Estero Bay Fishing Is Outstanding Despite Cold Front
Capt. Eric Anderson
March 2, 2014
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report
After 10 straight days of 80° highs and 60° nights a cold front rolled through the Fort Myers area last night. It brought a couple of hours rain and 52° morning temperatures with some gusty NE winds. Fishing the morning after the passage of a front requires that you do a little pre-trip planning to give yourself the best chance of having a great day on the water.
Since the tide had been out going all night I knew the front was going to push most of the remaining shallow fish off the flats and into any adjacent deeper water they could find. In addition the mile high blue sky that always follows the passage of a front would only a make the fishing tougher. We got on the water at 7:30 AM the surface temperature was 70.9° so right away I knew the front had little affect on water temperatures, but that super clear blue sky was definitely going to have an effect.
Since the wind had been pretty brisk during the night I knew that the Gulf of Mexico would be churned up to a lovely chocolate color, and that dirty water would be coming in with the tide. With that in mind I headed for some of my favorite spots that are always good under tough cold front conditions. What makes these areas productive is that they catch the dirty water inflow from the Gulf so I knew the water was going to be murky and deep water is close by, yet they are protected by Mangroves that help break the wind.
Once in a while you lay out a game plan and the fish are doing exactly what you expected them to do, which doesn't happen very often. We pulled up at the first spot and both clients had trout on the first cast, I knew that I had made the right call to go with the dirty water. After several hours of nearly nonstop action and several inshore slams with small Snook, Redfish, and trout, with some ladyfish and jacks thrown in for good measure I decided to check some clearer water areas since the wind had laid down and the temperature was significantly warmer.
We fished several areas with decent water clarity and never saw a fish or got a bite, it was literally the exact opposite situation to what we had experienced earlier. Those extreme blue skies combined with that cold front wind had pushed the fish off the flats and into the mangroves or the adjacent channels.
We headed back to a spot near where we started the day and almost instantly the fish started biting again in that dirty water. So the next time a cold front goes through during the night, don't let that deter you from going out on what might very well be one of the best days on the water you'll ever have. It's simply a matter of understanding how fish react to bright light and clear water, so on those tough cold front days days find the a dirtiest water you can and work it carefully, the fish are there somewhere and with a little luck you'll find ‘em.
Capt. Eric Anderson
Fort Myers Fishing Forecast:
Look for the fishing to improve this week with lots of big snook starting to show up. The water temps are averaging in the low to mid 70's by the afternoon.
Target Species:
Snook, Redfish, Trout
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