks as usual are here in abundance. Bull, lemon and blacktip sharks of all sizes are easy targets for those looking for a big fight.
Naples Fishing Forecast:
As summer settles into SW Florida, it becomes more important to plan your fishing to beat the heat. Getting and early start and fishing at first light can provide the best action of the day. As the waters heat up during the middle of the day, the fish become more lethargic. Late afternoon and sunset can produce good results.
Target Species:
tarpon, snook, redfish, shark, pompano
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