Sarasota to Bonita Beach
Includes Siesta Key, Venice, Englewood, Boca Grande, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Pine Island, Cape Coral, Captiva, Sanibel and Fort Myers.

August 28-30

Offshore: the crews made it out and had good results. Big snapper are the story with fish from 3 to 5 lbs. available. There are some legal grouper around. Triggerfish, whiting, beeliners and other bottom dwellers made a play for a real mix of baits from frozen shrimp to cut sardines and squid. The big story is the cobia and permit that are getting a lot of attention. There are tarpon moving around in loose pods. The close reefs are still holding big reds, snook and plenty of goliaths.

Sarasota-Englewood: Good stuff in the backbay with fair numbers of slot reds, juvie snook in the bays and big boys in the passes. The beach bites are a good mix of snook, reds, trout and others. The feeder creeks and canals are holding gangs of big snapper, black drum and sheepies.

Port Charlotte: The big bay was equally big hearted with a very good mixed bag of active biters. The Western Wall held big reds, snook, trout, black drum, sheepies and sharks. Tarpon are spread out around the bay with big fish on the Boca Big Drift. The flats in Bull and Turtle bays were sight fishable on the early morning outgoing tides as were the flats behind Cayo Costa. The Coast Guard Beach had some nice surfishing action for beach bound anglers, Spanish, blues, pomps, whiting, snook, reds, trout and snapper.

Ft. Myers: Folks the bites picked up with the strong early morning outgoing tide and the equally strong midday incoming tides. Slot reds are the order of the day throughout the area. Snook are active in the passes, on the beaches and around the feeder creeks. Plenty of tasty trout to be had flipping scented plastics, flies or plugs. The best inshore snapper fishing is on a roll with sassy, fat dogtooth critters eating shrimp, cutbait and shiners. Fish to three pounds are being caught with limits of one to two pounders available.

Off the beaches on the nearshore reefs, snapper, grouper, cobia and best of all permit are around with Spanish, bluefish and giant black drum for company. There are still some oversized snook, reds and too many Goliaths on the close marks.

Capt.’s Corner: This is a good time of year to run the beaches and near shore reefs as the morning low tides peter out. There’s a lot of mixed bag stuff to fish for with plugs, flies, livebait and drop fishing cut stuff. You can even troll some while you eat lunch and lollygag around, keeping an eye to the sky. For that matter you can enjoy some Alpha-Charlie while you cruise around seeing the sights.

By Capt. Ron Kowalyk
1-239-267-9312
www.fishswfla.com
captronkow@aol.com |

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