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Frank Troha and his daughter Alexis Troha holding a nice snook. It was a family effort that included Frank's wife hooking the snook and later tacking the picture.

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This is 5 year old Marco Malerba catching his first 26" snook without assistance from his Grandfather Jimmy Malerba.

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Marco angler Andrea Battaglia holding a nice red grouper she caught fishing aboard her boat with Bryan Mordecai and his son Bing.

Things are looking very good for the rest of April for southwest Florida anglers on most all fishing fronts as I prepare this article.

Anglers have already managed to find some productive fishing during the first half of the month. With the softer winds and warm water it just has to get even better. While the list of species caught should remain about the same, some of them should be increasing in their average size and numbers that include tarpon and snook at the head of the list.

Time is running out for anglers who want to catch and keep a legal size snook. The season closes from May 1 through August in our gulf waters. Stalking the snook at the lights in the evening hours should be productive using tipped jigs, spoons lures, live minnows, shrimp, crab and finger mullet. Being as quiet as you can is a must for snook. Many of the snook stalkers use an electric trolling motor to take them into the spot they want to fish.

The last days of April should also be the start of some species declining in their numbers and average size such sheepshead, black drum and trout. The good news is it will also mark the arrival and increased numbers of other species that include snook, tarpon, shark and tripletail.

It’s a good bet that some of the snook will be found running the beach shoreline and passes. Fishing the beaches shoreline with live bait, tipped jigs, lures or spoons from daybreak for about two hours or about three hours to sunset could be productive. Fishing the passes from daybreak for about two hours with the same baits would be best during a high flood falling tide.

Please be aware that other predators are also out there that include shark, barracuda and sting ray. If you are wading near the passes also be aware that the current is very swift and can sweep out and away. If you are caught in the current, do not panic and never swim against the current, swim at a angle to the nearest land or shallow water while you fish buddy is getting help. The wise angler will wear a floatation device.

There’s more. Never tie a fish stringer to you belt or have one stuck in the sand near you. Several years ago a fellow came in the Rose Marco River Marina with a big roll of wet newspaper in his arms, slammed it on the counter and ask me, can you tell me what kind of fish this is and what happened to it. I sure can I answered, “It’s half of a really big jack that a shark came by and stole half of it from you.”

“You are right,” he answered followed with, “no one told me there are sharks out there.”

I quickly came back with, “Boy that sure would make a great mount and conversation piece.”

Guess what? He did have it mounted and took it home to display it in his office. I never saw the man again.

Our offshore has also held up in spite of the windy weather we have had and it should be getting even better by the time you read this. While many of the kingfish have passed us by and headed north for the summer, it’s a good bet that there will be some still hanging out at the wrecks, towers and spots with hard bottom with some profile.

Two fishing reports just in from Andrea Battaglia, She was fishing with Bryan Mordecai and Bryan’s son, Bing, on April 6 aboard Andrea’s Grady White. They were on a drift about nine miles offshore using cut bait that produced several nice lane snappers and three keeper-size red grouper. Andrea adds “We got out there before the wind picked up and got back to Marco as the wind was really picking up. It was a fun day.”

Report No. 2: “I just picked up my boat at Caxambas ramp at 9:30 this morning.

My service man Randy from Intercoastal said I should use the boat so he could re-check the filter for water in the fuel. So I went home and got Bryan and we grabbed our poles, and started out the pass at 10:30 a.m. Bryan forgot the squid, so we had no bait. We went out to about the nine mile area and used sabiki rigs to get small fish for cut bait. We drift when we fish. To make a long story short. We got a bunch of snappers and then I got a nice 27-inch red grouper .... we couldn’t go home until Bryan caught a 20-inch red grouper! Anyway, no kingfish today, but we had a short, but fun day.” Thanks Andrea and Bryan for the great reports pictures.

Marco angler Frank Troha writes: “On Thursday April 2 we wanted to go offshore fishing but it was too windy and rough. We tried fishing Marco Pass for pompano or trout, but only caught ladyfish. Now there is one thing I have learned from your articles is that if area is not producing fish you never give up and you try a different area with different techniques. So here we are 2 p.m. in the afternoon, bright sunny, windy day, what do you do? We headed back into Collier Bay and decided to try fishing a live shrimp. Within five minutes a large dark silhouette came out from under the mangroves. All of a sudden this big snook hits it and the fight started with my wife Gwen and the big snook fighting each other for several minutes then she had me take over and id a perfect job in netting the fish. She was not in the picture I sent you because she was taking the photograph. My daughter Alexis Troha who lives on Marco Island is also in the picture.”

Thanks for the report and picture, Frank.

For those of you still interested the German U-boat 84 that sunk the California was sunk Aug 7, 1943 in the North Atlantic, in position 27.55N, 68.03W, by a Mk 24 homing torpedo from an American Liberator aircraft (VB-105/B-4 USN). Fortysix died (all hands lost).

Catch you later.

Red Stier is a bi weekly contributor to the Marco Island Eagle. Questions or comments may be directed to redstier@aol.com or 172 Trinidad St., Naples, Fla., 34113.

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