sanibel island

January 3, 2016 By Blake Matherly

Fly Fishing Sanibel and Fort Myers Florida

Out with the old (2015) and in with the new (2016). It’s hard to believe that the new year is upon us fishermen. What a end to the 2015 year of Fly Fishing and Back Country fishing around the islands of Sanibel and Captiva! Tarpon fishing was tremendous all the way to the end of December. Maybe the Tarpon decided to retire in Southwest Florida. Hopefully they will soon outnumber the Minnesotans that decided the humidity is better than below 0 temps.

Along with the Tarpon fishing, Snook fishing was great during December. As was the Mackerel, both Spanish and Kings, Bonita, Redfish, Spotted Sea Trout and many other species. Sanibel and Captiva is loading up with wintertime fishermen ready to head out on the flats to get them some of this action.

Multiple fishing trips also provided the unique opportunity for photographs. Not only fish, but birds, dolphins and manatees all wanted to be famous.

FlatsFish’r Charters also does photography tours along with instructions on lighting, gear and how to get the perfect shot.

2015 was a great year, and I’m very thankful for all my models (human, fish and animal) for being so supportive!

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

Capt Blake
<*(((><

May 3, 2014 By Blake Matherly

The New Egret Boat Has Landed

My new 2014 167 Egret flats boat has been delivered and already proven itself as the perfect boat for charter fishing the backcountry around the islands of Sanibel and Captiva.

Egret finished the boat in March and I was knocking at the warehouse door ready to pick it up. It’s approx 2 feet shorter than my 189 but only 2 inches narrower in the beam. It drafts 3 inches shallower and is about 300 pounds lighter. All these ingredients put together is a great recipe for all the different types of fishing I specialize in, especially doing more lure and fly fishing.

The Egret boat is known for being the “Rolls Royce” of flats boats. It’s smooth and dry ride is second to no other flats boat. The stability and quality is tops in it’s class. I worked with Egret owner, Frank Afshari, to custom build the perfect boat for fishing the backcountry waters around Sanibel. The boat is built using Carbon/Kevlar which is lighter and stronger than other materials. Some new features include, Minn Kotas I Pilot trolling motor, Power Pole Blade series shallow water anchor, Raymarine Dragonfly GPS/Sonar with new CHIRP down vision technology, Custom built Boatmaster trailer, and a Yamaha 115 HP 4 stroke power plant. Egret has numerous other quality features that makes this boat the best of the best.

The next test is yours, so come on down and lets go fishing!

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

Capt Blake

<*(((><

February 28, 2014 By Blake Matherly

Charter Fishing in Sanibel and Fort Myers Florida

The fishing report this week for fishing charters in Sanibel and fishing charters in Fort Myers is as follows. The weather pattern is pretty much what we expect for this time of year and the fishing has actually been pretty good.

Charters this week have been pretty good and as always it was great to see my friend Randy Love on the Egret again. Randy just got back from Mexico and brought his friend Michael along for the journey. Last time we tried getting Michael out a big front came in and blew us off the water. This time was our time to shine.

It started out a little slow but after a little patience and warming of the water temperature the bite started. At first we got into some pretty nice Jack’s. Pound for pound these guys are the toughest guys out there. What crowd pleasers they are. I give them a AAA+ rating on the attack of the bait or lure, and on the fight that comes after the attack.

We moved to see if we could get Michael his first Snook and Redfish (you always have to kiss your first Snook on my boat). It took a little longer and was a little tougher but we did finally tricked some nice fish into playing with us for a while.

What a great day out with old friends and great fisherman.

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

Capt Blake
<*(((><

February 18, 2014 By Blake Matherly

Fishing Guide Report in Sanibel and Fort Myers Florida

Charter fishing in the Sanibel and Fort Myers Florida area has picked up even with some days of low temperature. Knowing where and when to go is the key to success. Watching the water temp and the tides is equally important to figure out what species you want to target. Redfish and Spotted Sea Trout are our target fish during this time of year.

Some days during the winter the days even seem to be summer like in the temperature and in the way the fishing is. Those days are appreciated in the comfort and the amount and kind of fish reeled to the boat.

Sometimes the fishing is so good you may even need a little help from a friend. During one trip out with a great friend we had a little mishap in casting. As soon as the bait hit the water (on the other side of the tree) a Grouper hit the bait and the tug of war between the fish/tree/and boat was on. Seeing men in distress, a bold and brave maiden came to our rescue to rescue the line from the tree so the landing of the fish was possible. Our thanks to the maiden on the paddle board for helping the helpless men in distress and for making our day!

It was another great day on the water, many fish, great friends and a merry maiden (maybe Mermaiden)!

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

Capt Blake <*(((><

February 6, 2014 By Blake Matherly

Charter Fishing Guide in Fort Myers and Sanibel Florida Fishing Report

Charter Fishing in the Fort Myers and Sanibel Island area this week has been great. The weather finally broke, the days were sunny, warm and the winds were calm. Man did we need this to happen. The water temp warmed up and the frozen, shivering fish woke up and were hungry.

We caught and heard of some really nice size Spotted Sea Trout attacking topwater lures and DOA shrimp over the grassflats. Pot holes were also a proven spot to find the Trout but it seemed that the pot holes had most of the smaller ones.

Redfish were attacking many versions of what they thought were snicker bars but turned out to have an angler attached. Again we used topwater and soft bait lures to entice the drums to march our way.

Early morning sunrises were spectacular and the evening sunsets were just as nice.

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

Capt Blake <*(((><