Fishing Reports by Capt. Dave Hanson

SW FL-Bonita Beach: Snapperfest and a Big 'Cuda - I was off the water for a while—slow season here means time to do yearly boat servicing and maintenance. I did get offshore Thursday, 9/24, with Frank Reid and son, Tim. Seas were calm on the beach but a little sloppy in 38 feet out of New Pass. We r more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

SW FL-Bonita Beach: Gulf & Bay Report - The bay was good fishing on Friday morning, 9/4, when I fished a catch-and-release trip with father-son anglers Dennis and Mike Page. Mike hooked a bull red at the edge of the trees and fought that until it broke free in the mangrove roots. We also c more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

SW FL-Bonita Beach: Goliath Monsters & Redfish - Monday morning, 8/31, I fished in 45 feet, out of New Pass, with Mike & Denise VanHorn. We fished for goliaths first, while the couple had their best energy--Good thing because Denise hooked one that was most likely over 300 pounds. Mike followed up more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

SW FL-Bonita Beach: A Little Girl and a Big Red - It's that time of year when fishing trips are spaced more sparsely. Add to that a three-day hiatus in celebration of a wedding anniversary and the net result is just a couple of days on the water this week. Tuesday morning, 8/25, I headed out of more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

SW FL-Bonita beach: Near-shore Report - Saturday morning, 8/15, I fished with Greg Sommesi and family at the reefs off Bonita Beach. With a 70% chance of rain predicted and seas beyond 20 miles at 3-5 feet, we decided the near-shore reefs might be our best bet, especially with three youngs more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

SW FL-Bonita Beach: Goliath Adventures & Table-fare Too - Wednesday morning, I fished about 17 miles west of New Pass with Harry and Melanie McDaniel and their daughter, Molly. We had steady action, which helped compensate for some pretty rough seas as we were on the storm-fringe much of the morning. We us more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

SWFL-Bonita Beach: 20 lb Drum, Sheepies, Snapper,then Keys-Bound - Monday morning was a little rainy in Estero Bay, but I puddle-jumped with anglers Gary Haupt and Mike Kidwell and it paid off. Gary landed a 32 inch, approximate twenty-pound black drum, on shrimp (see photo.) He was tempted to keep it, but decided t more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

SW FL-Bonita Beach: Hogfish, Yellowtail, Lanes, Mangs, Spanish - Wednesday morning, 7/15, I headed out to fish fifteen to nineteen miles out of New Pass, with Paul and Debbie Szemplinski and their three children, Ryan, Audrey and Evelyn. We caught a bunch of yellowtail snapper, fifteen in all, but only one that we more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

SW FL-Bonita Beach: Trout, Sheepshead, Snapper & Snook Inshore - Slow season is here for sure. Seasonal residents have fled our heat and humidity until October and the economy is not producing our usual number of summer vacationers this year. On top of that, a low pressure system that hung over our area for severa more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

SW FL-Bonita Beach: Inshore & Near-shore Report - This week was challenging in terms of weather, for sure. Monday morning, 6/22, was the best weather of the week. I fished Estero Bay with the Matt Stanford family, including Matt, his wife, their two young children and the children's grandfather. more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach