Fishing Report 11/5/2104 The first cold front of the season arrived over the Halloween weekend and sent temperatures down into the mid 40’s. The high winds kept most anglers off the Gulf waters but a few brave souls made it out on Estero Bay and Pine Island Sound. While the weather was a problem, getting a bite was not. The fish aren’t quite as rowdy as they were but they are still eating. Capt. Rob Modys, SoulMate Charters. The place to be during the cooler windy weather was up in the many creeks and rivers of Estero Bay. The water was calmer and warmer there and the redfish were biting. We also picked up a few small snook and some nice size black drum. A sure sign that winter is on the way was the pickup in the sheepshead bite. They are one of the few fish that really don’t care if the water cools down. As a matter of fact, they seem to like it. The bigger ones were caught near oyster bars with deep cuts and holes. Live shrimp on a small hook with a light weight split shot worked best to get these great bait stealers to the boat. The seatrout numbers and size also bumped up right after the cold front passed through. We picked up quite a few big ones on the open grass flats in both the north and south end of Estero Bay. Capt. Greg Stamper of Snook Stamp Charters said it was catching this week more than fishing all the way until Saturday’s cold front. Offshore spanish mackerel, bonita and a few kingfish were crashing the huge schools of bait almost everywhere that he fished from Fort Myers Beach to Boca Grande Pass. If you were lucky enough to be at the right pod of bait at the right time the tarpon were there too as they pushed south escaping the approaching cold weather. Using small spoons, 1/4 and 1/2 ounce buck tail jigs as well as live threadfins kept the action going. Inshore was just as good with the snook bite on fire all week on the outgoing tides. He fished points and shore lines on the west side of Pine Island using white bait. Capt. Alex Dolinski of Spot On Charters said that windy days combined with the lower tides can make catching fish challenging. There are several options to choose from during these times. Look for deeper water in the bays such as channel edges, work deeper banks in the pass or fish the creeks and rivers in our area. Slow down your presentation and use cut baits to find redfish, black drum and many other species. Smaller 1/0 and 2/0 hooks with just enough lead to get the bait to the bottom will work for sheepshead, sea trout, pompano and mangrove snapper. On the outgoing tides try fishing just outside the passes in 12 to 15 feet of water. Look for bait pods and working birds and drift the area with shrimp on a jig. Small to medium size spoons will also work for the Spanish mackerel, king mackerel and bonita. Capt. Jon Fetter of Catching The Cure Charters said that the fishing patterns are changing thanks to the cooler morning temperatures and that water temperatures were already in the mid 60’s on most of the backcountry flats of Estero Bay. Sea trout and ladyfish have moved together and can be found in about 2 to 5 feet of water. Use a popping cork rig with live shrimp to find them. Once found, anchor up and work the area thoroughly. Locating redfish has been tougher. Look for them around mangrove islands on higher water and do your best to find the clearest water possible. Sheepshead are making their winter season move to the back bays. Cast small offerings of shrimp around oyster bars, under blow downs and along dock pilings. They are notorious bait stealers so keep your tackle light and small.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 14:25:56 +0000
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