Really Cold weather for December but Still Good Fishing for Naples and Marco

I hope all like fishing in the Cold.  Wow what a December so far, I do not believe I have ever had my long Johns out this early ever.  I sure hope we do not get anymore global warming or we will all freeze to death.  The good news in all the cold is when we can get out and we find someone that wants to fish we are catching plenty of species even some warm weather species.  This past week water temps have been cold but the list of species is long an distinguished.  Snook, Redfish, Trout, Pompano, Permit, Sheepshead, Snapper, Flounder, Ladyfish, Jack Crevalle,  Grouper, and a few others I cannot remember.  Not bad for cold weather fishing. 

 

Fly Fishing has been great on the clear flats for Redfish and Sheepshead and on the edges fro Trout, and Ladyfish.  The trick on the flats small flies and long casts are getting plenty of takers.  In the channels a sink tip line with bright Clousers are doing the trick.  I have also come up with a new Spoon Fly that will be available soon.  It works in deeper waters and catches everything that swims.  I fished a couple of nights under the lights and they have been ok, still plenty of Snook but the bite is a little tough we need to warm up a little. 

 

Bait fishing with White bait not happening.  Live Shrimp the only way to go and it has been very good.  Whole shrimp in the small Creeks are catching just about everything that you might want to catch.  And Tipped Jigs in the channels adjacent to the flats are bringing up plenty of Pompano, Permit and Trout(Trout opens Jan.1).  It looks like we are going to have one more arctic blast this week and then go into a little warming trend, we need it.  Maybe this will be the last reel bad cold for a while and people will want to get out and fish.  If we do not start warming soon we are going to see another fish kill and that would be awful for our resources. 

 

Bass fishing in the Everglades has been pretty tough with all this wind and cold.  We are catching them but they aren’t on fire like the should be this month.  That will change around with a little warm weather though.  Water levels are right we just need a little warmth.

 

Well this is the Christmas Fishing report so I hope all have a great holiday weather you are here in Southwest Florida or in one of the Tundra areas up to our North.  It looks like it will be a splendid New Year and we will wait for a new years fishing report when we see what the weather does.  Please everyone have a great Christmas and Happy New Year.  Good Fishing Capt. Roan z. 

 

October and November fishing report For naples and Marco island WHAT A MONTH!

Well, October showed off again.  The question I was asking my anglers was,( what would you like to catch and how would you like to catch them)?  Here is the laundry list of fish we caught in October:  Snook, Tarpon, Redfish, Snapper, Trout, Flounder, Grouper, Trippletail, Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish, False Albacore, Cobia, Sharks, Ok is that enough?  Well throw in about 10 more species and you see what I am getting at about the great fishing we have in October.  It is surprising that more people really do not take advantage of it.  The other nice thing about October fishing is that it is much cooler and not so unbearably hot.  Well anyhow here is how we caught them.  Lets start with the False Albacore and the offshore fish.  Cast master Spoons and long Shank Flies that look like silversides were the key for most of the offshore fish.  Grouper and Snapper on yellow Jigs tipped with cut Squid.  The last week of October the tripletail started showing up on the trap lines 2 miles out of Marco.  Inshore species could be found everywhere from the Passes all the way to the farthest Back country creeks.  We caught them on poppers, top water plugs, Jerk baits and Muddler Flies.  It was awesome fishing.  That doesn’t even include the awesome night fishing.  I had more night slams this year in October than any other.  Trout, Redfish, Snook and Tarpon were on the lights this month.  Mostly fished on flies and the fly of choice was a Polafibre Minnow with a Tan back color.  They ate them up.  Even the Bass in the Everglades are starting to pick up the pace, fished Interceptor caught 30 on poppers and small shrimp flies.  Small Peacocks are starting in the GGC also.  I can not say anymore, I wish more people would take advantage of our October fishing.  A smattering of Pics from October.  Jack Allen Popper Fishing for Snook, Ken deep in the glades fishing the new TFO BVK Fly Rod, I cannot believe how light and powerful they are.  If you are looking for the new rods from TFO Contact me at info@indianpassoutfitters.com  Last but not least one of my favorite species on fly the False Albacore and Rich.

 

November is now on out doorstep and we should see cooler temps and cooler fishing.  I would expect the summer species to start to slow down a little and our winter species to pick up the pace.  The ladyfish, and mackerel will start moving inside along with Pompano and Trout.  Snook and Tarpon will slow just a bit but still will be plentiful usually into December.  Start looking a little more to the back country creeks this month, and the lights will get better.  Still will have plenty in the passes until the water temps dip into the low 70’s.  Redfish will start to school on all the flats from the Everglades to Pine Island Sound.  We were catching extreme amounts of small ones which if they hang around should make for a good Redfish season.  I have been catching most of my reds on an Rz Sparkle Shrimp or Kwan type fly.  The other species that will start coming on strong is Sheepshead, they are quite the target on a fly, I like small crab type patterns like a Bonefish Bitters.  Look for schools on the flats along with Redfish.  Tarpon will slow a bit but I had pretty goof fishing for them all the way into December last year.  If freshwater is what you want, this is the month for the GGC and the Canals across I75.  Go get them they should be hitting on top early and on the bottom after about ten in the morning.  Well good luck and I hope all have a great Thanksgiving this year.  Roan z.

 

September and October fishing report

September, slow month for fisherman strong month for the fish.  Wow fishing was sure good, to bad so sad, few people showed up for it.  Well anyhow the fisherman that went had some great Snook, Tarpon, and Redfish fishing.  October is shaping up to be the same.  Good news for October the anglers that are booking should get in on some of the finest fishing we have in this neck of the woods.   September saw lots of redfish move in for the spawning session in the passes and some moved into the bays and oyster bars and flats throughout the area.  Lots and lots of little one’s with some nice one’s thrown in.  Snook are rampant in the passes and areas close to the passes.  The only problem is the bait is so thick it was hard to get them to bite just one bait on a hook or one fly.  Persistence paid off and we landed some nice fish.  It was tough to stay calm watching 100 Snook at the time flip flop through the bait and wait for the strike.  Tarpon were their also in and out of the passes and long the beaches near the passes.  This is typical for this time of the year though.  We also had some great Tarpon fishing for small one’s in the creeks from Naples to The Everglades seemed as if every creek had them somewhere you just had to be patient to catch them.  They did not roll as much as they usually do so you had to wait sometimes 20 minutes for the right shot.  Fished a fun tournament in September.  Mixed bag tourney called Summer Doldrums.  My anglers Oliver and Alex took home 1^st in the Junior and Mens division.  They did a great job catching 10 out of the 12 species of fish(picture).  Great going for the two young boys 13 and 15.  I am lucky to have them as anglers they are great fisherman.  Like I said fishing was great and we caught fish inshore and offshore.  Bass fished a couple times in September not worth mentioning.  I would expect things to pick up next month. 

 

Fishing in October should be as good if not better then September.  Tarpon are showing up in big numbers and will be feeding on flies and mullet in the passes and along the beaches.  Bait will still be everywhere although it should be a little less so the fish might be more apt to take a hooked bait.  Passes, beaches and bays near the passes will be holding everything in October.  Night fishing will be awesome and expect to start catching slams under the lights including Snook, Redfish, Tarpon, and Trout.  Accomplished this the other night in Capri, fished for 3 out of 4 hours caught so many my angler wanted to go in early and rest his arm.  Wore them out in Marco River.  I love this time of the year.  Red Snook Tourney coming up this weekend.  Conservancy puts this on with Roland Martin every year, should be lots of fun, believe there is still openings for it so try and fish for a good cause.  Should be a fun tourney with some great fishing.  Bass fishing in October should get better.  Water temps will be decreasing along with rain which should get the bass going.  Top waters early then go deep as the morning progresses.  Well I hope everyone gets out and fishes.  Nice to see the law enforcement out checking people.  Hint though get in the boats and check them boxes.  You cannot find illegal fish if you do not check for them.  Good luck and good fishing. Roan z.

 

Night Fishing this week will be the rule with a moon full.

Pic of former Miss Wyoming catching her first Snook on Fly.  Lucky Girl.

Fishing in the deep Glades Creeks

Took Ritchie into the deep Everglades creeks with my specialty Tunnel Scandy White and found some nice Tarpon and Snook on the fly.

August and September Fishing Report Naples and Marco

Great Fishing for The last of August.  Whether fishing Fly, Bait, or Plug we were catching everything inshore and offshore.  Snook, Tarpon, Redfish, Kingfish, Cobia, and hordes of nice Snapper.  Let us hope the summer keeps progressing and we do not have any severe storms to deal with and the fishing will continue to get stronger through September.  Fish seemed to be everywhere in August as long as you went early or stayed late.  Mid day fishing was tough.  Everything after ten in the morning was a little hot and difficult unless you were fishing the docks or the deep Mangroves.  Morning and evening popper fishing was excellent for Snook and Tarpon in the canals of Port Royal and around the docks in Marco and Capri.  Of course the night fishing was off the hook.  As of late the Redfish are returning and are showing in the lights as well.  Last week of August has seen a large increase in Redfish catches.  Two days ago fishing the pass with Jigs we landed three big fish from 30 to 35 inches shown in picture.  Tough fight on the light spinning rod but my angler DzF. Did well.  Offshore fishing in august was very good also.  Lots and lots of snapper everywhere, actually they became a nuisance when grouper fishing.  What a great nuisance.  We have also been catching lots of mackerel, king and Spanish out there.  Inshore bait fishing has been very good also.  Bait has been small but plentiful and if you can find a few bigger ones the Snook have been tearing them up.  Hint instead of the marker check the front of keywaydin and look for the larger baits.  They are there you just have to look for them around the small baits. 

 

September fishing looks like it is going to be awesome.  We will have to see what is going to be happen in the storms.  Redfish are right on track start looking for them in the passes and the bays close to the passes.  They we also be on the outside beaches and jetties.  Snook we continue to feed strong and get better if the weather cools a little.  Tarpon should be plentiful and some big ones will be starting to show back up along the coast and the beaches.  Bait will still be plentiful and should be getting larger.  Expect offshore fishing to get stronger and fish from the north starting to return.  The one great thing about September is the lack of people here so the locals have a chance to fish more.  Now the bad news Snook season is still closed and will be at least through the 16^th.  Personally I am glad, there is too much poaching going on anyhow and I hope the law is taking this seriously and get there buts out of bed and start catching some of these guys.  I am tired of seeing it going on and no one is out there working the problem.  Maybe a change of working hours might be a good idea.  The poachers seem to know when the law is not on the water.  The other bad news is that Bay view park boat ramp will be closing starting the 13^th of September through Dec. 31^st.  Just great!!  Well It will be interesting changing my departure area for a lot of my trips.  Well 951 is still a great place to fish out of.  I have been and will be fishing a little more out of Port of the Islands.  Good Tarpon fishing this time of the year.  Oh yeah Bass fishing should get better toward the end of September.  Good luck and Good Fishing  Roan z. 

Great offshore fishing in August

Nice Kingfish caught near shore to Naples.

Great August Fishing

Great fishing for most of the month of July and it looks like it is continuing directly into August.  Bonnie was a bust fishing resumes as normal in the Naples and Marco waters.

 

July fishing was very good inshore, offshore, Bait, Fly and pretty much whatever you wanted to do.  Lets hope August stays the same it looks good so far.  Snook fishing was very good on both bait and fly most of the month.  The fish were pretty much everywhere, from the passes all the way to the back country.  Great numbers of fish along with some big one’s were in or around all the passes from Cax to Wiggins.  They were hitting most everything including small baitfish flies, White Bait, and Jigs.  The fly fishing was better in the late afternoon and into the night for both Snook and Tarpon.  Morning fishing was good but you needed to be there early, which is typical summer fishing.  The nice thing about morning though, less bugs and we fished to more large floaters and Tarpon in the Back Country.  One morning especially, we landed two 32 and 35 inch Snook and jumped 7 Tarpon up to 40 pounds landing one all on Rz’s Tarpon Muddler in Yellow and Grey.  Bait fishing has been excellent also, fishing a Hamilton Harbor BCS Charity Tourney last week my anglers D.J. and Tom from North Ft. Myers were able to Card out with Two Snook and Two Redfish and win by a very slim margin over 2^nd place finisher Todd Geroy and third Place Mike Rucker.  The Tourney was a lot of fun and a great group of guys and gals fished it.  We were lucky to win, the second Redfish was the deciding factor.  Red fishing in the Naples and Marco waters has been very difficult.  We caught ours under the Docks along the Gordon River.  The offshore fishing has been hard to beat the last month.  Great Snapper fishing both inshore and offshore has been awesome.  Large mangroves and if you get out far enough they are catching some Muttons and Red Snapper.  Also out there are scattered Kingfish, Sailfish, Black fin Tuna, and Cobia.  Oh yeah and the Spanish Macks are everywhere off the beaches.  I think this has been one of the best July’s I have ever seen. 

 

What will happen in August?  It looks pretty good.  I do not see anything on the horizon to change things.  Bait is still plentiful and the fish do not seem to be acting in a strange manner.  I would expect a little increase in temps and hopefully a slow tropical season will keep us in business.  It will depend on the Rain if it is heavier than usual then it will be slower fishing if it is steady then the fishing will be good.  If it is less than normal the fishing will be difficult.  Low rainfall and high temps will make thing a little tough, so lets hope for nice steady afternoon rains that keep the temps down in our waters.  Our fish this time of the year need that influx of freshwater it is very important to them and there young one’s.  Offshore fishing should continue strong although I would expect the snapper fishing to slow a bit but other things should pick up.  Small Tarpon fishing in the creeks should be good especially if we are getting steady rain.  Big  Tarpon will be non factor this month but should be back strong in the middle of next month.  The most important thing is to get out and fish.  Have Fun and please catch and release the Snook carefully.

Thanks Roan z.

Fishing Report - June Fishing in Naples Florida

Great fishing to report for the Month of June in the Naples and Marco area, which should continue through July. What can I say it has been a banner June for fishing in our area. Despite the fish loss over the winter the Snook fishing has been excellent. We lost many fish but thankfully when we lost those fish we had the largest numbers than we had ever had and we are left now with less fish but still plenty to catch and release. I still believe they should keep the season on the fish closed for at least one more year. The Snook are heaviest in the passes and along the beaches, typical for this time. We are also catching them in the bays adjacent to the passes. There are a few in the backcountry creeks but not as productive as the outside. There are also quite a few big fish that we have caught on the near shore reefs. If you want to fish them you need to be early or late and get some fresh pinfish or white bait down on the bottom. Fly fishing in the evening and night time has been the right time. It has been much more productive than the morning fishing. If you go early in the morning it is very good but you have to get out before light and get off the water before 11 am. Along with the Snook on Fly we are catching a few Tarpon. The small ones are scattered in the backcountry and there are quite a few around the docks in Marco and in Naples. The big girls that are traveling the coast have been here today gone tomorrow. One day we find them and they are happy and want to play ball the next they are scattered and moving fast and furious. Some days finding them is a struggle and the next they are everywhere. Persistence pays off though. If you are serious about fishing them you have to be Johnny on the spot and be there. It is a long boring day but if you stay with it eventually you will get your shot. For bait fisherman, I am finding a live crab under a cork has been working a little better than a White bait or Thread but this is marginally better. Keep up the vigil and you will connect. Pictures this month come from some clients that fished for 7 days. We were able to catch good numbers of Snook and they were able to catch their first Peacock bass on fly there largest Largemouth Bass on fly and even their first ever Pompano and Permit on Fly. Permit and pompano fishing has been very good this past month. They had a few good opportunities for Tarpon but never connected but we did not fish for them much. They wanted some different species this year and I am happy to say they connected again.

July Fishing should get even better. With the impending rain I would expect the bugs to get worse the fisherman to lessen and the fish to fire up. Small Tarpon fishing should really pick up the pace and the Snook will stay right on track. The first spawns will be over and the Snook should stay hungry and catchable. Snapper fishing which has been very good will continue right though July. The good Trout fishing we have been having in June will most likely slow down, but we have been lucky so far it should have slowed in June but it is continuing strong. Largemouth bass the in the glades will have to be done early or late in the evening, but the peacocks should be hot for the fly all day. They like the heat if you can stand it. I suggest on and off the water early. Big Tarpon fishing is always a question in July we will just have to wait and see. I would expect with all the problems to our North the Tarpon may stay south a little more this year. The bait is here and we are even catching fish that should be to our North so I believe the fish are repositioning themselves out of troubled waters. Please everyone that is reading this. We have no oil in Southwest Florida. The news sometimes portrays the worst scenarios and scare people away from the gulf of Mexico. It is a very large area and we are fine down here. Our Fly shop in north Florida a little more of a problem. We are still open for business but they are finding Tar balls up there. Fishing is still pretty good up there but nobody there wanting to fish.

Captain Roan Z.