The last 3 weeks of May were great! The rain finally moved in, with a sub-tropic storm (whatever that is). Backwater fishing in the Ten Thousand Islands of Naples has been phenomenal.
The Julio family joined me for a day of fishing. They had great experiences catching monster Black Drum, on the flats, on light tackle. I also had the Wallace family out for a day of “Catching”. They got in on an awesome trout bite.
Pictured below is the Julio family.
I also had the pleasure of guiding a Prue Family Fishing charter. We had a chance to pull off shore in Gullivans Bay and get away from the islands for a bit. Large schools of Spanish Mackerel and Kingfish were feeding on Herring schools, which gave us the opportunity to target these fish with light tackle. It made for an exciting morning. Large Kingfish, Spanish Mackerel, and even a Cobia came over the rails.
Once we headed inshore, we threw a few Sea Trout in to the cooler. Pictured below is a full table at the marina.
Then the “sub-tropical storm Alberto” came, which shut down fishing for a week, for those that didn’t want to get wet. Ben, Kim and I, on the other hand, decided to “brave the storm” and do some ditch fishing.
Pictured below are the catches from our local canals and ditches.
As you can see, the sub-tropical storm was brutal! Just a reminder, I do guided beach walks and ditch walks, teaching anglers how to fish from land.
The first week of June, Kim and I had the pleasure of taking a Staycation. I taught Kim how to use Topwater lures. Now she is hooked. She actually out-fished me on the first day, but I got her back the next. Kim caught her first Snooklette. Did I mention that I jumped 3 tarpon on our trip? The trout bite was fantastic and the Snapper were actually keeper size. We certainly had some ups and downs, with Kim’s phone taking a swim in the canal. So…not as many pictures to post as we would like. We came home with several pounds of Trout and Snapper. Thank you to our friend Captain Rob for fishing her phone out, two days later.
In closing. the Juvenile Tarpon bite is strong in the early morning, catch and release Snook and Red fish all morning, with Trout and Drum all day and then back to Snook and Tarpon for the sunset bite. For Peacock Bass fishing the bite is best in the heat of the day and the beach walks for Snook and Reds start at 6 a.m. I expect these conditions to continue for the next mouth.
Tight Lines,
Captain Jim Fortman
239-325-7109
Backwater Fishing in Naples & the Ten Thousand Islands 