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Capt. Pete Modys’ redfish release started with a live shrimp on a red jig head. -
Capt. Rob Modys new handbook, “What I Know About Fishing in Southwest Florida,” includes how he caught this nice trout last Friday in Matlacha Pass. -
Bob Brooks’ pretty peacock bass was one of many caught recently in Cape Coral canals with Joe Mahler. -
Pete Dickensheets scored three fly fishing firsts Monday with Bob Mignogna. Besides this ladyfish, he also released a snook and a mangrove snapper. -
Bob Mignogna’s snook jumped on his gray minnow fly in Spring Creek, where the snapper and ladyfish also were biting Monday morning. -
Indiana angler Brandon Robertson’s spotted seatrout was one of a dozen caught and released near Big Carlos Pass on his Get Hooked Charter with Capt. Matt DeAngelis. -
Winter resident George Lebo found the specks biting on Lake Okeechobee. Photo courtesy Roland Martin Marina & Resort. -
Luc Rink’s Big O bass prompted that big ole smile, on his trip with Capt Mark King out of Roland Martin’s Marina & Resort in Clewiston. -
John Weid’s 17-inch redfish was caught on shrimp and released last Thursday in southern Estero Bay on his inshore Fishbuster Charter. -
Mike Connealy’s keeper was one of five sheepshead caught on Monday’s Fishbuster trip in southern Estero Bay. -
Jordan Wolfe’s 14-inch sheepshead was one of four he and friends caught Monday in southern Estero Bay on their Fishbuster Charter. -
Kyle Kapeneki’s 13-inch sheepshead was a keeper with an inch to spare. He caught it Monday on a Fishbuster Charter with friends. one of four sheepshead he and his friends caught on shrimp in southern Estero Bay on an inshore Fishbuster Charter Monday, 1/5/21. -
Lou Thompson’s 14-incher was a welcome addition to the fish box on his Wednesday Fishbuster Charter. -
Jeremy Perlow’s 19-inch sheepshead was largest of thirteen he and friends caught on shrimp Wednesday in southern Estero Bay, on their inshore Fishbuster Charter. -
Tim O’Neil’s 21-inch trout was one taker among shots taken Wednesday at big snook and reds and a small sawfish spotted in the clear waters of Pine Island Creek with Wildfly Charters Capt. Gregg McKee. -
James Stout’s 22- and 23-inch tripletail were spotted under stone crab trap buoys Saturday. -
Kylee King caught this 27-inch redfish Sunday in Pine Island Sound with her friend, James Stout. -
Gray: Not present/background (0-1,000)
White: Very low (1,000-10,000)
Yellow: Low (10,000-100,000)
Orange: Medium (100,000-1,000,000)
Red: High (1,000,000)
Fishing’s good, although the state’s last eight days of sampling for red tide show increases in some areas. But even in bays with potentially fish-killing levels of the toxic algae, anglers are reporting good catches in clean areas. (See the Red Tide map in today’s photo gallery).
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Trout fishing has been particularly good, and the winter season on sheepshead is coming on nicely. And safely in time for the January-May closed season, sometimes keeper-size gag grouper have begun biting in the bays.
Freshwater fishing also is good, with peacock bass biting in Cape Coral canals, crappie biting in Lake Trafford, and bass and crappie on the chew in Lake Okeechobee.
FRESHWATER
CAPE CORAL: Bob Brooks sent in his picture with a pretty peacock, one of many caught on fly in Cape Canals with Joe Mahler. Try the Lake Kennedy area.
LAKE TRAFFORD: The crappie bite has slowed on the Immokalee lake, but that didn’t stop Cody McClellan from guiding two anglers to their 25-fish limits this week, according to Lake Trafford Marina.
LAKE OKEECHOBEE: Roland Martin Marina & Resort Capt. Mark King reports fishing on the Big O “hasn’t been this good for quite a few years.” That’s because the dry season so far has been wet, with the lake’s water level at 15.79 feet above sea level, allowing fishing in previously inaccessible back country areas that “are loaded with bass.” Fishing with wild shiners has been much better than artificial baits, but spinnerbaits and Gambler Ace stick worms also have been productive. Brad Lytel of Roland Martin’s Marine Center reports crappie anglers have been taking limits of specks and then targeting bass to finish their trips, with the West Wall, Turner’s Cove and Uncle Joe’s (Mayaca) Cut all productive with minnows or white Andy Jigs.
ESTERO BAY: Bob Mignogna introduced Paul Dickensheets to his first snook, mangrove snapper, and ladyfish on fly Monday morning in Spring Creek, where they released four snook, three snapper, and two ladyfish altogether.
Fishbuster Charters Capt. Dave Hanson reports the sheepshead bite is on in the south end of the bay, where John, Danielle, and Mike Weid caught 13 and a sub-slot redfish last Thursday morning. On Monday with Mike Connealy, the catch was five sheepshead and two short mangrove snapper. Tuesday was good for four sheepies, two short mangs, and two crevalle jacks with Jordan Wolfe, Kyle Kapaneki, and friends. And on Wednesday with Lou Thompson, his grandson Zack and friend Jeremy Perlow, the count was back up to 13 sheepshead including three keepers to 19 inches. Every fish was caught on shrimp.
Get Hooked Charter Capt. Matt DeAngelis sent in a shot of Indiana angler Brandon Robertson with one of a dozen spotted seatrout caught and released on shrimp-and-jig rigs near Big Carlos Pass. Green, white and pink Hook Up Jig heads with shrimp also have produced redfish, pompano, sheepshead, and jacks this week near Big Carlos and Black Key.
SANIBEL: Norm Zeigler’s Fly, Bait & Tackle on Periwinkle Way reports a large variety of species in Blind Pass, including trout, redfish, snook, gag grouper, pompano, sheepshead, and jacks. Wildlife Drive (closed Fridays) in the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge is producing baby tarpon, snook, and reds. Sheepshead have been good around bayside docks, and the causeway islands and Toll Booth Flats in San Carlos Bay have been good for trout, jacks, and ladyfish.
Bob Brooks caught a 32-inch snook while wade fishing on Sanibel’s back side, casting a Sqwhitey pattern on an 8-weight full intermediate line.
PINE ISLAND: St. James City Capt. George “Artificials Only” Grosselfinger reports lots of dead fish bobbing in Pine Island Sound’s south end, north to Demere Key. But red tide has concentrated the trout population in the northern sound, where the specks have been “thick, literally and figuratively.” He caught and released 50 in two hours of casting jigs and topwater plugs on each of two afternoons this week, with most of the fish between 20 and 25 inches. “Much fun.”
Customers at Lehr’s Economy Tackle also have reported big trout biting in the northern sound on soft plastic baits, with good numbers of trout, a few reds, and small snook hitting in Matlacha Pass.
Kylee King caught and released a 27-inch redfish Sunday in Pine Island Sound with her friend, James Stout.
“What I Know About Fishing in Southwest Florida” author Capt. Rob Modys and wife JoNell spent midday on New Year’s Eve in Matlacha Pass with his brother, Capt. Pete Modys. They did best casting shrimp on jig heads in the lower end of the pass, where they released four reds, several trout and a snook, and kept two keeper snapper among “lots and lots and lots,” mostly undersize.
Michigan angler Tim O’Neil cast a grizzly hackle baitfish pattern Wednesday morning to dozens of big snook and reds and a 21-inch trout in the clear waters at the south end of Pine Island Creek. Wildfly Charters Capt. Gregg McKee reports the angler also had a small sawfish take a swing and a miss at his fly.
CAPE CORAL: Lehr’s customers have been catching good numbers of keeper sheepshead in the salty canals of the southwest Cape. Chumming with crushed barnacles has been key.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR: One Lehr’s customer released gag grouper of 32 and 37 inches while trolling a medium-diving lipped plugin 11 feet of water near the Bokeelia Bar.
Way up the harbor at the Charlotte Harbor Reef, King Fisher bay boat captains report improved sheepshead fishing, with catches of five to 10 keepers being taken on shrimp. Some sheepies also are being caught around bridge pilings and riprapped canal banks, along with the occasional keeper snapper among many shorter than the 10-inch minimum. Trout also have been biting in the canals and turning basins of Punta Gorda Isles.
OFFSHORE: James Stout and his dad, David, of North Fort Myers, ran stone crab traps Saturday from Bonita Beach to Naples to find this dandy brace of tripletail. They saw only three fish, the largest of which wouldn’t bite their live shrimp.
Two offshore King Fisher trips to depths between 60 and 70 feet off Boca Grande Pass have produced bottom fishing boxes of two red grouper, lots of lane snapper, and a few porgies and white grunts.
PIC OF THE WEEK
Tim O’Neil’s 21-inch trout was one taker among shots taken Wednesday at big snook and reds and a small sawfish spotted in the clear waters of Pine Island Creek with Wildfly Charters Capt. Gregg McKee.
FISH TIP
Roland Martin Marina & Resort Capt. Mark King reports fishing on the Big O “hasn’t been this good for quite a few years.” That’s because the dry season so far has been wet, with the lake’s water level at 15.79 feet above sea level, allowing fishing in previously inaccessible back country areas that “are loaded with bass.” Capt. King notes, “Find the clean water and you will find the fish.” The places to look are where lots of vegetation has filtered suspended nutrients out of the water column.
HOT SPOTS
No. 1: Charlotte Harbor Reef for sheepshead.
No. 2: Cape Coral canals for sheepshead on the salty side; peacock bass in fresh systems.
No. 3: Northern Pine Island Sound for trout.
No. 4: Blind Pass for a little of everything.
No. 5: Estero Bay for trout and sheepshead.
No. 6: Offshore for red grouper and lane snapper.
No. 7: Lake Trafford for crappie.
LAKE OKEECHOBEE
No. 1: Monkey Box for bass.
No. 2: Turner’s Cove for bass and crappie.
No. 3: Uncle Joe’s for crappie.
No. 4: West Wall for bass and crappie.
No. 5: Grassy Island for bass.
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