Naples Info

[nhursh]

I'll be in the Naples area, Sanibel Isl also,around mid april. Can anyone provide good info on guides? Also, where I may rent a boat to fish on my own...and whether this is worth it!! I was down once 2 years ago and went out with a guide, but would never have been able to get back from where he took me! I think others have provided the name of a rentalspot, and advice, about fishing on your own off Sannibel.
I'm looking for the source.
thanks in advance.
Norm

[seafoxent]

Defnitely fish the Ding Darling Park area fom shore-you can wade out either from the park itself or the culverts-time it soyou will wlk around the middle of the falling tide and then come back as the tide fills.

[CaptEd221]

Also try around Blind Pass jetties I have hit alot of good trout around there. Some snook may be in the park like the the last guy said. You can also rent a kayak at the Tarpon Bay I don't know the price I take my own out there. There is also guides that work out of that marina. also try looking for a guide on Lee County web site.

[Luyen]

Two great guides out of Ft. Meyers/Pine Island Sound (actually Punta Rassa, to be precise): Steve Bailey (see him on Walker's Cay later this month), and Ron Lepree.

Steve's phone number is (941) 489-1379. Ron is linked off RT somewhere.

If you want more info, send me your email address, I'll email you. Great fishing down there. When are you going ot be there? I'll be there from Feb 24-March 1, and I would be happy to fish with you if you're there at the same time.

LC

luyen@learntech.com

[Luyen]

Here's the text of an email I sent to a friend some time ago about fishing the area. Hope this helps:

Flies

Yep, clousers and poppers worked great. Only thing: make SURE you bring weedless clousers. There is way too much to snag on to go without guards. The basic clouser down there is tied on a #2 with small (not x-small) eyes. It's tied only with a top wing (no material tied along the bottom of the hook (the eye side). Steve Bailey who ties for Lefty and Flip only uses two color patterns for clousers: tan over white and chart. over white. He puts some krystal flash between the two colors. He uses hard mason (#20) tied in as a loop at the head, then cut to make two splayed guards. He says you have to mash down the ends both where you tie in and on the other end onceyou've cut the loop to make the two strands.

Two other flies used a lot with the other guides I fished: Cousin It (basically x-small lead eyes and palmered arctic fox for a body) and the Dupree spoon fly. The latter was absolutely deadly, almost cheatin'.

Where

Spot number 1: Ding Darling nature refuge. It's a 5-mile long one-way dirt road with tidal lagoons on one side and fresh water lagoons on the other. Culverts and pipes connect them under the road. There are small tide-filled ditches all along the road as well. As hard as it is to believe at first sight, the ditches and culverts and dikes are filled with snook, reds, and jacks (not to mention mullet and sheepshead). Sometimes it's hard to tell the mullet from the snook or reds, but the M's (as you know) do these ridiculous leaps in the air that give them away. They also move in large schools pretty fast while the snookums seems to lay up or move very slowly. I found the best time was dusk. Even when you could spot the snook during the day, they seemed to only really light up after the sun descended over the mangrove tops. Then, you would start hearing them rushing and popping bait in the mangroves. It was just a matter of putting the fly to them and bang! Note: the park gate closes at 5:30, but the exit gate is never closed. So you can go in at 4 or 5 and stay as long as you want. Most people don't know this! Best spot in DD: the "Cross Dike". It's like a narrow, long spring creek, and if you look closely, it's chocker full of BIG snook. Go there at the end of the day as all the birders leave and you'll hear and see the snook marauding bait in there.

Spot #2 Tarpon Bay: basically eastern part of DD park. You can rent a canoe with rod holders and an electric trolling motor for something like 60 bucks for the day. There are redfish on the flats to the right when you leave the boat launch, and reds and snooks against the mangroves to the left. There are trout everywhere you see a pothole in the bay.

Spot #3 South Ft. Meyer's Beach. Ft. Meyer's beach is a long strip on the mainland side of the causeway. If you drive all the way down Ft. Meyer's beach towards Bonito Springs (probably 45 minute drive??) to the southern tip of the strip, there is a public beach that you can walk that ends at an inlet (basically the southern end of the whole beach). I don't know what march will be like, but in May, there were schools of snook patrolling that beach. They were tough to see, although only 5-10 feet tops from the shoreline, but they were there, and there were lots of them. Couldn't get them to eat, but maybe you can.

Other tips

Lots of big jacks around. I found them hanging by low bridges. There is a great jack bridge on the road that you use to cross over to Ft. Meyer's beach before you get to thebig Ft. Meyer's bridge.

I found a boat rental place for you: it's at Punta Rassa (which is where all the guides putout) which is just on the mainland side of the causeway to Sanibel. They rent 23' Makos with Biminis.

Guide: try to get Steve Bailey (941) 489-1379 or swffishing@aol.com. Great guy. Just remember he only fishes half days during the week!!! Otherwise, try Ron Lepree (you can find him in Reel-Time).

You'll have a great time!

[ppapadop]

Another place you can fish is along the causeway to Sanibel and along Mantanzas Pass, there are Snook, Reds, Trout and occasionally other fun fish as well.

[Quicksilver]

Cobia ? Did you need the waders ?

[ppapadop]

Was fishing in mid January on Gulf coast water temp was 64 and the waders kept us from freezing in the the wind.