Outstanding week of inshore light tackle fishing .  Weather has been great , with lower humidity days and a nice NE breeze.    The Naples and Marco island areas have been consistently producing some stellar snook and red fishing .  I say it every time but live bait (pilchards/ thread-fin herring )  are the key to a drag screaming morning .  On the higher incoming tides I have been concentrating in the bays and creeks closest to the main rivers and passes. There is still a ton of small baitfish around so these fish are staying close to the source .  Find the food and you will most certainly find the fish !!!  

On the later morning outgoing tides I have been getting my anglers into a free for all .  What I mean by this is chumming heavy on the outside points where there is steady current flow.   Once we get these fish going (snook , redfish , jacks , sea trout , snapper ) it’s a toss up what’s gonna hit you bait .   Winds will die off a bit by this weekend allowing the gulf waters to clear up and get even more fish schooling up .  Get outside and enjoy these great temps …See yah on the water !!!!!!  

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

Last week hurricane Milton brought high winds and storm surge to the Naples and Marco island areas but we were spared again .  Fishing around these hurricanes can be really productive.  I have found over the years as these weather systems are approaching the pressure begins to drop causing the fishing to go crazy .  Also 4-5 days after the hurricane has passed , when the water begins to clear up the fishing goes crazy again . This weeks inshore fishing has been on fire . We are averaging 30-40 snook a trip.  

Pilchards and thredfin herring are abundant and a live bait put in the right place will not get passed up on .  It almost feels like these fish haven’t eaten due to the hurricane and are now chewing on anything that passes by .   On the later morning incoming tides I have been finding redfish close to the bushes . I know I say it allot but I love to chum heavy to draw them into our zone .  Once we start catching a few then I know we are gonna put a beat down on them .  Our first cold front comes Thursday morning and I have to say I am so excited to feel temps in the 70-80s it’s my absolute favorite.  Its been a hot fishy summer and my favorite months are coming soon !!  C u on the water !!!!   

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

We just had hurricane Helene pass just off our coast . A lot of areas from Fort Myers north to the panhandle suffered significant damage . Naples and Marco Island were lucky this year with just minimal storm surge .  Just before this hurricane arrived our inshore fishing was red hot . This always happens prior to a big storm arriving , when our pressure starts dropping and our Gamefish get really hungry.  

Around Naples & Marco island we have been targeting snook , redfish , sea trout , jacks & mangrove snapper to name a few . Live bait has been piled up on the beaches and around the mouth's of the passes.  Best size net to use during the summer months 1/4in  8 to 10ft length.  Once you have a pile of bait secured, it’s game on for some morning time action .  

I’m starting to see a lot of schools of mullet showing up, and this usually means the tarpon are not far behind. Look for the tarpon fishing to ramp up in October & my favorite way to target these fish is to throw artificial(paddle tails ) around the schools of mullet that are being attacked.   October & November are two of my favorite months to be fishing in SW Fl  . C U all on the water ;)