Super Fishing in the Naples and Marco Back Country waters.
Capt. Roan zumFelde
December 10, 2008
Naples - Saltwater Fishing Report
December Fishing in the Naples and Marco Back Country waters so far has been very good. There has been some chilly mornings but the afternoons have been nothing short of BEAUTIFUL. Most of my Fly clients have been fishing the afternoons and the Bait / Jig guys have been morning fishing. The night time has also produced some great Snook Fishing.
The weather has been a little colder than normal for November and the start of December but the fishing sure hasn't been cold. November's end has ended all hopes for anglers trying to catch their last Keeper Snook for the year 2008. Looking forward to the open in 2009. The good news is that all the Slot Snook that no one could find at the end of November are back out in force. In the last week I think I have seen and boated as many keepers as I have seen and boated in all of November. I wish I new were they went to when the season was open. Anyhow the last weeks catch and release action has been excellent for all species. The regular Winter species have been out in big numbers. Lots of Trout and some good concentrations of Pompano if you know were to find them. The Ladyfish and jacks have been rampant and the Reds although not as abundant as last year have been patrolling the flats. Oh yeah and lets not forget our striped winter species. They are everywhere this year. Snook Fishing both in the afternoons and at night has been very good also. Remember they do not like the water this cold but if you slow down a little they will bite. The night has been the way to go on Fly though the lights in Naples and Marco have been superb. This is the season for owners to turn their lights on so anglers please lets be courteous and not leave anything all over their docks and be quiet so as not to disturb the home owners. I have to thank them for their patience and tolerance to the night time fisherman. A quick offshore and near shore note. There have been lots of fish swimming just outside the passes like False Albacore and Bluefish. Pick a nice day and go chase them.
Naples Fishing Forecast:
What will happen for the weather in the next part of December is just going to be a guess on my part but I would expect it to cool down even more. It looks like it is going to be a pretty cold end of the year at least from our normal temps. It doesn't seem to be hurting the fish though. Our typical winter species will be there for us to catch. The channels are the number one place to look for them. The flats should still see and probably will have an increase in Redfish and Trout on them. I am starting to catch quite a few Trout near the flats and on the flats, I am sure that will change when the season opens in January. They are still fun to catch especially on top water plugs. The Sheepshead seem to be everywhere so a tipped Jig of Shrimp on the bottom will work for them. Snook fishing will probably slow down even more unless you start venturing father south. I still expect to have an afternoon and evening bite though. Night time will be prime time for them for any consistency. For pure action check the channels that come off of flats. You will be taking fish off left and right most will be ladyfish but you will get Trout, Pompano, bluefish and a couple others I did not mention. The last note I would like to end with is a special thanks to everyone who worked at making the CCA Tournament a success this year. I think everyone had a lot of fun fishing in them. Big congrats to all the winners and all the teams that fished in the series. Thank you to Sunshine Ace for the support and prizes. A special thanks goes out to Kidds Quality Cleaning service and Chris Turner for the $500 Big Redfish of the year prize. He really went above and beyond and we thank him for it. Good Casting Roan z.
Target Species:
Snook, Tarpon, Redfish, Trout, Ladyfish, Pompano
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