Windy conditions this week but fishing is still pretty good

 

 

From: Roan zumFelde [mailto:roanz@comcast.net]
Sent: Friday, October 26, 2012 11:14 AM
To: Charlie@diversonly.com
Subject: Fishing Report for next publication Naples and marco and Everglades.

 

This week fishing in the Naples and Marco area has been outstanding except for some problematic wind.

 

The fishing is still going strong in the Naples and Marco area this week with one addition to the usual array of characters, Tripletail.  These tasty creatures are showing up in semi good numbers to the North of Naples  between 1 and 3 miles off.  The only problem we are having is it is a little windy to get to them each day.  I was able to track a couple down on fly last week but it was one of those days when I could get out there.  Things should improve though after the latest Tropical whatever blows by.  The best way to catch them is to run the trap lines staying about 50 to 100 feet away from the buoys, and look for them floating near the crab trap markers.  When you see one of them, and you will sooner or later, turn around and stealthily approach them up current and toss a live shrimp just past the float pulling it back over them and letting it drop.  This should get their attention.  Come tight and try to get them away from the trap line before he/she wraps you up.  Just a couple of words of advice:  If you are running the lines at low tide stay up wind so that you do not run over the crab lines that will be stretched out on top of the water.  Now for the rest of the players.  The usual cast are all still here and going strong.  The morning Snook and Tarpon bite in all the passes is red hot.  Some big Snook are being caught on Live White Bait, White Buck tail Jigs, and Larger Deceiver or Clouser Fly Patterns.  This is one of my favorite times of the year to throw a large Flash tail Clouser in the passes on either an intermediate or full sink fly line.  Tarpon will hit this also.  Please when you are fishing for these fish do your best to release them carefully, they are our future for this part of Florida and very important to our fishing resources.    The other fish everyone want to know about is our Redfish, one of the few fish other than the tripletail you can keep this month.  Good numbers are still being caught in most of the area.  The outside bays and the shorelines with hard bottom points have been the best.  Whether it is oyster or rock the harder the bottom the better the fishing right now.  That will change over the next month with cooler temps and cooler water temps coming though.  When the water temps cool start looking to the muddier bottom bays to be holding more of them.  There are still some sporadic catches of keeper Mangrove Snapper but this is definitely on the wane right now.  This next week we will be seeing some cooler water temps so you might want to start looking for your winter species like Pompano and Sheepshead to start making their appearance.  Incoming tides in the intercostal waterways leading from the passes should be the first places to look.  Good fishing and please visit our store at Naples Bay Resort at the Gordon River Bridge in downtown Naples.  Good fishing Capt. Roan z.

 

1^st picture perfect Redfish Habitat. 

2^nd Picture Peacock Bass are starting to bite better this month.

3^rd Picture Redfish caught from behind the point in picture one.

Great Fishing for Naples and Marco, looks like it can only get Better

Fishing this week has been nothing short of spectacular.  The Snook fishing early and late has been excellent mostly on the outside points from North Naples all the way to Lostmans River.  Early and late are the keys to success.  Mid-Day fishing not good for the Snook but do not despair the Redfish fishing has been even better than Snook fishing.  They are biting everything and just about everywhere.  On the outside they are in the bights on the low incoming tide and on the inside bays nearest the gulf you can find them cruising most banks especially ones with scattered oyster on them.  I have not forgotten you Tarpon anglers, The bigger fish have been a little sporadic but early and late in the passes they are blowing up on Glass Minnows and when the mullet schools come through.  You need big baits to tempt them.  Plenty of white bait for the bait fisherman but the Tarpon do not want them, they want a mullet or a ladyfish under a cork.  The back country creeks are also paying off for my Fly Fisherman, with all this rain the small Snook and Tarpon are flowing out the river mouths and are scattered across the inner Bays.  Small Brown or Black Muddler flies in size #2 have been taking them very well.  There are also a few Reds running around back there if you are looking for a slam on Fly.  More Reds to the outside though.  Bass fishing nonexistent in the Everglades due to high water but I hear Okeechobee is red hot, but this comes second hand.  Keep your Loops Tight.  Capt. Roan z.  Thought you might want to see some pictures of fish other than Snook and Tarpon this month.  CJ and Becky Oliver with some great carp on Fly.

 

FW: jack pix

 

 

From: Billy Butch [mailto:billybutch2004@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 6:03 PM
To: Roan zumFelde
Subject: jack pix

 

Roan, thanks for the trip... heres the picture of the Jack..

 

 

Well,  June fishing so far has been interesting to say the least for Naples and Marco Island.

 

The last part of May was great, large and small Tarpon seemed to be all over from the inland creeks to the flats on the outside.  A different story for the first part of June.  IT is almost halfway through and we are still experiencing West winds.  Heavy West winds have been hampering the outside fishng and I hope for my anglers that are arriving to fish Tarpon it subsides.  The small Tarpon are still in the backcountry so that is a welcome substitution to the large ones on the outside.  Snook fishing has been nothing short of excellent and should continue throughout the summer.  If the winds subside the beachfishing should be excellent the remainder of June.  Fly fishing has been very good even with the heavier winds but it could even get better.  I would expect the rest of June to be very good barring any more inclement weather.  Redfish, seem to still be available but are somewhat scattered.  Most of the Bays are holding them both on the shore lines and adjacent to the flats.  Sight fishng them has been good bait fishing a little tough since they are traveling most of the time.  Bait fishng in general this month has been a little less than productive due to the heavy winds out of the west.  The other cast of characters are all showing up to keep things lively.  The only down side to the fishng so far as I am concerned has been a little slow of a Snapper bite, but again that could be due to the weather.  If you are coming to Naples or if you live here please check out the full line of Gary Loomis Rods at Naples Bay Resort Ships Store and Indian Pass Outfitters.  Thanks Rz. 

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Fishing with Bruce and Collen

 

 

From: C VAN DYKE [mailto:dakotaboxers@msn.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2012 12:00 PM
To: roanz@comcast.net
Subject: RE: Where can we post a recommendation for your guide services?

 

We have told our rendition of Bruce's unbelievable catch many times over; however, one would simply have had to be there to appreciate the bizarre situation.  Still, that was our most exciting fishing tale to date!  Thank you for a really fun and interesting day.  Below is our post for your website.  Plus attached a few pictures, feel free to use them or not.
Coleen and Bruce
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
My husband and I went fishing with Captain Roan zumFelde on a Naples Fishing Charter on Monday, May 7, 2012.  We elected to fish a split day, thus capturing sunrise and sunset fishing hours.  It was an awesome day of fly fishing for my husband.  It had been many years since he was turned loose with a fly rod - after a little professional coaching from Captain Roan, my husband was right back into the target zone.  Captain Roan is not only a supurb guide, he is also a genuine individual that takes his career seriously and makes every effort to satisfy his clients.  Although I (as the wife) was not interested in fly fishing, Captain Roan patiently assisted me with live bate fishing.  We realize that this doubled his work load; however, his efforts of satisfying both of or requests was definitely appreciated. 
Bruce Lundell and Coleen Van Dyke - Mesa, AZ

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April and may Fishing is Awesome in Naples and Marco

April Fishing has been pretty darn good.  You can pretty much name the fish and we are catching them somewhere.  Catches this month have included Tarpon, Snook, Redfish, Large Trout,  among a host of other species.  Not every day has it been fantastic but most days have been very good.  Large Tarpon have been in there haunts in Rookery, and Johnson, some small tarpon are showing in the creeks, not in large numbers but enough for some good shots.  Snook have been scattered from the outside beaches to the inside creeks.  I cannot tell you where they have been fishing the best because one area has not been shinning over the other, both have been good.  Some Large ones have started showing up around the end of Keeywaydin also.  Redfish have been in good numbers on the flats fishing on a low rising tide for the fly fisherman have been the ticket finding quite a few tailers.  One fish of note last week was a whopper 35 inch fish caught on fly.  Great fish for our waters.  Great job Chris O’Neil did on her.  The passes are holding good numbers of Snook but it is an early and late evening game.  You have a 30 or 40 minute window either way but there are some big ones out there.  The migratory Tarpon are starting to show on the beaches also, they are hit and miss so you might find them if you run the beach or you might not, but when you do find them there are some pretty big numbers traveling North.  Bass fishing in the glades has been good except for today, not sure what happened but the fish just weren’t hitting.  Saw lots of fish laying in the right areas but they just would not hit a fly.  Tried a little bit of every flavor but nothing turned them on.  Even  the bluegills and warmouth were slow to hit.  But we are back at them tomorrow. 

The fishing in May should be excellent this year as warm as it is it will probably be even better than June.  I would expect a Tarpon Bonanza in May along with Snookapalooza.  They should be everywhere you go.  Beaches, Bays, and Creeks will be teeming with fish in May.  Don’t miss the festivities anglers.  Thanks Good Fishing Roan z.

 

Naples and Marco Fishing Report For February/March

Great News so far, no cold weather to kill fish this year.  The only down side, it  has been a little too warm for this time of the year.  Why I say this is not that we aren’t experiencing great fishing now but it might throw our whole fishing calendars off for the spring summer fish runs that everyone comes for.  Well we will just have to see.  This month’s fishing has been fantastic.  Bait fishing has been good with lots of bait available on the outside(unusual).  Trout and Redfish have been found in there spring time locations more than there winter locals.  Many out on the flats and to the outside. Rather than the deep cuts and channels in the inside.  Snook fishing has been excellent from North Naples down to the Everglades.  Not typical fishing, they have been roaming the inside and outside Islands not just inside.  Even the passes are holding fish this year.  If the weather stays the same we will be Tarpon fishing and Snook Fishing like Spring before the end of February.  I am seeing some Tarpon show in places they should not be yet, but we could still have a cool month and I have seen a March in the past that was cooler than normal.  The one part of our fishing that is still slow is the Bass fishing in the Glades, still too much water out there and they are scattered.  The peacocks are moving around in the Canals but if the water Management people do not get to work and clean some of the grass out of the canals the fishing will be poor.  It is amazing what great potential we have in our canal fisheries and for lack of Management it could be all lost.  My forecast for March Fishing is going to be a guess at best.  If weather continues to stay warm I would expect march to fish like April and see a fishery more based toward the outside areas rather than inside fishing.  I just do not know yet.  I kind of hope temps stay a little cooler for the rest of February so that we have a more typical March.  His will make our May/June fishing a little more normal.  If we keep going on the warmer trend then we might have a tough summer fishery especially for Tarpon.  Keep looking toward the outside if the water temps stay in the 70’s and expect to see the Big tarpon show up in all the bays.  Bass fishing in the Glades should get much better with the water levels lowering.  Bait fishing will continue strong and probably get better as we enter March.  Here is a shameless plug now!  Come visit Indian Pass Outfitters in the Ships Store at Naples Bay Resort just down form Bonefish Grill.  We have a full complement of TFO Spinning and Fly Rods along with the new BVK series reels.  You can also find them on line at www.indianpassoutfitters.com

Thanks and good fishing Roan z

FW: Snook trip

 

 

From: Edward Higgins [mailto:easyedh@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2012 12:10 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: Snook trip

 

Hi:

 

Had a great trip with Guide Roan Zumfelde around Marco Island.

 

Four hour trip 6:00PM till 10:00PM...about 15 snook & numerous lady fish.

 

Ed

I had a great time fishing with ED,  Started off in a fog but ended up as a beautiful night.  I was highly impressed at his fishing skills pulling quite a number of fish out of the docks.

Fishing in the Jungle out of My Specialty candy White

Sent from my iPhone-----Original Message-----
From: Roan Zumfelde [mailto:roanz@comcast.net]
Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2012 4:25 PM
To: richard99@comcast.net
Cc: Roan
Subject: