Finally got some consistent weather and this has the inshore bite turned back on!  We’ve been treated to some east wind, which is always my favorite wind to see. In the Naples and Marco island areas the gulf lays down and the water gets really clear and fish tend to school back up.  We are still catching some nice snook around some of the deeper structure with good current .. As I like to do most of the time, we are throwing live pilchards to get these bigger snook out of hiding .  There’s been great Jack and snapper action in amongst the snook so be ready for anything.

With water temps still in the low to mid 60s the sea trout bite has been really consistent . We have been targeting them with 1/4oz-3/4oz jig heads with DOA paddle tails or gulps (3in) .     If you’re a little more adventurous and don’t mind burning a little gas, you could always find a tripletail on the offshore stone crab bouys .  Just got to get lucky out there, the more traps you look at , the more your odds of finding a big one goup.   My favorite bait, for these are live shrimp or a pilchard with his tail cut off.  Put the bait right in front of his face and you can watch him eat it and the fight is on.!  With rising temps , look for this week fishing to continue to heat up ! Great time of the year to be out on the water ! C u out there !!’


Capt. Tim Daugherty
www.fishthesalt.com
(239) 280-8138

The winter fishery in South West Florida is in full effect.  Cool mornings and low falling tides have been perfect for fishing the outside islands & bays for sea trout & redfish . The Naples and Marco island backcountry has also been where we have been having most success using artificials. My go to winter baits are 3/8oz stand up jig head with a DOA 3in paddle tail( brown , olive color) . This is a deadly combination for searching areas looking for fish staging up. What I like to do fan around an area or points trying to locate a few fish to where I can zero in on where the school is.   The best presentation is to keep your rod tip up in that 11:00 positions and give it a good jump never dropping your rod tip too low as a lot of times the strike is on the fall.   Due to the light winds, we are still seeing some live bait around the beaches.

Even though the water temps have been in the low 60s I am still catching snook , sea trout , redfish , snappers , grouper & jacks on the live baits . I am mainly concentrating deep in the backcountry fishing Creek mouths and shorelines that have an undercuts.   Try to present your bait close to the structure, shut your bail and let it float naturally in the current waiting for a strike .  What’s great about this type of fishing is you never know what you’re gonna get on any given cast? We are still seeing cold fronts just about every week so you just have to be patient as these fish are very sensitive to temp change.

What a great time to be on the water enjoying some nice cool weather. Hope to see yah on the water !!!


Capt. Tim Daugherty
www.fishthesalt.com
(239) 280-8138