Dave Hanson

Friday, 8/31, I fished an outgoing tide in Estero Bay around Wiggins Pass with Tom and Marsha Lynch. We caught a few keeper mangrove snapper to 12 inches and released a 19 inch snook, cravalle jacks and ladyfish.

Saturday, 9/1, I fished with a husband-and-wife team who were actually both named Terry--Terry & Terry Lunsford and their friends Mel and Linda Vaughn. We headed out to about 32 feet out of New Pass, where we did pretty well with live shrimp. We caught a 23 inch keeper gag grouper, the first one of those in a good while this close in. We also caught 14 keeper mangrove snapper to 13 inches and some porgies. We released a small hogfish and a 14 inch mutton snapper. Then, for some sport and excitement, we targeted goliath grouper with blue runners and cravalle jacks as bait. We released three goliaths, one that appeared to be over 15o pounds, one about 70 pounds and one about 50 pounds. All in all it was a hot, but good morning of fishing for fun and food.

The photo shown is of angler Stacy Madson with a trio of hogfish, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.

Fish Species: grouper, snapper, snook, jacks, hogfish
Bait Used: live shrimp, blue runners, cravalle jack
Tackle Used: light spinning
Method Used: bottom fishing and tree lines-oyster bars bayside
Water Depth: 1-3 bayside; 30-40 feet gulfside
Water Temperature: 92
Wind Direction: S, SW
Wind Speed: 5-10 knots
trio of hogfish on shrimp, Bonita Beach, FL
trio of hogfish on shrimp, Bonita Beach, 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