Early Spring in Southwest Florida

It may be February in southwest Florida but Spring is in the air. And in the water, with each passing warm week, set back by a cool day here and there, you can already feel the transition of the seasons on the water

Trout fishing is really good, seems every grass flat is loaded with fish; the future looks great, I can’t remember in recent years so many sub legal fish. There are also plenty of larger fish and the average size will increase with each day we edge toward Spring.


Bouncing the bottom with shrimp and jig combinations is not only a good choice for trout, but also a likely technique to get rewarded with some tasty pompano.


Sheepsheads fishing has been OK, nothing great, honestly we have only really targeted them on days when it’s too cold to fish for anything else, and those days have been few and far between this winter.

There are plenty of Spanish mackerel around and the longer stretches we have with warm weather the better the bite gets. Some big macks are showing up early in Charlotte Harbor this year. Bluefish and cobia are also mixed with the mackerel, plus there are a few large sharks and tarpon making an early appearance.

Snook is another angler favorite that really responds to the warmer weather, we are catching snook in areas where we generally don’t see them for another month. Snook is catch and release only, but a ton of fun, especially in the cooler water, please handle them with care and get them back in the water quickly for a healthy release.

It’s hard to tell what the future holds, but if the past couple months is any indication we are in for an early spring season. You won’t hear me complain, that’s by far my favorite season to fish!

For charter information, please contact us at:

Phone: 239-283-7960

Website: www.fishpineisland.com

E-mail: gcl2fish@live.com

“Catch the Action” with Captain Bill Russell

Warm Weather Keeps the Fish Biting in Southwest Florida

So far November has remained a month with mild weather, a few slight cool fronts but nothing more. With no reason for baitfish or predators to head for warmer water good fishing continues around southwest Florida.

Its Thanksgiving week and we are still fishing in shorts and t shirts, you can’t beat that!

Catch and release snook fishing continues to give us fun with the hard fighting linesides. They are always a pleasant surprise when our main target is redfish.

On some days locating redfish has been pretty easy and on others it’s taken some moving around. Sand potholes on the low water and hard bottom along mangrove shorelines over the higher tide stages have given the best results.

Season is closed on sea trout, but we are catch and releasing plenty. Large fish up to twenty-four inches are feeding over the same bottom as redfish and snook. It’s possible to catch an inshore slam (snook, redfish & trout) without moving the boat.

Now that the Thanksgiving Holiday is here and gone it’s the kick off to the crazy shopping season. I never have and never will understand how people can actually tolerate the shopping mayhem and enjoy it. What I do understand, with all crowds on the roads and shopping at the stores, it’s a great time for a peaceful day of fishing. Especially if this beautiful weather in sunny southwest Florida continues.

 

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving Holiday.

 

“Catch the Action” with Captain Bill Russell

Holiday Gift Certificate available

For charter information, please contact us at:

Phone: 239-283-7960

Website: http://www.fishpineisland.com/  

E-mail: gcl2fish@live.com

Redfish, Snook and Mackerel in Southwest Florida

Fishing in southwest Florida around Pine Island we are catching a variety of fish including snook, redfish, trout, mackerel and flounder. We are still primarily fishing with live bait including shiners (pilchards) and pinfish. We carry live shrimp with us each day but there are just too many bait stealing pinfish to think about fishing shrimp as long as the bait fish are still around. A couple more cold fronts and that will change, the pinfish and shiners will move offshore and shrimp will become the preferred bait.

Some days they are a little stubborn and other days more cooperative but we are catching redfish in northern Pine Island Sound, Matlacha Pass and the eastern side of Charlotte Harbor. Most are of a decent average size running from twenty-two to twenty-four inches, with a few larger or smaller

Snook and some really nice trout, both, catch and release only, were also mixed with the reds. The largest trout were caught with the redfish in the Sound and the better snook action came from the Harbor and Matlacha Pass.

There are plenty of Spanish mackerel in Charlotte Harbor, average size is around fourteen to eighteen inches, with a few larger, once they get chummed up they can give almost non-stop action. We are catching the mackerel on live shiners rigged on an extra long shank 2/0 stainless J hook and on Clark silver spoons. Bonnet head sharks, trout, ladyfish and a few bluefish were with the macks in water depths averaging six to nine feet.

 

The Holiday Season is fast approaching with Thanksgiving not far off. It’s a great time to get on the water with friends and family and enjoy the outdoors.

For charter information please contact us at:

Phone: 239-283-7960

Website: www.fishpineisland.com

E-mail: gcl2fish@live.com

Holiday Gift Certificates Available

Plenty of Action in Southwest Florida

The beginning of October greeted southwest Florida with a pleasant change. Our first touch of cooler weather and lower humidity after a long hot summer made for perfect fishing conditions. The winds were a little breezy at times, but overall the fishing is very good.

Redfish and snook were very active and feeding throughout the day, both high water and low tide the bite was equally good. We had several days where it was possible to get the slam of snook, redfish and trout without moving the boat. Pictured is David Riser with a 38 inch snook, 25 inch redfish and 20 inch trout to complete his slam. His brother, George also scored with a slam of his own.

Some large schools of redfish are also around roaming the flats and bars, when you get into them it can be non-stop action. Most of the school fish are running from just under the upper slot (27 inches) to well over thirty inches. Pictured below are brothers Bob and John Newcom holding a pair of many redfish caught from a large school in the Harbor.

Large Spanish mackerel have moved back into Charlotte Harbor as they begin their migration south with the cooler weather. Bluefish, sharks, trout and way too many ladyfish are also working the same bait schools with the macks. This action should only get better as the month progresses. Below is Weston Davis with a big toothy mackerel caught near Bokeelia.

The month is running right on schedule, bait is plentiful and it’s pleasantly easy to fill up the live well in the mornings with shiners (pilchards) and pinfish. The weather and water is gradually cooling down and the fish are getting very active and hungry. October is a month where it’s hard not to be on the water fishing in southwest Florida.

For charter information, please contact us at:

“Catch the Action” with Captain Bill Russell

Phone: 239-283-7960

Website: http://www.fishpineisland.com/

E-mail: gcl2fish@live.com

Change of Season Sparks Action in Southwest Florida

After a hot summer things are coming to life on the waters around Pine Island and Southwest Florida. The fall migration has begun with hordes of bait moving south for the upcoming cooler months and plenty of hungry predator's right on their tails.

The inshore waters have really come to life; about everywhere you look there is bait of some type and size. Trout are feeding under the bait schools when they are over a grass or grass and sand mix bottom. Mackerel, ladyfish, bluefish, sharks, flounder and a few tarpon are also chasing the bait pods.

The beginning of fall is a great time for redfish. We are finding them tucked up under the mangroves on the higher stages of the tide and schools of larger fish are becoming more frequent on the open flats in Pine Island Sound and Charlotte Harbor.

This is a great time to fish, autumn or fall begins on Friday and the change is already underway. Days are getting shorter, the water is cooling and fish are getting hungry. Top that with an unlimited supply of bait moving south through our waters and we should be in store for some good fishing.

For charter information, please contact us at:

Phone: 239-283-7960

Website: www.fishpineisland.com

E-mail: gcl2fish@live.com

"Catch the Action" with Captain Bill Russell 

SEPTEMBER BRINGS A WELCOMED CHANGE OF SEASONS

It’s almost over, the hot days of summer that is. With the arrival of September it’s only a few weeks before we should break out of summers steamy hot days and transition to the cooler days of autumn. This is great news for fishing around Southwest Florida for many reasons.

At the top of the list you would have to place relief from the summer heat. Days will become less humid with a slight drop in temperature, after the dog days of August this will be very welcomed. Don’t get me wrong, it will still be hot on many days, but it will become much more tolerable as the month progresses. Also, the summer thunderstorm pattern will begin to fade away opening up the door to spend longer periods of the day on the water. It’s been hard to get in a full day fishing with the heat and storms, but that will slowly change.

Just as anglers enjoy the change of seasons look for fish to also respond as they become more active resulting in improved fishing. With a drop in water temperature you can expect fish to exert more energy and feed more consistently throughout the day. Of course its fishing, there are days when you can’t buy a bite no matter what, but your chances for success are tipped in your favor.

Offshore, as the water temperatures drop look for fish to move closer to shore in shallower depths and migratory species to begin heading south through our waters. Grouper and snapper fishing could be pretty good without spending a fortune on fuel, plus the powers to be are going to allow us lucky recreational anglers a two month open season on gag grouper. The season opens September 16th and runs through November 15th and I believe covers both state and federal waters. Grouper regulations are really getting difficult to keep track of, please check the latest regulations at myfwc.com to make sure for yourself. Don’t take my word for it, they may change again in the next two weeks.

Mackerel, both Spanish and king should return to the near gulf in good numbers, look for the Spanish from the beaches out to several miles, watch for birds and feeding fish. The larger kings will be found over areas with some type of bottom structure including artificial reefs, wrecks and rocky bottom. Trolling large deep diving lures is a good way to cover a lot of ground and put both grouper and kings in the box.

For the inshore angler it’s a month filled with opportunities. The beginning of autumn is always a great time to fish in southwest Florida for the big four (snook, tarpon, redfish and sea trout) inshore species. As the shallower inshore water cools these gamefish will get much more active, look for explosive strikes on top waters lures with all four feeding much more aggressively.

Tarpon are not in the huge pre-spawn schools of spring, but there will be plenty around for those that put in the time. Redfish should be in large schools prowling the inshore waters. From now until the first real cold front (most likely late in October), will present us with our best red fishing of the year. Large fish will gather in schools of up to several hundred and on the right day can give you a fishing experience you will never forget. Look for them moving along the shallow edges of bars as they push a wall of water and crashing any baitfish in their path. Try to get well ahead of the moving fish to intercept their path, if you don’t spook them make a long cast ahead of the lead fish and hang on. Most are way oversize but they sure are a blast to catch. Large schools of oversize redfish may also be sighted offshore in tight groups around bait schools.

The bigger sea trout will begin moving back into shallower water to feed; this is a great time to work a top water plug across your favorite trout flats. Plenty of keeper size trout will also be caught under the endless schools of baitfish, look for birds and surface activity over grassflats or along bar drop-offs.

Snook season will remain closed in our waters for at least another year. Snook are on the rebound from the devastating kill from the cold January of 2010 and they will remain catch and release only until the state determines the numbers have increased to a sustainable level to again have a season. With that said snook will begin to leave the beach and Gulf passes and move back inshore on the flats around oyster bars, shorelines and other structures. In the past this has been one of the best months for snook fishing, but with the numbers down and season closed most anglers will target other species.

 

Plenty of other fish including Spanish mackerel, sharks, jack crevalle, bluefish, pompano, flounder and cobia just to name a few, plus the best inshore mangrove snapper fishing of the year are all on the list of what we should expect to catch in the upcoming month. With so many fishing opportunities and weather that’s more enjoyable for fishing let’s get out there and see what we can catch!

For charter information, please contact us at:

Phone: 239-283-7960

Website: www.fishpineisland.com

E-mail: gcl2fish@live.com

"Catch the Action" with Captain Bill Russell

Fishing is HOT in southwest Florida

Summer in southwest Florida means hot temperatures and plenty of rain and often thunderstorms. If you don’t mind working around the weather the fishing is often pretty good and competition from other boats is scarce.

Redfish have become more consistent as summer progresses; most are legal size averaging twenty to twenty five inches with a few over size fish going over thirty. Floating a silver dollar size pinfish or pilchard under a cork or soaking a ballyhoo tube on bottom has been our best baits. These redfish are tight under the mangroves on the higher stages of the tide, it’s important to keep the bait as tight to the mangroves as possible. By the end of the month schools of large reds should begin bunching up on the flats for their fall run.

I’ve pretty much left snook alone this summer, it’s been hard but with the numbers down its better to let them go through their summer spawn without harassing them. The ones we have caught are while targeting redfish off oyster bars or shorelines, like the one pictured below that was safely released after a quick snap shot.

Surprisingly there are some big summer trout over the grassflats. There not thick and undersize fish are mixed in, but we have caught trout up to twenty-four inches. We are finding the larger trout in areas of open water where sand bars separate deeper water from three to five foot deep grassflats. Schools of bait fish are concentrated in these areas and trout, along with Spanish mackerel, ladyfish and small sharks are working the bait schools. Also, don’t be surprised if a tarpon joins the party, we have hooked tarpon from seventy to ninety pounds on about every other trip on live pilchards.

Use the weather to your advantage and fishing can be good during the hot month of August. Our inshore water temperature can change quickly, give us three or four days with bright sunny skies and the inshore waters quickly get hot and the bite can slow. A couple rainy days with limited sunshine and the water will drop several degrees, this can trigger very good fishing.

For charter information, please contact us at:
“Catch the Action” with Captain Bill Russell
Phone: 239-283-7960
Website: www.fishpineisland.com/
E-mail: gcl2fish@live.com/