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Marco Island, Ft. Myers & Boca Grande
Capt. Scott Hughes
June 23, 2001
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report
Snook, Tarpon, Trout
I know its been almost three weeks since my last report but fishing almost every day is taking it out of me and getting on the computer feels like more work than throwing my 12ft cast net a dozen times. It’s been a strange few weeks since my last report. The fishing has been predictable but my customers have wanted to catch snook and not go for tarpon. That is rare in June because the majority of my clientele is interested in catching a silver king. It’s been a nice change of pace though. Especially when the catch and release snook fishing has been so good.
I you want to catch a snook right now, head to the beach. We are in the middle of the snook run and 90% of all the snook are near the inlets and passes spawning. They go to these places to lay their eggs in the high salinity levels in the passes. They also want the eggs to float so they eat a large quantity of oily fish like sardines and herring. I have been catching good numbers of snook to over 20-pounds from Cape Romano out of Marco Island and also the passes in Pine Island Sound. You guessed it! Herring and sardines have been catching the big girls. Pinfish have been getting some small male snook during daylight hours. The big fish hit right before or after dark.
Don’t think that the tarpon are gone yet. They will be around until late October. This weeks strong tides made tarpon fishing off the beach and in Boca Grande Pass very good this week. I have also been seeing some huge tarpon in the 150-pound class laying up on some of the grass flats of Pine Island Sound. Charlotte Harbor was barren last week when I ran up there last week. I guess it will be a few weeks before they move that far inland. Marco Island is full of small tarpon under 60-pounds. I found them in the mouth of Rookery Bay, Marco River, Caxambas Pass, and Cape Romano Shoals. These fish will eat if you can get a large herring or sardine in their face when they roll. Most guides hooked a couple while targeting snook this week.
Trout fishing was good south of Marco Island for guides who targeted them this week. Most of the trout were over 18 inches. Live pilchards were the bait of choice. I also caught a couple of 20 inchers while fishing for tarpon in Charlotte Harbor.
Other species of note this week were sharks, jack crevelle, cobia and mangrove snapper. The sharks are cruising all over the flats of the 10,000 Islands. Jacks up to 17-pounds are around the passes and in the Calusahatchee River. Mangrove snapper to 3-pounds are hitting pilchards and shrimp around structure in the passes south of Marco and in Captiva Pass.
Good Luck!
Capt. Scott Hughes
Blackwater Charters
863-946-9171
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 I specialize in light tackle saltwater, and fly fishing from the backcountry of the 10,000 Islands to flats of Pine Island Sound and the bay system of Charlotte Harbor. I have pick-up locations out of Ft Myers, Marco Island, Pine Island, Punta Gorda and Boca Grande. I like to target big fish. During warm months, tarpon, sharks, snook, redfish, cobia, king mackerel and big jacks are the main species sought after. Most of the winter months are devoted to redfish, trout, snook and grouper. Whether
Contact Info:
Blackwater Charters
12571 Burnt Store Rd
Punta Gorda, FL 33955
Phone: 941-575-2389
Alt. Phone: 941-628-4247
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