Fishing: Offshore is the place to be

Most of the wind has been out of the east, and the warm temperatures have kept the bait in the area. Snook fishing is excellent.

Redfish, trout, pompano and even tarpon are all also being caught.

The fish are certainly biting offshore, but getting to them can be a challenge. It might be relatively calm near the beach, but past five miles it can get rough.

Spanish mackerel are everywhere. King mackerel are beginning to school. Mangrove and yellowtail snapper are bunched over the wrecks, and both cobia and gag grouper can be caught on the structures near shore. In general, it is an excellent offshore fishery, but you had better have a strong stomach.

If the weather forecasts are correct, by the time you read this column, the first valid cold front of the season should have arrived, and morning temperatures will be in the fifties. The winds will be out of the northwest, and this will make for a more comfortable, but less fishy weekend.

It has been a warm, consistent fall, but changes are coming.

NAPLES -- Capt. Steve Westervelt says that there is a lot of action right in the Naples Bay area. Snook are the highlight, but redfish, pompano, trout and tarpon are also active, and there are so many jacks and ladyfish that most anglers are trying to avoid them. Bluefish and Spanish mackerel are working the schools of baits along the beaches and in the passes.

Westervelt fished right around Naples Bay with Stanley Leonard on Saturday, and Leonard landed a 35-inch snook, three redfish, a half a dozen trout, and more jacks than they could count. In the afternoon, they went up a creek, and Leonard jumped two small tarpon.

The water has been very warm, close to 80 degrees, and this has kept the fish active.

Baits remain plentiful, and Westerelt believes that if the weather stays this warm there could be a late fall run of big tarpon that will follow the spawning mullet into the backwater.

MARCO ISLAND/10,000 ISLANDS -- Capt. Larry Regienczuk fished three days out of Goodland last week and says that the fishing is excellent.

The waters are muddy between Coon Key and Panther Key, but then clear further to the south with the best fishing south of Round Key.

Snook offer the best action, with most of the fish being large ones. Regienczuk averaged over a dozen snook a day with most of the fish being near or over the legal size. Redfish were mixed with the snook, and many of the reds are over the 27' limit. Spanish mackerel can be caught all along the shore wherever the birds are working.Regienczuk fished on Tuesday with Mike Kohler, and Kohler landed 13 snook with three of the fish in the legal slot.

EVERGLADES CITY -- Capt. Dave Cassidy spent the weekend fishing the Chokoloskee area, and said that the tides were very low, but there was plenty of bait and even more snook in all of the outside bays and coves. Redfish and smaller snook could be caught up in the back bays.

There was a stiff wind to deal with, but it was blowing offshore, and the waters were still very clear along the outside islands. Open areas, however, were muddied.

On Saturday, Cassidy landed 12 snook including four legal fish plus redfish, Spanish mackerel, snapper and jacks. Action was good pretty much everywhere that Cassidy went, and Cassidy attributed this to the warm temperatures, full moon , and plethora of bait in the area.

WIGGINS PASS -- Capt. Dave Hanson reports that it has been very difficult to get outside because of the winds, but he did managed to venture offshore on Friday with Gregg Bedell and Blaine McKinney.

They fished a ledge in 45 feet of water and landed a 43-inch, 17-pound kingfish that took a shrimp on the bottom. They were snapper fishing at the time, had no wire leader and just 12-pound test line, and still boated the big king. They also caught a 17-inch yellowtail snapper, four big mangrove snapper, and numerous porgies and triggerfish.

Snook and redfish continue to bite in Estero Bay. The winds can make fishing a bit difficult, but if you find shelter, you will find fish. Small snook are biting around Wiggins Pass, but larger snook and redfish are rare.

FRESHWATER -- The water temperature has dropped to near 70 degrees, according to Jess Edwards of the Golden Gate Tackle Box, and this has helped the bass fishing. Bass are very active in the Golden Gate canal system, and bass action is excellent in Lake Okeechopee if the wind doesn't blow your boat off of the water. Fishing along the alley is getting better, but there is still a bit too much water. Levels need to drop so that that the fish move into the canals.

Topwater lures are the best morning offering. Soft plastic are better during the day. This weekend's cold front should really spark the fishing.