Naples Fishing in March
Capt. Rob Mims
March 9, 2011
Naples - Saltwater Fishing Report
Snook are on the Bite! Naples fishing, out of Bayview park this week, you can find them in their normal areas, near mouths of creeks, passes, canals, pot holes and points. A few in the 20lb. class. White bait, shrimp, and jigs are all working well. My all time favorite the D.O.A Cal baits, in various colors have been the real go to artie. Fish the snook on a tide with good current, I prefer an outgoing tide but the first hour of the incoming has also been a productive period early in the A.M.. A well placed shiner, jig or fly will result in a violent fight that you'll remember for a lifetime.
Redfish are very active. Never saw more Reds than I have this year. Most of them on the small side of the slot but a few "biggun's" up to 27 inches have been iced for dinner this week. I've been doing best on the lower tides that have good current. Shrimp, shiners & again the D.O.A Cal baits have been working best for me. On the lower tides, they become very visible with their tails sticking up in the air. Fishing for tailing reds is great fun! The trick is being there when they are feeding. Try working the edges of the sand bars and oyster reefs. Move very slowly and watch for wakes, tails and boils. When fishing the mangroves, fish the top end of the high tide and get your fly, bait or jig underneath the mangroves as far as you can. This technique will also produce a few snook. Flies, artificials and bait all are working well for these beautiful strong fighters. Try Fly-fishing them against the mangroves and on the flats with a earth tone colored clouser and for some real excitement try top water on the overcast days.
Trout and Pompano have also been unexpectedly strong this late in the winter. Most fish have been schooling on the grass flats near the passes early in the morning before the sunshine heats up the water above the 70 degree threshold. Some random Gator Trout have been mixed in near deeper flow thru's across the flats and Oyster bar area's. Make some long casts bouncing shrimp tipped jigs across the bottom. Keep your retrieves very slow.
Tarpon: A few early arrivals have been spotted. With the warming waters more will be here soon. TIME TO BOOK YOUR TARPON TRIP! When they are here we do best with live baits, fly and cut baits and plugs. These critters will range from 40 lbs. to 200 lbs. with the average being around 100 lbs. The Silver King is a fish of a life time, very strong fighters and jumps that will out do many off-shore game fish!
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