May inshore fishing around the Naples & Marco island areas ,never disappoints. There’s such a variety and abundance of fish that frequent our area during this time of year.  Snook , redfish , pompano , snapper , sea trout , tarpon , jacks , Goliath grouper and sharks are all on my hit list during this time of year.

Live bait is still plentiful on the offshore rubble piles and wrecks . My favorite net to load up on bait is a 10 to 12 foot 3/8 inch black pearl cast net. This is the perfect net to get down 20 feet and come up with a live Well full of beautiful Baits. These live bates are the key to having an action packed day on the water.  For my fly anglers what a perfect time of year to stock snook on the beaches.

The combination of gin Clearwater and lots of sunshine equals great site fishing opportunities. I like to cast more natural patterns due to the clean water( white /tan/olive/ colors).  The key is to stay as far off of the fish as you can as they can be spooky in these conditions. A long cast in front of the fish , with a good fast retrieve Will ensure a hard strike. Great time to get out early before the midday heat & enjoy some great Southwest Florida action.

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

May is finally here and it has the Inshore fishing on fire! I look so forward to this time of year as the winds die off and all of our game fish are moving around looking for eazy meals. The May tarpon immigration is in full effect & starting to see good numbers just off our beaches on the incoming tides.  I prefer a Palm size blue crab free lime just in front of the score of rolling fish wait for your line to come tight and start to real.    Snook have been just about everywhere but I’ve been having most of my success close to the passes & in around the outside islands. I am seeing the first wave of small fry bait showing up on both the incoming and outgoing tides. It’s typical find a lot of Snook ,sea trout, snapper & redfish close to these schools of baitfish.  I’m still using my typical set up which is 40 pound monofilament ,attached to 15 pound braid  with a 2/0 J-hook. The live Baits we see in May are absolutely perfect,  big hearty pilchards and scaled sardines. During some of the slower tide phases it’s best to chum hard to get these lazy fish to fire up. It’s that time of year you wanna be on the water watching that sunrise and looking for rolling tarpon or beating up the trees looking for big snook .  As they say the early bird gets the worm look forward to seeing you on the water!


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

It’s that time of year where all of our game fish (tarpon/sea trout/snook/redfish) are on my hit list. In the Naples and Marco island area, we have snook all over the beaches and passes feeding on the small pods of bait fish. If we see birds (snowy egrets / pelicans) lined up on a shoreline I will always swing in to soak some live baits.

Speaking of live baits the off shore structures (wrecks/rubble piles ) will be holding some nice big baits this time of year.  When it comes to catching your bait Good electronics (simrad/Garmin) are imperative to have , so you are able to  differentiate the structure and the bait that is hovering along side it. There have been some Redfish mixed in with the snook and trout so don’t be surprised to hook into some big boys.

Tarpon are  starting to make their migration down the beaches and passes. I like to use live small blue or pass crabs but if there in the deeper holes my favorite is a slimy catfish chunk or mullet.  Look for out weather to stabilize and the fishing to get better and better. My favorite time of the year is now. See you on the water ! 

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

Great weather has finally moved in & It’s been red hot inshore fishing in the Naples and Marco island areas. Snook have been my main target and with this great weather, it’s brought some big girls out to play. Strong incoming morning tides and big live baits have been the ticket to some great action. Sea trout have been in the deeper cuts closer to gulf and they have been  just as eager to hit a live bait. I’ve been catching some trout over the 20 inch mark and these are our spawning females so make sure to take care and release them unharmed.  If you’re looking for some great fish for that taco night supper ,mangrove snapper have been chewing good . I prefer to use a 3ft peace of 25lb fluorocarbon leader as the big ones can be very leader shy.  Winds are starting die off a bit this will clean up the gulf waters even more and will open up some opportunities for better site fishing. Hope everybody has a great weekend look forward to seeing you on the water.


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

The inshore fishing around the Naples and Marco island area has been nothing short of stellar. We are still feeling the hard SE winds but that hasn’t affected the bite. Snook have been scattered around the outside islands and deep in the creeks. The morning low incoming tides have been great for targeting snook , tarpon , redfish and jacks on those deeper shorelines .   Live bait is always the ticket to getting those big fish out of hiding so take the time in the morning to load up your live-well.    We are in this March weather pattern where we get 4 days of nice light winds and then the FAN gets turned on and we’re back in the creeks hiding from the winds . With that said , take advantage of the Good days and get out on the water and enjoy this great spring weather .


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

The inshore fishing around Naples and Marco island offers not just vast fishing opportunities but a variety of species.  Our last cold front passed through a few days ago and that dropped our temperatures and switch the wind direction to a hard NW winds .  When this happens it’s time to leave the outer islands and move deeper into the backcountry & creeks in search of cleaner water.   Big snook have started to move in and what a blast to watch my anglers rod double over and drag start the scream.  It’s very important in that first 10 to 15 seconds to not let that fish get deep into the sunken cover .  Make sure your drags are set to medium heavy and you’re using nothing less than 40 pound leader .  Sea trout have been showing up on the morning falling tides . I haven’t been doing anything different, they have been mixed in with the snook . If you’re looking for some great fish for the grill there have been some good mangrove snapper‘s hiding around the deeper structure. I like to downsize my tackle for them to 25 pound floro carbon leader and a small 1/0 hook with a small pilchard. Nothing beats snapper tacos . Get on the water and get yah Some !!!


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

It’s been an action packed week of inshore fishing in the Naples and Marco island area.  Big snook have been showing up on the outside points and shorelines . I have been concentrating on areas that have good current and structure.  Morning tides have been low but incoming which have really concentrated the fish on the drop offs .  Big live baits are key to getting this big snook to leave there hiding places and chase your bait .  My rig is a 3ft piece of 40lb monofilament leader attacked to a 2/0 J-hook .  Make sure you set your drags on the heavy side as that first initial run can be fast and hard .  Mixed in with the snook have been some big “jack Crevel” action .  It’s not uncommon for all my anglers to be hooked up at once , as they are running in schools eating everything in there path .  We are just coming off a cold front that had dropped some morning Lows into the 40s so look for this week to be on the warming trend and the fishing to improve even more. I have always said good weather =s good fishing.   C u on the water !!!

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

The Inshore Fishing is ramping up in the Naples and Marco island areas. Gulf waters are now in the mid 70s & the warming trend has the fish chew N! This week we have had a strong morning outgoing tides so I have been looking for big snook to be moving from the offshore wrecks to the outside islands.  Big live baits (pilchards) have been the key to success in getting these big snook to come out of hiding. I have been using no less than 40lb leader rigged up to a 2/0 J hook. There has been some consistent sea trout fishing and have been catching them mix in with the snook.

For trout, I Like to use a small spilt shot 3 inches above the hook, just to get that bait a few more feet closer to the bottom. Also, There have been unlimited amounts of big jacks to keep that rod bent & drag screaming all day long! C u on the water !

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

Just can’t beat this South west Florida weather. The fishing around Naples and Marco island Continues to stay red hot. Snook have been my main target and I have been finding some bigger fish starting to moving in.  I wish I could tell you exactly where I am locating these fish but they seem to be kind of spread out around the outside islands and deep in the backcountry.  When the gulf waters start to heat up around 80° They will start to move out of their winter haunts and head towards the beaches and passes to fatten up .  I haven’t been finding much steady Redfish action but I have been catching a few here and there.  Sea trout have still been prevalent and I am really able to dial them in on the low tides we have been having all week  !  I know I say it all the time but live bait is the ticket to nonstop action all day. With the clean gulf water and good steady east winds look for pilchards and herring to start making their way towards the beaches. It’s always a good rule of thumb to look for birds or diving pelicans and that should give you their position. We’re gonna have another great week of weather and look for fishing to ramp up even more. Take advantage and get out on the water ! C u out there !


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

Winter fishing is in full effect around the Naples and Marco island areas. We have had some strong cold fronts make there way down to south Fl and this has fired up our winter fishery. When our water drop into the 60s the sea trout make there way to the out side islands and inshore grass flats. My favorite way to target them is a 3in DOA paddle tail ( rootbeer or any natural color) on a 1/4oz tsunami jig head . These plastic baits have some sent already in them but I like to use a product called pro cure . It comes in a gel form so all you do is apply it to your soft plastic and it really helps to get more bites.

Another eazy way to fish in the winter months is using cut lady fish AKA chunks. This is a great way to use a fishes nose to find your bait that is placed in there path. Cut up your lady fish in 3in chunks and use a 3/0 circle hook with a 3ft peice if 30lb leader and that’s it . No weight just free lined! Cast that bait up tight to the mangroves and let it sit . This is all about allowing a passing fish to smell your bait and swim over for an eazy meal. This weeks warmer weather will surly get them on the feed !  See you on the water!