Fishing Reports — Winter 2025
Bonita Springs to Marco Island
By Captain Barry Cuda
Here comes the hot bite! Water temperature is down to 85 degrees in Estero Bay. Shallow water always changes temperature quickly, so as it gets cooler, we will see the water following in lockstep. The good bites fire up and get even better twice a year: when temps go up in the Spring, and when they drop in the fall – right now!
The redfish will be spawning in the passes. Snook are coming in from the beaches and reefs (they like the slightly warmer water in the back). Schools of mackerel, king mackerel, and some bluefish will be creating boils nearshore. If you ever see a big boil, it is incredible! The schools of predators are smashing the bait from below, and the birds are diving and taking advantage from above. Any hook you throw into the insanity will be hit on instantly!
Pompano, Drum, and Whiting will be on the beaches. For them you can use a slightly smaller circle hook, 2/0 is good. I like fluoro leader; 20-pound test works great. If you catch a bigger fish, just lighten your drag enough, and let him run. There’s no structure to worry about.
Look for the rips. All the waves you see consist of water coming to the beach. It has to get back out somehow. Watch until you see that outgoing current (tidal rip), and set up there for your fish. They will be feasting on the bait washing out, and your baited hook will be part of their feast. In the back, your trout action will be up on the flats. Jigs or popping corks will work great. Work the potholes and bare spots especially.
In the cold weather the sugar trout appear, usually in large schools. An easy catch in 3 to 6 feet of water, and great action, once you find them. They only grow to about 8 inches, but are lots of fun to catch. Flounder and bluefish also show up when it gets cold. Not as big as up north, but great fighters. Keep your fingers away from their teeth!
If you get a chance, take a kid fishing!
Tight lines, and take care,
Capt. Barry
Sarasota to Englewood Fishing Report
Photos courtesy of Matt Davie.
By Captain Matt Davie
Can you believe it! It's the end of the year already. What a great couple of months we have had, continuing into some of our best fishing of the year. One of my favorite types of fish is on the card in the next couple months: triple tail, and they are making their move. Remember that stone crab season makes triple tail fishing a little bit easier. I typically run crab trap lines away from the sun — that will make them easier to see. You can also throw shrimp, pins, and sardines — when they're hungry they're not too picky, or you can float them to the buoy.
Don't be surprised to see a cobia hanging out as well, which leads us to our next migration. Cobia typically for me will be on the reefs. Along with snapper, grouper, and just about any other fish that will make their move out and in. Some schools can be as large as about 30 to 40 fish. Not typical but you will more often find schools in the 5-15 size groups.
If we happen to get an early cold snap, that water temp will plummet nicely getting into our King mackerel run. The magic water temp is typically 72 to 74°. Mix in a Spanish, Bonita/Tunny, maybe a black fin, and you will have yourself a drag screaming day. You can also drag a 5-7-inch lip lure. My choice would be black back or blue back, but many other colors work as well.
Let's touch base on inshore. Mackerel, bluefish, and pompano are running around the deep flats. Red fish schools are still around, and trout will be shallow leading up to the colder part of year’s end. Snook have made their move to stay in the flats and oyster bars. Creek inlets will be another place I'm going to start working as the temperature drops. Remember fish still have to eat. On hot, sunny days the shade is your friend.; cooler/cold days ,darker water and mid-day sun help. Catch ‘em up!
Thank you,
Captain Matt Davie
To book with Capt. Matt, 941-232-9351, www.inshoreaddict.com
Charlotte Harbor to Fort Myers
By Robert Lugiewicz
November in Florida may not feel much like winter to you, but it's starting to get a little wintery for the fish that live here. Remember, cold is relative to where you grow up, not where you are now. The water is cooling off and the tides are getting lower, and we're getting into the swing of our winter fishing. A lot of the Intracoastal and bay areas are starting to light up. Fish are migrating into the canals, sometimes setting up at the mouths.
We're now expecting to see cold fronts pushing through around the full and new moons. These fronts will be followed by north winds that push water out of the Harbor. Sometimes the water will be a foot or more lower than what the tide chart says, so proceed with caution.
Some of this action depends on how chilly it gets. If the fronts are mild, Spanish mackerel, kingfish, and tarpon will still be around in good numbers, with lots of fish around the passes and in the nearshore Gulf. If it gets cold sooner they'll be gone, and there will be a lot more snook and mangrove snapper moving up into the river mouths and deeper into the canals.
Trout are becoming more active on the flats, and they are focusing more on shrimp as the numbers of migratory baitfish dwindle. They're also moving into shallower areas as water temps cool, so you might have better luck in 3 or 4 feet.
Bonnethead sharks should also be prevalent on the flats, and the water should be clear enough to see them. Casting a live shrimp at a shark and watching it eat is big fun for kids of any age, and if the grands are here on holiday vacation they can take a fascinating story back up north.
There should be plenty of slot redfish around, but the schooling activity is probably over. As we slide toward winter, the average size of inshore reds will drop — the bigger ones head into the Gulf for the season. Gold spoons, scented soft plastics, and live or cut pinfish are top baits.
Sheepshead are gathering up for pre-spawn activities and will be abundant around the Intracoastal areas. Unfortunately for Charlotte County residents, most of our piers are out of commission (thanks, Charlotte County Commission!). Wooden pilings are better than concrete, but anything with oysters or barnacles will probably hold fish.
There will be some in the surf and on the nearshore reefs too. Small live shrimp are my pick (they just rip big ones apart). Pompano are getting more active along the edges of the flats, the surf, and in the passes. You might also catch a flounder or two, but remember that there's a closed flounder season until Dec. 1.
Stone crab traps are out in the Gulf, providing opportunities to target tripletail and cobia. Remember that stone crabs live in rocky habitat, so the trap floats actually mark hard bottom. Save those spots in your GPS, and you'll be able to find fish when other anglers are struggling to catch anything over bare sand.
As I write this, we've been fortunate to avoid hurricane impacts so far. I'm hoping we stay lucky, and as the water clears up I'm looking forward to seeing how the bottom has changed since last year's storms. (I didn't get many opportunities to go out last winter; we were in rebuild mode.) Happy holidays to you and yours, and we'll see you in the new year.
Fort Myers Photo by Taryn Manning on Unsplash. St Petersburg Photo by Aarit Rao on Unsplash.
