May is always one of my favorite months to be out on the water, chasing our local game fish .   The 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 in may .  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 lee fisher cast net( humpback).   This is the perfect net to get down 20 feet and come up with a net full of beautiful Baits. I know I say it all the time, but these live baits are the key to having an action packed day on the water.   Let’s switch gears for a second and talk about some fly fishing.  

For my fly anglers what a perfect time of year to hunt snook on the beaches . The combination of gin clear water 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.

Also one thing to remember because our waters are so clear this time of year is  light floral Carbon leader (20-30lb) can sometimes be a game changer . Great time to get out early before the midday heat & enjoy some great Southwest Florida inshore action. 

Catch yah on the water !!!!!

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

This weeks fishing around the Naples and Marco Island areas has been an absolute adventure with all species on the hit list. Finally, we are starting to see pods of bait fish moving into our fishing areas.  This is always a good sign as it concentrates our game fish around the bait schools.  I’ve been starting my mornings with a little quick trip offshore to a couple bait spots where I’m able to load up on some really nice pilchards and threadfin herring .  I prefer these baits because they are full of energy and this is exactly what you need to draw these big fish out of their hiding spots.  

This past week we have been focusing on the passes and outside creeks that have good current structure.  It’s always a good sign when you pull up to a shoreline in the morning and you see a row of snowy egrets lined up. This typically means there is good bait fish flow down the shoreline, and this will most certainly entice your targeted species to be stacked up ready to feed .  Snook have been plentiful and we’re starting to see some really big ones showing up.  I am fishing really light tackle a 7 foot medium light spinning rod(stellar light star rod)  with a 4000 Florida Fishing Products spinning reel.  This is a perfect set up for some awesome light tackle fishing.

When conditions are right and winds are down,  I am on the beach chasing Tarpon.  My preferred bait is a live crab but nothing beats a 6 to 8 inch mullet. There’s something about watching your bait fish trying to outrun an 80 to 100 pound tarpon.  It’s one of the most exciting things to watch and it always get your heart racing in anticipation of what’s about to happen. The extended forecast for this upcoming weeks looks absolutely perfect. If you’re in town and looking for an adventure, don’t hesitate to give me a call.  Tight lines!!!!!


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

Tell me what’s better than watching the sun come up and tarpon rolling all around you?  It’s been that way the past few days due to these light east winds and hot south Florida weather.  If you asking what is the best bait for tarpon fishing in our area , I would hands down say a small to medium sized pass crab .  My second is a live mullet or thread fin herring .  For my leader ,  I like to use a 60lb 6ft piece of fluorocarbon leader to a 6/0 circle hook . It’s a simple rig but it works!  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) fulls 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 !!! Looking forward to more great fishing in May .  Give me a call if your looking to get on the hunt for some of these great south Florida gamefish . 


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

May has been action packed with snook , tarpon , redfish and sea trout in abundance . Naples and Marco Island inshore fishing always fires up this time of year as water temps are on the rise and we have been taking full advantage .     Live bait (pilchards) have been prevalent along the beaches, and the near shore wrecks & rock pikes  .  Once my live well is packed I make a turn and head rt back inshore to get this party going  . Look for fish to really start schooling up along the beaches and passes.  This is due to all the small baitfish that are getting pushed in and out all day with the tides, it’s the backcountry Buffett . 

Gulf water are gin clear so make sure when working a shoreline to keep your eyes glued to the shallows looking for a slow cruising fish .  Try not to present your bait right on top of the fish but see which way they are pointed and lead the fish by 2 to 3 feet.  There are also some big Jacks and sea trout mixed in so be ready for that bait to get hammered and your drag to start singing .  Now that our winds have been tapering off look for tarpon rolling just off our beaches and passes . Can’t beat a free-lined live crab but a big pilchard or thredfin herring will most definitely get some attention.   It’s that time of year guys get out on the water and enjoy some great South Florida fishing action!!!!!!! C you on the water !

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

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

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

The inshore fishing has been a mixed bag of Fun !!!! My favorite part of fishing around the Naples and Marco Island area is the variety of species of fish that we can catch on any given day. Snook are always top on my hit list but we also have redfish, pompano, sea trout , grouper , snapper and Tarpon to name a few . With the gulf waters now in the upper 70s,

I am starting to see the inshore fishing picking up rapidly  ..This is a great time of year to get up super early and enjoy the good weather and solitude our backcountry has to offer. Really soon we will start to see our first push of Tarpon showing up . The best conditions you can ask for are light winds as these big tarpon are easy to spot at first light. Look for fish to be rolling or just under the surface, or pushing a wake . Always remember to present your bait well in front of a cruising fish and drag it into their cone of vision.  Make sure if you’re on the trolling motor searching ,to keep it slow and steady not to make sudden speed adjustments as his fish can be spooky in the shallow waters.  As gulf waters warm up even more look for the fishing to just get better and better..  Another one of my favorite fish to target is pompano.

Not only are they exceptionally tasty, but they are a great fight on light tackle. Concentrate on the incoming tides around passes and near shore sand flats . These fish are cruising the bottom, so make sure that your jig is making bottom contact. Any bright colors(chartreuse and pink) seem to work well and you can tip those jigs with a finger nail size piece of shrimp and you got yourself a dynamite pompano rig. Looking at the extended forecast, we are due to have another exceptional week of warm weather. That means get up early to beat the heat and enjoy some great March fishing. C yah all on the water !!!

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

March is living up to its windy nature. Naples and Marco island areas  have had non stop south winds that have been keeping us hunker down deep in the back country & around the creeks and bays.  Redfish , snook , sea trout , goliath grouper, jacks and snappers can all be caught in the same areas . With this said, standard backcountry rig is 15lb braided line (power pro ) attached to a 3ft piece of fluorocarbon 30 pound leader. The size hooks I used depends on the size bait I am catching. For the bigger pilchards I like a 3/0 or 2/0 j-hooks  & smaller baits a 1/0  j hook.

Bait has been tough to catch due to the winds, but we have been able to get a few days of calm conditions and it’s time to load up my live well with some nice lively baits . There have been some monster jacks from the 8 to 12 pound range that will show up and absolutely get your drag screaming.  Great tides coming up all week and some great weather predicted.  I am looking forward to a solid week of some great backcountry action fingers crossed light winds. See y’all out on the water!!!!!!

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

Naples and Marco island have been producing some great inshore action with sea trout and snook on top of the hit list. We have had some recent cold fronts which have cooled the temps down but the bite has remained solid. Sea trout are always around in the winter months and when these cold fronts roll in and temps drop, it's a perfect fish to target.

My go to artificial is a 3/8oz stand up jig head with a rootbear colored paddle tail . I always like to" sent up my soft plastics with a product called pro cure. It's a concentrate derived from shrimp and other bait fish to add an oily sent that can get a tuff cold front bite, fired up.  

When our weather settles and I am able to get live bait, I can switch gears and get back to targeting snook and redfish. March is always a finicky months as we can still get some cold fronts and the winds tend to blow hard out of the SE at times 15-20mph are common. With this said you just have to roll with what Mother Nature gives you and be ready to adapt to any condition.  The 10 day extended forecast is looking great, with highs in the lower 80s and favorable winds , so get out and get m while  the getting is good !!!  Tight lines.