It’s been one of the hotter summers I can remember but thankfully the fishing has remained just as hot . This past week around the Naples and Marco island area the inshore bite has been picking up . We have been fishing around a strong falling tide and the snook have been staging up on the outside points feeding on all the small bait fish getting pushed out . If you’re lucky enough to find one of these points , either anchor or trolling motor and position your boat just off the the school and be ready for non stop action.
If your into some summer time permit action head of shore to your local wrecks( ones that have good relief off the bottom ) and soak some small crabs. I like a 2/0 or 3/0 circle hook with a 30lb fluorocarbon leader free lined or with a small split shot just above the hook . Due to the hot gulf temps our Live bait has been really tuff to catch as they have moved way offshore in search of cooler temps . There are plenty of smaller baitfish around but Lately even those can be tuff to catch . If you can put it all together you can have a banner day on the water . Hope to see y’all on the water ! Capt. Tim Daugherty www.fishthesalt.com (239) 280-8138
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Our SW Florida temps have been blazing hot and so has the fishing ! It’s been kind of a free-for-all this summer in the Naples and Marco island areas with Snook , mangrove snapper and tarpon being our main targets . During the summer months, we get a lot of rain mixed with these hot gulf temps , forces our bigger bait fish further offshore. Now we’re seeing loads of smaller baitfish around with that said , I put down my heavy net ( 3/8in) and have been throwing my 1/4in mesh cast net. This is a great time of year chum heavy , to really get these fish in a feeding frenzy.
Snook have been just about everywhere from the beaches to the backcountry but my customers have really been enjoying site fishing them on our beaches. At times I can see schools of 30 or more in pods and really all you have to do is get your bait in front of the school and it’s game on! The mangrove snapper bite has been my go to with clients that want to take fish for the grill . They are one of my favorite fish to eat in the gulf and I’m thankful there so plentiful during the summer months. I am still seeing some juvenile tarpon in the back country and having success with livebait and soft plastics jerk baits(white color ). Look for this weeks full moon to really get these tides moving. Your windows will be short, but if you’re in the right place at the right time, you will notice these fish very active then it will taper off with the heavy moving water. I know I say it all the time but make sure you get up early and get it while they getting is good.!!!!! See you on the water ! This time of year the Naples and Marco islands inshore fishing never disappoints. Not only do we have great year-round fishing, but we have some of the best wildlife & marine life in the country. It’s common place to have dolphins close to the boat all day and seeing the diversity of bird life is always a bonus.
Ok back to fishing …. The Snook fishing continues to take precedence as we are seeing and catching big number of fish on a daily basis. Our gulf waters this time of year are gin clear and this opens up a huge door for site fishing opportunities on the beaches. I’m starting to see big numbers of fish schooling up in about a foot of water. My favorite way to target these fish is to stay about 30 yards off the school and cast live baits to cruising fish. Just make sure you lead these fish by 5 feet or so let the fish swim up to your bait and watch them fight over it. The mangrove snapper fishing is always on point this time of year. We catch our limits just about every day and what a great fish to take home for the grill. We are in a very hot and humid summer pattern so with that said, I find the best action the first few hours of the morning when the sun is low and temps are not blazing hot. Remember get up early and get it while to get “N” is good. See ya on the water !!!! Capt. Tim Daugherty www.fishthesalt.com (239) 280-8138 The Naples and Marco Island inshore fishing continues to produce some great light tackle fishing. In these areas bait is key to having a stellar day on the water. I start off every morning with hunt for live bait(pilchards, threadfin herring ) witch at times can be harder to catch than the fish we are targeting. You really have to pay close attention to your surroundings as these pilchards are always on the move. Some key things to look for are birds ( pelicans / turns ) diving & on the slick days look for bait flipping on the surface ( look close at pict above ).
Snook have been top on our target list and I have been finding some really good ones inside the creeks mouths. Low incoming tides have been the best for finding these fish laid up waiting for an easy meal. Sea trout , jacks and snapper have been mixed in with the snook so be ready for anything. We are just coming off another cold front that cooled the gulf waters down yet again. Look for the end of this week, temps to rise as high pressure settles in & this should fire up the fishing yet again ! See yah on the water! Despite some windy conditions, we are still catching some nice fish around in Naples in Marco in Island areas. Snook are still number one on my target list. It’s that time of year when I start to find some bigger snook around the creek mouths.
Big live baits(pilchards) are the key to getting these big fish to come up off the bottom and chase your bait. Most of the time You will see the strike, so remember to have a slight delay in your Hook-set to allow that fish to make a turn. We’ve also been finding some nice mangrove snapper’s in the deeper holes on the incoming tides . My rig for snapper simple , 25 pound fluorocarbon attached to 1/0 j hook . Still having the chum very heavy with live baits to get the bigger ones out of their hiding spots. The Sea trout bite has been picking up and I am able to find them just about every trip. I fish them the same way I fish for snook , 30lb leader with a 2/0 J hook but at times I will add a split shot to get the bait to the bottom. Looking like some much needed rain coming our way this week so look for a winds to turn to the N and temps to drop slightly. This will slow up the bite a bit but it won’t take long for the weather to stabilize and things to fire back up . C u on the water! Capt. Tim Daugherty www.fishthesalt.com (239) 280-8138 Finally getting some warm weather back into south Fl and this has the fishing fired up ! The Naples and Marco Island fishing has remained steady. During my trips I’m not catching big numbers of snook but the ones we are hooking up with have been really nice size. We have been seeing negative low tides all week so sometimes it’s just a mission to get into the spots that have been holding fish without running aground.
I am still concentrating on deeper shoreline that have lots of structure & current as they seem to always hold fish . Live bait(pilchards )has been easy to get most days on the nearshore wrecks and ruble piles. When the tides switch and start coming in I like to be stationed up way back in the creeks . I find this is a great place to not only catch fish that are traveling into the backcountry to feed but also it bunches up the fish that have stayed in the deeper holes. A free lined pilchard is always the best go to rig for me but I also like to send one down to the bottom with a split shot. I have been catching some smaller gag and Goliath grouper using this method. Looking like this warm weather is here to stay for another week so get out on the water and enjoy some great south Florida winter time fishing. Capt. Tim Daugherty www.fishthesalt.com (239) 280-8138 Winter time fishing in Naples and Marco island areas continue to produce great inshore action. In between cold fronts when our weather settles the bite picks right back up. Snook, snapper , sea trout , jacks and pompano have all been our targets. The Pompano and sea trout have been liking the D.O.A paddle tails we have been feeding them while the snook are all about that live bait (pilchards).
This time of year I like to use both on a given day as our water are still cool in the low 70s. Low morning incoming tides have these fish in the deeper holes so make sure to get you baits deep amongst the mangroves and be ready for that bait to get hammered. Look for good weather to settle in this weekend and gulf temps to jump up a few degrees and the fishing to pick up. C u on the water!! Capt. Tim Daugherty www.fishthesalt.com (239) 280-8138 We have been seeing some great temperatures in the Naples and Marco Island areas . When our weather stabilizes & temps increase the fishing action gets red hot . I am still finding some really nice snook on the outside points and shorelines that have good current . You don’t want too much current as this can keep the fish hunkered down as they do not like to burn to much energy chasing fish if they don’t have to. Look for a Nice steady, rolling current and this will keep them on the edge of the structure looking for an easy meal to pass by.
There have been some really nice sea trout in the back Bays where again there is a good steady current in combination with a drop off. You have to think of it this way, to a fish it’s a buffet line that is constantly moving . There’s been some good Tripletail fishing on the offshore stone crab traps. This is easy fishing, you just have to pick your day & make sure you have nice sunshine ( to sight fish them )and light winds, and enough fuel to burn. Live bait has been all over the off shore wrecks and reefs . Make sure you throw nothing less than 3/8 in 10ft cast net as you need the heavy weight to get down to the bottom. This is where a good depth finder & side scan can really be a game changer. It’s looking like we got another small front do in this Saturday eve so make sure you get out and enjoy while the getting is good !!!!! C u on the water ! Capt. Tim Daugherty www.fishthesalt.com (239) 280-8138 I wanna start by saying I hope everybody had a great holiday with family and friends. It was one of the coldest Christmas as I can remember which dropped are water temps down into the 50s. Whenever this happens, due to the drastic cold drop , it puts our fishery on lock but thankfully we are back in the 80s and the fishing is back heating up.
The Snook bite in the Naples and Marco island area have just started to pick back up . I am finding good action still on the outside islands but also deeper in the backcountry. When the gulf temps dropped it pushed allot of fish deeper in the backcountry. Our morning low tides have pooled up these fish in the deeper holes. I have been using live baits(pilchards) but also DOA 3in paddle tails with 3/8oz jig head and having great success. Sea trout , jacks , snapper and snook have all been targets using these artificials. As our weather stabilizes , Look for this weekend fishing to get better each day . Happy new year and hope to see y'all on the water!!! Capt. Tim Daugherty www.fishthesalt.com (239) 280-8138 It’s been a steady week of charters in the Naples and Marco island areas and I am very thankful for the great weather we have had. Snook have still been our main target but we have also been catching some monster jacks in the 10-15lb range. To really get these fish going you better have allot of extra bait to chum with as quick as they come, they can leave just as fast. Not much for redfish at the moment but I am still catching a few mixed in with the snook and jacks . When the winds lay down and you’re able to get just offshore 5-10 miles around the nearshore wrecks there have been kingfish starting to show up. I love free lining some big baits over top of the structure and let me tell you if you’ve ever seen a king fish skyrocket in mid air with your bait in his mouth it’s a site to see . Looking at the extended forecast, we will see a cold front coming through tomorrow, which will drop temps & cause are winds to shift out of the north. Might be a few days of unsettled weather. You can bet to find me deep in the creeks hiding enjoying some of the calm waters are back country has the offer.. tight lines!
Capt. Tim Daugherty www.fishthesalt.com (239) 280-8138 |
CAPT. TIM
The latest Naples inshore, backcountry and Gulf fishing report by Capt. Tim Daugherty. Archives
April 2024
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