The nearshore bite was top notch before the winds picked up. The May Reef was giving up lots of spanish mackerel, big trout and a mix of sheepshead, flounder, pompano and snapper. Live shrimp on a jig head moved slowly across the bottom worked best. Switching to cut bait dropped to the bottom produced grouper and quite a few big sharks.
The backcountry flats in Estero Bay are trout central. They are everywhere in all sizes. Live shrimp under popping corks is the go-to, but don’t forget to try artificials. Berkley Gulp Shrimp and D.O.A. Shrimp are both getting attention.
Redfish are a bit more spread out along the mangrove shorelines. You’ll need to work hard to get them by moving from spot to spot. Cut ladyfish and threadfin herrings are working along with live shrimp on jigs.
There’s been a noticeable uptick in the amount and size of flounder being caught in the bays. Over the years we’ve been getting one or two a week and they aren’t normally something we target in our waters. But over the past year the numbers are up. I’m not sure why, buy my anglers are enjoying it! We picked up 4 of them a couple of days ago along the mangrove edges while searching for redfish. The best tackle / bait combo seems to be a popping cork, short leader, 1/4 oz. jig and live shrimp.
