So where are you fishing these days? With the lack of cold fronts this time of the year, many head offshore.
Anglers in smaller craft stay inshore or fish near shore. I have to say from my recent experiences the daytime offshore trips have been frustrating.
With the Gulf temperatures holding close to 90 degrees it seems like a lot of the larger reef and pelagic fish have moved much deeper or further offshore than a day trip can safely manage.
On a recent 150-mile round trip our fishing day was saved by Vermillion and Lane snappers.
These are delicious fish to eat but I am not sure the price of fuel and wear and tear on the boat is justified. Did I enjoy myself? Yes, I did, immensely but it was more due to the great company on the boat and being in the deep blue sea than the fish catching.
On the flip side our club members are having a blast inshore and near shore. With an early start Redfish and Snook have been plentiful.
For eating there have been plenty of Mangrove Snapper and Sea Trout. Near shore Whiting, Snook, Spadefish and a mix of snappers have been providing the action.
The shrimp are small but are still catching fish. Almost all fish love fresh or frozen squid. Cut Ladyfish and Pinfish also supply plenty of action.
Are you ready for the unexpected? Several of the Reel Anglers Fishing Club members and I have been participating in surveying seagrass with the Eyes on Seagrass organization.
On a recent outing I was just finishing up a survey in Matlacha Pass when I turned around the way back to the boat ramp was blocked by what turned out to be a very severe thunderstorm.
I kept heading south trying to outrun the storm. I ended up parking my boat under the C-Span bridge.
Fortunately, I had brought a fishing rod and some artificial shrimp. The shrimp was rigged on a half-ounce jig head. I threw it up close to the bridge piling and let it drop to the bottom.
I was rewarded with a good fight from several undersized Red Grouper which were promptly returned to the water.
Just for the heck of it I started casting straight behind the boat. I was immediately rewarded with a couple of very nice sized Spanish Mackerel.
Mind you this whole time the rain was pouring down, the wind was whipping and there was plenty of lightning and thunder. Riding out the storm under the bridge was a wonderful thing!
First lesson don’t believe the weatherman, second, have a full tank of gas for unexpected long runs to safety, third, always have a fishing rod and a few productive baits with you when you are on the water.
At the Reel Anglers Fishing Club meeting recently, we had a great discussion about rod and reel set ups for inshore and offshore.
Several members brought their favorite rods and reels and explained why. There was a healthy discussion comparing the pros and cons of baitcasting vs. spinning equipment.
We discussed the proper rods and techniques for fishing top waters and skipping baits under docks and mangroves.
In future meetings we will be discussing various artificial lure presentations, live bait rigging and what is working right now.
If you would like to join us, the Reel Angers Fishing Club meets the second Wednesday of every month at 6 PM at the Power Squadron, downtown Cape Coral.
Dan Carney
Reel Anglers Fishing Club
www.reelanglersfishingclub.com
