Warming up towards some hot spring fishing!
Capt. Todd Geroy
February 20, 2011
Naples - Saltwater Fishing Report
We are now about 5 days into the longest period of warmer weather since November and the fishing activity in the Naples/Marco backwaters is starting to show signs of spring.
While we still had some cool nights, the daytime temperatures have made it well into the 70's each day. Water temperatures are now hanging near 70 in the bays.
I am still catching plenty of redfish, however last week, I didn't find the larger fish as I featured in my previous report. Regardless, several trips caught as many as 30 scrappy reds with quite a few coming in above the 18" slot. Live shrimp cast accurately into some select "honey spots" caught most of them.
I am releasing more and more snook now without really targeting them. Several have been in the 25 inch range. Another hint that the seasons are changing.
Trout have really thinned out in the backwaters now and are starting to school up near the gulf passes. While I have not targeted them much, I did expore a few spots and confirmed that they are showing up there. The water is clearing up nicely and I am probably going to spend more time along the beaches and passes next week. I'm still waiting for the pompano to kick in. I've gotten reports that they are starting to show up to the north of us.
I am predicting that we will have a hook up or two on tarpon by the end of the week or at least the first week of March if the warm up continues. I am sighting a few in the area most days as I traverse the larger bays. These fish are laying up in 2 to 3 feet of water soaking up the sun when I spot them. It is not unusual to start having fun with them by the end of Feb. We seem to be right on schedule!
Yesterday, I took Tom McCarty and his grandsons Jack (8) and Brian (10) for their first outing in the backwaters. The group had virtually no experience casting and after some coaching, they managed to find a boatload of action. The boys caught and released 15 redfish as well as several snook, sheepshead, snapper and the usual ladyfish. About 30 fish in all. They also took home a pretty good mess of fillets for a fish fry. They had as much fun teasing the pelican at the dock as they did catching the fish! It's always fun to share my world with new faces. Here's a pic of the boys with a double on redfish...
Naples Fishing Forecast:
Snook and Tarpon are bound to get more active if the water keeps warming up. We should start netting live sardines real soon, which really get them going.
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