provided to The Santiva Chronicle

Capt. Hendricks with a large near-shore cobia. photo provided by Hendricks

The Sanibel Island Fishing Club will hold its second monthly meeting of the 2026-27 season on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at the Sanibel Community House, 2173 Periwinkle Way. The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. with a half-hour social time, and the presentation is at 6 p.m. sharp. Refreshments and pizza slices are available at a nominal fee. Admission is free, and the angling public is cordially invited.

This year the club’s focus is on “Back to the Basics,” and every presentation will guide you through the best bait, tackle, and methods to use when catching fish in the waters surrounding Sanibel and Captiva.

This month’s featured speaker is Captain Larry Hendricks of Tall Tails Charters. Captain Larry is a USCG-licensed guide based in Ft. Myers, Florida. His presentation will focus on his experience as a near-shore guide. The term “nearshore” best describes the reefs, ledges, and hard bottoms located no more than nine nautical miles from the shoreline.

Captain Hendricks targets a wide range of nearshore species, including kingfish (king mackerel), Spanish mackerel, mangrove snapper, gag, red and goliath grouper, cobia, sheepshead, and many other reef fish. He will discuss the best baits to use, the best reefs to target, and how to catch these prized fishes.

Captain Hendricks fishes out of a 2018 Pathfinder 25-foot hybrid. The boat fits up to six nearshore anglers. He uses Penn reels and St. Croix rods. Originally from Ohio, he grew up fishing nearby rivers and lakes, as well as the open waters of Lake Erie. He moved to Southwest Florida more than three decades ago and has been a successful saltwater fishing guide for over twenty years. If you are tired of fishing in the back bay and want professional tips on our thriving near-shore fishery, you will not want to miss this meeting.

If you’re interested in learning more about the local fishing scene or want to become a member of the Sanibel Island Fishing Club, please drop by to see what this great organization is all about. To learn more about the club and find great fish recipes, visit www.sanibelislandfishingclub.com.

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