A weather front predicted to pass through our area this Wednesday arrived early, and I faced gusty 15 to 20 knot winds and rough 3-5 foot seas Tuesday, fishing off Naples. We caught lane snapper, triggerfish, grunts and porgies, but it was not comfortable out there for long. I cancelled my offshore trip for Wednesday, with more of the same predicted.
Friday, with seas still rough in the morning, I fished inshore in central Estero Bay. We released three redfish to just short of keeper size, one keeper-sized but out-of-season trout, two stingray, jack cravalle, and mangrove snapper.
I fished offshore Saturday, 17 miles off Naples. We caught some nice snapper-- mangrove snapper to 16 inches and five lane snapper to 18 inches. We also caught porgies and triggerfish, and released grouper shorts.
Sunday, seas were predicted to be 2-3 feet, but it was pretty sloppy out there, with occasional 6 foot swells. I fished 17 miles off Naples again, using live shrimp. We caught snapper, which was the main catch this week—mangroves and lanes, along with porgies and triggerfish.
