Sanibel Fishing & Captiva Fishing, February 18, 2018: SeaTrout!

Captiva Fishing Report,  Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, Sunday, February 18: SeaTrout, Grass Flats, Catch & Release; water quality in relatively good shape; (Caloosahatchee: no/little freshwater runoff impact right now; Red Tide Report, impact minimal, broken up and largely dispersed); more fishing reports from other areas and Captains below.

Sunday, February 18, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: SeaTrout, Grass Flats & Oyster Bars, Catch & Release.  Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

Please click here to Book A Charter or call 239-472-8658 and here for Live Sanibel Traffic Cams.

“Cynoscion nebulosus, the spotted seatrout, also known as speckled trout, is a common estuarine fish found in the southern United States along coasts of Gulf of Mexico and the coastal Atlantic Ocean from Maryland to Florida. These fish are also found in estuarine locations around Cape Breton Island of Nova Scotia, Canada.

While most of these fish are caught on shallow, grassy flats, spotted seatrout reside in virtually any inshore waters, from the surf of outside islands to far up coastal rivers, where they often come for shelter during cold weather. Contrary to its name, the spotted seatrout is not a member of the trout family (Salmonidae), but of the drum family (Sciaenidae). It is popular for commercial and especially recreational fishing in coastal waters of the southeastern United States. Adults reach 19-32 inches in length and 3-15 pounds in weight.

Spotted seatrout live in the top of the water column and are most numerous along the coasts of the southeastern states, such as Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida. They are also common along the coasts of North and South Carolina and Virginia. Estuarine coasts are prime settlement areas. They are uncommonly seen north of Delaware Bay and along the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Spotted seatrout is the common name endorsed by the American Fisheries Society. However, this fish has many other common names, including speckled trout, speck, speckles, spec, truite gris (Louisiana French), trucha de mar (Mexican Spanish), spotted weakfish, spotted seateague, southern seateague, salmon, salmon trout, simon trout, winter trout, seatrout, Nosferatu fish, and black trout. Particularly large ones are nicknamed gator trout.^[1]

The spotted seatrout has prominent canine teeth. Like other fish of the family Sciaenidae, it has an elongated, soft dorsal fin with scales; it is separated from the spinous dorsal fin by a deep notch. It usually has two anal spines and the lateral line extends to the tip of the caudal fin. The back has distinct spots scattered on it, including on the dorsal and caudal fins. Unlike some other members of the family Sciaenidae, the spotted seatrout does not have any chin barbels. In stained water, this fish’s background may take on a golden hue. Its shape and coloration is reminiscent of a brown trout. This fish is closely related to the weakfish, Cynoscion regalis.

The average size of spotted seatrout is 0.5-1.0 kg (1-2 lb), but in most areas fish up to 2.5 kg (5 lb) are fairly common. Fish weighing 3.5-4.5 kg (8-10 lb) are rare. The world record is 7.9 kg (17 lb 7 oz).

Small trout eat large amounts of shrimp and other crustaceans. As they grow larger, their diets shift toward fish, the larger, the better. Studies in Texas and Mississippi show that really big trout strongly prefer to feed on mullet; a large trout will find the largest mullet it can handle and try to swallow it. Often the mullet is half or two-thirds as large as the trout.^[2]”  Please see more information here.

Please click here to Book A Charter or call 239-472-8658 and here for Live Sanibel Traffic Cams.  Sunday, February 18, SeaTrout, Grass Flats & Oyster Bars, click here for College Of Fishing Hats & Apparel.

We’re located in Castaways Marina, Santiva, Sanibel Island, just before the Blind Pass bridge to Captiva Island.

After a fierce storm, Turner Beach, the beach adjoining the Pass, is frequently covered with a bounty of shells from Olives to Fighting Whelks to the more common Conchs. The fishing is also renowned with sharks in the summer, tailing redfish on the bayside flats and snook under and off the Blind Pass bridge. Because Turner Beach faces Westward, the sunsets are spectacular and a popular viewing point for residents and visitors alike.

And you can like us on Facebook.

Fair winds and following seas,

Captain Joey Burnsed ~ please click calendar at the upper right or call 239-472-8658 to book a Sanibel & Captiva Islands, Boca Grande or Fort Myers fishing guide trip or shelling charter.

Sanibel Fishing & Captiva Fishing, February 17, 2018: Snook.

Captiva Fishing Report,  Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, Saturday, February 17: More Snook, Redfish Pass, Catch & Release; water quality in relatively good shape; (Caloosahatchee: no/little freshwater runoff impact right now; Red Tide Report, impact minimal, broken up and largely dispersed); more fishing reports from other areas and Captains below.

Saturday, February 17, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: Snook On Drifts, Redfish Pass, Catch & Release.  Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

Please click here to Book A Charter or call 239-472-8658 and here for Live Sanibel Traffic Cams.

“The common snook (Centropomus undecimalis) is a species of marine fish in the family Centropomidae of the order Perciformes. The common snook is also known as the sergeant fish or robalo. It was originally assigned to the sciaenid genus Sciaena; Sciaena undecimradiatus and Centropomus undecimradiatus are obsolete synonyms for the species.

 

Centropomus undecimalis is widespread throughout the tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean from the coast of the North Carolina to Brazil including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.^[17]

Many^[who?] believe that snook originated in Central America and that changes in the earth’s climate are what brought the snook to Florida. It is believed that during a great warming trend after the Ice Age, snook moved northward along the Mexico shoreline. They followed the perimeter of the Gulf of Mexico, down the west coast of Florida and up the east coast. There are massive snook in Central America, although they seem to look a little different because of the weather and water quality but besides that, they are the same.

There are no restrictions in most of Central America on the size or quantity of snook one can keep, consequently, many locals have been keeping and killing these massive snook for quite a while.^[18] Occurring in shallow coastal waters (up to 20 meters (66 ft) depth), estuaries, and lagoons, the fish often enters fresh water. It is carnivorous, with a diet dominated by smaller fishes, and crustaceans such as shrimp, and occasionally crabs.^[19]”  Please see more information here.

Saturday, February 17, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: Snook, Redfish Pass & Blind Pass, Catch & Release.  Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

We’re located in Castaways Marina, Santiva, Sanibel Island, just before the Blind Pass bridge to Captiva Island.

After a fierce storm, Turner Beach, the beach adjoining the Pass, is frequently covered with a bounty of shells from Olives to Fighting Whelks to the more common Conchs. The fishing is also renowned for sharks in the summer, tailing redfish on the bayside flats and snook under and off the Blind Pass bridge. Because Turner Beach faces Westward, the sunsets are spectacular and a popular viewing point for residents and visitors alike.

Please like us on Facebook!

Fair winds and following seas,

Captain Joey Burnsed ~ please click calendar at the upper left or call 239-472-8658 to book a Sanibel & Captiva Islands, Boca Grande or Fort Myers fishing guide trip or shelling charter.

Snook, Sanibel Fishing & Captiva Fishing, Sanibel Island, Saturday, November 18, [File Photo -Thursday, May 18, 2017].

Sanibel Fishing & Captiva Fishing, February 16, 2018: SeaTrout!

Captiva Fishing Report,  Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, Friday, February 16: SeaTrout, Grass Flats, Catch & Release; water quality in relatively good shape; (Caloosahatchee: no/little freshwater runoff impact right now; Red Tide Report, impact minimal, broken up and largely dispersed); more fishing reports from other areas and Captains below.

Friday, February 16, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: SeaTrout, Grass Flats & Oyster Bars, Catch & Release.  Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

Please click here to Book A Charter or call 239-472-8658 and here for Live Sanibel Traffic Cams.

“Cynoscion nebulosus, the spotted seatrout, also known as speckled trout, is a common estuarine fish found in the southern United States along coasts of Gulf of Mexico and the coastal Atlantic Ocean from Maryland to Florida. These fish are also found in estuarine locations around Cape Breton Island of Nova Scotia, Canada.

While most of these fish are caught on shallow, grassy flats, spotted seatrout reside in virtually any inshore waters, from the surf of outside islands to far up coastal rivers, where they often come for shelter during cold weather. Contrary to its name, the spotted seatrout is not a member of the trout family (Salmonidae), but of the drum family (Sciaenidae). It is popular for commercial and especially recreational fishing in coastal waters of the southeastern United States. Adults reach 19-32 inches in length and 3-15 pounds in weight.

Spotted seatrout live in the top of the water column and are most numerous along the coasts of the southeastern states, such as Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida. They are also common along the coasts of North and South Carolina and Virginia. Estuarine coasts are prime settlement areas. They are uncommonly seen north of Delaware Bay and along the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Spotted seatrout is the common name endorsed by the American Fisheries Society. However, this fish has many other common names, including speckled trout, speck, speckles, spec, truite gris (Louisiana French), trucha de mar (Mexican Spanish), spotted weakfish, spotted seateague, southern seateague, salmon, salmon trout, simon trout, winter trout, seatrout, Nosferatu fish, and black trout. Particularly large ones are nicknamed gator trout.^[1]

The spotted seatrout has prominent canine teeth. Like other fish of the family Sciaenidae, it has an elongated, soft dorsal fin with scales; it is separated from the spinous dorsal fin by a deep notch. It usually has two anal spines and the lateral line extends to the tip of the caudal fin. The back has distinct spots scattered on it, including on the dorsal and caudal fins. Unlike some other members of the family Sciaenidae, the spotted seatrout does not have any chin barbels. In stained water, this fish’s background may take on a golden hue. Its shape and coloration is reminiscent of a brown trout. This fish is closely related to the weakfish, Cynoscion regalis.

The average size of spotted seatrout is 0.5-1.0 kg (1-2 lb), but in most areas fish up to 2.5 kg (5 lb) are fairly common. Fish weighing 3.5-4.5 kg (8-10 lb) are rare. The world record is 7.9 kg (17 lb 7 oz).

Small trout eat large amounts of shrimp and other crustaceans. As they grow larger, their diets shift toward fish, the larger, the better. Studies in Texas and Mississippi show that really big trout strongly prefer to feed on mullet; a large trout will find the largest mullet it can handle and try to swallow it. Often the mullet is half or two-thirds as large as the trout.^[2]”  Please see more information here.

Please click here to Book A Charter or call 239-472-8658 and here for Live Sanibel Traffic Cams.  Friday, February 16, SeaTrout, Grass Flats & Oyster Bars, click here for College Of Fishing Hats & Apparel.

We’re located in Castaways Marina, Santiva, Sanibel Island, just before the Blind Pass bridge to Captiva Island.

After a fierce storm, Turner Beach, the beach adjoining the Pass, is frequently covered with a bounty of shells from Olives to Fighting Whelks to the more common Conchs. The fishing is also renowned with sharks in the summer, tailing redfish on the bayside flats and snook under and off the Blind Pass bridge. Because Turner Beach faces Westward, the sunsets are spectacular and a popular viewing point for residents and visitors alike.

And you can like us on Facebook.

Fair winds and following seas,

Captain Joey Burnsed ~ please click calendar at the upper right or call 239-472-8658 to book a Sanibel & Captiva Islands, Boca Grande or Fort Myers fishing guide trip or shelling charter.

Sanibel Fishing & Captiva Fishing, February 15, 2018: Snook.

Captiva Fishing Report,  Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, Saturday, February 15: Snook, Redfish Pass, Catch & Release; water quality in relatively good shape; (Caloosahatchee: no/little freshwater runoff impact right now; Red Tide Report, impact minimal, broken up and largely dispersed); more fishing reports from other areas and Captains below.

Thursday, February 15, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: Snook, Redfish Pass, Catch & Release.  Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

Please click here to Book A Charter or call 239-472-8658 and here for Live Sanibel Traffic Cams.

“The common snook (Centropomus undecimalis) is a species of marine fish in the family Centropomidae of the order Perciformes. The common snook is also known as the sergeant fish or robalo. It was originally assigned to the sciaenid genus Sciaena; Sciaena undecimradiatus and Centropomus undecimradiatus are obsolete synonyms for the species.

Centropomus undecimalis is widespread throughout the tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean from the coast of the North Carolina to Brazil including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.^[17]

Many^[who?] believe that snook originated in Central America and that changes in the earth’s climate are what brought the snook to Florida. It is believed that during a great warming trend after the Ice Age, snook moved northward along the Mexico shoreline. They followed the perimeter of the Gulf of Mexico, down the west coast of Florida and up the east coast. There are massive snook in Central America, although they seem to look a little different because of the weather and water quality but besides that, they are the same.

There are no restrictions in most of Central America on the size or quantity of snook one can keep, consequently, many locals have been keeping and killing these massive snook for quite a while.^[18] Occurring in shallow coastal waters (up to 20 meters (66 ft) depth), estuaries, and lagoons, the fish often enters fresh water. It is carnivorous, with a diet dominated by smaller fishes, and crustaceans such as shrimp, and occasionally crabs.^[19]”  Please see more information here.

Thursday, February 15, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: Snook, Redfish Pass, Catch & Release.  Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

We’re located in Castaways Marina, Santiva, Sanibel Island, just before the Blind Pass bridge to Captiva Island.

After a fierce storm, Turner Beach, the beach adjoining the Pass, is frequently covered with a bounty of shells from Olives to Fighting Whelks to the more common Conchs. The fishing is also renowned for sharks in the summer, tailing redfish on the bayside flats and snook under and off the Blind Pass bridge. Because Turner Beach faces Westward, the sunsets are spectacular and a popular viewing point for residents and visitors alike.

Please like us on Facebook!

Fair winds and following seas,

Captain Joey Burnsed ~ please click calendar at the upper left or call 239-472-8658 to book a Sanibel & Captiva Islands, Boca Grande or Fort Myers fishing guide trip or shelling charter.

Snook, Sanibel Fishing & Captiva Fishing, Sanibel Island, Saturday, November 18, [File Photo -Thursday, May 18, 2017].

Sanibel Fishing & Captiva Fishing, February  14, 2018: Redfish.

Captiva Fishing Report,  Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, Wednesday, February 14: Redfish, Oyster Bars, Catch & Release; water quality in relatively good shape; (Caloosahatchee: no/little freshwater runoff impact right now; Red Tide Report, impact minimal, broken up and largely dispersed); more fishing reports from other areas and Captains below.

Wednesday, February 14, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: Redfish, Oyster Bars, Catch & Release.  Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

Please click here to Book A Charter or call 239-472-8658 and here for Live Sanibel Traffic Cams.

“The red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), also known as channel bass, redfish, spottail bass, or simply red, is a game fish found in the Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to northern Mexico.^[1] It is the only species in the genus Sciaenops.

The red drum is related to the black drum (Pogonias cromis), and the two species are often found in close proximity to each other; they can interbreed and form a robust hybrid, and younger fish are often indistinguishable in flavor.^[2]

Red drum are a dark red color on the back, which fades into white on the belly. The red drum has a characteristic eyespot near the tail and is somewhat streamlined. Three-year-old red drum typically weigh 6-8 lb. The largest red drum on record weighed just over 94 lb and was caught in 1984 on Hatteras Island. Red drum and black drum both make a croaking or drumming sound when distressed.

Sanibel Fishing & Captiva Fishing, February 13, 2018: Spanish Mackerel!

Captiva Fishing Report,  Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, Tuesday, February 13: Spanish Mackerel; Catch & Release; water quality in relatively good shape; (Caloosahatchee: no/little freshwater runoff impact right now; Red Tide Report, impact minimal, broken up and largely dispersed); more fishing reports from other areas and Captains below.

Tuesday, February 13, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: Spanish Mackerel, Catch & Release.  Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

Please click here to Book A Charter or call 239-472-8658 and here for Live Sanibel Traffic Cams.

“The Atlantic Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus maculatus) is a migratory species of mackerels that swims to the Northern Gulf of Mexico in spring, returns to South Florida in the Eastern Gulf, and to Mexico in the Western Gulf in the fall.

The fish exhibits a green back; its sides are silvery marked with about three rows of round to elliptical yellow spots. Lateral line gradually curving down from the upper end of the gill cover toward caudal peduncle. The first (spiny) dorsal fin is black at the front. Posterior membranes are white with a black edge. Its single row of cutting edged teeth in each jaw (around sixty-four teeth in all) are large, uniform, closely spaced and flattened from side to side. As with the King mackerel and the Cero mackerel, these teeth look very similar to those of the Bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix.

Spanish mackerel are a highly valued fish throughout their range from North Carolina to Texas. Recreational anglers catch Spanish mackerel from boats while trolling or drifting and from boats, piers, jetties, and beaches by casting spoons and jigs and live-bait fishing. Fast lure retrieves are key to catching these quick fish. Commercial methods are primarily run-around gill netting, and rarely, by trolling lures similar to those used by recreational anglers.

On November 4, 1987, Woody Outlaw caught a world-record 13-pound Spanish mackerel^[4]on a blue and white Sea Witch with a strip of fastback menhaden on a 7/0 hook, held by a Shimano bait-casting reel on a Kuna rod with 30-pound test line.^[5]

Spanish mackerel are primarily marketed fresh or frozen as fillets as commercially caught fish are too small to sell in the form of steaks. Their raw flesh is white. They may be prepared by broiling, frying, baking or, rarely, by smoking.

The Spanish mackerel is also a popular sushi fish. By analogy with the Japanese Spanish mackerel, which is a member of the same genus, it is often called sawara on sushi menus.”  Please see more information here.

Please click here to Book A Charter or call 239-472-8658 and here for Live Sanibel Traffic Cams.  Tuesday, February 13, Spanish Mackerel, click here for College Of Fishing Hats & Apparel.

We’re located at Castaways Marina, Santiva, Sanibel Island, just before the Blind Pass bridge to Captiva Island.

After a fierce storm, Turner Beach, the beach adjoining the Pass, is frequently covered with a bounty of shells from Olives to Fighting Whelks to the more common Conchs. The fishing is also renowned with sharks in the summer, tailing redfish on the bayside flats and snook under and off the Blind Pass bridge. Because Turner Beach faces Westward, the sunsets are spectacular and a popular viewing point for residents and visitors alike.

And you can like us on Facebook.

Fair winds and following seas,

Captain Joey Burnsed ~ please click calendar at the upper left or call 239-472-8658 to book a Sanibel & Captiva Islands, Boca Grande or Fort Myers fishing guide trip or shelling charter.

Sanibel Fishing & Captiva Fishing, February 12, 2018: Blacknose Shark!

Captiva Fishing Report,  Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, Monday, February 12: Blacknose Shark, Inshore, Stealing cut bait for the Redfish; Catch & Release; water quality in relatively good shape; (Caloosahatchee: no/little freshwater runoff impact right now; Red Tide Report, impact minimal, broken up and largely dispersed); more fishing reports from other areas and Captains below.

Monday, February 12, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: Blacknose Shark, Inshore, Cut Bait, Catch & Release.  Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

Please click here to Book A Charter or call 239-472-8658 and here for Live Sanibel Traffic Cams.

A small shark typically measuring 1.3 m (4.3 ft) long, the blacknose has a typical streamlined “requiem shark” shape with a long, rounded snout, large eyes, and a small first dorsal fin. Its common name comes from a characteristic black blotch on the tip of its snout, though this may be indistinct in older individuals.

Blacknose sharks feed primarily on small bony fishes and cephalopods, and in turn fall prey to larger sharks.

Like other members of their family, they exhibit a viviparous mode of reproduction in which the developing embryos are sustained by a placental connection. The females give birth to three to six young in late spring or early summer, either annually or biennially, after a gestation period of eight to 11 months.

This species is not known to attack humans, though it has been documented performing a threat display towards divers. It is of moderate commercial and recreational importance.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed this species as Near Threatened. In 2009, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the populations of the blacknose shark off the United States are being overfished and proposed new conservation measures.

 

The Cuban naturalist Felipe Poey published the first description of the blacknose shark in 1860 as Squalus acronotus, in his Memorias sobre la historia natural de la Isla de Cuba. Later authors moved this species to the genus Carcharhinus. The type specimen was a 98-cm (3.2-ft)-long male caught off Cuba.^[2]

Based on morphological data, Jack Garrick suggested in 1982 that the blacknose shark has a sister relationship to a group containing the whitecheek shark (C. dussumieri) and the blackspot shark (C. sealei), while Leonard Compagnoproposed in 1988 that this shark belongs in a group with five other species, including the silky shark (C. falciformis) and the blacktip reef shark (C. melanopterus).

Molecular analyses have been similarly equivocal regarding the blacknose shark’s phylogenetic relationships: Gavin Naylor’s 1992 allozyme analysis found this species to be the most bbasal member of Carcharhinus, while Mine Dosay-Abkulut’s 2008 ribosomal DNA analysis indicated affinity between it and the blacktip shark (C. limbatus) or the smalltail shark (C. porosus).^[3][4] The whitenose shark (Nasolamia velox), found along the tropical western coast of the Americas, may be descended from blacknose sharks that experienced the teratogenic effects of incipient cyclopia.^[2]

The blacknose shark inhabits the continental and insular shelves off the eastern coast of the Americas, as far north as North Carolina and as far south as southern Brazil, including the Bahamas, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea.

They frequent coastal waters over beds of seagrass, sandy flats, and shell or coral rubble.^[5]This species is spatially segregated by size and sex. Generally, only young sharks are encountered in shallow water, as the adults prefer depths greater than 9 m (30 ft) and are most common at 18–64 m (59–210 ft).^[1][6]

Blacknose sharks in the South Atlantic Bight (off the Atlantic coast of the southern United States) migrate northward in the summer and southward (or possibly offshore) in the winter; a similar migration occurs for sharks in the Gulf of Mexico.^[7]

The blacknose shark has a slender, streamlined body with a long, rounded snout and large eyes. There is a well-developed flap of skin in front of each nostril, defining the inflow and outflow openings. Twelve to 13 and 11 to 12 tooth rows occur on either side of the upper and lower jaws, respectively, with one or two teeth at the symphysis (middle). The teeth are triangular and oblique, with serrated edges; the upper teeth are stouter than the lower teeth. The five pairs of gill slits are short, measuring less a third the length of the first dorsal fin base.^[6][8]

The first dorsal fin is small and somewhat sickle-shaped, with a pointed apex and a short, free, rear tip; its origin lies over the free rear tips of the pectoral fins. The second dorsal fin is relatively large, though still less than half the height of the first. No ridge is seen between the dorsal fins.

The pectoral fins are short and tapered.^[8]The body is covered with overlapping dermal denticles that bear five to seven longitudinal ridges (three in very young individuals) leading to three to five marginal teeth.^[6]

The coloration is yellowish to greenish-gray or brown above and white to yellow below. A distinctive dark blotch at the tip of the snout is most obvious in young sharks. The tips of the second dorsal fin, upper caudal fin lobe, and sometimes the lower caudal fin lobe, are dark.

Blacknose sharks are typically 1.3–1.4 m (4.3–4.6 ft) long and 10 kg (22 lb) in weight.^[2][8] The maximum length and weight of record is 2.0 m (6.6 ft) and 18.9 kg (42 lb), respectively.^[9]

A small, fast-swimming predator, the blacknose shark feeds primarily on small, bony fishes, including pinfish, croakers, porgies, anchovies, spiny boxfish, and porcupinefish, as well as on octopus and other cephalopods.^[6]

When competing for bait, their speed allows them to snatch food from larger sharks such as the Caribbean reef shark (C. perezi).^[10][11]

This species may form large schools that are sometimes associated with anchovies and mullet.^[6] Blacknose sharks demonstrate a high degree of philopatry: both juveniles and adults have been documented returning to the same local area year after year.^[12]

Blacknose sharks are preyed upon by larger sharks,^[6] and captives have been observed to perform an apparent threat display towards encroaching divers or newly introduced members of their species. The display consists of the shark hunching its back, lowering its pectoral fins, gaping its jaws, and swimming with an exaggerated side-to-side motion.^[2][13]

Known parasites of this species include the copepods Nesippus orientalis, Perissopus dentatus, Pandarus sinuatus, Kroyeria sphyrnae, Nemesis atlantica, and Eudactylina spinifera,^[14] as well as tapeworms in the genera Paraorygmatobothrium and Platybothrium.^[15][16]

As in other requiem sharks, the blacknose shark is viviparous: after the developing embryos exhaust their supply of yolk, the empty yolk sac develops into a placental connection through which the mother provides nourishment.

Off the United States, males are thought to reproduce every year, while females reproduce every other year.^[17] However, off northeastern Brazil, the female reproductive cycle is short enough to occur annually.^[1][18]

Vitellogenesis (the formation of yolk within the ovary) occurs in the late summer, and is immediately followed by mating and fertilization in the fall, with the young being born the following spring to summer.^[6] The seasonality of these events means the reproductive cycle is offset by six months between populations in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

The gestation period has been variously estimated at eight months off northeastern Brazil and 9–11 months off the southeastern United States.^[18]

Females typically give birth to litters of one to six pups in shallow nursery areas, such as coastal bays or mangrove swamps;^[1][19] one known nursery area is Bulls Bay off South Carolina.^[6] There is no relationship between female size and the number of young.^[7] The newborns measure 38–50 cm (15–20 in) long.^[2]

Female blacknose sharks grow more slowly, attain a larger ultimate size, and have a longer lifespan than males. In addition, Gulf of Mexico sharks are slower-growing and longer-lived than those from the South Atlantic Bight.^[20]

In the South Atlantic Bight, both sexes mature at a fork length (from snout tip to caudal fin fork) of around 90 cm (3.0 ft), corresponding to ages of 4.3 years for males and 4.5 years for females. In the Gulf of Mexico, both sexes mature at a fork length of around 85 cm (2.79 ft), corresponding to ages of 5.4 years for males and 6.6 years for females.^[7] The maximum lifespan has been calculated as 19 years in South Atlantic Bight and 16.5 years in the Gulf of Mexico.^[1]

The blacknose shark has never been implicated in an attack on humans. However, caution should be exercised if it begins to perform a threat display.^[19]

This species is regarded as a game fish and offers a respectable fight on light tackle (a more delicate fishing line).^[6] It is also of regional commercial importance, being taken intentionally and as bycatch via gillnets and surface longlines across its range, most significantly off southwestern Florida, Venezuela, and Brazil; the meat is sold dried and salted.

Large numbers of blacknose sharks are also caught incidentally by shrimp trawlers, which may pose a greater threat to its population, as many of the sharks taken are immature.^[1][2]

Off the United States, the fishing of the blacknose shark is regulated by the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service 1993 Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico sharks.

For the purposes of commercial quotas and bag limits, the blacknose shark is classified within the “small coastal shark” (SCS) complex.^[7] From 1999 to 2005, an average of 27,484 blacknose sharks (62 metric tons) were caught each year off the United States.

Recent stock assessments conducted by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have determined the populations of this species have become overfished in both the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.

In 2009, the NOAA proposed instituting a separate quota for blacknose sharks of 6,065 sharks per year, and a ban on using gill nets to catch sharks in the Atlantic.^[21]

By contrast, blacknose shark stocks off northern Brazil appear to be stable, while no fishery data are available from the Caribbean. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed this species as Near Threatened globally.^[1]  Please see the source and more information here.

Please click here to Book A Charter or call 239-472-8658 and here for Live Sanibel Traffic Cams.  Monday, February 12, Blacknose Shark, stealing cut bait for Redfish, click here for College Of Fishing Hats & Apparel.

We’re located in Castaways Marina, Santiva, Sanibel Island, just before the Blind Pass bridge to Captiva Island.

After a fierce storm, Turner Beach, the beach adjoining the Pass, is frequently covered with a bounty of shells from Olives to Fighting Whelks to the more common Conchs. The fishing is also renowned with sharks in the summer, tailing redfish on the bayside flats and snook under and off the Blind Pass bridge. Because Turner Beach faces Westward, the sunsets are spectacular and a popular viewing point for residents and visitors alike.

And you can like us on Facebook.

Fair winds and following seas,

Captain Joey Burnsed ~ please click calendar at the upper right or call 239-472-8658 to book a Sanibel & Captiva Islands, Boca Grande or Fort Myers fishing guide trip or shelling charter.

Sanibel Fishing & Captiva Fishing, February 11, 2018: SeaTrout!

Captiva Fishing Report,  Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, Sunday, February 11: SeaTrout, Grass Flats, Catch & Release; water quality in relatively good shape; (Caloosahatchee: no/little freshwater runoff impact right now; Red Tide Report, impact minimal, broken up and largely dispersed); more fishing reports from other areas and Captains below.

Sunday, February 11, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: SeaTrout, Grass Flats & Oyster Bars, Catch & Release.  Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

Please click here to Book A Charter or call 239-472-8658 and here for Live Sanibel Traffic Cams.

“Cynoscion nebulosus, the spotted seatrout, also known as speckled trout, is a common estuarine fish found in the southern United States along coasts of Gulf of Mexico and the coastal Atlantic Ocean from Maryland to Florida. These fish are also found in estuarine locations around Cape Breton Island of Nova Scotia, Canada.

While most of these fish are caught on shallow, grassy flats, spotted seatrout reside in virtually any inshore waters, from the surf of outside islands to far up coastal rivers, where they often come for shelter during cold weather. Contrary to its name, the spotted seatrout is not a member of the trout family (Salmonidae), but of the drum family (Sciaenidae). It is popular for commercial and especially recreational fishing in coastal waters of the southeastern United States. Adults reach 19-32 inches in length and 3-15 pounds in weight.

Spotted seatrout live in the top of the water column and are most numerous along the coasts of the southeastern states, such as Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida. They are also common along the coasts of North and South Carolina and Virginia. Estuarine coasts are prime settlement areas. They are uncommonly seen north of Delaware Bay and along the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Spotted seatrout is the common name endorsed by the American Fisheries Society. However, this fish has many other common names, including speckled trout, speck, speckles, spec, truite gris (Louisiana French), trucha de mar (Mexican Spanish), spotted weakfish, spotted seateague, southern seateague, salmon, salmon trout, simon trout, winter trout, seatrout, Nosferatu fish, and black trout. Particularly large ones are nicknamed gator trout.^[1]

The spotted seatrout has prominent canine teeth. Like other fish of the family Sciaenidae, it has an elongated, soft dorsal fin with scales; it is separated from the spinous dorsal fin by a deep notch. It usually has two anal spines and the lateral line extends to the tip of the caudal fin. The back has distinct spots scattered on it, including on the dorsal and caudal fins. Unlike some other members of the family Sciaenidae, the spotted seatrout does not have any chin barbels. In stained water, this fish’s background may take on a golden hue. Its shape and coloration is reminiscent of a brown trout. This fish is closely related to the weakfish, Cynoscion regalis.

The average size of spotted seatrout is 0.5-1.0 kg (1-2 lb), but in most areas fish up to 2.5 kg (5 lb) are fairly common. Fish weighing 3.5-4.5 kg (8-10 lb) are rare. The world record is 7.9 kg (17 lb 7 oz).

Small trout eat large amounts of shrimp and other crustaceans. As they grow larger, their diets shift toward fish, the larger, the better. Studies in Texas and Mississippi show that really big trout strongly prefer to feed on mullet; a large trout will find the largest mullet it can handle and try to swallow it. Often the mullet is half or two-thirds as large as the trout.^[2]”  Please see more information here.

Please click here to Book A Charter or call 239-472-8658 and here for Live Sanibel Traffic Cams.  Sunday, February 11, SeaTrout, Grass Flats & Oyster Bars, click here for College Of Fishing Hats & Apparel.

We’re located in Castaways Marina, Santiva, Sanibel Island, just before the Blind Pass bridge to Captiva Island.

After a fierce storm, Turner Beach, the beach adjoining the Pass, is frequently covered with a bounty of shells from Olives to Fighting Whelks to the more common Conchs. The fishing is also renowned with sharks in the summer, tailing redfish on the bayside flats and snook under and off the Blind Pass bridge. Because Turner Beach faces Westward, the sunsets are spectacular and a popular viewing point for residents and visitors alike.

And you can like us on Facebook.

Fair winds and following seas,

Captain Joey Burnsed ~ please click calendar at the upper right or call 239-472-8658 to book a Sanibel & Captiva Islands, Boca Grande or Fort Myers fishing guide trip or shelling charter.

Sanibel Fishing & Captiva Fishing, February 10, 2018: Snook.

Captiva Fishing Report,  Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, Saturday, February 10: Snook, Passes, Docks, Catch & Release; water quality in relatively good shape; (Caloosahatchee: no/little freshwater runoff impact right now; Red Tide Report, impact minimal, broken up and largely dispersed); more fishing reports from other areas and Captains below.

Saturday, February 10, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: Snook, Oyster Bars, Catch & Release.  Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

Please click here to Book A Charter or call 239-472-8658 and here for Live Sanibel Traffic Cams.

“The common snook (Centropomus undecimalis) is a species of marine fish in the family Centropomidae of the order Perciformes. The common snook is also known as the sergeant fish or robalo. It was originally assigned to the sciaenid genus Sciaena; Sciaena undecimradiatus and Centropomus undecimradiatus are obsolete synonyms for the species.

Centropomus undecimalis is widespread throughout the tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean from the coast of the North Carolina to Brazil including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.^[17]

Many^[who?] believe that snook originated in Central America and that changes in the earth’s climate are what brought the snook to Florida. It is believed that during a great warming trend after the Ice Age, snook moved northward along the Mexico shoreline. They followed the perimeter of the Gulf of Mexico, down the west coast of Florida and up the east coast. There are massive snook in Central America, although they seem to look a little different because of the weather and water quality but besides that, they are the same.

There are no restrictions in most of Central America on the size or quantity of snook one can keep, consequently, many locals have been keeping and killing these massive snook for quite a while.^[18] Occurring in shallow coastal waters (up to 20 meters (66 ft) depth), estuaries, and lagoons, the fish often enters fresh water. It is carnivorous, with a diet dominated by smaller fishes, and crustaceans such as shrimp, and occasionally crabs.^[19]”  Please see more information here.

Saturday, February 10, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: Snook, Oyster Bars, Catch & Release.  Please also visit the Sanibel, Fort Myers, Florida Fishing Report and Cuban Fishing sites.  Better water moving north of Sanibel up through Captiva & North Captiva.

We’re located in Castaways Marina, Santiva, Sanibel Island, just before the Blind Pass bridge to Captiva Island.

After a fierce storm, Turner Beach, the beach adjoining the Pass, is frequently covered with a bounty of shells from Olives to Fighting Whelks to the more common Conchs. The fishing is also renowned for sharks in the summer, tailing redfish on the bayside flats and snook under and off the Blind Pass bridge. Because Turner Beach faces Westward, the sunsets are spectacular and a popular viewing point for residents and visitors alike.

Please like us on Facebook!

Fair winds and following seas,

Captain Joey Burnsed ~ please click calendar at the upper left or call 239-472-8658 to book a Sanibel & Captiva Islands, Boca Grande or Fort Myers fishing guide trip or shelling charter.

Snook, Sanibel Fishing & Captiva Fishing, Sanibel Island, Saturday, November 18, [File Photo -Thursday, May 18, 2017].