Winter Catch; Pompano, Black Drum, Redfish, trout
Capt. Matt Hoover
February 2, 2009
Marco Island - Saltwater Fishing Report
Sorry, it's been awhile. That is mainly due to the fact that we have bobbing and weaving between cold fronts. These fronts have brought in cool descending air from the north, so water temperatures have dropped dramatically.
With water temperatures in the mid sixties, we have had to switch gears to winter fishing. I have been catching some pompano, large ladyfish, and jacks in the passes around Marco Island. The hard bottom passes in the Ten Thousand Islands have been holding the same fish as well as some nice trout.
I have been catching legal trout over the grass flats and patches as well as along the deeper sides of the islands. They will fall for just about any jig. I have been sticking too quarter ounce jigs with a Hybrid fish body on it. Screw tail plastics in a root beer color are one of my favorites too.
I like to drop whole shrimp in deeper rivers and passes. You never know what you are going to get. If you start to get ripped off, try using just a piece of shrimp with just enough split shot to keep the bait bouncing on the bottom. You may catch sheepshead, black drum, trout, snapper and even redfish with this method. Last week, a young boy caught a small permit with me using this method.
We have another front passing through as I write. These weather systems always prove challenging. The beauty of our area is that you can always catch something. I'll see you on the water
Marco Island Fishing Forecast:
frequent cold fronts have been passing through and will keep us using winter tactics
Target Species:
Snook,redfish,seatrout,tarpon and jacks
More Fishing Reports:
