Spring has officially arrived in sunny SW Florida along with the tarpon, sharks, snook, goliath grouper and more. Many people ask me the best months of the year to fish the Naples and Marco island area and I say May – July and Sept – November.
The snook have started to show on the beaches as well as the passes. Spring and summer is their time to spawn so they congregate in these areas waiting for the full and new moons to spawn in the inlets. One of my favorite ways to fish for snook is to sight fish them along the remote barrier islands. The water this time of year can be gin clear and at high tide the snook will hug the shore, patrolling for food. Both live bait or flies work well. Sometimes we anchor the boat and walk the beach.
Tarpon have pretty much moved out of the backcountry and are starting their spring migration moving north along the sandy shoals and beaches. Sight fishing is also a possibility in the crystal clear water we sometimes have this time of year.
Sharks are still in the backcountry and off the beaches. I think the shark is an underrated sport fish. Bulls, spinners, black tips and lemon sharks put up a great fight and make great pictures.
Below are some recent catches.
Had a ball fishing with Robert Ford, Tim Keaney and Andrew Tucker this week. The highlight was Tim’s 100# Bull Shark.
