Great tides , light winds =s some great inshore fishing.  Naples and Marco island have both been productive in the early morning hrs when the sun is just coming up .  I have been loading my live well with as many Pilchards as I can fit in it. Most of my anglers always say “no way are we gonna use all of those” but we were only going to cast a very small percentage but the rest will be live chum. This is my favorite way to get these summertime fish in a frenzy.  

Snook have been all over the beaches and around the nearshore islands and backcountry creeks . There’s has also been some smaller redfish in mix and we should start to see the catches increase as October rolls in.   These early morning incoming tides have been the best tide for skipping some live baits up under the mangroves.  If your line comes tight give it a good hard hook set and let that drag scream ! Great fishing this time time of year so come and get some ! 

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

The Naples and Marco island area just had hurricane Adalia pass right off our gulf beaches . With these approaching hurricanes, the pressure drops & the inshore fishing really heats up. Prior to the passing hurricane our Snook bite was red hot . I was targeting these fish along the beaches in less than a foot of water sight fishing them in the gin clear water.  I was seeing groups of anywhere from a half a dozen to 30+ in a school and let me tell you they were hungry. 

A well placed cast close to the school would ensure that you had multiple fish chasing your bait.  My standard summertime rig is 3ft of 30lb (fluorocarbon) attached to one 1/0 J hook .  This rig is nothing fancy but it’s easy set up is perfect for our shallow water conditions. There was also some bigger jacks schooling up in the 3 to 5 feet of water, just lollygagging on the surface. When I see this during the summertime, I like the trolling motor right up close to them and have everybody simultaneously cast directly into the school.   It’s not uncommon to have four on at one time & that can get a little crazy but allot of fun to watch ;)

The gulf got pretty stirred up with the hurricane, pushing sone big waves inshore , but should be back to the  clearwater by next week and the fishing will follow suit .   Looking forward to getting back to it this weekend !!!!  See ya on the water!!!!!

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

It’s been solid inshore action around the Naples and Marco Island areas. Catching Live bait on our beaches has been tuff to catch but if you have some wrecks (numbers )in the 2-3mile range u can still find some decent baits schools .  I am throwing a 1/4in 12ft (fast sink net) & that seems to be the knock out punch.

Snook have been on the beaches and in the backcountry . The only down side with fishing the backcountry this time of year is is so darn hot but the snook don’t seem to mind ;)  The bigger snook seem to be on the out side islands and beaches . Concentrate on points with current and chum to see whats staging up . If you see a bunch of blow up’s on the bait you threw in then “jackpot” you can enjoy some non stop action . If you don’t see any life/action then move on.

The name of the game is stick and move till you find them .   We are also still finding some keeper sea trout around . I am not doing anything special to catch them except pinching on a small split shot to get that bait down and in front of them .  Redfish action has been really spotty but once I locate a few I can zero in and pick threw them .    All week winds have been hard out of the east & the beaches are clam , so what a great time to take advantage of some great weather ! See y’all on the water ! 

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

It’s been one of the hotter summers I can remember but thankfully the fishing has remained just as hot .  This past week around the Naples and Marco island area the inshore bite has been picking up .  We have been fishing around a strong falling tide and the snook have been staging up on the outside points feeding on all the small bait fish getting pushed out . If you’re lucky enough to find one of these points , either anchor or trolling motor and position your boat just off the the school and be ready for non stop action.

If your into some summer time permit action head of shore to your local wrecks( ones that have good relief off the bottom )  and soak some small crabs. I like a 2/0 or 3/0 circle hook with a 30lb fluorocarbon leader free lined or with a small split shot just above the hook .  Due to the hot gulf temps our Live bait has been really tuff to catch as they have moved way offshore in search of  cooler temps .  There are plenty of smaller baitfish around but Lately even those can be tuff to catch .   If you can put it all together you can have a banner day on the water .  Hope to see y’all on the water !


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

Our SW Florida temps have been blazing hot and so has the fishing !  It’s been kind of a free-for-all this summer in the Naples and Marco island areas with Snook , mangrove snapper and tarpon being our main targets .  During the summer months, we get a lot of rain mixed with these hot gulf temps , forces our bigger bait fish further offshore.  Now we’re seeing loads of smaller baitfish around with that said ,  I put down my heavy net ( 3/8in) and have been throwing my 1/4in mesh cast net.  This is a great time of year chum heavy , to really get these fish in a feeding frenzy.  

Snook have been just about everywhere from the beaches to the backcountry but my customers have really been enjoying site fishing them on our beaches. At times I can see schools of 30 or more in pods and really all you have to do is get your bait in front of the school and it’s game on! The mangrove snapper bite has been my go to with clients that want to take fish for the grill . They are one of my favorite fish to eat in the gulf and I’m thankful there so plentiful during the summer months.

I am still seeing some juvenile tarpon in the back country and having success with livebait and soft plastics jerk baits(white color ). Look for this weeks full moon to really get these tides moving. Your windows will be short, but if you’re in the right place at the right time, you will notice these fish very active then it will taper off with the heavy moving water. I know I say it all the time but make sure you get up early and get it while they getting is good.!!!!! See you on the water !

This time of year the Naples and Marco islands inshore fishing never disappoints. Not only do we have great year-round fishing, but we have some of the best wildlife & marine life in the country. It’s common place to have dolphins close to the boat all day and seeing the diversity of bird life is always a bonus.

Ok back to fishing …. The Snook fishing continues to take precedence as we are seeing and catching big number of fish on a daily basis.  Our gulf waters this time of year are gin clear and this opens up a huge door for site fishing opportunities on the beaches.  I’m starting to see big numbers of fish schooling up in about a foot of water. My favorite way to target these fish is to stay about 30 yards off the school and cast live baits to cruising fish.

Just make sure you lead these fish by 5 feet or so let the fish swim up to your bait and watch them fight over it. The mangrove snapper fishing is always on point this time of year. We catch our limits just about every day and what a great fish to take home for the grill.  We are in a very hot and humid summer pattern so with that said, I find the best action the first few hours of the morning when the sun is low and temps are not blazing hot. Remember get up early and get it while to get “N” is good. See ya on the water !!!!   


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

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

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

Winter time fishing in Naples and Marco island areas continue to produce great inshore action.  In between cold fronts when our weather settles the bite picks right back up. Snook, snapper , sea trout , jacks and pompano have all been our targets. The Pompano and sea trout have been liking the D.O.A paddle tails we have been feeding them while the snook are all about that live bait (pilchards).

This time of year I like to use both on a given day as our water are still cool in the low 70s.  Low morning incoming tides have these fish in the deeper holes so make sure to get you baits deep amongst the mangroves and be ready for that bait to get hammered.  Look for good weather to settle in this weekend and gulf temps to jump up a few degrees and the fishing to pick up.
C u on the water!! 

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