This past week in Naples and Marco Island have been more of the same great weather, and some fantastic inshore action.  For me it’s always been that first hour or two at sunrise seems to be Magic . I have been hustling offshore to get bait at first light, then doing a quick U-turn, and heading straight for the backcountry.  Snook and monster jacks have been hot on the incoming morning tides. The bigger snook we have been catching have come from the deeper cuts and shorelines.  There’s no real method to catching these big snook,  you Just have to fish tight to the structure and lock down those drags ready for the strike . If you’re into some Jack action make sure you chum heavy with live bait to keep his fish interested. They’re not a fish that likes to sit under the mangroves, but they are constantly on the move looking for the next meal..   Looks like this weekend we will see a drastic drop in temperature due to a strong cold front dropping down from the north. Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend. See yah’ll next week for some fish the salt action!

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

Absolutely perfect weather equals some outstanding inshore fishing.  This week we have been on some full moon tides which means one thing ,super High tides and really low tides in the morning. I am a huge fan of fishing the lower tides as it pulls the fish from the tree roots and stack them up in the deeper cuts & holes.

It’s important when fishing a shoreline on an extreme low tide, is to take your time, put the nose of your boat into the current and slowly back troll making lots of casts toward the deeper structure. A lot of times you can feel you’re bait getting nervous right before a strike is about to occur.  It’s very important to relax & Let the fish take the bait and swim off before you set the hook. All these bigger snook on the initial run , will head straight for the structure. When this happens, make sure to keep your rod low almost in the water and angled , as to keep the trajectory of the line from hitting any sharp barnacle limbs.

If you can get that fish turned after that initial run, you can then raise your rod tip and fight it like normal with a  pump & reel motion . Don’t be surprised if you think the battle is won and that fish decides, it’s gonna give it one more shot towards the trees. Just repeat process till its energy is exhausted and you are able to control it. Be sure to take very good care not only Landing these big snook but also give it enough time during the release to recuperate some of its lost energy and swim off on its own. This will ensure that that fish survives and will be able to fight another day. Till next week tight lines.!!!!!!!

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

Naples and Marco Island offer some of the best light tackle inshore fishing in the country. We have such a vast fishery with endless opportunities to target our local Gamefish (snook,tarpon,sea trout & redfish). Snook are always top on my hit list and they can be found just about anywhere in the back country and near shore islands . We have been using live Pilchard & threadfin herring that I cast bet every morning. These fresh live baits are the key to an action packed day on the water. Yes you can catch fish on artificial such as jigs ,flies , plugs and soft plastics, but nothing beats the real thing.

We are still catching some smaller redfish and big Jacks that are sprinkled in amongst the snook. Always around this time of year we get a big push of live bait just off our beaches .  With all this activity look for Bonita , sharks and late season tarpon to be around the bait school and birds. Weather looks to be stable this coming week so Look for good fishing to continue. C u on the water!!!!

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