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

Warm weather is back on the rise in the Naples and Marco islands area.  With this said, look for the fishing to keep improving each day .  These past few cold fronts have had the bigger snook offshore hunkered down on the wrecks and reefs & are now starting to show back up looking for their next meal. I have had no problem getting live bait(pilchards ) offshore on the wrecks but with waters temperature still around 70 degrees I’ve had just as much success fishing jigs(3in doa paddle tails ). The trout bite has been a go to when looking for a good meal to take home for the grill.

I have also been finding some really good mangrove snapper’s deep in the back country. I’ve been concentrating on the lower incoming tides,  fishing the deeper shorelines.  One really good trick is make sure you chum with some live bait as your fishing. This will draw out some of the bigger snappers as they tend to hide deep in the cover. I use the exact same rig for snappers as I do for snook. This is a 3 foot piece of fluorocarbon leader(30lb) attach to a 1/0 J-hook . Keep it simple and easy and you’ll have a great time on the water. Look for this weeks fishing to improve every day into the weekend . See you in the water.!!!!

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