Ft. Myers - Offshore

Capt. Rick Featherstone
March 13, 2001
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report

Greetings;

I spent three days this week putting my web site back together. Due to my computer knowledge being limited, and my learning curve about publishing my site I managed to loose all my pictures and mess up most of the links. It all started by simply trying to publish a booking form. Thanks to M.E. Parker of computerinsite.com Its up and running again. I have spent a couple of nights re-posting the pictures. I have also spent a couple of the windy days in Miami visiting Liz at school. During that time I had a blast visiting all the tackle shops over there and talking fishing with the Captains at Bay Side. Tarpon were rolling in the marina basin and that sure got me fired up about our poonie season here! I also took time to install the new Raytheon radar unit on the Magic Hook. That was a project in itself but I had to make it interesting. I drilled a hole right through my GPS cable. Thanks to my buddy Mac Mackenzie for the tip on splicing it I am back in action.

On the offshore scene, things are starting to rock! I fished with Dominic Karrie and his wife on a very calm Sunday. His preference was to try some sight fishing which is one of my favorite ways to fish also. Finding fish was no trouble at all. Big cudas and permit were all over the place at every stop I made. Getting bites was pretty easy too, some times two or three per cast! The cudas were on the chew for sure, but getting a solid hookup was nearly impossible for some reason. Many strikes and short hookups with cudas ranging from fifteen to thirty pounds made awesome fishing on the surface. One nearly leaped into the boat. Others tail walked for forty yards across the surface sending spray and white water in every direction. On a couple of the hookups the fish would eat the lure and wire leader and five feet of mono line. The permit were exasperating. I had trouble getting bait the night and morning before our trip. The crabs I got were huge, way to big for bait. So I busted them up and used chunks which has worked for me in the past. We sent out perfect cast after cast into bunches of permit schools. The fish would turn, attack the bait and stop ONE inch short and turn away! With this type of action on the permit, I switched back to another area that was holding literally thousands of cudas. I reloaded with tube lures this time in a different color and the change was dramatic. Instantly we a got solid hookup and after a great fight and posing for pictures we released a trophy twenty pounder. A short time later we got another one about the same size. Then a big jack attack took place nearby. on the first cast of the tube, he was into a very large jack. After that great fight we had a wonderful afternoon ride on smooth water back to the dock. On another day we made a pretty long run of thirty five miles for some bottom fishing. The mangrove snapper bite was as good as it gets and we took a four man twenty fish limit for our efforts with the fish ranging from three to five pounds. The grouper fishing was slow but there were a few around. We got two keepers and several undersize fish also, plus a few breakoffs that we could not stop. Before the blow last week tarpon schools started showing offshore. I think when things settle back down we will be finding them in there traditional areas in forty to fifty feet of water feeding big time.

The inshore fishery was pretty much slow going this week during and after that big blow. The murky water kept the bite at a minimum. Before the wind spanish mackerel, sheepshead, snapper, and some grouper were all on the hit list. When things settle the good bite should continue.

Sincerely,

Capt. Rick Featherstone

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