Bonita Beach Fishing Reports

Grouper, snapper, redfish, black drum, sheepshead - Saturday morning, July 1, 2017, I fished 22 miles offshore with Barry Hart, his son, Derrick, and Barry's grandson, Baylor. The guys used squid to catch 25 keeper lane snapper, and released fifteen red grouper shorts. I fished the south end of Est more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

June wrap-up: Grouper, Snapper, Shark - We had heavy rains most of the week of 6/5/17, then rough seas for a couple of days. I was in port most of that week, but got to fish in the backwaters of south Estero Bay on Friday, 6/9, with Ashton Lockhart and his nine-year-old daughter, Barrett. more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Cobia, Shark, Grouper & Snapper - Monday, 5/15, I headed out to spots fifteen and seventeen miles west of New Pass with Dave and Debra Brinkmann and family. Using both squid and cut-bait, the family boxed twenty-one keeper fish, consisting of lane snapper and grunts. They released fi more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Summertime Shark Action, Grouper, Snapper - Monday morning, 4/24/17, winds were howling, as they had been for several days and, with small craft advisories offshore, the Stevens family, Mike & Michelle and young sons, Ryan and Jonah, traded offshore plans for a backwater trip in southern Ester more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Shark, Grouper, Snapper, Drum - Monday morning, 4/10, seas were a little choppy and sloppy, after a very windy weekend. But, hardy anglers John King, his sons, Chris and Dan, Dan's girlfriend, Nora, and the boys' grandfather, Dick, withstood conditions to fish fifteen miles west of more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Bull red, drum inshore; Grouper offshore when seas calm - Five-year-old Ben Dwyer had a great time fishing with his dad, Sean, and his grandpa, Mike, in the backwaters of southern Estero Bay on Saturday morning, 3/25/17. Using live shrimp, the guys caught a total of twelve black drum ranging from 14 inches more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Offshore or Inshore-Great Fishing! - The winds that had been blowing hard for the past several days continued into Monday and Tuesday, 3/6 and 3/7, with gusts still at 20 knots and seas offshore still too choppy for my fishing party, Shawn Enoch and his parents, Janie and Monty. So we more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Reds-Drum Inshore; Grouper-Snapper Offshore - Long-time customer Kari Vilamaa, along with three of his friends, George, Don, and Dick, fished 22 miles west of New Pass with me on Friday, 2/17. The guys used squid to catch a mess of keeper lane snapper, and kept forty of those, releasing an addit more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Two weeks of excellent fishing offshore - Seas were choppy Saturday morning, 1/28, when brothers, Nick, Andy, and Ken Eckle, fished with me 17 miles west of New Pass, using squid for bait. The guys decided to brave some rougher than ideal conditions offshore, rather than fish the backwater i more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach

Lanes,grouper,drum & sheepshead - A strong cold front came through our area the weekend of 1/7, bringing blustery winds, cold temps, and high seas. Dave Carr and his friend, John Kinkaid, had hoped to fish offshore Monday, 1/9, but seas were high and small craft advisories were in ef more...
Capt. Dave Hanson - Bonita Beach