Beiträge von fishbuster

“No oil—No spoil
Our Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine”

I fished in Estero Bay, in front of New Pass, with Steve and Jolissa Spitzer on Wednesday, the first day of September. We caught and released ladyfish and about twenty trout. We got one keeper trout at 16 inches and a keeper Spanish mackerel at 22 inches. We used live shiners for all.

Skip and Jody Brown had a productive morning of fishing Saturday, 9/4, when we headed out of New Pass in calm seas, to 43 feet. We caught two keeper gag grouper at 23 inches and 29 inches (see photo), the larger one weighing in at ten pounds. We nearly had a third one, but it got caught in the rocks and cut the line. We also got a nice 18-inch hogfish, a keeper yellowtail snapper, grunts, keeper-sized porkfish, and eight keeper whitebone porgies to 14 inches. We released the porkfish and grunts, along with some red grouper shorts.

“No oil—No spoil
Our Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine”

Estero Bay was my fishing grounds on Tuesday morning, 7/27, when I fished with Chris Polumbo and his young daughter, Miranda, along with Miranda's two friends, Bridget and Rachel. We caught two 17-inch trout and two keeper mangrove snapper. We released lots of smaller trout and snapper, along with crevalle jack, all on live shrimp.

Wednesday, I headed offshore for the first time in a while. Mark Aldridge, son Colin, eleven-year-old grandson Alfie, and family friend Dave VanDomilan fished 36 miles west of New Pass with me in 76 feet. We had a great day of fishing and landed three keeper red grouper at 21 inches, 22 inches and 24 inches. We nearly had one that was about 30 inches but it cut the line and got away just as we were readying the net for him. Still, the three grouper, along with eight keeper yellowtail snapper, two keeper mangrove snapper, a keeper Spanish mackerel, and a few 14-inch whitebone porgies made for a nice mess of fish. We released lots of smaller mangrove and yellowtail snapper, all caught on shrimp.

Chris Polumbo, who fished with me Tuesday, fished with another set of kids—his son and friends—on Thursday. We tried a different area of the bay this time, toward Wiggins Pass, but there was an abundance of catfish down that way. We moved around a bit and ended up catching keeper whiting and keeper mangrove snapper, on shrimp.

Friday morning, 7/30, I dodged a few scattered rain showers offshore with Richard Sturgill, his wife, and a couple of friends. We fished with live shrimp in 43 feet, out of New Pass, where we caught keeper Spanish mackerel, keeper mangrove snapper and keeper lane snapper. We released red grouper shorts and crevalle jack.

I didn’t fish again until Monday, 8/9. It is definitely slow-time now...as we turn the calendar page to August, we expect a few trips a month, at best, until our seasonal residents begin to return in October.

Monday, 8/9, I fished with Mark and Beth Gittens and their two young daughters, Jamie and Jessica. We dodged several rain showers and the group was happy catching fish, even in a little rain...but when we saw some lightening in the distance, shortly before noon, it was time to head in! The group brought home plenty of whitebone porgies, porkfish and grunts for dinner. We released a keeper-sized Spanish mackerel, and had fun with a barracuda on the line for a while, until he cut the line and ran off.

I got offshore again on Friday, 8/13, with Karl Gawenda and his family. We fished in 43 feet, using live shrimp. We caught two nice mangrove snapper at 16 inches each and released lots of shorts. We also caught ten keeper whitebone porgies to 14 inches, several lane snapper, including one keeper, a 26-inch Spanish mackerel, and grunts. We released yellowtail and red grouper shorts, along with an 80-pound goliath grouper. We had a big cobia circling the boat for a while, but he refused to eat anything.

The photo shown is of angler, Colin Aldridge with a 24-inch red grouper, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip 38 miles west of New Pass, in about 70 feet.

“No oil—No spoil
Our Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine”

Tim Reid fished near-shore with me, about ten miles off the beach Saturday morning, 7/17. Winds and seas, which were calm most of the week, had picked up quite a bit and seas were a little sloppy, so we decided to stay near-shore and do some shark fishing. We site-casted on the surface, using pinfish strips on a mackerel-rig, and we caught and released fourteen sharp-nose sharks to 40 inches.

Tuesday, Daniel Wallace and friends fished with me. Seas were predicted to be two-to-three feet, but they were much rougher than that. We headed to the reefs and decided not to go any further offshore, due to conditions. We fished with live shrimp and caught a 16-inch flounder, a keeper triggerfish and mangrove snapper and grunts.

Having seen what the gulf was like on Tuesday, I advised Jim Shubert, his son Terry, and grandson, T.J. to fish inshore on Wednesday. We did well with trout and caught fifteen of those, four of which were keepers, ranging 15 ½ to 16 ½ inches. We caught a keeper sheepshead at 15 ½ inches and a keeper redfish at 21 inches. We released a mess of mangrove snapper, all but four, which were keeper size. We used live shrimp and a popping cork for the trout and live shrimp tossed under the mangroves for the redfish and the snapper.

Kevin Coyle and son, Paul, fished Estero Bay with me on Thursday morning. The trout bite was again active and we caught fifteen of those on shrimp, but most were undersized and released. We also caught keeper Spanish mackerel and mangrove snapper. Kevin also caught a 16 ½ inch black drum. We released undersized sheepshead, small snook, and a crevalle jack.

On a drizzly Friday morning, ahead of tropical Storm Bonnie’s arrival, I fished Estero Bay with Dwayne McCoy and his sister, Heather Romines. There was trout a-plenty again—sixteen of them, including four keepers to 17 inches, along with a 20-inch Spanish mackerel, small sheepshead, ladyfish and crevalle jack, all biting shrimp. We released all but the keeper trout.

Saturday morning, the sun was shining and the only remnants Bonnie were some slightly higher than usual winds. I fished inshore with Terry and Lori Dobbs and friends, Tom & Jane, all from Arkansas. We went after trout with shrimp and popping corks and caught a bunch of those, including two nice keepers at just over 20 inches and 16 inches—Lori caught both of those, along with a 15-inch sheepshead. Tom caught and released a twenty-pound stingray, as the group tried to capture its immensity on film. We also released ladyfish, smaller trout and smaller sheepshead. The group got to see some dolphins and a manatee, on our way back to shore.

Monday morning I was back in Estero Bay, this time on a catch-and-release trip with Chris and Lori King and their daughters, Addy, eleven, and Libby, fourteen. We released trout, sheepshead, snapper and snook, all caught on live shrimp.

The photo shown is of eleven-year-old angler, T.J. Shubert with a 16-inch trout, caught on shrimp and a popping cork, on a recent inshore trip.

And, here is a video link to some goliath grouper action, from a recent offshore trip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osdNhG3vACs

Pat Fitzgerald and his sons have fished with me for years. This year, the boys brought some friends along for a boat-load of six, including Pat, sons Jimmy and Tommy and friends, Matthew, Jacob, and Brandon. We headed out of New Pass Thursday morning, 7/1, to fish in 44 feet. The boys caught a mess of yellowtail snapper and kept two of those that were 14 inches. They also caught a few nice whitebone porgies to 15 inches, along with a 44-inch king mackerel. We caught a big blue runner, about 4 ½ pounds, and used him as bait to hook and release a huge goliath grouper—I estimated him at about 375 pounds and about as big around as an oil-drum! We also released small mangrove snapper, triggerfish, Spanish mackerel and porgies.

Friday, 7/2, Scott and Jeanette Thron and friends, Mike Radkin and Jerry Vojtush, had hoped to spend a full-day fishing offshore. But, after checking the weather forecast, I had to tell them that we’d likely be lucky to get a half-day in before the rains. So, we headed out of New Pass with intentions to fish as long as we could. We did well with hogfish, catching four of them, three of which were keepers to 16 ½ inches. We also caught eight keeper mangrove snapper to 14 inches, keeper porkfish to 12 inches and some keeper whitebone porgies, all on live shrimp. We released smaller porgies and yellowtail snapper, along with a 90-pound goliath grouper that bit a 25-inch mackerel. We made it in just before the heavy rains began so we got wet while cleaning fish but, at least, we were off the water.

After a rainy weekend over the 4th of July holiday, long-time customers, Dennis and Jamie Riddell brought their friends, Doyce & Kay Paine along to fish offshore with me on Monday morning, 7/5. We fished with live shrimp in 34 feet, off of Naples. Dennis caught a keeper gag grouper at 23 inches and Jamie caught two keeper hogfish, 13 ½ and 15 inches. The group also caught a half dozen keeper mangrove snapper to 15 inches. We had tried to catch a grouper on a pinfish at one point, reeled in the bait and had it hanging just at the water’s surface to lure a cobia, when a 4-foot bull shark bit the pinfish—we released him, along with some smaller mangrove snapper and undersized triggerfish.

Tuesday morning, the rains held off but seas were pretty sloppy early in the day, having been churned up by storms the evening before. I headed offshore with Tanner Rust and family to 45 feet, and we decided not to venture further than that in the sloppy conditions. The boys had a great time with goliath grouper, hooking and releasing seven of those, to 150 pounds. They also released mangrove and yellowtail snapper shorts, short red grouper and short gag grouper to 21 inches. They caught a mess of good-sized whitebone porgies and grunts so they could have something to cook after their day of goliath adventures.

Tim Otterlee and his three young sons fished Wednesday morning with me, over live-bottom in about 35 feet, near-shore, where we caught keeper mangrove and lane snapper, porgies and Spanish mackerel. We released red grouper shorts.

Robert Duhlberg was in town on business, along with his boss, Lair, so the two snuck away for a morning of fishing in Estero Bay on Thursday. We used live shrimp to catch eleven trout, though only one was keeper size at 16 inches. We also caught fifteen mangrove snapper, two of which were keepers.

Monday morning, 7/12, A father, son team, fished in 75 feet with me, using live shrimp. They caught six keeper yellowtail snapper and released smaller ones, along with porgies and triggerfish. They had planned to fish all day, but decided they'd had enough heat by 1PM, so we returned then, though the yellowtail bite was just heating up.

The photo shown is of young angler Alex Bayer, with a 28-inch kingfish, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.

:toocool: “No oil—No spoil
Our Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine”

Mike Mercer and friend, Bill, were hoping to hook some big fish when they fished offshore with me Tuesday morning, 6/15. They got lucky: Between them, they caught and carefully released eight goliath grouper, ranging in size from 30 inches to 56 inches, fishing over rock piles with Spanish mackerel and blue runners as bait. Bill also hooked a big kingfish, on shrimp, but the fish ran out about 150 yards, got a loop in the line, swam back toward the boat and pulled off. We also released a 4 foot sand-shark, along with short triggerfish and yellowtail snapper. The guys also went home with some good eatin’ fish, including six keeper mangrove snapper to 14 inches and a mess of whitebone porgies.

Rick Lang and his three young sons, Tim, Chris and Ben, fished in 38 to 45 feet with me Wednesday morning. The boys had fun catching and releasing four goliath grouper to approximately 100 pounds: the smaller the angler, the more impressive the enormity of those fish! Dolphins showed up at my favorite snapper hole, so we moved from there and went to another spot where we caught nine keeper Spanish mackerel to 23 inches, grunts and whitebone porgies. We released short triggerfish, three 19-inch gag grouper shorts, and small red grouper and snapper. The boys were cut off a few times, probably by king mackerel but, after the goliaths weakened their arms, they weren't too sad about that!

Saturday, with calm seas offshore, I headed out of New Pass, with a bait-well full of live shrimp, to 70 feet with James Seay, his girlfriend, Sunny Green, and friends Les Heller and Jordan Dykftra. The group was most interested in grouper and they caught three keeper red grouper, one 21 inches and a pair of 22-inchers. They also caught keeper yellowtail and mangrove snapper to 14 inches, and a mess of nice-sized whitebone porgies. They released short red grouper and snapper.

Chris Morrow, Dave Bayer, Dave’s son, Alex Bayer, age eleven, Bob Schneider, Bob’s son, Zack Scneider, age eight, and Buck Bachara, the boys’ grandfather, all fished Monday morning, 6/21, with me in 35 feet of water, west of New Pass. It was the official first day of summer and it surely felt like it, with temps approaching 90 early in the day. Fishing was pretty hot too, and we caught a variety of species. We got one kingfish, 28 inches long, and were broken off by a larger one. We also caught eight keeper Spanish mackerel, two hogfish, one of which was a keeper at 15 inches, ten keeper porgies, and a mess of grunts. We released small mangrove snapper and red grouper shorts, along with two goliath grouper at 30 pounds and 60 pounds. There were three cobia swimming around the boat at one point, and we did hook one of those, but one of the goliath grouper got to it before we could reel it in.

Gregg Runge and son, Jay, fished with me Tuesday, about 37 miles west of New Pass and at a few ledges on the way in, using live shrimp. Winds had picked up and there was a good sized swell offshore. We also ran through a big rainstorm on the way in, so it took a while longer to get to our fish-cleaning. The guys caught three very large whitebone porgies, at twenty inches plus, along with keeper mangrove snapper. We released red grouper to 19 1/2 inches, just short of keeper-size, as well as undersized triggerfish, small snapper and grunts. Jay also caught and released a 45-inch sandbar shark.

Wednesday morning, Jason Dempsey fished Estero Bay with me, using live shrimp. We caught a half dozen keeper mangrove snapper to 12 inches and released a bunch of shorter ones. We also caught two keeper sheepshead, 13 and 14 inches, and two keeper redfish, 19 inches and 21 inches.

Chris and Jan Heapy fished Estero Bay’s islands with me Friday morning, 6/25. Using shrimp, Jan landed a 16-inch trout. The couple also caught five keeper mangrove snapper and released lots of smaller snapper.

The Mike Bochman family reserved a few days of fishing in June with me many months ago. Saturday morning, we took off for the first of those and headed offshore, where we fished in 33-to-45 feet. The calm winds we had the beginning of this week had picked up quite a bit and were out of the east, about 15 knots. Seas were a little sloppy but we did fine. The group caught a keeper lane snapper, a keeper yellowtail snapper, and a mess of whitebone porgies 13-14 inches. They released short mangrove snapper, red grouper and triggerfish. We had what would have been a keeper gag grouper hooked, but a barracuda helped himself to all but the head portion of that. We casted that back in and caught the ‘cuda on a light spinning rod, with a piece of wire. Mike photographed the 47-inch barracuda and we released it. We also saw a 9-foot lemon shark, which circled the boat three times.

Mike Bochman, son John, Dennis Ring and son, Dennis Jr. had fished with me on Saturday, 6/26 and did so again on Monday and Tuesday, 6/28 and 6/29. Saturday, we focused on catching some good-to-eat fish, but we also released a big barracuda, which got the boy’ adrenalin surging for catching some big ones. Monday, we released eleven goliath grouper, ranging in size from 25 pounds to 100 pounds. We used Spanish mackerel and blue runners for bait, and the group returned with sore arms and a lot of stories to tell!

The Bochman group, comprised Tuesday of Mike Bochman, Dennis Ring and friends, Marty and Kevin, finished out their fishing adventures with an inshore, catch-and-release trip in Estero Bay, where the group released a mess of mangrove snapper, six of which were keeper-size, two 14-inch sheepshead, small redfish and crevalle jack.

The photo shown is of angler, James Seay, with a 22-inch red grouper, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.

First of all, our hearts go out to our fellow fisherman and all the residents of the Gulf coast who have been impacted by the BP oil spill. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you, and we feel fortunate to have escaped this crisis on our shores here in SW FL. We also want all our potential customers to know:

“No oil—No spoil
Our Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine”

Now to our fishing report:

:toocool: I fished in 43 feet out of New Pass Wednesday, 6/2, with Clay Hall and his two young children, four-year-old Mary and six-year-old Carlton. We caught three nice king mackerel, measuring 43 inches, 42 inches and 28 inches. We got those by free-lining shrimp behind the boat with a short piece of wire. We released grouper shorts, grunts and porgies, and we had a 4-foot barracuda cut off one of our grouper reel-ins.

Tuesday morning, 6/8, I fished in 42 feet with Billy-Bob Farinks, wife Jessica, and son, Levi, from Arkansas. We used live shrimp to catch a dozen keeper whitebone porgies to 14 inches a 20-inch Spanish mackerel, and a keeper mangrove snapper. We released smaller snapper, many undersized triggerfish, red grouper shorts to 15 inches and gag grouper shorts to 20 inches. We had two kings on, but they broke off, despite steel leader, after biting blue runners. We nearly had an unwelcome passenger when a huge eagle-ray jumped, nearly boarding the boat!

Dennis Paige and son, Mike, spent the day fishing with me Thursday, about 38 miles out of New Pass. We began in about 65 feet, and everything at that spot had big teeth—shark, barracudas, kingfish and bluefish. We caught and released a 4 ½ foot shark that I think might have been a bull-shark. All the snapper and bluefish we caught were eaten by toothy predators before we could get them to the boat. So we headed out to 73 feet, where we caught and released twenty-five amberjacks, possibly lesser amberjacks, to 25 inches. We also released triggerfish shorts and grouper shorts to 19 inches. We caught and chose to release four king mackerel, two of which pegged my thirty-pound Boga-Grip, and two others that measured about 40 inches. As for table-fare, we caught five keeper lane snapper, four keeper yellowtail snapper, and two keeper mangrove snapper. We used live shrimp and cut bait for all.

Saturday, 6/12, I fished Estero Bay’s backwaters with Gary and Gina Freels and twelve-year-old son, Cole. We had a good morning of fishing with live shrimp. Cole caught a 15-inch flounder and Gina caught a 19-inch redfish. The trio also caught eleven keeper mangrove snapper.

Ralph and Vicki Mulholland, along with friends, Rich and Rose McLaughlin, fished inshore with me Monday morning, 6/14. Fishing along the mangrove shoreline and oyster bars in Estero Bay, we caught fifteen mangrove snapper, eight of which were keepers. We released the shorts, along with two small snook, a small sheepshead, and a ladyfish.

The photo shown is of angler, Clay Hall with a 42-inch king mackerel, caught on shrimp on an offshore trip the beginning of this month.

Wednesday morning, 4/28, I fished Estero Bay with Paul Martz and Christian LeClerc. We caught a 23-inch Spanish mackerel, released short snapper, and were bemoaning the slow action when, all of a sudden, two lines began bending, and we reeled in two keeper redfish, at 18 1/2 and 19 inches--so we ended up with our limit of reds.

Thursday morning, 4/29, I fished with Ron Musick and friends, Eddie & Carolina Alfonso. We caught seven keeper mangrove snapper and five keeper porgies, and released two gag grouper shorts, fishing with shrimp about 19 miles out of New Pass.

Friday, 5/7, was the next time I got out fishing, and that was bayside with Bill & Terry Major, long-time customers. We fished Estero Bay with live shrimp and caught a keeper 21-inch redfish and an 11-inch keeper mangrove snapper. We released a 22-inch snook and a porcupine puffer-fish.

Slow season has come earlier and more abruptly this year so fishing trips will not be daily occurrances for a while—I’ll post them as I get them!

The photo shown is of angler Bill Major, with a 21-inch redfish, caught on shrimp on an inshore trip last week.

Tuesday, 4/13, the wind was howling through the tree-lines of Estero Bay, where I fished the backwaters with Richard Kostrcewa and his son, Stephan. We used live shrimp to catch and release nine sheepshead, a mangrove snapper and two crevalle jacks.

Wednesday was another windy morning in Estero Bay, where I fished with long-time customers Ed and Margie Bock. We caught a trio of keeper trout at 16 inches, 17 inches and 19 inches, and we released lots of crevalle jacks.

Thursday, the seas were too rough for my gulf trip, planned on a customer’s boat, so I cancelled that and got my newly re-powered offshore boat in order.

I fished offshore in 45 feet and sloppy seas Friday with Larry Kurlander and friends, Dave and Don. We caught keeper mangrove snapper to 18 inches, a 20-inch sheepshead, and whitebone porgies. We released smaller snapper, triggerfish to 13 ½ inches and grunts.

Saturday morning, I fished a catch-and-release trip with Harry Stevenson and son, Mark, in 45 feet out of New Pass. We released mangrove snapper, porgies, and gag and red grouper to 20 inches.

Monday morning, 4/19, after a Sunday that dumped nearly four inches of rain in our area, I fished in Estero Bay with Don and Rayelynn Welk and nephew, Dillon. We caught four keeper trout to 16 inches and released small sheepshead, crevalle jacks and ladyfish, all caught on shrimp.

Tuesday, I headed offshore about 38 miles with frequent customer, Ron Musick, along with his friends, Eddie Alfonso, Steve and Frith. We used live shrimp and had a nice variety of catches, including a 24-inch gag grouper. We also caught a 21 1/2 inch gag, but he was a half-inch too short to keep so we released that one. We also released a red grouper that was a half-inch too short at 19 1/2 inches. We caught a half dozen nice mangrove snapper, ranging from 15 to 19 inches, a 13-inch porkfish, and a half dozen whitebone porgies that were 14-to15-inches. We released a 30-inch cobia, short triggerfish, and grunts, along with a big remora.

Ray Reeber and son, Steve, fished Estero Bay with me on Thursday morning, where we caught eight keeper-sized Spanish mackerel, a keeper mangrove snapper, and two big stingrays. We released four of the mackerel, along with the stingrays.

Tom and Karen Gartland and son, Danny, fished for trout with me in Estero Bay Friday morning, using live shrimp. We caught five keepers to 16 inches and also caught two keeper sheepshead, each 14 inches. We released two Spanish mackerel and some ladyfish.

Norm & Pete Ayres had rescheduled their gulf trip several times this winter, due to weather. They planned to fish with me Saturday morning. Winds had picked up overnight, but seas were predicted to be 2-4 feet out to twenty miles, so we gave it a shot. Before we were even out of the pass, we were looking at 4 and 5 foot seas, so we ended up bagging the trip and returning to the dock.

Monday morning, 4/26, brought some pretty violent thunderstorms for a couple of hours, with rain, winds and high seas persisting even after the worst was over. I remained in port. I did so on Tuesday also, with no trip scheduled, as our peak-season draws to a close.

The first photo shown is of angler, Sidney Minnis, with an 18” mangrove snapper, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.

The second photo shown is of young angler, Ben Loverude, with an 18”trout, caught on shrimp on a recent inshore trip.

Tuesday, 3/30, seas were rough offshore and I ended up re-booking my planned gulf trip with a trio of ladies who wanted to fish the bay. Karen Taylor, son Evan Taylor, and Evan’s grandmother, Kate Collins, fished with live shrimp and caught six keeper sheepshead to 18 inches and a keeper mangrove snapper. We released lots of smaller sheepshead.

Wednesday, with seas calming down, I headed offshore for a morning of fishing in 45 feet, out of New Pass with Alene Haug, daughter Amy Akerburg, granddaughter Erica Ackerburg, grandson Austin Ackerburg, and Austin’s friend, Grant Seiffert. We used live shrimp to catch mangrove snapper to 17 inches, a 15 ½ inch hogfish, sheepshead to 16 inches and a half dozen porgies.

I headed offshore again Thursday, out to 36 miles with anglers Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, Dick Arnett and John Ebbrecht. It was the first day of open grouper season and we caught a 24 inch gag that we got to keep! We also caught seven nice mangrove snapper to 17 inches, two keeper lane snapper, a 13 inch porkfish, and lots of porgies, seven of which were good-sized, to 17 inches. We released lots of smaller porgies and grouper, and used live shrimp for all.

Friday morning found me back offshore again, this time with Jim Ascher, son Chuck, and grandson Matt. We used live shrimp in 45 feet to catch a mess of keeper porgies, a keeper porkfish, mangrove snapper to 17 inches and a 16 inch hogfish. We released red and gag grouper shorts, grunts, pufferfish, blue runners and a bluefish.

Saturday morning, Denise and Rick Wiesemann and their sons, E.J. and Brian had just enough time to squeeze in a backbay trip before E.J. had to catch a flight home. We fished Estero Bay with live shrimp and caught four keeper sheepshead. We released ten additional sheepshead, along with a 20-inch crevalle jack.

Monday was a beautiful day but I had to redirect my gulf trip to another captain, due to mechanical problems with one of my engines--it doesn't happen often, but it is unfortunate when it does so and cancels out someone's long-planned trip. Fortunately my customers were successful in finding a gulf trip.

I will be fishing the bay for a few days this week, while upgrading to new motors on the offshore boat. But Tuesday, I headed offshore to 60 feet on a customer's boat, with Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, Dick Arnett, and father-son team, Mike and Clay Thompson. We caught a dozen nice mangrove snapper to 17 inches, along with ten keeper lane snapper, on shrimp. We released about fifty smaller mangs, along with gag and red grouper shorts, amberjack and grunts.

The Christenson family has fished with me for many years, and they returned to do so Wednesday. Dave Christenson and sons Brenden and Connor, fished Estero Bay with me. I didn’t go to my favorite sheepshead spot because young Brenden was aching to catch a stingray. He didn’t get to catch one, but he did get to see one, and he was pretty excited about that. We also caught and released a 17 ¾ inch redfish, caught a keeper 14-inch sheepshead and keeper mangrove snapper.

The Ron Haggin party, consisting of John and son, John Jr., Jamie, Timmy and Jack, fished Estero Bay with me Thursday morning. We had steady sheepshead action, to 16 ½ inches, and also caught two nice trout at 16 and 18 inches, and a bluefish. We used live shrimp for all.

Friday morning I fished Estero Bay with Larry Siegl and son-in-law, Shawn Tudisco. We did well with trout, catching five keepers to 20 inches, on live shrimp. We released small sheepshead and an 18-inch snook. We lost something big that came unhooked, most likely a big crevalle jack or a ray.

In years past, the Novy children have numbered three when they fished with me but, this year, young Julia, age five, was big enough to join us. So, Saturday morning, Jim Novy and his four children, Jaqueline, eleven; Jordan, nine; Jimmy, seven; and Julia, five, went catching and releasing in Estero Bay. The kids had fun using live shrimp to catch a half-dozen sheepshead, some mangrove snapper and crevalle jack.

Monday morning, I fished in a windy Estero Bay with Don Britton, his son, Don Britton, Jr., and Junior's son-in-law, Pat. We had high winds, low tide, and a lot of fresh water influx from the heavy rains of Sunday, so conditions were less than ideal. Using live shrimp, we caught sheepshead to 14 inches, a keeper mangrove snapper, and released lots of crevalle jack.
The photo shown is of angler, Skip King , with a 20-inch sheepshead, caught on shrimp on a trip earlier this month.

Tuesday morning, 3/16, the trout bite was nothing like it had been the day before. I fished with Mark McCarthy, his father-in-law, Richie Jenkins, and friend Matt. Richie caught the only trout of the morning, measuring 15 inches. We released ladyfish and sheepshead.

Wednesday morning, light rain fell until after noon time, but that didn't deter Mark Loverude, son Ben, and friends Casey Miller and Chris Church from fishing Estero Bay with me. The group used live shrimp to catch five keeper sheepshead to 18 inches, a keeper flounder and two keeper trout, each 18 inches.

Brian VandenBossche and his son, Charles, fished Estero Bay with me Thursday morning and caught a keeper trout and three keeper sheepshead, on live shrimp. We released lots of smaller sheepshead. We also released a lot of ladyfish.

Mark Loverude and his sons, Ben and Brandon, along with friends Joe Goodall and son, Alex, fished Estero Bay with me Friday morning. The boys had fished the bay with me earlier in the week and we had considered heading offshore Friday but, with seas just calming down after three to five footers Thursday and three young children aboard, we decided to play it safe in the bay. We did well there, using shrimp, and caught six keeper sheepshead to 15 inches, two keeper whitings at 14 inches each and a 16-inch trout. We released lots of smaller sheepshead and sand perch.

Rick McGrath treated his daughter, Carrie McGrath, and her three friends, Jenn Conley, Nora Fload and Sidney Minnis, to a spring-break fishing trip offshore Saturday. We used live shrimp, and the girls did well with snapper and sheepshead. We caught a half dozen keeper mangrove snapper to 18 ½ inches, a 14 inch keeper hog snapper, a mess of sheepshead to 17 inches, and grunts and porgies. We released grouper shorts.

Monday, 3/22, began rainy. My scheduled full-day offshore trip was scaled down to a half-day bayside, due to rough seas offshore and a small craft advisory. After the rain tapered off a bit, I headed into Estero Bay with Kent Swedberg, his son-n-law, Bob Ericson, grandson Zack, and friend, Rob. We caught six keeper sheepshead ranging from 13 ½ to 15 inches and released ladyfish and crevalle jack.

Tuesday morning, Omar & Sheila Jama and their children, Ayden, six-years old and Fiona, three-years old, fished Estero Bay with me. We caught, on live shrimp, eleven keeper-sized sheepshead to 16 inches, and the family kept the five largest of those. We released the rest, along with eight smaller sheepshead.

Long time customer, Doug Grieble, drove from Tampa with his dad, John Grieble and friends, Bill Conklin and Skip King to fish offshore with me on Wednesday, 3/24. Seas were still a little sloppy early in the day, but a nice calming and warming trend was in place. We fished about twenty miles west of New Pass in 45 feet with live shrimp. We caught a dozen nice mangrove snapper to 18 inches and a mess of keeper-sized sheepshead to 20 inches—we kept five of the fattest of those and released the rest, along with red and gag grouper and triggerfish shorts. We also caught some porgies to 15 inches and a 15-inch hogfish. We had a 4-foot shark on the line at one point, but with no steel leader on, it broke the line and swam off before we could photograph it.

Another long time, annual customer, Stuart Norris, fished with me Thursday morning and brought his friend, Frank Cappellino, We fished in 45 feet again, out of New Pass, with live shrimp and caught a 14 inch hogfish, two keeper mangrove snapper to 16 inches, a 14-inch keeper triggerfish, three sheepshead to 15 inches, grunts and porgies. We released red and gag grouper, along with an 18 inch true black grouper. We were between weather fronts and had some sloppy seas, but most of the morning was fairly calm.

Mike Connealy and Tom Stover fished in Estero Bay with me on a rainy Friday morning. By about 10 AM, they had caught six keeper sheepshead to 18 inches and released ten smaller ones, along with a crevalle jack, and decided they had enough fish and enough rain, so we headed back to shore.

The folks I has scheduled for Saturday were dead-set of fishing offshore, but feared the predictions of two-four foot seas, so they cancelled their trip for that day, and I remained in port.

Monday, 3/29, brought rain and wind, once again, with unpleasant conditions inshore and unsafe conditions offshore. I cancelled another trip.

The photo shown is of angler, Ron Musick, with a 28-inch gag grouper, caught on shrimp and released on an offshore trip this month. As of April 1st, grouper season re-opens and we’ll be able to keep a fish like this one…now, if we can only catch him again!

Wednesday morning, 3/3, was chilly and windy but my brave party of three lady-anglers, Alene Haug, her mother, Carrie and friend, Connie, decided to give the backwaters a try anyway. We caught and released sheepshead until the ladies decided they'd had enough cold, then we headed back for shore.

Thursday morning, I fished Estero Bay with John Kenney and his eight-year-old son, Anthony. We had to bundle up and try to stay out of the wind as best we could, but we had fun using live shrimp to catch and release seven sheepshead to 12 inches, three trout to just short of15 inches, and a 16-inch whiting.

My trip for Friday cancelled, as two in the party wanted to wait for better conditions and warmer temperatures.

By Monday morning, 3/8, a nice warming and calming trend was in effect. I fished 20 miles west of New Pass in 45 feet with Bob Wojtowicz, his son, Greg, and grandson, Josh, along with family friend, Bob Bradley. We used live shrimp and caught keeper mangrove snapper, sheepshead, porkfish and jolthead porgies. We released triggerfish shorts, as well as lots of red and gag grouper, the largest of which was a 26 ½ inch gag, caught by Bob Bradley. Grouper season re-opens April 1st.

Tuesday morning, I sure was happy to see calm seas for long-time customer Ron Musick. So far this season, Ron had tried to get out offshore nine times and had been foiled by weather each time. But Tuesday was a good day for Ron and his friends, Dick Arnett, Eddie Alfonso and Hank Scheroski. We fished in 45 feet out of New Pass, using live shrimp and caught keeper mangrove snapper to 19 inches, two 14-inch keeper hogfish, a half-dozen keeper sheepshead to 18 inches, and some good-sized whitebone porgies and grunts. Ron landed and released a 28-inch gag grouper and scored best catch of the day.

Alene Haug, daughter-in-law, Margie Kempfort, and friend, Cali McCarthur fished with me on Wednesday morning, in 45 feet west of New Pass. We caught two keeper hogfish at 15 inches and 16 inches, two keeper sheepshead, 15 inches and 18 inches, and a 13-inch mangrove snapper. We released red and gag grouper. Seas were calm most of the morning, but it did begin to get a little sloppy around noon-time.
Thursday morning was drizzly and winds were strong, with a small-craft advisory in effect. Chuck Nebes and son, Steven, traded their offshore plans to fish a catch-and-release trip in Estero Bay, where we used live shrimp to land four keeper-sized sheepshead to 15 inches, crevalle jack and ladyfish.

Friday brought heavy rains and gusty winds to the area, to be followed by more rains and rough conditions on Saturday, so that ended my fishing for this week.

Monday, 3/15, was sunny, windy and cool, but pleasant for my inshore fishing trip with long-time customers Joe Goodall and his son Alex, who has been fishing with me annually since he was a toddler. They were joined by friends Dave Bixby and Fred. We fished wind-sheltered spots in Estero Bay with live shrimp and caught two keeper trout at 18 inches and 16 ½ inches, along with two keeper sheepshead.

The photo shown is of young angler, Alex Goodall , with an 18-inch trout, caught on shrimp in Estero Bay on Monday, March 15th.

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On Wednesday, 2/3, after watching the rain for the two preceding days, I finally got out fishing. Seas were still rough offshore so I fished Estero Bay’s backwaters with Bob Graham, daughter, Jenn Ness, her husband, Ryan Ness, and their adorable little boy, Graham Ness. Using shrimp, we caught two keeper sheepshead at 14 inches and 17 inches and a 17 inch keeper whiting. We released loads of ladyfish, which kept little graham amused—his 24-incher was almost as tall as he is! We also released lots of smaller sheepshead and mangrove snapper.

Thursday morning, I fished Estero Bay with John Hornell and his dad, Bud. We caught a 19-inch sheepshead, four keeper whitings and we released lots of ladyfish, small snapper and sheepshead. We used live shrimp for all.

Friday was rainy and windy, but the skies cleared Saturday, as the next front moved through, leaving a high pressure system in effect. Unfortunately, winds continued to be strong and offshore plans had to be traded for a morning of bay fishing. Brian Distefano and friends, Ron, Jim and Jim’s son, Nick, fished Estero Bay with me, using live shrimp. By mid-morning, the winds were roaring so we stayed as sheltered as possible and managed to catch five keeper sheepshead, all about 15 inches. We released lots of smaller ones.

As luck would have it, Monday was the one day this week I did not have anyone scheduled to go fishing and it was the calmest day predicted all week. None of my clients were able to change their schedules, so I had to let the relatively calm conditions go unappreciated. The forecast for the rest of the week was not at all encouraging, with seas up to nine feet predicted by mid-week to week's end.

The next time I got out on the water was Thursday morning, and that was in the backwaters on a catch-and-release trip with Mike Daley and son, Chris. It was chilly early on but warmed up nicely, and we delayed our start a bit to allow the sun to warm the air temperature. We used live shrimp to catch lots of sheepshead, the largest being 17 inches and 20 inches. We also released an 18-inch trout and some ladyfish.

Friday’s five-to-seven foot seas prohibited my offshore trip from going out. We might have fished the bay, but with cold winds and a 90% chance of rain, the group decided to bag the trip entirely. Saturday morning, four brave anglers headed into Estero Bay with in early morning temperatures of right around fifty degrees, with a cold, NW wind gusting 25-30 knots. Shannon and Rob Staples and their friends, Lisa and Bob O’Keefe fished in the most wind-sheltered spots I could find for them. Using live shrimp, the group caught five keeper sheepshead to 18 inches and released lots of smaller ones. Bob & Lisa also landed two nice trout at 19 inches and 17 inches.

Monday morning, 2/15, I had to look out the window and check the NOAA forecast twice to believe what I was seeing and hearing...CALM seas! I couldn't have asked for a better day to fish offshore with long-time customers, Jim Sistek, his son, Jim Sistek Jr., grandson, Ryan, Andy Unger and his son, Dave, and friend, Frank Burkosky. We got out to 75 feet of water, 37 miles west of New Pass, where we had a great day of fishing with live shrimp. The only thing that could have made it better would have been if grouper season wasn't closed because we released four nice ones, three gags at 22, 23 and 25 inches, along with a 21-inch red grouper. We also caught our limit of mangrove snapper, the largest one being 24 inches and nine pounds, which is among the largest I have seen around here (see photo). The next largest was 21 inches and all of them were respectable size, mostly 16 to 17 inches. We also caught two keeper hogfish, 14 inches each , keeper sheepshead to 17 inches, grunts,and several nice whitebone porgies to 17 inches.
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High winds were the theme on Monday, 3/17 so I stayed close in at the artificial reefs with Jay and Ellen Andreoletti. Still, we had three to four foot seas and it was choppy for the duration of our trip. We had a good morning of fishing, though, with live shrimp. We got into some cobia and released two of those at 30 inches and 31 inches. We lost one larger one too, after it ran the line out and broke off on bottom. We also caught four keeper mangrove snapper, a keeper sheepshead and a porkfish. We released gag grouper shorts. Overall, we had a productive and fun morning of fishing, despite the rough conditions.

Tuesday, winds blew even harder, seas got even rougher, and the bay remained bone-dry. I cancelled my fishing plans and hoped the wind might die down by Wednesday, but the wind howled all week long and Thursday morning also brought some rain along with the winds.

By Friday, the winds were still strong but at least they had shifted direction and the water level in the bay was better. Lee Larsen, son Kyle and friends Steve and Bud traded their gulf fishing plans for the backwaters. Lee caught a keeper redfish at 19 inches and we also got a pair of 13 inch sheepshead on shrimp. We released smaller sheepshead, snapper and cravalle jacks.

Saturday morning was the calmest we’d seen for a couple of weeks but there was a lot of rain out over the water. My anglers that day included a few young children and they didn’t want to risk wet weather so we ended up calling that trip, making the total week’s tally two out of six. This is not an unfamiliar story for the month of March but is nonetheless frustrating. There’s always next week…

The photo shown is of a pretty 15 inch hogfish, caught by young angler Katie Koscher on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.

Monday, 3/10, seas were predicted to be calmer after a weekend of high winds and choppy conditions. With predictions for two to four foot seas offshore, we hoped for fairly calm seas close in at the three-mile and five-mile reefs off Bonita Beach, where I fished with Peter Kenney, Mark & Sue Auguster and their children, Mitchell, Alana and Regan. We weren’t so lucky—seas were three to four feet and building with a steady 15-20 knot wind. We hung tough and fished the reefs all morning, using live shrimp. We caught three keeper sheepshead to 16 inches and an 18 inch flounder. We released a 14 7/8 inch trout, just short of legal size, as well as small lane snapper.

Dan Howey and son, Chris, fished a shallow Estero Bay with me on Tuesday. We released sheepshead, cravalle jacks, ladyfish and whitings, fishing with shrimp along tree lines and potholes.

Wednesday, there were still some pretty good waves offshore, but it was a little calmer and allowed me to get out to about 27 feet with Tom Coleman, brother, Russ, and parents, Jim and Donna. We caught seven sheepshead to 15 inches, eight keeper mangrove snapper to 14 inches, two keeper lane snapper and seven Spanish mackerel in the 22 to 24 inch range. We released smaller lanes and mangs and we lost a gag grouper to a line break.

Thursday’s anglers, Ken Goretski, Paul Caruso, and friend, Tom, had originally planned to fish all day in Estero Bay but the tide was so slow it barely came in at all and the bay was shallow. We decided to come in at the half-day mark, after releasing two whiting, two cravalle jacks, five small mangrove snapper and a ladyfish.

Friday, seas were fairly calm until about mid-day. I fished at the near-shore reefs and out to 7½ miles with Ben Grigsby and his uncle, Ken O’Brian. We caught two keeper gag grouper at 22 inches and 23 inches, lost a bigger one when it came off the hook, and released lots of gag shorts and a 19 ½ inch red grouper. We also caught a 13 inch hogfish, and some porgies. We also released lots of blue runners.

Saturday the winds were back once again and with seas of three to five feet offshore, I cancelled my fishing trip and called it a week.

The photo shown is of a 17 inch mangrove snapper caught on shrimp by thirteen-year-old angler, Grayson Jacobson on a recent offshore trip.

NOAA has spoken and there will be no more fishing this weekend, so I might as well post the report for this week. Monday, 3/3, the winds were starting to kick up the seas again ahead of the next cold front so I fished near-shore with Rellan Monson, his wife and a friend. We caught seven nice sheepshead to 20 inches and had another one of those now frequent encounters with a monster-sized goliath grouper that ate one of the big sheepshead we had hooked. We also caught four Spanish mackerel to 23 inches and released lots of gag grouper shorts.

Tuesday, there were small craft advisories issued, with gusty winds and seas building to six to eight feet. I cancelled my fishing trip.

Wednesday, I fished with Roy Kelley and friends in Estero Bay, along the mangrove tree lines from Wiggins Pass to Barefoot Beach. We caught three keeper sheepshead all 15 to 18 inches and a 16 inch trout on shrimp. We released smaller sheepshead and trout, a 17 inch redfish, cravalle jacks and ladyfish. We lost a big red when it bit just after the small one did and broke off in the trees.

Thursday, skeptical about the calmer seas predicted offshore, Ed & Margie Bock and I decided to fish bayside. If seas were at all calmer it was to be temporary at best, just recovering from a rough weather front with a worse one on its approach. We fished with shrimp along tree lines and caught five keeper sheepshead to 18 inches along with three keeper mangrove snapper. We released cravalle jacks.

The big blow arrived overnight Thursday and with wind gusts of 35 mph and seas of 7-10 feet in the forecast, it wasn’t a good day for fishing anywhere. I cancelled my trips and will be spending the weekend on land.

The photo shown is of a goliath grouper, over six foot, released by angler Brian Distefano, caught when it bit a large sheepshead Brian was reeling in on a recent offshore trip.

Monday, 2/25, I fished with Mike and Lee Conneally, son Clint and Clint’s girlfriend, Anna. We fished the reefs off Bonita beach in calm seas, which was a pleasant change from the rough waters of last week. Using live shrimp, we caught five large sheepshead, but lost one to a seven-foot sandbar shark that Clint reeled in and lost another to a big goliath grouper that ate it boat-side. We also caught porkfish to add to the sheepshead so the Conneallys ended up with plenty of fish for dinner, even after feeding the shark-burglar.

Tuesday, with seas building offshore all day in advance of a strong cold front, Andy Ungar and Tony Pastore traded their gulf fishing plans for a morning of fishing in Estero Bay. We caught two fifteen inch sheepshead, an eighteen inch whiting, and released two cravalle jacks to three pounds and a 23 inch snook.

I cancelled my planned fishing trips Wednesday and Thursday, due to high seas offshore and low-tide, dry conditions in Estero Bay.

Friday morning, seas were predicted to be two to three feet offshore, but when I headed out with Larry Dahlburg and five of his friends, we had rough seas right out of the pass. We started out fishing with live shrimp at the reefs, where we caught nine nice sheepshead to 17 inches. When seas started calming down, we headed south and out a little further, where we caught three keeper mangrove snapper and released a dozen small snapper. We also caught a half dozen lane snapper to 11 inches and three Spanish mackerel to 24 inches before the blue runners moved in. we released lots of blue runners, along with triggerfish and gag grouper to 19 inches.

Saturday morning I returned to the reefs off Bonita Beach, this time with Carl Graham and Paul Long. We caught a 24 inch Spanish mackerel and a mess of sheepshead, kept three of the largest, and released the rest along with gag grouper shorts, smaller Spanish mackerel and blue runners. We had another encounter with a goliath that ate one of the big sheepshead as we were reeling in.

The photo shown is of anglers Margaret and Scott Danielak with a porgie and a trio of gag grouper caught on shrimp before grouper season closed, on an offshore trip.

I fished on a windy morning in Estero Bay Monday, 2/18, with Chuck and Steve Nebes. We worked our live shrimp along the channel from Wiggins Pass to Barefoot Beach on a catch-and-release trip that yielded two snook 20 and 22 inches, six keeper-sized mangrove snapper and sixteen sheepshead, ten of which were keeper-sized.

Tuesday there was a small craft advisory in effect until 9AM and seas were predicted to be choppy. My anglers included a few prone to seasickness, so they decided to cancel their plans to fish.

Wednesday I fished close in at the reefs off Bonita Beach, where it was still very sloppy for the first two hours of the morning, with seas of 3-4 feet. It calmed some by mid-morning and we ended up with five nice sheepshead, three Spanish mackerel a keeper mangrove snapper and grunts. We lost a couple of big sheepshead to the goliath grouper and actually saw a goliath eat one of those right under the boat.

Andy Unger, son David Unger, Tony Pastori, Jim Sistek and Bob Wilson headed out with me Thursday to fish in 39 to 45 feet of water out of New Pass. We had a good day of fishing, with a final tally of fourteen nice mangrove snapper to 17 inches, sheepshead to 18 inches, five hogfish including two keepers at 15 inches, Spanish mackerel to 24 inches, triggerfish and whitebone porgies. We caught and released a pair of 24 inch gag grouper and one 20 ½ inch red grouper, all of which are out of season in federal waters currently. I missed out on photos because of a dead camera battery, but I am hoping one of my anglers will send a few.

In 35 feet out of New Pass Friday, Emily Bowden, Bill Koscher, son Gary Koscher and Gary’s children, Katie and Kevin, caught a nice variety of fish on shrimp, that is, when we weren’t running from the dolphin. Every time we started getting lots of bites the dolphin showed up to spoil the fishing, but the kids enjoyed seeing the dolphin anyway. We ended up with a 15 inch hogfish, a few keeper mangrove snapper, a few keeper lane snapper, a 13 ½ inch triggerfish, porkfish and grunts. We released lots of gag and red grouper shorts.

Saturday morning I headed out to about 25 feet, staying a little closer to shore because of the winds and higher seas offshore. I fished with Brad Clemons, Amanda McCrackin, Amanda’s parents John and Debbie McCrackin, and friends Kevin and Carrie Kelly. We released accumulative total of nearly 700 pounds of goliath grouper—one weighed close to 400 pounds and the other about 275 pounds, according to my estimates. Both bit large blue runners. For table-fare, we caught seven nice sheepshead, all 15 and 16 inches, on live shrimp. We released gag grouper shorts.

The photo shown is of angler Bob Carter with a pair of hogfish caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.

Monday, 2/11, the winds were blowing in the early morning but without the strength they gathered late on in the day. Predictions were for 2-3 foot seas close-in, so I headed to the artificial reefs with Ed and Margie Bock. We were only five miles offshore and we had 4 foot seas most of the morning. The wind was howling and it was tough to even stay anchored up. We caught two nice sheepshead, each 18 inches, along with a 15 inch triggerfish. We released gag and red grouper shorts and small Spanish mackerel.

Tuesday, winds looked just slightly calmer on land but I knew what it would be like offshore with a weather front approaching from the gulf. Estero Bay’s water level was dead-low so that left few options for a day of successful fishing. I advised my anglers to cancel their trip. Sure enough, the rain moved in from offshore by late morning and winds gusted on and off. A small craft advisory was issued through late Wednesday, causing me to cancel my trip for Wednesday also.

Thursday, with seas offshore still trying to calm down, Herb Guaracio and friends decided to try their luck in Estero Bay. The tide was very low and it was a slow ride back to shore in shallow water. We caught a couple of trout on shrimp, but nothing else seemed to be biting.

Our luck was better in Estero Bay on Friday, where I fished with Leeds Hutchinson and Pete Solden, along the mangroves toward Wiggins Pass. We caught a dozen whitings and a keeper trout, lost another trout and released lady fish and small sheepshead.

Saturday, I headed to 43 feet out of New Pass with Gary Jacobson, son Chuck Jacobson, grandson Grayson and family friend, Tom Batcheller. We could have had a few nice gag grouper if the season for those in federal waters had not just closed. Sadly, we had to release three or four that would have been keepers to 23 inches. We also released some shorter gags and red grouper to 19 ¾ inches, along with porkfish, triggerfish, whitebone porgies and Spanish mackerel. Though it was disappointing to have to release the grouper, the snapper bite was also hot and pretty much made up for the grouper. We kept our limit of mangs, releasing thirty of fifty caught. Of those fifty, about half were keeper-size to 17 inches. We used shrimp for everything.

The photo shown is of sister-anglers, Erin and Emily Bowden, with a Spanish mackerel, a flounder and a mangrove snapper all caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.

Mother and son anglers Carole and Kenny Mathis fished Estero Bay with me Monday morning, 2/4, from Barefoot Beach to Wiggins Pass. We used live shrimp to catch three keeper mangrove snapper and a pair of 16 inch whitings. We released small sheepshead and a 22 inch snook.

Tuesday, fishing in 45 feet out of New Pass with Ron Musick, Dick Arnett, Jim Novak and Bob Mayer, we caught two 16 inch hogfish, eight mangrove snapper to 16 inches, a mess of whitebone porgies, all 14 and 15 inches, and three nice sheepshead to 20 inches. We were literally swarmed by bluefish, which we had fun catching and releasing, along with a red grouper just an inch shy of keeper size at 19 inches, all on live shrimp and light tackle.

Wednesday, although seas were predicted to be two to three feet, they were mostly three to four, and it was rougher in close to the beach than out a little further. I fished in about 40 feet out of New Pass with Tom Batcheller, Lee Larsen, Steve Sidlik and Bud Glanzer. We caught five keeper mangrove snapper to 16 inches and whitebone porgies on shrimp, and we released gag grouper shorts and red grouper to 19 inches.

Thursday seas were a little calmer when I fished with Bob Lozier and friends 17 miles west of New Pass. We caught eight mangrove snapper to 15 inches, a 15 inch hogfish, triggerfish and grunts, using live shrimp. We lost a big grouper when it broke a line.

Friday morning I fished in Estero Bay with Mike and Nora Cole, from Wiggins Pass to Barefoot Beach. We caught seven nice sheepshead to 18 inches and released all but two of those. We also released two 17 inch redfish, mangrove snapper and a 20 inch cravalle jack, all on shrimp.

Fishing in 47 feet out of New Pass Saturday with Tom & Noreen Petracelli, Hank & Judy Norman, and John & JoAnne Hoogenden, we caught eight keeper mangrove snapper to 15 inches, whitebone porgies, grunts, triggerfish and porkfish on live shrimp. We released gag and red grouper shorts, a 25 inch goliath grouper and a small hogfish.

The photo shown is of anglers Eric & Tricia Walters and Mike & Bobbie Paquette with a quartet of gag grouper ranging 22-27 inches, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.

Monday, 1/28, the seas calmed enough to get offshore, although we stayed fairly close in 30 feet out of New Pass. I fished with Leonard White, Butch White, Bill Banish and Ted Ressler. Butch caught a nice gag grouper—30 inches—using a small sheepshead as bait on a heavy pole. Bill followed up with a 23 inch gag, caught on shrimp. The group also caught a half dozen keeper mangrove snapper, all 13 and 14 inches, two keeper sheepshead at 14 inches and 15 inches, grunts and porgies. We also released a small hogfish. It was pretty chilly on the water in the early morning, but the fish sure didn’t seem to mind!

Earl Meturfman, Joey Kennedy, Pete Watrous and Tony Grasso fished with me on Tuesday in 33 feet out of New Pass. The wind shifted direction and picked up a bit, causing seas to be a little higher than they were on Monday. We did well with live shrimp and caught a 15 inch hogfish, a mess of sheepshead to 16 inches, of which we kept eight, and 8 keeper mangrove snapper, along with grunts, porkfish and triggerfish. We released gag shorts to 21 inches and red grouper to 16 inches.

Wednesday, conditions changed and fishing was tougher offshore in 37 feet out of New Pass. The winds were S-SE and increased throughout the morning. The winds and waves were going in opposite directions and the current was slow. The water was crystal clear, but the bite wasn’t as strong as it had been the earlier part of the week. Lee Wampler, Chris Corrie, his son, Jason, and six-year-old granddaughter, Celestra, still fared pretty well, though, landing two 14 inch hogfish and a half dozen keeper mangrove snapper and some porgies, all on shrimp.

Seas were a little sloppy on Thursday when I headed out to 42 feet from New Pass with John Bileau. We caught eight keeper mangrove snapper and a mess of 12-15 inch porgies, and released lots of gag and red groper shorts, several gags just an inch or so shy of keepers.

Friday, with strong winds out of the south-southwest, seas continued to build offshore. I stayed close in at the reefs with Peder Engebretson, Mike Higgins, Sr. and Mike Higgins, Jr. we used shrimp to catch mostly sheepshead and caught about thirty of those ranging from 12 ½ to 19 inches. The guys kept four of those and released the rest, along with grunts and gag shorts to 21 ½ inches.

Saturday morning I fished the reefs with Jim Madsen, Brian Distesano, Frank Troy, Carl McDonald and Matt Keenan. We caught 15 nice sheepshead to 19 ½ inches and released seven of those, along with lots of gag grouper shorts. We also hooked a monster goliath grouper that was 6 ½ feet long—he bit an 18 inch sheepshead on 150 lb. test and gave us a fun fight before release.

The photo shown is of angler Blake Dargis with a 15 inch hogfish caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.