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Seasonal business is just beginning to pick up around here, though most of the recently reserved dates are for later this month and into next. I did get offshore Saturday, 10/10 with long-time customers Jerry and Barb Rudan, from Wisconsin. We headed out of NewPass to about 18 miles, but it was slow go...

Tuesday morning, 2/16, after a gorgeous day offshore on Monday, seas were back to their usual for this winter—rough, with small craft advisories issued. Brad Urlaub and family traded their offshore fishing plans for a morning of bay fishing. We used live shrimp to catch lots of sheepshead, includi...

Wednesday morning, 3/3, was chilly and windy but my brave party of three lady-anglers, Alene Haug, her mother, Carrie and friend, Connie, decided to give the backwaters a try anyway. We caught and released sheepshead until the ladies decided they'd had enough cold, then we headed back for shore. T...

Tuesday, 3/30, seas were rough offshore and I ended up re-booking my planned gulf trip with a trio of ladies who wanted to fish the bay. Karen Taylor, son Evan Taylor, and Evan’s grandmother, Kate Collins, fished with live shrimp and caught six keeper sheepshead to 18 inches and a keeper mangrove snap...

Wednesday morning, 4/28, I fished Estero Bay with Paul Martz and Christian LeClerc. We caught a 23-inch Spanish mackerel, released short snapper, and were bemoaning the slow action when, all of a sudden, two lines began bending, and we reeled in two keeper redfish, at 18 1/2 and 19 inches--so we end...

First of all, our hearts go out to our fellow fisherman and all the residents of the Gulf coast who have been impacted by the BP oil spill. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you, and we feel fortunate to have escaped this crisis on our shores here in SW FL. We also want all our potential customers to kn...

Pat Fitzgerald and his sons have fished with me for years. This year, the boys brought some friends along for a boat-load of six, including Pat, sons Jimmy and Tommy and friends, Matthew, Jacob, and Brandon. We headed out of New Pass Thursday morning, 7/1, to fish in 44 feet. The boys caught a mess of yel...

“No oil—No spoilOur Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine” Estero Bay was my fishing grounds on Tuesday morning, 7/27, when I fished with Chris Polumbo and his young daughter, Miranda, along with Miranda's two friends, Bridget and Rachel. We caught two 17-inch trout and two keeper mangrove snap...

“No oil—No spoilOur Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine” Monday morning, 9/20, I fished central Estero Bay with Joe & Donna Corso. The trout bite was active but most were short of keeper-size. We kept a 15-inch trout and released ten others. We also got two keeper-sized mangrove snapper, o...

Dave Flemming and friends and family were in town to attend his grandmother’s 85th birthday the weekend of 10/22, and Dave and five others, Rob, David, Tom, Brad and Al, decided to work in a catch-and-release fishing trip on Saturday, before catching their flights home. There was a small-craft-cau...

“No oil—No spoil Our Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine” Monday, 1/24, seas were calmer and I took advantage of those conditions to head out to two spots, one 28 miles west of New Pass and one 36 miles out, to fish in about 65 feet with long-time customer Barry Pflueger and his friends, Glen Ray, brot...

“No oil—No spoil Our Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine” Monday, 2/21, Don Kennis, his dad, Doug, and his twelve-year-old son, Bradley, fished a catch-and-release trip with me about 18 miles west of New Pass. We released a hogfish, thirty mangrove snapper, red grouper, grunts, porkfish and sh...

“No oil—No spoil Our Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine” Monday, 3/7, I fished with (I kid you not) Dave Hanson! After we laughed about captain and client having exactly the same name, Dave introduced me to the rest of his angling party, which included his son-in-law, Ryan Seipp and friend, Way...

“No oil—No spoilOur Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine” Monday morning, 4/4, I fished the near-shore reefs off Bonita Beach with Tim and Stephanie Cobb and their two children, Spencer and Sydney. We were fishing just ahead of a weather-front predicted to kick winds up to 25 knots by early afte...

“No oil—No spoilOur Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine” Monday, 4/18, I headed offshore with longtime customer, Peter Kenney, his son, David, and friends, Bernie and John. We fished about 22 miles west of New Pass with live shrimp. The catch of the morning was David’s 24 ½ inch, 8-pound red grou...

“No oil—No spoilOur Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine” Monday, 5/2, was another one of those breezy day, but the wind direction made it possible to at least get my party of four out to the reefs. Long-time customers Dennis & Jamie Riddell brought Dennis' brother, Tom, and sister-in-law,...

After a few days off the water, with high winds and seas persisting into mid-week, I got back offshore on Friday morning, 5/20, with long-time customer Casey Miller. This time, Casey was in town for a wedding, and he invited the groom and friends to fish with us. The group, consisting of ( in addition to...

Monday, 6/20, was a perfect day for offshore fishing, and I spent the day in the good company of Jamie Long, Tom O’Donoghue, Rich Shamer and Matt Booth. We fished about 36 miles west of New Pass in 70 feet, using live shrimp and bait-fish. We made out great with red grouper, catching five keepers all 22 to...

Monday, 7/4, Tony Herring, son Jacob, friend, Josh Schneider, and Tony's two nephews celebrated the Fourth of July with a fishing trip offshore. We fished in 60 feet, using live shrimp and cut-bait. We caught a 13-inch keeper mangrove snapper at our first spot, but the dolphin showed up right after t...

Monday, the first day of August, I fished with Paul Fenwick, daughter Emma, son Spencer, along with John Priddy, his daughter, Jordyn, and her cousin, Susan Carlisle. The group wanted big fish, so we spent some time catching bait for goliath grouper. Using live shrimp, we caught ten grunts, nine por...

After a long time off the water, nearly a month, due to our very slow slow-season, along with a couple weeks of consistent rains, I finally got out fishing again on Monday, September 12th. I fished with live shrimp in central Estero Bay with long-time customers Steve Spitzer and Jalissa Reeve...

Wednesday, 10/5, I had an offshore trip planned with Bryan Smith and friends, Tony and Kevin. There were small-craft-advisories in effect that morning, and seas were forecast to be two-to-four feet. The guys didn't want to fish inshore, preferring to go after some bigger game, so we decided to try s...

With rough seas persisting into the weekend, my Saturday charter was deferred to Monday, 11/14/11, when seas calmed to two-to-three feet. I headed about 22 miles offshore, out of New Pass, with Bob and Stephanie Rose. We caught a bunch of grouper, but no keepers. Using shrimp and pinfish, we caught...

Monday, 1/16, after a weekend of rough offshore conditions, seas were calming down, with a forecast for two-to-three foot seas out to twenty miles. It was rougher than that, but it was calm enough for my hardy anglers, Bud Glanzer, Lee Larsen, and Alan and Wendell Bronson, all long-time customers....

The week of 1/30/12 began with a cold-front that brought high winds and seas and small-draft advisories, which forced me to cancel both offshore trips planned for those days.Wednesday morning, 2/1, began a little rough offshore, but quickly calmed down and was flat by afternoon. I fished about 20 m...

After a couple days off the water, due to a cold front that brought frigid temps, high winds, low tides and rough seas, I headed to the near-shore reefs Monday, 2/13/12, to fish a catch-and-release trip with Richard and Trish Burdow. Seas had calmed to two-to-three feet near-shore, and the sheepshea...

Although, after a windy, rough weekend, seas were calming to two-to-four feet on Monday, my planned gulf-trip canceled, as they thought seas would still be too rough. So I missed that day on the water. But, I got back offshore on Tuesday, 2/28, with Kari Vilamaa, George Dyer, Paul Kikendall, and Don H...

Monday, 3/12, after a windy weekend, winds were predicted to calm somewhat, and seas were forecast at two-to-three feet near-shore, and three-to-five feet beyond twenty miles. But, as I approached the near-shore reefs with Mark McCarthy, Mark and David Hatch, and Rich Jenkins (who was celebrati...

Monday morning, 3/26, I fished over hard bottom in 35 feet, with Chris Ernberger, his dad, Jerry, and Chris's son, Carter. There was about a 3-foot roller left over from the windy Sunday that preceded our trip, so we didn't venture too far offshore. The guys used live-shrimp to catch six keeper mangro...

Monday, 4/9, seas had calmed at last, and I headed out to fish in spots between 22 and 28 miles west of New Pass with Bill Conklin, his son, Eric Conklin, and friend, Rick Weigand. Bill caught a keeper red grouper at 21 inches, and we released lots of red grouper just short of keeper size. The group also ca...

After about six days off the water, due to high winds and seas offshore and shallow, muddy conditions in the bay, I finally got offshore with Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonse, Dick Arnett, Bob Mayer, and Matt Watson on Thursday, 4/26. We headed out of New Pass to 36 miles, where we fished with live shrimp and pi...

Monday, 5/7, I fished at the near-shore reefs with Joe and Donna Corso. The couple used live shrimp to catch a 14-inch keeper-pompano, two keeper flounders at 14 and 18 inches, a keeper mangrove snapper, a keeper sea trout at 20 inches, a half dozen Spanish mackerels in the 22-23-inch range, and three...

Tuesday, 5/29, I spent the day fishing in 47 feet, using live shrimp, with Robert Pierce, Brian Clark, and Julie Meng. The trio hoped to catch some good table-fare, along with doing some sport-fishing for bigger fish. I had hoped to put them on some goliath grouper for the latter, but the goliaths wer...

We have had a lot of rain recently and, prior to that, I was off the water for a couple of weeks, due to a family reunion. So there isn’t a whole lot to report, but I did do a couple of trips inshore and near-shore. Last Monday morning, I headed to the near-shore reefs with Steve and Lori Greiner and their two y...

After several weeks off the water because of a family reunion trip, followed by lots of rainy days unsuitable for fishing, I finally got offshore on Friday, 7/20/12 with John Hamilton and friends. We fished 36 miles west of New Pass, where we got into some red grouper. We didn't get a keeper, though, o...

Monday, 8/6, I headed out to 35 feet to fish with Brian Woeste, Adam Bodkin and Tim Powers. The guys wanted to experience the thrill of big game, but also wanted some food fish. We started out catching blue runners and Spanish mackerel for goliath grouper bait. The guys caught and released a 70-pound go...

Monday, 8/20, I fished with Steve Spitzer and Jalissa Reever again. They had fished with me the previous Wednesday and caught a couple of keeper gag grouper. But, Monday, conditions were different. Despite forecasts for one-to-two foot seas and 5-10 knot winds, we encountered steady 15-18 knot...

Labor Day Monday, 9/3, I fished at the near-shore reefs with Brian Lucas and his two young sons, Grady and Grant, along with Cadrin Cojanu and his two young children, Ben and Emily. The group used live shrimp to catch four Spanish mackerel to 23 inches, five pompano, all around 14 inches, a keeper mang...

After some rainy days, one no-show customer (that makes twice within a month, and is oh-so annoying), and a few seasonally slow days, I finally got out fishing again on Tuesday, 10/9, when I fished 22 miles west of New Pass with Scott Severaid, Gregg Hass, Todd Vershaw, Jason White and Mike Wernsman. W...

Saturday, 10/20, I fished with long-time customer Marshall Swain, along with his family and friends. We used live shrimp, about 22 miles west of New Pass, and the group caught twenty-five keeper lane snapper to 12 inches, along with one keeper mangrove snapper at 13 inches. They released a half doze...

Monday, 11/5, I fished about 22 miles west of New Pass with Mark Cavanaugh and friends. The four guys used live shrimp to land five gag grouper, three of which would have been keeper-size, to 23 inches, except for the fact that season closed for those five days ago. So we released all of those, along with...

Monday, 11/5, I fished about 22 miles west of New Pass with Mark Cavanaugh and friends. The four guys used live shrimp to land five gag grouper, three of which would have been keeper-size, to 23 inches, except for the fact that season closed for those five days ago. So we released all of those, along wit...

Tuesday, 11/20, I fished inshore in Estero Bay with Al Tooley and his thirteen-year-old son, Aiden. The guys caught a 20-inch, keeper redfish, along with five keeper sheepshead to 15 inches, all on shrimp. They released seven smaller sheepshead and two stingrays. Wednesday morning, I again fish...

The first week of December was kind of slow around here, which is typical for the few weeks between Thanksgiving and the beginning of the holiday rush. But I did get out fishing in Estero Bay, on a catch-and-release trip with Dave and Diane Carey on Friday, 12/7/12. The couple used live shrimp to catch t...

After Wednesday's trip on 12/19, our weather began deteriorating, with a very windy, cold front that arrived late Thursday into Friday and Saturday. I cancelled my offshore trip for Friday with the Graham family, but I was able to reschedule that for a bay trip with them the morning of Christmas Eve...

Tuesday, 1/8, I headed well offshore, 37 miles west of New Pass, with frequent customer Ron Musick and friends, Eddie Alfonso, Dick Arnett and Ralph Lussluer. We had a good day fishing with live shrimp, and the guys landed four keeper red grouper, 21 ½ inches, 22 ½ inches, 24 inches and the prize winner...

After cancelling six consecutive fishing trips, due to weather conditions offshore and red tide in the bays, I finally got to fish again on Thursday, 1/24.I headed out about 18 miles from new Pass with Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonse and Jack Dee. Fishing was a little slow, perhaps due to the cold nights we e...

Monday, 2/4, I headed offshore with Barry Pflueger and friends. I hadn’t been offshore in nearly a week, due to rough conditions out there. Seas were still fairly choppy early on, but they calmed down by mid-morning. Fishing was kind of slow although, if it weren’t for grouper season closing, we migh...

03/04/13- SW FL-Bonita Beach: Near-shore Reefs ProductiveAfter a cancelled trip on Monday, I got out fishing Tuesday, 2/19, as winds and seas finally began to calm down from their week-long highs of 30 knot gusts and 4-12 foot seas. It was still a little sloppy so I stayed near-shore, about 12 miles o...

Finally, a day with warmer temps, light winds and calm seas—That was just what frequent customers Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, and Dick Arnett were hoping for on Tuesday, 3/5, when we headed out to fish about twelve miles west of New Pass, with a bait-well full of live shrimp. And, what a glorious day it t...

Monday, 5/13/13, I fished the backwaters of Estero Bay with David Bloomfield and David Price. Using live shrimp, the guys caught three redfish, two of which were keepers at 19 ½ and 20 inches. They also caught two 14-inch sheepshead and a 15-inch black drum. They released mangrove snapper shorts. T...

I fished Saturday, 6/1, and I headed offshore about 36 miles west of New Pass to fish in 71 feet with Craig Daniels, Chip Lehman, and friends Bubba and Paul. We had a great day of fishing in good conditions. We used shrimp and squid to catch most everything, except the grouper, which bit grunts. The guys l...

Well, anglers awaiting the re-opening of gag grouper season are disappointed here today, with 3-5 foot seas and stormy conditions…let’s hope weather improves quickly! Chris & Jenny Phillips and their three teen-aged children, Emily, Bradley and Ryan, fished 18 miles out of New Pass with me...

Paul McConnell and family had planned to fish offshore with me on both Tuesday, 7/2/13 and Friday 7/5. We nixed Tuesday’s trip, as our weather was stormy for four consecutive days, Sunday, 6/30 through Wednesday morning, 7/3. After that, the continual rains quit, but with numerous lingering thund...

Bob O’Hara and grandson, Kevin, who had fished offshore with me on Friday, 7/12, fished again with me on Monday, 7/15. We headed offshore again, twenty miles from New Pass and had a fun fishing adventure, as well as bringing home some nice fish. The guys battled and brought to the surface a 30-pound bar...

Tuesday morning, 7/30/13, I headed 22 miles off Naples with Brian Ritter and his daughter, Danni, joined by their friends Bill Sands and his daughter, Alissa. We used live shrimp to catch twenty keeper lane snapper along with one keeper yellowtail snapper at 14 inches. Danni used a pinfish to land a k...

Redfish have been the best bet around here lately, with trips scarce overall, and with favorable bay tides trumping some sloppy conditions offshore. Monday morning, 9/23/13, I fished the backwaters of Estero Bay with Doug Duncan, Eric Bastion, and Randy Cummings. The guys had originally planned...

Friday morning, 10/11, I fished 22 miles offshore with Roberto Russi, his father-in-law, John, and friend, Bill. We used a grunt to land a nice, 25 ½-inch red grouper, and we also had something big cut 100-pound, braided line, so that might have been a bigger grouper! The guys used live shrimp to catch...

Bob and Jo-Ellen Exby fished 18 miles offshore with me on Tuesday, 10/22, just ahead of a cool-front due in the next day. The day began calm, and seas of one-foot were predicted by NOAA, but we had two-to-three foot seas most of the morning, as winds picked up to 15 knots prematurely. The couple used live...

Tuesday, 11/12/13, I fished offshore with long-time customers Kari Vilamaa, George Dyer, and Paul Kikendall. We were one day ahead of a cold front that was predicted to bring strong winds and seas of six to eight feet offshore, but we had calm conditions all day, and we were able to fish in various spot...

Tuesday, 11/26/13, I fished on a very windy morning in Estero Bay with Al Tooley and his two sons, Jeff and Aiden. The tide was up, making for favorable conditions in the bay, and the guys did well, fishing with live shrimp. Catches included a 25-inch keeper redfish, an 18-inch keeper black drum, and fi...

Saturday morning, 12/21/13, the winds, which had been pretty much steady all week, were still blowing hard, and seas were predicted to be three-to-four feet offshore. But, with dead-low tides in the bay, Butch Haggin, his son-in-law, John Sims, and grandson, John Sims, Jr. decided they’d have a be...

The week of January 5th, 2014, was pretty much a loss for fishing. We had near-freezing temps for a couple of days, thanks to a strong cold front that made it this far south, which is unusual. That front also brought high winds and rough seas, and the wind direction was such that it sucked most of the water...

Monday, 1/20/14, was the first day in about two weeks that was suitable for offshore fishing. Successive, relentless weather fronts had forced me off the water for about a week, then into the backwaters for the next week or so. Another front, predicted to bring high winds and seas again was on the hori...

Tuesday, 2/4/14, I headed out 35 miles from New Pass to fish with frequent customers, Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, and Dick Arnett. We used live shrimp to catch four snapper—one huge lane snapper at 19 inches and three mangrove snapper all 15 to 16 inches—along with a keeper hogfish at 14 inches, and fif...

I spent about a week off the water, as I only had a couple of fishing trips scheduled and they were both offshore trips that were made impossible by the winds and rough seas, which were relentless for days on end. I finally got back out fishing on Monday, 5/19 and, even then, winds were still blowing about...

Monday, 12/22/14, there was a weather front approaching our area, and winds, though calm in the early morning, were predicted to pick up, with seas rising as well. Bradley Miller had a choice between trying to beat the worst of the wind and fish offshore, or playing it safe in the backwaters. He decide...

Monday, 4/13/15, seas were predicted to be two feet or less, but NOAA definitely underestimated those. I fished with long-time customers Clement and Evelyn Wong, along with their son, Nathan and daughter-in-law, Joy. Seas were three feet or more, about 18 miles west of New Pass, and we actually cut...

	Forum	Replies	Views	Last Post
sal****er offshore inshore gulf bay Gulf of Mexico Estero Bay SW FL Bonita beach Naples Ft. Myers Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters light tackle flats fishing bottom fishing guide charter captain live bait sheepshead snapper spadefish bonito shark trout SW FL-Bonita Beach: Nice Kings, Bonito, Shark, Snapper & Trout (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1149	Oct 22, 2009 by fishbuster
Seasonal business is just beginning to pick up around here, though most of the recently reserved dates are for later this month and into next. I did get offshore Saturday, 10/10 with long-time customers Jerry and Barb Rudan, from Wisconsin. We headed out of NewPass to about 18 miles, but it was slow go...
sal****er gulf offhsore backwaters bay hogfish snapper grouper trout sheepshead Bonita beach SW FL Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters Estero Bay Naples Ft. Myers SW FL-Bonita Beach: Snapper, Sheeps, Hogs, Grouper & Trout Biting (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1336	Mar 2, 2010 by fishbuster
Tuesday morning, 2/16, after a gorgeous day offshore on Monday, seas were back to their usual for this winter—rough, with small craft advisories issued. Brad Urlaub and family traded their offshore fishing plans for a morning of bay fishing. We used live shrimp to catch lots of sheepshead, includi...
sal****er gulf bay Estero Bay Gulf of Mexico flats fishing bottom fishing live bait light tackle Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters SW FL Bonita beach Naples Ft. Myers trout snapper hogfish grouper guide charter SW FL-Bonita Beach: 28-inch gag released, snapper, hogfish, sheepshead & trout (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1033	Mar 16, 2010 by fishbuster
Wednesday morning, 3/3, was chilly and windy but my brave party of three lady-anglers, Alene Haug, her mother, Carrie and friend, Connie, decided to give the backwaters a try anyway. We caught and released sheepshead until the ladies decided they'd had enough cold, then we headed back for shore. T...
sal****er bay gulf inshore offshore Bonita Naples Ft. Myers SW FL Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters grouper snapper hogfish trout sheepshead light-tackle live-bait SW FL-Bonita Beach: Good Action Inshore & Offshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	992	Apr 13, 2010 by fishbuster
Tuesday, 3/30, seas were rough offshore and I ended up re-booking my planned gulf trip with a trio of ladies who wanted to fish the bay. Karen Taylor, son Evan Taylor, and Evan’s grandmother, Kate Collins, fished with live shrimp and caught six keeper sheepshead to 18 inches and a keeper mangrove snap...
sal****er bay inshore flats gulf offshore bottm-fishing live-bait SWFL Bonita beach Naples Ft. Myers Fishbuster Charters Captain Dave Hanson redfish snook snapper SW FL-Bonita Beach: Inshore & Near-shore recent trips report (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	948	May 11, 2010 by fishbuster
Wednesday morning, 4/28, I fished Estero Bay with Paul Martz and Christian LeClerc. We caught a 23-inch Spanish mackerel, released short snapper, and were bemoaning the slow action when, all of a sudden, two lines began bending, and we reeled in two keeper redfish, at 18 1/2 and 19 inches--so we end...
sal****er gulf bay offshore backwaters bottom-fishing live-bait flats-fishing light-tackle CaptainDaveHanson FishbusterCharters Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers guide charter mackerel snapper shark flounder amberjack kingfish SW FL-Bonita Beach: Summer Fishing Heating Up-Kings Here! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1081	Jun 15, 2010 by fishbuster
First of all, our hearts go out to our fellow fisherman and all the residents of the Gulf coast who have been impacted by the BP oil spill. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you, and we feel fortunate to have escaped this crisis on our shores here in SW FL. We also want all our potential customers to kn...
sal****er offshore gulf Gulf of Mexico SW FL Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers Fishbuster Charters Captain Dave Hanson mackerel kingfish yellowtail mangrove snapper gag grouper goliath grouper trout bottom-fishing live-bait spinning-tackle SW FL-Bonita Beach: Yellowtail, Grouper, Hogfish, Kings (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1032	Jul 13, 2010 by fishbuster
Pat Fitzgerald and his sons have fished with me for years. This year, the boys brought some friends along for a boat-load of six, including Pat, sons Jimmy and Tommy and friends, Matthew, Jacob, and Brandon. We headed out of New Pass Thursday morning, 7/1, to fish in 44 feet. The boys caught a mess of yel...
sal****er gulf Gilf of Mexico bay backwaters Estero Bay Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers SWFL Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters live-bait flats-fishing bottom-fishing light-tackle red grouper grouper snapper trout reefs SW FL-Bonita Beach: Red Grouper, Snapper & Trout (Preview)	Florida West Coast	1	1110	Aug 17, 2010 by fishbuster
“No oil—No spoilOur Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine” Estero Bay was my fishing grounds on Tuesday morning, 7/27, when I fished with Chris Polumbo and his young daughter, Miranda, along with Miranda's two friends, Bridget and Rachel. We caught two 17-inch trout and two keeper mangrove snap...
sal****er offshore backwaters gulf bay Gulf of Mexico Estero Bay Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers SW FL Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters light tackle bottom fishing flats fishing live bait snapper hogfish grouper mackerel snook redfish trout guide captain SW FL-Bonita Beach: Grouper, Snapper, Hogfish, Trout & Goliath Fun (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1041	Oct 5, 2010 by fishbuster
“No oil—No spoilOur Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine” Monday morning, 9/20, I fished central Estero Bay with Joe & Donna Corso. The trout bite was active but most were short of keeper-size. We kept a 15-inch trout and released ten others. We also got two keeper-sized mangrove snapper, o...
saltwater gulf Gulf of Mexico Captain Dave Hanson offshore Fishbuster Charters light tackle live bait bottom fishing SW FL Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers grouper snapper hogfish barracuda mackerel SW FL-Bonita Beach: 11-Pound Red Grouper; 20 Pound 'Cuda (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	948	Nov 2, 2010 by fishbuster
Dave Flemming and friends and family were in town to attend his grandmother’s 85th birthday the weekend of 10/22, and Dave and five others, Rob, David, Tom, Brad and Al, decided to work in a catch-and-release fishing trip on Saturday, before catching their flights home. There was a small-craft-cau...
saltwater offshore gulf gulf-of mexico SW FL Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers Fishbuster Charters Captain Dave Hanson flats fishing live-bait bottom-fishing light-tackle snapper hogfish porgies redfish trout sheepshead SWFL-BonitaBeach:Snapper fill the grouper void;Trout Inshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	992	Feb 7, 2011 by fishbuster
“No oil—No spoil Our Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine” Monday, 1/24, seas were calmer and I took advantage of those conditions to head out to two spots, one 28 miles west of New Pass and one 36 miles out, to fish in about 65 feet with long-time customer Barry Pflueger and his friends, Glen Ray, brot...
saltwater offshore Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers SW FL Fishbuster Charters Captain Dave Hanson flats-fishing inshore Estero Bay bay Gulf of Mexico porgies snapper hogfish mackerel trout flounder sheepshead live-bait light spinning tackle bottom fishing SW FL-Bonita Beach: Good Action--Lots of Hogfish! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1003	Mar 7, 2011 by fishbuster
“No oil—No spoil Our Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine” Monday, 2/21, Don Kennis, his dad, Doug, and his twelve-year-old son, Bradley, fished a catch-and-release trip with me about 18 miles west of New Pass. We released a hogfish, thirty mangrove snapper, red grouper, grunts, porkfish and sh...
saltwater offshore inshore gulf bay Estero Bay flats-fishing Gulf of Mexico bottom-fishing live-bait Naples Ft. Myers Bonita beach SW FL Captain Dave Hanson. Fishbuster Charters snapper mackerel hogfish sheepshead trout SW FL-Bonita Beach: Inshore & Near-Shore Report (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	986	Mar 21, 2011 by fishbuster
“No oil—No spoil Our Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine” Monday, 3/7, I fished with (I kid you not) Dave Hanson! After we laughed about captain and client having exactly the same name, Dave introduced me to the rest of his angling party, which included his son-in-law, Ryan Seipp and friend, Way...
saltwater offshore SW FL Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers Fishbuster Charters Captain Dave Hanson kingfish mackerel grouper snapper almaco jacks banded rudder fish shark trout redfish live-bait bottom-fishing spinning-tackle flats-fishing inshore bay backwater Estero Bay Gulf of Mexico guide charter SW FL-Bonita Beach: Grouper, Snapper, Shark, Kingfish & More (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	968	Apr 18, 2011 by fishbuster
“No oil—No spoilOur Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine” Monday morning, 4/4, I fished the near-shore reefs off Bonita Beach with Tim and Stephanie Cobb and their two children, Spencer and Sydney. We were fishing just ahead of a weather-front predicted to kick winds up to 25 knots by early afte...
saltwater offshore Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers Gulf of Mexico Estero Bay backwater flats bottom fishing live bait spinning tackle Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters grouper snapper mackerel trout SW FL-Bonita Beach: 8-lb. Red Grouper, Snapper & More (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	947	May 2, 2011 by fishbuster
“No oil—No spoilOur Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine” Monday, 4/18, I headed offshore with longtime customer, Peter Kenney, his son, David, and friends, Bernie and John. We fished about 22 miles west of New Pass with live shrimp. The catch of the morning was David’s 24 ½ inch, 8-pound red grou...
saltwater offshore gulf Gulf-of-Mexico Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers deep-sea bottom-fishing live-bait spinning-tackle flounder snapper grouper mackerel sheepshead shark Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters guide charter SW FL-Bonita Beach: 150 lb shark, keeper grouper, lanes, flounder (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1086	May 16, 2011 by fishbuster
“No oil—No spoilOur Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine” Monday, 5/2, was another one of those breezy day, but the wind direction made it possible to at least get my party of four out to the reefs. Long-time customers Dennis & Jamie Riddell brought Dennis' brother, Tom, and sister-in-law,...
saltwater offshore cobia shark permit grouper snapper goliaths inshore flats snook redfish sheepshead trout Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers SWFL Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters live-bait bottom-fishing flats-fishing spinning-tackle Gulf of Mexico Estero Bay SW FL-Bonita Beach: 30-pound Permit & Goliaths to 425 pounds! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	960	May 30, 2011 by fishbuster
After a few days off the water, with high winds and seas persisting into mid-week, I got back offshore on Friday morning, 5/20, with long-time customer Casey Miller. This time, Casey was in town for a wedding, and he invited the groom and friends to fish with us. The group, consisting of ( in addition to...
saltwater offshore gulf Gulf of Mexico Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers Fishbuster Charters Captain Dave Hanson live-bait spinning tackle bottom fishing grouper snapper mackerel shark goliath grouper SW FL-Bonita Beach: Goliath-Mania, Red Grouper, Kingfish, even a Mahi (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	853	Jul 4, 2011 by fishbuster
Monday, 6/20, was a perfect day for offshore fishing, and I spent the day in the good company of Jamie Long, Tom O’Donoghue, Rich Shamer and Matt Booth. We fished about 36 miles west of New Pass in 70 feet, using live shrimp and bait-fish. We made out great with red grouper, catching five keepers all 22 to...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico gulf live-bait bottom-fishing spinning tackle grouper snapper macjerel porgies shark Fishbuster Charters CaptainDave Hanson Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers SW FL SW FL-Bonita Beach: Offshore Report & Goliath Videos (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	870	Aug 1, 2011 by fishbuster
Monday, 7/4, Tony Herring, son Jacob, friend, Josh Schneider, and Tony's two nephews celebrated the Fourth of July with a fishing trip offshore. We fished in 60 feet, using live shrimp and cut-bait. We caught a 13-inch keeper mangrove snapper at our first spot, but the dolphin showed up right after t...
saltwater gulf gulf of mexico Estero Bay Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers SW FL Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters live bait spinning tackle bottom fishing flats fishing offshore inshore deep-sea bay backwaters shark grouper snapper mackerl porgies redfish black drum mackerel SW FL-Bonita Beach: Good Variety and another goliath video (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1147	Aug 22, 2011 by fishbuster
Monday, the first day of August, I fished with Paul Fenwick, daughter Emma, son Spencer, along with John Priddy, his daughter, Jordyn, and her cousin, Susan Carlisle. The group wanted big fish, so we spent some time catching bait for goliath grouper. Using live shrimp, we caught ten grunts, nine por...
saltwater offshore gulf inshore bay backwaters Gulf of Mexico Estero Bay Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers SW FL Florida Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters live-bait bottom-fishing flats-fishing spinning tackle shark goliath grouper bonito redfish sheepshead snapper SW FL-Bonita Beach: Shark, Goliaths, Bonito, Snapper & Reds-new videos (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	991	Sep 26, 2011 by fishbuster
After a long time off the water, nearly a month, due to our very slow slow-season, along with a couple weeks of consistent rains, I finally got out fishing again on Monday, September 12th. I fished with live shrimp in central Estero Bay with long-time customers Steve Spitzer and Jalissa Reeve...
Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters saltwater offshore gulf of mexico backwaters Estero Bay SW FL Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers live-bait spomnning tackle bottom-fishing flats-fishing bonito shark mackerel snapper hogfish goliath grouper porgy sheepshead redfish SW FL-Bonita Beach: Good action inside and offshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1039	Oct 17, 2011 by fishbuster
Wednesday, 10/5, I had an offshore trip planned with Bryan Smith and friends, Tony and Kevin. There were small-craft-advisories in effect that morning, and seas were forecast to be two-to-four feet. The guys didn't want to fish inshore, preferring to go after some bigger game, so we decided to try s...
saltwater gulf bay Gulf of Mexico Estero Bay SWFL Bonita Beach Florida Naples Ft. Myers Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters offshore inshore bottom-fishing flats-fishing live-bait spinning-tackle drum sheepshead redfish snapper yellowtail grouper amberjack goliaths SW FL-Bonita Beach: Red Grouper Offshore; Redfish Inshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	929	Nov 28, 2011 by fishbuster
With rough seas persisting into the weekend, my Saturday charter was deferred to Monday, 11/14/11, when seas calmed to two-to-three feet. I headed about 22 miles offshore, out of New Pass, with Bob and Stephanie Rose. We caught a bunch of grouper, but no keepers. Using shrimp and pinfish, we caught...
saltwater gulf of mexico SW FL Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers Fishbuster Charters Captain Dave Hanson spinning-tackle live-bait bottom-fishing flats-fishing bay backwater Estero Bay grouper gag red grouper mangrove snapper hogfish SW FL-Bonita beach: Excellent Grouper Action; Hogs & Mangs Too (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1148	Jan 30, 2012 by fishbuster
Monday, 1/16, after a weekend of rough offshore conditions, seas were calming down, with a forecast for two-to-three foot seas out to twenty miles. It was rougher than that, but it was calm enough for my hardy anglers, Bud Glanzer, Lee Larsen, and Alan and Wendell Bronson, all long-time customers....
saltwater offshore deep-sea gulf of mexico bottom-fishing inshore backwaters estero bay flats-fishing live-bait spinning tackle redfish snook snapper hogfish mackerel shark grouper SW FL Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers Fishbuster Charters Captain Dave Hanson SW FL-Bonita Beach: Shark, Hogs, Mutton, Mangs & Mackerel (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1056	Feb 14, 2012 by fishbuster
The week of 1/30/12 began with a cold-front that brought high winds and seas and small-draft advisories, which forced me to cancel both offshore trips planned for those days.Wednesday morning, 2/1, began a little rough offshore, but quickly calmed down and was flat by afternoon. I fished about 20 m...
saltwater gulf gulf-of-mexico grouper snapper shark hogfish mackerel triggefish porgies inshore bay Estero Bay redfish snook trout flounder live-bait bottom-fishing flats-fishing spinning-tackle Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers SW FL Ft. Myers Beach SW FL-Bonita Beach: Shark-Battles, Snapper, Sheepshead, Hogs (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1145	Feb 27, 2012 by fishbuster
After a couple days off the water, due to a cold front that brought frigid temps, high winds, low tides and rough seas, I headed to the near-shore reefs Monday, 2/13/12, to fish a catch-and-release trip with Richard and Trish Burdow. Seas had calmed to two-to-three feet near-shore, and the sheepshea...
saltwater gulf bay gulf of mexico estero bay flats-fishing bottom-fishing spinning-tackle live-bait Naples Bonita Beach ft. Myers SW FL Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters grouper snapper hogfish mackerel porgies shark trout redfish snook sheepshead SW FL-Bonita Beach: Nice Grouper & Snapper, Hogfish & Trout (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1117	Mar 12, 2012 by fishbuster
Although, after a windy, rough weekend, seas were calming to two-to-four feet on Monday, my planned gulf-trip canceled, as they thought seas would still be too rough. So I missed that day on the water. But, I got back offshore on Tuesday, 2/28, with Kari Vilamaa, George Dyer, Paul Kikendall, and Don H...
saltwater offshore gulf gulf-of-mexico bay backwaters estero bay Naples Ft. Myers Bonita Beach SW FL Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters live-bait bottom-fishing flats fishing spinning tackle snapper hogfish shark king mackerel kingfish Spanish mackerel SW FL-Bonita Beach: 20lb. Kingfish, sheepies, mangs, hogs, shark, Spanish (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	908	Mar 26, 2012 by fishbuster
Monday, 3/12, after a windy weekend, winds were predicted to calm somewhat, and seas were forecast at two-to-three feet near-shore, and three-to-five feet beyond twenty miles. But, as I approached the near-shore reefs with Mark McCarthy, Mark and David Hatch, and Rich Jenkins (who was celebrati...
saltwater gulf offshore bottom-fishing live-bait spinning tackle gulf of mexico inshore bay backwaters estero bay flats fishing Naples Ft. Myers Bonita Beach SW FL Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters grouper snapper hogfish mackerel shark porgies sheepshead redfish SW FL-Bonita Beach: Red Grouper are Back! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1033	Apr 9, 2012 by fishbuster
Monday morning, 3/26, I fished over hard bottom in 35 feet, with Chris Ernberger, his dad, Jerry, and Chris's son, Carter. There was about a 3-foot roller left over from the windy Sunday that preceded our trip, so we didn't venture too far offshore. The guys used live-shrimp to catch six keeper mangro...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico live-bait bottom-fishing spinning tackle Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters SW FL Bonita Beach Ft. myers Naples shark grouper hogfish snapper mackerel backwaters bay estero bay flats-fishing redfish seatrout inshore SW FL-Bonita Beach: Lane Snapper Plentiful. Red Grouper, Shark & Goliath Battles (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1106	Apr 23, 2012 by fishbuster
Monday, 4/9, seas had calmed at last, and I headed out to fish in spots between 22 and 28 miles west of New Pass with Bill Conklin, his son, Eric Conklin, and friend, Rick Weigand. Bill caught a keeper red grouper at 21 inches, and we released lots of red grouper just short of keeper size. The group also ca...
saltwater offshore shark snapper grouper SW FL Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters bottom-fishing live-bait spinning-tackle gulf of mexico SW FL-Bonita Beach: Grouper, Snapper, Shark, and lots of rough seas (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	680	May 7, 2012 by fishbuster
After about six days off the water, due to high winds and seas offshore and shallow, muddy conditions in the bay, I finally got offshore with Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonse, Dick Arnett, Bob Mayer, and Matt Watson on Thursday, 4/26. We headed out of New Pass to 36 miles, where we fished with live shrimp and pi...
saltwater offshore cobia shark snapper grouper SW FL Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters bottom-fishing live-bait spinning-tackle gulf of mexico SWFL-Bonita Beach: Cobia, Shark, Snapper, Goliaths & Grouper (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1110	May 28, 2012 by fishbuster
Monday, 5/7, I fished at the near-shore reefs with Joe and Donna Corso. The couple used live shrimp to catch a 14-inch keeper-pompano, two keeper flounders at 14 and 18 inches, a keeper mangrove snapper, a keeper sea trout at 20 inches, a half dozen Spanish mackerels in the 22-23-inch range, and three...
saltwater offshore cobia shark snapper grouper SW FL Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters bottom-fishing live-bait spinning-tackle gulf of mexico SW FL-Bonita beach: Great Fishing Offshore & a 500-lb Goliath Battle! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1012	Jun 18, 2012 by fishbuster
Tuesday, 5/29, I spent the day fishing in 47 feet, using live shrimp, with Robert Pierce, Brian Clark, and Julie Meng. The trio hoped to catch some good table-fare, along with doing some sport-fishing for bigger fish. I had hoped to put them on some goliath grouper for the latter, but the goliaths wer...
saltwater offshore snapper mackerel redfish SW FL Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters bottom-fishing live-bait spinning-tackle gulf of mexico SW FL-Bonita beach: Recent trips, before the rains came (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	732	Jul 16, 2012 by fishbuster
We have had a lot of rain recently and, prior to that, I was off the water for a couple of weeks, due to a family reunion. So there isn’t a whole lot to report, but I did do a couple of trips inshore and near-shore. Last Monday morning, I headed to the near-shore reefs with Steve and Lori Greiner and their two y...
saltwater offshore gulf Gulf of Mexico Fishbuster Charters Captain Dave Hanson Naples Ft. Myers Bonita Beach SW FL live-bait bottom-fishing spinning-tackle grouper snapper hogfish mackerel porgies triggerfish redfish sheepshead SW FL-Bonita Beach: Abundant Hogfish, Mangs, Lanes, Grouper and more (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	782	Aug 6, 2012 by fishbuster
After several weeks off the water because of a family reunion trip, followed by lots of rainy days unsuitable for fishing, I finally got offshore on Friday, 7/20/12 with John Hamilton and friends. We fished 36 miles west of New Pass, where we got into some red grouper. We didn't get a keeper, though, o...
saltwater offshore gulf-of mexico inshore bay Estero Bay flats-fishing bottom-fishing spinning-tackle live-bait Fishbuster Charters Captain Dave Hanson Bonita Beach SW FL Naples Ft. Myers goliath-grouper red-grouper gag-grouper shark cobia mackerel snapper redfish snook flounder trout SW FL-Bonita Beach: Goliaths, Gags & Snapper (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	930	Aug 20, 2012 by fishbuster
Monday, 8/6, I headed out to 35 feet to fish with Brian Woeste, Adam Bodkin and Tim Powers. The guys wanted to experience the thrill of big game, but also wanted some food fish. We started out catching blue runners and Spanish mackerel for goliath grouper bait. The guys caught and released a 70-pound go...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico Bonita Beach SW FL Naples Ft. Myers Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters live-bait spinning-tackle bottom-fishing grouper goliaths snapper shark flounder mackerel porgies SWFL-Bonita Beach:Nice Gag Grouper, Goliaths, Shark, Snapper (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	842	Sep 3, 2012 by fishbuster
Monday, 8/20, I fished with Steve Spitzer and Jalissa Reever again. They had fished with me the previous Wednesday and caught a couple of keeper gag grouper. But, Monday, conditions were different. Despite forecasts for one-to-two foot seas and 5-10 knot winds, we encountered steady 15-18 knot...
saltwater offshore gulf bay inshore flats-fishing bottom-fishing live-bait SW FL Bonita Beach Naples Ft. Myers Captain Dave hanson Fishbuster Charters spinning-tackle grouper snapper mackerel porgies redfish trout flounder sheepshead SW FL-Bonita Beach: Nice variety--even caught a scamp! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	856	Sep 24, 2012 by fishbuster
Labor Day Monday, 9/3, I fished at the near-shore reefs with Brian Lucas and his two young sons, Grady and Grant, along with Cadrin Cojanu and his two young children, Ben and Emily. The group used live shrimp to catch four Spanish mackerel to 23 inches, five pompano, all around 14 inches, a keeper mang...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico red grouper lane snapper yellowtail snapper mangrove snapper porgies porkfish SW FL Bonita beach Naples Ft. Myers Fishbuster Charters Captain Dave Hanson live-bait bottom-fishing spinning-tackle SW FL-Bonita Beach: Red Grouper & Snapper (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	751	Oct 15, 2012 by fishbuster
After some rainy days, one no-show customer (that makes twice within a month, and is oh-so annoying), and a few seasonally slow days, I finally got out fishing again on Tuesday, 10/9, when I fished 22 miles west of New Pass with Scott Severaid, Gregg Hass, Todd Vershaw, Jason White and Mike Wernsman. W...
saltwater inshore offshore flats-fishing bottom-fishing gulf of mexico estero bay SW FL Bonita beach Naples Ft. Myers Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters grouper snapper sheepshead shark redfish snook SW FL-Bonita Beach: Snapper, Grouper, Shark, Sheeps, Reds, Snook (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	771	Nov 5, 2012 by fishbuster
Saturday, 10/20, I fished with long-time customer Marshall Swain, along with his family and friends. We used live shrimp, about 22 miles west of New Pass, and the group caught twenty-five keeper lane snapper to 12 inches, along with one keeper mangrove snapper at 13 inches. They released a half doze...
saltwater offshore inshore gulf estero bay bottom-fishing flats-fishing live-bait Captain Dave Hanson Fishbuster Charters Bonita Beach naples Ft. Myers SWFL snapper grouper hogfish shark porgies redfish trout snook permit SW FL-Bonita Beach:Good Action and Variety Inshore& Offshore (Preview)	Florida SouthWest	0	1226	Nov 20, 2012 by fishbuster
Monday, 11/5, I fished about 22 miles west of New Pass with Mark Cavanaugh and friends. The four guys used live shrimp to land five gag grouper, three of which would have been keeper-size, to 23 inches, except for the fact that season closed for those five days ago. So we released all of those, along with...
saltwater offshore inshore gulf estero bay flats-fishing bottom-fishing live-bait fishbuster charters naples bonita beach ft. myers captain dave hanson snook redfish trout snapper porgies grouper hogfish shark SW FL-Bonita Beach:Good Action and Variety Inshore& Offshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	807	Nov 20, 2012 by fishbuster
Monday, 11/5, I fished about 22 miles west of New Pass with Mark Cavanaugh and friends. The four guys used live shrimp to land five gag grouper, three of which would have been keeper-size, to 23 inches, except for the fact that season closed for those five days ago. So we released all of those, along wit...
saltwater gulf of mexico offshore estero bay inshore backwaters captain dave hanson fishbuster charters bonita beach naples ft. myers swfl live-bait bottom-fishing spinning-tackle light-tackle flats-fishing grouper snapper porgies sheepshead redfish hogfish SW FL-Bonita Beach: Red Grouper Gulfside; Big Sheepshead Inshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	937	Dec 3, 2012 by fishbuster
Tuesday, 11/20, I fished inshore in Estero Bay with Al Tooley and his thirteen-year-old son, Aiden. The guys caught a 20-inch, keeper redfish, along with five keeper sheepshead to 15 inches, all on shrimp. They released seven smaller sheepshead and two stingrays. Wednesday morning, I again fish...
saltwater backwaters bay estero bay bonita beach naples ft. myers fishbuster charters captain dave hanson live-bait flats-fishing sheepshead snapper permit pompano redfish SW FL-Bonita Beach: Winter Sheepshead are Back...and Big! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	762	Dec 21, 2012 by fishbuster
The first week of December was kind of slow around here, which is typical for the few weeks between Thanksgiving and the beginning of the holiday rush. But I did get out fishing in Estero Bay, on a catch-and-release trip with Dave and Diane Carey on Friday, 12/7/12. The couple used live shrimp to catch t...
saltwater gulf of mexico estero bay bottom fishing flats fishing live bait light spinning tackle fishbuster charters captain dave hanson swfl bonita beach naples ft. myers grouper snapper hogfish mackerel porgies triggerfish redfish snook trout pompano permit SW FL-Bonita Beach: Winter Fishing Lookin' Good! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	996	Jan 7, 2013 by fishbuster
After Wednesday's trip on 12/19, our weather began deteriorating, with a very windy, cold front that arrived late Thursday into Friday and Saturday. I cancelled my offshore trip for Friday with the Graham family, but I was able to reschedule that for a bay trip with them the morning of Christmas Eve...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico hogfish snapper grouper mackerel porgies triggerfish sheepshead swfl captain dave hanson fishbuster charters bonita beach naples ft. myers bottom-fishing live-bait spinning-tackle SW FL-Bonita Beach: Lots of Action & a 20-inch Hogfish! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	844	Jan 21, 2013 by fishbuster
Tuesday, 1/8, I headed well offshore, 37 miles west of New Pass, with frequent customer Ron Musick and friends, Eddie Alfonso, Dick Arnett and Ralph Lussluer. We had a good day fishing with live shrimp, and the guys landed four keeper red grouper, 21 ½ inches, 22 ½ inches, 24 inches and the prize winner...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico inshore estero bay bottom fishing flats fishing light spinning tackle fishbuster charters captain dave hanson swfl bonita beach naples ft. myers grouper snapper hogfish porgies triggerfish mackerel sheepshead snook redfish trout SW FL-Bonita Beach: Plenty of Grouper in Closed Season! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	822	Feb 4, 2013 by fishbuster
After cancelling six consecutive fishing trips, due to weather conditions offshore and red tide in the bays, I finally got to fish again on Thursday, 1/24.I headed out about 18 miles from new Pass with Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonse and Jack Dee. Fishing was a little slow, perhaps due to the cold nights we e...
saltwater offshore inshore gulf of mexico estero bay backwaters flats-fishing bottom-fishing light spinning tackle live bait swfl bonita beach naples ft. myers captain dave hanson fishbuster charters hogfish grouper snapper porgy triggerfish trout snook redfish sheepshead SW FL-Bonita Beach: If only the winds would stop... (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	837	Feb 18, 2013 by fishbuster
Monday, 2/4, I headed offshore with Barry Pflueger and friends. I hadn’t been offshore in nearly a week, due to rough conditions out there. Seas were still fairly choppy early on, but they calmed down by mid-morning. Fishing was kind of slow although, if it weren’t for grouper season closing, we migh...
saltwater gulf of mexico offshore inshore estero bay sw fl bonita beach naples ft. myers captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait bottom fishing flats fishing sheepshead grouper snapper hogfish mackerel triggerfish porgies SW FL-Bonita Beach: Near-shore Reefs Productive (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	910	Mar 4, 2013 by fishbuster
03/04/13- SW FL-Bonita Beach: Near-shore Reefs ProductiveAfter a cancelled trip on Monday, I got out fishing Tuesday, 2/19, as winds and seas finally began to calm down from their week-long highs of 30 knot gusts and 4-12 foot seas. It was still a little sloppy so I stayed near-shore, about 12 miles o...
saltwater offshore inshore gulf of mexico estero bay light tackle live bait bottm fishing flats fishing guide captain dave hanson fishbuster charters bonita beach naples ft. myers swfl florida snapper grouper drum sheepshead hogfish porgies triggerfish mackerel redfish SW FL-Bonita Beach: Big Drum, Grouper, Plentiful Snapper (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	816	Mar 18, 2013 by fishbuster
Finally, a day with warmer temps, light winds and calm seas—That was just what frequent customers Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, and Dick Arnett were hoping for on Tuesday, 3/5, when we headed out to fish about twelve miles west of New Pass, with a bait-well full of live shrimp. And, what a glorious day it t...
saltwater offshore inshore gulf of mexico estero bay bonita beach naples ft. myers swfl captain dave hanson fishbuster charters goliath grouper gag grouper red grouper king mackerel redfish sheepshead black drum bottom fishing flats fishing light tackle live bait SW FL-Bonita Beach: Kingfish, Grouper, Snapper, Shark; Redfish, Black Drum, Sheepshead Inshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	804	May 25, 2013 by fishbuster
Monday, 5/13/13, I fished the backwaters of Estero Bay with David Bloomfield and David Price. Using live shrimp, the guys caught three redfish, two of which were keepers at 19 ½ and 20 inches. They also caught two 14-inch sheepshead and a 15-inch black drum. They released mangrove snapper shorts. T...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico inshore estero bay swfl bonita beach naples ft. myers captain dave hanson fishbuster charters bottom fishing flats fishing light tackle live bait cobia shark grouper snapper flounder redfish pompano SW FL-Bonita Beach: Red Grouper, Snapper, Cobia, Shark, Redfish, Pompano (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	841	Jun 17, 2013 by fishbuster
I fished Saturday, 6/1, and I headed offshore about 36 miles west of New Pass to fish in 71 feet with Craig Daniels, Chip Lehman, and friends Bubba and Paul. We had a great day of fishing in good conditions. We used shrimp and squid to catch most everything, except the grouper, which bit grunts. The guys l...
saltwater gulf of mexico offshore estero bay inshore bottom fishing flats fishing live bait light tackle captain dave hanson fishbuster charters swfl bonita beach naples ft. myers grouper snapper mackerel hogfish redfish sheepshead snook SW FL-Bonita Beach: Stormy Conditions 1st Day of Gag Season (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	763	Jul 1, 2013 by fishbuster
Well, anglers awaiting the re-opening of gag grouper season are disappointed here today, with 3-5 foot seas and stormy conditions…let’s hope weather improves quickly! Chris & Jenny Phillips and their three teen-aged children, Emily, Bradley and Ryan, fished 18 miles out of New Pass with me...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico bonita beach naples ft. myers swfl captain dave hanson fishbuster charters grouper snapper yellowtail hogfish mackerel shark triggerfish porgy SW FL-Bonita Beach: Grouper & Yellowtail Bite Hot! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	779	Jul 15, 2013 by fishbuster
Paul McConnell and family had planned to fish offshore with me on both Tuesday, 7/2/13 and Friday 7/5. We nixed Tuesday’s trip, as our weather was stormy for four consecutive days, Sunday, 6/30 through Wednesday morning, 7/3. After that, the continual rains quit, but with numerous lingering thund...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico inshore estero bay bottom fishing flats fishing light tackle live bait swfl bonita beach naples ft. myers fishbuster charters captain dave hanson hogfish grouper snapper mackerel shark triggerfish porgy snook redfish SW FL-Bonita Beach: Nice Hogfish, Red Grouper, Gag, Snapper, Redfish (Preview)	Florida SouthWest	0	1685	Jul 29, 2013 by fishbuster
Bob O’Hara and grandson, Kevin, who had fished offshore with me on Friday, 7/12, fished again with me on Monday, 7/15. We headed offshore again, twenty miles from New Pass and had a fun fishing adventure, as well as bringing home some nice fish. The guys battled and brought to the surface a 30-pound bar...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico bottom fishing live bait light spinning tackle captain dave hanson fishbuster charters bonita beach naples ft. myers swfl florida grouper snapper hogfish mackerel shark triggerfish porgies SW FL-Bonita Beach: Fishing Awesome Offshore! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	665	Aug 12, 2013 by fishbuster
Tuesday morning, 7/30/13, I headed 22 miles off Naples with Brian Ritter and his daughter, Danni, joined by their friends Bill Sands and his daughter, Alissa. We used live shrimp to catch twenty keeper lane snapper along with one keeper yellowtail snapper at 14 inches. Danni used a pinfish to land a k...
saltwater inshore near-shore estero bay gulf flats-fishing live-bait spinning tackle light tackle captain dave hanson fishbuster charters bonita beach naples ft. myers swfl redfish snook snapper grouper SW FL-Bonita Beach: Inshore & Near-shore Report-Reds! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	701	Oct 8, 2013 by fishbuster
Redfish have been the best bet around here lately, with trips scarce overall, and with favorable bay tides trumping some sloppy conditions offshore. Monday morning, 9/23/13, I fished the backwaters of Estero Bay with Doug Duncan, Eric Bastion, and Randy Cummings. The guys had originally planned...
saltwater offshore inshore swfl bonita beach naples ft. myers live-bait light tackle bottom fishing flats fishing captain dave hanson fishbuster charters hogfish red grouper yellowtail snapper lane snapper mangrove snapper triggerfish porgy shark redfish sheepshead SW FL-Bonita Beach: 22-inch Hogfish! Red Grouper, Snapper & Redfish (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	682	Oct 21, 2013 by fishbuster
Friday morning, 10/11, I fished 22 miles offshore with Roberto Russi, his father-in-law, John, and friend, Bill. We used a grunt to land a nice, 25 ½-inch red grouper, and we also had something big cut 100-pound, braided line, so that might have been a bigger grouper! The guys used live shrimp to catch...
saltwater offshore inshore swfl bonita beach naples ft. myers live-bait bottom-fishing flats-fishing light tackle spinning tackle grouper snapper hogfish shark flounder redfish sheepshead SW FL-Bonita Beach: Red grouper, Hogfish, Shark, Redfish & Sheepshead (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	673	Nov 11, 2013 by fishbuster
Bob and Jo-Ellen Exby fished 18 miles offshore with me on Tuesday, 10/22, just ahead of a cool-front due in the next day. The day began calm, and seas of one-foot were predicted by NOAA, but we had two-to-three foot seas most of the morning, as winds picked up to 15 knots prematurely. The couple used live...
saltwater offshore inshore gulf of mexico estero bay sw fl bonita beach naples ft. myers captain dave hanson fishbuster charters grouper snapper hogfish shark black drum sheepshead flats fishing bottom fishing live bait light tackle spinning tackle SW FL-Bonita Beach: Grouper, Snapper, Hogs, Shark, Drum-who could ask for more? (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	625	Nov 25, 2013 by fishbuster
Tuesday, 11/12/13, I fished offshore with long-time customers Kari Vilamaa, George Dyer, and Paul Kikendall. We were one day ahead of a cold front that was predicted to bring strong winds and seas of six to eight feet offshore, but we had calm conditions all day, and we were able to fish in various spot...
saltwater inshore offshore estero bay gulf of mexico bonita beach naples ft. myers swfl captain dave hanson fishbuster charters snapper grouper shark redfish drum sheepshead porgy triggerfish margate SW FL-Bonita Beach: So now that gag season closed... (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	757	Dec 9, 2013 by fishbuster
Tuesday, 11/26/13, I fished on a very windy morning in Estero Bay with Al Tooley and his two sons, Jeff and Aiden. The tide was up, making for favorable conditions in the bay, and the guys did well, fishing with live shrimp. Catches included a 25-inch keeper redfish, an 18-inch keeper black drum, and fi...
saltwater inshore offshore flats fishing bottom fishing live bait light tackle spinning tackle estero bay gulf of mexico captain dave hanson fishbuster charters swfl bonita beach naples ft. myers pompano drum sheepshead grouper snapper hogfish mackerel SW FL-Bonita Beach: Pomopano, Sheepshead, Drum (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	650	Jan 6, 2014 by fishbuster
Saturday morning, 12/21/13, the winds, which had been pretty much steady all week, were still blowing hard, and seas were predicted to be three-to-four feet offshore. But, with dead-low tides in the bay, Butch Haggin, his son-in-law, John Sims, and grandson, John Sims, Jr. decided they’d have a be...
saltwater inshore estero bay bonita beach swfl naples ft. myers captain dave hanson fishbuster charters light tackle spinning tackle live bait flats fishing black drum drum sheepshead snapper pompano SW FL-Bonita Beach: Inshore the only place to be (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	607	Jan 20, 2014 by fishbuster
The week of January 5th, 2014, was pretty much a loss for fishing. We had near-freezing temps for a couple of days, thanks to a strong cold front that made it this far south, which is unusual. That front also brought high winds and rough seas, and the wind direction was such that it sucked most of the water...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico inshore estero bay backwater bottom fishing flats fishing live bait light tackle swfl naples bonita beach ft. myers captain dave hanson fishbuster charters grouper hogfish snapper porgies black drum drum sheepshead guide charter SW FL-Bonita Beach: Grouper & Hogs, Sheepshead & Drum (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	732	Feb 3, 2014 by fishbuster
Monday, 1/20/14, was the first day in about two weeks that was suitable for offshore fishing. Successive, relentless weather fronts had forced me off the water for about a week, then into the backwaters for the next week or so. Another front, predicted to bring high winds and seas again was on the hori...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico estero bay backwaters bottom-fishing flats-fishing light tackle spinning tackle live bait captain dave hanson fishbuster charters swfl florida bonita springs bonita beach naples ft. myers porgies shark hogfish grouper snapper redfish black drum drum sheepshead SW FL-Bonita Beach: Big Sheepies, Bull-Red & 8-foot Shark (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	809	Feb 17, 2014 by fishbuster
Tuesday, 2/4/14, I headed out 35 miles from New Pass to fish with frequent customers, Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, and Dick Arnett. We used live shrimp to catch four snapper—one huge lane snapper at 19 inches and three mangrove snapper all 15 to 16 inches—along with a keeper hogfish at 14 inches, and fif...
saltwater offshore inshore gulf of mexico estero bay flats fishing bottom fishing live bait light tackle captain dave hanson fishbuster charters bonita beach naples ft. myers grouper snapper shark mackerel redfish black drum snook sheepshead SW FL-Bonita Beach: Great Grouper Action! Shark & more! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	538	May 26, 2014 by fishbuster
I spent about a week off the water, as I only had a couple of fishing trips scheduled and they were both offshore trips that were made impossible by the winds and rough seas, which were relentless for days on end. I finally got back out fishing on Monday, 5/19 and, even then, winds were still blowing about...
saltwater offshore gulf gulf of mexico bottom fishing live bait light tackle grouper snapper shark triggerfish porgiy inshore bay estero bay flats fishing redfish drum trout sheepshead captain dave hanson fishbuster charters bonita springs bonita beach swfl florida gulf coast guide charter naples ft. myers SW FL-Bonita beach: Excellent Action Offshore & Inshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	625	Jan 5, 2015 by fishbuster
Monday, 12/22/14, there was a weather front approaching our area, and winds, though calm in the early morning, were predicted to pick up, with seas rising as well. Bradley Miller had a choice between trying to beat the worst of the wind and fish offshore, or playing it safe in the backwaters. He decide...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico swfl bonita beach bonita speings ft. myers naples captain dave hanson guide charter fishbuster charters bottom fishing spinning tackle. light tackle live bait flats fishing backwaters bay estero bay sheepshead redfish snook pompano shark goliath grouper grouper snapper kimngfish Spanish mackerel porkfish porgies grunts SW FL-Bonita Beach: Bottom Fishing Yields Good Variety (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	738	Apr 26, 2015 by fishbuster
Monday, 4/13/15, seas were predicted to be two feet or less, but NOAA definitely underestimated those. I fished with long-time customers Clement and Evelyn Wong, along with their son, Nathan and daughter-in-law, Joy. Seas were three feet or more, about 18 miles west of New Pass, and we actually cut...