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Snapper in the mix: Yellowtail biting offshore, keeper-sized mangroves in Estero Bay
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Brothers Grant and Harry Kurtz, celebrating Harry’s recent birthday along with friends Joe and Thais Allen, fished with me Monday morning 17 miles west of New Pass. We free-lined shrimp and found a strong Spanish mackerel bite, keeping nine to 27 inches, and releasing lots more. We also landed plenty of under-sized gag group and a few blue runners. Whitebone porgies and hogfish were also in the mix. We landed one keeper hogfish that measured 14 and one-half inches.
Wednesday, Van and Amy McQueen, daughter Danielle, son Peyton, Peyton’s friend Hayden Beach, and family friend Dan Neal fished with me in a similar area off New Pass. Amy caught a nice mutton snapper that measured 16 inches, and the group caught a mess of Spanish mackerel to 27 inches, along with some whitebone porgies. It was another mixed-bag day as we released an undersized hogfish, gag and red grouper shorts, grunts and porgies.
Friday, fishing 26 miles west of New Pass with Dave and Carol Young, we used live shrimp to catch over a dozen keeper yellowtail snapper. We released about a half-dozen smaller ones. I kept moving further offshore because we were competing with hungry porpoise pods at most of my regular spots.
We also caught some healthy whitebone porgies. We released under-sized mangrove snapper and lots of small red grouper to 18 and one-half inches. We also had quite a shark-fest, releasing at least 15 sharpnose sharks, all around the 3 feet in length.
I fished inshore Saturday morning in central Estero Bay with Jim Hammer, sons Cameron and Collin and friend, Erica Bensik. Thirty seconds after we anchored and dropped a few lines over, Jim hooked a big redfish, but it ran under the trees, wrapped his line and some mangrove roots and got away. We caught another redfish keeper at 20 inches along with seven keeper mangrove snapper, all on shrimp.
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