Dave Hanson

With peak slow-season upon us in southwest Florida, fishing trips have been scarcer this month. I was looking forward to two days of fishing this weekend, but with a last minute cancellation for one of them, I ended up offshore only on Saturday morning. I fished with Ron Lyrek, Pete Fredrickson, Will Williams, Bob Tofison, Craig Sneed and Tom Cartier. We headed out to about 38 feet west of New Pass in calm conditions, but with rough seas predicted to arrive later this afternoon and extend into at least the middle of next week, we already began to see rougher conditions on our way back in at mid-day. Using live shrimp, Craig caught a 14 inch hogfish, and the group caught seven keeper mangrove snapper that were all around 13 inches, keeper Spanish mackerel and whitebone porgies. We released triggerfish and short red grouper.

I fished Friday morning, 10/5, with Herb & Renee Gueracio and their son James, friend Steven Macenas, and Steven's mother, Peggy Macenas. We headed out to about 35 feet out of New Pass with live shrimp and caught a good variety of fish including a 22 inch Spanish mackerel, three keeper lane snapper, some keeper mangs and triggerfish. We released about 25 gag grouper shorts to 18 inches and a bunch of smaller snapper. We also released three goliath grouper that ranged 15-25 pounds, which we caught on blue runners, and a 4-foot bull shark.

The photo shown is of angler Andy Alvarez with a 23 inch redfish caught on live shrimp on a recent inshore trip in Estero Bay.

Fish Species: shark, grouper, snapper, mackerel
Bait Used: live shrimp
Tackle Used: light spinning
Method Used: bottom fishing
Water Depth: 30-40 feet
Water Temperature: 90
Wind Direction: S, SE
Wind Speed: 10 knots
23 inch redfish on shrimp, Estero Bay, SW FL
23 inch redfish on shrimp, Estero Bay, SW FL


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Dave Hanson

About The Author: Captain Dave Hanson

Company: Fish Buster Charters

Area Reporting: Bonita Beach

Bio: Captain Dave Hanson is a native of southwest Florida. He has been fishing local waters since childhood, and has been fishing professionally for over fifteen years. He is Coast Guard licensed, and is a member in good standing of the Bonita Springs Chamber of Commerce. He has been featured in several national fishing magazines, and he also appears weekly in the fishing reports sections of the Bonita, Ft. Myers, Ft. Myers Beach, and Naples, FL newspapers.

239-947-1688
Click Here For Past Fishing Reports by Captain Dave Hanson