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

We have been seeing some great temperatures in the Naples and Marco Island areas .  When our weather stabilizes & temps increase the fishing action gets red hot . I am still finding some really nice snook on the outside points and shorelines that have good current . You don’t want too much current as this can keep the fish hunkered down as they do not like to burn to much energy chasing fish if they don’t have to. Look for a  Nice steady, rolling current and this will keep them on the edge of the structure looking for an easy meal to pass by.

There have been some really nice sea trout in the back Bays where again there is a good steady current in combination with a drop off. You have to think of it this way,  to a fish it’s a buffet line that is constantly moving .  There’s been some good Tripletail fishing on the offshore stone crab traps.  This is easy fishing,  you just have to pick your day & make sure you have nice sunshine ( to sight fish them )and light winds, and enough fuel to burn. 

Live bait has been all over the off shore wrecks and reefs . Make sure you throw nothing less than 3/8 in 10ft cast net as you need the heavy weight to get down to the bottom. This is where a good depth finder & side scan can really be a game changer. It’s looking like we got another small front do in this Saturday eve so make sure you get out and enjoy while the getting is good !!!!! C u on the water !

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

I wanna start by saying I hope everybody had a great holiday with family and friends. It was one of the coldest Christmas as I can remember which dropped are water temps down into the 50s. Whenever this happens, due to the drastic cold drop , it puts our fishery on lock but thankfully we are back in the 80s and the fishing is back heating up.

The Snook bite in the Naples and Marco island area have just started to pick back up .  I am finding good action still on the outside islands but also deeper in the backcountry. When the gulf temps dropped it pushed allot of fish deeper in the backcountry.  Our morning low tides have pooled up these fish in the deeper holes. I have been using live baits(pilchards) but also DOA 3in paddle tails with 3/8oz jig head and having great success.

Sea trout , jacks , snapper and snook have all been targets using these artificials. As our weather stabilizes ,  Look for this weekend fishing to get better each day . Happy new year and hope to see y'all on the water!!!

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

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

The Naples and Marco Island inshore fishing continues to produce some great action. The weather has been perfect with cool starts in the mornings and warming up to the 80s by the afternoons. I’ve been starting my trips at 6:30 to get a jump on morning bite & with outgoing tides its really been helping and getting these fish active. Live bait is just about everywhere and one key indicator is to look for birds diving. 

When getting bait on the beaches , It’s best to throw a quarter 1/4inch net as these baits can be a mix of small and big. If you’re looking for an artificial bite try throwing A skitter walk or Zara spook at first light around points and any sunken structure. Make sure to mix up your retrieve  with some good left to right action (walk the dog) but also it’s good to pause and speed up at times. I am  just trying to pay close  attention to what speed they’re liking for that particular morning and tide .

The snapper bite has really subsided as most have moved offshore but our Jack Crevelle bite has really picked up so be ready for anything as this time of year can be really exciting!!!!!
C u on the water!

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

Absolutely beautiful weather here in southwest Florida and our red hot fishing continues . As you can see from the pictures snook have been our main targets. I am finding bigger snook closer to the passes where there is good current. The last part of the outgoing tide in the first part of the incoming seem to be the “magic” for Getting these big girls to eat.   The most important thing you can have on your boat is a live well full of fresh bait . If you don’t know , Catching live bait(pilchards) in South Florida can at times be harder than catching our targeted fish . Take the time in the morning to find the right size baits & they can be found around the beaches or on the offshore Wrecks & rubble piles. When fishing these baits along the shoreline I like to use nothing less than 40lb leader attached to a 2/0 or 3/0 J hook .  This is my standard go to Rig that I use every day.   The mangrove snapper fishing has really died off in the back country and now there is a plethora of big jacks cruising these shoreline. You’ll be very surprised when an 8 to 10 pound jack grabs hold of your bait and gets your drag scream N !!!! Look for this great fishing to continue as high pressure has settled in. Hope to see y’all on the water!

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