Week of 01/11/12 Well the Winter is here, like it or not, colder weather is on the menu for the next two to three months. Cold weather brings a variety of different fish such as Sheepshead, Trout and Redfish. Just before a front comes through the fishing is great and as it hits the fishing will slow down. The trick is to target fish that like cold weather.        Sheepshead are feeding very well. I have been finding them on docks and oyster bars. They are ranging from shorts to five pounds. Shrimp on the bottom is your best bet and patience will prevail. Trout are also a good target in cold weather. On a recent charter we caught Trout 17”-22”. Target deep cuts of water early in the morning and as the water warms up try grass flats in 2.5-6 feet of water. Use live shrimp under a popping cork or a Hybrid Flurry in Chartreuse and a 1/8-ounce jig head. Target Redfish on an incoming tide up against the Mangroves using shrimp on the bottom or fresh cut bait. On recent charters we have been catching several Redfish this way. The Reds are ranging from 14” to 23”. We have been finding them mixed in with Sheepshead. The busy season is here and slots are filling up. Book a trip early with your favorite guide soon.

Week of 12/15/11 As winter comes into full swing the fishing has no sign of slowing down. Snook, Redfish, Trout and Jacks have been on the feed. Snook have migrated to their winter homes up rivers and creeks. Fish docks using plugs or soft baits. I like soft baits that I can skip up under docks like a Hybrid Flurry. On several charters the past two weeks my customers have been catching lots of Snook, 15 to 25 per trip up to 33”.            Redfish can be found on the grass flats on low tides and up against the Mangroves at high tide. I’ve been catching Reds in the 19” to 27” range. You can use live shrimp or scented baits. Spoons and top water plugs will work well too.       Trout will be open in January and will continue to be open year around. I have been catching bigger Trout on points with Oyster Bars. The schooling Trout are on grass flats in 2.5 to 4 feet of water. Shrimp under a popping cork will work well. You can use a Hybrid Flurry under an oval shaped clacker cork, like a Bayside Popper. Jacks have moved in to the bay and will eat just about anything you put in front of their face. They are between 4 to 15 pounds and will test the best angler. I have been catching 10 to 15 Jacks per half-day trip mixed in with the Snook and Reds. As long as the winter is mild the fishing will continue to be good all the way till spring. The busy season is here and slots are filling up. Book a trip early with your favorite guide soon.

Week of 11/19/11 Come and get em! Fishing has been excellent! Snook,Reds,Trout and Jacks are abundant right now. I have had many charters the past couple of weeks and have been on a hot bite! I fished Tim Kimball and Jim from Kingston NH three days last week. They caught three slot size Snook, one 39" Snook and a ton of smaller ones. They also caught lots of slot Reds and Rat Reds along with some shots at Tarpon. Today I fished Bob Winters, we left the docs at 8:30 a.m. and hit the bushes for Reds. They were eager to eat and Bob caught five slot Reds and a bunch of Rat Reds with some Snook mixed in. Then we moved to the backcountry and fished the Oyster Bars, we found lots of Jacks and Snook on them. Then we moved up the Imperial River and crushed the Snook. Bob caught a big Snook that got away at the boat. We also caught a few Reds up the river too.         The fishing will continue to be good through the month and into December until the first real cold front pushes through. Book a trip soon, dates are filling fast don't be left at the docks!

Week of 10/22/11 Fall is here and the fishing continues to heat up. The first cold front that came in last week kicks off the fall migration to our area with Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel, False Albacore and Sharks. Look for birds between one and ten miles out and the fish will be underneath them. Use small buck tails, troll spoons and of course live pilchards will work very well. Snook will be migrating as well working their way back to their winter haunts with several stops in between to fatten up before winter. Look for them holding inside the passes and on inside islands. Use Rapala twitchin rap in chrome or small swim baits like a Hybrid Flurry. Work the inside of the passes and mangrove islands early in the morning. On a recent trip with Larry Culp and son Andrew we caught several Snook with Andrew catching the largest at 38” on his first cast of the morning, his Dad catching a 33” Snook a half hour later.        Redfish are schooled up on the grass flats. Look for the large schools pushing water to identify the schools then position your boat so the Redfish come to you. Don’t chase the fish, you will only spook them and shut the bite down. Use shrimp under a popping cork, cut bait, ¼ ounce jig head and a Hybrid Flurry. Trout bite should really turn on with the cool weather. Look for Trout over grass flats in two to four feet of water early in the morning. Use top water lures. I like the storm chug bug in chrome and chartreuse. Also one of my favorites is a Cajun thunder oval float with a Hybrid Flurry underneath it. You can cover a lot of ground and locate fish quickly with this method. The busy season is approaching and slots are filling up. Book a trip early.

Vast grass flats, miles of mangrove shoreline and so many species of fish can be a lesson in fustraion. Cast and complain, you need to fish with an experienced guide who knows the Estero Bay, Bonita Springs region of southwest Florida. Even through Estero Bay and Bonita Springs is a great year round fishery, even Snook, Redfish, Trout and Shark are seasonal. Estero Bay and Bonita Springs offers an endless year round opportunity for Snook, Redfish, Trout and Shark fishing. We are out fishing most days, and here is what you can expect from fishing Estero Bay and Bonita Springs during the year.

Snook There are 4 species of snook in Florida and we mainly target the "common snook" which is as the name implies the most common and also the largest of the snooks. The combination of mangrove islands, and brackish water makes Estero Bay the perfect habitat for these hard hitting jumpers. January and February are decent months for fishing snook. The action gets better in March, and really heats up in April and runs strong right through till October. Snook season closes from May 1st until September 1, and all snook must be released. The snook bite tapers off in November and December. This does not stop us from targeting some of the best inshore fishing has to offer. Redfish The redfish or red drum are at home among the grass flats, mangoves and oyster beds in the warm waters of Estero Bay. Redfish are a hard hitting, fast pulling sportfish known for some spectacular runs. Redfish can be seen tailing year round, with the hottest action coming in September, October and December as the water cools off. Redfish fishing is still a great bet during the cooler months between December and April, then drops off a little during the hot summer months of May, June and July. These battle hardened warriors will test the medal of any angler on light tackle. Sea Trout Sea Trout or spotted drum, are the easiest of Estero Bay species to target and and perfect for beginner anglers or any angler that wants to catch alot of fish. Favored for it's willingness to strike both live baits and lures, sea trout are also excellent table fare. Drifting across the grass flats with offerings of shrimp, or pinfish will entice the school to eat. Once the school starts to eat, the bite can last an hour or more. Sea trout are always a popular winter species around Bonita Springs . The winter months of January, February and March are great for trout and remain excellent in early spring. Trout fishing slows down somewhat during the summer heat and picks back up in late fall and gets strong again in November and December. Shark Numerous species of shark use the mangroves of Estero Bay as it's hatchery. You can find bonnethead shark, black tip shark and even bull shark moving in and out of of the bay through the passages from the gulf. The most common being the bonnethead shark, a close relative to the hammerhead, but only growing up to about 3 feet, they will readily take a live bait and put a hurting on any angler. Along with the targeted species of fish we specialize in, you can also expect to catch mangrove snapper, sheepshead, gag and goliath grouper, and tarpon.

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Capt. Steve Nagy Bonita Springs Fishing Phone: 239-398-1528 email: captstevenagy@Tampabay.rr.com