Fort Myers Florida

December 31, 2012 By Blake Matherly

Fort Myers, Sanibel Island Florida Fishing Report

The flats fishing this past week on the Southwest Coast of Florida around Sanibel and Fort Myers has been like the roller coaster ride at Disney World. One day chicken, next day feathers, or in some cases like one charter this past week, Seagull feathers.

My new friends Jeff Oravec aka. Seagull man, Bass man from Atlanta and his brother in law Mark Smith from Cleveland experienced the roller coaster ride with yours truly.

The day started out cold, overcast and thoughts of a shutout were hard to keep from my mind. One spot nothing, two spots nada, three spots zilch. How many fishing spots do we have to go to till we can find fish. My answer, as many as it takes! Period!

Finally we find some fish but the bite is slow and hard to get the fish hooked that were biting. Finally, spotted sea trout bite turned on. First Jeff, then Mark and the tough day started to look like we made the right decision. Suddenly the toughest fight so far started but, yes, it was not the underwater version, but the giant, sought after by few, Seagull. That’s right Jeff, my man, had hooked a Kamikaze Seagull looking for a free handout for breakfast. Thank goodness these guys are “catch and release” kind of fishermen so we gently reeled him in and softly released him back to the sky from which he belongs. After a few more trout we decided to try another spot.

The next spot started out very tough just like the others but we started getting some nice bites but could not get the fish out of the structure. After probably 10 break offs, Mark finally coaxed the first Grouper to the boat. Following the lesson learned, Jeff started reeling multiple fish to the boat and the day was without question the right thing to do. Both anglers caught multiple fish and really were great fishermen to have on the boat.

Safe travels to my new friends!

Get out on the water, take a kid fishing and always remember that “it’s great being us”!

Capt. Blake <*(((><

December 9, 2012 By Blake Matherly

Sanibel, Fort Myers Florida Fishing Report

Hello fishing nuts here in Southwest Florida. The weather is great and the waters are cool. That can only mean it’s time to get the shrimp and let’s go for some Sheepshead.

Many people love this fish to eat as to any other fish you can find. We’re getting lots of bites around pilings, bridges and mangroves. Just pick a spot and give it a try. Be wary though as Sheepshead are known for stealing your bait and leaving you with a clean shiny hook.

Get out on the water, take a kid fishing and always remember that “it’s great being us”!

Tight lines,

Capt. Blake

November 16, 2012 By Blake Matherly

Florida Fishing Report, Sanibel, Captiva, Fort Myers Trout and Redfish

The waters are cooling and the fishing for Southwest Florida charter guides has shifted from Snook and Tarpon to cooler temperature fish like Trout and tailing Redfish.

We’re seeing, casting and catching tailing Redfish on the flats in all areas. I love fishing with artificial baits like the DOA shrimp for tailers. I rig the shrimp weedless so I can present the shrimp on the nose of the Red without hanging up in the grass. It’s a blast seeing the Redfish eat and take off in a foot or less of water.

We’re catching numbers of Trout all over Pine Island Sound using the same DOA Shrimp. Many of my Charters are catching 20, 30 and more Trout in a day of fishing.

Get out on the water, take a kid fishing and always remember that “it’s great being us”!

Tight lines,

Capt. Blake

September 9, 2012 By Blake Matherly

Fishing Florida using DOA Lures

When fishing the flats or back country around Sanibel and Captiva Islands in Florida, no matter what time of year, or how much you fish, you should always have a number of artificial baits (lures) that you have confidence in.

Bait fishing is a no brainer, but what happens when bait is hard to find. What about daybreak fishing. During the summer months in Florida you need to catch the early bite or you may be out of luck. If you’re spending hours catching bait, I will spool you on fish caught for the day, but if you fish using artificial baits you can start fishing as soon as you get your boat wet.

DOA Lures are my go to when it comes to artificial fishing. Between the Shrimp and the TerrorEyz I have caught every fish that can be caught in the Southwest waters of Florida. Shrimp can be fished on the grass flats or skipped under the mangroves. The TerrorEyz can be jigged in deep water in inlets or around bridges. You can use the smaller heads and fish shallower waters with less current.

Go out and give artificial baits a chance and you’ll gain confidence like I have.

Get out on the water, fish a little and always remember that, “it’s great being us”!

Tight lines
Capt. Blake

August 16, 2012 By Blake Matherly

Sanibel Island Snook Redfish and Trout Fishing

Met my client, Lorn Randall from California early at the dock on a beautiful August morning to fish the back country of Pine Island Sound and the Islands of Sanibel and Captiva. Lorn requested to go and see the process of catching bait before the fishing on the flats. After catching bait and seeing a beautiful sunrise the hunt began with our first stop at a mangrove island. Our first fish was a beautiful Redfish. Our second fish was the elusive Snook. Now I’m thinking we’re almost there to the big “Sanibel Slam”. Just one Trout and we have it. Naturally, I’m ready to get out of here and go to some grass flats to see if we can make it happen. Summertime can be a little tricky for Trout as the water is warmer and you really need to get them early or you may be out of luck. Our day was progressing (getting late) so I’m a little concerned about our possibilities.

We head over to a nice Pine Island Sound grass flat and the hunt begins. My buddy, Lorn, proves to be a worthy caster and we commence to bring in one catfish after another. We miss a couple of small Trout and then it finally happens. A nice Pine Island Sound Spotted Sea Trout. Bingo, a Sanibel Slam.

We both decided to try some mangrove fishing on the Sanibel, Captiva side of the sound so we’re off to another adventure. In stealth mode, we creep up to an Island off Sanibel and start casting towards and in the mangroves. A couple of nice snook and a beautiful redfish and my line goes tight and a huge snook has his way with my gear. I never had a chance to even get a look before he was in the next Zip Code. We re-bait and then it happens. Lorn hooks the granddaddy snook of the day. He jumps and I know it’s going to be a tough fight. This is a 35 inch plus Snook! I lift up the Power Pole and start motoring away from the mangrove to help Lorn with the battle. Minutes later, which seemed longer, we have the monster to the boat only to have him break the leader while we’re trying to have a conversation with him. Wow, what a day!

I bid farewell to my new friend and we both agreed that it is “great being us”, especially today!

Tight lines,
Capt. Blake