We doged the Storms again fishing not hurt by them.
Capt. Roan zumFelde
September 2, 2008
Naples - Saltwater Fishing Report
Hope all had a great Labor Day Weekend and I hope some got out and fished this weekend around the Naples and Marco area..
Fishing for the last week has been a little hit and miss. The Storm didn't help any but it didn't really hurt either we were quite lucky compared to other parts of Florida. It only set us back about a week. And we dodged another bullet with Gustav. I hope we can keep ducking them this year. Well how about the fishing? Last weeks fishing was pretty good before the storm reached the gulf. My clients the few that are fishing caught lots of nice Snook especially at night on the fly. We caught some good fish during the day on bait and had some success on small Tarpon in the backcountry but I would have to say that was of a limited amount hooking only a couple of tarpon in two days. Bait fishing was very good for Mangrove Snapper in or near to the passes from Naples to Marco Island. Every day I fished for them we limited out on keepers between 11 and 15 inches. They sure make a tasty meal. Bait has been troublesome to get but if you keep staying with them and throwing the net around the markers we are catching enough to fish with. The shinning star has been the Fly fishing at night under the lights of Naples and Marco. We have been really racking up the numbers in both locales with quite a few slot fish being caught and released. Each night I fished last week we had multiple keepers. And even one oversized. There has been lots of Jack Crevalle and in Naples a few Tarpon to chase in a few areas.
Naples Fishing Forecast:
The fishing for September should hold pretty much the same as August. If the storms cooperate we should have great Snook Fishing and good Small Tarpon Fishing in the Creeks. The new attraction for September should be the Redfish. They should be showing up in the passes and on the beaches for the spawning migration. I would expect to start running into them in the passes from Naples to Marco and some along the Naples beaches on the piling sets as well as the bays near the passes. Again persistence will pay off when you are targeting them keep looking and trying and you should run into them. In the passes I like to use a ¼ ounce jig head with a nice plump shrimp attached. The bigger the shrimp the better. If you can't get good shrimp then shiners and regular jigs like Berkley gulps and Bass Assassin will work just fine.
Fly Fisherman will have there best fishing still early and late. Mid day fishing this time of the year is not the best. Hit the water before dawn and right at dusk for your best results from Snook to Tarpon to Redfish. A typical charter this time of the year if I fish in the morning is to go out either just before or just as day break starts fish a couple of edges or lights for Snook and Tarpon. Move to some rock edges and fish some top water or near surface flies for Snook and then as the sun gets up a little spend some times in the upper creeks chasing silver. Then finish out the morning looking for a red or two on the flats and bays near the passes. This is a good time of the year to Slam in this area. If you are a night fisherman and want to take advantage of red hot Snook action the lights around Marco and Naples are hard to beat.
Target Species:
Snook, Tarpon, Redfish
More Fishing Reports:
