Beiträge von fishbuster

Bob Donalson and Steve Volz fished with me Monday morning, 8/11, offshore. The last time Bob fished with me was last April when he was down in FL, so this was his first summer-time excursion. We headed out 20 miles from New Pass and fished with live shrimp. The red grouper were biting, but they were shorts, measuring to 1/8 inch short of legal size, so we released fifteen of those. We did well with snapper, and the guys boxed seventeen keeper lane snapper to 14 inches and three mangrove snapper to 13 inches. Bob Donalson and Steve Volz, who fished with me Monday, fished again with me on Tuesday, 8/12. They wanted some food-fish again, but also wanted to wrestle a goliath grouper or two. I headed to the close-in spot where I had been releasing goliaths consistently a few weeks ago, but there was nobody home—so we ventured out further, and we hooked three of them on blue runners, but two of them pulled off before breaking the surface. The other on, a twenty-pounder, was released after that battle. We fished in spots ranging from 12 to 36 miles, in two-to-three foot seas most of the day. The guys used live shrimp to box four keeper yellowtail snapper to 13 inches, a half-dozen keeper lane snapper to 13 inches, a 14-inch grunt, and three 15-inch porgies. They released a dozen yellowtail shorts, along with lots of red grouper shorts to 19 ¾ inches. Eight-year-old Jake Pearcy had never fished before, until he fished the backwaters with me and his dad, Paul Pearcy, on a catch-and-release trip Wednesday morning, 8/13. The father-son team used live shrimp to catch and release a 15-inch sheepshead, thirty small mangrove snapper, a brace of 16-inch snook, and a 5-pound stingray. I was off the water for a few days, but I fished offshore, 20 miles west of New Pass on Tuesday, 8/19, with Bob Snyder and his young son, Zach, and Zach’s grandfather, Buck Bachura. The guys caught twenty red grouper, one of which was a nice, 25-inch keeper that Buck caught on a shrimp. The guys also caught forty lane snapper to 13 inches, and boxed a dozen of those, along with ten mangrove snapper to 13 inches, of which they kept two. They also caught a brace of 12-inch grunts.

The photo shown is of angler, Buck Bachura, with a 25-inch red grouper, caught on shrimp 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
http://fishbustercharters.com/fishingvideos.html

Tuesday morning, 7/29, winds were stronger than they had been in about a week, and they were straight out of the west. I advised brothers Jose and Robert Garcia and their sons that we would likely be fishing near-shore, rather than well offshore. Even the spots we fished 8 to 12 miles west of New Pass were fairly rough, with three-to-four foot seas. The guys used live shrimp to catch lane snapper, ten of which were keepers. They added a few grunts to the box. They released lots of red grouper shorts, yellowtail, mangrove and lane snapper shorts, and a 15-inch bluefish. Long-time customer, Dr. John Carmack, his son Jackson, and his father-in-law, Bill Maslow, fished with me Thursday, 7/31 in various spots ranging from 18 miles to 28 miles west of New Pass. We released fifty red grouper shorts that measured to within ¼ inch of keeper-size; the largest of those at 19 ¾ inches bit on pinfish, while the smaller ones bit live shrimp. The guys used shrimp to box a 20-inch Spanish mackerel, a 13-inch mangrove snapper, and two dozen keeper lane snapper to 13 inches. They released thirty-five shorter lanes, along with a half-dozen short yellowtail snapper and a few short mangrove snapper. They also battled and released a brace of 40-inch blacknose sharks. Friday morning, 8/1, there was some rain over the gulf, but it was moving further offshore. I encountered some heavy rain at the beginning of my fishing trip with Antonio Abrantes, his son, Tony, and Tony’s grandfather, Douglas Crane. But the rain moved off, and we were able to remain rain-free for the remainder of the morning, fishing 20 miles west of New Pass. The guys did well with grouper and snapper. They caught a 21-inch, keeper red grouper on a pinfish, and released lots of red grouper shorts. Added to the box were twenty keeper lane snapper, most of which were right about 13 inches, and two keeper mangrove snapper to 14 inches. We released lots of smaller lanes. Father-son anglers Walt and Ian Bond fished with me Saturday morning, 8/2, 18-20 miles west of New Pass. We used pinfish for grouper, and the guys caught four keeper red grouper, two at 24 inches, one at 23 inches and one at 21 inches. They released fifteen red grouper shorts. Lane snapper were biting well on live shrimp, and the guys caught a dozen keeper lanes to 12 inches, which we added to the four keeper red grouper in the box—the makings of a few delicious dinners! Monday, 8/4, there was some rain on the radar, predictions that morning were for one or two scattered showers in the morning hours, followed by heavier storms in the later afternoon. Seas were predicted to be calm. Chris Henderson and his sons, Dallas and Shawn, had planned to fish a full-day offshore with me. I explained that we might not get the full day in, depending upon the timing of the storms. We got as far as the pass, and encountered huge waves splashing over the sandbars—5 foot seas close-in, and no way to proceed safely with our offshore plans. We returned to the dock and tried to save the morning by reloading everything onto the flats boat to fish the backwaters. We got cut a little short, even on that, as the heavy storms began rolling in right after noon, and we returned to the dock just ahead of a big thunderstorm. But the guys managed to catch a 14-inch, keeper sheepshead and two keeper mangrove snapper. They released a couple of stingray, a crevalle jack, and lots of mangrove snapper shorts, all on live shrimp. I fished the backwaters of central Estero Bay again on Tuesday morning, 8/5, this time with Colin Castner and his twelve-year-old son, Quinn, on a catch-and-release trip. The father and son used live shrimp to catch and release three black drum measuring 14 inches, 16 inches and 23 inches, along with two sheepshead, a dozen mangrove snapper, four of which were keeper-size, and a brace of 20-inch snook. A.J. LaPrette, his son, Joe, and Joe’s friend, Paul Schnadig, fished inshore in lower Hickory Bay with me on Wednesday morning, 8/6, using live shrimp. The guys caught a 23-inch keeper redfish and three keeper black drum, at 18 inches, 19 inches and 19 ½ inches, along with a keeper mangrove snapper. Seas were calm by Thursday morning, 8/7, when I fished with Sean Long, his twelve-year-old son, Aedan, and fourteen-year-old daughter, Alex. The family wasn’t interested in keeping fish—only catching them—so we did a catch-and-release trip 18 to 20 miles west of New Pass. Using live shrimp, the trio caught and released twenty-five red grouper shorts, six yellowtail snapper shorts, a half dozen mangrove snapper to 13 inches, and thirty keeper-sized lane snapper to 13 inches. Friday morning, 8/8, seas were predicted to be calm again, but a storm about 25 miles off the coast that was moving northward kicked up winds and seas for a while, as I headed offshore with long-time customers Paul Fenwick, his young daughter Emma, and John Priddy and his daughter Jordan, along with her boyfriend, Zach. Seas calmed down some after that storm moved further away from us, and fishing was good in spots ranging 12 to 20 miles west of New Pass. Emma was very proud of the 14-inch lane snapper she caught, which was the biggest of twenty keeper lanes the group culled. They added four keeper mangrove snapper to the box, all about 13 inches, and released fifteen mang shorts, all caught on shrimp. We grouper fished with pinfish, and the group caught and released a dozen red grouper shorts, one of which was just 1/8 inch short of keeper size. Chris Baker fished with me Saturday morning, 8/9, on an inshore trip, around the islands in front of Little Carlos, where he used live shrimp to land two keeper redfish, both 19 inches, and three 11-inch keeper mangrove snapper. We released a lot of mangrove shorts.

The photo shown is of angler, with a, caught on on a recent trip.

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

: Thumbup: Tuesday morning, 7/15, thunderbird what rumbling by about 6AM, but the weather forecasters reported thatthere were only a few scattered thunderstorms, moving northeast, and did the one did what in north Naples and the Bonita area would soon be gone. So, I went ahead and got bait and readied my boat for repeat customer Larry Jack and his friend, Ernie Morrison, who wanted to fish a full day offshore. We left the dock Shortly after a heavy storm had moved through, hoping did what the end of - and radar did not look too bad. But, we ended up dodging storms a good bit of the morning and early afternoon, and we shortened our excursion from our Planned full day. Still, the fishing was good 22 miles west of New Pass, and the guys boated a keeper, 24-inch red grouper, snapper lane nine keepers to 13 inches, and six keeper mangrove snapper to 14 inches. We released a dozen red groupers did were just a hair short of 20 inches, along with some smaller ones. The grouper all bit on pinfish, and the snapper on live shrimp. The guys Planned to fish with me again the Following morning, this time in the backwaters. So, Wednesday morning, 7/16, Larry Jack and Ernie Morrison fished Estero Bay's backwaters, using live shrimp. There was silence plenty of moisture around, but we did not get poured on, as we did When we had fished offshore the day before. The guys caught a keeper redfish at 18 inches, a 13-inch keeper sheepshead, mangrove snapper and nine keeper. They released four short sheepshead and a 3 ½-pound crevalle jack. Friday morning, 7/18, what rain-free, unlike the previous morning, Which had been full of rain clouds and rough conditions offshore. I had advised Tom Bodell did Friday would be the better of the two days to arrange the near-shore, catch-and-release excursion he wanted for himself, his two young sons AJ and Alex, and his brother, Bryan Bodell. We headed out to fish in spots 10-12 miles west of New Pass, using live shrimp for bait. The group caught and released fifteen red grouper shorts to 18 inches, fifteen lane snappers (End of month six were keeper-size, though we released them all), two crevalle jacks, a 14-inch pompano, and a 38-inch blacknose shark. Saturday, 7/19, I fished offshore with Nelson Ventura and five of his friends. We fished in spots ranging from 12 to 36 miles offshore. The guys used pinfish for bait grouper and shrimp for everything else. They caught a keeper red grouper at 24 inches, ten keeper porgies to 17 inches, fifteen keeper lane snapper to 16 inches, and half a dozen 13-inch grunts. They released twenty-five red grouper shorts to 19 ¾ inches, lots of short porgies, and a 38-inch blacknose shark. Dave Bailey and his son, Nathan, fished with me on Monday, 7/21, about 25 miles west of New Pass. They wanted to experience some big fish, but so wanted some fish for the cooler, so we started out closer in, fishing for goliath grouper and shark. The guys got to release one of each: to 80 pound goliath and a 4-foot blacknose shark. Both Of Those shrimp bit. We used pinfish for grouper, but the twenty or so red grouper we caught were all shorts, up to 19 ½ inches, so we released Those. The father-son team did box a dozen keeper lane snapper, all around 12 inches, and They released some lane shorts. They also caught nine whitebone porgies to 13 inches, and kept three Of Those, along with some grunts to 14 inches. The rest of the week was quiet, and I was off the water. A few rainy mornings, alongwith some intense heat, mighthave dissuaded from folks planning fishing excursions. But this next week looks busier, and we'll hope for cooperative weather and good conditions. The photo shown is of angler Krista Jones, with a 17-inch lane snapper, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.
You can check out all of our fishing action videos at the the following link:
http://fishbustercharters.com/fishingvideos.html

Monday, 6/30/14, Matt Siebert and friends Matthew, Jim and Steve, had planned to fish a full-day with me offshore. The dead calm seas of the several preceding days had picked up somewhat, but the NOAA forecast was for two-to-three foot sees out to sixty miles. As soon as we got out to New Pass, we knew that wasn’t the case, with seas as high as 5 feet close-in, as the winds picked up throughout the morning. So, we decided to stay near-shore, and fish for sharks and goliaths. The guys caught and released two goliath grouper at 80 pounds and 120 pounds, along with two 40-inch sandbar sharks. Two other good-sized sharks were hooked, but cut the line. The group also released crevalle jacks and a 14-inch mangrove snapper. We headed in at the half-day mark, everyone having had enough heat, rough seas and goliath-grouper-induced muscle soreness for the day! Tuesday morning, 7/1, I fished between 8 and 12 miles west of New Pass with Chris Morrow and his son, Alec Bayer, Fred Morando and his son, Freddy, and Mike Conrod and his son, Vinny. The father son teams used live shrimp and pinfish to catch a variety of fish, including a 20 ½-inch keeper red grouper, a 13 ½-inch triggerfish, and a 13-inch lane snapper. The group released lots of red grouper shorts to 19 inches, a couple of gag grouper shorts, lane snapper shorts, grunts, a 25-inch cobia, and an 8 ½-foot nurse shark. John Liebenow and Nick McAllister fished about 18 miles west of New Pass with me on Wednesday, 7/2, where they used live shrimp to catch nine nice mangrove snapper to 16 inches. They released smaller mangs, yellowtail shorts, and red grouper shorts. Two big groupers, one gag and one red, snapped the circle hooks on our snapper rigs and got away before they could be boated. Winds and seas began picking up Wednesday afternoon, as the soon-to-be-hurricane, Arthur, hugged the FL coast for a bit before veering into the Atlantic and northward. I advised Dennis McGorry, his wife, Marnie, and their two young sons, Nate and Josh, that seas would be too rough in the gulf, so the family opted to fish the backwaters with me Thursday morning, 7/3. The group did well, fishing with live shrimp in lower Hickory Bay, where they caught a keeper 21 ½-inch redfish and eight keeper mangrove snapper to 12 inches. They released lots of mang-shorts, along with three sheepshead to 11 7/8 inches and a couple of crevalle jacks. I was off the water on Friday July 4th. Saturday, a rainy pattern began, which persisted through Monday, 7/7. I remained in port. Tuesday morning, 7/8, I fished in spots ranging 10 to 18 miles offshore with Bob O’Hara and his grandson, Kevin. The pair wrestled and released a 75-pound goliath grouper, which bit on a grunt. We got a couple of pics of that battle. We switched to live shrimp to lure some food-fish, and the guys boxed three keeper mangrove snapper to 14 inches, three keeper whitebone porgies all about 14 inches, and seven lane snapper to 11 inches. They released fifteen short porgies and twenty lane snapper shorts. Bill Jones and daughters Krista and Kelsey fished ten miles west of New Pass with me on Thursday morning, 7/10. The trio used live shrimp to catch twenty-five lane snapper, fifteen of which were keepers to 17 inches. They added a few grunts to the box, and they released lots of red grouper shorts to 19 ½ inches, a couple of short gag grouper, and a 35-inch sandbar shark. My scheduled trip for Friday had an emergency back home, and had to leave Florida a day earlier than expected, so I was off the water Friday. Saturday morning, Drs. Meir and Rie Daller, young sons Julian and Brenden, and family friend, Mr. Long, fished offshore with me in spots between 12 and 17 miles west of New Pass. The group caught a nice 17-inch hogfish and a keeper gag grouper at 23 inches. They added to the fish box eight mangrove snapper keepers that all measured about 15 inches and four keeper lane snapper to 14 ½ inches. They threw in a few 12-inch grunts and a couple of 14-inch whitebone porgies. They released ten extra porgies, along with some lane snapper shorts and some red grouper shorts to 19 ½ inches. Everything bit on shrimp, except for the keeper gag grouper, which bit a pinfish. Seas were a little sloppy heading out, but calmer coming in, after the wind shifted. As is typical these days, we just beat the beginnings of afternoon thunderstorms, returning to the dock as the first claps of thunder could be heard in the distance. The photo shown is of young angler, Brenden Daller ,with a 23-inch gag grouper, the first one since season opened July 1st, caught on a pinfish on an offshore trip 7/12 /14.

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

: Thumbup: Monday, 6/16, I fished in spots 28 ½ to 35 ½ miles west of New Pass with Paul McConnell and his son, Andrew. They had fished with me the previous Saturday, and had done well with red grouper did day. This time, yellowtail snapper, Which had all been short on Saturday, were biting well on shrimp, and the guys caught eleven nice ones to 16 inches.tThey also did well with mangrove snapper, keeping a half dozen of those, all measuring in between 14 and 17 inches. Added to the box were a couple of whitebone porgies, out of the nine porgies to 15 inches did the guys caught, as well as a few grunts. We released twenty-five red grouper shorts to right at 20 inches. We released the 20-inch Because it was close to and shrinkage would have Brought it to under-size. The guys so released nine additional yellowtails that were shorts and a triggerfish short.

Tuesday, 6/17, I fished 18 miles west of New Pass with father and son anglers, Ricky and Tony Castillo. It was rough heading out, as it what coming the day before so. Fishing tougher than what it HAS BEEN lately, but the two managed to box eight keeper whitebone porgies, a half-dozen 12-inch grunts, and two keeper lane snapper. They released twenty porgy shorts, yellowtail and mangrove snapper shorts, and a half dozen red grouper shorts, along with a 38-inch bonnethead shark and a 3-foot sharp-nose shark. Everything bit on live shrimp.

Friday, 6/20, I headed out in calm seas to 36 miles west of New Pass with Russ and his three sons Maavich, Alex, Brett and Ryan. The guys had a great day of fishing, with a good mix of sport fishing and food fishing. They got to feel the thrill of goliath grouper on the line, as we lured them with crevalle jacks for bait, and the guys released three Of Those, ranging from 150 to 200 pounds. So We lost one did must have been huge, as it what pulling the boat sideways, and finally pulled the hook and got away. We switched to shrimp for bait fish for some food, and the guys did well with Those too, landing yellowtail snapper eight nice keepers to 16 inches and fifteen keeper mangrove snapper did Measured 13 ½ to 15 inches. They added to the box a dozen large grunts, all around 14 inches and ten whitebone porgies, including five at 15 inches and one at a whopping19 inches.

Seas were not nearly as calm on Saturday, 6/21, As They had been on Friday. Philip and Judy Arsenault fished with me at the reefs just six miles off the beach, and even there, it what choppy. But the couple did well with a variety of fish caught on live shrimp, including a 15-inch keeper pompano, two lane snapper keepers, a keeper whiting, a keeper flounder, and a few grunts. They released a 24-inch cobia, along with lots of crevalle jacks. Monday, 6/23, I fished near-shore, about ten miles west of New Pass with Steve Boha, his wife, Davey, and Their children, Luke and Jenna. Sharks were abundant, and the group had fun reeling in sharks and releasing fourteen in all, nine sandbar sharks and five sharp-nose sharks, all measuring 35 to 38 inches. They lost four additional sharks that were larger and cut the line. The family caught thirteen keeper-sized lane snapper, and kept four of Those for dinner. They released the rest, along with fifteen crevalle jacks, some blue runners, and nine red grouper shorts to 18 inches. Everything bit on live shrimp.

Tuesday morning, 6/24, I headed out on a near-shore trip, 11 ½ miles west of New Pass, with Robert Menendez, his girlfriend, Debbie Sardina, Robert's teenaged son Robbie, Debbie's teenaged daughters, Natalie and Nicole, and friend Rosie Balasquez. There was no wind and no current to speak of, along with intense heat, but we drummed up a few nice catches. Rosie landed the only keeper red grouper, at 21 inches. It bit a grunt did ask had a shrimp. The group released lots of red grouper shorts, along with five sandbar sharks to four feet. The large largest of the sharks bit a pinfish; the others all bit shrimp. The group of anglers added to the box a few keeper lane snapper and some grunts, which will Provide dinner, along with the keeper red grouper.

Darrin Berloff, his son, Logan, Paul Ratliff and his son, Ryan, and friends, Logan and Parker, were all in town for a softball tournament, and Decided to spend Thursday morning, 6/26, fishing with me. The teen boys wanted to have some fun with sharks and goliath grouper, so we headed out to some good spots For Those, about 11 ½ miles west of New Pass. Paul released a 90-pound goliath, and the boys lost a few huge ones, one End of month dragged the boat by its anchor line and Eventually even snapped off the steel cable on the rig. The guys so released a 3-foot sandbar shark, along with lots of crevalle jacks to two pounds, ten red grouper shorts that were 15 to 19 ½ inches, and a half dozen yellowtail and mangrove snapper shorts each. As for food-fish to bring home, They boxed a 20 ½-inch keeper red grouper, lane snapper four keeper, and a mess of grunts.

The photo shown is of angler, Robbie Menendez with a 4-foot sandbar shark, caught on shrimp and released 11 ½ miles west of New Pass on a recent near-shore trip.
You can check out all of our shark and goliath grouper action videos at the following link. http://fishbustercharters.com/fishingvideos.html

Tuesday, 5/27, I headed offshore to fish 25 miles west of New Pass with Conrad and Ellie Cherry, Their son, Kevin, and Kevin's young daughter, We used pinfish for grouper, and the group caught and released twenty five of those, three End of which were short of legal size by just ¼ inch. Using live shrimp, we caught a mess of keeper lane snapper-twenty Of Those to 13 inches, along with a 13-inch mangrove snapper and a few grunts to 14 inches. The group released two 30-inch so sharp-nose sharks and an 8-foot nurse shark, Which was pretty exciting and exhausting!

Wednesday morning, 5/28, I fished near-shore, about eleven miles west of New Pass with Patrick and Natalie Smith, son Andrew, daughter Chelsea, and friend Kyle. The group had some fun with sharks, catching and releasing at approximate 200-pound nurse shark, a 4-foot sandbar shark, and a 3-foot sharp-nose shark. They also boxed a 21-inch red grouper, eight grunts, and a couple of keeper lane snapper. They released lots of red grouper and lane snapper shorts, along with ladyfish and jack crevalle.

Gene Crottle and nephews Zach, Sammy, and Austin Nicco fished with me Thursday morning, 5/29, just ahead of the storms rolled in did did afternoon. Unfortunately, the spot I had in mind to fish what already blanketed with thunderstorms, so we ended up fishing about 19 miles west of New Pass. The guys used live shrimp to catch twenty-two porgies to 13 inches and seven grunts. They released yellowtail snapper shorts, smaller porgies and lots of red grouper shorts, along with a 35-inch sandbar shark and a 30-inch sharp-nose shark.

I was off the water for several days, with family visiting for my grandson's graduation. After that event, we had a few days of rainy conditions, followed by the typical June lull, in between our seasonal residents heading back north and our family vacationers arriving.

Paul and Debbie Szeplenski, twelve-year-old son Ryan, and ten-year-old daughter, Evie, fished 12 miles from shore with me on Tuesday morning, 6/10. The group used live shrimp to catch and release three sharp-nose sharks and sandbar sharks two, all nominal real Measured just over three-foot. They released a couple of short mangrove snapper. They also released fifteen red grouper shorts, but landed a keeper red grouper So, at 20 ½ inches. That one bit a pinfish. They added to the fish keeper lane snapper box five and a few grunts.

Saturday, 6/14, I fished in spots in between 20 and 29 miles offshore with long-time customer, Paul McConnell, his son Andrew, and friend, Ron. The guys caught three keeper red grouper at 21 inches, 24 inches and 26 inches, all on pinfish. They also caught twenty-five red grouper shorts on shrimp, and released Those along with fifteen yellowtail snapper shorts, a couple of mangrove snapper shorts, grunts, and a 30-inch sharp-nose shark. The group thus caught twenty-five keeper-sized lane snapper, but chose to release all but a dozen Of Those, As They already had plenty of fish in the box.

The photo shown is of angler, Hans Fox with a 28-inch red grouper, one of two limits of red grouper caught on pinfish did day, on a recent offshore trip. You can check out all of our shark and goliath grouper action videos at the link shown below.

http://fishbustercharters.com/fishingvideos.html

I just managed to post that pic I failed to post correctly when I submitted my report!

New forunmformat doesn't see to be properly uploading my pics or links anymore...unable to figure it out, so I apologize for the dead link to my videos and the dead link to the photo (which I tried when the usual photo upload failed). Hope you at least enjoy the report itself!

I spent about a week off the water, as I only had a couple of fishing trips scheduled and they were both offshore trips that were made impossible by the winds and rough seas, which were relentless for days on end. I finally got back out fishing on Monday, 5/19 and, even then, winds were still blowing about 20 knots. But I fished inshore with long-time customer Jim Dean, who fishes with me annually on a two–day spread, one day designated for the backwaters and one for offshore. So, with hopes that Tuesday would be the calmer of his two days, we elected to fish in Estero Bay’s backwaters on Monday, 5/19, using live shrimp, thinking we might get some trout. We didn’t get trout, but we did get a surprise bite from a 40-inch bonnet-head shark, right on the edge of a sandbar, and Jim had a good time battling it to the surface before photographing and releasing it. We also released a big, 20-inch sail-cat, along with some stingray.

Tuesday morning, 5/20, wasn't nearly as calm as we would have liked it to be offshore, but that didn't stop Jim Dean from heading out 25 miles west of New Pass with me to fish for grouper and snapper. We caught five slot red grouper, but had to release the two smallest of those, due to legal limits. We boxed three at 26 inches, 24 inches, and 23 inches, and released two at 22 inches each. We also released a bunch of red grouper shorts. All the groupers bit on pinfish or grunts. We used live shrimp to catch fifteen keeper lane snapper to 13 inches, which we added to the box, so it was worth braving some choppy conditions.

Wednesday morning, 5/21, I fished in Estero Bay, near New Pass, with Tom Wolf and his young sons, Jordan and Patrick. Using live shrimp, the boys caught a keeper redfish at 22 inches and a 13-inch sheepshead. They released two stingray and broke off a big redfish on an oyster bar.

Thursday morning, 5/22, Bob Granger headed out on a near-shore trip with me to spots between 8 and 11 miles west of New Pass. Using live shrimp, Bob caught a 21-inch, keeper red grouper, a nice lane snapper at 13 inches, and three sharp-nose sharks at 39 inches, 38 inches and 30 inches. We released the sharks, along with lots of red grouper shorts to 19 ½ inches.

Friday, 5/23, I headed out 26 miles with father and son anglers Hans and Jeremiah Fox. We used pinfish for grouper fishing, and the guys caught four nice, keeper red grouper at 21 inches, 24 inches, 26 inches and 28 inches. Using live shrimp to lure some snapper worked well, with twenty keeper-sized lane snapper hooked. Of those, we kept a dozen to 16 inches, and released the rest. The guys also released lots of red grouper shorts, along with a 40-inch sharp-nose shark.

Steve and Kathy Boeckman and their friend, Colin, fished with me Saturday, 5/24. We started out fishing relatively close-in, but fishing was tough there so we ventured out further, about 25 miles from New Pass. The group caught a 23-inch, keeper red grouper, which bit a pinfish, and they released twenty red grouper shorts. They added to the box fifteen keeper lane snapper to 13 inches, a 13-inch keeper sheepshead, and a few grunts, all caught on shrimp. They released short triggerfish and mangrove snapper, along with a total of three 40-inch sharks—two sandbar shark and one sharp-nose shark.

The photo shown is of angler, Jim Dean with a 40-inch bonnet-head shark, caught on shrimp and released 25 miles west of New Pass on a recent offshore trip.
http://www.fishbustercharters.com/images/JimDean40Bonnethead.JPG

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

Monday, 4/28, I fished a full day offshore with Bob Donelson, Kent McCarthy, Chuck Babcock, and Skip Hamilton. The guys wanted to go after big, catch-and-release fish, so we headed out to spots between 28 and 36 miles from New Pass. We released four goliath grouper, each angler getting a chance to wrestle one of those, which were all between 40 and 100 pounds, and bit blue runners. We also wrestled with a big shark for a while, but it had bitten on one of the smaller rods, and eventually broke the line before we identified its type. The guys also released three 27-inch king mackerel, five yellowtail snapper to 13 inches, and whitebone porgies, along with a dozen red grouper shorts.

Tuesday, 4/29, I fished the last trip of Ron Musick’s season here for this year. He and Eddie Alfonso headed out twenty miles from New Pass with me to fish for grouper and snapper. Ron caught a keeper red grouper at 23 inches, and we released a bunch of red grouper shorts. With gag grouper out of season, we shed a few tears as we released a 23 inch gag and a few more tears when we released a 31-inch gag! But they were still fun to catch. We also released a hogfish that was just short of keeper-size. We added to the fish box ten yellowtail snappers to 15 inches, some whitebone porgies and grunts. We caught everything on shrimp, except for the gag grouper, which bit pinfish.

Winds picked up a lot Tuesday evening into Wednesday, 4/30. I fished inshore Wednesday morning with Bob and Jo-Ellen Exby on a catch-and-release trip that yielded ten stingray, five mangrove snapper to 11 inches and an18-inch snook, all caught on shrimp and released.

Thursday morning, 5/1, frequent customer, Scott Saveraid, and friends, Brian Bettini, Tim Chen, and Ron Wesler, hoped to have fun battling some big fish. We set out for goliath grouper catch-and-release fun, but the two-foot seas NOAA had predicted were actually four-to-five foot seas, mostly fives, with a steady 25 mph wind, and all the goliath spots we could access, which had recently supplied fun battles for several recent customers, yielded no goliath bites at all. All was not lost though, since a rig baited with a blue runner and crevalle jack, intended for a goliath grouper, brought us a nine-foot tiger shark, which Brian battled for 45 minutes before getting it to the surface and releasing it. It ran 1/8 mile north, then ended up ¼ mile past where we hooked it, and gave Brian a real run for his money--We captured that event on video! The guys also released a 28-inch cobia, a dozen blue runners, a couple of crevalle jacks, and four mangrove snapper shorts.

Friday, 5/2, winds were still howling, and the seas we encountered Thursday were bound to be every bit as rough on Friday. I informed my scheduled offshore trip that it would be rough offshore, and suggested we fish inshore instead. But the guys had their hearts set on fishing the gulf, and decided to defer their trip to another time.

Saturday, 5/3, there were still rough seas and lots of wind, along with lots of moisture over the gulf, as this weather system that wreaked havoc in northern Florida earlier in the week stalled over our area, thankfully in a weakened state. I advised Terry Mooney, daughter Beth, and Beth’s boyfriend, Lou Burgess, that our best bet would be to fish the morning in the backwaters. The trip caught a keeper sheepshead at 13 ½ inches and four keeper mangrove snapper that were all 11 inches. They released a half-dozen mangrove snapper shorts and three stingrays, and had lines cut twice by something we didn’t get to see. We were fishing in wind-sheltered areas, mostly around the little islands inside New Pass.

Monday morning, 5/5, I fished 21 miles west of New Pass with Mark and Jackie Travis and their daughter, Alexa. The family did very well fishing for snapper with live shrimp, boxing twenty lane snapper to 14 inches and releasing lots of lane shorts. They also caught and released fifteen red grouper, three of which were irritatingly close to keeper-size, at 19 ½ inches! The larger of the red groupers bit small blue runners, and the smaller ones bit live shrimp. Seas were refreshingly calm, following a few days of windy, rough conditions.

Tuesday, 5/6, I headed offshore about 25 miles west of New Pass with father-son anglers, Doug and Wade Shephard, who have fished with me before. When we started out, seas were a lot choppier than what had been predicted, but they did calm down some as we got further out, and we had an awesome day of fishing! We caught two limits of keeper red grouper, all between 21 inches and 27 1/2 inches. As if that wasn’t enough excitement, we hooked, battled and released an 8 ½-foot hammerhead shark that nearly killed all three of us before we got it to the surface! We took some video of that, and kept fishing, that is, after we recovered some strength in our arms. The red grouper all bit on bait-fish, but we used live shrimp to lure the snapper, and we caught twenty keeper lane snapper to 17 inches to add to the box. We released an equal number of smaller lanes.

Wednesday and Thursday, 5/7 and 5/8, I was off the water. As our seasonal residents return home, fishing trips won’t be daily occurrences for the next few months--Time to do those home and boat maintenance chores that have been awaiting my attention. I’d rather be fishing, of course, and I still will be whenever I can!

Friday morning, 5/9, I fished inshore in lower Hickory Bay with brothers Craig and Jeff Sable. Using live shrimp, the guys caught two nice black drum at 19 inches and 26 inches, along with a keeper sheepshead. They released five stingray and an 18-inch snook.

I was scheduled to fish all day offshore on Saturday, 5/10, but the winds and seas kicked up and caused a caution to be issued. It wasn't safe or comfortable to take a family of six out there, so we had to cancel those plans.

The photo shown is of angler Ron Musick, with a 31-inch gag grouper, caught on a small snapper that was being reeled in and released (due to closed season) 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/fishing videos.htm

Monday morning, 4/14, I fished a catch-and-release trip about 12 miles west of New Pass with Carol Harris, her daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Jeff, and their teen-aged sons, Bradley and Alex. The group used live shrimp to catch four Spanish mackerel to 22 inches, six ladyfish to 20 inches, twenty red grouper to 19 7/8 inches, twenty-five lane snapper, six mangrove snapper shorts and two dozen grunts.

Tuesday, 4/15 and Wednesday, 4/16, were both windy days. Seas were rough and small craft advisories were in effect. Unfortunately both my scheduled trips for those days were with die-hard offshore men, with no interest fishing in the backwaters. I had to cancel both trips.

Thursday, 4/17, it was still pretty sloppy in the gulf early on, but it calmed down nicely. I headed out twelve miles from New Pass with Mile Lorenz and friend, Brian, for a little big-game action, followed by a few food-fish for the cooler. The guys caught and released two goliath grouper, both about 80 pounds. I could see that they had been caught before on lighter line and broken off, because one of them had three hooks in its mouth and the other had two. I did them both a favor and removed the hooks from them before releasing them, and I am guessing they are much more comfortable now! Both of those bit bait-fish. The guys used live shrimp to catch everything else, which included ten red grouper shorts to 19 7/8 inches, just short of keeper size, fifteen keeper lane snapper, a brace of 20-inch Spanish mackerel, seven grunts all 12 to 13 inches, and eight bluefish, all around 14 inches. We released the red grouper shorts and bluefish, and boxed the lanes, mackerel, and grunts. We spotted the big white underbelly of some kind of shark while we were out there, and one of the guys thought he spotted a sailfish fin, which would have been unusual and only the second time ever one of those was spotted from my boat.

Weather was a little iffy again on Friday morning, 4/18, when I headed offshore with Brody Thompson and friends, Al and John. We only got out about 12 miles from New Pass, with seas of three-to-four feet that close in. By the time we left our fishing hole, it was getting rougher, a wave breaking over the bow just before we pulled anchor to head in. But the fishing was good, and the guys caught twenty-four keeper lane snapper and a mess of grunts, a 22-inch Spanish mackerel, and the catch-of-the-day: A nice, 38-inch king mackerel. They released fifteen red grouper shorts.

Clement Wong and family fished lower Hickory Bay with me Saturday morning, 4/19. They had planned to fish for grouper offshore, but seas were four-to six feet, so we settled on fishing inshore. The group caught a 22-inch black drum, a 14-inch keeper sheepshead and an 11-inch keeper mangrove snapper. They released smaller sheepshead, five stingrays, a couple of sail-cats, and a 19-inch snook, all caught on live shrimp.

Monday morning, 4/21, I fished in lower Hickory Bay with Tom Deter and his two sons, Nick and Kyle, along with his father-in-law, Thomas. Live shrimp landed the group a keeper 19-inch black drum, a keeper 15-inch sheepshead, and two keeper mangrove snapper.

Three generations of the Enlund family fished with me Tuesday morning, 4/22/14. Lee, his son Matt, and grandson Tanner fished 12 miles west of New Pass with live shrimp, where they caught and released lane snapper shorts and three red grouper shorts, before catching a keeper 22-inch red grouper, which bit a small lane snapper as it was being reeled in. They added a few good-sized grunts to the fish box before calling it a morning.

Tom Rylander and family fished with me Wednesday morning, 4/23. With a couple of family members sensitive to seas, we stayed near-shore, about 8 miles west of New Pass, where the group fished with live shrimp. They caught three Spanish mackerel, all around 22 inches long, three keeper mangrove snapper, a couple of keeper lane snapper and some grunts. They released a half-dozen red grouper shorts.

Thursday, 4/24, frequent fishers Ron Musick and Eddie Alfonso fished 28 to 35 miles west of New Pass with me. We were using shrimp and pinfish for bait, and would have had a few nice red grouper, had it not been for shark attacks. We had the same experience at a couple different spots—the sharks ate just about everything we were reeling in. We did manage to box ten whitebone porgies to 15 inches, large grunts and a 14-inch yellowtail snapper. And, we released one red grouper that was so very close to 20 inches, but not quite to the mark. A bunch of other groupers that we were reeling in fed three sandbar sharks, all about 8-foot long, which we battled and released. We did likewise with an 8-foot nurse shark.

Friday morning, 4/25, Pam Getner, Kym James, Craig and Carter Dunaway, and Keaton Frohn fished 23 miles west of New Pass with me on a beautiful day with calm seas. We used pinfish for grouper and the group caught five keeper red grouper, including a pair of 24-inch and three that were between 20 and 21 inches. Using live shrimp for snapper yielded ten 14-inch yellowtails, along with some nice whitebone porgies and some grunts. We released additional red grouper shorts.

The photo shown is of angler Kym James, with a 24-inch red grouper, one of five nice red grouper keepers she and her group caught on a offshore recent trip.

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

Monday morning, 3/31, it was a hard call on whether to fish offshore or inshore for the Frantz family--Mike and Sue, daughter Kim, and grandson Kevin. After many days of wind and high seas, predictions were for calmer conditions, with two-to three foot seas, but winds were still blowing pretty strong. The family had already fished one trip in the backwaters with me a few weeks ago and wanted to experience some gulf fishing. Another consideration was the low tide conditions in the bay. So we decided on the near-shore reefs. Even there, at three miles and six miles off the beach, conditions were sloppy in the early hours, and fishing was tough. It was the first time I had seen so many sail-cats at the reefs, perhaps because of the influx of fresh water with all the recent rain. The group caught and released several of those, along with some grunts, mangrove snapper shorts, and sheepshead to 12 inches.

Tuesday, 4/1, seas were calmer than they had been in a good while, and I got out 28 miles that April Fools’ Day with Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, and friend Wayne, along with Wayne’s son, Ryan. We had steady action all day, and the group caught a big yellowtail snapper at 17 inches, a 13-inch mangrove snapper, three keeper lane snapper, twenty porgies to 14 inches, and a 22-inch Spanish mackerel, all on shrimp. We could have caught more yellowtails, had it not been for the greedy goliath grouper that invaded our fishing hole! We used a blue runner for bait to catch and release a six-foot sandbar shark. The group also released twenty-five red grouper shorts.

Two father-son teams fished offshore, about 18 miles west of New Pass, with me on Wednesday morning, 4/2. The foursome, Rick and Matt Kuster and Scot and Cale Barnes, had a productive morning of fishing, boxing fifteen lane snapper keepers to 12 inches, two 13 ½-inch hogfish, grunts, porgies, and a 24-inch red grouper. They released fifteen red grouper shorts. All were caught on live shrimp, except the keeper red grouper, which bit a pinfish.

Thursday morning, 4/3, I fished on an outgoing tide in Estero Bay, by Horseshoe Key, with John and Toni Heinrich. The couple used live shrimp to catch two keeper sheepshead at 14 inches and 18 inches. They released smaller sheepshead, along with a 17 ½-inch redfish.

Friday, 4/4, I fished offshore, though seas were rougher than predicted. But my three hardy anglers, Tim Peterson, his son, Michael, and friend, Scott Hayes, didn’t mind the seas, and did well fishing with live shrimp 27 miles west of New Pass. The group caught a brace of keeper red grouper at 21 inches, and released numerous red grouper shorts, along with blue runners. Also added to the box were fifteen whitebone porgies to15 inches and two keeper lane snapper.

Saturday, 4/5, I headed offshore about 27 miles on a nice calm day, with Tom Anderson and his young sons, Chris and Ben. The guys used live shrimp to catch most everything, except for a 21-inch, keeper red grouper that bit a spot-tail grunt. They released twenty-five red grouper shorts to 19 inches, along with lots of blue runners. They also caught twenty keeper lane snapper to 13 inches and some large grunts, which they added to the box with the keeper grouper, and decided to release the rest of their catches, which included twenty whitebone porgies, and a 24-inch king mackerel.

As predicted, winds began picking up Sunday afternoon, and they grew stronger by Monday. Offshore fishing was nixed, with seas building to uncomfortable and eventually unsafe levels. So, Tom and Brenda Landrith and friend, Larry Baumgartner, fished inshore with me on a windy Monday morning, 4/7. We fished around the islands just inside New Pass. The trio used live shrimp to catch two nice redfish at 24 and 24 ½ inches. They released stingray and sail-cats, and were happy enough with the pair of keeper reds.

Tuesday morning, 4/8, it was even windier than Monday, and heavy rains were predicted to hit our area by about 1PM. I fished in lower Hickory Bay, just ahead of those rains, with two fifteen-year-old anglers, Clay Galagher and Devin Neuman. The boys used live shrimp to catch a keeper black drum at 19 inches and a 13-inch keeper sheepshead. They released a few shorts, including a 17-inch redfish and a 21-inch snook.

Wednesday, 4/9, winds howled all day, with near gale-force gusts, and even backwater fishing would have been more challenging than fun. I happened to have a cancellation for Thursday, so I advised my scheduled Wednesday trip to defer their excursion to Thursday morning, when winds were much calmer. John and Ann Piccolo and their two young sons, Connor and Justin, fished with me on Thursday in lower Hickory Bay’s backwaters, 4/10, where they used live shrimp to box eight keeper mangrove snapper to 12 inches, along with a 13 ½-inch sheepshead. The family released a half-dozen smaller snapper and a couple of stingray.

Friday, 4/11, I fished 28 miles offshore in calm seas with frequent fishers Ron Musick and Eddie Alfonso, and friend Mike Tobin. The lane snapper bite was on, and the guys caught twenty-four of those to 14 inches, along with fifteen keeper whitebone porgies and some grunts. We released some blue runners, and also put one of those on some heavier tackle, which caught a 50-inch-plus barracuda, estimated at 45 to 50 pounds. We photographed and released it, after it wore out both me and Eddie!

Saturday morning, 4/12, was reserved for my grandson, Cody Hennessey, who turned eighteen yesterday. We headed out 28 miles west of New Pass in somewhat sloppy seas that calmed down a little later, and had a great six hours of fishing. Cody will be feeling the soreness in his arms tonight when he heads to his high school prom! We caught a 55-inch, 50-pound king mackerel on a blue runner, with no steel leader: That battle lasted about 40 minutes, and we photographed the beast and released it. But the big-game battles weren’t over; an 8 ½-foot hammerhead shark bit a spot-tail grunt we had on heavy mono leader (again, no steel) with a big circle-hook, which was rigged for grouper. Another 45-minute battle ensued, and we got the shark to the surface for photos and then released him. As for food fish, red grouper were biting spot-tail grunts too, and we caught three keeper red grouper at 21 ½ inches, 22 inches, and 27 ½ inches. We released numerous red grouper shorts. Using live shrimp, we added to the box six keeper lane snapper, five whitebone porgies to 15 inches, and a mess of grunts to 14 inches.

The photo shown is of angler Cody Hennessey, with a 50 lb, 55-inch king mackerel, caught on a blue runner, 28 miles west of New Pass on an offshore Fishbuster Charter 4/12/14.

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

Winds were still gusting to 25 knots Tuesday morning, 3/18, after a gusty day Monday and heavy rain overnight. The only good news was that the wind direction was beneficial for the tide in the backwaters, where I fished the island groups by Little Carlos Pass with Steve Davis, his son Matt, and his son-in-law Eric. Anchoring and casting is challenging in 25-knot winds, but the guys did well with sheepshead, catching five keepers to 14 inches and releasing some smaller ones. They also released some, shall we say, unusual catches—mostly caught by Steve, to whom we awarded the “trash-can slam” trophy: He managed to pull in a couple rays, a couple sail-cats, a baby goliath grouper, a humongous blue crab, a starfish, and a leopard toad-fish—all released a lot more quickly than we stopped our teasing! I fished inshore again on Wednesday, 3/19, not believing that the seas offshore would calm down so quickly, after days of high winds and disturbed weather.

Doug and Ann Brady and their two teen daughters, McKenzie and Taylor, fished the islands by Little Carlos Pass, using live shrimp. Taylor got the catch-of-the-day, with a 19-inch keeper redfish. The group also caught an 11 ½-inch keeper mangrove snapper and a 14-inch keeper sheepshead. They released five smaller sheepshead, a couple of stingrays, and a couple of sail-cats.

Thursday, 3/20, Gary Mueller and his friend, Bob, fished the backwaters with me. We timed our trip to coincide with optimal tide conditions, but it didn’t do us a lot of good. I fished in the same areas that had been productive for nice sheepshead, redfish, and black drum for the past several days, but the bite was slow and the water was muddy, with so much boat traffic in the bay. The guys released sheepshead and a couple of rays.

Friday, 3/21, it was calm enough to get offshore, and I headed out to spots between 18 and 20 miles with frequent customers, Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, Bob Meyer , and Richard Arnett. The guys used live shrimp for their many catches, which included three nice mangrove snapper that were all about 15 inches, three 11-inch lane snapper, six 13-inch whitebone porgies, five large grunts and an 18-inch Spanish mackerel. Gag grouper are currently out-of season, which was heart-breaking for this crew, since they caught three nice ones at 22 inches, 24 inches, and 28 inches. We released those, along with a dozen red grouper shorts to 18 ½ inches and three lizard fish to 18 inches.

Saturday morning, 3/22, seas were a little choppy near the shore, but they were smooth 17 miles offshore, where I fished with Dr. Victor Luna, his six-year-old son Victor Jr., and friends Roberto Russi, Tom, Eric (with a c), and Erik (with a k). The group of six caught a brace of 14-inch sheepshead, a keeper porkfish, whitebone porgies, and grunts. But the catch-of-the-morning went to Dr. Luna, who reeled in a 48-inch king mackerel on light tackle. The group released smaller porgies, triggerfish shorts, and blue runners. In fact, it was a blue runner that caught the big kingfish. A couple of goliath grouper also got hooked, but broke off before they were reeled to the surface.

Keith Scharm and family hoped to fish offshore Monday, 3/24, in advance of some nasty weather that was predicted to come through the area later in the day. The weather forecasters had all concurred that we might see “a few, scattered, light sprinkles” early in the day, followed by some heavier rains in the late afternoon, evening, and over-night hours. As it turned out, that consensus was dead wrong. It rained on us for nearly the entire morning, and the predicted 2-foot seas were actually 4-foot seas, until we headed in around 1PM. It was still raining then, but winds, which had been howling 15-to-25 knots all morning had calmed, and seas were calming as well. Needless to say these were not ideal conditions for comfort nor for catching. But the family toughed it out 18 miles offshore, and caught a few porgies and grunts, along with a keeper sheepshead, all on live shrimp. They released red grouper shorts and triggerfish shorts, along with blue runners. We used one of the blue runners for goliath bait, and had an approximate 200-pound goliath grouper on the line for a while before he broke off, so the anglers got to feel what catching a big guy like that feels like.

Tuesday, 3/25, there was yet more rain over the gulf, along with strengthening winds and rising seas. I cancelled my planned offshore trip, and remained in port. Likewise, for

Wednesday, 3/26, with small craft advisories and seas of five-to-seven feet offshore.

Thursday morning, 3/27, I fished with Stuart Norris, who has fished with me each March for many years. Usually, we fish offshore, but with three-to-five foot seas persisting through today, we changed plans and fished the backwaters in the area of Little Carlos. Stuart caught a 16-inch sheepshead and a 17-inch black drum. He released two redfish to 17 inches, a few short sheepshead and one mangrove snapper short, all caught on live shrimp. Friday morning, 3/28, Jim Novy and his four young children, Jacqueline, Julie, Jordan and Jimmy, who have fished with me each spring break for several years, were hoping for a calm day offshore, but that wasn’t going to happen, with small craft advisories still in effect offshore. We opted for near-shore, and headed to the reefs but, even there, six miles off the beach, seas were pretty choppy. We ended up fishing most of the morning in more sheltered waters, behind Fish Tale Marina. The group caught three keeper sheepshead to 14 ½ inches, and released a few smaller ones, along with a few stingrays and sail-cats.

Saturday morning, 3/29, long-time customer Rusty Hook and his sons, Charlie and Jeremy, had originally hoped to fish offshore. But with rain and rough seas in the early morning hours and more predicted for afternoon, the gulf was not a viable option. Our choices were to fish the bay on a revised schedule to miss the rain Saturday, or defer our trip until Sunday, when predictions were for 30 mph gusts, and the tide was not to be as favorable in the backwaters. We opted to wait out the early rains, depart at 10AM Saturday, and fish until about 2PM, returning to land before the afternoon rain storms hit. That plan worked well and, though it was very windy, we did pretty well fishing in lower Hickory Bay, using live shrimp. The guys caught two keeper redfish at 18 ½ inches and 21 inches, and released four redfish shorts, along with a 17-inch crevalle jack. Charlie also caught a 16-inch sheepshead.

The photo shown is of Captain Dave, with a 28-inch gag grouper, caught on shrimp and released 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/fishing videos.htm

Tuesday, 3/4/14, was a beautiful, calm day
offshore. I spent it fishing with frequent customers, Ron Musick and
Eddie Alfonso, and this time, Ron’s brother, Stanley Musick was in town
to go with us. We headed out about 29 miles from New Pass, and had
steady action all day. The red grouper bite was hot, and we caught more
than fifty of those, but they were shorts to 19 inches, and had to be
released. But a 44-inch king mackerel made our day, along with
twenty-five keeper whitebone porgies to 16 inches.

Wednesday, 3/5, I fished along the channel toward Wiggins Pass, in the
backwaters, with Roy Mittman, Bill Geronomo, and friend, Mike. The guys
used live shrimp to catch five keeper-sheepshead to 15 inches and two
keeper-mangrove snapper. The released smaller sheeps and mangs.

David Bloomfield and Dave Price fished with me in the central part of
Hickory Bay Thursday morning, 3/6, just ahead of some threatening
weather predicted to hit the area by about 3PM. I could tell those
thunderstorms would be here sooner than predicted, but I figured we
could get the morning in, which we did. Thunder began rolling right
about noon, and we headed in. By that time, the guys had boxed a 21-inch
redfish and a 15-inch mangrove snapper, caught on live shrimp. We never
got a single sheepshead, which was strange, but a 15-inch mangrove was
also kind of strange for the bay—those bigger mangs are usually
offshore.

The front that dumped so much rain on us Thursday left windy conditions
behind for Friday morning, 3/7, when I fished the backwaters near the
channel by Wiggins Pass with Robin Latham and his brother-in-law, Pete.
Fishing was tough that morning, but the guys caught two keeper
sheepshead to 14 inches, and released a half dozen smaller ones. They
also caught and released two big stingray to ten pounds.

Sunday, 3/9, I fished with a delightful family—the Baums—who were
celebrating a graduation. Darlys, her daughter, Becky and son-in-law,
Joel, and her grandsons, Mason, Brady and Luke (the graduate) fished
with me in spots between 18 and 23 miles west of New Pass. Grandpa Jerry
stayed behind, as we already had a maximum of six passengers. He gets a
special shout-out for being the official chauffeur, and for helping
with a computer issue my wife had that was preventing her from updating
our website with the pics of the nice catches from the day’s trip. It
was a calm day offshore, and the group did very well using live shrimp.
They caught seventeen keeper lane snapper to 14 inches and seven keeper
mangrove snapper to 16 inches. They added a 14-inch hogfish to the box,
along with a 24-inch red grouper, a brace of 20-inch Spanish mackerel, a
couple of whitebone porgies and a few grunts. Luke also battled and
caught a 30-inch gag grouper, which had to be released due to closed
season; nonetheless it was only right that the angler-of-honor caught
the biggest fish! We released a dozen smaller mangrove snapper, about
fifty red grouper shorts, and six porkfish shorts.

Monday morning, 3/10, I fished the backwaters along the channel toward
Wiggins Pass with Mike and Sue Frantz and their grandson, Tyler. The
group caught nine sheepshead to 15 inches. Sue also hooked a pinfish
that was huge—13 inches—we had to get a pic of that one!

Tuesday morning, 3/11, I headed offshore 18 to 20 miles with the Latham
family—Linda, her son John and his wife Shannon, and their two children,
Ian and Elle. Ian also brought along a friend, Clifford Roepke. Elle
got the biggest catch of the day—a 30-inch king mackerel. John landed a
nice hogfish at 14 ½ inches, and the group collectively caught five nice
porgies and a mess of grunts, all on live shrimp. They released smaller
porgies, along with fifteen red grouper shorts to 19 ½ inches, just
below keeper-size. A few lines got cut, probably by additional large
kingfish.

Seas started to pick up on Wednesday, 3/12,and Brian and Marcia Wilson
decided they’d rather fish the backwaters that morning, so we loaded up
with live shrimp and fished in a few locations in central Estero Bay.
The Wilsons caught three redfish at 24 ½ inches, 21 inches and 18
inches. We released the smallest of those, which was right at the
18-inch mark (my theory is if in doubt, release!) The couple also caught
a keeper pompano at 14 inches, and two nice black drum at 17 ½ and 19
inches.

Thursday, 3/13, winds were strong and seas were rough, with small craft
advisories in effect. The only safe place to fish was in the backwaters.
I returned to the spots in Estero Bay that had been so active just the
day before but, as I had suspected and advised my customers, the strong
northwest winds had sucked much of the water out of the bay, and
conditions were somewhat muddy. We made the best of it, and brothers,
Charles and Jesse Sheppard had a good time catching and releasing a
black drum that was just short of keeper-size, a redfish just short of
keeper-size, and four short sheepshead. One of the guys lost a big red,
after getting a little too enthusiastic about pulling it in. But we had
fun, and did pretty well, given conditions.

Friday morning, 3/14, winds and seas were predicted to be much calmer
that they had been on Thursday, but one look out the front door Friday
morning proved those predictions false. There was no way it was going to
be comfortable offshore, so Jim McGrath and Bill Crockett, who fish
with me several times each winter, took my suggestion to fish inshore.
We fished with live shrimp along the groups of islands in front of
Little Carlos Pass, and did pretty well. Jim got a nice, 19-inch black
drum, and the guys also caught six keeper sheepshead ranging 13 to 15
inches. They released ladyfish and a couple of sail-cats.

Peder Engebretson and Dan Facendin fished offshore with me Saturday
morning, 3/15. Seas were still a little rough heading out 18 miles from
New Pass, but they calmed down later in the day. The guys caught some
nice sheepshead—eight of those to 18 inches including four right at 18
inches. They also caught a 14-inch keeper mangrove snapper, a 13-inch
whitebone porgy, a 20-inch Spanish mackerel, and a half-dozen large
grunts. They released red grouper shorts to 17 inches, along with some
smaller porgies.

St. Patty's Day, Monday, 3/17, the leprechauns delivered some nasty
weather. With winds and seas up to small craft advisory levels, and with
probable rain on the way, I had to cancel my planned offshore trip and
remain in port.

The photo shown below is of angler Eddie Alfonso, with a 44-inch king mackerel, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.

You can check out all of our shark and goliath grouper action videos at the link below.
http://fishbustercharters.com/fishing videos.htm

Monday, 2/17/14, I headed offshore from New Pass about 17 miles, with Jim Swanger and Ron Kaplan. Seas weren’t quite as calm as predicted early-on, but they calmed down nicely by mid-morning. The guys used live shrimp to box seven 13-inch mangrove snapper, two 14-inch porgies, a keeper porkfish, a brace of 22-inch Spanish mackerel, and a couple of grunts. They chose to release eight additional porgies and three additional grunts.

Tuesday, 2/18, I headed offshore 29 to 31 miles from New Pass with Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, Shawn Arnett and his son, Ben, and friend, Kay. The group wanted food-fish, and they caught their share on live shrimp, boxing fifteen 14-inch whitebone porgies, seven 13-inch mangrove snappers, and thirteen large grunts. They released twenty additional porgies, along with an equal number of red grouper shorts to 19 ½ inches.

Wednesday, 2/19, Peder Engebretson and friend, John, fished with me about 22 miles west of New Pass, using live shrimp. They caught fourteen keeper lane snapper, all measuring about 10 inches, along with two nice sheepshead at 14 inches and 16 inches, and a couple of Spanish mackerel at 20 inches and 22 inches. They released mangrove snapper shorts, along with about twenty-five red grouper shorts.

I fished closer in on Thursday, 2/20, about eight miles off Naples beach on rocky bottom, targeting sheepshead with Jim McGrath and Bill Crockett. The guys caught eleven keeper sheepshead to16 inches. They released a crevalle jack, about fifteen mangrove snapper shorts, numerous red grouper shorts, and one short gag grouper.

Friday, 2/21, a windy morning, Robin Latham and friends, Dave and Terry, fished a catch-and-release, backwater trip with me in lower Hickory Bay, where they used live shrimp to release mangrove snapper and sheepshead. Saturday morning, 2/22, the bite was more active in Hickory Bay than it had been the day before. Clint Trousil and son, Jeff, used live shrimp to catch a keeper, 14-inch pompano and two nice sheepshead at 19 and 20 inches. They caught and released ten smaller sheepshead.

As happens just a few times each season, my Monday trip canceled at the last minute, and I was unable, on such short notice, to reschedule with a party on my waiting list. So, though it was a picture-perfect day for fishing, I reluctantly used the day to do some maintenance chores.

Tuesday, 2/25, I fished in the backwaters along the channel toward Wiggins Pass with long-time customers, the Heimrich family. Jeff, wife Beth, seven-year-old Maddie (who prefers to be called “Maddawg” and five-year-old Tanner used live shrimp to catch four nice sheepshead, ranging in size from 14 to 17 ½ inches. They also caught fifteen mangrove snapper, including three keepers to 14 inches. They released a 20-inch snook, a 16 ½-inch redfish, and a stingray.

Jeannine Lamb and Kathy Kunce fished central Estero Bay with me on Wednesday, 2/26. They caught and released two 17-inch redfish and a stingray, and boxed a brace of 14-inch pompano, all on live shrimp.

Thursday, some rain moved through our area, with an approaching cool front, in the early morning hours. I had planned to charter a customer’s boat that day, but with an uncertain time-line on the weather front, he chose to cancel that trip. As it turned out, it probably would have been a decent day offshore. Sometimes, it is difficult to make the call in advance.

Friday, 2/28, I fished with Jim McGrath and Bill Crockett, who fish with me several times each February and March. This time, Jim brought his son, Steve, along. We fished at the near-shore reefs off Bonita Beach, using live shrimp to catch five keeper sheepshead to 15 inches, three 20-inch Spanish mackerel, and a 16-inch pompano. The guys released lots of mangrove snapper shorts, along with a dozen crevalle jacks, blue runners and ladyfish.

Leonard Kottman, nine year-old son, Jack, and brother-in-law, Mike, fished the near-shore reefs with me Saturday morning, 3/1, where they used live shrimp to catch seven keeper sheepshead to 16 inches, and released eight mangrove snapper shorts. Jack also had an interesting encounter with a remora, which he posed with for a picture.

Monday, 3/3, was a gorgeous day but, unfortunately, my party on schedule to fish offshore had confused their flight dates when they booked their trip, and didn’t realize it until the last minute. They were still up north! So, I got stuck at home painting the deck instead of fishing—I hate when that happens!

The photo shown is of angler Tom Batcheller, with a 29-inch gag grouper, caught on a bait-fish and released 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/fishing videos.htm

Monday, 1/20/14, was the first day in about two weeks that was suitable for offshore fishing. Successive, relentless weather fronts had forced me off the water for about a week, then into the backwaters for the next week or so. Another front, predicted to bring high winds and seas again was on the horizon, but Monday presented a brief window of opportunity. I headed out about twenty miles west of New Pass to fish with long-time customer, Tom Batcheller and his friends, Duncan Keirnes, Dave Curry, and Garry Jacobson. The guys had a very productive trip—using live shrimp for bait, they caught and released five gag grouper, four of which would have been keepers, had they been in season. Those four measured 22, 25, 26 and 29 inches. The guys also released four red grouper shorts that were all about 18 inches, along with a 15-inch mutton snapper, an 18-inch Spanish mackerel, a few short triggerfish, and a half-dozen short porkfish. As for fish to take home, they landed four keeper hogfish, two at 14 inches and two at 17 inches, along with three keeper porkfish, a dozen nice mangrove snapper to 16 inches, and a half-dozen whitebone porgies to 14 inches. On our way back to shore, we saw some of the pilot whales that have were stranded off Lovers’ Key beach, and took a few photos of that sad sight.

Tuesday, 1/21, I fished just ahead of the next weather front. Winds and seas were calm until about 2PM, when they started kicking up in advance of a strong cold front due to hit our area in the evening. Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, and Dick Arnett, all frequent and long-time customers, fished 18 miles west of New Pass with me, using live shrimp. The group caught and released six gag grouper to 23 inches, along with a 30-pound goliath grouper that Eddie battled and caught on light tackle. For food-fish, the guys boxed two mangrove snapper, 16 inches and 17 inches, a 15-inch hogfish, six keeper porkfish, eight whitebone porgies, and a mess of grunts.

On Wednesday, 1/22, the chilly temperatures scared my planned inshore charter off, and they cancelled their trip. I must admit, it would have been cold on the water that morning, with lows of 38 degrees, and not much warming throughout the day. By Thursday, things weren’t much better temperature-wise, and they were decidedly worse as for conditions, with strong winds and rough seas offshore, and super shallow water in the bay. My planned offshore trip cancelled, as did Friday’s, when winds howled all day and seas were eight feet offshore.

After three days of lost fishing time, I finally got out fishing Saturday morning, 1/25. Robert Plecki and his group decided it would be wiser to fish inshore than offshore, given the rough seas of the past couple of days and little faith that the two-to three foot seas predicted for Saturday would actually be the case. Bob Plecke, Jay Farrell, Alan Federman and Vince Slisz fished a catch-and-release trip with me, using live shrimp in lower Hickory Bay. The guys caught six sheepshead, two of which were especially nice ones at 17 and 19 inches. They also caught a 16-inch trout and a five-pound stingray.

Monday, 1/27, after several days of cancelled offshore trips and only a couple of tide-worthy inshore trips, we finally saw some nice offshore conditions. Winds were calm, seas were smooth, and temps were climbing back into our normal range. I headed out eighteen miles west of New Pass with Tim Brunkhorst, Todd Darland, Jeff Danner, and Jeff Holiday. The guys used live shrimp to catch five keeper sheepshead to 19 inches, a 15-inch hogfish, and a 17 1/2-inch mangrove snapper, and whitebone porgies to 15 inches. They released seven gag grouper to 21 inches and half a dozen red grouper to 18 inches.

Tuesday morning, 1/28, offshore conditions remained favorable, so I headed out 19 miles from New Pass with Brett and Mandy Ewig. We did have heavy fog for the first part of the morning, with visibility about 50 feet during our trip out (thank goodness for radar!) and about 150 foot visibility on either side of the boat, once anchored. Eventually, the sun burned the fog off, and it turned into a nice, mild morning. The couple caught a keeper red grouper at 20 ½ inches, four keeper sheepshead between 14 and 15 inches, a brace of 16-inch mangrove snappers, a brace of 16-inch whitebone porgies, and several grunts. They also caught and released two red grouper shorts, two 21-inch gag grouper, a hogfish that was ½ inch short of keeper-size, and five triggerfish shorts.

Wednesday morning, just ahead of yet another weather front, which brought rain and wind and cooler temperatures that afternoon, I fished inshore in the Hogue Channel area with Richard Pyper and Ronald Dupont. The guys used live shrimp to catch a 21-inch black drum, four keeper sheepshead to 14 inches, and three keeper mangrove snapper in the 11-to-12-inch range. They released ladyfish.

Thursday, 1/30, was a complete wash-out. It rained from the wee hours of Thursday morning into early Friday morning. I remained in port until Friday, when I fished inshore with Mike Connealy, his son-in-law, Brett Ewig, who had fished with me earlier in the week, and Rick Rosen. We had planned to head offshore, but with rain over the gulf from Naples to Port Charlotte, we changed plans and opted to fish inshore. We had good luck with sheepshead, using live shrimp in lower Hickory Bay. The guys caught a dozen of them, six of which were keepers to 17 ½ inches. They released the shorts, along with a 13-inch black drum and a pair of ladyfish.

Alejandro Miranda-Sousa, George Mestas, Orlando Fernandez, Pedro Martin, and Nate Swan had planned to fish offshore with me all day Saturday, but NOAA’s predictions for more moisture over the gulf, with rain and heavy fog on Saturday caused them to make alternate plans. As it turned out, Saturday morning was minimally foggy, and the rain was scattered and light, so it was disappointing to have canceled a trip that day. I offered to take the guys on Super Bowl Sunday, and we settled on a little more than a half-day trip offshore, which allowed us to get out about 27 miles. The guys caught two keeper red grouper, one 22-inch on a squirrel-fish, and one 20 ½ inches on a live shrimp. They used shrimp to catch lots more red grouper, all of which were throw-backs. They added to the fish box one keeper lane snapper and twenty whitebone porgies to 16 inches.

The photo shown is of angler Duncan Keirnes, with a 17-inch hogfish, caught shrimp on a recent offshore trip.

You can check out all of our shark and goliath grouper action videos at the following link:

http://www.fishbustercharters.com/fishing</a> videos.htm <br>

The week of January 5th, 2014, was pretty much a loss for fishing. We had near-freezing temps for a couple of days, thanks to a strong cold front that made it this far south, which is unusual. That front also brought high winds and rough seas, and the wind direction was such that it sucked most of the water out of the back-bays, causing very low-tide conditions that were not optimum for fishing.

I wasn’t able to take any of my trips out until Saturday morning, 1/11/14, when it was still too rough offshore, but we did, at least, have a decent tide in the backwaters. I fished in lower Hickory Bay, Broadway channel and central Estero Bay with Tom Ricker, Doug Woog, Tom Butcher and Bill Hocking. The guys caught a trio of 17 ½-inch sheepshead, along with another one measuring 16 inches. They also caught a nice trout, just short of 18 inches.

Monday morning, 1/13, with winds still blowing pretty strong, Elliot Russell and friends Kurt and Greg Bowman (father and son) had to decide whether to brave what could be some sloppy seas offshore, or to opt for fishing the backwaters. They decided to fish the backwaters, given the decent tide we had that morning. The guys did very well, fishing with live shrimp in lower Big Hickory Bay, just north of Hogue Channel. They caught ten keeper black drum, four of which were over 20 inches. They also caught a 15-inch sheepshead and a keeper sand bream. They released ten smaller sheepshead and two crevalle jacks.

The drum and sheepshead were biting well again on Tuesday, 1/14, when I fished in lower Hickory Bay with Robin Latham and Chris Welch. The guys used shrimp to catch eight keeper black drum to 19 ½ inches, along with a trio of 14-inch sheepshead and one keeper mangrove snapper. Wednesday morning, 1/15, I again fished in lower Hickory Bay’s backwaters, as the next windy, cold-front was approaching our area, with predictions for over-night lows back into the forties again. But it was still fairly warm, though cloudy and windy, when I fished with frequent customer Mike Connealy and his friends, Chris Meyer, Kevin Christianson, and Greg Eaton. We fished an out-going tide with live shrimp, and the guys caught four keeper black drum, all between 18 and 19 ½ inches. They released two smaller drum. Added to the box were seven keeper sheepshead to 15 inches, and one keeper mangrove snapper.

Thursday was not a good day to fish anywhere. Winds were gusting to 25 knots, the tide was low and going out, and the wind-chills were in the 3o’s. I remained in port. Friday morning, 1/17, had a chilly start at 39 degrees but, with winds much lighter than they were the day before, it actually felt a little warmer. I fished in lower Hickory Bay and in Broadway Channel with Chris Baumgartner and his dad, Larry Baumgartner. The guys used live shrimp to catch six keeper sheepshead, all in the 15 to 17 inch range, and one keeper black drum at 17 inches. They released shorter sheepshead.

The photo shown is of angler Kurt Bowman, with a 21-inch black drum, caught shrimp on a recent trip.

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

Saturday morning, 12/21/13, the winds, which had been pretty much steady all week, were still blowing hard, and seas were predicted to be three-to-four feet offshore. But, with dead-low tides in the bay, Butch Haggin, his son-in-law, John Sims, and grandson, John Sims, Jr. decided they’d have a better chance catching fish as far out as conditions would allow than they would have fishing inshore. So we headed to the near-shore reefs and to a few other spots within ten or eleven miles of shore. The guys used live shrimp to catch two 13-inch keeper mangrove snapper, an 11-inch porkfish, and a mess of grunts. They released gag grouper shorts, red grouper shorts to 17 inches, short mangrove snapper and triggerfish, and blue runners, along with a brace of 16½-inch, out-of-season hogfish.

Monday morning, 12/23, the winds were much calmer, though predicted to increase late in the day and into Tuesday. Frank Barry, his daughter, Becky Rivera and her two sons, Zach and Tim, joined by friend, Emily Suma, took advantage of the calmer conditions to head offshore with me, about 18 miles west of New Pass, where they fished with live shrimp. The group caught four nice sheepshead to 17 inches, three keeper porkfish, and a mess of grunts. They released a 19 ½-inch red grouper, just short of legal size, along with a 17-inch hogfish, which is out of season until January 1st. They also released a half dozen yellowtail snapper shorts, a half dozen triggerfish shorts, and four smaller porkfish.

The morning of Christmas-eve, Tuesday, 12/24, I fished in Estero Bay with George Siambones and his three sons, George Jr., David, and Matt. The boys had originally planned to fish offshore, but the weather and sea conditions prevented that, with small craft advisories issued and six-to-right feet seas offshore. I figured the backwaters might be a good option, since there was finally some water in it, unlike the low tides we have had over the past several days. So, we headed into Estero Bay, where the boys did well, fishing with live shrimp. They caught three 16-inch pompano, two 16-inch black drum, a 16-inch sheepshead, and a 19-inch redfish. They released a few crevalle jacks, a 24-inch ladyfish, and a couple of 5-pound sailcats. Christmas Day and the day after were spent with family, on land.

Friday, 12/27, I fished inshore in Estero Bay on a windy morning, with Sven and Carinna Petterson. The couple used live shrimp to catch two keeper mangrove snapper and three keeper sheepshead, one measuring 14-inches, and two at 16 inches. They released smaller sheepshead. Saturday morning, 12/28, with the winds still blowing and seas rough offshore, I fished inshore in Estero Bay again with Dave Carey and his son, Dan, along with friends George Siambones and his son, Matt, both of whom fished with me on Christmas Eve. The foursome used live shrimp to catch pompano and sheepshead, boxing a 16-inch pompano and two sheepshead measuring 14 and 16 inches. They released smaller catches, along with four stingray weighing two to three pounds and five sailcats weighing three-to-four pounds.

Monday morning, 12/30, Pat and Marta O’Neill and their two young children, Madia, age eight, and Finley, age six, fished a catch-and-release trip in Estero Bay with me. Using live shrimp, the family caught sixteen snapper to ten inches, a 15-pound stingray and two smaller rays, three sailcats, and eight sheepshead to 12 inches.

The morning of New Years’ Eve, 12/31, I fished a very rough offshore trip with Chase Gustin and his dad, Tim. The winds were howling, and seas were rough, but we knew that beforehand. The guys still wanted to fish the gulf, rather than fish an outgoing tide in the bay. So we headed out to the near-shore reefs, where we fished in three-to-four foot seas with live shrimp. We had a cobia on, first line cast, but it got free before Chase could get it boated. After that, the guys caught mostly mangrove snapper, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel. The largest sheepshead was a nice one, at 18 inches, and the five Spanish mackerel were to 23 inches.

Thursday’s planned offshore trip cancelled, due to high winds, rough seas, and lots of moisture over the gulf, in advance of a cold front, which arrived over-night Thursday.

Friday morning, 1/3, was windy and chilly, and the offshore plans that Bob Eckle and his two sons, Nick and Jason, had made, were revised to inshore plans, given the five-eight foot seas offshore. The guys used live shrimp in Broadway Channel to catch a brace of 15-inch pompano and a brace of 13-inch sheepshead. They released ten sheepshead shorts. Ron Donahue, Glen Morrow, and Ekin Sahin spent a drizzly, chilly Saturday morning with me fishing the oyster bars in lower Hickory Bay on 1/4/14, on a catch-and-release trip. The guys used live shrimp to catch eleven sheepshead, four of them nice ones ranging from 16 ½ inches to 19 ½ inches. They also caught and released two black drum to 20 inches.

The photo shown is of angler Glen Morrow, with a 20-inch black drum, caught shrimp on a recent trip.



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

Monday, 12/9, I fished inshore in Estero Bay with long-time customers, Erwin and Millie Metusiak. The couple boxed six nice sheepshead to 17 inches, and released five smaller ones. They also released short black drum, a couple of stingrays, and four crevalle jacks to five pounds.

Tim and Caroline Peterson fished the backwaters with me Tuesday morning, where we used live shrimp to catch seven sheepshead, all 14 to 16 inches, a 14-inch pompano, a keeper black drum, and a brace of 11-inch mangrove snapper.

Low tide and high winds made for some tough inshore fishing Saturday morning, 12/14, when I fished with Greg Starleaf, his son Chris, and his father-in-law, Richard Johnson. The guys caught mostly sheepshead, with three keepers to 18 inches, and eight shorts released, along with a few puffer-fish and a couple or stingray.

Tuesday morning, 12/17, seas were rough at the outset, with winds having blown hard all weekend and into the early hours of Tuesday. Seas calmed down as the morning progressed, and I fished the near-shore reefs off Bonita Beach with Chris Bauman and his sons, Sam and Louie. The guys used live shrimp to catch four Spanish mackerels, all in the 21-to 22-inch range, a 13-inch sheepshead, and a mess of grunts. They released lots of triggerfish to 13 inches, along with small gag grouper.

Wednesday morning, though predicted to be calmer was pretty much a carbon copy of Tuesday. Seas were sloppy, even at the near-shore reefs, where I fished a catch-and release trip with Mike Cilip, Sr, Mike Cilip, Jr., and friend, Gordon Gau. The guys used live shrimp to catch seven sheepshead to 15 inches, grunts, Spanish mackerel and gag grouper shorts.

Thursday’s seas began a little sloppy, but calmed down nicely, and I was able to get out about eighteen miles, where I fished with frequent-fishers Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, and Bob Deering. The guys used live shrimp to catch and release yellowtail snapper and triggerfish shorts, three mutton snapper to 15 inches, and a dozen red grouper shorts to 19 ¾ inches, just short of legal size. They also released a 30-inch, out-of-season gag grouper. They boxed some grunts, along with twenty-five whitebone porgies to 16 inches to take home for dinner.

Winds picked up again Friday, 12/20, with sloppy conditions even at the near-shore reefs, where I fished with Reiner Neumann and his three sons, Steven, Brian and Christopher. We caught a lot of fish, but only a few were keepers, including a 14-inch sheepshead, a brace of 13-inch mangrove snapper, and a half-dozen grunts. We released eight mangrove snapper shorts, eight triggerfish shorts in the 12-13-inch range, and blue runners.

The photo shown is of Cap’t Dave, with a 30-inch gag grouper he helped angler Ron Musick catch, caught on a pinfish on a recent offshore trip. Gags are out of season, so this big boy had to be released.

You can check out all of our shark and goliath grouper action videos at the following link:
fishing action videos

:toocool: Tuesday, 11/12/13, I fished offshore with long-time customers Kari Vilamaa, George Dyer, and Paul Kikendall. We were one day ahead of a cold front that was predicted to bring strong winds and seas of six to eight feet offshore, but we had calm conditions all day, and we were able to fish in various spots ranging from 19 to 29 miles west of New Pass. The guys caught two keeper red grouper at 20 ½ inches and 21 ½ inches, and released a gag grouper that was just ½-inch short of keeper-size at 21 ½ inches, all of which bit pinfish. Fishing with live shrimp yielded a keeper hogfish at 14 inches, a brace of 13-inch yellowtail snapper, eighteen keeper lane snapper, a keeper mangrove snapper, and four Spanish mackerel to 25 inches. The group released porgy-shorts, along with two sharks, an 8-foot nurse shark and a 3-foot sharp-nose shark.

My scheduled offshore trip for Wednesday had to be canceled, as the windy cool front passed through over-night on Tuesday, with gale-force winds in the area by Wednesday morning. Thursday was less windy than Wednesday was, but a persistent 20-25 knot wind blew for much of the day. The tide was dead low first thing in the morning, so I waited until mid-morning to take John and Toni Heimrich fishing in the backwaters—the gulf was still way too rough, so the bay was our only option. I tried my best to keep us sheltered from the wind in spots that held some fish. The couple did very well with drum and sheepshead, caught on live shrimp. They landed three keeper sheepshead, all nice size to 17 ½ inches. They also caught two keeper drum, one at 14 ½ inches and one really nice one at 24 inches. They released a few smaller sheepshead and drum, along with four stingrays.

Friday was another windy morning of backwater fishing. The tide was higher than it was the day before, but the fishing wasn't as productive. Pat O'Neill and friend, Rick, had initially hoped to fish offshore for grouper but, foiled by high winds rough seas, they fished in Estero Bay instead. They caught three keeper-sized sheepshead, released a crevalle jack and a stingray, and had their lines broken by redfish three times on an oyster bar.

Monday, 11/18, I fished an offshore catch-and-release trip, using pinfish and live shrimp, from 18 to 22 miles west of New Pass, with Bill Doyle and his three friends, all of whom were named Dave! The guys released fifteen red grouper shorts to 19 ½ inches, a 13 ½ inch yellowtail snapper, a 14-inch mangrove snapper and a 14 ½ inch lane snapper, along with a few whitebone porgies to 15 inches.

Tuesday, seas were flat smooth, and the grouper fishing was great 25 to 28 miles west of New Pass, where I fished with frequent customers, Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, Dick Arnett and John Ebrecht. The guys landed five keeper red grouper, ranging in size from 21 inches to 25 inches. We used pinfish for four of them, but Eddie caught his 24-incher on a jig. John added to the fish box a 14-inch hogfish, and the guys also added a dozen keeper lane snapper, a keeper mangrove snapper, and seven whitebone porgies to 14 inches. We had two big sharks bite fish that were being reeled up. One of those sharks was big enough to destroy Eddie’s reel—we didn’t see what kind it was. The other one was a nine-foot tiger shark, which breached the surface close enough to the boat that we could see its stripes and identify it, before it broke the line.

The grouper bite was on again Wednesday, 11/20, when I headed out to 29 miles west of New Pass with John Rankin, Peter Tam, Stephan Arani, Bob Furlotte, Norm Grieves, and Farrell Fulkerson. The guys used pinfish to land five keeper red grouper, consisting of a brace of 20 ½ inch, one 21-inch, one 25-inch and one 26-inch. They used live shrimp for their other catches, which included three dozen whitebone porgies that ranged 14 to 16 inches, a few keeper lane snapper, a keeper mangrove snapper, a keeper yellowtail snapper, and a mess of 13-to-14-inch grunts. The guys released some smaller yellowtail snapper.

Thursday morning, 11/21, I fished 18 to 22 miles west of New Pass with Mike Gengler, Sr. and son, Mike Gengler, Jr. The guys used pinfish to attract some red grouper, but the biggest ones they caught were 19 7/8 inches—in fact, they caught three of them that measured 19 7/8, just 1/8-inch short of legal size. They released those, along with a few yellowtail snapper shorts and a short hogfish. They did box three nice, keeper lane snapper to 14 inches, one keeper yellowtail snapper, a keeper porkfish, a keeper triggerfish at 14 inches, and a brace of 14-inch keeper hogfish, all on live shrimp.

The lucky run of smooth seas we had ended on Friday, when I fished 17 miles west of New Pass with Paul Dryden and his friends, Rich, Bill-1, Bill-2, and Greg. The winds blew 15 to 20 knots all morning, and seas were three-to-four feet. At one of our spots, there was a goliath grouper nuisance, which managed to eat seven nice sized catches as before they could be boated. So we vacated that spot, and went to a couple of others, where the guys used live shrimp to catch three 14-inch keeper mangrove snapper, ten whitebone porgies, all in the 13-14-inch range, and a mess of grunts. They released red grouper shorts.

Monday, 11/25, was the first windy, rough day of a week that is forecast to stay that way—with seas anywhere from six to fourteen feet during the week. Depending upon water levels in the bay, I might get a few backwater trips in, but offshore fishing isn’t looking good until this weather system passes.

The photo shown is of angler John Heimrich with a 24-inch black drum, caught on shrimp in Estero Bay on a recent inshore trip.

You can check out all of our shark and goliath grouper action videos at the following link:
fishing action videos

Bob and Jo-Ellen Exby fished 18 miles offshore with me on Tuesday, 10/22, just ahead of a cool-front due in the next day. The day began calm, and seas of one-foot were predicted by NOAA, but we had two-to-three foot seas most of the morning, as winds picked up to 15 knots prematurely. The couple used live shrimp to catch a nice, 17-inch hogfish, a keeper 21 1/2-inch red grouper, a keeper yellowtail snapper, three keeper porkfish, and four keeper whitebone porgies. They released a half dozen mangrove snapper shorts and six porgy-shorts.

It was a good while before I fished again, given lots of wind and rough seas offshore, along with our typical lull in activity at the end of October, just prior to busy season’s commencing. I fished a very windy Monday morning in Estero Bay with Jack McGrath, wife Suzanne, and fourteen-year-old daughter, Haley, on 11/4/13. The family wanted to catch and release and just get some experience fishing in the backwaters. They used live shrimp to catch and release fifteen mangrove snapper, five of which were keeper-size, ten sheepshead, including two keeper-sized to 16 inches, a sand bream, two crevalle jacks and a stingray.

Sometimes it seems Mother Nature is out to get you, especially when windy weather fronts arrive right about the time my long-time seasonal customers and angling friends return to the area, eager to wet their lines. We lucked out on Thursday, 11/7, just ahead of a prediction for three-to-five-foot seas offshore for the next couple days to come. I fished with Ron Musick and Eddie Alfonso, and we went after red grouper, using pinfish, in spots from 22 to 29 miles west of New Pass. We caught five keeper red grouper, one measuring 20 ½ inches, two measuring 24 inches, one at 25 inches, and one at 28 inches. The guys released about fifty additional red grouper that were short of legal size, along with lane snapper and yellowtail snapper shorts, a half-dozen triggerfish shorts, two small amberjack, a four-foot sandbar shark, and a 7-foot nurse shark.

Friday, 11/8, was windy, as predicted, with seas predicted to be two-to-four feet within 20 miles, and three-to five feet beyond 20 miles. Long-time customer, Mike Connealy, usually changes plans to fish inshore when conditions are rough offshore. But, this time Mike had three friends with him, Mark Linhart, Bob and Terry, who wanted to fish in the gulf and were willing to deal with the rough seas to fish the close-in reefs. It was rough, for sure, which made fishing tougher. The guys released mangrove snapper, sheepshead, and flounder shorts, and Mark did catch one nice, keeper flounder at 17 ½ inches, on shrimp.

Saturday morning, with winds still blowing 20 knots, Bob and Stephanie Rose chose to fish inshore in Estero Bay. Right off the bat, we had a big redfish take a shrimp and break the line. Shortly after that, Bob caught a 23-inch redfish. Stephanie caught a nice sheepshead at 15 ½ inches, and a keeper mangrove snapper. The couple released several smaller sheepshead and a dozen mangrove snapper shorts, along with a crevalle jack.

The photo shown is of a 28-inch red grouper, one of five keepers caught on pinfish, fishing with angler Ron Musick, on a recent offshore trip.

You can check out all of our shark and goliath grouper action videos at the following link:
fishing action videos

Friday morning, 10/11, I fished 22 miles offshore with Roberto Russi, his father-in-law, John, and friend, Bill. We used a grunt to land a nice, 25 ½-inch red grouper, and we also had something big cut 100-pound, braided line, so that might have been a bigger grouper! The guys used live shrimp to catch a 14-inch hogfish, a 13-inch yellowtail snapper, a 13-inch lane snapper, a 15-inch mangrove snapper, a half-dozen keeper porkfish, and five whitebone porgies. All in all, it was a good morning of fishing, with seas of two-to-three feet, and no rain! Looks like dry season is finally here.

Saturday morning, 10/12, I fished inshore in Estero Bay with Jim Jambor, Jim Burton, and Herb Lethert. The redfish liked our live shrimp, and the guys caught two keepers, 24 inches and 25 ½ inches. The rest of our catches were mostly throw-backs, including a half dozen mangrove snapper shorts, five short sheepshead, and three stingrays about 3 pounds each. We did catch one keeper mangrove snapper to add to the fish box.

Thursday, 10/17, I fished 28 miles offshore with long-time customer, Dave Carey, and his friends, Scott Ehartt, Steve Wanner, and George Siambanes. The guys did well with red grouper, using pinfish and cut- bait. They caught six keeper red grouper, measuring 21 inches, 22 inches, 24 inches, and a trio of 25-inchers. They released about 45 additional red grouper that were short of keeper size. They used cut-bait for a couple of 40-inch sharp-nose sharks, which they released, then switched to shrimp for some snapper catching. They landed a 13-inch yellowtail snapper, four keeper lane snapper, and a 16-inch triggerfish. They released a dozen lane snapper shorts, along with a mess of grunts and a dozen porgies—no need to keep those with a box full of grouper and snapper!

The same guys who fished with me Thursday fished again on Saturday, 10/19, and we had another great day of fishing, this time about 35 miles west of New Pass. George caught a beautiful red grouper at 25 ½ inches, along with a really nice hogfish at 22 inches, both of them on shrimp, using a light spinning rod. The group added to the fish box another keeper red grouper at 21 inches, seven whitebone porgies that were all 15 and 16 inches, four keeper mangrove snapper to 16 inches, three yellowtail snapper to 17 inches, and a few large grunts. The guys released about twenty-five red grouper shorts, four yellowtail shorts, a 40-inch sharp-nose shark and a 3-foot long, odd looking fish that I am calling a trumpet fish—I’m not sure if that is its technical name or not, but it resembles a trumpet. We used mostly shrimp for bait, but we did have what I think was a very large shark bite a bait-fish and break the line before we could get a good look at it.

The photo shown is of angler, George Siambones with a 22-inch beauty of a hogfish, caught on shrimp on an offshore trip this past Saturday.

You can check out all of our shark and goliath grouper action videos at the following link:
fishing action videos
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:toocool: Redfish have been the best bet around here lately, with trips scarce overall, and with favorable bay tides trumping some sloppy conditions offshore. Monday morning, 9/23/13, I fished the backwaters of Estero Bay with Doug Duncan, Eric Bastion, and Randy Cummings. The guys had originally planned an offshore trip, but Monday was an unsettled day with abundant rains in the area, and the Gulf winds had picked up to 15 knots, with the promise of sloppy seas, so we opted to remain inshore and dodge the rains as best we could. The guys did well, using live shrimp. Dough caught a keeper redfish at 22½ inches, and the group released two smaller reds. Eric caught a 14-inch, keeper sheepshead. Randy caught and released an 18-inch snook. The group also caught five keeper mangrove snapper to 13 inches.

We were stuck in an early-day rain pattern for days, with lots of moisture hanging over the gulf, until it dried out some on the weekend. The next trip I had was Wednesday, 10/2, and it was supposed to be an offshore trip with Bill and Michelle Severns. Seas were predicted to be about two feet, but as we approached the near-shore reefs, we could see that the further out we ventured, the rougher it would be. We decided to use our live shrimp near-shore and, even there at the reefs five to six miles off the beach, seas were pretty rough. Fishing was tough, but the couple caught a bunch of mangrove snapper, including three keepers. They also released a lot of lane snapper shorts, but managed one keeper lane. They released gag grouper shorts, crevalle jacks and Spanish mackerel too.

Saturday morning, 10/5, I fished inshore in Estero Bay with Clement and Evelyn Wong and Peter and Miranda Tai. The guys each caught keeper redfish, one 18 ½ inches and one 19 ½ inches. The group also released some sheepshead, along with a ten-pound stingray.

The photo shown is of angler Colby Dunovan, with a 24 ½-inch redfish, caught on shrimp in Estero Bay on a recent backwater trip.

You can check out all of our shark and goliath grouper action videos at the following link:
fishing action videos

:toocool: Labor Day Monday, 9/2/13, I fished the backwaters of Estero Bay with Lee and Lauren Wehr and their friends, Brian and Debbie Lucas. The group had originally planned to fish offshore, but with lots of rain over the gulf, they decided it might be safer to stay closer to the coast. We did, in fact, just beat the rain in, after a good morning of fishing. The group caught two nice, keeper redfish at 24½ inches and 25½ inches. They also reeled in a keeper sheepshead at 14 inches, along with three 11-inch keeper mangrove snapper, all caught on live shrimp.

The following Monday, 9/9, I fished Estero Bay again, this time with Steve Landy and Bob Bastuba. Using live shrimp, the guys caught two keeper redfish, one 21 inches long and one 24 ½ inches long. They released a couple of crevalle jacks, some mangrove snapper shorts, and a 14-inch snook.

Friday-the-thirteenth turned out lucky for Scott Saveraid and friends, Dave Howell, Dave Carris, and Mark Kilmer, who wanted to have some fun on a catch-and-release trip, hoping for some goliath grouper action. The group caught three goliaths, one sixty pounds, two 80 pounds and one 100 pounds. All of those bit Spanish mackerels. The rest of our catches bit on live shrimp, and included two cobia at 26 and 27 inches, six 13-14 inch mangrove snapper, and a brace of 20-inch Spanish mackerel. We took some photos and video and released all.

Saturday, 9/21, I spent the morning fishing Estero Bay with Colby and Colleen Dunavan. The couple used live shrimp to catch two keeper redfish, Colby’s red measuring 24 ½ inches and Colleen’s 23 inches. Colleen also caught and released a 23-inch snook. The couple added to the fish box one 13-inch sheepshead and a half dozen keeper mangrove snapper, all around 11 inches.

The photo shown is of angler Brian Lucas, with a 25 ½-inch redfish, caught on shrimp on a recent inshore trip.

You can check out all of our shark and goliath grouper action videos at the following link:
fishing action videos

Monday morning, 8/12/13, father and son anglers Bruce and Mike Epstein fished with me 22 miles west of New Pass, where they used pinfish for grouper fishing and live shrimp for snappers. The guys did well, catching four keeper red grouper, one at 21 inches, two at 26 inches, and one at 27 inches. They also caught five keeper yellowtail snapper to 13 inches, a half dozen keeper mangrove snapper to 13 inches, and ten keeper lane snapper. They released lots of red grouper shorts and fifteen lane snapper shorts.

Pat Cunningham had enough family members visiting to constitute a six-person trip offshore on Wednesday, 8/14/13. The family fished 22 miles west of New Pass, using live shrimp. Catches included twenty-five keeper lane snapper, ten grunts, and a couple of whitebone porgies. The group released all but three of the grunts, along with red grouper shorts to 18 inches, blue runners and crevalle jacks.

Thursday morning, 8/15, with a few light sprinkles of rain falling, I fished inshore in Estero Bay with the Ponnozo family: Grandpa Jack, Dad John, eleven-year-old son Alex, and younger son, Jake. The guys were celebrating Jake’s eighth birthday with a catch-and-release trip. They used live shrimp to catch two keeper-sized redfish at 18 inches and 24 inches, six sheepshead to 15 inches, twenty mangrove snapper shorts, a 15-inch snook, a 13-inch black drum, and a two-pound stingray. They released all.

I had planned an offshore trip for Friday morning, 8/16, but rain over the gulf and sloppy seas conditions weren’t optimal for the family who had planned to go. They opted to defer their trip. The weekend of 8/17/13 (and into the following week) was characterized by an early rain pattern, with some heavy rain and T-storms each day, usually beginning sometime around noon to the 2PM hour. Pair those conditions with the slow season that officially began in mid-August, once kids returned to school and families quit vacationing, and it is a prescription for a short fishing report!

We expect scattered trips throughout the rest of August and September, and will be gearing up in October for the return of our seasonal residents, which typically happens in mid-to-end October. Meanwhile, we will post whatever reports we have, and, as always, thanks for reading!

Labor Day weekend provided a little fishing action amidst slow season. I fished Saturday, 8/31, with Tim & Kathy Pedley and their friends, David & Arlee Kachenski and son, Matthew. We headed out in calm seas to 18 miles west of New Pass, but winds and seas picked up by late morning, and made for a rougher ride in than we had going out. The group used live shrimp to catch and release twenty-five red grouper shorts to 19 ½ inches. They also caught fifteen lane snapper, ten of which were keepers, and ten mangrove snapper, four of which were keepers, measuring about 12 inches each.

The photo shown is of angler, Ken Karstedt with a 28-inch red grouper, one of four keeper red grouper he and his group caught on pinfish on a recent offshore trip.

You can check out all of our shark and goliath grouper action videos at the following link:
fishing action videos
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:toocool: Tuesday morning, 7/30/13, I headed 22 miles off Naples with Brian Ritter and his daughter, Danni, joined by their friends Bill Sands and his daughter, Alissa. We used live shrimp to catch twenty keeper lane snapper along with one keeper yellowtail snapper at 14 inches. Danni used a pinfish to land a keeper red grouper at 24 inches. The group released lots of red grouper shorts and triggerfish shorts.

Wednesday morning, 7/31, Jeramie Sollman and his two sons, Tyler, age eleven, and Mitchell, age thirteen, fished a catch-and-release-trip with me at offshore spots ranging 17 to 22 miles off Naples, in depths of 36 to 45 feet. The trio caught two hogfish to 14 inches, ten mangrove snapper to 13 inches, thirty lane snapper to 14 inches, yellowtail shorts, seven 11-12-inch porgies, one gag grouper short at 18 inches, and a half dozen red grouper shorts to 19 ½ inches. They used shrimp for everything, except for the larger red grouper, which bit pinfish.

Carl and Christine Vellenga and seven-year-old son, Jake, fished about 13 miles west of New Pass with me on Thursday morning, 8/1. Seas weren’t as calm as they had been earlier in the week, so we didn’t venture too far offshore. The family used live shrimp to catch three Spanish mackerel to 24 inches and a 13-inch whitebone porgy. They released seven red grouper shorts to 17 inches and a 12-inch hogfish.

Saturday, 8/3, I had a great day of fishing with Dr. Alejandro Miranda Sousa, his parents, Raul and Carmen, Dr. Victor Luna, and Dr. Meir Daller and young son, Brenden. We fished 28 miles west of New Pass, using live shrimp for all our catches, except for the groupers, which bit pinfish. The group caught six keeper red grouper, one measuring 21 inches, one at 23 1/2 inches, two at 24 inches, one at 26 1/2 inches, and one at 28 inches. They released twenty smaller red grouper to 19 7/8 inches. Added to the fish box were three 13-inch yellowtail snapper, two 13-inch mangrove snapper, a half-dozen whitebone porgies to 15 inches, , four 12-inch grunts, and ten 11-inch lane snapper out of the twenty-five keeper-sized lanes caught. Carmen battled a 4-foot sharp-nose shark, which she victoriously posed with, then released!
Tuesday, 8/6, I fished 26 miles west of New Pass with Douglass Crane, son-in-law, Tony Abrantes, and Tony's ten-year-old son, Tonito Abrantes. The trio used grunts to land four keeper red grouper, one at 21 inches, two at 24 inches, and one at 28 inches. They used live shrimp to catch two keeper lane snapper at 12 inches and 14 inches, three keeper mangrove snapper to 13 inches, and six whitebone porgies to 14 inches. They released lots of red grouper and lane snapper shorts, along with a bonnethead shark.

Seas were a little rougher than they have been on Thursday, 8/8, when I headed out to fish with A.J. Laprete, his young son, Joe Laprete, Joe's friend, Paul Schnadig, and family friend, Joe Bianco. We fished near-shore in 30 feet, due to 15 knot winds and rougher seas further offshore. The group used live shrimp to catch a 17-inch hogfish, eight whitebone porgies, three porkfish, and a triggerfish. They released a dozen red grouper shorts and fifteen mangrove snapper shorts.
Dave Carey, daughter Brianna Carey, and Brianna’s boyfriend, Patrick Legge, fished in central Estero Bay with me on Friday morning. The trio used live shrimp to catch three sheepshead, including two keepers at 13 inches and 18 inches, a 14-inch black drum, and six keeper mangrove snapper, along with a 20-inch redfish.

Saturday, Carlos and Jennifer Cavernego had hoped to fish for a full day offshore for grouper. But the winds picked up, starting on Friday, and the seas that were predicted to be about two feet were actually four feet (plus) just 18 miles offshore. So we didn't venture further than that, and we cut the trip down to a half-day. The morning was productive, despite the rough conditions. The couple used live shrimp to catch fifteen keeper lane snappers, two keeper yellowtail snapper (13 inches) a 14-inch whitebone porgy, and a 24-inch Spanish mackerel.
The photo shown is of angler Raul Sousa, with a 28-inch red grouper, one of six keeper red grouper caught on bait-fish on a recent offshore trip.

You can check out all of our shark and goliath grouper action videos at the following link:
fishing action videos

:toocool: Bob O’Hara and grandson, Kevin, who had fished offshore with me on Friday, 7/12, fished again with me on Monday, 7/15. We headed offshore again, twenty miles from New Pass and had a fun fishing adventure, as well as bringing home some nice fish. The guys battled and brought to the surface a 30-pound barracuda, which bit a blue runner. After releasing and recovering, they fished for food fish, using live shrimp, and caught three keeper-sized hogfish at 13 inches, 16 inches and 18 ½ inches. We released the 13-inch one, since it was a female, and the two larger ones were plenty for the guys to bring home. They also caught a keeper gag grouper at 25 ½ inches, a half-dozen keeper lane snapper, two 15-inch mangrove snapper, a few grunts and a few whitebone porgies to 14 inches. They lost one big gag that bit a pinfish but got away, and they released six red grouper shorts, all of which bit pinfish.

Wednesday morning, 7/17, with small craft advisories issued for beyond twenty miles, I knew my offshore trip would have to be a near-shore one. Even at the reefs just six miles off Bonita Beach, we encountered seas of three-to-four feet. I fished at the reefs with long-time customer Reiner Neumann and his son, Steven, who were joined by friend, Dennis Hill, and his grandson, Caden. The foursome used live shrimp to catch a half dozen Spanish mackerel to 25 inches, three keeper mangrove snapper, all 12 inches, and one keeper lane snapper. They released numerous mangrove snapper shorts, along with a few triggerfish shorts.

Thursday, it rained all day, and that was followed by some sloppy seas on Friday, 7/19. It wasn't calm enough to get too far offshore, so I fished near-shore with Bob Snyder, his son, Zack, and Zack’s grandfather, Buck. The guys used live shrimp at the May and GH reefs off Bonita Beach to catch fifteen Spanish mackerel to 24 inches, five grunts to 14 inches, a 15-inch spadefish, two triggerfish shorts, a few porkfish shorts, and six mangrove snapper shorts, They kept eight of the Spanish mackerel and the grunts for dinner, and released the rest.

Shawn & Lacy Ruhl and friends, Dave and Sharon Emerhiner, fished twenty-two miles west of New Pass with me on Monday, 7/22. The group used live shrimp and caught fifty keeper lane snapper to 13 inches, along with a 15-inch whitebone porgy. They released red grouper shorts. Interestingly, they hooked four squid also, and got two of those to the boat, decided calamari would be a good appetizer for their snapper dinner, and brought those home as well!

Tuesday, 7/23, I fished in Estero Bay on a catch-and-release trip with Steve and Judy Vender and their nephew, Cody Hennessey. The group used live shrimp to catch five keeper mangrove snapper to 13 inches, three sheepshead to 16 inches, a stingray, and a couple of crevalle jacks.

Wednesday, 7/24, I fished 27 miles west of New Pass with Ken Karstedt, his girlfriend, Kathleen Wendorf, Ken's brother, Bill Karstedt, and dad, Kenneth Karstedt. We used grunts and lane snappers for grouper bait, and used shrimp for all our other catches. The grouper did very well with red grouper, landing four nice keepers at 22 inches, 25 inches, 27 1/2 inches, and 28 inches. They also caught fifteen keeper lane snapper and a keeper mangrove snapper at 13 inches. They released lots of red grouper shorts, mangrove snapper, lane and yellowtail shorts. The group also had some fun with a 45-pound barracuda that ate a fish being reeled in, and battled until it finally cut the line, close to the boat. They also had an 8-foot sandbar shark bite a grouper that was being reeled in, and cut the line after a noble battle!

Thursday, 7/25, with seas too rough for the Miller family to take their young daughters, we opted to fish inshore in Estero Bay. Casey Miller, his daughters Megan and Maren, his sister, Mandy, and his dad, Ron used live shrimp to catch a nice keeper redfish at 22 inches, along with three keeper 11-inch mangrove snapper and a 13-inch sheepshead. They released lots of snapper shorts, a two-pound stingray, and a twenty plus-pound stingray.

With a family event on the weekend, I was off the water Friday through Monday.

The photo shown is of angler, Kevin O’Hara, with an 18 ½-inch hogfish, one of two nice keeper hogs caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.

You can check out all of our shark and goliath grouper action videos at the following link:
fishing action videos

:toocool: Paul McConnell and family had planned to fish offshore with me on both Tuesday, 7/2/13 and Friday 7/5. We nixed Tuesday’s trip, as our weather was stormy for four consecutive days, Sunday, 6/30 through Wednesday morning, 7/3. After that, the continual rains quit, but with numerous lingering thunderstorms popping up Wednesday and Thursday, some containing dangerous lightening. Seas were also 3-5 feet offshore. By Friday, 7/5, seas close in were predicted at 2-3 feet, with 3-5 feet well offshore. The McConnells decided to brave a trip near-shore, and we headed out to fish about seven miles off Naples, using live shrimp. Seas were sloppy, and rougher than predicted, even close-in, but we managed to get nearly a half-day in before fleeing toward shore just ahead of a nasty looking squall that was approaching. The group caught two keeper mangrove snapper at 14 inches, two keeper porkfish, and three whitebone porgies to 15 inches. They released about twenty mangrove snapper shorts, an equal number of yellowtail snapper shorts to 11 ½ inches, fifteen crevalle jacks to 13 inches, numerous gag grouper shorts to 18 inches and red grouper shorts to 15 inches.

Saturday morning, 7/6, three of the group of five who had fished Friday with me returned to head offshore for a second time. Seas were still messy, with 3-4 footers, but this hardy group of three, including Paul McConnell, his son, Matt McConnell, and Matt's friend, George Frankel, headed out 19 miles from New Pass with me to fish with live shrimp. The guys caught and released about twenty yellowtail shorts, and got one keeper yellowtail at 12 1/2 inches. They also caught a nice, keeper hogfish at 17 inches, a 24-inch Spanish mackerel, and a dozen whitebone porgies, including an 18-incher. They released half the porgies and kept six of those at 13-14 inches, in addition to the 18-inch. They also caught four porkfish, including two keepers, and a mess of grunts. They released lots of grouper shorts--reds to 19 inches and gags to 18 1/2 inches.

Tuesday, 7/9, I fished 35 miles west of new Pass with John Hamilton and friends, Bob, Joe and Richard. The guys did great with yellowtail snapper on shrimp, and caught twenty-two yellowtail keepers to 14 inches. They added to the fish box a dozen nice whitebone porgies to 17 inches. They released fifteen additional porgies, along with lots of red and gag grouper shorts. We got chased by storms on the way in, and were glad to get back into shore before the worst of it.

Wednesday morning, 7/10, I managed to avoid some scattered rain showers fishing 19 to 22 miles west of New Pass with Greg Delano and his sixteen-year-old son, Dan. The guys used pinfish for grouper fishing and caught a 21 1/2-inch red grouper keeper. They released fourteen additional red grouper shorts. They used live shrimp for snapper fishing, and caught fifteen keeper lane snapper to 13 inches and one 12-inch keeper mangrove snapper. They released ten smaller lane snapper, as well as a 13-inch triggerfish.

Thursday morning, 7/11, I fished 20 miles west of New Pass with Darryl Metzger and his two sons, Barrett and Mitchell. We dodged numerous rain showers and even spotted a couple of water spouts throughout the morning. But fishing was good, and the guys caught two keeper red grouper at 25 inches and 21 inches. They released seven additional undersized grouper, all of which bit pinfish. They used live shrimp for snapper catching, and landed two dozen keeper lane snapper and one keeper yellowtail snapper. They released two undersized yellowtails, along with five whitebone porgies and some grunts.

Friday, I headed out 19 miles from New Pass with Bob O'Hara and his grandson, Kevin. They guys got to battle a 40-pound blacktip shark, bringing it to the surface for a photo before releasing it. It bit a blue runner filet, and was definitely good for some adrenaline rushes! As for food fish, caught on shrimp, the guys caught a 20 1/2-inch keeper red grouper, a 16-inch whitebone porgy, a 14-inch lane snapper, and a 12-inch yellowtail snapper. They released more than twenty red grouper shorts, six mangrove snapper shorts, seven yellowtail shorts, five lane snapper shorts, and some grunts.

Saturday morning, 7/13, was calm when I headed out 19 miles, but as the morning progressed winds and seas picked up and made conditions a little sloppy. I fished with Paul Fenwick, his young daughter Emma, and his son, Spencer. Their friends, Susan Carlisle, John Purdy, and John’s daughter, Jordan, joined them. The group did not wish to keep any fish so we just had fun catching and releasing. Catches included two mangrove snapper at 16 inches and 13 inches, yellowtail snapper to 11 inches, triggerfish to 14 inches, whitebone porgies to 15 inches, a 15-inch Spanish mackerel, a strawberry grouper, red grouper to 18 inches and gag grouper to 16 inches.

The photo shown is of angler Mitchell Metzger, with a 25-inchred 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:
fishing action videos

Well, anglers awaiting the re-opening of gag grouper season are disappointed here today, with 3-5 foot seas and stormy conditions…let’s hope weather improves quickly!

Chris & Jenny Phillips and their three teen-aged children, Emily, Bradley and Ryan, fished 18 miles out of New Pass with me on Wednesday morning, 6/19/13. We used grunts to catch and release some grouper, including lots of red grouper to 18 inches and a 25-inch gag grouper. The rest of our catches bit shrimp and included three keeper hogfish at 13 inches, 17 inches and 18 inches, a keeper yellowtail snapper at 13 inches, a 13-inch keeper mangrove snapper, six keeper porkfish to 12 inches, a 13 /2-inch sheepshead, and a 20-inch Spanish mackerel.

I headed back out to 18 miles west of New Pass on Thursday morning, 6/20, with Shane Malan and his brother-in-law, Matt. The guys battled an 8-foot bull shark that ate a crevalle jack, and released it boat-side. They used live shrimp to fish light tackle for food-fish, and did well with those too. They caught a keeper red grouper at 20 inches, nine whitebone porfies to 14 inches, a 13-inch keeper mangrove snapper, a 13-inch keeper yellowtail snapper, three 11-inch keeper porkfish, and five grunts, all around 12 inches.

After a few days with visiting family, I got offshore on Wednesday, 6/26, with John and Allison Filippone, their son, Vince, and daughter, Lauren. We headed out about 13 miles from New Pass, and didn't venture further as conditions were a little sloppy. The family caught and released ten mangrove snapper just short of keeper size, to 11 3/4 inches, twenty yellowtail snapper shorts, seven red grouper shorts and two gag grouper shorts. They also released a 23-inch ladyfish and a dozen crevalle jacks. They caught some food-fish keepers, including a 20-inch Spanish mackerel, two keeper lane snapper four porgies, all about 14 inches, and a mess of 12-inch grunts.

Friday, 6/28, I fished central Estero Bay with Gary Hested and his two grandsons, Nathan, ten-years-old, and Kaden, twelve-years-old. The boys used live shrimp to catch and release ten mangrove snapper to 11 inches, four sheepshead to 11 ½ inches, an under-sized snook, and one two-pound stingray. They also caught and kept a nice, 22-inch redfish.

Saturday morning, 6/29, NOAA predicted seas of two-to three feet offshore, though local forecasts predicted calmer seas. Given the recent storms that have churned up the gulf, and from the way the gulf looked the night before, I was inclined to believe NOAA and, with a seven-year-old onboard, I advised David Warren and young son, Ethan, to fish inshore. We used live shrimp, and Ethan was happy to catch quite a few fish on his own. The duo caught eight sheepshead, including two 13-inch keepers, sixteen mangrove snapper, including a 12-inch keeper, and released five crevalle jack.

The photo shown below is of angler Emily Phillips , with an 18-inch hogfish, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.

The photo shown below is of young angler, Ethan Warren, with a 13-inch sheepshead, caught on shrimp on a recent inshore trip.

You can check out all of our shark and goliath grouper action videos at the following link:
fishing action videos

I fished Saturday, 6/1, and I headed offshore about 36 miles west of New Pass to fish in 71 feet with Craig Daniels, Chip Lehman, and friends Bubba and Paul. We had a great day of fishing in good conditions. We used shrimp and squid to catch most everything, except the grouper, which bit grunts. The guys landed two keeper red grouper at 23 inches and 25 inches, and they released lots of red grouper shorts, along with two would-be-keeper (but out of season) gag groupers at 22 inches. They also caught twenty keeper-sized whitebone porgies, but chose to release fourteen of them, keeping only the six largest to 20 inches. Added to the fish box were a half-dozen keeper lane snapper, all about 11 inches, seven nice mangrove snapper keepers to 17 inches, and a half-dozen yellowtail snapper keepers to 14 inches. We released lots of lane snapper shorts, along with three 20-inch amberjacks and an 18-inch almaco-jack.

Monday, 6/3, NOAA predicted calm seas of two feet, out to 60 miles. But when I saw the radar and all the rain over the gulf, thanks to a tropical depression, I knew the seas would be rougher than that. Craig Pirlot, his daughter, Dana Huff, and Dana's husband, Shane Huff, took my advice to fish inshore instead. The group used live shrimp in Estero Bay to catch two keeper redfish at 19 1/2 inches and so inches, along with a three keeper mangrove snapper to 14 inches. They released two stingray and a crevalle jack.

Wednesday, 6/5, I had planned to fish inshore with a party of three, but Mother Nature had different ideas. It rained nearly all day, thanks to a tropical depression over the area, and I remained in port. That depression turned into Tropical Storm Andrea, which dumped heavy rains upon us for the three days, along with gusty winds and adverse sea conditions. My offshore trip, planned originally for Friday, then deferred to Saturday, and then finally postponed to Monday, as Saturday was a calming-down day, but with lots of instability and moisture still over the gulf.

Joe and Liz Stratta, along with Gary and Kara Czarnecki and their young daughter, Alexis, were finally able to get out to the near-shore reefs off Bonita Beach with me on Monday. Although seas had finally calmed considerably, sloppy conditions persisted offshore and near-shore was a more comfortable place to be. The group used live shrimp to catch a 14-inch pompano, a keeper whiting and a keeper silver trout. They released ten mangrove snapper shorts, along with a 30-inch cobia.

Wednesday morning, 6/12, I headed out 20 miles from New Pass on a catch-and-release trip with father-and-son anglers, Doug and Wade Shepherd. We used grunts and small lane snapper for grouper fishing, and shrimp for everything else. The guys also wanted to experience a goliath on the line, but the goliaths insisted on hitting our light poles, never biting anything on heavy tackle. The guys caught and released a keeper-sized red grouper at 20 1/2 inches, and released eight additional red grouper to 19 3/4 inches. They also released a twenty porgies to 15 inches, six mangrove snapper shorts, six yellowtail shorts, and grunts.

Friday morning, 6/14, it was a tough call to make on whether to fish offshore or inshore, with Dennis Page and son, Michael. NOAA had predicted two-foot seas within twenty miles and two-to-three foot seas beyond twenty miles, with no rain. It looked like the winds were going to stay fairly calm until afternoon. But, when we got offshore, we had steady 15-knot winds, with two-to three footers close-in, and we also got rained on!. That made fishing a little tougher than we’d hoped. We tried to have some fun with goliath grouper, but all three of my spots had very smart goliaths on them—they wouldn’t bite our crevalle-jack baits, though we could see the goliaths below. A barracuda was quite the pest also, trying to rob our goliath-baits. The guys did catch a keeper, 15-inch flounder, a brace of keeper whitings at 14 inches, and a 13-inch keeper mangrove snapper. They released ten crevalle jacks.

Saturday, 6/15, I fished 35 miles out of New Pass with Mike Keczor and Mike Ballinger. The guys used live shrimp to catch thirty yellowtail snapper, including twenty nice keepers to 14 inches. They also got six keeper lane snapper--nice ones to 15 inches, and half-dozen whitebone porgies to 15 inches. They released three triggerfish shorts, along with fifteen red grouper shorts to 19 inches. They also had some fun with sharks, battling and releasing eight bonnet-head sharks, two sharp-nose sharks, and one bull shark, all of which were in the 40 to 45-inch range.

Mike Keczor and Mike Ballinger returned Sunday, 6/16, for a second day of offshore fishing, and seas were even calmer than they had been Saturday. We had a productive day, fishing about 30 miles west of New Pass, using live bait. The guys battled an estimated 200-pound nurse-shark, which they brought to the surface and released, after it bit a bait-fish. Using shrimp, they caught a half dozen keeper yellowtail snapper to 14 inches, and released nine more shorts. They also caught ten nice whitebone porgies to 18 inches. Using pinfish for red grouper worked well, and the guys caught twenty of those, including five keepers, one at 20 1/2 inches, three at 25 1/2 inches, and one 29 1/2 inches. All in all, it was an excellent day of fishing!

The photo shown is of angler, Gary Czarnecki, with a 30cobia, caught on shrimp and released on a recent offshore trip.

The photo shown is of angler, Stephanie Rose, with a 22-inch redfish, caught on shrimp in Estero Bay on a recent inshore trip.

You can check out all of our shark and goliath grouper action videos at the following link:
fishing action videos