Absolutely a killer week of inshore fishing in the Naples and Marco Island area . Finally we got a good stretch of weather with highs in the 80s. This warm weather brings gulf temperatures up and gets our game, fish active. We have been catching good numbers of snook and trout on the outside points where there is good current flow. We have been using live pilchards that I’ve been castnetting on the offshore rock piles. One really good tip and trick is if you notice these bats can sometimes out swim the fish you are targeting.
What I like to do on these bigger baits is get my scissors and trim their tails . This makes your bait slower and unable to dodge a hard strike . If our weather continues to be in the upper 80s, our gulf temperatures will remain in the upper 70s and this will bring on our first push of Tarpon just off our beaches. It’s getting close to that time of year where our fishery will be action packed with all gamefish on our target list . What a great time to get out and enjoy this great playground we have. C U on the water !!!!! Capt. Tim Daugherty www.fishthesalt.com (239) 280-8138
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Despite the cool winter temps the inshore fishing has been heating up. This week in the Naples and Marco island areas we have been experiencing full moon low moring tides. These conditions will school up the fish if you know where to look . We have been concentrating on the deeper holes that have a steady rolling current. It’s a mixed bag of fish on these tides (snook , tarpon , sea trout , jacks , snapper ) all seem to congregate in the spots.
I have been catching live bait offshore and turning around & heading deep in the backcountry to fish. This week’s weather looks to be on point with highs in the upper 70s and light morning winds. What a great time of the year to be on the water enjoying this pristine playground . C u on the water! Capt. Tim Daugherty www.fishthesalt.com (239) 280-8138 What a great time to be on the water in South Florida . Cool sunny days have the inshore fishing lit up …We are in full season mode in the Naples and Marco island areas , lots of traffics on the roads and long weights at the restaurants but on the water it’s quiet and peaceful. On the colder days , just after the the cold fronts , is when the sea trout bite the best . I have been targeting them in the backcountry around the islands and points that have a steady current flow. Trout love to hold tight to the bottom and wait for a bait fish or shrimp to get washed by them . Artificials and live shrimp have been great in getting these winter fish to eat.
On the calm light wind days I have been able to ride offshore and catch live bait(pilchards). 3/8in 12ft net is just perfect in getting down to the bottom fast . If your able to score live bait bring them back to into the creeks and backcountry rivers as they have been holding some nice snook. 30lb fluorocarbon leaded attached to a 1/0 j hook is just a perfect match for any inshore condition. Cold fronts have been coming our way just about every week so no time for complaining yah just gotta get on the water and enjoy the change in temps . All week we will have perfect falling tides so get out and get it while the getting is good !!!! C u on the water !!!! Capt. Tim Daugherty www.fishthesalt.com (239) 280-8138 The winter fishery in South West Florida is in full effect. Cool mornings and low falling tides have been perfect for fishing the outside islands & bays for sea trout & redfish . The Naples and Marco island backcountry has also been where we have been having most success using artificials. My go to winter baits are 3/8oz stand up jig head with a DOA 3in paddle tail( brown , olive color) . This is a deadly combination for searching areas looking for fish staging up. What I like to do fan around an area or points trying to locate a few fish to where I can zero in on where the school is. The best presentation is to keep your rod tip up in that 11:00 positions and give it a good jump never dropping your rod tip too low as a lot of times the strike is on the fall. Due to the light winds, we are still seeing some live bait around the beaches.
Even though the water temps have been in the low 60s I am still catching snook , sea trout , redfish , snappers , grouper & jacks on the live baits . I am mainly concentrating deep in the backcountry fishing Creek mouths and shorelines that have an undercuts. Try to present your bait close to the structure, shut your bail and let it float naturally in the current waiting for a strike . What’s great about this type of fishing is you never know what you’re gonna get on any given cast? We are still seeing cold fronts just about every week so you just have to be patient as these fish are very sensitive to temp change. What a great time to be on the water enjoying some nice cool weather. Hope to see yah on the water !!! Capt. Tim Daugherty www.fishthesalt.com (239) 280-8138 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 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 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. 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! |
CAPT. TIM
The latest Naples inshore, backcountry and Gulf fishing report by Capt. Tim Daugherty. Archives
March 2024
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