Barron River Resort, Marina, Motel & R.V. Park:
Johnny says there are lots of nice snook available in the early morning or late evening in the passes and outer islands. Shrimp and greenbacks are the preferred bait. There are still some tarpon running with finger mullet. Redfish are being found in the backcountry and you can look forward to the fishing getting red hot. One of the favored techniques for redfish is a popping cork and shrimp and cast toward the islands. Give Ferguson River and Bay a try. Permit are being taken on Little Pavillion Key and Rabbit Key. Sharks are everywhere, with black tip and hammerhead being the most prolific. Hot News - Barron River Resort has been doing some remodeling lately and you will find a brand new bait and tackle shop with lots of fishing supplies and abundant bait available - guaranteed you will be impressed. Two tournaments coming up. One is the Firefighters and Friend 4th Annual Tournament on September 27th. The second is Donavan's 12th Annual Tournament on October 11th. Johnny says there is no better time to visit the area than now, with great rates and superb fishing.
1-800-535-4961

Mar-Good Resort: Mark says the redfish are quite active in the backcountry mangroves right now, with shrimp and greenbacks beinig the favored choices. Snook can still be found. There are lots of sharks to be found and they are virtually everywhere, with cut bait being the preferred choice. This is a great time of the year to visit Mar-Good Resort with superb rates, great fishing, and lots of rental units available.
941-394-6383

Marker 7 Tackle Shop & Fish House: Mike says snook can be found at Buttonwood and Pumpkin passes and throughout the backcountry. Big tarpon can still be found in the passes and normally can be enticed to take jigs tipped with shrimp and spoons. Plenty of permit and cobia offshore. There are lots of big barracuda available and Cuda Tubes are the ticket. Congratulations to Jackie for quite a barracuda catch! The are redfish available in the mangroves and flats and jigs tipped with shrimp seem to produce well. Sharks, sharks, and more sharks. Look for them throughout the area and bring plenty of cut bait. Captain Ted Naftal of the Tiderunner is having great success pleasing many clients with superb catches. Now is a great time to book a unit at Bianchi's Pink House Motel. Fishing cannot get much better and the rates are very attractive. Give Mark or Jacki a call.
941-394-1313
941-450-2271
941-450-2750

Master Bait & Tackle: Dean-O says the fishing in the Estero Bay and surrounding waters continue to be very productive. The tarpon bite continues and sharks are following the tarpon schools around. Some keeper grouper are being reported and numerous Jewfish are hanging on structure. Captain Lindy had been catching cobia, permit, and snapper on nearshore trips and Captain Ron has been producing lots of gator trout. Redfish, snook, and tarpon are in the back waters. Stop by Master Bait & Tackle for the latest fishing conditions and to pick up an original Master Bait & Tackle t-shirt. See our new full line of Fin Nor reels.
941-992-2553

Outdoor Resort - Chokoloskee: Snook, snook, and more snook. They are in the outside islands, backcountry, and the mouths of the rivers. Redfish are starting to be caught with regularity. Look for them in the mangroves and the flats, with shrimp and greenbacks the preferred bait. Snapper action is good. Fish for them off of the bottom. The tarponhave become scattered, but still available. Sharks remain in abundant supply, especially black tip, bull, and bonnetheads. If you are looking for great fishing, with the emphasis on great, and nice accomodations, give Outdoor Resort a try - you will not be disappointed.
941-695-2881

Chiquita Bait & Tackle: In talking with Steve, he says there are plenty of redfish and trout up at the Burnt Store Bar. This area is made for the fly fisherman. Tarpon are starting to move into the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River in the deep holes. Look for holes in the 12 - 20 foot mark. You will also find tarpon in the Cape Coral canals. Steve says that a customer named Mike was telling him that he was fishing in the evening on his lighted dock with a cut bait on a float when a tarpon came out of the shadows, circled around the cut bait a few times and then slammed the bait good and hard. What a sight that must have been!! Snook can be found in upper Pine Island Sound, especially by the Fish Houses, Captiva Pass, and the oyster beds.
941-540-0052

K.C.'s Riverstop: Quinn says there are lots of mangrove snapper being taken off the pier. Try putting your shrimp right on the bottom. There are cobia being taken off the pier and seawalls. Black tip sharks continue to be taken at night with cutbait. Remember, K.C.'s is a great place to stop for breakfast or lunch, with plenty of fuel, bait & tackle, and beer and wine available.
941-549-5699

Ft. Myers Marine: Chuck says there are still plenty of tarpon to be had, particularly off the beaches and in the deeper water to Charlotte harbor. Snook can be found in the passes. Redfish and Captiva are two good passes to start. There are a lot of schools of redfish being sighted with 50+ fish in these schools, with 35 inch fish not being unusual. Lots of these schools are being found on the flats and in the passes. Watch out for the big event! September 1st, Ft. Myers Marine will move across the street where their new facilty will be much larger, with expanded inventory and a beautiful showroom displaying the '98 models. Chuck also tells me that Ft. Myers Marine is the #1 Hewes dealer in the world - quite the accomplishment!

Sanibel Harbour Marina: Lori says the redfish, trout, and tarpon are all providing great action for the fisherman. There are lots of sharks ini the passes still chasing tarpon. The redfish action is really going to heat up as we go farther into the month. Congratulations to Bob Alcorn who caught lots and lots of redfish to win the employee fishing tournament - nice job Bob!
941-454-0141
941-454-0104

Smith Marine: While Craig is down in the Keys chasing lobster, the fishing is great in Pine Island Sound. There are lots of snook and redfish being seen and caught. tarpon are continuing to be caught with flies and plugs, however they are spreading throughout the area. Sharks, sharks, and more sharks. This has and continues to be a good year for sharks - guaranteed to to give you one heck of a tussle. Remember, Smith Marine specializes in Great White Trolling Motors and is SW Florida's premier outboard repair center.
941-939-5776
1-800-929-3701

Hippies Bait & Tackle: John says there are a lot of redfish along the mangroves and flats. The baits of choice are shrimp and pinfish. You might want to try a popping cork and shrimp. There are pompano in Matlacha Pass and sand fleas are the ticket. Once again, sharks are everywhere - Pine Island Sound, Matlacha Sound, and Charlotte Harbor. John says to remind you that on September 13th there is a United Way tournament and the weigh-in station is at Matlacha Marina, right next door to Hippies Bait.
941-283-2400

Ray's Bait & Tackle: Ray says there are lots and lots of snook around, particularly in the mangroves and along the beaches. Remember it is strictly catch and release this time of year for snook. Redfish are abundant, particularly on the flats, oyster beds, and backcountry mangroves. Sheepshead are starting up in earnest, and the mangrove snapper are laying deep and on the bottom. Tarpon are beginning to spread out throughout the area. Sharks and more sharks. They are beginning to move around throughout the entire Pine Island Sound and Matlacha Sound area.
941-283-4402

Seven Sea's Bait & Tackle: There are sharks everywhere according to Jim, particularly in the Bokellia area and around the channel markers. You will find black tips, hammerheads, lemon sharks and more. Use dead mullet or bonita for bait. The redfish are starting to school up. Look for them around Matlacha Pass, Two Pines, and Burnt Store Marina. Use jigs tipped with shrimp and gold spoons. The snook can be found around sandy bottoms. A great place to find them is along the four mile sand bar which runs from Matlacha to Burnt Store. Trout are somewhat spotty, but when you do find them, they are large, 27 inches plus. Schools of jacks being sighted are impressive. Some of these schools appear to cover quite a bit of water at one time. Congratulations to Brian and his cousin Frank, both 14 year young men, for their impressive tarpon catch. It seems that both of these young men hooked into a 170 lb. tarpon right behind Seven Seas Bait & Tackle and this fish dragged them around for over two hours before releasing the fish. What a thrill! To top that one off, Brian did the same thing the very next day with his dad. I think we have a future fishing champion in the making.
941-283-1674

Check out my PAST reports for the months of May, June, July, and August, 1997 ...