SW FL-Bonita Beach: Snapper, Grouper, Shark, Sheeps, Reds, Snook

Saturday, 10/20, I fished with long-time customer Marshall Swain, along with his family and friends. We used live shrimp, about 22 miles west of New Pass, and the group caught twenty-five keeper lane snapper to 12 inches, along with one keeper mangrove snapper at 13 inches. They released a half dozen smaller mangs, along with fifteen undersized red grouper to 19 7/8 inches (so close but not close enough!) They also released five yellowtail snapper shorts, grunts, porgies and a brace of 18-inch lesser amberjacks.

We had some wild winds and some rain preceding Hurricane Sandy, and we deferred the trip we had scheduled for Friday, 10/26 to Monday, which was the final day of Jalissa Reever’s and Steve Spitzer’s visit. Monday, winds and seas were still way to strong to venture offshore, but there was no rain, and we were able to fish inshore in Estero Bay, where we used live shrimp, along the edges toward Wiggins Pass. The couple released nine sheepshead shorts and three snook that were 16 inches, 18 inches and 19 inches. They caught a keeper permit at 13 ½ inches and a keeper redfish at 18 ½ inches.

After Hurricane Sandy left the coastline, it took until Thursday for seas to be calm enough to tolerate offshore. I fished that day, 11/1, with Bert Van Kooten, Ron Dallimore, Norman Grieve and John Rankin. We fished 17 miles west of New Pass, using live shrimp, and the guys caught a good variety of fish. Catches included twenty keeper lane snapper to 12 inches, fifteen decent-sized grunts, and ten porgies to 12 inches. They released fifteen yellowtail snapper shorts, five red grouper shorts, and a 30-inch bonnet-head shark.

Friday morning I fished several spots in central Estero Bay and down toward Wiggins Pass with Greg Sills and Phil Jicklititer. The guys used live shrimp to catch a 19 ½-inch redfish and three keeper sheepshead, two at 15 inches and one at 13 inches. They released ten shorter sheepshead, two crevalle jacks and a stingray.

The photo shown is of angler, John Rankin, with a 30-inch Bonnethead-shark, caught on shrimp and released on a recent offshore trip.

You can check out all of our shark and goliath grouper action videos at the following link:

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