Take advantage of the great weather days. This mixed bag of tasty fish came over hard bottom on live shrimp in 30 to 40-foot depths west of Captiva Pass, fishing with Capt. Bill Russell. PHOTO PROVIDED<\/p>\n
It was another beautiful week\u00a0as calm seas and blue skies\u00a0gave us excellent boating conditions.\u00a0If you were running deep\u00a0or staying within sight of\u00a0land,\u00a0it\u00a0was great weather for fishing Gulf waters.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Red grouper was the focus for anglers fishing 30-plus miles offshore, resulting in limits of\u00a0big fish. Snapper,\u00a0porgy and grunts helped fill the fish box in depths around 90 feet, plus amberjacks over wrecks.<\/p>\n
Bottom fishing\u00a0nearshore\u00a0yielded a variety that included snapper, sheepshead, grunts, porgy, flounder and at least a couple of hogfish.\u00a0Best reports came while fishing 30 to 50-foot depths over hard bottom,\u00a0ledges\u00a0and reefs. Some days the bite was good mid-morning and on others it picked up after noon.<\/p>\n
King and\u00a0Spanish\u00a0mackerel were\u00a0located\u00a0harassing bait schools in\u00a030 to 40-foot\u00a0depths between Boca Grande and Redfish passes. Live pilchards or herrings and shiny lures or spoons with a fast retrieve\u00a0were\u00a0the best options to hook up.\u00a0A few large amberjacks were also reported.<\/p>\n
If you want to tug on a shark, head to one of the public artificial reefs offshore. A variety of sharks from 3 to 6-feet were abundant and hungry on many of the reefs, providing non-stop action.<\/p>\n
With a warm week and water temperature rising, catch-and-release snook fishing was\u00a0an option. Snook were reported in south Matlacha Pass, on the western side of Pine Island Sound and between\u00a0Wulfert\u00a0Keys and Blind Pass.\u00a0Baits\u00a0include\u00a0soft and\u00a0hard plastic\u00a0lures, live shrimp, pinfish and cut ladyfish.<\/p>\n
Redfish were also caught over the same areas as snook, plus over shallow flats on low water in northern\u00a0Matlacha Pass and the eastern side of Pine Island Sound south of Pineland.<\/p>\n
While warm weather is good for snook,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0not preferred for sheepshead.\u00a0The better reports came around the Gulf passes, Punta Rassa docks and nearshore reefs.\u00a0With each cold front, the bite should\u00a0pick\u00a0up along with the average size.\u00a0Fishing the beaches for sheepshead also resulted in whiting and a few flounder.<\/p>\n
To stay up to date with current regulations, go to\u00a0www.myfwc.com\u00a0 or better, download the Fish Rules app. It updates every time you open it. It\u2019s\u00a0free, and has all local fish species, regulations, and pictures of each. \u2002<\/p>\n
If you have a fishing report or for charter information, please contact us at Gulf Coast Guide Service; phone (239) 410-8576, email\u00a0gcl2fish@live.com\u00a0or you visit us on the Web at\u00a0www.fishpineisland.com\u00a0<\/p>\n
Have a safe week and good fishin\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a lifetime resident of Matlacha and Pine Island, Capt. Bill Russell has spent his life fishing and learning the waters around Pine Island and Southwest Florida, and as a professional fishing guide for over 20 years.<\/p>\n