SW FL-Bonita Beach: Grouper, Snapper, Shark, Kingfish & More

Monday morning, four/4, I fished the around-shore reefs off Bonita Beach with Tim and Stephanie Cobb and their two kids, Spencer and Sydney. We had been fishing just ahead of a weather-front predicted to kick winds up to 25 knots by early afternoon, and to bring some rain to the area the next day. Even shut-in, it was beginning to get tough, but we did properly making use of dwell shrimp. The group caught two keeper flounder, two 24-inch Spanish mackerel, three keeper mangrove snapper and a 22-inch black drum.

Tuesday, winds had been robust and seas ended up substantial, in advance of thunderstorms predicted to hit our location about 11 AM. I canceled my fishing options and remained in port for the day.

Wednesday morning, long-time clients Andy Ungar and Al Layton, along with their good friend, John, fished Estero Bay with me. Andy and Al typically fish offshore, but rough seas prohibited that, so we spent the day in the backwaters, fishing with dwell shrimp. We caught 4 redfish in all, which includes a single keeper at 21 inches. We introduced the other 3, along with two snook, 23 inches and 24 inches, sheepshead, rays, and crevalle jack.

Thursday, the bay fishing was not as active as it had been just the day before. I fished with Doug Zak, his girlfriend, Jeannie, and her brother, Jay. We launched two snook, a couple of sheepshead and a couple of rays. There was a sluggish, incoming tide all early morning that didn’t serve us true properly.

Friday, I fished a catch-and-release-trip in the vicinity of-shore, about 8 miles west of New Pass in 27 feet, with Dave Kempston and his two younger sons, Brandon and Connor. We utilised dwell shrimp to catch a 28-inch, 9-pound gag grouper, which was definitely picture-worthy, a 14-inch hogfish, whitebone and jolthead porgies, grunts and sheepshead.

The following time I fished was Monday morning, about 22 miles west of New Pass, with Doug Sapp, Homer Smith, and four of their buddies. Seas acquired a small sloppy later in the early morning, as the winds picked up, but we caught three good hogfish, a pair of 14-inch mangrove snapper, and some grunts. We introduced lots of red grouper shorts, and also had some exciting with goliath grouper, soon after we give up competing with them for our catches!

Tuesday, I fished in 63 feet, about 27 miles out of New Pass with Mike McDonald. We did nicely fishing for snapper with stay shrimp. We caught a half dozen yellowtails, all 15 and 16 inches, 4 14-inch mangrove snapper and fifteen keeper lane snapper. We introduced lots of red and gag grouper shorts. At the last spot we fished, the barracudas ended up abundant. Among ‘cudas, goliaths, and porpoise, it was a challenge to get our fish reeled in ahead of nearly anything else received to them!

I had an outstanding day of fishing Wednesday with Greg Bauer and buddies, John and Bob. We fished numerous spots out to 38 miles west of New Pass, in depths of 65 to 75 feet. The action was regular–We had no time to even get pictures–but the group caught 8 wonderful yellowtail snapper keepers to 17 inches, some keeper mangrove snapper, and whitebone porgies. That’s all they chose to preserve. We introduced a good deal far more porgies, along with some short mangs, about thirty red grouper, just small of keeper dimension, to 19 one/two inches, gag grouper shorts, five almaco jacks, 7 banded rudder fish, nine vermillion snapper, short triggerfish, and two massive remoras. All have been caught on live shrimp.

Thursday, I captained Ron Musick’s boat with Ron and friends, Eddie, Dick, Tom and Bob, out to about 70 feet, 37 miles west of New Pass. Once again, action was excellent, but the 30-plus red grouper we caught were all just quick of keeper dimensions. We did bring property about 25 whitebone porgies and keeper mangrove snapper. We introduced some triggerfish shorts. Two of the men ended up broken off each and every a single time by a thing quite large, but couldn’t notify what it was.

It was yet another excellent day effectively offshore on Friday, when I fished with Chris Lemonis, his sister, Argie Lemonis, and their dad, George. We fished several spots between 28 and 37 miles west of New Pass, in depths of 55 to 72 feet. We came back with 43 fish and we also launched even much more than that. We caught a keeper red grouper at 21 inches, and introduced about forty grouper in all, like reds to 19 ½ inches and gags to 21 inches. We also caught a 36-inch king mackerel, twenty five keeper lane snapper, two keeper yellowtail snapper at thirteen inches every, and a mess of great whitebone porgies that ranged sixteen inches to 19 inches. We utilised shrimp for these catches, but then we switched to using some spot-tail grunts, which was the ticket for some shark. We launched a 38-inch sharp-nose shark and a sandbar shark that was more than six-feet lengthy and believed at above one hundred pounds. We also launched about fifteen mangrove snapper shorts.

Saturday early morning, 4/sixteen, I headed out about 17 miles and fished in 38 feet with Marty Gmeiner, Mike LaForte, and Bill Murphey. We employed live shrimp to catch 20 keeper lane snapper, a keeper yellowtail, a keeper Spanish mackerel, a keeper porkfish, and some whitebone porgies and grunts. We released smaller yellowtails, quick mangrove snappers, a modest hogfish, and red grouper to 18 ½ inches. We also wrestled with a 60-pound goliath grouper that bit a porgy as we had been reeling it in.

The photo demonstrated is of angler Argie Lemonis, with a 36-inch king mackerel, caught on shrimp, on an offshore trip this week.