Monday, 3/10, seas were predicted to be calmer after a weekend of high winds and choppy conditions. With predictions for two to four foot seas offshore, we hoped for fairly calm seas close in at the three-mile and five-mile reefs off Bonita Beach, where I fished with Peter Kenney, Mark & Sue Auguster and their children, Mitchell, Alana and Regan. We weren't so lucky—seas were three to four feet and building with a steady 15-20 knot wind. We hung tough and fished the reefs all morning, using live shrimp. We caught three keeper sheepshead to 16 inches and an 18 inch flounder. We released a 14 7/8 inch trout, just short of legal size, as well as small lane snapper.
Dan Howey and son, Chris, fished a shallow Estero Bay with me on Tuesday. We released sheepshead, cravalle jacks, ladyfish and whitings, fishing with shrimp along tree lines and potholes.
Wednesday, there were still some pretty good waves offshore, but it was a little calmer and allowed me to get out to about 27 feet with Tom Coleman, brother, Russ, and parents, Jim and Donna. We caught seven sheepshead to 15 inches, eight keeper mangrove snapper to 14 inches, two keeper lane snapper and seven Spanish mackerel in the 22 to 24 inch range. We released smaller lanes and mangs and we lost a gag grouper to a line break.
Thursday's anglers, Ken Goretski, Paul Caruso, and friend, Tom, had originally planned to fish all day in Estero Bay but the tide was so slow it barely came in at all and the bay was shallow. We decided to come in at the half-day mark, after releasing two whiting, two cravalle jacks, five small mangrove snapper and a ladyfish.
Friday, seas were fairly calm until about mid-day. I fished at the near-shore reefs and out to 7˝ miles with Ben Grigsby and his uncle, Ken O'Brian. We caught two keeper gag grouper at 22 inches and 23 inches, lost a bigger one when it came off the hook, and released lots of gag shorts and a 19 ˝ inch red grouper. We also caught a 13 inch hogfish, and some porgies. We also released lots of blue runners.
Saturday the winds were back once again and with seas of three to five feet offshore, I cancelled my fishing trip and called it a week.
The photo shown is of a 17 inch mangrove snapper caught on shrimp by thirteen-year-old angler, Grayson Jacobson on a recent offshore trip.
