Fishing the backcountry between Naples and Marco Island this past week has been very good. There are good varieties and quantities of fish.

Snook are still in the passes and along the beaches. The east wind we’ve had of late has cleared the water and made sight fishing possible. Also, off the beaches small bait fish are thick which has brought in the mackerel and the bonita have started to show. Bonita are my favorite fish to catch. With their sustained runs, pound for pound they are the fastest and strongest fish we have in SW Florida. Too bad we only really catch them is in the fall.

Redfish are being caught in good numbers. Most of my regular spots and a few new spots all are producing reds. Many of the fish are in the 18-27” slot with some being over.
I have been seeing some tarpon in the passes in the mornings at first light and I’ve also seen fish migrating south along the beaches eating mouthfuls of the small bait fish that have shown up.

Fished Stephanie and Matt from Atlanta yesterday and we started off at the first spot catching close to 20 snook in the 20-25” range. A nice way to start the day plus takes the pressure off which usually means we’ll catch more fish. The next two spots were slow but the third spot produced snook, redfish, a goliath grouper and a couple of snapper. The next spot we caught more of the same. Overall a great morning.
The fall is a great time of year to fish. The weather is great, not being too hot or too cold, there is very little boat traffic and there are good quantities and varieties of fish.
Give me a call to book a trip. Spin, plug or fly is all available.

Cheers

Capt. Mark Ward
239-450-9230