Boca Grande, Fl
28 October 2004

 

 Fishing has been just super.  This is the best time of the year to wet a line, bar none.  Yes, the weather is terrific and the water is clear and warm, and yes, the fish are biting, but what is best is that this is happening all over the southwest coast of Florida. 

 

 Boca Grande is blessed with many species at this time of year.  Snook are just about everywhere; in the mangroves, near the passes and still some on the beach.  Best of all, they are eating.  The abundance of bait keeps them on the feed.  Any fairly bright bait fish imitation works well. i.e. Clousers, deceivers, seaducers or even blondes.

 

 Redfish are on many edges from Cape Haze to Placida.  Where ever there is a little bowl along the edge you should find some redfish schooled up on the bottom waiting for the tide to start feeding hard.  Use a sink tip line and a smaller shrimp or baitfish pattern.  Fish slow and hang on

 

 Fishing with Nick Cliff on Sunday we found some large Spanish mackerel just off shore of Venice.  They were mixed with smaller macs and a few bonito.  Lots of action and hard runs.  I used a small Estaz marabou for mackerel when fishing Rodney Smith of Coastal Angler magazine on Wednesday.  Rodney caught a few fish off Longboat Key.  The clear waters of upper Sarasota Bay and New Pass produced some nice snook for Rodney's fly too.

 

 The next two weeks should see a continued migration of fish into the back country and on to the flats.  Look for snook on the points of mangrove islands feeding on bait fish.  Seatrout will feed heavily on the incoming tide over deeper flats of four to six feet with dark bottom.  Redfish will continue to forage so look for them just about anywhere.

 

 Good luck and Tight Lines

 

 Pete