Report for Naples, Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands
Capt. Matt Hoover
August 2, 2000
Marco Island - Saltwater Fishing Report
More Heat
If you can’t handle the heat, stick to the morning shift. That’s sound advice. This is the time of year when you hear about people suffering from heat strokes. It’s a good idea to keep lots of fluid in your body no matter what you are doing outside. It has hit the mid- nineties almost every day of the week. Most of the folks that I have talked to are fishing in the morning or late afternoon and evening. Although there has been good action, the heat has been unbearable.
Snook have been the reigning star of the fishing show in the last month and that hasn’t changed this week either. They have been showing up in all sizes too. All methods of fishing have been working. Most of the guides that I know are still sticking with live bait. However, plugs, jigs and flies will get the job done. The bait is running small right now. That seems to be typical of this time of year. If you are after large fish, large threadfin herring have not been too hard to acquire. You can either catch them by using a cast net or you can use a gold hook rig. Large threadfin have a tendency to attract larger fish. You may sacrifice lots of action for the big bang. Most of us have been opting for the smaller shiners. They have been smaller than what we have been catching in the past but they work just fine. If you have a harder time throwing them, drop down to a smaller test line. Don’t be afraid to lose a few fish to the lesser test. Besides, it makes for a more exciting game.
The redfish are still on vacation. We are catching a few but they havn’t shown up in any great numbers. The few that I have caught have been on live bait. There doesn’t seem to be any defined pattern to where they are hanging out. Most of the ones that we have been catching have been out of the blue. Once again, this seems typical of this time of year. Their time to shine will be in the fall.
Catching trout is still a no brainer. Get out on the grass flats and have at it with your favorite jig or live shrimp. The trout have been getting bigger as the months go by. A lot of folks are starting to throw top water plugs over the grass to catch trout. Trout will smash a top water lure with as much tenacity as a snook will. It is always an exciting way to catch fish. Give it a try.
There has been a good show of small tarpon in the last few weeks. If you get out early in the morning, you are bound to see them rolling Go slow and keep a watchful eye. They love a shiner or a live shrimp. I like to keep a light tackle rod ready with a small top water plug ready. Many times you will see a baby tarpon roll when you least expect it. If you have a plug ready, just throw it ahead of where you saw it roll and expect the unexpected. Many times you will be rewarded with a nerve shattering explosion. There are still some large tarpon out there too. Most of them are being caught on live bait. You will see them early in the morning in the passes.
I think that it is important to get out early this time of year for a number of reasons. Most of those reasons are obvious. Just do yourself a favor. Get out on the water as often as possible. I hope to see you there.
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