Most of the fish caught this last month had actually been caught on dead cut bait. It seems the snook have been hungry after the long cold winter and are trying to fatten up.

In the mix have been a few redfish but the bite in the areas I have been fishing has not been what I would like. Trout are still around and can be caught drifting the edges of some of the deeper grass flats.

Tarpon are also showing up and I will soon be targeting them when they get to the areas I like to target. Spanish mackerel are here and can be caught buy setting up a nice chum line and using long shank hooks,and live sardines for bait.

Here are a couple of snook pictures from a recent charter.

As we really get into the month of may and the bait gets thicker I only expect the fish to be really going off!

Thanks for checking my reports and keep checking back for more.

Capt. Steve

I had a couple of trips this week and Snook has been the dependable bite.  On Monday I had Gary and Carl along for a half day of snook action. The bite started a little slow with one hook up and a break off. After making a couple of moves and waiting for the tide to get just right it was all about catching. Gary and Carl hooked over 20 nice fish but due to break offs and hook pulls they boated seven nice snook.

Gary with a nice 29" Snook

Carl displaying one of the Snook he caught

In between charters I spent as much time on the water scouting. Getting the right bait is very important so time was spent looking for that as well as nice fish to catch. I found the bait now time to find more fish. I found an area holding some fat trout but also found a shoreline that had snook and redfish. I put this information in my mental locker to use on Friday when I had the pleasure of guiding Gary, B.J. and Nick for the Tamco Foundation Glad Slam tournament. For those not aware Tamco is a  non profit organization benefiting wounded vets. Gary and B.J (aka Stumps) were both wounded in attacks as they served in Iraq.

Gary and B.J. both informed me that they had fish this event twice before. When they told me the name of the Captains they had fished with I have to admit I was a bit nervous  as both of them are well seasoned anglers with reputations in the bay area that I now for the next six hours had to live up to.

Our first stop would be to try and knock the trout off of our species of fish to catch. It did not take long and Gary put two trout to the boat one being the a very fat 17 inch-er. We stayed on the spot a while longer trying to upgrade our catch but it was not to be.

The tiding was moving in now so it was time to work that shoreline I had found those snook and reds on earlier this week. It started out slow in this area with one hook up and a lose boat side. Fortunately these guys were patient and kept the mood light with there humor and stories. We continued to move from spot to spot until we got on a decent bite. We were able to get a couple of more snook in the boat with the largest at this point being 24″. I thought for sure we would get a Red in the mix but it just did not happen. Time was running out for this area so another move was to be made.  The next stop proved to be a good producing spot. We had some good solid hook ups and after losing some very big fish to there leader fraying tactics B.J. boated a nice 29″ fish.  We had one more hook up after that on a fish that would of easily exceeded 30″ but it was not to be.

It was time to head back in at this point. I was feeling a little down about the fact we did not get the redfish as that could of put the guys in the money so to speak. We got back to the dock and as we unloaded a gentleman came up and asked the guys how it went. The words out of there mouths made me feel very proud. They all exclaimed it was The best trip they had had yet!

I don’t have any pictures of there fish as they have not emailed them to me yet but I did get a group shot back at the dock.

B.J. with a solid 29 1/4" snook

Nick with a 24" snook

L to R Nick, B.J.(aka stumps) proud captain and Gary

Today my guest were Ted and Charlie from Michigan. These guys had me excited before we ever left the dock. They had been fishing the day before from some docks on Tampa Bay. They were telling me of their catch and what it included. One of the fish they caught was a Spanish Mackerel. That got me all fired up! These fish are a pelagic species and just hear of one caught told me the spring run is near. Trust me when they show up in force I will be one of the first to have a report up. I love these fish. Not just because they can make some good table fare,but they can also test out some light tackle with some drag ripping runs. Stay tuned for that report.

Ted and Charlie did not care to tangle with the Black Drum I had been catching but wanted a drum of a different kind. We went to an area that I knew was holding fish and after making a few adjustments Charlie got hooked up with a nice fish. Unfortunately the fish came unglued! We waited it out but a Kayaker and a couple of other boats created some unwanted pressure and the fish shut down. I made a run to try and put them on some trout and they did catch a few but not really the amount I would of like to see. A few more move produced nothing. I really thought the bite would of been a little better but hey,its fishing. I can find them but can not always make them eat.

Time was slipping away and I knew Ted had a schedule. I asked him he he could spend a little extra time out so I could try and get them the redfish they wanted. He agreed they could stay a little longer.

To make along story short I found the fish again. After setting up Charlie was first to hook up. He got a nice 25″ redfish,then Ted hooked up. He had a real bulldog on and once landed it measured just under 27″. We tried for a little while longer but the guy in the Kayak came back and with his extra pressure it drove the reds deep under the bushes.

Ted and Charlie display their Tampa Bay Redfish

On Saturday I had a group of three guys from Ohio. Eric,Mike and M were a pleasure to have on the boat and there friendly banter made for some laughs. The fishing ended up being much better than it had been. I took the guys to some residential canals as I felt they would provide the best action. This first stop would produce lady fish and the guys had know problem after some short instructions casting and getting the retrieve down. I did not keep a tally but I guess they landed over 20 or so of them.

Lady fish

At times the action could get a little intense as the Pelicans are very hungry right now and they would try and grab the fish off the hook. This made for one close call of a Pelican getting hooked but between Eric and I we were able to free the bird uninjured.

On our next stop we worked another canal. This one would hold trout today. The water temp had come up just two degrees and this seemed to turn the fish on. The lure presentation was a bit different this time. But once again the guys caught on and caught around 25 trout. If they would of been keeping fish to eat they would of easily had there limits but all fish were released for future guest.

Eric w/ trout

M w/ trout

On Sunday morning I woke and got ready to head out. I was a little concerned when I got in the truck and I had ice on the windshield. In the back of my mind I could only think how this may have a bad effect on the fishing. I had no choice other than head to the ramp as my guest for this day Ed and Dennis were driving from Sarasota. They were depending on me to put them on some fish.

I knew once again our best chance was going to be fishing the canals. The fish were in the same place I left them the day before but the water temp had dropped overnight so the fish were just not as eager to eat. Ed and Dennis had the jigging down but only managed to entice a few lady’s to eat.

Dennis working the area with a jig

The bite totally shut off so we made our move to the trout canal. The guys started off with the soft plastic jigs,but it was not going to happen this way. I removed the soft plastic and and threaded a live shrimp onto the jig head. This combined with crawling the baits slowly across the bottom got the bite. In all honesty the action was very slow and only a few trout were caught.

Sunday ended up being a little cooler out than Saturday. It was still clear sunny skies but it just wasnt enough to warm the water.

Ed w/ trout

For the next week the weather is supposed to be pretty nice with temps in the 70’s. We have another front coming through but its supposed to be a mild one. Spring is supposed to begin on the 20th of the month. It can not come soon enough.

Don’t forget to check back . I will keep posting up the reports no matter how good or bad.

Good friend and fellow fishing guide Capt. Steve Nagy (Nay- Gee) lives there and runs his guide service on the waters of Estero Bay. Capt. Steve was kind enough to guide us around Estero and show us some of the scenery. The area had just come off of a ten day cold (freeze) snap so my expectations as far as the fishing would be were not very high. I told Capt. Steve not to be to concerned about the fishing as both myself and my wife Karen understood how the harsh cold conditions had a major effect on how the fishing would be. Tampa had also been hit hard by the cold and it just about put the fish bite at a stand still.

We spent two days fishing some very slow and tough conditions with not to much to show for it. We did see a few fish but they were just not willing to eat. I sight casted to a lone snook in the 35″ range and as he turned on the soft plastic artificial I thought it was going to be a hook up. He followed it and then turned off as to say I am just not in the mood.

We kept moving around checking place after place with dismal  results. But it was nice to see some different terrain. Estero Bay unlike Tampa Bay is loaded with oyster bars. This is one place that if you do not know the areas waters you stay inside the marked channels.

Day one of our trip yielded a lady fish and one trout. That’s fishing!

Day two we started out with a different plan. Capt. Steve asked me what I would like to do? I told him I thought maybe we should explore some other areas like canals and such where the water temp may be a little higher and hold some fish. Capt. Steve agreed so off we went. We hit some canals and fished the docks and mangrove edges but we were yet to get a bite. After a while I think a little frustration was setting in but I reassured Steve that we knew the conditions were less than favorable and we did not expect miracles. Heck Karen and I were just happy to be on a boat in a place we had not seen before. Capt. Steve made a decision to take us up the Imperial River. As we approached the mouth of the river where it dumps into Estero Bay we could see Trout shooting by under the boat in the crystal clear water. We set up and fished the mouth for a while with no takers.

On we went further up the river. We got to an area and Capt. Steve told us to pitch out our soft plastic baits and we would slow troll them behind the boat. Steve had a good feeling we could hook up on some Jacks in this area. Capt. Steve had the right feeling and it was not but a minute and I was hooked up and then Karen. If you have never caught a Jack on light tackle you don’t know what you are missing.

They will put even the best of tackle to the test. Karen had her hands full fighting her fish on 8 lb test with a Gloomis rod and 2500 series Shimano stradic reel.

After a nice drag ripping battle Karen and I landed our fish and got a quick picture before we released them.As usual Karen gets the larger of the fish. We spent some more time playing with the Jacks catching another half dozen or so.  We all agreed we had some fun so off we went to have lunch at the Fish House. After lunch we decided we should get a group picture so we had one of the patrons there snap a picture for us.

After some laughs about the picture we headed off and scouted around some more. The rest of the afternoon was just basically enjoying the beauty of the mangrove lined shorelines and multitude of oyster bars.

It was not a crazy fish catching time but its not always about that. When conditions are not right you just have to enjoy the beauty that surrounds you. It wont be long and I am sure Estero Bay will be alive with activity.

I have to say thanks to Capt. Steve for being such a wonderful host and sharing his vast knowledge of Estero Bay with us. Karen and I have already discussed going back in the spring time.

You can check out Capt. Steve Nagy’s web site at  www.bonitaspringsfishing.com

Thanks for reading along

Capt. Steve Betz

These sustained periods of freezing cold weather are having there effects on our fishery. The Tampa Bay water temps are now down in the 40’s and the fish are running out of warmer areas to seek refuge. Freezing cold days combined with some overcast skies will allow some of the darker mud bottom areas to lose there higher temperatures. Fortunately we have had mostly sunny days as this helps a little to allow those mud bottoms to warm and the fish get a chance to sun them selves.

The problem with these cold temps are two fold. The first problem is the fish (particularly snook) become stunned and begin to float on the surface. If left alone they have a chance to survive if the temperatures come back up and they get some warmth. Unfortunately I have been reading reports from around the Tampa Bay area of hundred’s of dead snook being found in some places. Personally I have not witnessed this first hand and I know how folks in the fishing community tend to exaggerate. I sure hope it was an exaggeration.

The second problem we have when the temps are down like this is poachers! The lethargic fish are easy prey for the poachers armed with nothing more than a cast net,fillet knife and cooler. I have also been reading reports of poachers being confronted and reported to the FWC. One report I read this week had a video of about 25 snook carcasses from 12 to 30 inches laying on the bottom near a boat launch. All the carcasses had been fillet. These were the obvious  bi product of poachers. I have to wonder why someone would want to fillet a 12″ snook? There would hardly be enough meat to snack on.

On a positive note our ten day forecast has us back in the 70s for a couple of days towards the end of the week. Our temps should stay on the warmer side from there on out making fishing much better. There are still plenty of fish to target with redfish,trout,sheepshead,flounder and others being in the mix. I would bet money the silver trout will be piled in the deeper holes and channels. These fish make for some great table fare as well as some fun action for the young and old alike.

In the meantime I am going to be resting up trying to kick this cold I picked up so I can be back in on the action.

Thanks for reading along.

Capt. Steve Betz

Common Snook

I picked them up at 9:30 am and we headed to our first destination. After the last two days of scouting I figured the fishing was going to be a little slow. The first couple of stops were proving me right as they only produced a couple of trout.

I told the guys we had to make another move so off we went. This next spot would prove me wrong. Derek had the first bait in the water and it was fish on. He came up with a small redfish. Richard hadn’t figured out the sweet spot yet so Derek proceeded to school him. It didn’t take long and Richard was in the game. They caught about 15 red’s when they quit biting.

I made another move and this is where we stayed while they caught about another 60 redfish! It was one after another with double hooks ups being the norm. Even though these fish were not huge they were beautiful with Derek catching one with 10 spots total. That fish could of been a contender in a redfish spot tournament.

We used shrimp today and that made all the difference. I had sardine’s but only a few fish were caught on those.

Don’t forget to check back as I will be posting updated reports of whats happening in Tampa Bay.

Until then Happy Holidays!

This is an email I received from Richard after his charter with me.

Captain Steve, I wanted to thank you for making today a memorable fishing trip.  Sometimes it’s not how many fish you put in the cooler but the experiences and memories you have of a great day on the water.  Derek and I had a great time!

I looked at your web site and it looks great.  Good job!  The fishing report for 12.23.09 is also great!

Thanks again for a memorable trip.

Have a great Christmas.

Richard

I was not able to be out as long or late as I would of liked today because of some afternoon obligations. It did help to get out there as always.

The morning air was a brisk 43 degree’s as I made my way across Tampa Bay in search of bait. I found it where I left it the day before but it was not as plentiful. Not to worry I told my self as store bought shrimp are available and I will be sure to pick some up for tomorrow’s charter.

I made the long run to the power plant to see what was going on in the warm water out flow. Really not much. Mostly just a bunch of Cow Nose Rays milling around. I would of preferred an incoming tide for this area but I only had the time allotted to work with.

Back across the bay I went. With limited time left I checked a couple of other spots and as the day warmed things became a little more active. This is a good sign as overnight temps are not supposed to dip to low and tomorrow we should have temps in the 70s again.

I found a huge school of sheep’s head that will make for some lite tackle fun with some live shrimp. Lady fish were around and were attacking live bait and jigs. At the last stop I decided to chum it up real good. I was hoping the trout would be there I had found the day before but instead the snook had moved back in. I caught a couple of them but was out of time. I figure as the tide started to move better and the afternoon son warmed the water a bit they should really turn on.

Hopefully tomorrows plan of a later start and some warmer weather will make for a good bite.

I will let you know in my next report.

When we get these cold north winds it can make some drastic changes to the fishing over night. Finding bait to fish with and hungry fish to eat it can go from easy to impossible with a 5 degree drop in water temperature. Today that proved partly true. Finding bait and filling the well with some frisky sardines was like taking candy from a baby. Finding fish that would eat the bait IMPOSSIBLE!

I found plenty of fish today snook,red fish and trout included but not a one would eat any thing that was on a hook. Crazy as it seems the bay water temp went from 65 degrees to 60 degrees in just a couple of days. It was just enough to shut the bite down.

It will take a couple of days and the fishing should pick back up as the fish acclimate themselves to the change.

I am going to head back out tomorrow and try and find some warmer water. Tampa Bay has a couple of power plants that supply some warm water out flow that during times like these can be a haven for many species. The power plants will be my target tomorrow.

I will let you know whats happening there in my next report.