Naples and Marco Fishing getting pretty Good now that it is warm
Capt. Roan zumFelde
May 1, 2010
Naples - Saltwater Fishing Report
Warm weather has finally arrived and the fish are responding too it. Fishing in the Naples and Marco area has picked up dramatically for my fly anglers and the bait guys are doing very well when you can find bait. The last week of fishing has been very good for both Snook and some baby Tarpon and some great freshwater action with good Peacock Bass and Largemouth coming to the boat. If you can catch some bait the fish are going to bite. The problem is bait this week has been a little difficult to come by. When you have it expect to catch Snook and still some Trout in the inshore waters between Naples and Marco. If you rely on shrimp all is not lost. Catching good sized Mangrove Snapper from the outside in. You will have to weed through some smaller ones but I have gotten my limit the last two times I fished for them. Gordon Pass and the points with good tide has been the ticket to the larger one's. Snook fishing around Naples and Marco docks has been very good. This morning using one of my HJB pattern which you can get from me if you contact me at [email protected] We caught over twenty fish from 20 inches to a nice 31 inch fish and lost a couple even bigger. My client had so much fun he is staying an extra day and fishing with me tomorrow. Oh well there goes my Sunday off, what better things to do then to fish? Marco is holding the same the docks are holding good numbers of fish and if you go early or late you can catch them. Fly fishing at night has been nothing short of phenomenal also. Took an artificial trip yesterday and fished both outside and inside and had good fishing on jerk baits. My clients were from Chicago and were fairly good casters. We were debating bait fishing or artificial and I told them bait was hard to come by and I assured them plenty of fish on artificial. Worked out well. We caught all types of fish in the back country Tarpon, Snook, Ladyfish, Jacks, Snapper, a banner morning of fishing finally.
Now what I am most excited about is what has been going on in the freshwater scene. We still have Peacocks, the cold did not kill them in the Golden Gate system. Thank you very much. Been catching quite a few each trip. Nice ones average size 2 to 3 pounds. The nice thing about were we catch them you can fish for Snook, Tarpon, Peacocks, and Largemouth all at the same time. We have been fishing further out on the Alley and getting some real nice Bass also. Up to 50 per day and some nice ones up to 7 pounds. Mostly on fly but they are hitting artificial also. Worms and small plugs work well. HJB has been tearing them up also. If thing stay warm fishing should keep getting better.
Naples Fishing Forecast:
How does May look? Well, let me tell yah. If the weather stays the same and the winds will let up it should be awesome. For everything we went through this year with the weather we are still fortunate in the Naples and Marco area. Good numbers of fish here survived and they are getting very active. I am seeing Tarpon showing up and I think that is a safe bet for may along with good Snook fishing both inside the passes and on the beaches. Trout and Pompano Fishing will decrease and we will have to look to Snapper for our dinner table but that is not all that bad. You will still find some outside on the beaches and in the troughs if you look for them and are patient. Fly anglers will delight in the fishing both inside and out in May. I expect it to be very good both in Freshwater for Bass and Peacocks and Saltwater for Snook and Tarpon. Offshore fishing will get good also. Snapper fishing will pick up even more and we will see a late run of Mackerel and Bluefish along with some kings. Oh yeah and start dusting off the Permit rods they might even make an early appearance along with the Cobia. We just have to keep the oil spill away from us. All in all I am expecting to have a great May. Well, now for the darker fish news. Redfish catches are at an all time low. They need to be protected even more in our area. Also, Snook numbers are way down and yes we are catching them but the numbers of fish that are here compared to last year is very low. We took a huge blow and I personally believe we need to close Snook season for this year and at the least next year. Everyone needs to help. Please if you catch Snook, take care of them, release them gently and try to the best of your ability not to feed them to the Dolphin. Something needs to be done with the Dolphin that are bum rushing boats for fish. I hope the State or the Federal boys are listening. They have become a huge problem both inshore and offshore. I do not know the answer but some of these dolphin not all of course have become real nuisance creatures looking for free handouts. Boaters and fisherman I implore you PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE DOLPHIN!!!
Good Luck and Good Fishing! CAPT. ROAN Z.
Target Species:
Snook,Tarpon, Redfish, Trout, Bass and Offshore
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