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Southwest Florida - Naples, Marco, 10,000 Islands
Capt. Jeff Legutki
November 8, 2006
Ten Thousand Islands - Saltwater Fishing Report
Winter is approaching fast!
Well, it looks like it might be a classic cold windy winter. About every five days a new cold front is sweeping across our area. It feels like this will be a long winter. As a Naples native, I for one am not a fan of winter! I'm not looking forward to fighting the elements, and trying to make something happen on the water for your clients is not always an easy thing to do.
This will probably be the last consistent month for snook before the water cools too much!After that these fish will turn lathargic and feed only on the warmest days. Its almost time to put away the top water plugs and the jerk baits. No more aggressive fish smashing top water lures, or shorelines blowing up with ravenous snook destroying the hordes of bait. No, everything is about to slow down!
This is the time of year when we change up our tactics. Time to move into jigging mode, hitting deep holes to find consistent water temps. Bouncing shrimp tipped jigs as slow as you can, trying to fool our lathargic quarry. This time of year its time to slow down the pace.
No need for early starts, it s too cold in the morning. Wait until the sun has the chance to rise in the sky and warm things up. The good thing is the fish will bite best during the warm hours of daylight. Find a productive hole, and chances are you can sit there and catch fish after fish. Fish will gather in holes for two reasons! One, the water levels drop extreamly low, and at low tide the water will completely come off the flats and dry out. Two, the deeper hole will keep consistent temperature.
The species of fish we chase wil also change. Snook and reds can still be caught, but only on the nicer days. The hottest part of the day on a shallow shoreline, they will gather in search of food and warmth. Shoreline's getting direct sunshine with a dark, soft bottom will absorb the heat from the sun and be much more comfortable. Days in between fronts will be your best bet! The fly rod is usually your best bet for conjuring a bite.
Its time to down size our offerings and to slow up our presentations. The fish will be in slow mode, they will not chase anything down! Most of the bait will disappear, leaving them crustaceans to feed on like shrimp and crabs.
As winter move through you will see a change in the species you will come across. If you take the time and use your push-pole in the back waters, you can still find the redfish and snook laying motionless on the shorelines. You will also notice the numbers of fish will dwindle compared to Fall. If you go out to the beaches and grass flats, you can find the opposite as the inside.
Outside grassflats on an incoming tide will be teaming with pompano, trout, bluefish, jacks, ladyfish, spanish mackeral, and even redfish. We call this action fishing! A jig and shrimp combo is all you need to keep the rod bent. These will not be the largest fish, but will be alot more aggressive than anything else. Great time for the novice anglers and kids alike.
If you want to fish, watch the weather and try to be on the water before the front, or a day or two after it passes. As winter proceeds, the water will start to clear and the salinaty will start to change. Green water of winter, no more tannic water from the summer rains.
Pick a day and head out on the water. Our winter are much milder than anywhere else in the country, so get out and enjoy Floridas winter weather.Until the next report, tight lines and screaming drags to all!
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