Rain cool off delivers good redfish bite, Estero Bay
Capt. Rob Modys
August 4, 2015
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report
A little break from the rainy weather was on tap for the end of the week and it looks like we'll be sliding toward the usual afternoon storms as we move through the weekend. Fishing reports have been good, thanks to the cooler water temperatures and the redfish are finally out moving around in the early morning hours.
Capt. Alex Dolinski of Spot On Charters noted that the clouds and afternoon rains have kept the backwaters cooler and that has pushed the the fish into an eating mode. Estero Bay has been producing redfish, snook, jacks, pompano and mangrove snapper around the oyster bars and mangrove islands during the morning tides. With the recent full moon, the tides have been fast and strong on both the inbound and outbound. Cut finger mullet and ladyfish hooked up on 3/0 circle hooks have worked best. Mangrove snapper and black drum have been steady on live shrimp. Use a 1/4 ounce lead head jig set on the bottom and give the fish time to find the bait.
Capt. Greg Stamper of Snook Stamp Charters said that as more summer rains continued to fall, redfish remained happy to eat. Fishing the early mornings allowed anglers a chance to stay dry and put out spreads for reds that pushed the 32 inch mark. They continued to feed both in open water and along mangrove shorelines. When fishing in the cloudy water, cut baits worked best. Snook fishing was OK this week and most were located on docks and structure with good current. The beaches, unfortunately, were blown out. Twitch baits worked well for anglers that could skip them back far enough under the structure. Seatrout continued to be caught in Pine Island Sound, and if you have live bait under a popping cork you'll do just fine. However, the DOA Deadly Combos will still produce fish for anglers working over most grass beds. Mangrove snapper are beginning to fade off this week with more of the regular 7 to 11 inch fish biting verses the great bite we had from bigger fish in previous weeks.
Capt. Jon Fetter of Fishing The Cure Charters noted that the steady rains of the previous week cooled the water temperatures. That produced a good all around bite in the Estero Bay back country. The best action seems to be early in the morning around the oyster bars and mangroves on higher water. Free lining pinfish, shrimp tipped jig heads, or cut pins have all been working for redfish. Anglers will also pick up some big snook in the same areas. There are plenty of mangrove snapper around the oyster bars, and shrimp tipped jig heads will work best. Their size has started to drop but there are still enough over the minimum size for dinner. Snook can also be found around the floating docks near the passes. If you can get pilchards, try free lining them on small circle hooks. There are some very large females mixed in, so beef up your tackle to have a chance at landing one.
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