Tarpon, Snook and Redfish all in the Mix for a Grand Slam
Capt. Todd Geroy
March 18, 2012
Naples - Saltwater Fishing Report
March / Naples – Marco Island Fishing Report
March 18, 2012
Another full week of 10 trips behind me and another busy week ahead! We had some great trips out on he backwaters last week and caught everything from tarpon, snook, redfish and large seatrout to loads of hefty jack crevalle. Weaker tides later in the week made the bite a little slower for a couple of days, but we managed to end the week with a flurry of action Friday afternoon.
Monday afternoon I fished with Eric Stone and his son Mitchell, 14 from Tampa. The fishing action proved hot and heavy throughout the afternoon with numerous snook and redfish boated as well as plenty of hard pulling jack crevalle. We were fishing with live sardines in the Johnson Bay area when Mitchell hooked up with a beautiful juvenile tarpon, Mitchells first! The fish made some strong runs against the light tackle as well as displaying some great acrobatic jumps. After a few minutes Mitch had the fish boat side and we quickly retrieved the hook, snapped a picture and released it back into the water.
Right away I knew that with the tide we were fishing and the skill level of the anglers, that Mitchell was well on his way to a Grand Slam (releasing tarpon, snook and redfish on the same trip). While Mitch and his dad had caught a few snook before, Mitch had never caught a redfish. We kept working pockets and it wasn't long before he got what he was after. Although not the largest redfish we boated that afternoon, along with the tarpon and several small snook, it did complete his first Grand Slam. But I was not completely satisfied.
I moved across the bay to a quiet cove where I had several large snook hookups on recent trips. I directed Mitchell to cast into a deep pocket on his first cast. The line tightened almost immediately and Mitch was hooked into what to many would be the snook of a lifetime! After a 10 minute battle along the mangroves of the shallow bay, We were rewarded with a 15.5 lb. snook! Again after a quick photo the fish was quickly returned to the water to fight another day.
Here are photos of Mitch's Grand Slam fish…
Mitchell Stone with his tarpon before released...
Mitchell Stone with an 18 inch redfish released..
.
Mitchell Stone with his 15 1/2 lb. snook released...
Friday afternoon, I had repeat client Ted Neftling and his son Tanner, 7. We had fished a year ago and had a fabulous trip with nonstop action for both. I was a little worried about the weak tides putting a damper on our action for this years trip. While we had to fish with great patience, the two had another great experience with some large sea trout to 23 inches, with a couple invited home to dinner. The snook did not disappoint either, with both Ted and Tanner boating several nice fish each. And lastly there were some fiesty jacks around to fill in the gaps between other fish. It is rewarding to see a young angler like Tanner light up when catching a fish and spending time with his father in the outdoors!
Plenty of large tarpon are in the area right now as well as plenty of large bull, lemon and blacktip sharks. I have not invested any time trying to get hooked up in the last week, but they are out there. I hope to give them a shot soon.
- Capt. Todd Geroy
Target Species:
tarpon, snook, redfish, sea trout
More Fishing Reports:
