Florida Fishing Reports

Chris From the Razzor Ranch in Zolfo Springs and his long time friend Mike had a great day of light tackle tarpon fishing off Captiva and Sanibel Islands. Perfect conditions and only three other skiffs in sight. We fished on pods of happy tarpon for two hours. By the way, the Razzor Ranch puts on a great hog hunt, I went there a couple weeks ago with my buddy Greg Straut and had an excellent time. 

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Tarpon Time

Conditions: Water temps are between 81* and 85*. Moderate winds should allow for good sight fishing this week. There is a good chance of showers so keep an eye to the sky.

Bait: threadfin herring, Green back Herring, pinfish, shrimp, crab

Species to target this week: Tarpon, Snook, Redfish, Seatrout, Jack Crevalle, Ladyfish.

Fishing Tactics: Time to hunt for tarpon. They are starting to show in Pine Island Sound and on the beaches. Look for rolling fish early and then for sub surface pods as soon as the light gets good.

My Fly Fishing Tip of the Week: Tarpon time – rig your 11 or 12wt with a sink tip or use weighted flies if the tarpon are moving fast or deep.

My Spin Fishing Tip of the Week: With backwater temps in the mid eighties, your casts need to be at the drip line or up under the mangroves as the tide rises.

7 day outlook: Moderate winds and 20-50% chance of showers this week. Good morning tides will produce moving water for first part of the week. Neap tides late week morning tides will provide little or no moving water. 

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5/5 Best guide I've met - 4/9/2015By: gkilloug fished Matlacha, FL

"Dave Pecci is the kind of guide you'd want to fish with every day. Dave is a passionate (die hard) angler who works as hard as any guide I've seen to keep his clients on fish. He should be running clinics on boat control... He's also a great teacher, but he offers instruction in a patient and calm way, you almost don't realize he's coaching you until the casts get better, the presentations improve, and you start hammering fish. It doesn't hurt that he's a great story teller and also just an all-around good guy (and those pastries he brings...). I'll be fishing with Dave again the next time I'm in the area without a doubt. Can't wait!"

 5/5Look no further... - 3/25/2015 By: FlyByNite fished Pine Island/Matlacha, FL

"Capt. Dave is a joy to fish with. He uses top shelf fly fishing and spinning gear, is a wealth of local knowledge, and doesn't rely on two or three "honey holes" to provide action. He will work to keep your day on his boat action-packed. West coast Florida is filled with amazing, scenic back-country fishing and Capt. Dave is the guy to take you there." 

Conditions: Neap tides of the past week are now behind us. Good flow and water temps in the low 80s will produce great conditions. Watch out for those afternoon storms though.

Bait: threadfin herring, Green back Herring, pinfish, shrimp

Species to target this week: Snook, Redfish, Seatrout, Jack Crevalle, Ladyfish, Bluefish.

Fishing Tactics: Go early and blind cast the first hour or two of the incoming tide. Sight fishing will be good as soon as the sun gets overhead.

My Fly Fishing Tip of the Week: White bait patterns are working on snook. Be prepared for follows and refusals if the strip is not correct. You have to tease the big’uns into biting.

My Spin Fishing Tip of the Week: White and pink soft plastic twitch baits are producing snook. Root beer is the redfish color of the week.

7 day outlook: A lack of weather fronts in the 7 day forecast will provide a steady barometer and light winds. There are a few snook on the beach and some tarpon in Pine Island Sound. Lots of white bait around too.  Snook, trout and jacks are on the backcountry flats. 

LL Bean Hunt and Fish Dept. Senior Product Developer Jeff Miller and his 14 year old son Jason joined me for a fun filled Saturday morning fly fishing and light tackle spin fishing near Pine Island. We caught mangrove snapper, bar jack, bluefish, jack crevalle, seatrout and snook. Check out the porpoise attack in 18” of water when we released an eight pound jack!

Conditions: Water temps have fallen into the high 70s due a weekend cold front but will rebound quickly. Good tidal flow will get the fish feeding again.

Bait: threadfin herring, pinfish, shrimp

Species to target this week: Redfish, Seatrout, Jacks, Ladyfish, Bluefish.

Fishing Tactics: Fish structure early and mangroves later in the day.

My Fly Fishing Tip of the Week: Fish will be staged on the edges in deeper water until mid day when the flat warm.

My Spin Fishing Tip of the Week: Fish deep along edges with jigs until mid day then swap to suspending baits and move to the shallows as the water warms.

7 day outlook: The cold front from the past weekend is long gone and the water temps will rebound by mid week. Early afternoon high tides will provide good moving water. Its going to be a great week!

Greg hooked and landed this nice jack on a shrimp pattern in 12” of water on one of my favorite oyster beds in Matlacha National Wild Refuge. We didn’t get the redfish portion of his inshore slam but this bruiser make up for it. Fantastic job Greg! 

Greg had a great day fishing Matlacha Wildlife Refuge using an Orvis 8wt Helios 2. Fog and clouds combined with an incoming tide set the stage for some fantastic fishing. Greg is an excellent angler, he made my job easy. Safe travels back to Canada Greg, We’ll get that 34” snook next year.

Both Matlacha and Ding Darling Preseves have great fishing this week. Here's Greg Killough and a nice Jack caught on an Orvis Helios 2 8wt fly rod. Greg also caught seatrout and snook. 

Conditions: Water temps are in the high 70s to low 80s. A mild cold front will be arriving late in the week slight chance of afternoon showers and light winds through the weekend.

Bait: threadfin and greenback herring, pinfish, shrimp, crabs

Species to target this week: Snook, Redfish, Seatrout, Jacks, Ladyfish, Spanish Mackerel.

Fishing Tactics: With water temps rising the mid day fishing will be slow. Fish the morning tides for the best action.

My Fly Fishing Tip of the Week: Snook will be cruising the mangrove edges at the tide rises. Redfish will be near the oyster beds as the tide ebbs.

My Spin Fishing Tip of the Week: Suspending twitch baits and soft plastic on light jig heads fished slow along the mangrove shadows can be productive.

7 day outlook: Higher water levels in mornings will allow for easier access to the backwaters.

Conditions: Water temps in the high 70s to low 80s and mid day high tides. This is the week for an inshore slam.

Bait in the Area: scaled sardines, pinfish, shrimp, crabs, some threadfin herring.

Species to target this week: Snook, Redfish, Seatrout, Jacks, Ladyfish.

Fly Fishing Tactics: Start the day around the oyster beds and the cuts. As the tide rises and the sun comes up move to the mangroves and creek mouths. Shrimp, crab and small baitfish imitations will all work.

My Fishing Tip of the Week: Redfish will be around oyster beds at low tide and move to the mangroves and creek mouths as the tide rises.

My Spin Fishing Tip of the Week: The old standby gold spoon or Mirro Lure jerk bait are the hot set up right now. If the bite falls off swap to a live shrimp on a jig head.    

7 day Outlook: Wow what a week! Dry all week temps in the 80s and light winds. Great morning incoming tides should provide consistent action. 

(file photo)

Conditions: We will see temps in the 80s and there will be a chance of off and on showers with light winds throughout the week. Water temps will be in the low to mid 70s. No red tide is predicted. There will be Mid-day ebb tides of average height early in the week and neap tides at the end of the week.

Bait: threadfin herring, pinfish, shrimp, crabs

Species to target this week: Redfish, Seatrout, Snook, Jacks, Ladyfish, Bluefish. Maybe a cobia or baby tarpon.

Fishing Tactics: Make your redfish presentations to the edges of potholes in grass flats. Baitfish and shrimp imitations will work best. Seatrout will be on banks near grass. Chartreus or hot pink Clousers will be productive.

My Fly Fishing Tip of the Week: The Redfish on the grass flat will be spooky. Stake out or drift and watch for schools of reds moving over the flats. Long casts and stealth will be key in hooking up.

7 day outlook: Trout and redfish are moving onto the grass flats Pine Island Sound. In the upper harbor the Redfish are in the holes around the mangroves. The Snook are getting more active as the water warms. 

For all our friends in the Northeast; it’s not all flip flops and sunscreen here in SW Florida. David Soule, Jim Soule joined me for a not so warm and sunny day fly and light tackle fishing in the Matlacha Pass Refuge. Low 70s light winds and on and off rain along with a neap tide made for a challenging day. We all agreed a slow wet day of fishing was still way better than shoveling roofs and busting up ice dams…  

Conditions: Warmer weather has allowed the water temps to rebound into the high 60s – low 70s. Low water levels exist especially during northerly winds. No red tide has been detected.

Bait: threadfin herring, pinfish, shrimp

Species to target this week: Redfish, Snook, Seatrout, Jacks, Ladyfish, Bluefish.

Fly Fishing Tactics: As the water temps get into the 70s the redfish and snook will move back into the shallows along the mangroves. Seatrout will be on the grass flats.

My Light Tackle Fishing Tip of the Week: Moving water is the key to finding snook and redfish. Deep holes at creek mouths will hold redfish. Mangrove points will hold snook.

7 Day Outlook: Morning fog early in the week. Some rain is predicted for Thursday and Friday. Light to moderate winds and temps in the mid 60s to mid 70s

Warming waters bring the bite back to Matlacha Pass. Seatrout and ladyfish woke up today. Redfish are moving back onto the oyster beds and the snook are moving back on the sand flats. This week is going to be good! Thanks to good friend Gordon Gillies for joining me today.

Light Tackle and Fly Fishing Conditions: Low water conditions will exist due the combination of astronomical tides and northerly winds. Water temps should rebound to the mid 60s during the weekend.

Bait: threadfin herring, pinfish, shrimp

Species to target this week: Redfish, Seatrout, Jacks, Ladyfish, Bluefish.

 Fishing Tactics: Work deep holes and grass flats for Redfish and seatrout where you will find warmer water. Snook fishing will be slow until the water temps rebound.

 My Fishing Tip of the Week: When the water temps drop use slow and deep fly  presentations.  

 7 day outlook: A cold will bring dropping temps and gusty Northerly winds mid week. By the weekend the temps will rebound and so will the fishing.

Conditions: Water temps in the 60s, no red tide detected, Average tides with morning ebbs. NW winds midweek will drain a bit more water from the backcountry than the tide predictions indicate.

Bait: threadfin herring, pinfish, shrimp

Fishing Tactics: Morning ebb tide will expose oyster beds. You’ll find Redfish, seatrout and other species there. As the tide rises move to points and cuts where the current is moving for snook and more Redfish action.

My Fishing Tip of the Week: Start presenting your flies well before reaching the exposed portion of oyster bars.  Redfish will be cruising the transition between the bed and the flat. Sinking crab and shrimp patterns with slow strips work best.

7 day outlook: Highs will be in the 70s with lows in the 40s and 50s. Strong NW winds on Tuesday otherwise light. Water temps remain in the 60s 20-30% chance of showers Monday and Tuesday.

December 16, 2014 “Gone Coastal” column By Amanda Nalley

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Fishing Conditions: Wind and rain have clouded up the water a bit. The backcountry water has cooled off due to the rains.

Bait Currently in Pine Island Sound and Charlotte Harbor: Pass crabs, Scaled sardines, threadfin herring, glass minnows, pinfish, shrimp, ladyfish

Fly Fishing Technics: Summer fishing; go early and get in before the storms. Sight casting is tuff do to water clarity so blind casting is a viable option. Visibility is a two way street – the tarpon and snook can’t see you as well too!

Fishing Tip of the Week:  The backcountry is producing better with the rain cooled water fish the falling tides when the redfish and snook come out from under the mangroves.

7 Day Outlook: Snook will be more plentiful in the sound and on the beaches. The mangroves and oyster reefs will hold good numbers of redfish. Tarpon continue to in good numbers along the beaches.

Fishing Conditions: Summer light tackle and fly fishing conditions are here. Eeasterly winds shifting onshore by mid day. Afternoon and evening thunderstorms are now common. The backcountry water levels are moderate to high and temps are in the mid 80s. The beach waters are mostly clear providing good sight fishing opportunities.
Bait Currently in Pine Island Sound and Charlotte Harbor: Pass crabs, Scaled sardines, threadfin herring, glass minnows, pinfish, shrimp, ladyfish
Fishing Conditions: Beach- Watch for rolling tarpon along the beaches early. Then stake out along contours as soon as the light gets good. Back Country- Go early and fish the falling tides when the redfish and snook will be out from under the mangroves.
Fishing Tip of the Week:  When fishing for tarpon, snook or redfish; change flies / lures after every refusal. Alternate between baitfish and crab / shrimp imitations.
7 Day Outlook: June is a great time for tarpon fly fishing. Watch for those afternoon storm though.