Sanibel Fishing & Captiva Fishing, March 13, 2018: Sheepshead.

Sanibel Island Fishing Charters

Captiva Fishing Report,  Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, Captiva Island Fishing Charters, Tuesday, March 13: Windy, Cold, Very Tough Fishing, Sheepshead, Catch & Release; water quality in relatively good shape; (Caloosahatchee: no/little freshwater runoff impact right now; Red Tide Report, there is some spotty red tide impact right now; more fishing reports from other areas and Captains below.

Tuesday, March 13, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters & Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: Sheepshead, Inside The Passes, 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. Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: 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.

Archosargus probatocephalus, the sheepshead, is a marine fish that grows to 76 cm (30 in), but commonly reaches 30 to 50 cm (10 to 20 in). It is deep and compressed in body shape, with five or six dark bars on the side of the body over a gray background. It has sharp dorsal spines. Its diet consists of oysters, clams, and other bivalves, and barnacles, fiddler crabs, and other crustaceans.^[1] It has a hard mouth, with several rows of stubby teeth – the frontal ones roughly resembling human teeth – which help crush the shells of prey.^[2]

The sheepshead is found in coastal waters along the western Atlantic, from Nova Scotia to Brazil, but the greatest concentration is around southwest Florida.^[3] Although the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn, in New York City, was named after the fish,^[4] it is now rarely found that far north.

As sheepshead feed on bivalves and crustaceans,^[1] successful baits include shrimp, sand fleas (mole crabs), clams, fiddler crabs, and mussels.^[5] Sheepshead have a knack for stealing bait, so a small hook is necessary.^[5]Locating sheepshead with a boat is not difficult: Fishermen look for rocky bottoms or places with obstructions, jetties, and the pilings of bridges and piers.^[5] The average weight of a sheepshead is 1.4 to 1.8 kg (3 to 4 lb), but some individuals reach the range of 4.5 to 6.8 kg (10 to 15 lb).^[5] Please see more information here.

“Florida Regulations: 

Regulations	Gulf State Waters	Atlantic State Waters
Size Limit	12”
Daily Bag Limit	15 per person

 

Gear Requirements:

• Legal Gear: hook and line, cast net, seine, spear or gig
• Illegal Gear: Harvest prohibited by or with the use of any multiple hook in conjunction with live or dead natural bait; Snatching prohibited

  

State Waters Harvest Seasons

Habitat and Fishing Tips:  Sheepshead are commonly found in brackish water river mouths, bays, estuaries, and tidal creeks and especially near oyster bars, buoys, channel markers, piers and bridge piles where food is plentiful. Sheepshead feed primarily on crustaceans, mollusks, barnacles and small fish.

Anglers typically use light to medium weight spinning tackle with shrimp, sand fleas or small crabs as bait. Using their specially adapted (human-like) incisors and crushing molars, sheepshead can be difficult to hook and have an uncanny ability to clean a hook without you knowing anything happened.

When targeting sheepshead, it is very important to keep your line tight and be ready for the bite because you often get one, and only one, chance to set the hook. The food quality of sheepshead is very good, and they are one of the only fish that can smile back at you during the picture!

Can oysters and barnacles be used as bait or chum for sheepshead  Oysters and barnacles are very, very different when it comes to regulations.

Oysters have closed seasons, bag limits, size limits and can only be legally harvested in specific shellfish harvesting areas that are classified as “approved” or “conditionally approved” and in the “open” status. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Aquaculture  manages these shellfish harvesting areas.

Barnacles, on the other hand, do not have size limits or specified bag limits, which means that you can harvest up to 100 pounds per person per day with a recreational saltwater fishing license and you can use them to chum sheepshead. You can also simply scrape them off bridge piles and allow them to sink and attract sheepshead. Do not scrape barnacles from private docks or other private structures without permission of the property owner.

State Record:  15 lb 2 oz, caught near Homosassa.”  Please see more information here.

Please click here to Book A Charter or call 239-472-8658 and here for Live Sanibel Traffic Cams.  Sheepshead, Tuesday, March 13, Captiva Island Fishing Charters, Redfish, Passes & Oyster Bars, click here for College Of Fishing Hats & Apparel.

For Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, 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.

And you can like us on Facebook.

Fair winds and following seas,

Captain Joey Burnsed, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, ~ 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, March 12, 2018: Bluefish.

Captiva Fishing Report,  Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, Captiva Island Fishing Charters, Monday, March 12: Tough Fishing, Bluefish, Passes & Oyster Bars, Catch & Release; water quality in relatively good shape; (Caloosahatchee: no/little freshwater runoff impact right now; Red Tide Report, there is some spotty red tide impact right now; more fishing reports from other areas and Captains below.

Monday, March 12, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters & Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: Bluefish, Inside The Passes, 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 bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) is the only extant species of the family Pomatomidae. It is a marine pelagic fish found around the world in temperate and subtropical waters, except for the northern Pacific Ocean. Bluefish are known as tailor in Australia,^[2] elf in South Africa, and shad in KwaZulu-Natal.^[3] Other common names are blue, chopper, and anchoa.^[4] It is a popular gamefish.

The bluefish is a moderately proportioned fish, with a broad, forked tail. The spiny first dorsal fin is normally folded back in a groove, as are its pectoral fins. Coloration is a grayish blue-green dorsally, fading to white on the lower sides and belly. Its single row of teeth in each jaw is uniform in size, knife-edged, and sharp. Bluefish commonly range in size from seven-inch (18-cm) “snappers” to much larger, sometimes weighing as much as 40 lb (18 kg), though fish heavier than 20 lb (9 kg) are exceptional.

Bluefish are widely distributed around the world in tropical and subtropical waters. They are found in pelagic waters on much of the continental shelves along eastern America (though not between south Florida and northern South America), Africa, the Mediterranean and Black Seas (and during migration in between), Southeast Asia, and Australia. They are found in a variety of coastal habitats: above the continental shelf, in energetic waters near surf beaches, or by rock headlands.^[5]They also enter estuaries and inhabit brackish waters.^[6][7][8] Periodically, they leave the coasts and migrate in schools through open waters.^[9][10]

Along the U.S. East Coast, bluefish are found off Florida in the winter. By April, they have disappeared, heading north. By June, they may be found off Massachusetts; in years of high abundance, stragglers may be found as far north as Nova Scotia. By October, they leave the waters north of New York City, heading south (whereas some bluefish, perhaps less migratory,^[11][12] are present in the Gulf of Mexico throughout the year). In a similar pattern overall, the economically significant population that spawns in Europe’s Black Sea migrates south through Istanbul (Bosphorus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles, Aegean Sea) and on toward Turkey’s Mediterranean coast in the autumn for the cold season.^[13] Along the South African coast and environs, movement patterns are roughly in parallel.^[14]

Adult bluefish are typically between 20 and 60 cm long, with a maximum reported size of 120 cm and 14 kg. They reproduce during spring and summer, and can live up to 9 years.^[9][10] Bluefish fry are zooplankton, and are largely at the mercy of currents.^[15][16] Spent bluefish have been found off east-central Florida, migrating north. As with most marine fish, their spawning habits are not well known. In the western side of the North Atlantic, at least two populations occur, separated by Cape Hatteras in North Carolina. The Gulf Stream can carry fry spawned to the south of Cape Hatteras to the north, and eddies can spin off, carrying them into populations found off the coast of the mid-Atlantic, and the New England states.^[17]

Adult bluefish are strong and aggressive, and live in loose groups. They are fast swimmers which prey on schools of forage fish, and continue attacking them in feeding frenzies even after they appear to have eaten their fill.^[9][10] Depending on area and season, they favor menhaden and other sardine-like fish (Clupeidae), jacks (Scombridae), weakfish (Sciaenidae), grunts (Haemulidae), striped anchovies (Engraulidae), shrimp, and squid. They are cannibalistic and can destroy their own young.^[18] Bluefish sometimes chase bait through the surf zone, attacking schools in very shallow water, churning the water like a washing machine. This behavior is sometimes referred to as a “bluefish blitz”.

In turn, bluefish are preyed upon by larger predators at all stages of their lifecycle. As juveniles, they fall victim to a wide variety of oceanic predators, including striped bass, larger bluefish, fluke (summer flounder), weakfish, tuna, sharks, rays, and dolphins. As adults, bluefish are taken by tuna, sharks, billfish, seals, sea lions, dolphins, porpoises, and many other species.

Bluefish should be handled with caution due to their ability to snap at unwary hands. Fishermen have been severely bitten, and wearing gloves can help. Wading or swimming among feeding bluefish schools can be dangerous.^[19] In July 2006, a seven-year-old girl was attacked on a beach, near the Spanish town of Alicante, allegedly by a bluefish.^[20]”   Please see more information here.

Please click here to Book A Charter or call 239-472-8658 and here for Live Sanibel Traffic Cams.  Monday, March 12, Captiva Island Fishing Charters, Redfish, Passes & Oyster Bars, click here for College Of Fishing Hats & Apparel.

Sanibel Fishing & Captiva Fishing, March 11, 2018: Redfish.

Captiva Fishing Report,  Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, Captiva Island Fishing Charters, Sunday, March 11: Redfish, Passes & Oyster Bars, Catch & Release; water quality in relatively good shape; (Caloosahatchee: no/little freshwater runoff impact right now; Red Tide Report, there is some spotty red tide impact right now; more fishing reports from other areas and Captains below.

Sunday, March 11, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters & Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: Redfish, 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 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, spot tail 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, March 9, 2018: Redfish.

Captiva Fishing Report,  Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, Captiva Island Fishing Charters, Friday, March 9: More Redfish, Passes & Oyster Bars, Catch & Release; water quality in relatively good shape; (Caloosahatchee:no/little freshwater runoff impact right now; Red Tide Report, there is some spotty red tide impact right now; more fishing reports from other areas and Captains below.

Friday, March 9, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters & Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: Redfish, 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 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, spot tail 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 Island Fishing & Captiva Island Fishing, March 8, 2018: SeaTrout!

Captiva Island Fishing Charters

Captiva Fishing Report,  Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, Captiva Island Fishing Charters, Thursday, March 8: SeaTrout, Grass Beds, Catch & Release; water quality in relatively good shape; (Caloosahatchee:no/little freshwater runoff impact right now; Red Tide Report, there is some spotty red tide impact right now; more fishing reports from other areas and Captains below.

Online on-demand workshop available. Provide input on this fishery. Workshop information. Comment online at MyFWC.com/SaltwaterComments.

Thursday, March 8, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters & 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.

“Online on-demand workshop available. Provide input on this fishery. Workshop information. Comment online at MyFWC.com/SaltwaterComments.

Image Credit: © Diane Rome Peebles

Spotted Seatrout: Cynoscion nebulosus

Florida Regulations:

Regulations	Northeast zone	Northwest zone	Southeast and Southwest zones
Minimum Size Limit	More than 15 inches and less than 20 inches total length (may possess one over 20 inches included in bag limit)
Daily Bag Limit	6 per harvester per day	5 per harvester per day	4 per harvester per day
Season	Open year-round

 

Gear Requirements: Allowable Gear: Hook and line; cast net

Spotted Seatrout Management Zones:

 

• Northwest: Escambia County through Fred Howard Park Causeway near Pasco County.
• Southwest: Fred Howard Park Causeway through Monroe County line at Card Sound.
• Southeast: Miami-Dade County at Card South through Volusia County.
• Northeast: Flagler through Nassau counties.

State Waters Harvest Seasons

Habitat and Fishing Tips:

Seatrout found inshore and nearshore in and around seagrass meadows, mangrove-fringed shorelines, deep holes and channels and above oyster bars. Free-line live shrimp or small pinfish or pigfish (grunts) near the bottom to entice trout out of grass-bed holes. Attaching a float will allow these baits to drift over the grass beds as you search for trout. Casting with soft-bodied jigs, top-water poppers and spoons can be effective. Trout are very delicate, so returning unwanted or illegal fish promptly to the water is necessary to maintain a healthy population. Spotted seatrout are a good eating fish.

State Record: 17 lb 7 oz, caught near Ft. Pierce

Florida Rule

Spotted Seatrout Management in Florida

Spotted seatrout is managed for both commercial and recreational fishing in Florida.  Management in Florida began for spotted seatrout in the late 1980s when the fishery was declining. At the Nov. 2011 Commission meeting, the FWC made several changes to how spotted seatrout are managed, including splitting the South management zones in two and going from a total of three management zones (Northeast, Northwest and South) to four management zones (Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest.)

The management goal for spotted seatrout in Florida is a 35% spawning potential ratio (SPR). Stock assessments were conducted in 2003 and 2006 that showed the spotted seatrout population as relatively stable. The 2010 stock assessment includes data through 2009 and it showed that the Northeast, Southeast and Southwest zones are exceeding the 35% SPR management goal. The Northwest area is hovering right at 35%.

At the Nov. 2011 Commission meeting, the following rules were approved, becoming effective February 1, 2012:

Recreational

• Removal of season closures
• Northeast bag limit increased to 6 fish

Commercial

• Southeast and Southwest region defined
• Increase in seasons
  • Southeast: May 1- Sept 30
  • Northeast: June 1- November 30
  • Southwest and Northwest: June 1- October 31
• A commercial vessel limit of 150 with two or more licensed fishermen are aboard
• Sale of seatrout inventory will be allowed for 30 days after the season closes”

Source & more information @ FWC.

Please click here to Book A Charter or call 239-472-8658 and here for Live Sanibel Traffic Cams.  Thursday, March 8, Captiva Island Fishing Charters, 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, March 7, 2018: Redfish.

Captiva Fishing Report,  Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, Captiva Island Fishing Charters, Wednesday, March 7: More Redfish, Passes & Oyster Bars, Catch & Release; water quality in relatively good shape; (Caloosahatchee:no/little freshwater runoff impact right now; Red Tide Report, there is some spotty red tide impact right now; more fishing reports from other areas and Captains below.

Wednesday, March 7, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters & Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: Redfish, 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 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, spot tail 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, March 6, 2018: Redfish.

Captiva Fishing Report,  Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, Captiva Island Fishing Charters, Tuesday, March 6: Redfish, Oyster Bars, Catch & Release; water quality in relatively good shape; (Caloosahatchee:no/little freshwater runoff impact right now; Red Tide Report, there is some spotty red tide impact right now; more fishing reports from other areas and Captains below.

Tuesday, March 6, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters & Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: Redfish, 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 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, spot tail 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 Island Fishing & Captiva Island Fishing, March 5, 2018: Mackerel!

Captiva Fishing Report,  Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, Captiva Island Fishing Charters, Monday, March 5: Spanish Mackerel, Grass Flats, Catch & Release; water quality in relatively good shape; (Caloosahatchee: no/little freshwater runoff impact right now; Red Tide Report, there was some spotty red tide impact yesterday; we’ll see how it looks today; more fishing reports from other areas and Captains below.

Monday, March 5, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters & 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 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.

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Image Credit: © Diane Rome Peebles

“Spanish Mackerel: Scomberomorous maculatus

Florida Regulations: 

Regulations	Gulf State Waters	Atlantic State Waters
Minimum Size Limit	12” fork length
Daily Bag Limit	15 per harvester per day

Gear Requirements:

• Legal Gear: beach or haul seine, cast net, hook and line, spear

State Waters Harvest Seasons

Habitat and Fishing tips:

Spanish mackerel are a pelagic, fast swimming fish that are prevalent throughout Florida’s coastal waters when water temperatures exceed 70 degrees.

To remain in warm water, Spanish mackerel migrate out of the northern parts of the state in the fall of the year and return in April with the warming waters.

They are frequently found in shallow, clear water over grass beds and along sandy beaches where they feed on schools of baitfish. Spanish mackerel are aggressive feeders that will strike a wide variety of natural and artificial baits, so they can be very easy to catch.

Many anglers identify the location of Spanish mackerel by trolling or watching for birds diving on schools of baitfish, which often indicates that mackerel are forcing the bait to the surface. Angling techniques include trolling or casting with small shiny spoons, dusters or jigs. Light spinning or bait-casting tackle with 10 to 15-pound monofilament line is adequate; however, 30 to 60-pound monofilament leader is required due to the mackerel’s razor-sharp teeth.

State Record:

12 lb, caught near Ft. Pierce

Florida Rule

Gulf Federal Waters Rules

Atlantic Federal Waters Rules

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Image Credit: © Diane Rome Peebles

King Mackerel: Scomberomorus cavalla

Appearance:

• Back is bluish-green, fading to silvery sides and belly (no spots)
• Front of first dorsal fin lacks a dark blotch
• Lateral line drops sharply below the second dorsal fin
• Juveniles may have yellowish spots, similar to Spanish mackerel

Similar Species: Cero, S. regalis; Spanish mackerel, S. maculatus (both have gently sloping lateral lines and a dark blotch on front of first dorsal fin); and wahoo, A. solandri (first dorsal fin long and continuous)

Size: Up to 72 inches

Habitat:

Coastal to offshore waters. Often around piers. They may occasionally be found in deep water.

Behavior:

Spawn offshore in mid-summer. Schooling fish that migrate from south Florida waters in winter northward in spring. Feed mainly on fishes.

Additional Information

State Record: 90 lb, caught near Key West

Fishing Tips and Facts: Kings feed on small fish and squid and take both natural and artificial baits. Live baits include pogies, herring, Spanish sardine, ballyhoo, and mullet. Lures should be flashy sub-surface lures or large fish-like plugs. Use 20-pound line and tackle, or heavier for larger kings, with a wire or mono leader.

Recreational Regulations”

FWC source & more information here.

Please click here to Book A Charter or call 239-472-8658 and here for Live Sanibel Traffic Cams.  Monday, March 5, Captiva Island Fishing Charters, Spanish Mackerel, Grass Flats & Oyster Bars, 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 Island Fishing & Captiva Island Fishing, March 4, 2018: Grouper!

Sanibel Island Fishing Charters

Captiva Fishing Report,  Sanibel Island Fishing Charters, Captiva Island Fishing Charters, Sunday, March 4: Grouper, Near Offshore Structure, Catch & Release; water quality in relatively good shape. Caloosahatchee: no/little freshwater runoff impact right now; Red Tide Report, there is some spotty red tide impact right now; more fishing reports from other areas and Captains below.

Sunday, March 4, Sanibel Island Fishing Charters & Sanibel Island Fishing Charters: Grouper, 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.

Captiva Island Fishing Charters

For Captiva Island Fishing Charters, we’re located in Castaways Marina, Santiva, Sanibel Island, just before the Blind Pass bridge to Captiva Island.

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

“Mycteroperca microlepis (the gag, gag grouper, velvet rockfish or charcoal belly) is a species of grouper from warmer parts of the West Atlantic, including the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. It is a drab, mottled-gray fish lacking the distinguishing features of most other groupers. Its pattern of markings resemble the box-shaped spots of the black grouper. It lacks the streamer-points on the tail fin that scamp (Mycteroperca phenax) and yellowmouth grouper (M. interstitialis) have, and lacks yellow coloration around the mouth.

Ten- to 20-pound (5- to 10-kg) fish are common. The world record is 80 lb 6 oz (36.45 kg). The gag grouper is a bottom feeder and is often caught by fishermen seeking bottom-dwelling species, such as snappers. Its flaky white meat is considered quite delicious.

Members of this species are known to be protogynous hermaphrodites, schooling in harems with the most aggressive and largest females shifting sex to male, probably as a result of behavioral triggers, when no male is available. Commercial and sport fishing have created tremendous selective pressures against the largest animals, typically male, restricting the reproductive capacity of the entire breeding population.

Recently, a small closure in the Gulf of Mexico was established to provide this and other species a refuge from commercial fishing pressure, however, these data are highly in dispute and are currently being challenged for inaccuracies. They are found in areas of a hard or consolidated substrate, and use structural features, such as ledges, rocks, and coral reefs (as well as artificial reefs, such as wrecks and sunken barges) as their habitats.”  Please see more information here.

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Image Credit: © Diane Rome Peebles

Gag Grouper: Mycteroperca microlepis

Appearance:

• Color brownish-gray with dark worm-like markings on sides
• Bottom of preopercle (cheek) has strong serrated spur
• Fins are dark, with white edges on anal fin and tail
• Dark lines radiate from the eyes

Similar Species: Black grouper, M. bonaci (spur on preopercle is gently rounded, not serrated)

Size: Up to 36 inches (50 pounds); common to 25 pounds

Habitat:

Coastal waters near structure such as rocky bottoms, reefs and drop-off walls in water over 60 feet deep. Juveniles found in estuaries and seagrass beds

Behavior:

Born as females but can later become male. Gag and red grouper are the most widely distributed of the Florida groupers. Goliath and Nassau grouper are protected from harvest in Florida waters. Spawn between January and May with some of the more tropical species spawning year-round. Feed on fishes and invertebrates.

Additional Information

State Record: 80 lb 6 oz, caught near Destin

Fishing Tips and Facts: Grouper fishing from a boat typically involves baits fished near the bottom, with heavy tackle and heavier to bring grouper to the surface. Live fish or dead cut or whole bait are used. Grouper are very tasty meals.

Recreational Regulations

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Image Credit: © Diane Rome Peebles

Black Grouper: Mycteroperca bonaci

Appearance:

• Color olive or gray with rectangular black blotches and brassy spots
• Bottom of preopercle (cheek) is gently-rounded
• Second dorsal, anal and caudal fins black on outer third part of fin
• Pale yellow or white margin on pectoral fins

Similar Species: Gag, M. microlepis (spur on preopercle is serrated); and yellowfin grouper, M. venenosa (pectoral fins trimmed in bright yellow)

Size: Up to 48 inches (180 pounds); common to 40 pounds

Habitat:

Coastal waters near structure. Juveniles can be found inshore. Adults are associated with rocky bottoms, reef, and drop off walls in water over 60 feet deep.

Behavior:

Spawn between May and August.

They are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning that young predominantly female who transform into males as they grow larger.

Larger individuals of this species are generally found in greater depths and they feed on fish and squid.

Additional Information

State Record: 113 lb 6 oz, caught near the Dry Tortugas

Recreational Regulations

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Image Credit: © Diane Rome Peebles

Red Grouper: Epinephelus morio

Appearance:

• Body color is brownish-red
• Tiny black dots found on snout
• Mouth lined in scarlet-orange color
• Sides have irregular white blotches
• Second spine of dorsal fin is long
• Pectoral fins are longer than pelvic fins
• No large black spot on caudal peduncle

Similar Species: Nassau grouper, E. striatus (large black spot on caudal peduncle)

Size: Up to 42 inches (50 pounds); common to 20 inches (15 pounds)

Habitat:

Bottom-dwelling fish found over hard and muddy bottoms. Juveniles found offshore along with adults greater than 6 years old. Fish from 1 to 6 years occupy nearshore reefs.

Behavior:

Spawn in April and May. Prefer water temperatures between 66 and 77 degrees F. Like many other grouper, red grouper undergo a sex reversal, young individual females becoming males as they age.

Lifespan of at least 25 years.  Feed on a variety of fishes and invertebrates.

Additional Information

State Record: 42 lb 4 oz, caught near St. Augustine Inlet

Similar Fish: Nassau grouper, E. striatus.

Recreational Regulations

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Please click here to Book A Charter or call 239-472-8658 and here for Live Sanibel Traffic Cams.  Sunday, March 4, Captiva Island Fishing Charters, Big Snook, In The Passes, 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 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.

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.