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Report for Naples, Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands
Capt. Matt Hoover
January 9, 2001
Marco Island - Saltwater Fishing Report
Cold Water Tactics
Water temperature is our main concern right now. We have been having a rollercoaster ride with the mercury as of late. As far as I’m concerned, it has been downright cold. The weather pattern doesn’t look as if it will change much in the upcoming week. The air may get warmer, but the water temperature is going to hang in the balance. We also have another front on the way. This is the time of the year when cold fronts come every three to five days. What the fish need is warm weather for more than a few days. That will bring the water temperature up a few degrees. The water temperature has been in the fifties for quite some time now. These are tropical fish that we are after.
So what can we do? I hate to sound repetitive but you have to go deep. Yes there are a few redfish being caught in the skinny water. That’s if they are in the mood to eat. Those fish are being pursued by expert flyfishermen and sight casters throwing live shrimp or light jigs. You may spend all day getting a decent shot. There aren’t a lot of these fish being sighted in the Marco and upper Ten Thousand Islands. If sightfishing is your game, be ready when the wind dies down after a front. You will have better action during those two to three days when it warms a couple of degrees.
It is during the lull in weather when you may catch a couple of trout and ladyfish along the islands and over the deeper grassflats off of the Cape. Most of us have been moaning over the lack of action. I won’t lie it has been tough. It’s a matter of survival for fish right now. The water has been way too cold.
The best action for most of the folks that I have talked to has been to drop shrimp in deep water. I think that will be your best bet for the next week. I like to get in one of the many deeper rivers in the islands and look for rough, craggy bottom. You can expect to catch sheepshead, black drum, snappers, and even gag grouper. We have been catching a few large trout as well.
Don’t hesitate to keep trying the flats for trout or your shallow water haunts for other species. I like to run spot checks in those areas with jigs. That’s how I know when the fish have returned. If you strike out, you can always keep moving. In the meantime, stay warm and I’ll see you on the water.
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