I’m always so fired up to fish this time of the year ,as we have endless opportunities on any given day.  It’s been another solid week of inshore fishing around Naples and the Marco island area. I’ve been seeing some redfish activity on the higher incoming tides. I have been concentrating on shorelines close to the rivers that have good strong current flow.

What’s been working good for us ,is taking our time and really working the shoreline. This just means getting your cast into the shady pockets and around the fallen structure and really giving your bait time to draw out any big fish that may be laying in the deep cover.

Typically after a cast your bait isn’t gonna want to stay in there,  so if it decides to swim out, you reel up and cast it right back in always making sure to give your live bait enough soak time in the strike zone .  We are still seeing some great snook and jack activity on the outside points.  My favorite way to fish these shorelines are the point my bow into the current and deploy my trolling motor that way I’m able to slow my drift and keep my baits in the strike zone longer. I urge everybody to get out on the water and get it while the getting is good. C u you out there !!!!!

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

May fishing never disappoints, Gin clear water & light winds have our inshore fishing on fire . 
If you’re looking for bigger quality fish and lots of action this is the month to be on the water. We can be targeting snook, but also have redfish,seatrout, goliath grouper, mangrove snapper & jack crevalle all in the mix. This type of light tackle fishing is very exciting as you never know what you’re gonna get on any given cast. Live bait has been plentiful on the offshore racks and rubble piles.  I use a 3/8in 10-12ft cast net( lee fisher)  works great for offshore bait catching and sometimes, if you’re lucky you can get it done in one throw.

For my fly fishing in Anglers I have been concentrating on fishing the beaches, looking for snook, cruising the shallows. A will placed cast , one to 2 feet in front of the fish’s cone of vision will insure get you a hard strike . Don’t forget to keep your head on a swivel and to be looking Out towards the deeper water as a Tarpon will be rolling on by. Weather looks to be fantastic the rest of the week. Hope all of y’all can get out on the water & Enjoy some of this great Southwest Florida fishing action.

April has been action packed with snook , tarpon , redfish and sea trout in abundance . Naples and Marco Island inshore fishing always fires at this time of year & we have been taking full advantage of it.  Live bait (pilchards )have been prevalent along the beaches, and the near shore wrecks.

Once my live well is packed I make a turn and head rt back inshore. 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 he is 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 that drag to sing .  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

Perfect conditions around Naples and Marco Island have the inshore bite heating up  !  Snook and sea trout have been chewing good all week. 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, its a great time to look for fish on the beaches.  Live threadfin herring, pass crabs , mullet and even artificials (paddle tails ) are great ways to target these silver giants . C u in the water !!!! 

The inshore snook bite is red hot around the Naples and Marco Island areas .  I have been concentrating on the outside island and beaches . These areas have been holding snook , sea trout , tarpon , jacks , snapper and redfish. This week out going tides and clear water have been a perfect recipe for finding schools of fish laid up waiting for an easy meal.

The best way to find a location like this is to first start out by loading up your live-well with Live baits (pilchards ) and then get ready to chum . By chumming your not only trying to locate where the schools of fish are but you’re also triggering a feeding frenzy.

This past week the trout bite around the southern end of marco island has remained on fire . They are still in the spawn so those bigger females with big belly’s are full of eggs so take great care to get them released safely.  There has been some good pompano action on the incoming tides on the edges of the passes . I am using 3/4oz wiggle jig ( chartreuse /pink ) tipped with a fish bite attractant.  This good fishing will continue as our weather stabilizes. C u on the water !!! 

Finally our weather here in the Naples and Marco island areas has been on a warming trend .  We are seeing temperatures consistently in the upper 80s and light winds everyday. With that said inshore fishing has been action packed. The sea trout bite has been on fire as they are spawning and very hungry. I fish for them exactly the same way as if I were targeting snook or Redfish.  I like a 30lb leader with a 2/0 hook and nice lively pilchard (baitfish ).

One tip in getting a good hook set on these fish is when u feel a strike is to give them a few seconds to swim off before setting that hook. They are not known for blistering runs like a Snook but I do see some of them jump when hooked & they almost always come to the surface with a violet headshake. There has been a consistent jack bite going on and they are all just mixed in with the trout ,snapper and snook so be ready for that drag to scream.

The rest of the this weeks forecast  looks to be more of the same , high temperatures and hopefully more hungry fish. See y’all on the water.!!!


Capt Tim Daugherty

The Naples and Marco Island inshore fishing continues to produce some great light tackle fishing.  In these  areas bait is key to having a stellar day on the water. I start off every morning with hunt for live bait(pilchards, threadfin herring ) witch at times can be harder to catch than the fish we are targeting. You really have to pay close attention to your surroundings as these pilchards are always on the move.  Some key things to look for are birds ( pelicans / turns ) diving & on the slick days look for bait  flipping on the surface ( look close at pict above ).   

Snook have been top on our target list and I have been finding some really good ones inside the creeks mouths. Low incoming tides have been the best for finding these fish laid up waiting for an easy meal.  Sea trout , jacks  and snapper have been mixed in with the snook so be ready for anything.  We are just coming off another cold front that cooled the gulf waters down yet again. Look for the end of this week,  temps to rise as high pressure settles in  & this should fire up the fishing yet again !  See yah on the water!

Despite some windy conditions, we are still catching some nice fish around in Naples in Marco in Island areas. Snook are still number one on my target list. It’s that time of year when I start to find some bigger snook around the creek mouths.

Big live baits(pilchards) are the key to getting these big fish to come up off the bottom and chase your bait.  Most of the time You will see the strike,  so remember to have a slight delay in your Hook-set to allow that fish to make a turn.

We’ve also been finding some nice mangrove snapper’s in the deeper holes on the incoming tides . My rig for snapper simple , 25 pound fluorocarbon attached to 1/0 j hook . Still having the chum very heavy with live baits  to get the bigger ones out of their hiding spots. The Sea trout bite has been picking up and I am able to find them just about every trip.

I fish them the same way I fish for snook , 30lb leader with a 2/0 J hook but at times I will add a split shot to get the bait to the bottom.  Looking like some much needed rain coming our way this week so look for a winds to turn to the N and temps to drop slightly. This will slow up the bite a bit but it won’t take long for the weather to stabilize and things to fire back up . 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 some big tarpon showing up in the back bays and passes .  This is a great time of year to get up super early and target some of these giants with artificials or livebait. The best conditions 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, 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

Finally getting some warm weather back into south Fl and this has the fishing fired up ! The Naples and Marco Island fishing has remained steady.  During my trips I’m not catching big numbers of snook but the ones we are hooking up with have been really nice size.  We have been seeing negative low tides all week so sometimes it’s just a mission to get into the spots that have been holding  fish without running aground.

I am still concentrating on deeper shoreline that have lots of structure & current as they seem to always hold fish .    Live bait(pilchards )has been easy to get most days on the nearshore wrecks and ruble piles.  When the tides switch and start coming in I like to be stationed up way back in the creeks . I find this is a great place to not only catch fish that are traveling into the backcountry to feed but also it bunches up the fish that have stayed in the deeper holes.

A free lined pilchard is always the best go to rig for me but I also like to send one down to the bottom with a split shot. I have been catching some smaller gag and Goliath grouper using this method. Looking like this warm weather is here to stay for another week so get out on the water and enjoy some great south Florida winter time fishing.

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