Marco Island & Estero Bay Fishing Report

June 9, 2016 - Posted by Steve Dall April 29-May 1: Early Summer…. Weather & Tides… The weekend weather forecast has mid to upper 80 degree weather temperatures along with a mild SSW blow on Friday and switching to the SSE Saturday and Sunday. Saturday and Sunday wind speeds should increase progressively throughout the weekend and the early mornings appear to have calm conditions forecasted. Weaker outgoing tides will be seen throughout the mornings and early afternoon this weekend, before bottoming out in the mid-afternoon depending on where you are at in the region, so plan accordingly. Inshore…. Redfish are continuing their resurgence in the area with good action from lower 20 inch fish and some upper and over slot fish are showing themselves with more frequency. White bait is so big right now, that they are resembling a baby tarpon, so shrimp and cut bait are doing the job for most anglers. Chunks of ladyfish, halved threadfin herring and bigger shrimp rigged on a small profile jig head with a stout hook soaked in your favorite honey holes should bring action. Concentrate on the higher stages of the tides in areas with some depth on the shoreline and the bites should come within 5-10 minutes if they are there. Snook continue to shine as well with some drag screamers in the fold. If you are seeking a giant, the abundance of large whitebait on the sandy areas, should have your livewell teaming with lively snook candy with a few throws of the net. Free line these hand-sized scaled sardines on deeper points, pockets and docks with good current flow. The predicted slower outgoing is a good tide to fish for linesiders, but if the winds hold up the tide a bit, concentrate on areas that are bottle-necked, as they have increased tidal flow. Reports of snook showing themselves on the area beaches in the northern part of the region are starting to come in, as are a few giants on some nearshore wrecks, so keep an eye on the beaches in the next few weeks. The white butterflies are everywhere around town and savvy tarpon anglers know all too well that when they show up, so do the tarpon. Pods of active, migratory fish are being found in 12-30 feet of water outside of Keewaydin and in 8-15 feet of water along their annual migratory route around Cape Romano and nearshore toward the south part of the region. Early morning rollers are there, eating a mix of crabs, threadfin herring, mullet, hand-sized pilchards and select dead bait. As is the case most years, expand the menu offerings until they settle on their preferred entre for the day as they often change their desired bait. What worked yesterday, may not work today, so keep that in mind and networking with area fishermen regarding what they are eating can accelerate your hookup ratio. Offshore…. Conditions should make for good runs to the feeding grounds this weekend. The “marathon runners” making the big runs to 80-120 feet have been absolutely wrecking grouper, snapper, amberjacks and kingfish….a sailfish even popped up in 110 feet this week for an area charter boat. Closer to shore, the reds and gags are chomping with some consistency, as are the yellowtail snapper. You’ll have to chum up the yellowtails and with that will come your fair share of sharks, but if you can play dodgeball well, you should be able to get your catch back safe and sound. Cobia continue to show up in the northern part of the region and select nearshore wrecks are starting to show permit. It won’t be long before the nearshore permit bite is in full swing, so start planning accordingly. Tip of the Week…. Not a week goes by that I am not networking with friends, fellow captains and area anglers and a common thread was evident this spring in our conversations and that is on-the-water etiquette. While the region boasts countless areas to fish, it can fish “small” at times and boats can pile up in select areas and community holes. If you’ve spent any amount of time on the water, you have surely had someone come in on your spot, run through it on the big motor or simply leap frog you as you are working a stretch of shoreline and start fishing your area. We’ve all had it happen to us and hopefully we all react with a cool head, but that is not always the case. I want to let everyone know, that the fishing brethren is a strong bond and some respect for your fellow fishermen is all of our responsibilities. Be respectful when out on the water and try your best to understand how another boat may be fishing an area before approaching them. In particular, give extra room to the fly fishermen out there, as their days are spent meticulously hunting fish with stealth and you can really beat up their water if you aren’t mindful of their position. If you know the angler, shoot him a text to see if he is finished with the area and as a rule of thumb, if someone is on “your” spot first, concede that spot to them. All in all, be respectful as the laws of Karma relating to water, will always prevail….. Until next week, tight lines and screamin’ drags…. Captain Steve Dall www.poseidonschoice.com