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Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
New member
Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 254
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 - 11:29 am: | |
Ron Musick and Eddie Alfonso fished with me Monday, 4/28, when we were hoping to beat the weather front predicted to arrive late Monday night. We had originally planned to fish on Tuesday but we rescheduled once we heard the forecast. Seas were predicted to be two-to-three feet offshore Monday but that wasn’t the case. About the only place that was true was in the bay! We only went out about 15 miles from New Pass and we came in short of a full-day, due to conditions. We managed two keeper mangrove snapper and eight whitebone porgies on shrimp, so at least there was stock for Ron’s freezer.
Tuesday, the winds were predicted to howl and the seas predicted to churn offshore. There was also a good chance of rain predicted and I remained in port.
Although NOAA predicted seas calmed to two to three feet, out to 20 miles for Wednesday, I was a little dubious, knowing it usually takes the Gulf longer to calm down after a couple days of rough seas. I checked with my scheduled anglers to see if they might prefer inshore fishing but they decided to try for near-shore, so I headed out with Louis Wolfe and friends to about 30 feet out of New Pass, where we encountered seas of three to five feet. We knew we could expect only worse if we headed further out. Later in the morning the seas did calm a little. We did the best we could, which was two keeper lane snapper, two keeper mangrove snapper, a 24 inch Spanish mackerel, a 14 inch pompano, and a half dozen whitebone porgies. We released grunts and grouper shorts.
Thursday, seas were 3-5 feet again and I didn’t venture out. By Friday, the forecast was for 2-3 foot seas within 20 miles again but I knew better. My two anglers, father and son team Terry and Mike Hopkins, wanted to give it a shot anyway so we headed out to 43 feet from New Pass, where we had three-to-fives all morning. When we headed in about 1:00, there were two to threes once we got to within 10 miles of shore. We fished with live shrimp and caught about 20 whitebone porgies to 15 inches. We kept seven of those, along with a 14 inch hogfish. We released the rest of the porgies, gag and red grouper shorts, triggerfish, blue runners and a three-foot sharpnose shark.
Saturday morning, brothers Steve and Howard Potash fished central Estero Bay with me on a decent tide. Baited with live shrimp, we caught three keeper redfish, two at 18 ¾ inches and one at 19 ½ inches, and a keeper mangrove snapper. We released small snapper, a ray and a 22 inch snook.
The photo-link shown is of a king mackerel, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/HarryKurtz-kingfish.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
New member
Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 253
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 26, 2008 - 11:17 am: | |
Monday, 4/21, I headed out from New Pass to 43 feet with Bill Story and friends. We caught a keeper hogfish, released a smaller one of those, and caught grunts, porgies and porkfish. A couple of the guys had good-sized gags hooked, but lost them in the rocks.
Tuesday, Ron Musick, Ron Allison, Justin Baker, Eddie Alfonso and Ray Vincent and I headed out to 26 miles out of New Pass to start, and ended up about 35 miles off Naples, fishing with live shrimp. We ended up with ten keeper yellowtail snapper and fifteen large whitebone porgies all around two pounds. We released more porgies, triggerfish and lots of gag and scamp grouper shorts.
Wednesday, in 43 feet out of New Pass, the winds picked up and made it a little sloppy, but it was an otherwise nice day on the water, with comfortable temperatures and low humidity. Anglers Tom Firth, his sister Wendy Borgman, and friends Brad Heckes and Fernando Morias caught three keeper mangrove snapper to 17 inches, grunts and large whitebone porgies on shrimp. We released lots of gag and red grouper shorts to 19 inches, blue runners and triggerfish. We used a couple of blue runners on balloons to hook a couple nice kingfish, but both of them cut the line and broke off.
David & Janice Russell and their two young children fished a catch-and-release trip in Estero Bay with me on Thursday. The bite was slow but we released four snapper, five sheepshead and a spadefish during a morning of fishing with live shrimp.
Friday, Mike & Lea Connealy and daughter, Mandy, fished with me in 43 feet out of New Pass, where we caught mangrove snapper to 14 inches and whitebone porgies to 14 inches. We kept a few of those and released the rest, along with lots of gag shorts to 20 inches and red grouper shorts to 19 inches, grunts and porkfish.
Saturday morning I headed back out to 43 feet, this time with long-time customers Sandy and Rusty Hook, Rusty’s young son, Charlie, and family friend, Sam. We caught lots of porgies and grunts again and we lost a bonito when it wrapped around a crab-trap buoy after running out 165 yards of line. But young Charlie has the best fish story to tell: He had dropped a live shrimp over on a spinning rod with 17 pound test line. A small blue runner bit the shrimp and Charlie started to reel in. Just as he did that, along came Mr. 29-inch gag grouper to bite the blue runner, and Charlie ended up with a much bigger prize than he expected! With a little help from the captain, he landed that gag and was more than happy to be photographed with it!
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/capt-CharlieHook-29in-gag.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
New member
Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 252
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 12, 2008 - 7:58 pm: | |
Monday, 4/7, after a stormy night, seas were unsettled and it was pretty rough fishing with Tom Conrad, teenaged grandson Phil Conrad and Phil's friend, Peter Walspra. It was tough finding anything worthwhile to catch, with blue runners dominating the first three spots we fished. Finally, we managed to catch and release Spanish mackerel, a porgie, a 15 inch red grouper and a small goliath grouper. I was pretty disappointed with that, after the great fishing last week had delivered, but the boys had a great time catching the blue runners and I was glad we at least managed to catch a few other species, even if small. We saw a big kingfish at one point but he just wasn’t hungry, I guess, since he snubbed or bait.
Tuesday, Ron Musick, Hank Sherowski, Justin Baker and Bill Hoover fished with me in 45 feet out of New Pass. The wind was howling in the morning and we fished in three to four foot seas a good part of the day. We used shrimp and cut-bait and had a lot of kingfish action. We kept one of three kingfish we caught to 40 inches and lost about five more of them, including one that was over five foot long. Hank had that one boat-side when it rolled and pulled the hook, but we would have released him anyway so we at least had the thrill of the catch, though we’d have liked the courtesy of a photograph! We also caught a 32 inch Spanish mackerel and large whitebone porgies. We released triggerfish and lots of grouper shorts, along with blue runners.
Wednesday, seas were rough again and conditions were sloppy. All week long forecasts have called for two foot seas but nothing could be further from the truth. I fished with Marty Gmeiner, Bill Murphy and Dick Poterax. We had to stay fairly close-in, due to conditions, and fishing was tough. We caught some nice whitebone porgies, two keeper mangrove snapper, triggerfish and porkfish. We were bitten off once by a kingfish and we released red and gag grouper shorts to 20 inches, smaller snapper, grunts and lots of blue runners.
Peter Burtis and family fished with me on Thursday. Once again, it was a little too sloppy to get out too far, especially with small children on board. We fished a catch-and-release trip with shrimp in 33 feet at the artificial reefs off Bonita Beach, where the blue runners were once again thick. We also released a 20 inch bluefish, porgies, grunts and red grouper shorts.
Friday, fishing in 40 feet about 18 miles west of New Pass with Lyn Harned and friends Bob, Davis and Bob, we released another zillion blue runners, along with about fifty red grouper shorts, some gag shorts and grunts. We caught about two dozen porgies, two keeper mangrove snapper and a keeper yellowtail snapper, all on shrimp.
The kings were back when I fished with brothers Grant and Harry Kurtz and friend, Joe Tompkins on Saturday morning. Nineteen miles west of New Pass, we caught seven kingfish ranging 28 to 35 inches, kept four of those, and got broken off by a few more. We also caught a 28 inch Spanish mackerel, a keeper mangrove snapper and porgie, and we released grunts and blue runners. The kings seemed to like shrimp better than the blue runners this day.
The photo shown is of a pair of gag grouper, 22inches and 23 inches, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/BenGriggs-gags-22-23.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
New member
Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 251
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 06, 2008 - 7:40 am: | |
Monday morning, 3/31, the old familiar wind was back after a relatively calm weekend. With easterly winds it was still calm enough to fish near-shore at the artificial reefs. I did that with Brian and Marcia Wilson, daughters Nicole, ten, and Allison, 13, and Marcia’s dad, Bob. Brian caught a 15 inch hogfish, which is kind of unusual at the reefs. The group also caught five Spanish mackerel three of which were keepers, a keeper mangrove snapper and a couple of large grunts, all on shrimp. We released grouper shorts and blue runners and attracted a shark and a goliath with those blue runners as we reeled them in. We were broken off once by something large, most likely a goliath grouper.
Tuesday, my anglers, Jerry, Jill & Denise DeMars, Yvette-Gaff-Kleven, nine-year-old Jake Arnett, and sixteen-year-old Sarah Hobbe had planned to fish all day, but about noon, the light winds turned to 15-20 knot winds and the 2-3 foot seas turned into 3-4 footers out in 43 feet west of New Pass. We didn’t mind much because by that time we had caught plenty of nice fish and seen plenty of good action. As it turned out, the skies broke loose about an hour after we got in so missing the rain was another good reason for our early dockage. We caught two nice king mackerel, each between twenty and twenty-five pounds, using blue runners for bait. We weren’t fishing for kings initially, but when I released a blue runner behind the boat a big king skyrocketed out of the water to eat it, so I quickly rigged up some king poles and we caught the two nice ones. We also released a big king but he didn’t end up getting much of a reprieve because a ten-foot hammerhead shark got him as soon as we let him go—that was quite a sight to see! Young Jake also caught a keeper red grouper at 21 ½ inches and six pounds, and Sarah caught a nice 16 inch hogfish. The group also released lots of grouper shorts, small snapper, grunts, triggerfish, and porkfish. They kept a few large jolthead porgies, silver porgies and whitebone porgies. All but the kings were caught on live shrimp.
I headed back out to about 40 feet on Wednesday with Herb Guarascio and family. The action was a lot slower than it was the day before, but we did get one more kingfish about twenty pounds, caught on a blue runner. That fish tried to get back at me by flipping just the right way as I tried to remove the hook and hitting me in the chin...not sure who bled more, me or him! We also released gag and red grouper shorts and blue runners.
Thirty-five miles out of New Pass Thursday I had a pretty exciting and productive day of fishing with Bob Ericson and friends, Eric and Kent. We released a nine-foot bull shark and a seven-foot sandbar shark. We had sharks attack our catches numerous times and also were bitten off several times by big king mackerel. We also caught a couple of kingfish that were about 30 inches and released those. As for table-fare, we kept eight mangrove snapper to 16 inches, six yellowtail snapper to 17 inches and four large whitebone porgies to four pounds. We released lots more porgies. We caught everything on shrimp except for the kings and shark, which bit blue runners…well, the sharks bit whatever they wanted to!
Friday, that old familiar wind was back in our forecast and, though seas were forecast to be two to three feet near-shore, we had three to four foot seas at the close-in Bonita reefs, where I fished with Brookes Fishing Club friends, Jim Reed, Jack Kelly, Rich Cowen and Bill. Jim caught and released two goliath grouper, one about 15 pounds and one about 25 pounds. We also caught a 14 inch hogfish and a 14 inch flounder on shrimp. We released lots of gag and red grouper shorts, small snapper and Spanish mackerel. We were also bitten off by a big barracuda.
Unfortunately, I had a last-minute cancellation from my Saturday anglers so I was unable to take advantage of the relatively calm winds we had Saturday morning.
The photo shown is of a 25 pound king mackerel, caught on a porgie on an offshore trip this past Tuesday.
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/JakeArnett-capt-25lb-king.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
New member
Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 250
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, March 29, 2008 - 2:39 pm: | |
Another windy week began on Monday, 3/24. I fished in Estero Bay with Joe Goodall and seven-year-old son, Alex, Dave Bixby and Fred Irish. Alex has fished with me every year since he was about three years old, and he has turned out to be a full-fledged fishing enthusiast. We fished with live shrimp along the channel toward Wiggins Pass. Alex caught the biggest of four keeper sheepshead at 18 inches. He also released a 17 inch snook. Dave released a 25 inch cravalle jack. We also caught a 15 ½ inch trout and a keeper mangrove snapper, and released smaller sheepshead, jacks, ladyfish and a three-foot bonnethead shark.
Ross Christenson had been trying to get several sets of vacationing grandchildren out fishing for two weeks. Two dates had already cancelled due to weather and our final shot at a trip was Tuesday. With seas still kicked up and unsafe offshore, we opted for a catch-and-release backwater fishing trip with four of the Christenson grandchildren. Temperatures were in the forties when we headed out and a cold wind blew hard all morning. The tide was outgoing until it started coming in at the pass about 11:30 AM. The bay was extremely shallow. We saw several boats on the other side of the bridge waiting for the tide so they could head in. The water level was only about one foot behind Lely Barefoot Beach. Given those conditions, we were happy to have caught and released seven sheepshead (four of which were keeper-sized) and a ladyfish. We were thankful the kids were able to catch that many and also thankful that we were able to navigate back in without hitting bottom!
The Timbers family fished the artificial reefs off Bonita Beach with me on Wednesday, when seas were still pretty choppy in the morning. It calmed down some later in the morning. The group caught seven nice sheepshead, about 15 inches, as well as two keeper Spanish mackerel and two keeper mangrove snapper. They released blue runners and cravalle jacks.
Thursday morning seas were calmer than they have been in a while. I got out about 12 miles from New Pass with Stuart Norris and friend, Mike. We caught a 14 inch hogfish, a 15 inch sheepshead, Spanish mackerel to 20 inches, porgies, grunts and triggerfish, all on shrimp. We released gag and red grouper shorts.
Friday morning, Tim & Angela Cavanaugh wanted to play it safe in the backwaters with their eight-year-old daughter, Leah, onboard. They fished, along with a family friend, using shrimp along the channel by Wiggins Pass. The water was clear as could be and we saw lots of sheepshead, but they were reluctant to bite. We ended up with three keepers to 16 inches and we released smaller sheepshead, snapper and a cravalle jack.
Saturday, I fished a catch-and-release trip with Wayne & Nanon Foote, Dave & Dora Bush, Georgia Hulac and Diane Albright. We fished out to 35 feet, from New Pass, and used live shrimp. We caught seven yellowtail snapper, all around 15 inches, one 12 inch mangrove snapper, a 17 inch scamp grouper, large whitebone porgies, a small amberjack, blue runners and gag and red grouper to 19 inches. It was a beautiful day on the water without those gusty winds we have had lately.
The photo shown is of a 30 inch gag grouper, caught by angler Butch White on shrimp on an offshore trip before the windy fronts started to arrive.
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/ButchWhite-30in-gag.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
New member
Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 249
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, March 22, 2008 - 10:32 am: | |
High winds were the theme on Monday, 3/17 so I stayed close in at the artificial reefs with Jay and Ellen Andreoletti. Still, we had three to four foot seas and it was choppy for the duration of our trip. We had a good morning of fishing, though, with live shrimp. We got into some cobia and released two of those at 30 inches and 31 inches. We lost one larger one too, after it ran the line out and broke off on bottom. We also caught four keeper mangrove snapper, a keeper sheepshead and a porkfish. We released gag grouper shorts. Overall, we had a productive and fun morning of fishing, despite the rough conditions.
Tuesday, winds blew even harder, seas got even rougher, and the bay remained bone-dry. I cancelled my fishing plans and hoped the wind might die down by Wednesday, but the wind howled all week long and Thursday morning also brought some rain along with the winds.
By Friday, the winds were still strong but at least they had shifted direction and the water level in the bay was better. Lee Larsen, son Kyle and friends Steve and Bud traded their gulf fishing plans for the backwaters. Lee caught a keeper redfish at 19 inches and we also got a pair of 13 inch sheepshead on shrimp. We released smaller sheepshead, snapper and cravalle jacks.
Saturday morning was the calmest we’d seen for a couple of weeks but there was a lot of rain out over the water. My anglers that day included a few young children and they didn’t want to risk wet weather so we ended up calling that trip, making the total week’s tally two out of six. This is not an unfamiliar story for the month of March but is nonetheless frustrating. There’s always next week…
The photo shown (click link below)is of a pretty 15 inch hogfish, caught by young angler Katie Koscher on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/KatieKoscher-15in-hog.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
New member
Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 248
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, March 15, 2008 - 9:45 am: | |
Monday, 3/10, seas were predicted to be calmer after a weekend of high winds and choppy conditions. With predictions for two to four foot seas offshore, we hoped for fairly calm seas close in at the three-mile and five-mile reefs off Bonita Beach, where I fished with Peter Kenney, Mark & Sue Auguster and their children, Mitchell, Alana and Regan. We weren’t so lucky—seas were three to four feet and building with a steady 15-20 knot wind. We hung tough and fished the reefs all morning, using live shrimp. We caught three keeper sheepshead to 16 inches and an 18 inch flounder. We released a 14 7/8 inch trout, just short of legal size, as well as small lane snapper.
Dan Howey and son, Chris, fished a shallow Estero Bay with me on Tuesday. We released sheepshead, cravalle jacks, ladyfish and whitings, fishing with shrimp along tree lines and potholes.
Wednesday, there were still some pretty good waves offshore, but it was a little calmer and allowed me to get out to about 27 feet with Tom Coleman, brother, Russ, and parents, Jim and Donna. We caught seven sheepshead to 15 inches, eight keeper mangrove snapper to 14 inches, two keeper lane snapper and seven Spanish mackerel in the 22 to 24 inch range. We released smaller lanes and mangs and we lost a gag grouper to a line break.
Thursday’s anglers, Ken Goretski, Paul Caruso, and friend, Tom, had originally planned to fish all day in Estero Bay but the tide was so slow it barely came in at all and the bay was shallow. We decided to come in at the half-day mark, after releasing two whiting, two cravalle jacks, five small mangrove snapper and a ladyfish.
Friday, seas were fairly calm until about mid-day. I fished at the near-shore reefs and out to 7½ miles with Ben Grigsby and his uncle, Ken O’Brian. We caught two keeper gag grouper at 22 inches and 23 inches, lost a bigger one when it came off the hook, and released lots of gag shorts and a 19 ½ inch red grouper. We also caught a 13 inch hogfish, and some porgies. We also released lots of blue runners.
Saturday the winds were back once again and with seas of three to five feet offshore, I cancelled my fishing trip and called it a week.
The photo shown is of a 17 inch mangrove snapper caught on shrimp by thirteen-year-old angler, Grayson Jacobson on a recent offshore trip.
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/GraysonJacobson-17in-mang.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
New member
Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 247
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 07, 2008 - 10:48 am: | |
NOAA has spoken and there will be no more fishing this weekend, so I might as well post the report for this week. Monday, 3/3, the winds were starting to kick up the seas again ahead of the next cold front so I fished near-shore with Rellan Monson, his wife and a friend. We caught seven nice sheepshead to 20 inches and had another one of those now frequent encounters with a monster-sized goliath grouper that ate one of the big sheepshead we had hooked. We also caught four Spanish mackerel to 23 inches and released lots of gag grouper shorts.
Tuesday, there were small craft advisories issued, with gusty winds and seas building to six to eight feet. I cancelled my fishing trip.
Wednesday, I fished with Roy Kelley and friends in Estero Bay, along the mangrove tree lines from Wiggins Pass to Barefoot Beach. We caught three keeper sheepshead all 15 to 18 inches and a 16 inch trout on shrimp. We released smaller sheepshead and trout, a 17 inch redfish, cravalle jacks and ladyfish. We lost a big red when it bit just after the small one did and broke off in the trees.
Thursday, skeptical about the calmer seas predicted offshore, Ed & Margie Bock and I decided to fish bayside. If seas were at all calmer it was to be temporary at best, just recovering from a rough weather front with a worse one on its approach. We fished with shrimp along tree lines and caught five keeper sheepshead to 18 inches along with three keeper mangrove snapper. We released cravalle jacks.
The big blow arrived overnight Thursday and with wind gusts of 35 mph and seas of 7-10 feet in the forecast, it wasn’t a good day for fishing anywhere. I cancelled my trips and will be spending the weekend on land.
The photo shown is of a goliath grouper, over six foot, released by angler Brian Distefano, caught when it bit a large sheepshead Brian was reeling in on a recent offshore trip.
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/Distefano-6ft-goliath.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
New member
Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 246
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, March 01, 2008 - 10:41 am: | |
Monday, 2/25, I fished with Mike and Lee Conneally, son Clint and Clint’s girlfriend, Anna. We fished the reefs off Bonita beach in calm seas, which was a pleasant change from the rough waters of last week. Using live shrimp, we caught five large sheepshead, but lost one to a seven-foot sandbar shark that Clint reeled in and lost another to a big goliath grouper that ate it boat-side. We also caught porkfish to add to the sheepshead so the Conneallys ended up with plenty of fish for dinner, even after feeding the shark-burglar.
Tuesday, with seas building offshore all day in advance of a strong cold front, Andy Ungar and Tony Pastore traded their gulf fishing plans for a morning of fishing in Estero Bay. We caught two fifteen inch sheepshead, an eighteen inch whiting, and released two cravalle jacks to three pounds and a 23 inch snook.
I cancelled my planned fishing trips Wednesday and Thursday, due to high seas offshore and low-tide, dry conditions in Estero Bay.
Friday morning, seas were predicted to be two to three feet offshore, but when I headed out with Larry Dahlburg and five of his friends, we had rough seas right out of the pass. We started out fishing with live shrimp at the reefs, where we caught nine nice sheepshead to 17 inches. When seas started calming down, we headed south and out a little further, where we caught three keeper mangrove snapper and released a dozen small snapper. We also caught a half dozen lane snapper to 11 inches and three Spanish mackerel to 24 inches before the blue runners moved in. we released lots of blue runners, along with triggerfish and gag grouper to 19 inches.
Saturday morning I returned to the reefs off Bonita Beach, this time with Carl Graham and Paul Long. We caught a 24 inch Spanish mackerel and a mess of sheepshead, kept three of the largest, and released the rest along with gag grouper shorts, smaller Spanish mackerel and blue runners. We had another encounter with a goliath that ate one of the big sheepshead as we were reeling in.
The photo shown is of anglers Margaret and Scott Danielak with a porgie and a trio of gag grouper caught on shrimp before grouper season closed, on an offshore trip.
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/Margaret-ScottDanielak-gag-trio-p orgie.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
New member
Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 245
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 23, 2008 - 10:19 am: | |
I fished on a windy morning in Estero Bay Monday, 2/18, with Chuck and Steve Nebes. We worked our live shrimp along the channel from Wiggins Pass to Barefoot Beach on a catch-and-release trip that yielded two snook 20 and 22 inches, six keeper-sized mangrove snapper and sixteen sheepshead, ten of which were keeper-sized.
Tuesday there was a small craft advisory in effect until 9AM and seas were predicted to be choppy. My anglers included a few prone to seasickness, so they decided to cancel their plans to fish.
Wednesday I fished close in at the reefs off Bonita Beach, where it was still very sloppy for the first two hours of the morning, with seas of 3-4 feet. It calmed some by mid-morning and we ended up with five nice sheepshead, three Spanish mackerel a keeper mangrove snapper and grunts. We lost a couple of big sheepshead to the goliath grouper and actually saw a goliath eat one of those right under the boat.
Andy Unger, son David Unger, Tony Pastori, Jim Sistek and Bob Wilson headed out with me Thursday to fish in 39 to 45 feet of water out of New Pass. We had a good day of fishing, with a final tally of fourteen nice mangrove snapper to 17 inches, sheepshead to 18 inches, five hogfish including two keepers at 15 inches, Spanish mackerel to 24 inches, triggerfish and whitebone porgies. We caught and released a pair of 24 inch gag grouper and one 20 ½ inch red grouper, all of which are out of season in federal waters currently. I missed out on photos because of a dead camera battery, but I am hoping one of my anglers will send a few.
In 35 feet out of New Pass Friday, Emily Bowden, Bill Koscher, son Gary Koscher and Gary’s children, Katie and Kevin, caught a nice variety of fish on shrimp, that is, when we weren’t running from the dolphin. Every time we started getting lots of bites the dolphin showed up to spoil the fishing, but the kids enjoyed seeing the dolphin anyway. We ended up with a 15 inch hogfish, a few keeper mangrove snapper, a few keeper lane snapper, a 13 ½ inch triggerfish, porkfish and grunts. We released lots of gag and red grouper shorts.
Saturday morning I headed out to about 25 feet, staying a little closer to shore because of the winds and higher seas offshore. I fished with Brad Clemons, Amanda McCrackin, Amanda’s parents John and Debbie McCrackin, and friends Kevin and Carrie Kelly. We released accumulative total of nearly 700 pounds of goliath grouper—one weighed close to 400 pounds and the other about 275 pounds, according to my estimates. Both bit large blue runners. For table-fare, we caught seven nice sheepshead, all 15 and 16 inches, on live shrimp. We released gag grouper shorts.
The photo shown is of angler Bob Carter with a pair of hogfish caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/BobCarter-hogfish-pair.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
New member
Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 244
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 16, 2008 - 1:21 pm: | |
Monday, 2/11, the winds were blowing in the early morning but without the strength they gathered late on in the day. Predictions were for 2-3 foot seas close-in, so I headed to the artificial reefs with Ed and Margie Bock. We were only five miles offshore and we had 4 foot seas most of the morning. The wind was howling and it was tough to even stay anchored up. We caught two nice sheepshead, each 18 inches, along with a 15 inch triggerfish. We released gag and red grouper shorts and small Spanish mackerel.
Tuesday, winds looked just slightly calmer on land but I knew what it would be like offshore with a weather front approaching from the gulf. Estero Bay’s water level was dead-low so that left few options for a day of successful fishing. I advised my anglers to cancel their trip. Sure enough, the rain moved in from offshore by late morning and winds gusted on and off. A small craft advisory was issued through late Wednesday, causing me to cancel my trip for Wednesday also.
Thursday, with seas offshore still trying to calm down, Herb Guaracio and friends decided to try their luck in Estero Bay. The tide was very low and it was a slow ride back to shore in shallow water. We caught a couple of trout on shrimp, but nothing else seemed to be biting.
Our luck was better in Estero Bay on Friday, where I fished with Leeds Hutchinson and Pete Solden, along the mangroves toward Wiggins Pass. We caught a dozen whitings and a keeper trout, lost another trout and released lady fish and small sheepshead.
Saturday, I headed to 43 feet out of New Pass with Gary Jacobson, son Chuck Jacobson, grandson Grayson and family friend, Tom Batcheller. We could have had a few nice gag grouper if the season for those in federal waters had not just closed. Sadly, we had to release three or four that would have been keepers to 23 inches. We also released some shorter gags and red grouper to 19 ¾ inches, along with porkfish, triggerfish, whitebone porgies and Spanish mackerel. Though it was disappointing to have to release the grouper, the snapper bite was also hot and pretty much made up for the grouper. We kept our limit of mangs, releasing thirty of fifty caught. Of those fifty, about half were keeper-size to 17 inches. We used shrimp for everything.
The photo shown is of sister-anglers, Erin and Emily Bowden, with a Spanish mackerel, a flounder and a mangrove snapper all caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/Erin-EmilyBowden-Sp--flounder-man g.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
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Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 243
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 09, 2008 - 1:17 pm: | |
Mother and son anglers Carole and Kenny Mathis fished Estero Bay with me Monday morning, 2/4, from Barefoot Beach to Wiggins Pass. We used live shrimp to catch three keeper mangrove snapper and a pair of 16 inch whitings. We released small sheepshead and a 22 inch snook.
Tuesday, fishing in 45 feet out of New Pass with Ron Musick, Dick Arnett, Jim Novak and Bob Mayer, we caught two 16 inch hogfish, eight mangrove snapper to 16 inches, a mess of whitebone porgies, all 14 and 15 inches, and three nice sheepshead to 20 inches. We were literally swarmed by bluefish, which we had fun catching and releasing, along with a red grouper just an inch shy of keeper size at 19 inches, all on live shrimp and light tackle.
Wednesday, although seas were predicted to be two to three feet, they were mostly three to four, and it was rougher in close to the beach than out a little further. I fished in about 40 feet out of New Pass with Tom Batcheller, Lee Larsen, Steve Sidlik and Bud Glanzer. We caught five keeper mangrove snapper to 16 inches and whitebone porgies on shrimp, and we released gag grouper shorts and red grouper to 19 inches.
Thursday seas were a little calmer when I fished with Bob Lozier and friends 17 miles west of New Pass. We caught eight mangrove snapper to 15 inches, a 15 inch hogfish, triggerfish and grunts, using live shrimp. We lost a big grouper when it broke a line.
Friday morning I fished in Estero Bay with Mike and Nora Cole, from Wiggins Pass to Barefoot Beach. We caught seven nice sheepshead to 18 inches and released all but two of those. We also released two 17 inch redfish, mangrove snapper and a 20 inch cravalle jack, all on shrimp.
Fishing in 47 feet out of New Pass Saturday with Tom & Noreen Petracelli, Hank & Judy Norman, and John & JoAnne Hoogenden, we caught eight keeper mangrove snapper to 15 inches, whitebone porgies, grunts, triggerfish and porkfish on live shrimp. We released gag and red grouper shorts, a 25 inch goliath grouper and a small hogfish.
The photo shown is of anglers Eric & Tricia Walters and Mike & Bobbie Paquette with a quartet of gag grouper ranging 22-27 inches, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/Walters-Paquette-gags-22-25-26-27 .JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
New member
Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 242
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 02, 2008 - 10:07 am: | |
Monday, 1/28, the seas calmed enough to get offshore, although we stayed fairly close in 30 feet out of New Pass. I fished with Leonard White, Butch White, Bill Banish and Ted Ressler. Butch caught a nice gag grouper—30 inches—using a small sheepshead as bait on a heavy pole. Bill followed up with a 23 inch gag, caught on shrimp. The group also caught a half dozen keeper mangrove snapper, all 13 and 14 inches, two keeper sheepshead at 14 inches and 15 inches, grunts and porgies. We also released a small hogfish. It was pretty chilly on the water in the early morning, but the fish sure didn’t seem to mind!
Earl Meturfman, Joey Kennedy, Pete Watrous and Tony Grasso fished with me on Tuesday in 33 feet out of New Pass. The wind shifted direction and picked up a bit, causing seas to be a little higher than they were on Monday. We did well with live shrimp and caught a 15 inch hogfish, a mess of sheepshead to 16 inches, of which we kept eight, and 8 keeper mangrove snapper, along with grunts, porkfish and triggerfish. We released gag shorts to 21 inches and red grouper to 16 inches.
Wednesday, conditions changed and fishing was tougher offshore in 37 feet out of New Pass. The winds were S-SE and increased throughout the morning. The winds and waves were going in opposite directions and the current was slow. The water was crystal clear, but the bite wasn’t as strong as it had been the earlier part of the week. Lee Wampler, Chris Corrie, his son, Jason, and six-year-old granddaughter, Celestra, still fared pretty well, though, landing two 14 inch hogfish and a half dozen keeper mangrove snapper and some porgies, all on shrimp.
Seas were a little sloppy on Thursday when I headed out to 42 feet from New Pass with John Bileau. We caught eight keeper mangrove snapper and a mess of 12-15 inch porgies, and released lots of gag and red groper shorts, several gags just an inch or so shy of keepers.
Friday, with strong winds out of the south-southwest, seas continued to build offshore. I stayed close in at the reefs with Peder Engebretson, Mike Higgins, Sr. and Mike Higgins, Jr. we used shrimp to catch mostly sheepshead and caught about thirty of those ranging from 12 ½ to 19 inches. The guys kept four of those and released the rest, along with grunts and gag shorts to 21 ½ inches.
Saturday morning I fished the reefs with Jim Madsen, Brian Distesano, Frank Troy, Carl McDonald and Matt Keenan. We caught 15 nice sheepshead to 19 ½ inches and released seven of those, along with lots of gag grouper shorts. We also hooked a monster goliath grouper that was 6 ½ feet long—he bit an 18 inch sheepshead on 150 lb. test and gave us a fun fight before release.
The photo shown is of angler Blake Dargis with a 15 inch hogfish caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/BlakeDargis-15in-hog.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
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Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 241
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 25, 2008 - 10:53 am: | |
On Wednesday, 1/23, after several days of cancelled trips, due to weather conditions, I finally got back out with Bob Carter and friend, Harvey. Using shrimp in 32 feet of water out of New Pass, we caught three hogfish, two of which were keeper size. We also kept two (out of a dozen) keeper-sized sheepshead and released the rest, along with keeper-sized mangrove snapper, an 18 inch bluefish, and gag grouper shorts to 20 inches. Bob and Harvey had three bigger gags hooked over the course of the morning, but they buried in the rocks and broke off.
Thursday morning, I headed out in heavy fog, thankful for radar, with Ron Musick and friend Dick. We fished about 17 miles west of New Pass. We caught four hogfish but only one was a keeper at 15 inches so we released the other three along with lots of gag grouper shorts to 20 inches and red grouper to 19 inches. We also caught fourteen keeper mangrove snapper and a mess of whitebone porgies.
The photo shown is of angler Terry Hopkins with a hogfish, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/TerryHopkins-hog.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
New member
Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 240
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 19, 2008 - 10:16 am: | |
Sunday morning, 1/13, I fished Estero Bay from Wiggins Pass to Barefoot Beach with Kip & Lisa Price and their two sons, Aden, eight, and Cooper, four. We were a little worried about the rain that was predicted for Sunday, but as it turned out, we stayed dry all morning. Our mission was to let the boys catch some saltwater fish, which is something they don’t get to do in their hone-town of Denver. Using live shrimp, both boys had fun catching and releasing a variety of species, including sheepshead to 15 inches, mangrove snapper, pompano, whiting and puffer-fish. They were intrigued with the teeth on the various species and Cooper was most excited about “the fish with the bat-teeth” (sheepshead.) All-in-all they had a great time and topped off their trip with some fresh Florida grapefruit, also quite a novelty!
With seas of 3-5 feet on Monday accompanying a cold front and continuing into mid-week, I stayed in port. Thursday was even worse, with both rain and wind, so it was Friday before I headed out again. I fished with Eric & Tricia Walters and Mike and Bobbie Paquette, Tricia’s parents. We headed out in a dense fog and stayed that way for a good part of the day. It took some extra time to get to our destination, get our bearings and anchor up. But we had good success about 17 miles west of New Pass. We caught four keeper gag grouper, the 22 inch one on shrimp, and then a 25 inch, 26 inch and 27 inch on squirrelfish and blue runners. We lost a huge gag, probably about 25 pounds, when he twisted, rolled over the leader, and jerked the hook. We also caught thirteen keeper mangrove snapper, all about 13 inches and a keeper lane snapper on shrimp. We released porkfish and whitebone porgies and dozens of 15 and 16 inch bluefish.
Fishing with me in Estero Bay Saturday, from Barefoot Beach to Wiggins Pass, Tom Einson, Chris Scutt and Dave Baines used live shrimp to catch a good variety of fish. We caught a keeper trout, two keeper sheepshead, a keeper mangrove snapper and a keeper whiting. We released smaller trout and ladyfish.
The photo shown is of angler Phillip Troutmann with a 23.5 inch gag grouper, both caught on shrimp on recent offshore trips.
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/PhillipTroutmann-23-5in-gag.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
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Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 239
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 12, 2008 - 12:14 pm: | |
Monday, 1/7, I fished with Ed and Margie Bock in 30 feet out of New Pass with live shrimp. We caught a mess of nice sheepshead to 17 inches and kept a half dozen of those. We also caught two keeper mangrove snapper, a pair of 14 inch triggerfish and grunts. We released a 15 inch bluefish, small Spanish mackerel and grouper shorts.
Tuesday, I headed out 31 miles west of New Pass on a 270 degree heading, where I fished with live shrimp in 63 feet with Ron Musick and his friends, Dick and Mike. We caught keeper mangrove snapper, Spanish mackerel and porgies, brought home fifteen fish, and released lots of gag shorts to 20 inches and red grouper shorts to 18 inches.
Andy DiCarlo and son Andy, Jr. fished with me Wednesday morning over hard bottom, off the beaches in 30 feet. Using shrimp, we caught another nice mess of sheepshead to 20 inches. We kept ten of those in the 16 inch to 20 inch range and released the rest. We also caught keeper-sized triggerfish and grunts and released lots of small grouper.
Five business associates, Ray Malayter, Steve Casey, Jeff Robillard, Kelly Packard and Larry Brockhaus had a good morning of fishing on Thursday. We headed out of New Pass and fished in 27-36 feet. Ray caught a nice gag grouper at 26 inches (see photo) and, although Larry had to release his 20 inch fish, it was a true black grouper, more unusual than a gag. We also had lots of catch-and-release-grouper action with red grouper to 19 ¾ inches, a quarter inch shy of keeper-size, and lots of short gags. We also caught a keeper mangrove snapper and released smaller mangs, whitebone porgies and grunts.
Friday, Scott Danielak and Margaret Danielak fished with me for the day in several spots on the way out to 60 feet, west of New Pass. We started catching lots of gag grouper on shrimp and light tackle, mostly shorts, but then we were broken off three times by bigger ones so I readied some heavier tackle and baited with sand perch. We caught three keeper gags on those rigs, two at 22 inches and one at 24 inches. We also caught four keeper yellowtail snapper, a few keeper mangrove snapper and whitebone porgies. All but the gags were caught on shrimp.
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/RayMalayter-26in-gag.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
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Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 238
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 05, 2008 - 10:22 am: | |
Monday, 12/31/07, I headed back out to federal waters, where two days earlier I had encountered a hot kingfish bite. On Monday, though, we didn’t get any kings. But I still had a good morning of fishing with Dan Brady, Peter Strazz, Andrew and Jim Bramlett and Tom Giordano. We released a 10 pound bonito, Spanish mackerel, red and gag grouper shorts, and some mangrove snapper that would have been keepers in state waters, but were a bit too short for federal waters. We also caught a 13 inch hogfish, whitebone porgies and grunts, fishing with shrimp in 39 feet out of New Pass.
New Years’ Day brought rain preceding a cold-front, which in turn brought high, gusty winds and very rough seas. As often happens during this time of year in cold-front conditions, the tides in Estero Bay were so low that it prevented any expectation of decent fishing bayside. I cancelled my trip for Wednesday. Those conditions persisted through Friday, so I ended up canceling my Thursday and Friday trips also.
By Saturday, the winds had calmed quite a bit, NOAA predicted seas of two to three feet and there was enough water back in the river and bay to float the boat. I headed offshore with Bill and Wendy Baumgartner, daughters Jenn and Melissa, and Melissa’s boyfriend, Brendon. We fished the reefs with live shrimp and caught 5 nice sheepshead ranging 16 to 20 inches, the largest caught by Melissa. We released a few bluefish to 15 inches, gag grouper shorts to 18 inches and red grouper to 14 inches, along with some small mangrove snapper. We had a goliath try to eat one of the short gags as we reeled in.
The photo shown is of angler Leon Mead with a 29 inch, 14 pound red grouper caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/LeonMead-14lb-29in-red-grouper.JP G |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
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Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 237
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 29, 2007 - 12:21 pm: | |
Christmas-eve morning, 12/24, I fished Estero Bay with Vince and Jenny Tomlinson and Katie and Mike. We caught a nice variety of fish on live shrimp. We released eleven spotted sea trout (currently out-of-season), cravalle jack, small sheepshead and ladyfish. We kept a half dozen mangrove snapper that all measured around the twelve-inch mark, along with some keeper whiting.”
Wednesday, Dr. Boyd Bowden, daughters Emily and Erin, and friend Ron Baldwin fished with me in 35 feet out of New Pass. We caught three keeper mangrove snapper, all about 14 inches, a 15 inch flounder, a 13 inch triggerfish, a 25 inch Spanish mackerel and some whitebone porgies. We released lots of grouper shorts to 18 inches.
On Thursday, I fished with Jerry and Andy Spetzler, Art Herman and friend, Ed, in 45 feet out of New Pass. We caught whitebone porgies, grunts, and released lots of red grouper to 19 ¾ inches, just a quarter inch shy of keeper-size, and lots of gag shorts. We also used a blue runner to hook an 80 pound goliath grouper, which was fun to fight and release.
Friday, in 31 feet out of New Pass I got into a strong king mackerel bite fishing with Terry Hopkins, Cody Hennessey, Brad Byk and his sons Ryan and Will Byk. We caught six kings to 30 pounds. We photographed the largest one and released it with all the others except for one 37 inch king (see photo). We also caught a keeper hogfish, several keeper mangrove snapper, a keeper sheepshead, triggerfish and porkfish. We caught everything on live shrimp except for the big mackerel: I saw that one jump so I threw a blue runner on a pole with 12 pound test and a piece of leader, and the mackerel struck that in about ten seconds.
Saturday morning, I was kind of aching to get back out where the kingfish were, but I had a backwater trip booked. I fished Estero Bay with John & Kelly Hull and John’s dad, Bob Hull. We released a 16 inch redfish, a 23 inch snook, cravalle jacks, ladyfish and some sea-trout that would have been nice ones if they had been in season. We kept two sheepshead at 13 inches and 15 inches, one mangrove snapper and some whiting. All were caught on live shrimp, from Wiggins Pass to Barefoot Beach.
I’m hoping the kings will be waiting for me on Monday.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/Cody-37inch-king.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
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Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 236
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 22, 2007 - 11:02 am: | |
Henry Froese and son, Bradley, from Ontario had planned to fish with me on Monday, but the weather front that passed through at the beginning of the week put a stop on those plans, due to seas of 7-12 feet offshore. We rescheduled for Friday. Friday morning, it rained early but passed through quickly, and once it did we headed out. We had hoped to play with a few goliaths to give Bradley the thrill of feeling a big fish on the line, but we never got the chance. After releasing some triggerfish, gag grouper shorts, grunts and Spanish mackerel, the sloppy seas started to get to my anglers’ stomachs, and we decided to head for shore a little sooner than planned.
Saturday morning, I headed offshore to areas around the reefs in 35 feet out of New Pass with Kevin Dineen and seventeen-year-old son, Troy. Kevin caught a nice 27 inch gag grouper and we were broken off by three more, fishing with light tackle. They weren’t biting heavy tackle at all. We had a live grunt on heavy tackle just a few feet away from where Kevin caught the 27 inch gag, but nothing hit it and we had 4 bites on the light rig. We released lots of gag shorts to 20 inches, along with Spanish mackerel to 28 inches, triggerfish and grunts. We also caught and kept nine mangrove snapper all around 13 inches. We had a goliath grouper that was about 300 pounds eat one of our gag grouper right at the water’s surface boat-side, which was a pretty exciting sight. After that, the goliaths surrounded us and attempted to eat everything we pulled in, so we picked up anchor.
The photo shown is of ten-year-old-angler, Blake Dargis, with a pair of 16 inch triggerfish caught on a recent offshore trip.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/BlakeDargis-trigger-pair.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
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Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 235
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, December 09, 2007 - 9:40 am: | |
Monday, 12/3, I fished in 45 feet out of New Pass with Dan Ayd, son Dan Jr., and friend, Steve. We caught four keeper mangrove snapper, all around 13 inches, along with some good-sized whitebone porgies, triggerfish and a tripletail. We had a 45 inch king mackerel on the line but he circled the boat three or four times like kings do and ran us around trying to keep him off the anchor line. Just before we had an opportunity to gaff him and get him boated, he broke free. We released red grouper shorts to 18 inches and two 40 inch bull sharks.
Jim Butcher and friends, Bob and Richard, fished Estero Bay with me from Barefoot Beach to Wiggins Pass on Thursday. We caught five keeper sheepshead to 16 ½ inches, two keeper mangrove snapper and a sand bream. We released lots of smaller snapper and sheepshead, all on live shrimp.
Friday, Reiner Neumann and friends, Vince, Gino and Joe, fished in 38 feet out of New Pass with me. We caught keeper mangrove snapper that were all about 13 inches, a 14 inch hogfish, whitebone porgies to 15 inches and a couple of big triggerfish to 17 inches.
Leon Dargis, son Brett, and ten-year-old grandson, Blake, fished with me Saturday about 21 miles out of New Pass. We hit a hot snapper bite and caught over thirty keeper-sized mangs, and kept nine of them all close to 14 inches for the family’s dinner. We caught a 15 inch hogfish too. We also caught five nice triggerfish about 15 inches each and kept three of those. We released a half dozen large whitebone porgies about 16 inches and we had our lines broken three times while fishing just over a small ledge—we never got to see the brutes that broke us off.
The photo shown is of angler Elvira Ruetimann with a 15 inch hogfish, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/Elvira_Ruetimann-15in-hog.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
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Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 234
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 01, 2007 - 10:17 am: | |
Monday, 11/26, I fished a catch-and-release trip in Estero Bay in potholes between Wiggins Pass and Barefoot Beach with Dan Nimmer and his teenaged son, John. We released four keeper-sized sheepshead to 15 inches, a 17 inch redfish, and keeper-sized mangrove snapper, all caught with shrimp.
My next scheduled trip was for Wednesday, but with one angler coming from California, that one got scrapped due to the wildfires out there. Fortunately, the only problem for our client was a delay in travel plans. Others were not as fortunate, and our hearts to out to those who have dealt with this recent disaster.
Thursday’s client was dealt a problem of lesser intensity when he injured a foot in an accident but it still caused him to cancel his fishing plans. So it was Friday before I was out on the water again. It turned out to be a day worth waiting for. I fished with Dr. Leon Mead and his sons, Spencer and Alexander, about 38 miles west of New Pass. Leon caught two keeper red grouper, one 21 inches and the other a real beauty at 29 inches and 14 pounds--That one was tons of fun to reel in on 12 pound test! Alexander caught a nice keeper gag grouper at 24 inches, Spencer caught a keeper mangrove snapper and the group also caught three keeper yellowtail snapper. We released porgies, triggerfish and lots of red grouper shorts to 18 inches.
Saturday, fishing in 38 feet out of New Pass with Leon Dargis and Bob Rose, we caught four pretty nice lane snapper all around 13 inches, two 12 inch mangrove snapper, porgies and triggerfish. We released red and gag grouper shorts and small yellowtail snapper.
The photo shown is of a 28 inch gag grouper, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/CaptDave-28in-gag.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
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Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 233
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 24, 2007 - 10:08 am: | |
Monday, 11/19, I fished offshore with long time clients Jerry and Barb Rudan from Wisconsin. Jerry had his hopes up for battling a big grouper or two but first thing in the morning it was pretty windy and a little rough. We tried a few spots close-in, caught a few fish, but had no grouper action. Winds and seas calmed after a bit and we headed out to spots between 38 and 45 feet out of New Pass. Using shrimp, we caught a dozen good-sized whitebone porgies at 13-14 inches, a 13 inch triggerfish and three keeper mangrove snapper at 13-14 inches. We released lots of smaller snapper and grouper, along with some grunts. Barb hooked a nice gag grouper that was about 24 inches, but just as she got him to the surface, he rolled just right and came off her hook. Since Jerry wanted a battle, I rigged him up with a blue runner and took him where I knew he’d find a goliath grouper to fight. He caught and released a 25 pounder, his first goliath experience.
Tim Lopez and girlfriend, Torie Sardegna, from New York, fished Estero Bay with me on Tuesday. Tim caught a nice 25 ½ inch redfish and released a smaller one at 16 inches. Tim and Torie also caught seven keeper sheepshead to 19 inches and one keeper mangrove snapper, all on shrimp, between Wiggins pass and Barefoot Beach.
Wednesday, I fished Estero Bay again, this time with Don Weisberg and sons, Rob and Steve. We caught five keeper sheepshead to 17 inches and a 14 inch flounder. We released two 18 inch bluefish, ladyfish, two 17 inch redfish and smaller sheepshead.
Thursday I was talkin’ turkey instead of fish, but on Friday I had plans to fish offshore with Jim Mccarthy and his daughter. Seas were predicted to be 2-3 feet in the morning, building later as a cold front came through, with a slight chance of rain. We hoped to get the morning in, but we were literally headed off at the pass…Seas were 3-4 feet before we even got out of New Pass and it began to sprinkle. The skies were dark and it looked like harder rain was yet to come, so we reluctantly headed back to shore.
On Saturday, seas were still sloppy offshore, especially for two little guys that were onboard that day, so the Richard Baretta decided to stay close-in at the reefs. Richard’s little boys, Jack and Matt, had fun catching some triggerfish and the group also caught a keeper snapper and some grunts and released lots of gag and red grouper shorts.
The photo shown is of angler Linda Engebretson with a 16 inch sheepshead caught on shrimp on a recent inshore trip.
http://fishbustercharters.com/images/LindaEngebretson-16in-sheep.JPG |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
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Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 232
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 17, 2007 - 10:07 am: | |
On a third outing within a week with the Troutmann clan on Tuesday, 11/13/07, the family decided that just the guys would go offshore. Albert Troutmann and sons Patrick and Phillip fished with me in 40 feet south of Sanibel. We used live shrimp to catch a pair of 14 inch keeper hogfish two keeper mangrove snapper, and a 15 inch triggerfish. Baited with a live grunt on heavy tackle (80 pound line) we also landed a 28 inch gag grouper. We released lots of red grouper shorts to 19 inches, gag shorts to 21 inches, blue runners and whitebone porgies.
Thursday, 11/15, things looked calm from shore but with a cold-front approaching, the offshore waters were to become rougher as the day progressed. Anglers Peder Engebretson and Dan Fazendin traded their offshore plans for some catch-and-release fishing in the backwaters instead. We did well with live shrimp in potholes in central Estero Bay, where we released four trout ranging from 16 inches to 18 inches, four redfish to 17 inches, four sheepshead to 15 inches, one sand bream and a couple of mangrove snapper.
Friday the winds blew fiercely most of the day and seas were rough as a cold front moved through, Saturday wasn’t quite as windy but I stayed inshore, fishing with Matt Westall and friend, Chad, in Estero Bay from Wiggins Pass to Barefoot Beach. We caught five keeper sheepshead to 15 inches and two keeper mangrove snapper and released smaller snapper and sheepshead, along with a 16 inch redfish, all on live shrimp.
"http://fishbustercharters.com/images/ChesterYanik-10lb-bonito.JPG" |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
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Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 231
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 10, 2007 - 10:11 am: | |
Monday, 11/5, was predicted to be calm offshore. I headed out with Mike & Lea Connealy, Mike’s dad, and friend, Karen, but as we got a way offshore conditions got pretty sloppy and a little tough on the ladies’ stomachs. We decided to head in closer top shore and fish MAY reef. There, we caught a couple of keeper Spanish mackerel, large triggerfish, and released grunts, ladyfish and grouper shorts, fishing with live shrimp.
Jim VanAuken and Joe Ricci fished Estero Bay with me on Tuesday morning, along the mangrove shoreline from Barefoot Beach to Wiggins Pass. The redfish liked our live shrimp and we caught four of them, two keepers at 21 inches and 26 inches and two around 18 inches that we released. We also released snook to 17 inches.
Another cold front approached on Wednesday with winds and seas predicted to pick up about mid-morning. I advised my anglers that the bay might be a better choice than the gulf, with the potential for rough seas offshore. Sure enough, the winds picked up about 10:30 AM but we were safely and calmly fishing Estero Bay, which turned out to be pretty productive. Bill & Christine Henry and Tom and Liz Morris ended up with a 22 inch redfish, a keeper flounder, one keeper-sized mangrove snapper out of about a dozen we caught, and a half dozen keeper sheepshead.
Thursday’s backwater anglers Albert & Joan Tr0utmann, son Patrick and his girlfriend, Elvira Ruetimann, enjoyed Estero Bay with me on Thursday. Elvira caught all the keeper-sized fish, her biggest brag being a 25 inch redfish, and her three other keepers were all sheepshead. We released three additional redfish, all 17 inches, and a half dozen smaller sheepshead, all caught on shrimp.
Hank Sherowski and friends decided to fish offshore with me on Friday. In 44 feet out of New Pass, seas were still a little sloppy until later in the day when they got calmer, especially closer in to shore. We fished with shrimp and expected to catch snapper but we only caught one keeper snapper. We caught a half dozen mutton snapper but they were all just about an inch short of keeper size so we released those along with lots of grouper shorts. We made up the difference in whitebone porgies—the group caught 40 good sized ones. The guys also fought a couple of goliath grouper until they broke the lines.
The Troutmann family, who fished in Estero Bay with me Thursday, fished offshore with me on Saturday. This time another son, Phillip, joined the family, and the five of them had a good time catching a variety of fish, using live shrimp in 35 feet out of New Pass. Phillip landed a nice 23 ½ inch gag grouper, Pat caught and released a 30 inch cobia (those must be 33 inches to the fork of the tail to be keepers), and Elvira caught a 15 inch hogfish. The group also kept one 13 inch mangrove snapper, two 15 inch Spanish mackerel and four of many whitebone porgies caught. They also released lots of grouper shorts to 21 inches and porkfish. |
Captain Dave Hanson (Fishbuster)
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Username: Fishbuster
Post Number: 230
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 02, 2007 - 10:48 am: | |
Friday morning, 10/26, I fished Estero Bay along the channel between Lely Barefoot Beach and Wiggins Pass with John Keener, teenaged son, Chris, and Chris’ friend, Mark. The tide was pretty low so I wasn’t sure how productive the trip would be but we had steady action and caught a few keepers for the guys’ dinner too. We caught four keeper sheepshead and released two smaller ones, four keeper mangrove snapper and released ten smaller ones, a keeper sand bream and we released an 18 inch snook.
Although Darryl Metzger and his dad, Paul, had planned to fish offshore with me Monday, we traded those plans for some inshore fishing because of six to eight foot seas offshore. Even in Estero Bay it was very windy and very dry by the time we came in at the half-day mark. We caught some dinner, though, with a half dozen keeper mangrove snapper to 12 inches. One of the guys lost a nice redfish when it got snagged on the edge of an oyster bar. We released an 18 inch snook, lots of mang shorts, sheepshead and cravalle jack, all caught on shrimp from Barefoot Beach to Wiggins Pass.
Wednesday, the winds were howling but the tide was pretty good in the bay, where I fished with Marshall Swain, Ron Baldwin and Jim Chisholm. Marshall caught two nice redfish on shrimp—one a little too nice, since it was an inch too big to | |
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