Beiträge von fishbuster

Frequent fisher, Mike Conneally, joined by his sister and brother-in-law, Rod and Cass Bromm, fished 35 miles west of New Pass with me on Wednesday, 3/18. The family used squid and cut-bait to box nine nice porgies to 15 inches and grunts to 13 inches.. They released thirty-two red grouper shorts to 18 inches, five scamp grouper shorts to 14 inches, two 13-inch triggerfish shorts, five mangrove snapper shorts (all ¼ to ½ inch short of keeper size), one yellowtail short just under 12 inches, and two bluefish. Bill and Terri Tank fished Estero Bay’s southern waters with me on a windy morning Friday, 3/20. They used live shrimp to catch eight sheepshead, including two keepers at 13 inches and 15 inches. They released three crevalle jacks, along with a 25-inch redfish. Fishing was kind of slow Saturday morning, when I fished 18 miles west of New Pass with Don and Kathy Leesman and their daughter and son-in-law, Tom and Kristen McGuire. Using squid and cut-bait, the family released three red grouper shorts to 18 inches, a few bluefish, a half dozen crevalle jacks, a grunt, and a triggerfish short. We have taken a slew of calls from folks needing to cancel advance bookings that spanned from the last two weeks of March through mid-May, due to the outbreak of Covid 19. Some people had to leave FL early to return home, and some cancelled vacation plans to fly into FL. With a state-wide shut-down order now in effect in FL, we won’t be taking customers out fishing for a while. We look forward to resuming business as soon as it is safe to do so, and we wish all of our customers all the best in staying safe and healthy. On Thursday, 3/26, me and my wife took some down-time to get out on the bay, where we used shrimp to catch and release three sheepshead and an 18-inch redfish. On another busman’s holiday Saturday, 4/4, me and my wife fished in southern Estero Bay for a couple of hours, using live shrimp. We did pretty well, boxing two drum 15 inches and 19 inches, along with a 12-inch mangrove snapper. We released an 18-inch redfish and a 23-inch sailcat. With outside business still on hold, we did another family bay outing for a couple of hours on Friday, 4/10. My wife and I used live shrimp to release five mangrove snapper shorts, a sailcat, and a sheepshead. On Sunday, 5/3, we made an offshore excursion out to 30 miles west of New Pass with our friends, Craig and Jan. We used cut-bait and squid to box two keeper mangrove snapper to 16 inches, along with ten keeper lane snapper, two keeper yellowtail snapper, two nice grunts to 14 inches, and four porgies to 14 inches. We released twenty-two red grouper shorts to 19 and 3/4 inches, a scamp grouper short, and a few blue runners, along with two sharpnose sharks and three remoras.
With things beginning to re-open, we are cautiously proceeding with a few charters, but are temporarily limiting total passengers to two on the bay boat and a max of four on the offshore boat, in order to maintain social distancing. Mask use is also encouraged. Everyone stay safe!
You can view our fishing action videos at http://fishbustercharters.com/fishingvideos.html

The photo shown is of Ed Adams with a 25-inch bonito, caught on cut-bait and released 32 miles west of New Pass on an offshore Fishbuster Charter.

Ed Thompson and his family fished offshore with me on Tuesday morning, 2/11/20, 18 to 20 miles west of New Pass. The family used squid and cut-bait to catch and release five red grouper shorts to 18 inches, along with a bunch of blue runners and sand perch. They boxed four grunts and a porgy for dinner. Long-time customers Craig and Jan Royal, joined by Craig’s dad, Ron, fished offshore with me on Wednesday, 2/12, in various spots 30 to 36 miles west of New Pass, using squid and cut-bait. They released forty-eight red grouper shorts to 18 inches, along with a dozen small scamp grouper. The family boxed fifteen porgies to 14 inches, two keeper mangrove snapper to 13 inches, and two keeper lane snapper. Roy Mittman and Richard Borghatti fished Estero Bay’s southern backwaters with me on Thursday, 2/13, where they used live shrimp to catch six keeper sheepshead to 18 inches. They released an 18-inch redfish and a crevalle jack. Jeff and Beth Heimlich, with their son, Tanner, and daughter, Maddie, fished 30 miles west of New Pass with me on an offshore trip Friday, February 14th. The family used squid and cut-bait to catch and release thirty-four red grouper shorts to 18 inches, a gag grouper short, and two triggerfish at 15 and 16 inches (see photo below.) They boxed a nice mangrove snapper at 16 inches, along with four keeper lane snapper and three grunts. They also got a good look at a big tiger shark that ate our free-lined bait right down to the hook, before he cut off and swam away.

Joe Hahn, Mike Jansen, Mike Reichart, David Jahner, and George Vanderlinden braved five-foot seas heading offshore with me Saturday morning, 2/15. The forecast was for winds and seas to subside later in the morning, so they decided to tolerate the slow ride out and make a day of it. We fished in several spots 30 to 36 miles west of New Pass, using squid and cut-bait. Red grouper were everywhere but, as has been the case recently, they were all just undersized. We released over a hundred of those to 19 inches. The guys boxed eight nice porgies to 17 inches, a keeper yellowtail snapper at 13 inches, a keeper mangrove snapper at 13 inches, eight keeper lane snapper, and eight nice-sized grunts to 14 inches. Drew VanWerden and his son, Gabe, fished 19 miles west of New Pass with me on Sunday morning, 2/16. It was a little choppy heading out again, but it calmed down shortly after we got anchored. The guys used squid and cut-bait to release a dozen red grouper shorts to 18 inches, along with five triggerfish to just short of 15 inches. Triggerfish are out of season until March so, even if they had met the 15-inch legal size, they would have had to have been released. Boxed fish included five grunts and a 14-inch mangrove snapper. Mike Bochman and his friends, Jay and Kevin, fished 36 miles west of New Pass with me in calm seas on Monday, 2/17. Once again, the red grouper were everywhere, and the guys used squid and cut-bait to catch and release seventy-five of those to 19 inches. They also released a dozen scamp grouper shorts, all 14 and 15 inches, along with three 14-inch triggerfish and forty-eight bluefish. We also hooked and released an eight-foot sandbar shark, was kept things exciting for a while! As for food-fish, the guys boxed six porgies and two mangrove snapper, 13 and 14 inches. Mike Bochman, who fished with me offshore Monday, left his buddies home on Tuesday morning, 2/18, and fished solo in southern Estero Bay’s backwaters. The bite was a little slow, despite a decent tide. Using live shrimp, he caught five sheepshead, including a pair of 13-inch keepers, and released a crevalle jack. He nearly had a pompano, but that skittish fish escaped before it could be boated. Young angler, Jimmy Cox, had fun fishing a catch-and-release trip in southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with his dad, Pat, and his grandpa, Jim, on Wednesday morning, 2/19. The family used live shrimp to catch three keeper-sized sheepshead to 15 inches and a 17-inch pompano. Mike Connealy and Rob Young fished 36 miles west of New Pass with me on Thursday, 2/20, on a slow tide. They boxed four 13-inch grunts and six nice porgies, and released four 14-inch triggerfish and a dozen red grouper shorts to 18 inches. They battled a goliath for a while, until it cut the line and broke off. Paul Stanek, who fished with me earlier this month, fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters, along with his brother, Rich, on Friday morning, 2/21. It was a windy day, with a cold front moving in, but the wind was blowing the right direction for a good tide, and the guys had a productive morning for their catch-and-release trip. Using live shrimp, they caught nine sheepshead, including two keeper-sized at 14 inches, along with a couple of mangrove snapper shorts, and three redfish to 19 inches. Winds howled all week, and seas offshore were too rough to go out. Friday morning, 2/28, with winds still strong, and temps beginning in the forties, Mike Connealy, joined by friend, Bob Walz and Bob’s son, Bobby, fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with me, using live shrimp. The sheepshead were biting well, and we boxed seven of those that ranged from 13 inches to 17 inches, and released five shorts. We also released a short mangrove snapper and a puffer-fish. Chuck Collins and his dad, Steve, were weathered out of a planned offshore trip last month, and rescheduled for Monday, 3/2. The winds were blowing hard, and seas were rough, but they opted to fish near-shore in the Gulf, rather than in the backwaters, since they had not fished offshore before. Using shrimp and squid at the near-shore reefs, the guys boxed ten Spanish mackerel between 22 and 24 inches, along with a lone grunt. They released a small gag grouper, a dozen crevalle jacks, and a dozen blue runners. Lee Larsen, with friends, John and Mark, decided to fish the backwaters Tuesday morning, 3/3, since winds were still strong, and we expected rough conditions offshore. The guys used shrimp in southern Estero Bay to catch and release twelve sheepshead to 14 inches, two ladyfish, one short mangrove snapper, and three crevalle jacks. I spent a windy Friday morning, 3/6, fishing with Mike and Bethany Lischer in southern Estero Bay, on a catch-and-release trip, using live shrimp for bait. The tide was good, but the water was muddy, following the weather-front that moved through the area overnight. The couple released twelve sheepshead, a ladyfish, a few puffers, and an 18-inch redfish. With winds continuing to howl all weekend, I fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay again on Monday, 3/9. Bill Urban and three of his buddies used live shrimp to box five keeper sheepshead to 14 inches, and they released eight shorts. They also released four mangrove snapper shorts, two ladyfish, and a crevalle jack. Wednesday morning, 3/11, I fished southern Estero Bay with repeat customers, brothers Paul and Rich Stanek, joined by Rich’s wife, Jill. The family caught fifteen sheepshead, including three keepers at 14 inches, 18 inches, and 19 inches (see photo below.) The group also released a 17-inch redfish, two pufferfish, and a crevalle jack.

Rick Marginault and two of his friends fished offshore with me18 miles west of New Pass, on a catch-and-release trip Friday morning, 3/13. The group released five red grouper, all in the 18 to 19-inch range, two 14-inch triggerfish, and a few nice-sized grunts, all caught on squid and cut-bait. Jeff and Kristen Easter fished a catch-and-release backwater trip with me on Monday morning, 3/16. They used live shrimp in southern Estero Bay to release thirteen sheepshead to 13 inches and an 18-inch seatrout. They had a couple of big fish o their lines, but they pulled off before they could be identified. Linda Latham, her son and daughter-in-law, Chris and Ann, and their three young children, Courtney, Morgan, and Will, fished fifteen miles west of New Pass with me on Tuesday, 3/17, using squid for bait. We started out at the near-shore reefs, but there were mostly dolphin there, which kept the kids from catching much of anything. So we went a little further out, and the family boxed seven grunts that were to find their way into fish tacos for dinner. They released two red grouper shorts and several blue runners. You can view our fishing action videos at http://fishbustercharters.com/fishingvideos.html

Saturday morning, 1/4/20, was a windy one, but the tide was good in Estero Bay’s backwaters, where I fished a catch & release trip with David Dunbar and his girlfriend, Emily Eiteljorg. The couple used live shrimp to catch a dozen sheepshead, four of which would have been keepers in the 13 to 14 inch range. They also released a crevalle jack, a 26-inch sail-cat, as well as two redfish at 17 inches and 19 inches. We had a lot of wind, rough seas, and low tides, due to cold fronts, the week of 1/6/20, and I canceled a couple of offshore trips. Long-time customer, Mike Connealy, fished spots 23 to 35 miles west of New Pass with me on Wednesday, 1/15, using squid and cut-bait. We released forty-one red grouper shorts to 18 inches, along with eight scamp grouper shorts, all of which were about 14 inches. Mangrove snapper were abundant, but the two dozen of those we caught were all around 11 to 11 ½ inches, short of the 12-inch keeper size. Mike boxed five 14-inch porgies and eleven keeper lane snapper that were all around 12 inches. He released six additional lanes that were shorts. John Abernathy, joined by his son, Ryan, and by Becky Vogrin, fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with me on a very windy Saturday morning, 1/18. They used live shrimp to catch fourteen sheepshead, including four keepers between 13 and 15 inches. They released a 17-inch redfish and eight small snook. High winds and seas and cold temps converged upon us the week of 1/20, and I had to cancel a couple of offshore trips. The winds and the cold even made it a little tough fishing Estero Bay’s backwaters, which I did on Wednesday, 1/22, with Tim Gustin and his son, Chase. But we had an incoming tide, which helped, and the guys used live shrimp to catch four keeper sheepshead, two at 13 inches and two that were between 15 and 16 inches. They released two redfish shorts to 18 inches and two small snook. Seas finally calmed down enough by Friday, 1/24, to allow me to go offshore, where I fished in spots 28 to 35 miles west of New Pass with Tony Mengwasser and Mark Harrington. Using cut-bait and squid, the guys released twenty-five red grouper shorts to 19 inches, fourteen scamp grouper, all in the 14 to 15-inch range, two bluefish, two yellowtail snapper shorts and one mangrove snapper short. Keepers included a dozen lane snapper, a 13-inch mangrove snapper, and three porgies. Winds and seas were on the rise again by Saturday morning, 1/25. I fished inshore, at the south end of Estero Bay, with Jim Pizzo and his daughter, Maria. They used live shrimp to catch thirteen sheepshead, including two keepers at 13 inches and 14 inches. The eleven shorts they released were mostly just under legal keeper size. They hooked a couple of redfish, but lost those before they could get them to the boat. Maria also caught and released a 20-inch snook. Tuesday morning, 1/28, I fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with Paul Olef, Sandy Mintz, and their friend, Howard. The guys used shrimp to catch ten sheepshead, including two keepers to 18 inches. They released a redfish short and a half-dozen mangrove snapper shorts. John and Holly Lischer, along with Cruz Holt, traded in their offshore plans for a morning of fishing southern Estero Bay’s backwaters on Friday, 1/31, since seas offshore were in excess of three feet. The group used live shrimp to catch seventeen sheepshead, including two keepers at 14 inches and nearly 17 inches. They also caught and released a 20-inch ladyfish, five mangrove snapper shorts, and a 16-inch snook. Paul Stanek, joined by his sister, Rose, and her husband, Frank, fished a catch-and-release trip in southern Estero Bay with me on Wednesday, 2/5/20. They used live shrimp to catch eleven sheepshead and one small Spanish mackerel. Mike Wickman and Tom Weinstein fished the southern end of Estero Bay’s backwaters with me on a very windy Friday morning, 2/7. The guys used live shrimp to catch ten sheepshead, including two keepers at 16 inches and 14 inches. They also released a 21-inch seatrout, due to the current moratorium on harvesting trout.

Ed Adamezyk and Brian Runevitch fished offshore with me on Monday, 2/10, in various spots out to 35 miles west of New Pass, using squid and cut-bait. We moved several times because of sharks intruding on our fishing spots, but the guys caught lot of fish. We lost count of the red groupers we released, but those numbered somewhere between 40 and 55, to 19 inches. The guys boxed five keeper lane snapper, all about 12 inches, one keeper mangrove snapper at 13 inches, three Spanish mackerel all around 20 inches, and one 14-inch porgy. They released five short mangs, along with one yellowtail short and a 25-inch bonito.

You can view our fishing action videos at http://fishbustercharters.com/fishingvideos.html

The day after Thanksgiving, 11/29, I fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with Dianne Hogler and her seventeen-year-old son, Ryan. They used live shrimp to catch twenty sheepshead, including four keepers that were all around 13 inches. They released four redfish to 17 inches and five snook to15 inches.

Long-time seasonal customers, Erwin and Millie Metusiak, fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with me on Wednesday, 12/4, using live shrimp for bait. The couple caught twenty-six sheepshead, including six keepers, all measuring around 13 inches. They released two snook to 25 inches.

Wednesday, 12/11, I fished 6 miles west of New Pass with Engle Merz and his sons, Matt and Max. The family used squid and cut-bait to catch and release thirty-one red grouper to 18 inches, an18-inch gag grouper, and two 15-inch scamp grouper. They boxed six keeper lane snapper to 12 inches, a keeper yellowtail snapper at 13 inches, ten porgies of mixed varieties that all measured 13 to 14 inches, and a half dozen grunts, all around 14 inches. They released fifteen yellowtail snapper shorts and an equal number of mangrove snapper shorts.

Engle Merz and sons Max and Matt, who fished with me last Wednesday well offshore, decided to do a near-shore trip on Monday, 12/16, in search of some Spanish mackerel. We fished in spots that were between three and five miles west of New Pass, using cut-bait and squid. The family caught three Spanish mackerel that were all around 22 inches. They released two 14-inch bluefish, and then they got into the real fun with sharks! They released nine blacktip sharks, all over 3-foot long, the largest measuring 43 inches. They also released two blacknose sharks, both over three foot long.
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Dan Gregory and his young son, James, fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with me on a windy Wednesday morning, 12/19/19. Using live shrimp, the father-son team caught a dozen sheepshead, including three keepers at 14 inches, 15 inches, and 18 inches. James also caught and released a 24-inch barracuda, which was an unusual catch in the backwaters.

There were several days of high winds and seas as the Christmas holiday neared, and conditions weren’t too good for fishing anywhere. Mitchell Manz and family had to reschedule their gulf trip from 12/23 to 12/27, in order to get out fishing. Even on Friday, 12/27, it was still a little sloppy offshore, and we fished close-in at the reefs off Bonita Beach, using cut-bait and squid. It wasn’t as great day of fishing, but the family caught a few lanes and grunts, and released five small gag grouper, half-dozen crevalle jacks, and a bunch of squirrel-fish.

Dale Cruzan and his grandson and wife, Cody and Kate Cruzan, fished 19 miles west of New Pass with me on Saturday morning, 12/28, and used cut-bait and squid to catch a variety of fish. They caught fourteen lane snappers, including two keepers at 12 inches, along with a 13-inch keeper mangrove snapper, and a couple of grunts. They released two yellowtail snapper shorts and six triggerfish, the largest triggerfish being just a quarter-inch below legal keeper size at 14 ¾ inches. They also released twenty-one red grouper shorts to 18 inches. They got a bit of big-game experience when they hooked a big shark that they battled for 45 minutes on light tackle before it finally cut the line, before we could identify what kind it was.

Monday, 12/30, I fished 18 to 20 miles west of New Pass with Teresa Schmidt, her boyfriend, Tim Garling, Tim’s son, Carter, Teresa’s parents, Mark and Elizabeth Venturin, and family friend, Braden Welleral. The group used cut-bait and squid to catch a nice variety of fish. They boxed three keeper lane snapper, four of the largest grunts they caught, and a 16-inch triggerfish. They released nineteen additional triggerfish, some just shy of keeper size, along with eighteen grunts, four gag grouper shorts, a 23-inch goliath grouper, and twenty-five red grouper shorts to 19 ¾ inches, just short of the 20-inch legal size.

Ian McKinnon and his family had planned to fish offshore on Tuesday, 12/31, but with strong winds and seas upwards of four feet in the gulf, he traded those plans for a morning of inshore fishing in southern Estero Bay’s backwaters. He, along with his daughter, Michelle Nichols, and her two children, Jack and Mark, used live shrimp to catch two redfish that would have been keepers, had it not been for the current moratorium on reds. Those measured 18 inches and 21 inches. Jack was very proud of the 19-inch seatrout he caught, but was disappointed to learn that also had to be released, due to the same moratorium. The family also caught a half-dozen sheepshead, including one that was keeper size.

Mark and Elizabeth Venturin and their daughter, Michelle Nichols, all of whom fished offshore with me on Monday, 12/30, fished the backwaters of Estero Bay with me on Thursday morning, 1/2/20 , joined by Michelle’s husband, Scott Nichols. The family used live shrimp to catch thirteen sheepshead, including three keepers to 17 inches. They also released two redfish at 17 inches and 21 inches, along with two mangrove snapper shorts.

Dale Cruzan, along with hsi son, Cody Cruzan and his wife, Kate, had fished offshore with me on 12/28/19. They wanted to try a backwater trip also, so we fished southern Estero Bay on Friday morning, 1/3/20, using live shrimp for bait. The family caught seventeen sheepshead, including nine keepers to 15 inches. They released two small snook.

I was off the water for all of September, but fished in southern Estero Bay on a windy morning Tuesday, October 1, with Roy and Derek Brown. The guys used live shrimp to catch and release three redfish to 19 inches. The 19-inch red would have been a keeper, if not for the current moratorium on harvesting reds. The guys boxed four black drum to 20 inches, along with three keeper mangrove snapper, out of ten mangs that they caught. On Friday morning, October 18, I fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with Doug and Jane Lane, joined by their daughter and son-in-law, Kim and Robert Renzi. The family did well, using live shrimp. They caught six sheepshead, including two keepers at 15 inches and 14 inches, a dozen mangrove snapper, including three eleven-inch keepers, and a 16-inch black drum. They released two redfish, one short at 12 inches, and the other a nice, 24-inch, which also had to be released, due to the current moratorium on harvesting reds. They also released two 14-inch mutton snapper. Business has been slow to start this season, and intermittent bouts of red tide and reports of those in the press haven’t helped. Though the red tide is perceptible along the beaches at times, it has NOT affected fishing productivity. I fished in southern Estero Bay Friday morning, November 8, with Jim Kelley and his seven-year-old son, Jimmy. They used live shrimp to catch five sheepshead, three of which were keepers between 13 and 15 inches. They released four mangrove snapper shorts and five redfish to 18 inches, along with a small gag grouper that little Jimmy pulled out from the mangrove shoreline. Mike Connealy, a long-time, seasonal customer, fished his first trip of this season with me on Tuesday, November 12th. We headed out 35 miles from New Pass, where we fished mostly with squid, but also a few shrimp. We had good action the entire trip. We caught fifteen yellowtail snapper, including three keepers, six keeper lane snapper to 12 inches, an 11-inch schoolmaster snapper, and four keeper porgies. The red grouper were biting well, and we came within a half inch of legal keeper size on several of the fifty-some we caught and released. I headed offshore again on Monday, 11/18, this time with Bruce Epstein, David Polsky, Kent Kurzer, and Howie Siegal, to fish about 20 miles west of New Pass, using squid and cut-bait. The guys had good action all morning, and released twenty-five red grouper shorts to 17 inches, along with a 4-inch scamp grouper, a 15-inch mutton snapper, five lane snapper shorts, a puffer-fish and a scorpion fish. They boxed four keeper lane snapper and four grunts to take home for dinner. Mike Conneally, who fished offshore with me last week, fished a catch-and-release trip in the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with me on Friday morning, 11/22/19. He used live shrimp to catch five redfish to 17 inches, twenty sheepshead to 12 inches, a crevalle jack, and three mangrove snapper.

The photo shown below is of angler Engle Merz with a 33-inch cobia, caught on cut-bait and released on a recent offshore trip.

The photo shown below is of angler Mark Kostner with a 24-inch redfish,caught on shrimp and released on a recent inshore trip.

You can view our fishing action videos at http://fishbustercharters.com/fishingvideos.html

On Wednesday morning, 7/3/19, I fished miles west of New Pass with Dwayne McCoy and his family and friends. Although seas were predicted to be less than two feet, that was not the case until it was nearly time to head in from our ½-day excursion. But we made it out to 23 miles, hoping for action similar to the last time I’d fished offshore, about a week prior to this trip. Fishing was slow, though, and we didn’t get many keepers. The guys boxed three grunts and three keeper lane snapper. They released a bunch of squirrel-fish, three triggerfish (out-of-season), five red grouper shorts, and a 3-foot blacknose shark. The spot where we caught the lanes might have been good for more of those, had the dolphins not decided to invade our fishing grounds! Everything bit on cut-bait and squid.

The bite was not much better when I returned offshore on Friday, 7/5. I fished with Peter and Christina Halunen, their son, Clayton, and Clayton’s girlfriend, Isabella. We only ventured out 17 miles from New Pass because seas were a little choppy and there was a visible threat of rain coming from further offshore. Using squid and cut-bait, the group caught and released three lane snapper shorts and three mangrove snapper shorts. We also a reeled in and released a live squid, which had grabbed a piece of cut-bait. Fishing offshore about a week ago, I was encouraged by the improved action and variety of catches, but recent trips have not yielded those results. Fishing action cycles, as all anglers know, and water temps are extremely warm right now.

Jake Heft and five of his friends fished 19 miles west of New Pass with me on Monday, 7/15, using cut-bait and squid. The guys boxed a 14-inch whiting, a 14-inch silver trout, four keeper lane snapper, and a 14-inch grunt. They released eight red grouper shorts and a 4-foot blacknose shark. Ken Harrison, Jeff Norton, Rich Flaherty, and John Lovezzola fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with me on Saturday, 7/20, and had very good success using live shrimp for bait. The guys caught three keeper black drum at 15 inches, 16 inches, and 19 inches, released three redfish (due to a moratorium on harvesting reds) that included two at 18 inches and one at nearly 22 inches, two keeper sheepshead at 13 inches, a sand bream, and three keeper mangrove snapper to 12 inches.

Thursday morning, 8/1, I fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with the Thompson family: Brian and Cynthia and their son and daughter-in-law, Tristen and Kristen. They fished a catch-and-release trip, using live shrimp, and caught a nice variety. They released a 21-inch redfish, two black drum at 15 inches and 19 inches (see photo), six sheepshead to 12 inches, a sand bream, and a 17-inch snook.

Friday, 8/9, I fished 18 miles west of New Pass with Craig baker and three of his friends. The guys used cut-bait and squid to catch four mangrove snapper, including one keeper and six keeper lane snapper. They released a dozen juvenile red snapper and a pair of 12-inch triggerfish. We spotted two cobias, but they weren’t the least bit interested in our bait.

You can view our fishing action videos athttp://fishbustercharters.com/fishingvideos.html

I fished offshore, about twenty miles west of New Pass, on Wednesday morning, 5/29, with Paul and Belinda Parks. It was sloppy heading out, despite a seas forecast of two feet, but it calmed down toward mid-morning. The couple used squid to catch two keeper lane snapper, and they released two trigger fish that were 13 inches and 14 inches. They also released four red grouper shorts, all around 17 inches. Belinda made an interesting “food-chain” catch when a squirrelfish bit her squid, and a groper then bit the squirrelfish!

On Saturday morning, 6/8, I fished fifteen miles west of New Pass with Valoyd Glover. Seas were choppy, but tolerable, and Valoyd had his hopes up for catching something of size—He got his wish when he battled a 300-pound goliath grouper that bit on cut-bait. He released that monster boat-side, with a few photos and two sore arms to show for it! He also caught a 27-inch king mackerel, which he released, along with two lane snapper, ten crevalle jacks to three pounds, and six true red snapper shorts about 11 inches. The latter are usually not around so close to shore, so even though they were small, it was an interesting find.

Wednesday morning, 6/12, I fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay on a catch-and-release trip with Adam Martin. Using shrimp and pinfish, we released two 16-inch snook, a dozen mangrove snapper to12 inches, and a two-pound crevalle jack. Lots and lots of rain fell over the weekend and into the early part of this week. I headed offshore Tuesday morning, 6/18, to fish 19 miles west of New Pass with Tony Costillo, his dad, Rick, and friend, Kyle. We left in sunny skies, but got caught in a thunderstorm mid-morning, which we rode out and continued to fish. But the storm left behind some choppy seas to battle on the way back to shore. The guys used squid to catch and release five triggerfish to 14 inches, six red grouper shorts to 17 inches, and a 20-inch goliath grouper. As for food-fish, they got eight keeper grunts and one keeper lane snapper.

Wednesday morning, 6/19, I fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with Michael Quinlen, Jonas Stillman, and Hunter Rohand. The guys did well with live shrimp, and caught four keeper sheepshead, all around 14 inches and four keeper mangrove snapper to 11 inches. They also got what would have been two keeper redfish at 20 inches and 21 inches, if not for the current moratorium on harvesting reds. So they released the reds, along with an 11-inch mutton snapper.

I returned to southern Estero Bay on Friday morning, 6/21, to fish inshore with Brady McFarland, his dad, Lee, and Brady’s son, Jaiden. The family did well using live shrimp. They released two redfish at 19 inches and 22 inches, and had a couple more of them hooked, but they cut the line boat-side. They also caught seven keeper mangrove snapper to 12 inches, and boxed the four largest of those, along with a 15-inch black drum. They also caught six sheepshead to 14 inches, including two that were legal size, but they chose to release them all, along with a 1 ½-pound crevalle jack.

Saturday morning, 6/22, I fished 22 miles west of New pass on an offshore trip with Charlie Tobler, his twin sons, and three of their friends. The guys used squid and cut-bait to box a half-dozen grunts and four keeper lane snapper. They released six red grouper shorts and an 8-foot nurse shark.

Gary Hourselt and Melissa Sawin fished 36 miles offshore with me on Monday, 6/24. Using cut-bait and squid, they caught six keeper grunts, six keeper lane snapper all around 11 inches, ten porgies to 24 inches, sixteen yellowtail snapper, including one keeper, a 14-inch keeper mangrove snapper, twenty red grouper shorts to 19 inches, and a 37-inch cobia (photo below.) They also released an 8-foot tiger shark, after a 45 minute battle.

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Wind, wind, wind, and more wind! That describes our weather pattern lately. Monday, 4/22, was predicted to be calm, after a couple weeks prior of mostly strong winds and rough seas. But long-time customer Roy Mittman and his son, Zack, who headed offshore with me Monday quickly decided that 18 miles would be far enough, since seas were choppy even that close-in. The guys used squid to box a half-dozen grunts and four 11-inch lane snapper. They released two short lanes, along with six red grouper shorts, two ladyfish, and three crevalle jacks that were all around two pounds. Ann Heck, accompanied by her two young grandsons, Carter and Jackson, and by daughter’s boyfriend, Dane, fished 19 miles west of New Pass with me on Tuesday morning, 4/23. Using squid, the family boxed six keeper grunts and two keeper lane snapper. They released lots more grunts, along with a 19-inch goliath grouper, five short lane snapper, and five crevalle jacks that were all around two pounds. Lines were cut twice by sharks, but we didn’t get to see what kind they were. Wednesday morning, 4/24, I fished a catch-and-release trip in southern Estero Bay with LeAnn Russell, her son, Aubrey, and Aubrey’s girlfriend, Lindsey. The group used live shrimp to catch and release three sheepshead to 12 inches, three sailcats all about 18 inches, and eight short mangrove snapper. Lindsey had a redfish on, but jerked the line a little too hard, and lost it. Water conditions weren’t ideal, muddied by the nearby dredging and a lot of floating grass. Thursday, 4/25, was not at all what was predicted, and was not a stellar day of fishing. In advance of a weather front approaching the area Friday, NOAA had forecast two-foot seas, but I encountered three-to-four footers, fishing between 19n and 28 miles west of New Pass with frequent customer, Ron Musick and several of his friends and family. Fishing was extremely slow—I am not sure what was going on, but we released close to a hundred squirrel fish, and only caught one 20-inch Spanish mackerel, a keeper lane snapper and some grunts. At the end of April, nearly all our winter-time residents headed back to their northern homes, and there was little demand for fishing trips. That will likely change for the better as families with children out-of-school for summer begin to head to our beach areas for vacation. Wednesday, 5/15, was the next time I got out on the water. I fished southern Estero Bay with repeat customer, Gary Hourselt, and his brother, Pete. They used live shrimp to catch three keeper black drum to 17 inches, two keeper mangrove snapper both in the 11-to12-inch range, and a keeper, 13-inch sheepshead. They released a few mangrove snapper shorts and a few sheepshead shorts. My next excursion was on Wednesday, 5/22, when I headed offshore to 35 miles west of New Pass with Mike Wething, his sons, Mike Jr. and Dave, and friend, Nick Hugher. With squid, cut-bait, and shiners for bait, the guys caught a nice variety of keeper fish. They caught five keeper vermillion snappers, all 11-to-12 inches long, six keeper mangrove snapper to 14 inches, six keeper yellowtail snapper, five keeper lane snapper, a dozen keeper grunts to 15 inches, and a dozen keeper porgies. They released two 17-inch red grouper shorts, nine yellowtail shorts, and eight mangrove snapper shorts.

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The photo shown is of Meir Daller with a 16-inch mangrove snapper,caught on squid 33 miles west of New Pass on a recent offshore trip.

Saturday morning, 3/23, I fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with Tom Weid and his son, John. The guys caught thirteen sheepshead on live shrimp, including eight keepers from 13 inches to 18 inches.

Seas were a little sloppy heading offshore Monday, 3/25, for a catch-and-release trip with Craig Javanovich, his two sons, and his dad. But it calmed down a little while into the morning fishing 19 miles west of New Pass. The family used squid to catch forty grunts, three red grouper shorts, five lane snapper shorts, and some blue runners.

Calm seas were a welcome change on Tuesday, morning, 3/26, when I headed out 18 miles west of New Pass with Frank Partee, his son, Mike, and Mike’s daughter, Katie. All the family wanted was some fish for a meal of fish tacos, and they achieved that with the seven grunts they boxed. They released lots of blue runners, along with a half dozen red grouper shorts. Everything bit on squid.

Denis Delor, his two sons, Mason and Jake, and his dad, Barry, had planned to fish offshore on Wednesday morning, 3/27, but small craft advisories were in effect offshore, due to seas of three-to-five feet. We fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters instead, using live shrimp for bait. The family caught five keeper sheepshead to 17 inches, a keeper black drum at 15 inches, and two sand bream. They released a crevalle jack.

Thursday and Friday, 3/28 and 3/29 were both windy days with rough seas offshore that prompted a small craft advisory. Both of my planned offshore trips for those days canceled.

On Saturday, 3/30, I fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with Roger Henderson, his son, Steve, and friend, Jack Brennen. The guys used live shrimp to catch eight sheepshead, including four keepers to 17 inches. Jack caught and released a 19-inch redfish, which would have been a keeper if not for the current redfish moratorium.

Monday, April 1st, I fished offshore with frequent customer, Mike Connealy and his son-in-law, Brett Ewig. We headed out 33 miles west of New Pass, with shrimp and squid. There were some goliath grouper and sharks harassing some of our would-be catches, but we did well in spite of them. The guys caught five keeper mangrove snapper to 14 inches and released nine short mangs, along with a short yellowtail snapper. They added to the box two keeper lane snapper and ten nice keeper porgies to 23 inches. They released a dozen red grouper shorts to 18 inches, and also had a three-foot kingfish on the line for a bit, but it cut the line right at the boat.

George Sloan wanted to take his son and young grandchildren offshore Tuesday morning, 4/2, to fish for whatever the kids could catch. George, his son Rob, and grandchildren Logan, Lara and Max, used squid 19 miles west of New Pass to catch and box four good-sized grunts to 14 inches, and they released lots of blue runners, a 14-inch triggerfish, a red grouper short, and some tomtates and squirrelfish.

A weather front arrived overnight Tuesday, and winds were howling Wednesday morning, 4/3. The bay wasn’t a very good option, since the front caused dead low tides there, so Mike Gambino and his three friends decided to try the gulf. NOAA had forecast seas of two to three feet, but it was way rougher than that, with steady 4-footers and occasionally worse than that. We ventured no further than the local reefs off Bonita Beach. Fishing was tough, but the guys managed to catch eight grunts on squid—enough for fish tacos—and they released lots of blue runners.

Dr. Meir Daller and his son, Brenden, fished 34 miles west of New Pass with me on Saturday, 4/6. Fishing was kind of slow, at least for keepers, but the guys caught and released plenty of red grouper shorts to 18 inches—twenty of those. They did catch a nice keeper mangrove snapper at 16 inches, and one keeper lane snapper that was nearly 13 inches, along with four 12-inch grunts, all on squid.

High winds and rough seas were again a problem the week of 4/8. I had to cancel several offshore trips. I fished inshore on Friday morning, 4/12, in southern Estero Bay with John Abernathy and his son, Ryan. The tide was slow, and the action wasn’t great. The guys caught and released three sheepshead to 12 inches, using live shrimp for bait.

Southern Estero Bay’s action was about the same on Saturday morning, 4/13, as it had been on Friday. Phil and Jill Binotti and Jill’s daughter, Kristen, used live shrimp to catch and release five sheepshead shorts to 11 inches, along with five juvenile mutton snappers. One big redfish was hooked, but was lost under the trees.

After high winds and seas for several consecutive days, I got back out offshore on Wednesday, 4/17, and fished 20 miles west of New Pass with Troy Reazin and his three sons. The guys used squid and cut-bait to catch fifteen grunts, ten of which they boxed for fish tacos. They released five red grouper shorts and lots of blue runners.

Thursday, 4/18, was windy again, and I fished inshore in southern Estero Bay with Ed Knapp and his thirteen-year-old grandson, Austin. They used live shrimp to catch five sheepshead, including a 13-inch keeper, and two 11-inch keeper mangrove snapper. They released two crevalle jack, about 12 inches each, a 17-inch redfish, and two 18-inch sail-cats.

Weather was a problem again on Friday morning, 4/19. Peyton Amato, his dad, and his two cousins had planned to fish offshore, but rough seas prevented that, so they decided to cut their planned full-day, gulf trip to a half-day, and fish in the bay instead. We managed to catch an incoming tide, and the guys used live shrimp to catch a few keepers, including two 16-inch black drum and a 12-inch mangrove snapper. They caught a half dozen sheepshead too, but all of those were just short of keeper size and were released. About an hour sooner than we’d planned to head in, the rains, which had been light and scattered grew heavy, and we headed back to safe harbor.

The photo shown is of Richard Arnett with a 24-inch porgy, caught on squid on a recent offshore trip.

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Monday, 2/25, brothers Ed and Fred Armstrong had planned to fish offshore with me. A weather front came through the area over-night, however, and kicked up winds to about 25 knots, with very rough conditions offshore. So the guys decided to fish in Estero Bay’s backwaters instead. Even the bay was challenging for fishing that morning. The tide which was supposed to turn around at 9AM, never did so, and the wind was sucking the water out of the bay. The guys managed to catch eight sheepshead, on live shrimp, but only one was a keeper at 13 inches. The rest of the sheepies were about ½-inch short of keeper-size, and had to be released. The guys also released a crevalle jack.

It was just a little less windy on Tuesday morning, 2/26, than it had been the day before. I fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with Charles Vanenbossche, his brother, Brian, and their parents, Mike and Sandy. The family caught eleven sheepshead, including four keepers, on live shrimp. They lost three or four others when the hook pulled out, as they sometimes do when sheepshead are hooked in the lip.

Wednesday morning, 2/27, I returned to the south end of Estero Bay, this time to fish with Dennis Mascioli and his friends, Vince and Gary on a catch-and-release trip. The sheepshead bite was slower than it has been recently, but the guys released four sheepies to 14 inches, and lost one redfish to a broken line.

Long-time customers, Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, and Richard Arnett fished 33 miles offshore with me on Thursday, 2/28. The guys used cut bait and squid to catch twenty nice porgies to 24 inches, along with three keeper lane snapper and a few grunts.

Dave Carr and his friends, Chuck and Wayne, fished 20 miles offshore with me on Friday morning, March 1st. They used frozen shrimp and squid to catch twenty-five grunts to 14 inches, and put a dozen of those in the fish box for fish tacos. They released the rest, along with several ladyfish, four red grouper shorts, two lane snapper shorts and one mangrove snapper short.

Frequent customer, Mike Connealy, fished 33 miles west of New Pass with me on Monday, 3/4. The winds had picked up over the weekend, and we had some hefty swells heading out, along with some choppy seas for a while. The big porgies were biting, but the goliath grouper were competing with us for those, and they got the largest of them. Still, we managed to box seven nice porgies to 18 inches, and we released four smaller ones. We added a keeper lane snapper to the box. We also released one short yellowtail snapper, a small sheepshead, and one red grouper short.

Fishing was really tough in Estero Bay Tuesday morning, 3/5, when I fished with Gary Hourselt and his son, Nick. The father-son team had fished the backwaters with me before, and had done well with catching large sheepshead. They had planned to fish offshore this time, but a weather front that resulted in small craft advisories nixed that plan. So we headed into southern Estero Bay for a catch and release trip that yielded little more than small sheepshead in wind and tide conditions that were far from ideal.

Wednesday and Thursday, 3/6 and 3/7, brought a cold front with small craft advisories offshore, dead-low tides in the bay, and frigid mornings. Both of those planned offshore trips cancelled. So, it was Friday before I got back on the water. Mike and Bethany Tank fished offshore with me on Friday, 3/8, the first day in a while that has been calm enough to head offshore. We still experienced some choppy seas at first, but it calmed down nicely in the afternoon. Using shrimp, the couple fished 33 miles west of New Pass, and had a productive day. They caught ten porgies, all 14 inches to 18 inches, and three king mackerel, including two at 29 inches and one at 42 inches. They released a half-dozen yellowtail snapper shorts. We also got into some lesser amberjacks, catching and releasing five of those to 25 inches, and we spotted a huge amberjack, about five foot long. Originally, I thought they were almaco jacks, but I sent the photos to a fish I.D. expert, who is pretty certain they were lesser amberjacks.

Mike Jansen and extended family members, Chris and his young son, Colton, and Matt and his young daughter, Lily, fished 19 miles west of New Pass with me on a pretty calm morning offshore on Monday, 3/11. The family had fun catching grunts on shrimp, and boxed over twenty of those, around 12 inches. They released a dozen red grouper shorts.

Sandy Mintz treated his grandson, Tyler Karkowski, to a catch-and-release, backwater fishing trip in southern Estero Bay on Tuesday, 3/12.They used live shrimp to catch and release an 18-inch snook, a crevalle jack, and five sheepshead to nearly 15 inches.

It was extremely windy on Wednesday, 3/13, and seas were predicted to be two-to-three feet close to shore, but I knew they would be rougher than that. Ian McKinnon and family said they didn’t mind braving rough seas, having fished many rough days on the Great Lakes. So, we headed out to seven miles over rocky bottom so the kids could have fun at least catching a mess of grunts. They used squid to catch twenty-two of those, which was plenty for fish tacos!

Thursday, 3/14, was way too rough to head offshore with my planned trip, and I remained in port. Friday morning, 3/15, winds were only slightly calmer, and there was light rain for a couple hours, but Mark Ginnard and friends decided to brave it offshore anyway. We couldn’t get out too far, due to rough seas, and our near-shore catches included grunts and blue runners—not a whole lot to brag about. But everyone had fun catching and releasing what was there, using squid for bait.

A weather front moved through the area overnight Sunday, causing winds and seas to kick up again, and forcing Kristen Leesman, her parents, on and Cathy, and her fiancé, Tom McGuire to change their offshore plans to inshore fishing instead. The family used live shrimp in southern Estero Bay to catch and release a brace of 20-inch snook, along with a crevalle jack. They boxed ten keeper mangrove snapper to 12 inches.

After a rainy, windy, chilly day on Tuesday, which caused me to cancel my scheduled fishing trip, Paul Stanek, his brother, Rich, and Rich’s wife, Jill, fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with me on Wednesday morning, 3/20. The family used live shrimp to catch eight keeper sheepshead to 20 inches and a 14-inch black drum. They boxed the four largest sheepshead and released everything else.

Friends of long-time customer Joe Hahn, Darren, Greg and Spencer, fished on a very windy Thursday, 3/21, with me in southern Estero Bay, on a catch-and-release trip, using live shrimp. They guys released fifteen sheepshead to 18 inches, along with a mangrove snapper and an 18-inch sailcat.

Bill & Terry Tank, frequent and long-time customers, fished southern Estero Bay with me on Friday morning, 3/22, using live shrimp for bait. They caught five sheepshead, including two keepers to 17 inches, and two black drum, including one keeper at 15 inches. Terry landed a 19-inch redfish, which would have been a keeper, if not for the current moratorium on harvesting redfish. You can view our fishing action videos at http://fishbustercharters.com/fishing videos.html

Craig and Jan Royal and their son, Dan, along with Craig’s dad, Ron, fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with me on Monday, 2/4/19. The family used live shrimp to catch four nice, keeper sheepshead, two at 14 inches and two at 17 inches. They also caught a keeper, 12-inch mangrove snapper.

Gary Zwicky and his friend, Shocky, fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with me on Tuesday morning, 2/5. They used live shrimp to catch four sheepshead, two of which were 15-inch keepers, along with one keeper mangrove snapper.

I fished offshore for the first time in a good while on Wednesday, 2/6. Scott Cooper and Gary Haugen used squid and cut-bait 36 miles west of New Pass to catch a good variety of fish. They released thirty-eight red grouper shorts to 19 inches, along with a 20-inch gag grouper, a yellowtail snapper short, and a brace of 15-inch triggerfish. They boxed a half dozen nice sized grunts, along with six porgies in the 14-inch to 15-inch range, and two keeper lane snapper. They also caught and released a two-foot long remora that was hitchhiking on a shark that ate a fish we had on the line.

Craig Kinnick and two of his friends fished 24 miles west of New Pass with me on Thursday morning, 2/7, using squid and cut-bait. The bite was a little slow, but they caught enough grunts to take him for fish tacos, and they released several red grouper shorts and a lot of baitfish, such as sand perch and squirrel-fish.

Friday morning, 2/8, long-time customers, Robin Latham and Chris Welch, fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with me, using live shrimp. They caught four sheepshead, including three keepers from 13 inches to 18 inches, and released a ladyfish.

Neil and Jayne Muschett fished near-shore with me, thirteen miles west of New Pass, on a windy Monday morning, 2/11. The couple used squid to box fifteen good-sized grunts, perfect for the fish tacos they had planned. They released two red grouper shorts, along with a brace of five-pound goliath groupers.

Danny and Mary Walter fished 24 miles offshore with me on Tuesday morning, 2/12. They used squid to box sixteen large grunts, and released half a dozen red grouper shorts, before the winds and seas kicked up and we called it a day.

After a rainy day on Wednesday, 2/13 that cancelled out my fishing plans for that day, friends, Daniel Prischmann, Sharon Johnson, and Lyle Crider fished the backwaters of south Estero Bay with me on Valentines’ day morning, 2/14. The group used live shrimp to catch eleven sheepshead, including seven keepers to 16 inches. George and Diane Van Der Linden, jointed by their son and daughter-in-law,

Drew and Amanda, fished near-shore at the reefs with me on Friday morning, 2/15. We used frozen shrimp and squid, and caught mostly small stuff for a while, including some grunts, lane snapper, and bait-fish. We were thinking it was going to be kind of a slow morning when, all of a sudden, something big grabbed George’s shrimp. That turned out to be a 40-inch cobia, the first one I have seen in a good while, and good for many nice cobia steaks. George Sloan II, his son George III, grandson George IV, and family friend, Mark Sommerville, fished in southern Estero Bay with me on

Saturday morning, 2/16. The guys used live shrimp to catch a dozen sheepshead, including seven keepers in the 13 to 16-inch range. They also caught a 24-inch Spanish mackerel, and released a 14-inch bluefish.

Robin Latham and his seven-year-old grandson, Dylan, fished southern Estero Bay with me on Monday morning, 2/18. They used live shrimp to catch sixteen sheepshead, and kept the ten largest of those, all between 14 and 18 inches. They also released four ladyfish, a crevalle jack, and a 17-inch redfish.

Danny and Mary Walter, who fished offshore with me last Tuesday, decided to try some backwater fishing on Tuesday morning, 2/19. The couple did very well using live shrimp to catch nine keeper sheepshead to 18 inches. They released eight smaller ones, along with four ladyfish. They also caught two nice pompano, both about 17 inches.

Roy Mittman, who usually fishes offshore with me, fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters instead, along with his friend, Rich Borgatti, on Wednesday morning, 2/20. Seas offshore were forecast to be three to four feet, so the bay seemed like a much better option. It proved to be fruitful: The guys used live shrimp to catch fifteen sheepshead, including six keepers to 19 inches. They caught a 17-inch pompano, and they released a 19-inch redfish (due to the current moratorium on harvesting redfish.)

Long-time customers, Craig and Jan Royal, joined by their brother-in-law and his wife, Curt and Barbara Claassen, fished 31 miles offshore with me on Thursday, 2/21. We had a great day—the best offshore day in a while—and the group caught a nice variety of fish. Using shrimp, they caught seven keeper mangrove snapper to 16 inches, along with fifteen yellowtail snapper that included a 14-inch keeper. Using cut-bait, they caught a mess of fifteen grunts, all around 12 inches, one keeper-sized sheepshead, and five nice porgies—unfortunately a shark helped himself to the biggest porgy, leaving us to reel in only its head. The group also caught two keeper porkfish, including the biggest porkfish I have ever seen, at 17 ¼ inches.

Gary Hourselt and his dad, Richard, fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with me on Friday morning, 2/22. Using live shrimp, the guys caught a dozen keeper sheepshead, with two of the largest measuring 19 inches. They released eight smaller sheepshead, along with a nearly 19-inch redfish.

Dr. Meir Daller, his wife, Rie, their two sons, Julian and Brenden, and a friend of the boys’, Joey, fished 33 miles west of New Pass with me on Saturday. They used frozen shrimp and squid to catch a brace of 15-inch porgies, a 13-inch mangrove snapper, and a dozen good-size grunts. The winning catch was a 50-inch, 60 pound cobia, which bit on a small grunt. There were three cobia around the boat, and Meir managed to land the largest of the three (see photo below.) We also released an 8-foot sandbar shark.

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On Monday, 1/14, I headed offshore with Bill Conklin and his two friends, Mark and Susan. NOAA had forecast seas of two to three feet well offshore, but even out just eighteen miles from New Pass, we encountered seas of three to four feet. We didn’t head out any further than that, due to rough conditions. The group used cut-bait and squid to box a dozen grunts, and released a red grouper short and a remora.

Thursday, 1/17, I headed out about 22 miles from New Pass with long-time customers Ron Musick and Eddie Alfonso. The seas were calming down, after a few days of rough ones, but it was still a little choppy. The guys used cut-bait and squid to box fourteen nice porgies to 14 inches, along with a mess of grunts. They released a few red grouper shorts, along with fifteen yellowtail snapper shorts and one short mangrove snapper.

Frequent customers Mike and Clint Connealy fished well offshore with me on Friday, 1/18, in spots ranging from 35 to 40 miles west of New Pass. The father-son anglers used squid and cut-bait to catch and release 31 red grouper shorts, and they boxed ten porgies to 15 inches, and released an equal amount, having no need to keep that many fish. They added to the fish box one keeper yellowtail snapper.

Saturday morning, 1/19, seas began to build ahead of another cold front due to arrive Sunday into Monday. It was choppy 19 miles west of New Pass, where I fished with Allison Kelly, her boyfriend, Dan, and her parents, Kerry and Kevin Kelly. The group used squid and cut-bait to box a dozen nice grunts and a keeper lane snapper. They released thirteen red grouper shorts, a few sand perch, and a 13-inch triggerfish.

High winds and rough seas, ushering in the next cold front to hit our area, caused Randy Mueller and his son, Coby, to exchange their offshore fishing plans for backwater fishing on Friday, 1/25. We fished southern Estero Bay, using live shrimp, and the guys caught five sheepshead, including three keepers at 13 inches, 14 inches and 17 inches. They also boxed a 20-inch seatrout, the first seatrout I have seen in a good while See photo below.)

After many days of rough seas, NOAA forecasted calmer seas on Tuesday, 1/29. But, Joe Kovach and his dad, Paul, didn’t trust the forecast, and neither did I, after seeing that seas were very rough the previous day, and predicted to get back to 4 feet on Wednesday. So the guys decided to fish the backwaters instead. We fished an outgoing tide in southern Estero Bay, using live shrimp. The guys caught five sheepshead, including three keepers to 16 inches.

Steve and Beth Wilson, joined by their friends, Steve and Judy Sonda, fished southern Estero Bay‘s backwaters with me on Thursday, 1/31. The sheepshead bite was on and, using live shrimp, the group caught fourteen keeper sheepshead to 19 inches.

Tuesday morning, 12/4/18, just ahead of a cold front due to arrive in the afternoon, I fished 20 miles west of New Pass with Ralph Marino, Bud Mulchy, and their friends, Ed and John. The guys used squid and cut-bait to catch six keeper lane snapper, two bluefish to 20 inches, twenty-six grunts, a triggerfish, and six red grouper shorts. They boxed the lanes and the grunts, and released the rest.
Long-time customers, Erwin and Millie Matusiak, fished southern Estero Bay with me on a chilly, windy Wednesday morning, 12/5. They used live shrimp to catch eight sheepshead to 14 inches, including five keepers, and they released two redfish shorts and a crevalle jack.

Rich and Marnie Henke and their two sons, Anthony and Lucas, fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with me on Monday, 12/10. The family used live shrimp to catch two redfish, 18 inches and 20 inches, which would have been keepers if not for the current moratorium on harvesting reds. So we released those, along with an 18-inch snook, one mangrove snapper short, and two crevalle jacks. Sheepshead action was steady, and the family caught ten of those, including two keepers at 14 inches and 15 inches.

Long-time and frequent customer, Mike Connealy had hoped to fish offshore on Wednesday, 12/12, but seas were four foot, even near-shore, so we opted for the backwaters instead. Mike used live shrimp to catch twenty sheepshead, including three keepers measuring 14 to 16 inches. He also caught and released a crevalle jack and two puffer fish.

Between a couple days off for the holidays and a whole bunch of very gusty winds and rough seas, there wasn’t another opportunity to get out fishing until Wednesday, 12/26. Even on that day, there were high winds and seas, so the Ketchum family—Steve and Mary and their sons, Connor and Cameron-- changed their offshore fishing plans to inshore fishing instead. Using live shrimp on a catch-and-release trip in southern Estero Bay’s backwaters, the family released ten sheepshead to 14 inches, three redfish shorts, three small snook, and two crevalle jacks.

Seas were still rough on Thursday, 12/27, so Ian McKinnon and his young grandsons, along with a few other family members, fished inshore instead of fishing offshore as they had planned. The group used live shrimp in southern Estero Bay to catch and release two redfish shorts to 18 inches, a 15-inch snook, four crevalle jacks, and four sheepshead to 11 inches.

Winds kept blowing hard overnight and into Friday, so I fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay again on Friday, 12/28, this time with Frank Fanta and family and friends. The group of four used live shrimp to catch two keeper sheepshead at 14 inches and 16 inches, and they released sheep shorts, a 17-inch black drum, a 17-inch redfish, and ten crevalle jacks. I finally got offshore on

Saturday morning, 12/29, but the bite was slow, even at some of my most productive snapper holes. Wojciech Lewndowski and five of his buddies fished in several spots out to 25 miles west of New Pass, using squid and cut-bait. The guys did box twenty grunts and a keeper-sized lane snapper to take home for meals, but the only other catches were ten red grouper shorts, which we released. The other boats around us seemed to be having no better luck. Perhaps the recent winds and rough seas had the gulf stirred up. In any case, we were glad to get some fish in the cooler, but we’d have liked some better action.

The first trip of the New Year was an offshore one on Wednesday, 1/2/19, with Brian and Tracy Matlock, their young sons, Graham and Iman, and friend John Royer and his young son, Eli. The group used squid and cut bait eighteen miles west of New Pass to catch three mangrove snapper, including one keeper at 15 inches. They added ten good-sized grunts to the fish box, and they released five red grouper shorts, a 14-inch mutton snapper short, and a 17-inch bluefish.

I fished 18 to 23 miles offshore from New Pass with long-time, seasonal customer Ron Musick, for his first trip of the season on Thursday morning, 1/3. Fishing was still a bit slow, but we boxed a dozen grunts and released a half-dozen red grouper shorts, all of which bit on squid.

The photo shown is of Barry Cermak with a 20-inch porgy, caught on squid on a recent offshore Fishbuster Charter. http://fishbustercharters.com/…zedBarryCermak20Porgy.JPG

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I fished offshore for the first time in many weeks on Friday, 10/19/18, when I headed out to various spots out to 26 miles from New Pass with father and son, Daniel and Josh Koppy. The bite was kind of slow, but at least it was improved over the last time I fished offshore, which was at the peak of the red tide. The guys used cut bait and squid to catch and release fifteen grunts, two red grouper shorts, two ramoras, and a 40-inch blacknose shark. Hopefully, with red tide now out of the area, fishing will continue to improve.

On Wednesday, 10/24, I fished offshore again, this time with Patrick Keane and three of his friends. The guys were in town for business, and managed to squeeze in a morning of catch-and-release fishing 22 miles west of New Pass. NOAA’s forecast for calm, two-foot seas was off by a foot or two, and waters were choppy. The guys used squid and cut-bait to catch and release several red grouper shorts, blue runners, and a half dozen grunts.

On Wednesday, 10/31, I had planned to fish inshore, but my trip for the day turned out to be a no-show. Hopefully we got that lack of consideration over with early this season, and everyone else will have the consideration to call and cancel if their plans change

Thursday, 11/1, I fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay on a catch-and-release trip with Dave Mercer, Mike Stanbrough, Rod Knudson, and Danny Yanecek. The guys used live shrimp on a good tide to catch and release twenty sheepshead, including ten would-be keepers to 17 inches, along with three mangrove snapper shorts and a 24-inch redfish. Redfish cannot be harvested until at least May, due to their populations having been decreased during this past summer’s red tide outbreak.

Friday, 11/2, I returned to the southern part of Estero Bay to fish another catch-and-release trip with Matt Miller and his young son, Bobby. Using live shrimp, the father-son team caught and released eighteen fish, including a pair of 16-inch sheepshead, a 19-inch sheepshead, thirteen smaller sheepshead, a small snook, and a two-pound crevalle jack.

Saturday, 11/3, the Kilkeary cousins—Jake, Keith, Mike, and Andy-- had planned to fish offshore, but a cool front that came through the area kicked seas up to three-to-five feet in the gulf, with a small craft advisory issued. So we changed plans and fished inshore instead. The guys caught and released seven sheepshead to 15 inches, all of which bit on live shrimp. Friday, 11/9, I fished 28 miles offshore with long-time customer, Mike Connealy. We used squid and cut bait to catch and release seven blacknose sharks, all about 40 inches, a 24-inch king mackerel, seven red grouper shorts, and five 12-inch grunts, along with some short lane snapper. We did also catch two keeper lanes at 12 inches each, and two 12-inch keeper porgies.

Sunday morning, 11/11, I fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with Jacob Robins. We used live shrimp to catch eleven sheepshead to 13 inches, and released a half-dozen mangrove snapper shorts.

Monday, 11/12, I fished 35 miles west of New Pass with Mike Connealy, who had fished with me last Friday. This time, Mike was joined by his friend, Barry Cermak. The guys used cut-bait and squid to catch fifteen yellowtails, two of which were keepers, along with four mangrove snapper, one of which was a 15-inch keeper, six nice porgies to 20 inches, and a 14-inch grunt. They released a dozen red grouper shorts, two remoras, and a 36-inch bonnethead shark.

Friday morning, 11/23, I fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with Tom and Alice Hart, and their son and daughter-in-law, Paul and Liz Hart. The family used live shrimp to catch fifteen sheepshead, including four keepers, and released two black drum and a redfish pup.

Saturday morning, 11/24, I fished offshore, 19 miles west of New Pass, with Todd and Jennifer Tinker and their young son, Luke. The family used cut-bait and squid to catch five keeper lane snapper to 16 inches, a 14-inch triggerfish, a dozen 12-inch grunts, and a dozen red grouper shorts. They boxed the legals, released the others, and went home with plenty of fish to eat!

You can view our fishing action videos at http://fishbustercharters.com/fishingvideos.html

Fishing was tough Saturday morning, 8/11/18, when I headed out 24 miles west of New Pass with Darren Rachman, his brother, Mark, and a couple of their friends. I fished in spots that had been productive several times this week, but the bite was pretty slow everywhere we went. There were some rain storms around us, but we managed to stay mostly dry. The guys used cut-bait and squid to catch and red grouper shorts and a lane snapper.

The bite was a little more active on Tuesday, 8/14, when I fished 18 miles west of New Pass with Mark Lenhart, his son, and two of his son’s friends. The group used squid to catch and box ten grunts, all measuring between 12 and 14 inches, and they released red grouper shorts.

After two weeks off the water, with this entire area suffering from red tide, I ventured out Monday, 8/27 to explore the waters and check conditions. Red tide was bad in close-in waters, with dead fish abundant out to five miles. The further I went out, the less dead fish were evident, but red tide was still visible as far out as 26 miles, and fishing was, well, not really fishing at all, since there was absolutely nothing biting. I had hoped for better conditions out that far. All we could do was wait it out, hoping our state and federal officials would do all that is possible to alleviate this problem, or hope for some early cold-fronts to rescue us. Meanwhile, my wife and I planned a trip to Colorado to visit family, returned, and endured more red tide, until signs that it was starting to dissipate cheered us up and brought us some fishing trips. When Hurricane Michael roared through the panhandle, the winds we got here helped push the remaining red tide away from us. We also realize that our red tide issues were nothing compared with what the residents of Panama City and surrounding area had to deal with.

On Thursday, 10/4, I fished inshore in Estero Bay’s backwaters with Don Lubbehusen, his son, Ben, and friend, Justin Bayer. The guys used live shrimp to catch and release fifteen crevalle jacks to 13 inches, ten mangrove snapper to 11 inches, a 20-inch snook, and four sheepshead to 15 inches. It was good to see clear water and fish biting, at long last.

Saturday, 10/6, I fished in Estero Bay’s backwaters, from the lower bay to Wiggins Pass, with Derek Spradling and his friend, Kurt. The guys used live shrimp to catch two black drum at 14 inches and 17 inches, a dozen mangrove snapper including two keepers at 11 inches, and three keeper sheepshead to 13 inches. The best catch of the day was a 27 ½-inch redfish, which we photographed and released (see pic below.) We also released ten crevalle jacks to 18 inches, a 16-inch snook, and a two-pound stingray.

You can view our fishing action videos at http://fishbustercharters.com/fishing videos.html

Scott Shinke, friends, and family fished with me on Friday morning, 7/6/18, 22 miles west of New Pass, using cut-bait and squid. They boxed fifteen lane snapper to 13 inches, along with two Spanish mackerel 22 inches and 23 inches. They released twenty-five red grouper shorts, and also battled and released a nine-foot nurse-shark. They cited a good-sized sandbar shark also, but that one did not take the bait.

Greg Carlson and Brent Bixby fished with me on Monday, 7/9, in 70 feet, 36 miles west of New Pass. There were plenty of red grouper to catch, but no keepers--keepers have been very scarce lately and, even in 70 feet, that did not change. We also caught and released an 18-inch gag grouper. The guys battled a shark that was either a blacktip or a spinner, most likely a spinner--it finally wrapped the line and got off, after four runs and five jumps. Greg also caught and released a 35-inch blacknose shark. Another release was a six-pound crevalle jack. As for food -fish, the guys boxed a dozen keeper lane snapper, two yellowtail snapper at 14 inches and 15 inches, a 13-inch mangrove snapper, and a porgy.

Monday morning, 7/16, I fished a near-shore catch-and-release trip with Daniel Blaiser, Karin Junc, and Sven Junc. The group just wanted to catch and release any kind of fish, so we used squid and cut-bait to fish for whatever was biting about twelve miles west of New Pass. We released twenty-three red grouper shorts to 18 inches, a dozen lane snapper to 11 inches, and two dozen grunts. Sven hooked a large Mantis shrimp, which was an interesting catch! Those are dangerous to handle, and are commonly called “thumb splitters.”

Wednesday morning, 7/18/18, I fished 22 miles west of New Pass on a catch-and-release trip with Christopher Worley, his teenage son, Sam, and his teenage daughter, Izzy. The family used squid and cut-bait to catch and release twenty keeper-sized lane snapper to 14 inches and two dozen red grouper shorts to 18 inches.

Matthew and Julie Stanford, along with their son, Luke, and Luke’s grandparents, Cornelia and Dan Vellenga, fished 25 miles offshore with me on Friday morning, 7/27, using cut-bait and squid. The family boxed twenty keeper lane snapper to 14 inches, and released twenty-five red grouper shorts, one of which was just an eighth of an inch short of keeper size.

Nate Binder and his friend, Mr. Mernacki, fished offshore with me Monday morning, 7/30. There was a light drizzle when we headed out, and weather predictions were for that light rain to be mostly along the coast, and to move through the area quickly—wrong! We had rain most of the morning, and had to delay heading out to our farthest spot for a bit, since we encountered a few storms that contained lightening. We eventually got out to 25 miles, though the ride wasn’t smooth, in sometimes four-foot seas. But the guys had a good time using squid and cut-bait to box fifteen keeper lane snappers and a Spanish mackerel. They released two yellowtail shorts, six mangrove shorts, and thirty red grouper shorts to 18 inches.

Seas were far rougher than predicted on Thursday morning, 8/2, when I headed offshore with Chris Heil and his son, Mike. NOAA’s prediction was for two foot seas, but we had steady four-footers, with a few waves even topping that. It was tough fishing 18 miles west of New Pass, but the guys caught and released red grouper shorts and grunts, which bit on squid and cut-bait.

Chris Heil fished with me again on Saturday morning, 8/4. Seas were a little calmer than Thursday’s were, but far from smooth. We used cut-bait and squid to box six grunts to 14 inches, five keeper porgies, and a half dozen keeper lane snapper. We released ten red grouper shorts to 17 inches, 19 miles west of New Pass.

Monday morning, 8/6, I fished 19 miles west of New Pass with John King, his son, Chris, and several other family members. Seas were a little choppy heading out, but calmed down and were the calmest they have been over the past several days. John and family used squid to box six keeper lane snapper to 14 inches, a 13-inch yellowtail snapper, and a dozen grunts in the 13-to14-inch range. They released twenty-five red grouper shorts.

Wednesday morning, John King fished with me again, this time with a couple of other family members, Jack Coffman and Kelley. Using squid and cut-bait 22 miles west of New Pass, the group boxed fifteen nice sized grunts all between 12 and 14 inches, along with a keeper lane snapper. They released at least fifty red grouper shorts to19 ½ inches, along with a half dozen mangrove snapper shorts and a half dozen yellowtail shorts.

Friday morning, 8/10, I headed offshore to fish with Scott Fata, Daniel Austin, and their friend, Tom. The wind had changed direction and was blowing some of the red tide and dead fish our way, from Sanibel, so we headed out a few miles further to get out of that. Fishing 22 to 24 miles from New Pass, the guys used squid and cut-bait to box six nice lane snapper keepers to 15 inches, along with a few grunts and an 18-inch Spanish mackerel. But the exciting catch of the day was a 50-inch barracuda, which Daniel reeled in on one of his first casts. It was too dangerous to handle the big ‘cuda for a photo in hand, so we photographed him on a gaffe, and immediately released him.

You can view our fishing action videos at http://fishbustercharters.com/fishing videos.html

Winds and seas have been erratic, and the NOAA forecast has often been unreliable recently. I canceled a trip based on a small craft caution and 4-foot seas prediction on Tuesday, 5/1/18, and I believe it would have been quite calm offshore, from what I saw of the wind action that day. On Thursday, 5/3, seas were predicted to be calm, but they were choppy when I headed out with Dave Carey, George Siambones, and Steve Wanner. We stopped at the near-shore reefs first, hoping for some action there so we would not have to venture into choppier waters, but there was little to no action there. We ventured out to about 6 miles and caught one short mangrove snapper and one short lane snapper. After releasing those, we headed out to 12 miles, where we caught three keeper lanes. Our final destination, 15 miles west of New Pass, yielded a couple more keeper lanes to 13 inches, along with four nice-sized grunts. So the guys ended up with enough food-fish. As for thrills, they battled and released two sharks: one five-foot hammerhead and one 35-inch sharpnose.

Jayne Muschett and friend, Neil, fished 23 miles west of New Pass with me on Friday morning, 5/4. They used cut-bait and squid to catch thirteen keeper lane snapper to 13 inches, and they kept two 13-inch grunts of the nine grunts that they caught. They also released thirty-two red grouper shorts. Vince Rosetti and his son, Mike, fished 19 miles west of New Pass with me on Friday, 5/11, and did well using frozen squid for lane snapper. They boxed 26 keeper lanes to 14 inches, along with a half-dozen 13-14-inch grunts. They released a dozen red grouper shorts, along with a 4-foot blacknose shark.

Lots of rain moved into the area over Sunday and Monday, 5/13 and 5/14 and, though the rain is desperately needed, it did cause my offshore trip to cancel on Monday. Tuesday, 5/15, remained unsettled, and Wednesday began with rain, but had some clearing mid-morning. So, on Wednesday morning, 5/16, Tom Maby and his girlfriend, Allison Smith weighed their options for fishing offshore versus inshore, and decided to give the gulf a try, near-shore. The couple used squid and cut-bait to catch and release four sharpnose sharks to 40 inches, along with 22 red grouper shorts. They boxed six Spanish mackerel to 24 inches, along with five of the fifteen grunts they caught.

Tom Maby decided to fish again on Thursday, 5/17. Allison had her fill of choppy seas the day before, so Tom went on his own this trip. We dodged rainstorms a good part of the morning, and got out to 22 miles from New Pass, where we used squid and cut-bait to box fifteen keeper lane snapper and a half dozen grunts. Tom released a few red grouper shorts to 17 inches.

After several days of rain and stormy weather, I got back out fishing on Wednesday, 5/23, when I headed offshore 21 miles with Phil Marcianati and Reid Wisniewski. The guys used squid and cut bait to land a dozen keeper lane snapper to 17 inches. They released two dozen red grouper shorts to 19 inches, along with five 14-inch triggerfish and a 36-inch sharpnose shark.

John Teichgraeber and his mom, Heidi, fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with me on Friday morning, 5/25. They used live shrimp to box a 21-inch redfish, three keeper mangrove snapper, and a 13-inch sheepshead. They released four short sheeps.

After another couple of rainy days, I got back out offshore on Thursday, 5/31, when I fished 22 miles west of New Pass with Fred Gettelman, Jerry Wolper, and their friend, Chip. The guys used cut-bait and squid to box twenty-four keeper lane snapper to 16 inches. They released eighteen red grouper shorts and a 35-inch sharpnose shark. You can view our fishing action videos at
http://fishbustercharters.com/fishing videos.html

Red tide has been lurking around our area for weeks now, but had not impacted fishing until this week--Fishing offshore is still great, when seas are calm enough. But bay fishing right now is pretty much off the table until this red tide dissipates.

We have been in a windy pattern for a good while around here, but seas were only supposed to be two-to-three feet on Thursday, 4/12, when I headed offshore with frequent fishers, Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, and Richard Arnett. The actual seas were three to four and a half feet most of the day, though it calmed down nicely in the late afternoon. The guys used cut bait and squid in spots ranging from 12 miles to 22 miles west of New Pass to catch sixteen lane snapper, including six keepers, along with a mess of grunts. They released a dozen red grouper shorts to 19 inches, along with a 13-inch triggerfish. The highlight of the day was when a 10-foot tiger shark bit on a blue runner, and ran Eddie around the boat to the point of exhaustion, before finally breaking the line!

Saturday morning, 4/14, seas were still choppy, so a near-shore trip sounded best for Ted and Marla Bachrach and their young daughter Kate, along with Jeff High and his young son, Sebastian. We fished about 12 miles west of New Pass, using cut-bait and squid. The group loaded up on grunts, boxing eighteen of those to 12 inches. Marla was lucky enough to catch a nice, 18-inch flounder to add to the box. The group released a few squirrelfish. They also got to see a tiger shark, estimated at about eight feet long—It bit a small grouper that was being reeled in, but light tackle was no match for that big boy! We tried hooking a blue runner on a heavy pole, but the tiger shark showed no interest in that, choosing to attack the small grouper we were reeling up instead. He finally broke the line and headed out. The kids also got to see some leaping dolphin, so they were happy with the fishing and the sightseeing. The photo shown below is of Marla Bachrach with the 18-inch flounder she caught.

Seas finally calmed sown after a few days of small craft advisories and cancelled trips, and I fished in spots 22 to 24 miles west of New Pass on Wednesday, 4/18, with Brad Cornell and Tony Stincon. The lane snapper bite was on, and the guys used squid and cut-bait to catch 40-some keeper-sized lanes, but released about ten of those, since they had no need for that many fish. They also released twenty-two red grouper shorts to 18 inches, a 20-inch gag grouper, and one true black grouper. They also battled and released a 40-inch blacknose shark.

The lane snapper were still biting well on Thursday, 4/19, when I fished 22 miles west of New Pass with John Abernathy and his son, Ryan. They boxed two dozen lanes to 14 inches, which bit on squid and cut-bait. They released several red grouper shorts and blue runners.

On Friday, 4/21, John and Ryan Abernathy brought Ryan’s sister, Becky along to fish a catch-and-release trip in the backwaters of southern Estero Bay. The tide was going out all morning, and there was a good bit of red tide in the Wiggins Pass area. The family used live shrimp to catch and release two crevalle jacks, each about 3 pounds, along with a black drum and three sheepshead.

After a few days off the water, as busy season winds down, I fished offshore 22 miles from New Pass on Tuesday, 4/24, with Roy Mittman and Scott Fritz. Using squid and cut-bait, the guys boxed nineteen keeper lane snapper to 16 inches, and released fifteen red grouper shorts.

Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, and friends Michael, Lou, and Lou’s dad, Bill, fished 35 miles west of New Pass with me on a nice, calm day, Thursday, 4/26. The guys caught a cooler full of snapper, using squid for bait. They boxed forty+ lane snapper keepers, fifteen vermillion snapper keepers, five yellowtail snapper keepers that were all around 13 inches, and one 13-inch mangrove snapper keeper. They added a half dozen nice- sized grunts to the box, all around 14 inches. They also released thirty-some red grouper shorts, and Eddie battled and released an 8-foot sandbar shark.

The photo shown below is of Larry Pflederer with a 17-inch sheepshead, caught on shrimp in Estero Bay on a recent inshore Fishbuster Charter.

You can view our fishing action videos at http://fishbustercharters.com/fishing videos.html

Long-time customers, Jim McGrath and Bill Crockett, fished 19 to 23 miles west of New Pass with me on Monday, 3/19. They used squid and cut-bait to box fourteen keeper lane snapper and three 12-inch grunts. They released seventeen smaller grunts and sixteen red grouper shorts.

Tom Butts, Sr, his son, Tom Jr, and his grandson, Tommy, fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with me on Tuesday, 3/20, with live shrimp for bait. The guys caught six sheepshead, including one 15-inch keeper, eight mangrove snapper, including one 11-inch keeper, and a keeper redfish at almost 20 inches.

On a very windy Wednesday morning, 3/21, Keith Strum and his son, Luke, fished southern Estero Bay with me on a catch-and-release trip, using live shrimp for bait. The guys released seven black drum, ten mangrove snapper, and a half-dozen sheepshead.

Thursday, 3/22, I spent another windy morning in southern Estero Bay on a catch-and-release trip with the Griffin family—Bill and Michelle and their three children, Billy, Alex, and Avery. The family used live shrimp to catch and release twenty mangrove snapper, one sheepshead, and one black drum. We spotted some dolphin, and the family got to video four dolphins that escorted the boat as we headed in.

With seas still too rough to head offshore on Friday, 3/23, Steve Stroupe, Larry Pflederer, and their friend, Lou, fished the backwaters in the southern end of Estero Bay with me, using live shrimp. The tide was lower than it had been the past couple of days, but the guys caught quite a few fish, including twenty sheepshead, of which four were keepers to 17 inches. They also released eight short mangrove snapper.

Saturday’s seas were predicted to be two feet offshore but, after a week on high winds and seas, the gulf must have needed a little more time to calm down. It was choppy heading out to 19 miles west of New Pass on 3/24 with Lee Larsen and friends. The red grouper were biting, but none were keeper-size, so the group released a dozen of those, and they boxed some grunts to take home to eat. The dolphin invaded us a couple of times and, though fun to watch, they don’t help with the fishing!

Monday, 3/26, was supposed to be the only calmest day offshore this week, but Walt Barney and family faced some three-to-four-foot seas with me when we headed out 20 miles from New Pass. We stayed out a little longer to allow for a little calming of the seas for our trip back in. Fishing was a little slow too, but the family boxed a dozen keeper lane snapper, five 12-inch porgies, and a dozen grunts, all caught on squid and cut-bait. Two of the larger fish hooked were pursued and eaten by either a shark or a goliath grouper before we could boat them.

James Feres and his friend, Matt, fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with me on another windy morning Tuesday, 3/27. They used live shrimp to land four keeper sheepshead to 16 inches and a 14–inch whiting. They released seven smaller sheepshead, along with twenty mangrove snapper shorts.

Fishing inshore again in southern Estero Bay on Wednesday morning, 3/28, this time with Tom Gartland, his daughter, Erin Vollmer, and his three grandchildren, Buzz, Gus and Eloise Vollmer, we used live shrimp to catch and release three black drum, fifteen sheepshead shorts, and twenty-five mangrove snapper shorts. Buzz also landed a nice, 17-inch pompano (see photo below.)

Winds were strong again on Thursday, 3/29, when I fished a catch-and-release trip in southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with Angelo Difeo, his son, Justin, his brother-in-law, Bill, and his nephew, Landon. The boys used live shrimp to catch a dozen sheepshead to 14 inches, along with two dozen mangrove snapper shorts and a three-pound stingray.

Seas were slightly calmer than they had been for many days, but still far from calm, when I headed out 24 miles west of New Pass with three dads and three sons on Friday, 3/30. Long-time customer, Rusty Hook, was joined by his son, Jeremy, and two of his brothers-in-law, Ryan and Matt, with their sons, Russ and Emmett, respectively. Cut-bait and squid worked well to lure the lane snappers, and the guys boxed eighteen keepers. They added three grunts to the box, and they released a dozen red grouper shorts to 18 inches.

Seas were just a little calmer on Saturday, 3/31, when I fished 19 to 22 miles offshore with Brett Wacker and family members, Jerry, Scott, Jack, Thomas, and Tripp. The guys used squid and cut-bait to box two dozen keeper lane snapper and grunts, and they released a dozen red grouper shorts, along with a 14-inch triggerfish.

Calm seas—what a treat and a novelty! Monday, 4/2, I headed offshore 22 miles west of New Pass with Bob Bockhorst and Don, Kevin and Kristen Leesman. The family used squid and cut-bait to land twenty nice keeper lane snapper to 15 inches, and a few 13-to-14-inch grunts. They released a 14-inch triggerfish and 27 red grouper shorts to 18 inches.

Seas were still calm on Tuesday, 4/3, when I headed out 35 miles with Paul Russell, Jeff Hoffman Sr., and Jeff’s sons, Jeff Hoffman Jr. and Dylan. Using squid, cut-bait and bait-fish, the guys did great with snapper, boxing fifteen lane snapper to 16 inches, a 13-inch mangrove snapper, and two dozen vermillion snapper. They added to the box fifteen keeper porgies, and they released four short mangrove snapper, thirteen yellowtail shorts, five banded rudder fish that were all about 20 inches, and thirty-two red grouper shorts to 18 inches. They also battled a five-foot goliath grouper that they photographed and released boat-side.

Frequent customer, Mike Connealy, and his son, Brett, fished 15 and 19 miles offshore with me on Wednesday, 4/4/18. They wanted to tackle a goliath, so we headed to one of my goliath spots, hooked a blue runner to use as bait on a heavy rig, and reeled in a 90-pound goliath, which we photographed and released boat-side. After leaving that spot, we used squid to catch a 13-inch mangrove snapper and a trio of 14-inch grunts. Mike also caught an unusual snapper—an 11-inch schoolmaster snapper, which we also photographed and released (see photo below.)

Winds and seas increased on Thursday, 4/5, but it was still tolerable for Roy Mittman and his son, Zach. They used cut-bait and squid to catch four keeper lane snapper and15 grunts all about 12 inches. They released two mangrove snapper shorts and a half-dozen red grouper shorts.

On Friday, 4/6, seas were actually a little calmer than predicted, and I was able to get out 22 miles from New Pass with Ashton Lockhart and his young daughter, Barrett, along with David Clayton and his young daughter, Baylee, and another friend, Paul. The group used cut-bait and squid to box twenty-one keeper-sized lanes to 16 inches, along with a couple of grunts, out of the eight they caught. They released twelve red grouper shorts.

Winds picked up dramatically on Saturday, 4/7, and I fished inshore in southern Estero Bay with Aaron Mead and his friend, Brett. They had a plane to catch after their fishing trip, and had no need for keeping fish, so we released two sheepshead measuring 15 inches and 17 inches, along with a half-dozen small mangrove snapper. We had an estimated 40-pound stingray hooked on light tackle, which finally broke the line, after circling the boat four times.

You can view our fishing action videos at http://fishbustercharters.com/fishing videos.html

Sunday morning, 2/25, I headed out to 19 miles west of New Pass to fish with Charles Bisgaier and his friend, Andy. The red grouper bite was active, and the guys released twenty red grouper shorts to18 inches, along with two mangrove snapper shorts. They loaded the cooler with twenty-one grunts, all around 14-to 15 inches, along with one 14-inch porgy.

Todd Plastaid, his three sons, Alec, Brennen and Dave, their friend, Cam Field, and the boys’ grandfather, John Plastaid, fished 24 miles west of New Pass with me in calm seas on Monday, 2/26. The family used squid and cut-bait to catch twenty-one keeper lane snapper to 16 inches, a dozen grunts 12-14 inches, and three keeper porgies. They released twenty-six red grouper shorts to 18 inches, along with a 14-inch triggerfish.

Mike and Kristen McCarthy and their five-year-old twin sons, Danny and Jonathan, fished southern Estero Bay's backwaters with me on Tuesday, 2/27. Kristen landed a nice, 17-inch trout, and the boys had fun catching and releasing ten sheepshead to 12 inches and two mangrove snapper to 10 inches. Everything bit on shrimp. The boys enjoyed fishing, but had even more fun watching a dolphin or two chase the boat for a good while, and also siting a manatee.

Mike Conneally, his brother-in-law, Rodney Bromm, and friend, Jim Schaber, fished 24 miles west of New Pass with me on Wednesday morning, 2/28, where they used cut-bait and squid to box seventeen lane snapper keepers, a 13-inch mangrove snapper, and a few grunts. They released twenty-one red grouper shorts to 18 inches.

Frequent fishers, Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, and Richard Arnett fished 24 miles offshore with me on Thursday, 3/1, and used squid and cut-bait to box twenty-one lane snappers to 14 inches and two keeper mangrove snapper to 14 inches, along with a few grunts. They released twenty-two red grouper shorts to 17 inches.

Friday morning, 3/2, Kathy Kunscher and the McNally family—Seth and Val and their young children, Liam and Alta—fished southern Estero Bay with me, using live shrimp. The group caught a 17-inch permit and two sand bream, and released a half dozen sheepshead shorts and a dozen mangrove snapper shorts, along with four big sailcats that were all about five pounds. Red tide was obvious, but it wasn’t impairing our catching!

Bob Eckle and friend, Ken, had to nix their plans to fish in the gulf on Saturday, 3/3, with strong winds and surf causing a small craft advisory to be issued for offshore. We fished in southern Estero Bay, using live shrimp, and the guys caught and released a drum and two sheepshead, while boxing two keeper mangrove snapper.

Frequent customer, Mike Connealy, wanted to treat his brother-in-law, Rodney Bromm, to some sport fishing for big fish on Monday, 3/5, so we headed out about fifteen miles to one of my goliath grouper spots. The guys caught a bunch of blue runners for bait, and then caught and released four goliath grouper, one estimated at 40 pounds, two estimated at 60 pounds, and one estimated at 90 pounds. They figured the fun was worth the sore arms that would no doubt result!

Bart Arrigo, joined by friends, Steve, Doug, and another Steve, fished 35 miles offshore with me on Tuesday, March 6th. The guys were busy catching all day, using squid and cut-bait to box sixteen vermillion snapper, nineteen nice-sized porgies, three 15-inch grunts, two 13-inch mangrove snapper, and two 14-inch yellowtail snapper. They released three dozen red grouper shorts and a few gag grouper shorts.

Weather canceled out four consecutive trips, with various combinations of high winds and seas, rain, and low tides. I finally got out fishing again on Tuesday, 3/13, when I fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with Tom Schilli, his wife, and their two grandsons Steven and Sonny Barclay. The family used live shrimp to catch and release a dozen sheepshead to 12 inches, four black drum to 14 inches, six mangrove snapper shorts, and a 14-inch sand bream.

Mike Jansen, his son-in-law, Matt Menting, and Matt’s seven-year-old daughter, Lily, fished in Estero Bay with me on Wednesday morning, 3/14, using live shrimp. We had a great morning o sheepshead catching, boxing thirteen keeper sheepshead to 19 inches and releasing a dozen more consisting of shorts and some keepers that weren’t needed. The family also boxed a 17-inch trout, and they released a 17-inch snook, along with a dozen short mangrove snapper.The photo shown below is of Matt Menting with a 17-inch trout.

Mike Jenson and Matt Menting fished with me again on Thursday, 3/15, this time joined by Mike’s son, Chris Jenson, to fish offshore. Seas were choppy early on, but we all knew they would be and we were prepared for the three-to-four foot seas we encountered heading out to 19 miles west of New Pass. Seas calmed down later in the morning, as predicted. The guys used squid and cut-bait to loan up on lane snapper, boxing twenty keepers to 14 inches. They added to the box a 14-inch mangrove snapper, a nice 17-inch mutton snapper, a 14-inch porgy, and a 13-inch grunt. We had to be quick to boat the mutton snapper, since an 8-foot hammerhead shark was in pursuit of it, but we got the mutton safely into the boat. The guys also released five yellowtail shorts, along with a 9-foot sandbar shark. The photo shown below is of Chris Jansen with a 17-inch mutton snapper.

Ian McKinnon, his son-in-law, Remi Nickel, and Remi’s three young sons, Mark, Luke and Jack fished 19 miles west of New Pass with me on Friday, 3/16. The kids had fun catching a mess of grunts to 12 inches, and releasing blue runners and short red grouper. But the highlight of the trip was when we caught the hammerhead that I had seen lurking in the area the previous day—he bit on a blue runner on a heavy rig, and we were able to get some good video before releasing him.

St. Patrick’s Day Saturday, I fished from 19 to 23 miles offshore with Darren and Linda Rachman and their friends, Craig and Heather Laudenslager. The group used cut-bait and squid to box twenty grunts to 14 inches, a half-dozen lane snapper to 14 inches, a 15-inch porkfish, and a 13-inch porgy. They released twenty-five red grouper shorts. You can view our fishing action videos at http://fishbustercharters.com/fishing videos.html

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Monday, 2/5/18, I fished with frequent customer, Ron Musick, joined by friends who are visiting for a few days. We used cut-bait and squid to fish spots out to 28 miles from New Pass. The spots that have consistently yielded lots of lane snapper have not been doing so recently, and this day was no exception. But, the group did catch over twenty nice-sized porgies, along with some grunts. They released twenty-five red grouper shorts, along with a 15-inch mutton snapper.

On Wednesday, 2/7, Craig Royal and family fished 24 miles west of New Pass with me, where there continued to be lots of small bait fish around, and keeper fish seemed scarce, despite steady action. The group released a couple dozen red grouper shorts to 18 inches, along with two big lizard fish about 19 inches each. They did box three keeper lane snapper and a dozen grunts, all of which bit on squid and cut-bait.

Roy Mittman fished in various spots out to 25 miles west of New Pass with me on Monday morning, 2/12. Once again, the red grouper bite was active, but yielded no keepers, and we released over twenty shorts. Keepers included lane snapper and grunts, which bit on squid.

Tuesday, 2/13, I spent the morning fishing the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with John Pompeo and his son, John, Jr. The guys used live shrimp to catch ten sheepshead to 15 inches and a 16-inch black drum.

Bob Ellis and his friend, Tim, fished about 15 miles west of New Pass with me on Wednesday 2/14, where they used cut-bait and squid to release four red grouper shorts and two gag grouper out-of-season shorts to 21 inches. They boxed a 15-inch sheepshead, a keeper porkfish, and three grunts.

Eddie Alfonso, Kay Daugherty, and Liz Condos fished 17 miles west of New Pass with me on Thursday, 2/15, using cut-bait and squid. The group released red grouper shorts to 18 inches, along with a would-be-legal (if in season) gag grouper, and a 16-inch triggerfish. They caught a mess of grunts, so fish tacos were still on the menu, even with having to release the other catches.

The photo shown is of Liz Condos with a 24-inch, out-of-season gag grouper, caught on cut-bait and released.

After a couple of days off the water, due to a family event, Mike Bochman and his friend, Kevin joined me to fish 20 miles offshore on Monday, 2/19. Seas got progressively choppier throughout the morning. The guys used squid and cut-bait to release fifteen red grouper shorts to 19 inches, along with a 15-inch scamp grouper. They loaded up on grunts for fish tacos.

Mike McCarthy and friends, Ken, Tim and Eddie, fished in various spots out to 35 miles west of New Pass with me on Tuesday, 2/20. We had steady action at the 35 mile spot, where the guys released over thirty red grouper shorts to just short of 20 inches, inches, five gag grouper to 22 inches, several yellowtail snapper shorts, and a few banded rudder fish, all around 18 inches. They loaded up their cooler with lots of 15-inch porgies and 15-inch grunts. Everything bit on squid and cut-bait.

Seas were choppier than predicted, with some rain off Naples, on Wednesday morning, 2/21, when I fished 18 miles offshore with Mark Dutkewych and his young son, Nick. The guys caught and released a dozen red grouper shorts and a dozen or so grunts before calling it a morning.

Wayne Geall and friends, Tucker Seabrook, Carm, and Clay, fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with me on a windy Thursday morning, 2/22. Using live shrimp, the group caught sixteen sheepshead, including one nice keeper at 19 inches. They also released two mangrove snapper shorts, a spadefish, three black drum, and a brace of two-pound stingrays.

The photo shown is of Tucker Seabrook with a 19-inch sheepshead, caught on shrimp in Estero Bay.

It was another windy morning in southern Estero Bay on Friday, 2/23, when I fished a catch-and-release trip with Bob and Mary-Lou Schwartz and their grandchildren, Hannah and Tyler. The family used live shrimp to release a 17-inch black drum, two would-be-keeper mangrove snapper at 11 inches each, a lady fish, nine sheepshead shorts, and a 22-inch sailcat.

You can view our fishing action videos at http://fishbustercharters.com/fishing videos.htm

http://fishbustercharters.com/fishing videos.html After a few days of cold temperatures, high winds, and rough seas, causing me to cancel a couple of trips, Saturday, 1/20/18, was finally calm enough to get offshore. I fished in spots from 18 to 28 miles west of New Pass with Joe Hahn and his friends, Bob, Mike, David, and George. The guys used cut-bait and squid to catch and release a bluefish, twenty-some red grouper shorts to 18 inches, as well as five sharks, consisting of four blacktips and one sharpnose, all of which were around the 40-inch mark. We also had a huge shark (variety unknown) grab a piece of cut-bait, run, and break off, exploding the water around us. As for dinner, the guys boxed eighteen keeper lane snapper.

Monday morning, 1/22, I fished 22 miles west of New Pass with Frank Dwyer and his son-in-law, Ryan. The guys used cut-bait and squid to catch and release twenty-six red grouper shorts, and to cull ten keeper lane snapper to 13 inches, along with a half-dozen 13 to 14-inch grunts.

Tuesday morning, 1/23, I headed out in a light drizzle with Drew VanWerden and his two young sons. Seas were calm, and we headed out 22 miles, but the rain persisted, at one point turning into a heavy shower. We had enough wet-weather gear to keep us dry, and the boys didn’t mind fishing in the rain and in the fog that followed. They used squid and cut-bait to catch and release a 17-inch cobia, twenty-one red grouper shorts to 18 inches, and lots of grunts to 12 inches. The lane snapper were biting well, and the guys caught twenty-seven keeper lanes to 13-inches.

Winds picked up ahead of another cool front moving into the area, and that produced some choppy sea conditions on Wednesday, 1/24. But, long-time customers and hardy father-son anglers Larry and Chris Baumgartner weren’t intimidated! They fished 22 miles west of New Pass with me in a stiff 20-to-25 knot wind most of the morning, and used squid and cut-bait to catch a variety of fish. They lost one big grouper that swam to the bottom and cut the line, and they released red grouper shorts, an 18-inch gag grouper, and a 14-inch scamp grouper. They also caught five mangrove snapper, three of which were keepers ranging 13 inches to 15 inches. They caught over twenty grunts, and boxed a few of the largest of those, along with four porgies in the 13-to-14-inch range.

Frequent customer Mike Connealy and his son, Clint, had to trade their offshore plans for some inshore, catch-and-release fishing on a very windy Friday morning, 1/26. There were small craft advisories offshore, and even the bay presented some challenges in a relentless wind of about 25 knots. The guys used live shrimp to catch and release thirteen sheepshead to 13 inches, two crevalle jacks that were each about 12 inches, and a 15-inch black drum.

Winds persisted through the weekend. I fished inshore in southern Estero Bay on Sunday, 1/28, with Stan and Jean Dzedzy and their son and daughter-in-law, Dave and Debbie. The family used live shrimp to catch three keeper sand bream, a 15-inch drum, a 17-inch drum, and a 17-inch pompano. They released fifteen sheepshead shorts and two mangrove snapper shorts. The photo shown is of Dave Dzedzy with a 17-inch pompano, caught on shrimp on his inshore trip 1/28/18.

Monday, 1/29, I awoke to light rain and fog, with another cold front expected to arrive over-night and into Tuesday. Seas were choppy first thing in the morning, and it remained misty after the fog lifted, but seas calmed a little by mid-morning. I began fishing at the near-shore reefs with Lee Larsens and his friends, Carey, Jerry, and Rick, but there was very little action there. So, as seas calmed down a bit, we ventured out further to about fifteen miles offshore. Fishing was tough everywhere, and I can’t recall the last time I saw such slow action at several of my typically productive spots. The guys used squid and cut-bait to catch and release two whitings, a few blue runners, one red grouper short, and a few grunts.

With small craft advisories issued for Tuesday, 1/30, and predictions for seas of four-to-six feet, I canceled my planned offshore trip, which had already been rescheduled from the previous week’s rough weather!

By Thursday, 2/1, seas were finally calm enough to get out about 23 miles west of New Pass, where I fished with frequent customers, Ron Musick, Richard Arnett, and Eddie Alfonso. There were tons of little bait fish everywhere, and lots of undersized fish biting, but the guys were able to box some food-fish, consisting of three keeper lane snapper, a 13-inch mangrove snapper, two porgies, and a few nice-sized grunts. They released twenty-plus red grouper shorts and four mangrove snapper shorts. Everything bit on squid and cut-bait.

Friday morning, 2/2, seas were calm when I fished a catch-and-release trip 19 miles west of New Pass with William Connors, Mike Connors, and friends Dan, Mark, and Pat. The guys used squid and cut bait to catch and release twenty-four red grouper shorts, a mess of grunts, and mangrove snapper to 16 inches. The photo shown is of Mike Connors with a 16-inch mangrove snapper, caught on squid on his offshore trip 2/2/18.

Winds picked up on Saturday, 2/3, and we were back to choppy seas offshore, with a small craft advisory issued. So, Roman Jahnke and his dad, Tom, who were treating Roman’s son, Roarke, to a fishing trip for his tenth birthday, traded offshore plans for some inshore fishing on the flats of southern Estero Bay. The family used live shrimp to catch five keeper black drum to 16 inches, and they released ten sheepshead shorts, a crevalle jack, and two stingray that were each about three pounds.

You can view our fishing action videos at http://fishbustercharters.com/fishing videos.html

As 2017 was drawing to a close, I had hoped that the good fishing weather we had over Christmas week would hold steady. But on Saturday, 12/30/17, when I fished with Rich Driscoll, Sr. and Rich Jr., joined by son Jack and his cousin, Sadie, sea conditions changed by about mid-day, and got progressively choppier, as the winds changed direction and picked up speed. We had made it out 22 miles from New Pass, and the group used squid and cut-bait to catch and release nearly forty red grouper shorts, along with a few puffer-fish. They had a couple of good battles with shark also, but never got them boat-side, since they broke the line before that could happen. The family boxed a few food-fish, including three keeper lane snapper, some grunts, and a porgy.

Given the choppy conditions of the previous day, despite NOAA’s predictions for two-to three foot seas offshore, I advised Mark Smith, his two young sons, Harry and Charlie, and his father-in-law, Harry Stevenson, to fish inshore in southern Estero Bay on Sunday morning, 12/31. We fished an incoming tide, and the family had good action on live shrimp. They caught nine keeper black drum to 18 inches and a 16-inch sheepshead. They released a dozen shorter sheepshead, a sand bream, and a 20-inch snook.

Chris Pammer, his ten-year-old son, Jack, and his eleven-year-old brother, Jake, fished a chilly and windy mid-morning inshore trip with me in southern Estero Bay on Thursday, 1/4. We allowed the sun to warm things up a bit before we departed at 10AM, but it remained chilly, thanks to this strong cold-front that is visiting us for a few days. The boys had fun using shrimp to catch twenty sheepshead, including four nice keepers to 16 inches. They also released a 16-inch redfish, and a few small black drum.

Friday morning, 1/5, was another chilly, windy one. Isaac Wengerd treated his eight-year-old son, Henry, and four-year-old son, Gus, to a backwater fishing trip in southern Estero Bay. The boys bundled up, and had fun using live shrimp to catch seventeen sheepshead, including five keepers ranging in size from 13 to 16 inches. They also caught a 16-inch black drum, and they released a 16-inch snook and one mangrove snapper short. Seas were pretty rough throughout the weekend and first part of the next week. Thursday was finally calm, and long-time customer, Ron Musick, was ready for his first offshore trip of the season, joined by friends, Eddie Alfonso and Richard Arnett. The guys fished in various spots from 18 to 22 miles west of New Pass, using squid and cut-bait. They boxed twenty-five grunts to 14 inches, along with five keeper lane snapper and four porgies. They released a dozen red grouper shorts.

Friday, 1/12, was a windy day, just ahead of another strong cold front headed to our area. With four-foot seas offshore, John Thomas, Matt Smith, Craig Sims and Steve McKey traded in their offshore plans for a morning of fishing in the backwaters of southern Estero Bay, where they used live shrimp to catch a conglomerate of over fifty fish. The guys were in town for a conference, and had no need for keeping fish, so they released all, including about forty sheepshead to 15 inches, nine black drum to 16 inches, and several crevalle jacks. The photo shown below is of John Thomas with a 16-inch black drum, caught on shrimp in Estero Bay.

It was tough fishing in Estero Bay on Monday, 1/15, with the cold front having sucked the water out of the backwaters, and extreme low tides, even at their highest point. Jack Oberlin and friend, Perry, were not interested in keeping fish, since they were on a short stay at an area hotel, so, we’d planned on a catch-and-release trip. The guys used live shrimp to catch and release fifteen sheepshead to 14 inches, and that was the only species biting, so they didn’t get much variety, but at least got some action!

Another cold front arrived on the heels of the previous one, with high winds and seas accompanying it, as well as some pretty frigid temperatures for SW FL! Looks like conditions will normalize for the weekend, so I’m looking forward to a planned offshore trip for Saturday. The photo shown is of Mark Huneke with a 36-inch blacktip shark, caught on cut-bait on a recent offshore trip.

You can view our fishing action videos at http://fishbustercharters.com/fishing videos.html

On Wednesday, 12/20, John and Kim Zitur treated their six-year-old daughter, Carlyn, and their five-year-old son, Quinten, to a catch-and-release trip in southern Estero Bay. The kids had a great time using live shrimp to catch and release a 15-inch black drum, fifteen sheepshead to 13 inches, a sand bream, a 15-inch crevalle jack, a 10-inch mangrove snapper, and a two-pound stingray.

Thursday, 12/21, I headed 22 miles offshore with Al Hauer, his daughter, Elise, and her husband, Kevin. The family used squid and cut-bait to catch twenty-seven grunts, of which they kept fifteen of the largest. They added to the fish box two keeper lane snapper and two fourteen-inch porgies. They released twenty red grouper shorts, one short porgy, and two under-sized and out-of-season triggerfish.

Friday, 12/22, seas were pretty clam and, after the early morning fog lifted, conditions were good 17 to 22 miles west of New Pass, where I fished with Mark Huneke and family. They used cut-bait and squid to box fifteen grunts around the 13-inch mark, and three porgies. They released a dozen red grouper shorts, along with a 3-foot blacktip shark. The photo shown is of Mark Huenke with that blacktip.

Saturday, 12/23, I returned to some offshore spots 22 miles west of New Pass, this time with Mark Venturin and family members, Tim, Carter, Bradley, and Scott and Carie. The red grouper bite was on, and the group released more than thirty of those. Unfortunately, the largest was just 1/8-inch short of legal size. But the fish box filled up with twenty keeper lane snapper to 15 inches, along with fifteen 13-14-inch grunts, which were the largest of more grunts caught than we could count! Everything bit on squid and cut-bait.

After Christmas-eve and Christmas Day off the water, I fished on 12/26 in southern Estero Bay, with Mike Rohrbacher and his grandsons, Mike and Matthew. The family used shrimp on a challenging outgoing tide to catch a 13-inch keeper sheepshead, while releasing at least a dozen short ones. They also caught a 14-inch black drum, and released a 15-inch redfish and a two-pound stingray.

Tina Taylor took five young anglers with her on an offshore trip with me on Wednesday, 12/27. The group fished in spots ranging from 17 to 22 miles west of New Pass, using cut-bait and squid. They caught and released two dozen red grouper shorts to 18 inches, and they boxed seventeen lane snapper keepers to 13 inches, along with a few grunts.

Bob Eckle, his sons, Nick and Jason, and their friends, Tyler and Brenna, fished 22 miles offshore with me on Thursday, 12/28. They used squid and cut-bait to release twenty-four red grouper shorts, along with a three-foot remora. They boxed a couple dozen lane snappers to 15 inches.

Peter Halunen and his son, Clayton, joined by niece and nephew Johnny and Emily, fished 22 miles west of New Pass with me in choppy seas on Friday morning, 12/29. We had heavy fog to contend with early on, followed by some choppy conditions, but the group toughed it out, and used squid and cut-bait to catch and release twenty-five red grouper shorts and nine mangrove snapper that were just short of the 12-inch legal size for federal waters. They did box some food-fish, though, consisting of sixteen lane snapper to 14 inches, along with a mess of grunts.

The photo shown below is of John Ziffle with a 16-inch sheepshead , caught shrimp in Estero Bay on a recent inshore trip.

You can view our fishing action videos at http://fishbustercharters.com/fishingvideos.html

Happy New Year to all!

http://fishbustercharters.com/fishingvideos.html Bart Arrigo, his wife, K.C, and their friends, Brian Bialas and Lori, fished 35 miles west of New Pass with me on Friday, 12/1/17. The group used squid and cut-bait to catch seven yellowtail snapper, including three keepers to 13 inches, seven mangrove snapper, including three keepers to 15 inches, a mess of large grunts, of which they kept the seven largest to15 inches, and a 17-inch porgy. They also caught and released lots of red grouper shorts to 19 7/8 inches, two gag grouper that were each about 18 inches, and four banded rudder fish, all about 16 inches.

Monday morning, 12/4, I headed 19 miles offshore in choppy, but tolerable seas, with Bob, Troy, Tim and Tom Gregoire. Using squid and cut-bait, the guys caught and released twenty red grouper shorts, and a few snapper shorts. They boxed four nice porgies that were all around 14-inches, three whitebones and one silver. They added three, 14-inch grunts to the fish box, and released several more.

Tuesday morning, 12/5, it was choppy heading out to 22 miles west of New Pass, but calm enough while fishing and heading back in. Brent Jones, Aaron Mead, Joe Meier, and John Rieckenberg uses squid and cut-bait to catch and release twenty-five red grouper to 19 ½ inches. They also released a 17-pound goliath grouper and a 14-inch triggerfish. The guys brought home seventeen lane snapper to 15 inches and a mess of 14-inch grunts.

Wednesday, 12/6, Jeff Mills and his friend, Brad, fished offshore with me in spots ranging from 15 to 35 miles west of New Pass, using squid and cut-bait. We had good action all day, and the guys released fifty plus red grouper shorts to 19 inches, two 18-inch gag grouper, a 15 ½-inch scamp grouper, seven porgies to 14 inches, four 14-inch triggerfish, two mangrove snapper to 13 inches, two lane snapper to 12 inches, five yellowtail shorts, three banded rudder fish all about 20 inches long, and four remoras to 36 inches. They also battled three big goliath groupers until they broke the lines and got away.

Frequent angler, Mike Connealy, fished with me on Thursday, 12/7, 22 miles west of New Pass, with squid and cut-bait. Mike boxed five keeper porgies all about 13 inches and a half-dozen keeper lane snapper. He released a 14-inch mutton snapper short and a 15-inch out-of-season triggerfish.

A weather front from the north approached Friday, and rain, wind, rough seas, and chilly temperatures were in store for the weekend and into the next week.

Mike Conneally fished again with me on a catch-and-release inshore trip in the chilly waters of southern Estero Bay on Wednesday, 12/13. Using live shrimp, Mike caught and released two black drum to 13 inches, twenty sheepshead to just under 12 inches, and a 14-inch redfish.

Thursday, 12/14, was the only day this week that was calm enough to get offshore. I fished 23 miles west of New Pass with Cody Sturgill, Kerry Heller, John Hammonf, and Randy Green. We had good action all day on squid and cut-bait. The guys caught 26 red grouper, including one nice keeper at nearly 24 inches. They caught their limit of lane snapper (40 total) to 16 inches, and released thirty additional lanes. They also caught forty-five grunts, and kept the largest fifteen of those to 14 inches. Kerry battled, caught, and released a 47-inch shark, which added a little sport-fishing to the mostly food-fish mission! The photo shown is of John Hammonf, with a 24-inch red grouper, caught on squid 23 miles west of New Pass on an offshore trip 12/14/17.

The photo shown below is of Joe Smith, with an14-inch sheepshead, caught on shrimp in Estero Bay on a recent inshore trip.

You can view our fishing action videos at http://fishbustercharters.com/fishingvideos.html

Mike Connealy, a long-time customer, fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with me Friday morning, 11/10/17, using live shrimp for bait. We caught fourteen sheepshead, four of which were keepers ranging from 13 to 18 inches, and four mangrove snapper, including an 11-inch keeper. Mike also released a redfish short, eight snook shorts to 18-inches, and three big sailcats that were all about 20 inches.
Saturday morning, 11/11, I fished in southern Estero Bay with Andy Stuhlmiller and Joe Smith. The guys used live shrimp to catch seven sheepshead to 14 inches, including four keepers, a 16-inch black drum, and a sand bream. They released two mangrove snapper shorts and a short snook.

Mike Connealy, who had fished inshore with me the previous week, brought along his brother, Paul, for an offshore trip on Thursday morning, 11/16. Winds had been howling for a couple of days, and we anticipated that the two-to-three foot seas NOAA had predicted for offshore were likely under-estimated. But the tide was low and outgoing in the bay, so the guys decided to stick with their offshore plans. It was pretty sloppy out fifteen miles, but Mike and Paul used cut-bait and squid for a mixture of sport and food fish. They released four blacknose sharks measuring 24 inches, 30 inches, 38 inches and 48 inches, along with six red grouper shorts to 17 inches. They boxed a dozen keeper lane snapper, all of which were around 11 inches, along with some grunts and a 20-inch Spanish mackerel.

The photo shown is of Mike Connealy, with a 48-inch blacknose shark, caught on cut-bait, 15 miles west of New Pass.

Monday morning, 11/20, was very windy, and much too rough to fish offshore. I fished in southern Estero Bay with Marc Muinzer and his two young sons, Preston and Pierce. The boys used live shrimp to catch four black drum to 16 inches, six sheepshead to 15 inches, and seven keeper sand bream. They released a small crevalle jack and two two-pound stingrays.

The photo shown is of young angler Pierce Muinzer, with a 16-inch black drum, caught on shrimp in Estero Bay.

Father and son team, Frank and Ryan Dwyer, fished 17 miles west of New Pass with me on Tuesday morning, 11/21. Seas were sloppy heading out and until we were well anchored, but fishing was good once we settled in. The guys used squid and cut-bait to box twenty of the thirty-five lane snapper they caught, to 14 inches. They added eight grunts to the box, and released fifteen red grouper shorts, along with a 19-inch bluefish.

Long-time customer David Bloomfield, along with his son, Paul, and grandsons, Ross and Hogan, fished 22 miles west of New Pass with me on Wednesday morning, 11/22. The family used squid and cut-bait to box thirty-one keeper lane snapper to 13 inches, along with a few grunts. They released several red grouper shorts.

The morning after the Thanksgiving holiday, 11/24, I was looking forward to the calm, two-foot seas that NOAA had predicted for my planned offshore trip with Chris Dominik, his son, Nathan, and his son-in-law, Nick. We had escaped what was originally a rainy forecast, with the rains having moved through on Thanksgiving Day, leaving us with dry air for Friday. But the seas predictions were way off base. We saw two-footers in the bay! Out in the gulf, it was more like three-to-fours, but my hardy anglers persisted, and we got out 22 miles west of New Pass, where we fished with squid and cut-bait. The guys boxed two dozen keeper lane snapper to 14 inches, along with a few grunts, and they released a dozen red grouper shorts.

You can view our fishing action videos at http://fishbustercharters.com/fishingvideos.html

Gary Wilson, Larry Jones, and Kevin Scully fished 19 miles west of New Pass with me on Monday morning, 10/16/17, in calm seas. The guys had a productive morning of fishing, using cut-bait and squid. They boxed a dozen keeper lane snapper to 16 inches, a keeper mutton snapper at 18 inches, and 18 grunts to 14 inches. They released one short mutton snapper, and 18-inch gag grouper short, a dozen red grouper shorts to 18 inches, and a 30-inch bonnethead shark.

The photo shown is of Larry Jones, with an 18-inch mutton snapper, caught on squid 19 miles west of New Pass.

Trips have been scarce in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, and the next time I fished was on Thursday morning, 10/26, in southern Estero Bay’s backwaters, with Rich Kern Sr., Rich Kern, Jr., and Steve Kern, along with friend John Ziffle. The guys used live shrimp to haul in a nice catch of sheepshead and black drum. They boxed five keeper sheepshead to 16 inches and three keeper black drum to 16 inches. They released smaller sheepshead and a few mangrove snapper shorts.

With a tropical depression in the gulf, meeting up with a strong, approaching cold-front on Saturday, 10/28, Dave Carr and friends, Steve and George, tried to squeeze in a morning of fishing offshore with me, ahead of the deteriorating weather. We managed about three and one half hours before the increasing winds and seas, along with a bit of rain, forced us back to shore. The guys used squid to catch some porgies, three of which were good-sized and went into the cooler. They released red grouper shorts, a couple of mutton snapper shorts at 14 inches and 15 inches, and some yellowtail shorts.

Walter Leap and Tom Krum fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with me on Wednesday morning, 11/1, using live shrimp. They caught eight sheepshead, including three keepers to 14 inches, eight mangrove snapper, including one keeper, and a nice trout at 20 inches. They released four stingray, all between two and three pounds.

The photo shown is of Tom Krum with a 20-inch trout, caught on shrimp in Estero Bay,

Cody Sturgess fished offshore with me Thursday morning, 11/2, 22 miles west of New Pass, using squid and cut-bait to catch a variety of fish. He met his 20-fish bag limit of keepers, comprised of nine lane snapper and eleven grunts. He released two banded rudderfish shorts, fifteen red grouper shorts to 18 inches (three of which were previously caught and tagged), fourteen additional grunts, a 13-inch triggerfish, and a few blue runners and puffers. You can view our fishing action videos at http://fishbustercharters.com/fishingvideos.html

For Craig Seacrest and family, it was a toss-up as to whether to fish offshore or in the backwaters on Thursday, 8/24. The threat of rain was a concern offshore, with its timing uncertain, and with its potential to rough up the seas. The bay was at a low, outgoing tide. The group decided to take their chances offshore. Early on, we hit some rain for a bit, and seas did get choppy. They calmed down a little, but not enough to get out as far as we’d have liked. We ended up fishing the reefs for a while, which were not real productive, then ventured out a little further to twelve miles west of New Pass. The bite was slow everywhere, and the family caught and released a few red grouper shorts, a mangrove snapper that was just short of legal size, some blue runners, and a few grunts. We saw a big shark, as well as a few turtles.

Newlyweds, Brian and Rachel Lavalle, fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with me on Tuesday, 8/29. I had feared that the influx of fresh water brought by the tropical disturbance that had hung over our area for days could interfere with the bite, but I was fortunately wrong. Using shrimp, the couple caught eight sheepshead, including six keepers: one at 14-inches, a couple at 15-inches, a couple at 16-inches, and one at 17-inches. They also caught a 20-inch keeper redfish.

Bob and Lisa Gatesy fished southern Estero Bay with me Thursday morning, 8/31. The fish were liking shrimp, and by 10:30 AM, the couple had already caught eight keeper sheepshead to 15 inches and two keeper redfish to 25 inches. They released three sheepshead shorts, and decided to call it a half-day a little early, in order to get out of the heat.

The photo shown is of Lisa Gatesy, with a 25-inch redfish, caught on shrimp in Estero Bay on a recent inshore trip.

Hurricane Irma hit our area on September 10th, and its aftermath was quite a challenge. We were fortunate to have only minor property damage, along with a lot of downed trees. Our boats, thankfully survived. We were without power for nine days, and were so thankful t for the hard working linemen from all over the country who worked tirelessly to restore it. As a consequence of the storm, there was very little fishing going on, as locals lost income and struggled to repair their properties, file claims, and the like. It was September 28th before I fished again. That trip was with six linemen in our area, on assignment from West Virginia, Jim Blackstock, Jim Messenger, and four of their friends and co-workers. We fished 25 miles west of New Pass, using squid and cut-bait to catch and release twenty-five keeper-sized lane snapper, twenty-six red grouper shorts, a small amberjack, and twelve grunts.

Brothers, Jake and Adam Sutton, fished 19 miles west of New Pass with me on Saturday morning, 9/30, using squid and cut-bait. The guys caught a 22-inch keeper red grouper and five keeper lane snapper to 12 inches, along with a mess of grunts. They released two mutton snapper shorts at 12 inches and 14 inches, along with a 25-pound goliath grouper.

You can view our fishing action videos at the following link:
http://fishbustercharters.com/fishingvideos.html

Mr. and Mrs. Rick Ogata fished a catch-and-release trip with me in southern Estero Bay on Monday morning, 7/24. They used live shrimp and sardines to catch fourteen snook to 22 inches, two sheepshead, and a sand bream.

Wednesday morning, 7/26, I headed 23 miles offshore with long-time customer Jose Garcia and his family, Melissa, Emily and Brian, along with family friends Frank Landrode and his son, Justin. The group used cut-bait and squid to box a keeper 22-inch red grouper, along with two dozen lane snapper keepers to 15 inches. They released between thirty and forty red grouper shorts.

The photo shown is of Frank Landrode, with a keeper 22-inch red grouper, caught on squid on a recent offshore trip.

Mike Wethington, friend, Rob, and friends, Cory Altman and his three young children, Jude, Izayah, and Ashton, had planned to fish offshore with me on Tuesday, 8/1, but Tropical Storm Emily threw a wrench into those plans, so we rescheduled for Thursday, 8/3. Seas were still a little choppy, but way calmer than they had been for the previous days. We headed 23 miles offshore, with cut-bait and squid. The group caught twenty-three red grouper shorts to 18 inches, which were fun for the boys to reel in and release. They also caught some keeper fish, including two dozen lane snapper and a half-dozen grunts.

After lots of rainy days, paired with a light summer schedule, I got back offshore on Wednesday, 8/9, when I fished 24 miles west of New Pass with Ingo Merz and his two sons. Using shrimp and cut-bait, the guys caught and released two dozen red grouper shorts to 19 ¾ inches, just shy of keeper size. They boxed 24 lane snapper to 15 inches, along with a dozen grunts.

Diane McVay and friends, Peggy and Mike, fished southern Estero Bay with me Friday morning, 8/11, using live shrimp for bait. With all the fresh water influx into the backwaters from recent heavy rains, fishing was not the best it could be, but the group caught a 15-inch black drum and a 14-inch sheepshead, and released a few sheepshead shorts, along with four stingray that were all about two pounds.

Ingo Merz and sons, Matt and Max, who fished with me last Wednesday, fished offshore again with me this Monday, 8/14. This time, the boys were seeking out the thrill of big fish, rather than only table-fare. We headed out to spots between 12 and 23 miles west of New Pass, where the guys used cut-bait and squid to lure a few monsters. They fought and released two goliath grouper, one estimated at 80 pounds, and one estimated at 140 pounds. They also battled and released an 8-foot-plus bull shark. They had three additional big sharks hooked, but those cut the line and took off. Needless to say arms were tired and adrenaline surged! The guys caught and released twenty-five red grouper shorts to 19 inches, and also landed one keeper red grouper at 21 inches. They added to the fish box six keeper lane snapper and a half dozen grunts.

Susan Baker and her now grown-up daughter, Anna, fished 17 miles offshore with me on Wednesday, 8/16/17. Anna was a young child when she last fished with me about ten years ago! The mother-daughter anglers used squid and cut-bait to catch and release a dozen red grouper shorts to 19 inches, and to box six keeper lane snapper and a half-dozen grunts.

The photo shown is of David Jack, with a 24-inch snook , caught on shrimp and released in Estero Bay on a recent inshore trip.

You can view our fishing action videos at the following link: http://fishbustercharters.com/fishingvideos.html

8)Saturday morning, July 1, 2017, I fished 22 miles offshore with Barry Hart, his son, Derrick, and Barry’s grandson, Baylor. The guys used squid to catch 25 keeper lane snapper, and released fifteen red grouper shorts.

I fished the south end of Estero Bay’s backwaters Wednesday morning, 7/5, with Tim Hertaus, his son Bren, and Tim’s brother-in-law, Ryan. The guys used live shrimp to catch two keeper sheepshead at 14 inches and 15 inches, along with eleven mangrove snapper, one of which was a keeper. Along with the mang shorts, the group released an undersized snook and a pair of two-pound stingrays.

David and Carly Bernegger fished south Estero Bay with me on Thursday morning, where they used live shrimp to catch a 20-inch keeper redfish. They had a larger red hooked at one point, but it pulled off the hook and escaped. They also caught two keeper sheepshead at 13 inches and 14 inches, and released three stingray. I fished 17 miles offshore on Friday morning, 7/7, with Scott and April Pace and their children, Leah and David. Using squid and cut-bait, the family boxed a mess of lane snapper to 14 inches and grunts to 12 inches. They released a half-dozen red grouper shorts.

I was back in southern Estero Bay’s backwaters on Saturday morning, 7/8, where I fished a catch-and-release trip with Steve and Gayle Repetto. The couple used live shrimp to catch a 15-inch black drum, a sheepshead short, a 14-inch sand bream (striped mojarra), and two would-be-keeper redfish at 22 inches and 24 inches.The photo shown is of Steve and Gayle Repetto, with a 24-inch redfish, caught on shrimp on a recent inshore trip.

I fished 29 miles west of New pass Monday, 7/10, with long-time customer Larry Jack, his son, David, and friends Ernie Morrison and Tony Russo. The guys used squid and cut-bait to box thirty keeper lane snapper and a half-dozen good-sized grunts. They released twenty-five red grouper shorts to 19 inches.

Larry, David, Ernie, and Tony fished again with me Tuesday morning. 7/11, this time in southern Estero Bay’s backwaters, where they used live shrimp to catch two keeper redfish at 19 inches and 20 inches, and they released three sheepshead shorts, a 24-inch snook, and a 20-inch sailcat.

I headed 22 miles offshore on Friday morning, 7/14, with Larry Hanshaw and his sons, Larry Jr. and Jeff. NOAA had predicted increasing winds and seas of two-to-three feet. It was pretty calm close-in, but out 22 miles conditions were choppy. The guys used squid and cut-bait to catch and release sixteen red grouper shorts to 19 inches. One of the guys had a bigger one hooked, but lost it in the rocks. As for take-home fish, they boxed a mess of two dozen lane snapper keepers and grunts.

With the threat of thunderstorms ever present on Wednesday, 7/19, Sharon Hale and her two sons, Nobel and Ashton, were pleasantly surprised to not encounter a single raindrop while they fished with me 23 miles west of New Pass, using cut-bait and squid. The family caught a keeper red grouper at 22 inches, and they released at least twenty-five red grouper shorts. They boxed eighteen keeper lane snapper and twenty grunts that were mostly around the 12-inch mark.

The photo shown below is of Doug Shepherd, with a 24-inch red grouper, caught on a pinfish on a recent offshore trip.

You can check out all of our shark and goliath grouper action videos at the following link:
http://fishbustercharters.com/fishingvideos.html