Fishing report for the week ending 4/18/2010
Wind and more wind was the theme for the majority of this week, with high pressure in control keeping our winds easterly and at times gusting into the thirties.
Fishing has been good and getting better with trout being the mainstay but more snook and redfish showing up each day. There are plenty of schooling trout with bigger ones mixed in on the grass and sand bottom in 3-6 ft. of water. Softbaits are still working well drifting but live shinners are doing well also. There have still been spanish mackerel showing up but not in the numbers like early in spring.
As I am writing this report it is the second Sunday in a row of rain, last being a 4 to 5 inches at my house. This has been one of the wettest winters that I can remember. The Caloosahatchee rivermouth area which is my back yard looks like Summer with the salinity way down do to releases from lake Okachobee in the billions of gallons a day levels. While co-hosting ESPN"s reeltalk radio with my friend Capt. Rob Modys Dave Westra did his weekly call in and pointed out that water samples taken in Ft. Myers are the same salinity as that of the Lake meaning Fresh. This has changed the river area dramatically and has affected the fishing there.
There were one or two days early in the week where you could chum regular snook spots and not see a bait eaten, I believe this was a combination of the water salinity and high preasure which can make the fish lazy at times.
I fished a little of everthing this week the river, Pine Island Sound, San Carlos Bay and most of Matlacha Pass. The Sound and the Pass were the most productive later in the week giving up snook, mostly under the slot a few redfish and some of the biggest trout I can remember seeing.
All of the places that we fish for snook and redfish are giving up trout some up to 5-6 lbs. All on live shinners.
I believe that because of the amount of snook that were killed in this years freeze the big trout are in there spots, it would seem that the 5lb. Trout is our new small snook this year. Everyone I have talked to are seeing the same trend from North Pine Island to Estero Bay.
Tarpon and a few cobia are being seen and with some lighter winds this week everything should pick up.
Photos this week are Longtime client Paul Rotsaert and David Bridges and his kids.
The weather looks good for the upcomming week
For charter information or to book a charter contact
Capt. Gary Clark
Ultimate Charters
Ph. 239-542-9315
E-mail fish@ultimatecharters.com
www. Ultimatecharters.com
