by Capt. Matt Mitchell
A tropical low on us brought disturbed weather, but best of all, it did wonders in cooling our water temperatures. Action in the sound remains consistent, and the flats bite continues to improve. Trout and mangrove snapper kept my mostly younger clients happy this week with non-stop action. With kids still out for summer vacation, many of my clients this time of year are clients enjoying a summer getaway.
Many clients like to go home for a fish fry, and mangrove snapper are the top target for this. These scrappy little fish are plentiful this time of year, and with a 5-fish-per-person limit, they make a great meal. Both Redfish Pass and Captiva Pass have been loaded with snapper, though getting these fish through the dolphins to the boat some days has been a challenge.
Some of the better mangrove snapper fishing has been on the flats. Deeper sand holes have been loaded with these snappers. Find birds and bait out on the flats, and the snapper will be there. Setting up and chumming small live shiners, which are everywhere right now, will get these fish fired up and hitting baits on the surface. Chumming is a great way to locate these snappers. Another option is the many blowdowns and dead wood on mangrove shorelines. It’s amazing how many snappers can be on a dead tree.
Mangrove snapper have great eyesight, so the lighter the tackle you can use, the better the bite will be. I often go down to as little as 20# fluorocarbon leader and use 3- 4 ft. A light wire 1/0 hook allows the bait to look as natural as possible. A light spinning rod will let you cast these little baits a bit farther than with the usual rods I use.
Catch-and-release snook fishing remains nonstop on basically any tide. As long as the water is moving, you can catch snook. The passes, beaches, and shorelines just inside the passes are loaded with hungry snook. Though most of these fish are on the smaller side, they are a blast to catch. If you have the patience to throw bigger bait, the action isn’t fast, but it often pays off with that one big fish we seem to get each trip.
Look for our redfish bite to improve as our summer rains have finally started up. Chunks of ladyfish or cut pinfish are the bait of choice. These cut baits cast a mile and can be soaked up under the mangroves and in the many potholes around the oyster bars. Most of my red fishing has been during higher-tide periods, though on deeper mangrove shorelines it’s possible to get one on lower tides.
Capt. Matt Mitchell moved to Sanibel in 1980 and has lived in St. James City since 2000 when he started his fishing charter business. He spends over 300 days a year “living the dream” fishing. For questions and info: bookings@captmattmitchell.com.
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