John Preeg: Bonefish is caught in Estero Bay

Capt. Dave Hanson has caught a lot of fish in this area, but he got the surprise of his life when his party pulled a 17-inch bonefish away form an oyster bar in Estero Bay. Bonefish are typically restricted to the clear waters of the Keys and Caribbean, but this one managed to make the long trip north to vacation in Estero Bay.

This is the first bonefish that I have ever heard of being caught in Estero Bay, but each year, the waters in southwest Florida seem to get clearer and warmer, and there have been several reports of bonefish being caught in and around Naples Bay. Fishing is already good in our area, but I doubt if anyone would complain if we could add a few bonefish to the mix.

NAPLES — Capt. Pat Gould fished between Naples Bay and Marco Island several times last week, and said that the fishing has been somewhat disappointing for this time of year. There are plenty of snook in and near the passes, but the water is very clear and the fish are not biting. Gould has seen schools of fifty fish or more, but even live baits fail to pique their appetite.

Gould has managed to boat a dozen or more small snook each day, but there are few big fish and even fewer redfish. Some tarpon can be seen rolling in the channels, but they are no more cooperative than the snook.

The only sure catch is snapper. Schools of summer snapper have moved in from the Gulf, and they are feeding very aggressively. Live shiners and shrimp are both working well.

MARCO ISLAND/TEN THOUSAND ISLANDS — Capt. Bob Hartwell fished on Tuesday, and his party landed five redfish and three snook over 30-inches, which sounds like a great day, but Hartwell said that the action was generally slow. All of the fish were caught in just a few places and the rest of time was spent hunting. Hartwell said that he would fish in four places to find one fish, but the few fish that were caught were quality fish.

Hartwell did all of fishing in the middle bays. The outside was dirty because of the strong southwest winds, and the far back bays were too warm, so the snook were holding in the middle areas where there was plenty of bait and good water conditions.

EVERGLADES CITY — Capt. Tony Brock made a long run on Friday all the way to the Harney River and than back so far that the water was nearly fresh. His party landed ten bass plus a half dozen small snook. They then moved out to where the water was a bit saltier and added a mix of mangrove snapper, trout, jacks and ladyfish to the catch.

Earlier in the week, Brock had fished the Chatham River and had caught a limit of trout, two redfish and four snook while casting bucktails and plastic tail jigs. Brock said that the action has been good in all areas, but it has been difficult to find many trophies to brag about.

WIGGINS PASS — Gary Doner fished Wiggins Pass every evening last week, and said that the fishing was generally slow. The water was very clear, and the snook were reluctant to bite. A normal catch was a few small snook and a redfish for a couple hours of fishing.

On Sunday, however, Doner found a large school of snook that apparently had just moved in from the Gulf, and in just an hour of fishing, he landed 15 snook with three in the slot, plus an assortment of trout, snapper, and jacks that apparently moved into the snook feeding frenzy. On Monday, he returned and caught a few more snook, but the big school had dispersed to parts unknown.

FRESHWATER — The recent rains have brought the waters in the Everglades up enough so Shane Miller can again get across the grasses and back into the canals where the bass are crowded into the deeper holes. Miller fished on Tuesday and landed more than fifty fish in just three hours using top water lures and soft plastics. The largest fish weighed 5½ pounds but most of the fish were in the 12- to 16-inch range.

Miller said the best fishing is in the canals on the far side of the Everglades. The waters in Collier County are still too low, but it seem that state has opened up some runoff into the area in the eastern part of the Everglades, and these areas are more accessible and producing more fish.