Tarpon, Sharks and Snook Headline Inshore Action This Week
Capt. Todd Geroy
April 16, 2011
Naples - Saltwater Fishing Report
Water temperatures are now in the mid 80's and the inshore action is starting to evolve into a pattern more typical of May or June.
My favorite fish to catch are the juvenile tarpon in the back bays. Here is Bob with an April release...
Tarpon are all over the Naples and Marco Island area now and we have been hooking fish from 30 lbs. up to 100 lbs on most trips that attempt to get a hookup. There are still fish in the shallow inside bays as well as some migrating pod just off he beach. We have success with cut baits on the inside and sight casting to pods on the outside as well as drifting live baits in their travel lanes. By yesterday, the water near the beach had turned very clear, making the northbound schools easy to see. Donna Whitaker did battle her first tarpon, a 100 lb. class fish yesterday.
Shark action has been very reliable with bull, lemon and blacktip sharks all over the backcountry bays. They always provide hard fighting action anytime. Todd Whitaker boated a big blacktip yesterday that probably weighed in over 80 lbs.
More and more of the snook are moving out towards the passes and beaches now. They are still scattered around the inside islands and bay, but not quite as concentrated as a couple weeks ago. While we did not have very many large fish caught this week, some trips released as many as 25 fish with a couple fish going 30 inches.
I fished with Redsnook tournament director Wayne Meland and Dave Rowe last week and the two boated and released countless snook. We started on the beach and worked our way inland into some of the most remote creeks catching fish after fish all morning.
Bob and Rick Messey had the same results with the snook, but also mixed in a few slot redfish and seatrout.
I am looking forward to another busy week sharing our great spring fishing!
- Capt. Todd Geroy
Naples Fishing Forecast:
More warm weather ahead and the schools of big tarpon will really get going strong in the next week or so.
Target Species:
Snook, tarpon, sharks
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