SW FL-Bonita Beach: Good Start to a New Year of Fishing

Monday, 12/29, I fished in 44 feet off Naples with Tom Wolf and sons, Jordan and Patrick, and friend, Chris Coriddi. Using live shrimp, Tom caught a nice 23 inch keeper red grouper (see photo.) We released lots of gag and red grouper shorts, which provided steady action for us all morning. We also caught seven keeper snapper, including six mangs and one lane. We released lots of smaller mangs and a short mutton snapper. We also caught a nice whitebone porgie and a 25 inch king mackerel, which was the only keeper mackerel out of the three we landed.

Tuesday, I headed out New Pass to 47 feet with Sven and Corinna Petersen. We caught a keeper gag grouper at 24 inches and released about thirty more gag and red grouper that were just short of keeper-size. We also caught about 100 mangrove snapper but only two of those were keepers at 14 inches so we released the rest of them, along with grunts and a 30 pound goliath grouper. We also caught four 15 inch whitebone porgies, all on live shrimp.

Caitlin Froehlich, her dad, Toby, and her brother, Sam, fished with me Wednesday morning in 44 feet off Naples. We caught whitebone porgies to 15 inches and kept a half dozen of those, along with a 14 inch triggerfish, and a 16 inch yellowtail snapper. We released five king mackerel to 26 inches, gag grouper shorts, and a 30 pound goliath grouper.

New Year’s Day I was off the water for family happenings, but Friday, January 2nd found me fishing with Bob Sawyer, Don Stevenson and Katie Grote in 46 feet out of New Pass, where the winds and seas were kicked up once again but the fishing was good. We used shrimp to catch a mess of mangrove snapper and kept the largest eight of those, which were 15 and 16 inches. We also caught some large whitebone porgies and released lots of smaller snapper, grouper shorts, triggerfish and king mackerel.

I had planned to fish inshore in Estero Bay on Saturday with a nice couple but, unfortunately, the Mrs. came down with a stomach virus overnight Friday and they were forced to cancel at the last minute on Saturday morning. So I spent Saturday doing some maintenance. Weather-permitting, I will have a full week of fishing beginning Monday with lots to report next week.

The photo shown is of angler Tom Wolf with a 23 inch red grouper, caught on a live shrimp on an offshore Fishbuster Charter 12/29/08.