Angler's Outlook: Tropical breezes can benefit fishing action

Alberto has vanished and Southwest Florida anglers continue to come in with productive catches on all local fishing fronts. Schools of bait with Spanish mackerel, bonito, jack, bluerunner and ladyfish working them continue to be found from the passes and beach out.

Marco angler Dennis Carley says he has been fishing just offshore (a mile and a half to two miles) off Marco Island the last two weeks. He's caught a lot of Spanish mackerel — several more than 24 inches — and some bluerunners.

"I look for the schools of baitfish, anchor and put out a chum bag to keep them near the boat," Carley says. "The mackerel are hitting spoons, jigs and live shrimp. I was really surprised when I hooked into what turned out to be a 27-inch, 14-pound Tunny Tuna that took about 15 minutes to get into the boat. It was great fun fighting the fish on light tackle using a tipped jig."

Carley did use the "Fishing Lines" book to identify the fish. He is a year-round resident of Marco and tries to fish two or three times a week. Offshore anglers have gone and will continue to go longer and deeper to score on the larger grouper and snapper. They will target wrecks, towers and hard bottom with some profile.

I hate to beat a dead horse to death, but a report from local anglers/scuba divers about their dive on a near-shore rock pile and wrecks about a week ago really opens the giant Goliath problem we have here in Southwest Florida. They reported both locations were loaded with GGG ranging from 50-pounders to in excess of 200-pounders, with little to no keeper size species such as snapper and grouper around.

We really need a study done on this. As you know, I have suggested a GGG tag, to be sold much like a tarpon tag, might help thin them out. Some people say the problem is only in our area, so the tags could be stamped for waters in the counties that have the problem might work well. In any event, I think something should be done. The money generated from the tags should go to a fish hatchery program. Enough said.

As I stated in last week's article, it is that time of year when some local anglers decide to take advantage of the dolphin run in the Keys. Marco angler Glenn Babst of Glenn's Plumbing decided to run to Key West and then move over to Dry Tortugas. He took John Burback, Kerry Smith and Dave Johnson on the trip. They fished the Keys area, bagging some nice-size dolphin, refueled their boat and shot across to Tortugas for some bottom fishing for snapper, grouper, shark and whatever they could catch.

Some of the fishing was at night, which produced several species. They included mutton snapper and small tarpon, plus a tour of the world-famous Fort Jefferson, home of Dr. Mudd's cell.

Our inland, passes and beach shoreline continue to harvest a wide selection of species including tarpon, redfish, snook, snapper, small sheepshead, jack and bluerunners. Capt. Bill Jones has been finding tarpon from 20 pounds to in excess of 140 pounds. He also ran into a large sawfish south of Goodland the other day. The creature was brought to the boat and released.

Jones expects the larger tarpon and snook to stay strong through June and into July, and I agree.

Both species will be looking for your live crabs, pinfish, minnows, lures and fresh cut bait.

Additional snook are running the passes and beaches. Several groups of snook have been seen with their nose pointed into the beach early in the morning (daybreak for two hours) and in the evening (two hours before sundown to sundown). Casting a fly or lure about 30 feet parallel to the beach, then retrieving it with the tip of the rod pointed about two to three feet from the beach, should bring the bait close enough to the surf to attract the snook.

If the fish starts to track it, keep reeling the bait until you lift it out of the water.

By the way, wear bug spray and sun block.

An e-mail just in from Marco's Capt. Chris Keagle indicates backwater fishing has been great using live pilchards (minnows) successfully for snook and redfish. Woman angler Daria Nola from Trumbull, Conn., caught and released several snook, redfish and a small tarpon. Her friend, Mike, caught and released a small tarpon. Capt. Keagle also found dolphin just about everywhere during a recent trip to the Keys.

The last week of June is looking better. Look for the possible arrival of additional tropical rainstorms. This could kick the fishing into high gear providing the tropical fronts do not move into the tropical depression mode.

Have a great week!