I was just talking with Ken at Master Bait & Tackle in Bonita Springs. He tells me that the water is crystal clear but strong winds have kept most anglers from venturing very far offshore. Tarpon are thick in 20ft of water, about 3mile off the beach. Site cast crabs or greenbacks to rolling fish, or anchor in areas where tarpon have been spotted and put a live greenback or crab under a float and a fresh dead greenback on the bottom. Permit are plentiful on wrecks in about 40ft of water. Blue crabs or pass crabs are the best bait. Snook season is closed in the Gulf Region, but great catch and release snook action can found on the beach and all over the back country. White bait, greenbacks, and pinfish are all great baits for snook. Please bend down the barb on your hooks to make releasing the fish easier. Speckled trout fishing is very good on area grass flats. Shrimp and pinfish are the best live baits, jigs tipped with shrimp, slug baits, or Berkley's Gulp Shrimp or Jerk Shad are the best artificials. Sharks are every where and Ken tells me that a bonefish was caught in Wiggins Pass a few days ago. This is very rare for this area. Bait fish are becoming larger and more numerous on the south west coast. Many had been killed when fresh water from Lake Okeechobee was released through the area last winter. For more information contact;
Master Bait & Tackle
239-992-2553
4465 Bonita Beach RD
Bonita Springs, FL 34134
www.masterbaitonline.com/
