Roberts Fishin Report   

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9/3/2010

Tarpon bite is staring to get better, Ladyfish and DOA Baitbusters are the baits of choice. The fish are
moving around a lot, so no one spot is better than another. Redfish are starting to school up primarily
around the ICW. Places like outside of Whidden Creek, Sandfly, and Pine Island Sound in general are good
places to start your search. Live shrimp and pinfish are doing well for live baits, and 3" new penny gulp shrimp
and the bone sl spook junior are working well for artificials. The mangrove bite on and offshore is getting
better but reports are still scattered. Have a good Labor Day week-end.

8/27/2010
Due to all the rain this past week, fishing is going to be unpredictable. Tarpon have slowed down on their
slurping and are focusing more on ladyfish. You'll have to look for rolling or free jumping fish with your best
bet being from the mouth of the Myakka to the middle of the harbor. Redfish are starting to show up in better
numbers but scattered locations, here today there tomorrow. Live shrimp is outperforming all baits significantly.
Snook are still abundant on the beaches and along the ICW with some fish moving in closer on the barrier
islands. To get a more accurate report on what's going on out there, stop by or call the shop.

8/20/2010
I'm glad I can't hear fish scream. There are millions of glass minnows from the 41 bridge to the middle of the harbor
being destroyed by tarpon, ladyfish, spanish, sharks. and terns. Tarpon are all over out there but not being very cooperative
about getting on the hook. This slurping pattern will last another week or so. Ladyfish (live or dead) will be your
best choice for bait. Shrimp are getting a little bigger and so are the redfish. The quantity and quality of these
fish is getting better throughout the harbor. The early morning bite has been the best before the sun gets up high
enough to boil the water and the fish.

8/13/2010
Robert is on vacation this week, visiting mom and probably chasing snakes and lizards around in the desert.
Really not a lot to report on this week anyway with all the rain we had the first three days. He'll return next week.
 

8/06/2010
Tarpon are still doing great. In case you're bored with this, they'll be gone in another 5 to 6 weeks. Redfish are starting to pick up
both in numbers and size. Cut sardines and ladyfish, along with small pinfish are doing very well for bait. Pine Island around Rat Key
and Lemon Bay docks are some of your most consistent spots. Trout are still slow, but getting some good reports on early morning
topwaters in Lemon Bay. Look for 4 to 5 feet of water and work it slow. Some big spanish and an odd king at the offshore reefs. Fishing
overall should start getting better from day to day, so be patient. We're on the upward curve of the flats fishing and its only going
to get better from here.

7/31/2010

Tarpon fishing is absolutely incredible. Fish are on the beaches, the passes, and all over the harbor. There's
no reason to crowd anyone. There are plenty of fish and plenty of room. DOA baitbusters, ladyfish, and pinfish are
your best baits. Redfish are doing much better, but they are lethargic because of the extremely high water temps.
Early morning is the best time to fish for them.  Try cut ladyfish, frozen shrimp or sardines, along with live
pinfish, for baits. Its really hot out there right now, so keep yourself cool and hydrated. The fish are hot too, so take
your time reviving them after the fight if you are releasing them.

7/23/2010
Red snapper is closed. Mini lobster season opens this week. Watch your limits and be safe. Tarpon are all over in the
center of the harbor. Threadfins and DOA baitbusters working the best. Quite a few small sharks between Cape Haze
and the intercoastal. Snapper bite inside has slowed down, but offshore at the reefs is doing very well. Redfish are
picking up, but if you're looking for bait, get your quarter inch mesh net out.

7/16/2010
Tarpon are all over the harbor from the 41 bridge and the Myakka all the way to Boca. Live threadfins and DOA
baitbusters working very well. Work your baits slowly as the tarpon have been a little on the picky side. The dog
days of summer are here and fishing overall has been slow, but remember the early bird gets the worm. If you're
looking for bait, there's plenty of small stuff out there, but let it grow up. Try using frozen or cut baits and artificials.

7/09/2010
Fishing has been a little slow this past week due to the weather. Tarpon are scattered all over from the beaches
 to the harbor. This week-end will be the last decent hill tide of the season and the tarpon will move into the
harbor after that. The offshore snapper bite has been incredible and should continue the rest of this month.
Still plenty of small sharks, with the occasional large shark in the lower end of the harbor. Catch and release
snook action along the beaches is incredible.

7/02/2010
In case you haven't noticed, it has been raining. That has helped drop the harbor water temps from 91-92
degrees to about 88. Doesn't sound like much, but it should make fishing in general a little more productive.
Due to the weather, fishing has been pretty tough this week. Tarpon have been staying offshore but should
move back in. Crabs and threadfins are your best bait. Offshore fishing has still been great for those brave
souls that went out. Lots of nice snapper and grouper being brought in. Trout have all but disappeared, but
the snook bite has been good pretty much everywhere along the east side and out along the beaches.
Remember, catch and release only. Start looking for the reds at the mouths of the creeks and cuts dumping
into the harbor with all the rain washing the bait and other goodies out.



6/25/2010
Tarpon are still incredible. The offshore fishing from 10 to 50 miles out is absolutely wonderful
as it usually is this time of year. Bottom fish such as grouper, mangroves, lanes, yellowtail, and red
 snapper have been doing exceptionally well. Good to great action on pelagics, tuna, kings, dolphin
sailfish, and wahoo. Remember the thunderstorms can be wicked and your cell phone does not work
offshore. Be safe and be prepared.



6/18/2010
Do I need to say that the tarpon fishing is still great? Pass is full of them and they're all over the
harbor again after cramming the pass over the week-end for the hill tides. Lots of blacktips and
bonnetheads scattered around the harbor, and some big sharks moved into the pass. Big spanish
out along the intercoastal and the beaches, with some big trout running Pine Island Sound and
up around Devilfish and Three Sisters.

6/11/2010
Another phenomenal week of tarpon fishing, and it should continue to be great with the hill tides
running over the week-end. We expect the tarpon season to last into July out along the beaches
and the passses. The snapper bite on and offshore is getting better every day, but the full moon of
June and July will put the fish into spawn and  full feeding mode, with plenty of quality fish. Permit
still doing well on the nearshore reefs with the evening bite doing better.

6/04/10
June is the transition month for most of the flats fishing species, snook, reds, trout, etc...Look for
these fish along the intercoastal and passes. Couple key places will be the bushes and docks in
Lemon Bay and  and down around Captiva and Pine Island. Tarpon fishing in general has been off
the hook this past week. Jig fishing in the pass has been consistent throughout mid morning into the
afternoon, but also plenty of small schools from the 41 bridge to Boca and the beaches. Concentrate
your efforts around the schools of threadfins and look for rolling or free jumping fish. Threadfins, crabs,
and DOA baitbusters are your best choices for bait. Also lots of small sharks around these schools. Try
to use barbless or circle hooks for catch and release of these little guys.


5/21/10
This past week has been an incredible fishing week. Did a new personal best on what I call a big
fish slam, Tarpon, shark, and Jewfish in the same day. Bull was 9' about 300 lbs., jewfish was about
300 lbs., and the tarpon was 100 lbs. Tarpon fishing in the harbor has been very good from the pass
all the way to marker 6. Has also been fish in the upper harbor by Ponce and the mouth of the Myakka.
Lot of good flats fishing for snook and redfish due to the decreased pressure on them because of all the
tarpon fishing. Spanish mackerel and kings doing lots better offshore around the boxcars and the
school bus reef.





5/14/10

Tarpon are moving to the Pass for Friday and Saturday nights hill tides. Usually when they leave they bring
back a lot more friends. In addition to the tarpon, the larger sharks should be right behind them. There are plenty
of spanish mackerel, blacktips, and blacknose sharks in the lower end of the harbor. Look for schools of bait
from marker 5 to Boca. There will be tarpon and cobia in addition to the mackerel and small sharks around the
bait balls. Mangrove snapper bite has really started to pick up all over.



 

5/08/10

Tarpon are finally here. Getting a lot of reports and pictures of fish being caught
 around the 20 foot holes in the middle of the Harbor and the inster-coastal around captiva pass.
 Fish are starting to show up in Boca Grande Pass.
The pass itself should get better and better over the next week.
There are a lot of small sharks moving around the entire harbour.
 A couple of key places are cape haze bar, Pirate Harbour flat,
and the flat around devil fish key. Spanish Mackerel are scattered throughout the harbour,
 around the tire reef and marker one. Cobia are starting to move around  a little bit more too,
 getting some good reports around the 41 bridge, the mouth of the Myakka.

 

The Fishin Reports

4/29/10

Inter-coastal and beach fishing have been a lot more productive than the upper harbor.
Schools of threadfins and glass minnows are in the southern part of the harbor,
along with some whitebait around Cape Haze and Devilfish.

 There have been a few tarpon mixed in feeding on the bait schools,
 along with spanish mackerel, bluefish and a few black tips showing up.
There are still a few pompano on the beach, but they are starting to thin out
but there are still a lot of nice whiting.
Night fishing off of Placida and Tom Adams bridge have been producing
nice oversized redfish, along with some blacktips, and Bonnet-heads
with some scattered pompano.

Robert

4/22/10

All along the beaches right now, there are schools of lady-fish, blue-fish, &
Spanish Mackerel. larger numbers of the can be found in Little Gasparilla pass,
and Captiva pass. 

Feeding on these schooling fish are good size Spinner, and Black-tip sharks.
The Macs and Lady-fish fish are pretty tasty to them, Just keep in mind.
It is against the law to cut up Spanish Mackerel for bait, no problem on the Ladys.

Red-fish are really moving around, there are lots of very good reports From
Pine Island sound up to Bokeelia and over to Usseppa. To the north Whidden Creek.

These are the main Fish People are talking about,

The Tarpon are going to light up just out of no where.

There is a huge, cold water up-welling, Extending from Destin down as far south as Captiva
Which is holding down the water Temp. making the water cooler than it should be at this time of year. This is slowing the Tarpon bite. The up-welling could be because of the cool fronts blowing in from the west.

The Tarpon bite around St James city is good and even better around Sanibel.

The cobia just showed up in Destin a few days ago. About a month late.
So It is still a go for tarpon fishing here.
It just is going to take a little longer for the sliver king, bite to Happen.

 Robert

04/15/2010

Fishing has been good despite the wind. With all the rain, fishing has been much better down
towards the inter-coastal. Shore fisherman have been whacking the pompano from
Venice to Sanibel. Small sharks and cobia moving along the near-shore reefs,
along with Spanish mackerel and some kings. Tarpon are moving around down by Sanibel
and Pine Island, but aren't consistent yet. If you really want to try catching one,
go around the power lines in Pine Island or Captiva Rocks.
Larger sharks are moving around Captiva pass and following the schools of Spanish mackerel.
A couple more weeks of sheepshead around the phosphate docks, Tremblay reef ,Novak reef
and the 7 mile ledge, before they move off.
Trout are doing well on the grass flats in Lemon Bay at Stump Pass.

Good luck fishing out there.
Feel free to call or stop in at the shop for more up to date fishing reports.      
  Robert