STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

More Attractions and Activities News

• Fishing Report: Fay foils fishing
• Local tennis: Pelican Marsh hosting a couple of big events
• Recreation: Time running out to sign up for Fast Cat 5K

Share and Enjoy [?]

Big snook moved into the passes in the Naples and North Naples area this past week. These large females wait for a full moon and some summer rains, both of which we had this past week, to move inshore for the summer spawn. There, they are greeted by a bevy of smaller males, and the nightly spawning ritual begins.

The pregnant females seldom take a bait before they lay their eggs, but the young male snook are similar to young men in that they do not mind enjoying a snack while courting. After the spawn, the females are starving and much more likely to attack a lure.

This past week, there were reports from Gordon Pass, Wiggins Pass and Estero Bay of large female snook roaming the beaches while being followed by packs of infatuated males. One fishermen did manage to hook a couple big fish and said that the smaller males followed the female right to the boat and would not shy away. It is amazing what a teenager will endure in the name of love.

Snook are, of course, out of season, and considering their delicate condition, should be released gently, without being held out of water. Too many large fish are photographed to death.

If you want fish to take home for dinner, you don’t have to move far from the snook. Spanish mackerel have moved right into the passes and are feeding on the same bait fish as the snook. There are more mackerel just off the beaches and even more and bigger mackerel out on the artificial reefs.

NAPLES: Capt. Pat Gould reported that he fished on Friday and had one of his worst days of the year, and then returned to the same area on Saturday and had one of his best. There was no change in conditions, and on both days, there were fish present, but they were not eating on Friday and starving on Saturday.

Gould said that the surest action is snook. They are gobbling baits and free jumping in the passes, and when the mood hits them, they will strike both live baits and artificials. There are also tarpon in the same areas as well as Spanish mackerel and mangrove snapper.

Offshore, Capt. Tommy Robinson has been fishing all half days. Spanish mackerel are plentiful in all areas, and there are small grouper and yellowtail snapper in the 10-mile range. The larger grouper and big mangrove snapper remain outside of 20 miles. Goliath grouper up to 200 pounds, barracuda and sharks are all holding around the near shore wrecks and enjoying an occasional Spanish mackerel when it is hooked and tired.

MARCO ISLAND/TEN THOUSAND ISLANDS: Capt. Bill Jones fished around Marco Island on Tuesday, and his charter landed 13 snook to 32 inches, plus grouper and snapper. They also spotted several rolling tarpon, but the fish would not eat. Jones said that the action was excellent and that they lost more fish than they landed.

All of the action was on the inside in the passes and in the back bays. Jones tried fishing on the outside and did not catch any fish. Jones was using live baits that he netted offshore. There is bait along the beaches but it is very small.

Jones said that the fishing is quite good, but will get better when there is more rain. Most of the rains this past week have bypassed the Marco Island area and moved north.

EVERGLADES CITY: Capt. Shane Miller spent last week in a professional redfish tournament in Venice, La., and although he caught quite a few redfish, they were not enough to win, so he was quite happy to be back snook fishing in the Everglades on Tuesday. His charter landed more than 30 snook up to 15 pounds plus a 28- and 30-inch redfish. They then jumped a 50-pound tarpon before moving outside on a wreck where Miller said there were so many big trout that they could not get a bait through them to catch snook.

Miller said that there are also an incredible number of Spanish mackerel around any structure on the outside. In the morning, when he was cast netting bait, he shook out the excess, smaller fish and more than a hundred mackerel rose to the surface to take advantage of the easy meal.

NORTH NAPLES/WIGGINS PASS: Charles Haskell and Brendan Kennedy took advantage of the full moon snook fishing around Wiggins Pass last week. On Friday, they landed 20 snook including a few in the slot in just an hour of fishing. On Saturday, they boated the same number in 90 minutes, including a 17-pound female whose entourage of males followed it to the boat to beg for her release. The snook was released while still in the water and all concerned, both fish and fishermen, were happy.

Offshore, Capt. Dave Hanson has been catching countless Spanish mackerel and porgies along with an array of other less abundant species, including mutton snapper, hogfish, grouper and sharks. Hanson has also spent some time working the shorelines of Estero Bay where he has been finding redfish, snook and mangrove snapper. Hanson has been using mainly shrimp for bait.

FRESHWATER: The recent rains have greatly enhanced the freshwater fishing, said Jess Edwards of the Golden Gate Tackle Box. The water temperature has dropped, and the fish are much more active. Snook are more plentiful than bass, and there are even a few tarpon beginning to roll right in the Golden Gate City canals.

On Friday, Mike Bryce landed a 42-inch snook while casting a jerk bait for bass in the Palm River area.

Edwards said that he knows that panfish are being caught because he sold out all of his worms this week, but no one would say exactly where they are fishing.