Report for Naples, Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands
Capt. Matt Hoover
April 2, 2002
Marco Island - Saltwater Fishing Report
Sunny Skies, Warm Water
Sunny skies and warm water have graced us at last. First off let me say that the “black water” has not effected us in the least. It is not even in our area. Winds bouncing from the southeast to the southwest were menacing at times. Fishing overall was excellent this past week.
Snook are starting to range from the back bays to the outside islands. Bait has been scarce because of the winds. Anglers and guides managed to catch snook from eighteen to forty inches. Plugs and jigs have been producing. Some guides were able to catch live bait and produce good numbers with the snook. I saw several redfish come to the dock this week too.
I spent the first part of the week flyfishing. We caught several legal snook on the fly. We also had some great shots at tarpon with the flyrod as well. Our water is off color. It is a must to have amber or vermilion colored Polaroid sunglasses. Anglers new to the area need to learn to look beyond the surface of the water. Tarpon will lay low in the water column. Many times all you can see is the tail. Practice testing your sighting skills by focusing on dark spots or oysters on the bottom.
Many of the guides and anglers that I talked to focused on tarpon this week. I had my greatest success using cut bait at strategic places. Tarpon have a keen nose and can find the bait in a hurry. We caught several tarpon from one hundred to one hundred and fifty pounds this week. Other guides were very productive this week with tarpon too. Bull sharks, blacktip sharks and spinner sharks are providing interim action between tarpon bites. Congratulations go to Ed Moody who subdued his first tarpon with friend Bill Koupa. Ed’s tarpon was estimated at one hundred and thirty pounds. Ed is eighty-one years young. I was able to watch the battle and Ed did a first class job.
Anglers are still catching trout over the grass flats of Romano. Passes and grass flats in front of the islands are giving up trout, pompano, ladyfish and jacks as well. Jigs and popping corks are the methods of choice.
Fishing is going to get red hot in the next few weeks. Bait should start to show up soon. More tarpon will come into the area followed by large sharks. Expect the snook and redfish action to perk up. I will see you on the water.
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