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Today the weather in Fort Myers and Sanibel Island was a vast improvement from yesterday.  We had sunny skies with temperatures reaching 76 degrees.  Water temperatues at 72 and winds out of the N, NE at 5 to 10 mph.

I started the morning off catching a cast net full of baitfish under the Sanibel Causeway.  I had two charters today so I was able to catch plenty for the day.  

My morning tide was a very low incoming tide.  We fished in Matlacha and caught Trout, ladyfish and Redfish on 20 pound power pro and 30 pound test leader with a 2 watt hook and a popping cork.

My PM trip we fished in Ding Darling on an incoming tide and caught redfish and Trout again.  We caught the redfish on cut ladyfish that we caught earlier today.

Fishing has remained steady in Fort Myers and Sanibel Florida the past couple day.   Winds were 5 to 10 mph today out of the S, SE. Tempertures reaching 83 degres and water temps at 70.

Today, I fished the flats with the Boyd family from Minnesota.  We fished for Trout with shrimp under a popping cork using 20 pound test power pro and 30 pound leader.  We fishing the back side of Sanibel Island near the Ding Darling area.

I have been noticing the Snook (big snook) sunning on the sandy bottoms in the warmer water. They have not been taking the bait, although I did have a client hook up with one this week but broke of at the boat!  A couple more weeks with these warmer temperatures and the fishing bigger fish bit will be on.  Cant' Wait.

Tripletail begin appearing throughout most of South West Florida including Fort Myers and Sanibel Island around early March and hang around until early October when the water starts to cool down. Inshore, most tripletail average between 3 and 12 lbs. but larger fish in the 15-20 lb.

Tripletail tend to hang around channel markers, buoys, crab traps and bridges, the common factor being structure.   They are a slow moving fish,  preferring to drift with the currents to take it where they will than to set course and go to it.  Especially if there floating under debris or vegitation

For bait, nothing beats a juicy live shrimp. Tripletail just can’t seem to resist them. A close second to the natural critter would be a D.O.A. root beer color shrimp fished under a cork.  Tripletail will also take a variety of chunked baits such as fresh cut pieces of pilchards or mullet and a small whole squid will also be too hard to turn down.

My line of choice is 12 lb. mono and 18” – 24” long 30 lb. leader, usinf a 7ft medium action rod.

Upon noticing virtually any floating object, you should idle up to a point close enough to provide good sub-surface visibility but not so close as to spook any fish which may be present. A distance of 40 to 50 feet is about right in clear water and bright sunlight; a little closer may be necessary in less ideal conditions.

March 20th is the first day of spring.  The ancipated warming climate allows the water temperatures to rise here in the Fort myers and Sanibel Island area, welcoming the Spring migration of Cobia to the North.  During this time, usually the later part of Spring, you may spot Cobia traveling in small schools and/or with rays inshore and nearrshore right here in SW Florida.

Cobia aren't only known for there thrilling fight but also there flavor and texture.  I practice catch and release, but if you choose to bring it home for dinner, please keep in mind the FWC regulations are 33" to fork.  One per harvester or six per vessel per day.

The information in this report is provided as a service to the Fort Myers and Sanibel Island angling community by FishSkinner Charters, Fort Myers, FL.

Today fishing in Fort Myers and Sanibel, the winds were out of the Southeast 5 to 10 mph.  Water temp was 72 degrees.  Mostly cloudy with scattered showers.  Temperature reached 83 degrees.  

The redfish bite has remained steady.  Every charter that I have taken out in the past couple weeks has produced 10-15 redfish on average.   Not many within slot but fun nontheless.  

Grouper can be found inshore under structure where the water is deep and has good tidal flow. They're great offshore too but at the moment I prefer not leave inshore with the winds being high.  

I was fishing with a client the other day when she kept breaking off. I knew after a couple times of her line snapping, that there was only one thing it could be.  A goliath grouper (jewfish).  I had an extra rod set up on the boat for situations such as this, thanks to a lesson I was taught once on a hunting trip.   I was about 14 years old and I left the tree stand to use the restroom.  To my surprise as I sat there doing my business, a nice 6 point buck walked out.  There I was. No rifle at all, just a roll of toilet paper!  Maybe I could sneek up on him and blind fold him, lol.  After returning to camp and telling mu uncle what had happened, he got pretty upset and said, "you never go into the woods without your rifle".  So, I've taken that lesson into the fishing world.  You never leave the dock without a heavy rod and reel because you never know when your going to need it.  

With the larger rod in hand, we used one of the ladyfish that we had caught earlier in the day and tossed it right under the rubble.  It took about 10 seconds for that grouper to take the bait.  To her surprise the fish at the end of her line was fighting a lot harder than she expected.  After some words that usually come from a sailors mouth, she had the fish right   beside the boat.  It was about 15 to 20 pounds but she called at a monster.  It was carefully released of course.

Today I took the Porter family out from Georgia.  The wind gusts were 25 - 30 out of the N, NE. Not ideal fishing conditions but we made the best out of it anyways. The Sun was out, the sky was blue and the temperature was 80 degrees which makes fishing in that kind of wind a little easier.

I normally talk about all the Trout and Redfish we're catching this time of year but I'm gonna talk about something else we caught today.  Something I've never seen or have caught while fishing in Fort Myers or Sanibel Island before.

Walking Batfish, live on the bottom, covered in sand. These fish are flat, resembling pancakes.  Their pelvic fins act like feet, complete with little hook-like elbows for hopping along the sea floor.  Batfish reportedly produce scented secretions that entice prey with their odor. They are capable of swallowing fish nearly as large as themselves by suddenly opening their mouth very wide, creating a suction effect.  Batfish can be between 2 and 20 inches long, but the average length is 7 inches. Most batfish are found along reefs, dwelling anywhere from the water’s edge out as far as 1,500 feet. Some species prefer shallower water, but most batfish remain in deeper waters between 200 and 1,000 feet.  Batfish partly hide by covering themselves in sand or mud during the day, and swim at night.  They have no angling value, but anglers occasionally observe them in shallow waters, and, infrequently, they may catch one.

Keep in mind when fishing for Trout, Florida's fishing regulations for slot are 15"-20", except one over 20" per person.  Max is 4 per harvester per day.  Trout have very soft mouths, so try not to set the hook too hard otherwise you'll miss out!

That's your daily Fort Myers and Sanibel fishing report.  Now get out there and fish.  Have a great day!

It's been an unseasonably warm couple weeks in Fort Myers with the temperature today, January 24th 2012 reaching 80 degrees. Winds out of the SW 4 to 6 mph.  A great day for fishing and enjoying some Florida Rays.

I started of the day catching some nice white bait underneath the Sanibel Causeway.  With the water temps warming up out on the flats I decided to work on some Redfish and Trout on the incoming tide near the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River.  With 20 pound test leader and a popping cork we cast our poles onto the edge of an oyster bar.  We caught 4 Trout and one Redfish until I believe the fish were onto us.  We then moved closer to Matlacha, around its various oyster bars etc...  The bite was a bit slow at first so I decided to chum with the white bait I had caught earlier in the morning.  we ended up catching Trout into the 5 pound range.  We all had a blast until that bite shut down too.

I decided to switch up the tackle a little.  Still using the same 20 pound leader, I changed the hooks out to 1/16 ounce jig heads and used broke up little pieces of shrimp for bait.  Depending on the current I will add split shots to get the line to the bottom of the water.  We cast our poles in the deeper holes under mangroves. Came up with keeper Sheepshead and Snapper.  Not a typical Snook rush but lots of fun especially for the kids.  

That's your daily Fort Myers and Sanibel fishing report.  Now get out there and fish.  Have a great day!