After a windy & cool March, we are finally seeing some outstanding weather in the Naples and Marco Island areas.  These Perfect conditions have the inshore bite really heating up with Snook , sea trout , redfish and tarpon have all been on the hit list .  I am catching these fish in the same Locations so it’s been fun not knowing what species you’re going to get on any given cast.

My rig for these fish is simple 15 lb power pro attached to a 3ft ,30lb Fluorocarbon leader with a 3/0 live bait J hook .  Always remember to match your hook size up to the size of your live baits . Too big a hook can cause your bait to die faster and to small can foul up and cause your bait to spin .

Tarpon are making their migration so make sure to get up early and look for rolling fish at first light .  As the the sun gets higher later in the day, it’s a great time to look for fish on the beaches and sand bars.  Some of there favorite baits are Live threadfin herring, pass crabs , mullet and even artificials (paddle tails ) are great baits to target these silver giants . Get out early to enjoy the light winds and solitude….. C u in the water !!!!

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

Finally at the end of this week we will be seeing some lighter winds , warmer temps and this should get inshore fishing firing up .  The  Naples and Marco island areas have been producing some great light tackle action .  Snook have been plentiful in the backcountry around the creek mouths and deeper shorelines.  Whether it’s top Water, soft plastics , flies or live bait these have all been producing snook on any given day.  The sea trout action has really picked up over the last few weeks. My favorite way to fish for them is a live Pilchard(bait) on a 2/0 circle hook. The trick I like to do with these baits is to trim the tails. You may ask why would you need to do that ? Trout are not the best hunters as far as casing down a big pilchard .

I have watched them many times follow our baits & try to eat it but many times the bait will simply out swim them.  So by trimming the baits tails this allows them to be less maneuverable and the trout are able to grab them with little  effort.  There have been Mangrove snapper and jacks to kept us all busy while fishing for our top gamefish . I think finally we are about to settling into some mid April high pressure with steady east winds.   Look for our gulf waters to warm up rapidly,  clear up and this will get the tarpon moving along our beaches.  It’s just about that time to get out the big rods and go chase some giants …Hope to see y’all on the water …tight lines.!!!!!’

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

Naples and Marco island have been  getting by beat up by high winds.   We have had some great days but they have been short lived and for the most part it’s been Blowing just about every week .   I never thought I would say this but I am ready for the hot , humid & buggy weather to settle in and really fire up this fishery !!! On the non windy days the backcountry and inshore fishing around the Naples and Marco island areas have been full of action .  Snook , sea trout , and redfish have been chewing good on the mornings hard incoming tides . One of my favorite ways to get these fish into a crazy feeding mode is to Chum heavy . All this means it to take bat (chum bat) full of pilchards and sling them close to the shorelines you are fishing .   

Watch for fish to explode on the fleeing baits and just cast close to where you saw the blow up and hold on.  Also this chumming will draw out fish, that were deeper in the mangroves to come out and join the party.   It’s a great way to get the action fired up .  The sea trout have been laying low close to the bottom.  We have been using a 1/4oz of lead to get out baits down rt in front of them . Once you get one trout , usually there are more around so make sure to fish that are thoroughly!!! Fingers crossed this wind stop soon and we are able to get back to chasing the big fish!!!!!

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

March has flown on by with some outstanding backcountry/inshore action . This month around the Naples and Marco island area , I always see the gulf waters temps warming and this kicks in the sea trout spawn .  Look for these fish to be staging around current rips and eddy’s . A live bait with a split-shot (to get it down to the bottom )will insure a hard strike.

Make sure to take special care when releasing these fish as most of them are full of eggs. Snook and redfish have also been right in the mix and have been hammering the live baits(pilchards ) we have been offering .   The magic hours have been the last hr of the outgoing and the first hr of the incoming tides .

Try to cast your baits as close to the structure as possible and with a tight drag be ready to horse that fish from the structure .   Pompano have been showing up on the strong incoming tides. Drift with the current and cast  1/4oz( chartreuse or pink) tube jig tipped with a chunk of shrimp. These are some of the most tastiest fish in the gulf, so take what you need for the grill and release the rest catch another day. C u on the water !!!!

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