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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...

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...

“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, 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 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...

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, 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 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...

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, 3/18/13, I fished about 19 miles west of New Pass with Chris Ernberger, his son, Carter, Chris’ dad, Jerry Ernberger, and friends Greg and Spencer. The group used live shrimp to catch five nice sheepshead, all 15 and 16 inches, four whitebone porgies, all around 14 inches, two keeper mangrov...

Monday, April 1st was the first day of red grouper season re-opening, and I headed out to fish in spots 28 miles and 36 miles west of New Pass with Ron Lash, Kelley Wood, Peter Vitale, and their friends Bob and John. We used a few different live baits—shrimp, pinfish and grunts—to catch a bunch of fish of a...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Monday, 2/17/14, I headed offshore from New Pass about 17 miles, with Jim Swanger and Ron Kaplan. Seas weren’t quite as calm as predicted early-on, but they calmed down nicely by mid-morning. The guys used live shrimp to box seven 13-inch mangrove snapper, two 14-inch porgies, a keeper porkfish, a b...

Tuesday, 3/4/14, was a beautiful, calm day offshore. I spent it fishing with frequent customers, Ron Musick and Eddie Alfonso, and this time, Ron’s brother, Stanley Musick was in town to go with us. We headed out about 29 miles from New Pass, and had steady action all day. The red grouper bite was hot, a...

Winds were still gusting to 25 knots Tuesday morning, 3/18, after a gusty day Monday and heavy rain overnight. The only good news was that the wind direction was beneficial for the tide in the backwaters, where I fished the island groups by Little Carlos Pass with Steve Davis, his son Matt, and his son-...

Monday morning, 3/31, it was a hard call on whether to fish offshore or inshore for the Frantz family--Mike and Sue, daughter Kim, and grandson Kevin. After many days of wind and high seas, predictions were for calmer conditions, with two-to three foot seas, but winds were still blowing pretty stron...

Monday morning, 4/14, I fished a catch-and-release trip about 12 miles west of New Pass with Carol Harris, her daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Jeff, and their teen-aged sons, Bradley and Alex. The group used live shrimp to catch four Spanish mackerel to 22 inches, six ladyfish to 20 inches, twenty...

Monday, 4/28, I fished a full day offshore with Bob Donelson, Kent McCarthy, Chuck Babcock, and Skip Hamilton. The guys wanted to go after big, catch-and-release fish, so we headed out to spots between 28 and 36 miles from New Pass. We released four goliath grouper, each angler getting a chance to wre...

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...

Tuesday, 5/27, I headed offshore to fish 25 miles west of New Pass with Conrad and Ellie Cherry, their son, Kevin, and Kevin’s young daughter, Katie. We used pinfish for grouper, and the group caught and released twenty five of those, three of which were short of legal size by just ¼ inch. Using live shr...

Monday, 6/16, I fished in spots 28 ½ to 35 ½ miles west of New Pass with Paul McConnell and his son, Andrew. They had fished with me the previous Saturday, and had done well with red grouper that day. This time, yellowtail snapper, which had all been short on Saturday, were biting well on shrimp, and the gu...

Monday, 6/30/14, Matt Siebert and friends Matthew, Jim and Steve, had planned to fish a full-day with me offshore. The dead calm seas of the several preceding days had picked up somewhat, but the NOAA forecast was for two-to-three foot sees out to sixty miles. As soon as we got out to New Pass, we knew th...

Tuesday morning, 7/15, thunder was rumbling by about 6AM, but the weather forecasters reported that there were only a few scattered thunderstorms, moving northeast, and that the one that was in north Naples and the Bonita area would soon be gone. So, I went ahead and got bait and readied my boat for re...

Tuesday morning, 7/29, winds were stronger than they had been in about a week, and they were straight out of the west. I advised brothers Jose and Robert Garcia and their sons that we would likely be fishing near-shore, rather than well offshore. Even the spots we fished 8 to 12 miles west of New Pass wer...

Bob Donalson and Steve Volz fished with me Monday morning, 8/11, offshore. The last time Bob fished with me was last April when he was down in FL, so this was his first summer-time excursion. We headed out 20 miles from New Pass and fished with live shrimp. The red grouper were biting, but they were short...

My first trip of this season with long-time customer and seasonal resident, Ron Musick, was on Thursday, October 2nd, our last chance to keep red grouper before the season for them closes. Ron was joined by Eddie Alfonso, and we headed out to about twenty-two miles west of New Pass. The guys landed two...

Paul Szemplenski, his young daughter, Evie, and his father-in-law, Ed fished inshore with me on Friday, 10/17/14. The group had originally planned to fish offshore, but residual seas from the weather front that passed through a couple of days prior were still too rough for gulf fishing. So, we fish...

Tuesday, 10/28, I fished with repeat customers, Clement and Evelyn Wong, joined by their son, Aaron. After a windy weekend, seas were still a bit choppy twenty miles offshore, where we fished with live shrimp. The bulk of our catches were red grouper, which had to be released, due to closed season, bu...

First, Happy Thanksgiving to all! Now, let’s go fishing! Tuesday, 11/11/14, I fished 19 miles west of New Pass with brothers, Mike and Pat Connealy. We had steady action, and the guys used live shrimp to catch and release lots of red grouper to 24 inches, many of which would have been keepers, had red g...

Monday morning, 11/24/14, was windy, as had been the case for several days, and I fished inshore in Estero Bay’s flats with Jim Fares and his father-in-law, Doug, on a catch-and-release trip that yielded five sheepshead and a crevalle jack. Tuesday, 11/25, I had an offshore trip scheduled, and I wa...

Long-time customers, Erwin and Millie Metusiak fished the backwaters with me on Monday morning, 12/8/14. Using live shrimp, the couple caught and boxed two pompano at 14 inches and 15 inches, along with a 13-inch sheepshead. They released some smaller sheepshead, along with four crevalle jacks....

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...

As a windy weather front approached the area on Monday, 1/5/15, small craft advisories were issued, and my anglers, Allen Jacobs, Phil Corey, and friend, Lenny traded their offshore plans for a morning of fishing in central Estero Bay. Using live shrimp, the guys caught a half dozen nice sheepshead...

Monday, 1/19/15, predictions for 15-knot winds and seas of two to three feet were just wrong! The wind blew 20 to 25 knots and seas were four-feet-plus at times, 18 miles west of New Pass, where I fished with David Bloomfield, David Price, and David Price, Jr. the guys used live shrimp to catch fifteen p...

Monday, 2/16/15, I fished the backwaters of lower Hickory Bay with Patrick Gartland, his dad, Tom Gartland, and friend, Chris Ladtke. The guys used live shrimp to catch four nice sheepshead to 16 inches. They released four redfish shorts in the 17-to-18-inch range, along with a dozen mangrove snap...

Monday, 3/2/15, I headed offshore in calm seas—what a treat that was, after a couple of battling or surrendering to windy, rough conditions. Long-time customers, Jim McGrath and Bill Crockett had a good morning of fishing 22 to 25 miles west of New Pass. They caught two keeper red grouper, both 23 inc...

Monday, 3/16/15, I headed offshore nineteen miles west of new Pass with frequent angler, Mike Connealy and his friend, Roger. The guys used live shrimp to catch and release lots of red grouper shorts to 18 inches, lots of mangrove snapper shorts, and lots of blue runners. As for keepers, they boxed ni...

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...

Stormy weather began setting in on Monday, 4/27, with lots of moisture over the gulf. By the time Tuesday rolled around, there were scattered showers over much of the area, but Mike Boden and I managed a morning of bay fishing, with just a few drizzles, and returned to the dock just before the heavy rain...

Monday morning, 5/18, Mike and Casey Calvert fished a catch-and-release trip with me in Estero Bay’s Mound Key area, using live shrimp for bait. The couple caught and released a good variety of fish, some of which were would-be keepers. The couple released a pair of 18-inch snook, a 16-inch black dru...

	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	1659	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 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	1486	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 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	1512	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	1405	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 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	1454	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 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	1402	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 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	1316	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 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	1623	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 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	1522	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 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	1259	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 gulf of mexico estero bay backwaters bottom fishing flats fishing live bait light spinning tackle swfl bonita beach ft myers beach naples captain dave hanson fishbuster charters guide grouper snapper hogfish porgies mackerel redfish sheepshead SW FL-Bonita Beach: Nice Reds Inshore; Grouper & Snapper Offshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1496	Apr 1, 2013 by fishbuster
Monday, 3/18/13, I fished about 19 miles west of New Pass with Chris Ernberger, his son, Carter, Chris’ dad, Jerry Ernberger, and friends Greg and Spencer. The group used live shrimp to catch five nice sheepshead, all 15 and 16 inches, four whitebone porgies, all around 14 inches, two keeper mangrov...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico inshore estero bay sw fl bonita beach naples fort myers captain dave hanson fishbuster charters guide bottom fishing flats fishing light tackle spinning tackle live bait snapper grouper redfish drum sheepshead bonito mackerel hogfish porgies SW FL-Bonita Beach: Red Grouper Season is On! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1270	Apr 15, 2013 by fishbuster
Monday, April 1st was the first day of red grouper season re-opening, and I headed out to fish in spots 28 miles and 36 miles west of New Pass with Ron Lash, Kelley Wood, Peter Vitale, and their friends Bob and John. We used a few different live baits—shrimp, pinfish and grunts—to catch a bunch of fish of a...
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	1331	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	1390	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	1239	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 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	2221	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	1158	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 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	1128	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 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	1128	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 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	1119	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 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	1547	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 inshore gulf of mexico estero bay swfl captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait bottom fishing flats fishing light tackle sheepshead pompano redfish snook grouper snapper mackerel porgies SW FL-Bonita Beach: Big Sheepies Rule! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1173	Mar 3, 2014 by fishbuster
Monday, 2/17/14, I headed offshore from New Pass about 17 miles, with Jim Swanger and Ron Kaplan. Seas weren’t quite as calm as predicted early-on, but they calmed down nicely by mid-morning. The guys used live shrimp to box seven 13-inch mangrove snapper, two 14-inch porgies, a keeper porkfish, a b...
saltwater offshore inshore swfl bonita beach naples fort myers gulf of mexico estero bay bottom fishing flats fishing light tackle captain dave hanson fishbuster charters kingfish mackerel grouper snapper redfish black drum sheepshead SW FL-Bonita Beach: The Kings Have Returned! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1045	Mar 17, 2014 by fishbuster
Tuesday, 3/4/14, was a beautiful, calm day offshore. I spent it fishing with frequent customers, Ron Musick and Eddie Alfonso, and this time, Ron’s brother, Stanley Musick was in town to go with us. We headed out about 29 miles from New Pass, and had steady action all day. The red grouper bite was hot, a...
saltwater offshore inshore gulf of mexico estero bay bottom fishing flats fishing light tackle live bait captain dave hanson fishbuster charters bonita beach naples fort myers florida swfl grouper gag snapper sheepshead black drum redfish SW FL-Bonita Beach: Big Gags Biting Gulfside; Drum Inshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1056	Mar 31, 2014 by fishbuster
Winds were still gusting to 25 knots Tuesday morning, 3/18, after a gusty day Monday and heavy rain overnight. The only good news was that the wind direction was beneficial for the tide in the backwaters, where I fished the island groups by Little Carlos Pass with Steve Davis, his son Matt, and his son-...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico inshore backwaters estero bay bottom fishing flats fishing light tackle live bait bonita beach bonita springs naples ft myers swfl florida captain dave hanson fishbuster charters kingfish mackerel shark barracuda grouper snapper redfish snook SWFL-Bonita Beach:50 lb. King, 8 1/2-foot Hammerhead, Grouper (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1226	Apr 15, 2014 by fishbuster
Monday morning, 3/31, it was a hard call on whether to fish offshore or inshore for the Frantz family--Mike and Sue, daughter Kim, and grandson Kevin. After many days of wind and high seas, predictions were for calmer conditions, with two-to three foot seas, but winds were still blowing pretty stron...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico inshore estero bay grouper goliath snapper mackerel shark drum sheepshead bonita beach bonita springs naples fort myers swfl florida captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait bottom fishing light tackle flats fishing SW FL-Bonita Beach: Goliath Battles, Shark Attacks & Red Grouper Action (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1256	Apr 28, 2014 by fishbuster
Monday morning, 4/14, I fished a catch-and-release trip about 12 miles west of New Pass with Carol Harris, her daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Jeff, and their teen-aged sons, Bradley and Alex. The group used live shrimp to catch four Spanish mackerel to 22 inches, six ladyfish to 20 inches, twenty...
saltwater offshore inshore naples fort myers bonita beach swfl florida captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait bottom fishing flats fishing offshore inshore estero bay gulf of mexico goliath grouper gag grouper red grouper lane snapper yellowtain snapper mangrove snapper king mackerel Spanish mackerel shark hammerhead tiger shark nurse shark sandbar shark black drum redfish sheepshead SW FL-Bonita Beach: Big Game and Food Fish (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1364	May 12, 2014 by fishbuster
Monday, 4/28, I fished a full day offshore with Bob Donelson, Kent McCarthy, Chuck Babcock, and Skip Hamilton. The guys wanted to go after big, catch-and-release fish, so we headed out to spots between 28 and 36 miles from New Pass. We released four goliath grouper, each angler getting a chance to wre...
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	968	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 gulf of mexico offshore captain dave hanson fishbuster charters bonita beach bonita springs fort myers naples swfl florida bottom fishing live bait light tackle grouper snapper shark SW FL-Bonita Beach: Grouper, Snapper & Sharks (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	999	Jun 16, 2014 by fishbuster
Tuesday, 5/27, I headed offshore to fish 25 miles west of New Pass with Conrad and Ellie Cherry, their son, Kevin, and Kevin’s young daughter, Katie. We used pinfish for grouper, and the group caught and released twenty five of those, three of which were short of legal size by just ¼ inch. Using live shr...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico swfl florida bonita beach bonita springs naples fort myers captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait bottom fishing light tackle guide shark goliath grouper red grouper yellowtail snapper mangrove snapper lane snapper cobia porgy SW FL-Bonita Beach: Big Sharks & Goliaths; Food-fish Too (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1169	Jun 30, 2014 by fishbuster
Monday, 6/16, I fished in spots 28 ½ to 35 ½ miles west of New Pass with Paul McConnell and his son, Andrew. They had fished with me the previous Saturday, and had done well with red grouper that day. This time, yellowtail snapper, which had all been short on Saturday, were biting well on shrimp, and the gu...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico bonita beach swfl florida naples fort myers captain dave hanson fishbuster charters grouper snapper shark hogfish triggerfish porgy goliath grouper bottom fishing live bait light tackle SW FL-Bonita Beach: Offshore Fishing Excellent & 1st Gag of the Season (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1166	Jul 14, 2014 by fishbuster
Monday, 6/30/14, Matt Siebert and friends Matthew, Jim and Steve, had planned to fish a full-day with me offshore. The dead calm seas of the several preceding days had picked up somewhat, but the NOAA forecast was for two-to-three foot sees out to sixty miles. As soon as we got out to New Pass, we knew th...
saltwater gulf of mexico offshore light tackle live bait bottom fishing fishbuster charters captain dave hanson bonita beach naples fort myers swfl florida shark grouper snapper porgy redfish pompano sheepshead lane snapper mangrove snapper SW FL-Bonita Beach: Good Snapper fishing, Grouper, Shark & More (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1200	Jul 28, 2014 by fishbuster
Tuesday morning, 7/15, thunder was rumbling by about 6AM, but the weather forecasters reported that there were only a few scattered thunderstorms, moving northeast, and that the one that was in north Naples and the Bonita area would soon be gone. So, I went ahead and got bait and readied my boat for re...
saltwater offshore inshore gulf of mexico estero bay bottom fishing flats fishing bonita beach swfl naples fort myers drum redfish sheepshead snapper grouper shark captain dave hanson fishbuster charters SW FL-Bonita Beach: Fishing Great, Inside and Out (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1196	Aug 11, 2014 by fishbuster
Tuesday morning, 7/29, winds were stronger than they had been in about a week, and they were straight out of the west. I advised brothers Jose and Robert Garcia and their sons that we would likely be fishing near-shore, rather than well offshore. Even the spots we fished 8 to 12 miles west of New Pass wer...
saltwater offshore inshore bottom fishing gulf of mexico flats fishing estero bay red grouper goliath grouper yellowtail snapper lane snapper mangrove snapper porgy sheepshead bonita beach bonita springs naples fort myers captain dave hanson fishbuster charters swfl florida SW FL-Bonita Beach: Lanes, Yellowtail & Grouper (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1089	Aug 25, 2014 by fishbuster
Bob Donalson and Steve Volz fished with me Monday morning, 8/11, offshore. The last time Bob fished with me was last April when he was down in FL, so this was his first summer-time excursion. We headed out 20 miles from New Pass and fished with live shrimp. The red grouper were biting, but they were short...
saltwater gulf of mexico offshore bottom fishing live bait light tackle bonita beach naples ft myers swfl florida gulf-coast captain dave hanson fishbuster charters hogfish snapper grouper triggerfish porgies SW FL-Bonita Beach: Grouper, Snapper, Hogfish, Triggerfish (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1028	Oct 13, 2014 by fishbuster
My first trip of this season with long-time customer and seasonal resident, Ron Musick, was on Thursday, October 2nd, our last chance to keep red grouper before the season for them closes. Ron was joined by Eddie Alfonso, and we headed out to about twenty-two miles west of New Pass. The guys landed two...
saltwater offshore inshore gulf gulf of mexico estero bay bonita springs bonita beach fort myers naples fishbuster charters captain dave hanson light tackle live bait flats fishing bottom fishing swfl florida gulf coast grouper snapper yellowtail lane snapper porgy redfish sheepshead crevalle jacks SW FL-Bonita Beach: Grouper, Yellowtails, Lanes (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1032	Oct 26, 2014 by fishbuster
Paul Szemplenski, his young daughter, Evie, and his father-in-law, Ed fished inshore with me on Friday, 10/17/14. The group had originally planned to fish offshore, but residual seas from the weather front that passed through a couple of days prior were still too rough for gulf fishing. So, we fish...
saltwater gulf gulf of mexico offshore bonita beach swfl florida naples fort myers bonita springs fishbuster charters guide captain dave hanson native guide bottom fishing grouper snapper hogfish triggerfish porgy mackerel SW FL-Bonita Beach: Grouper, Hogfish & Snapper (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1135	Nov 10, 2014 by fishbuster
Tuesday, 10/28, I fished with repeat customers, Clement and Evelyn Wong, joined by their son, Aaron. After a windy weekend, seas were still a bit choppy twenty miles offshore, where we fished with live shrimp. The bulk of our catches were red grouper, which had to be released, due to closed season, bu...
saltwater gulf gulf of mexico estero bay naples fort myers bonita beach swfl captain dave hanson fishbuster charters. live bait flats fishing bottom fishing light tackle grouper snapper triggerfisdh porgy sheepshead drum guide charter offshore inshore SW FL-Bonita Beach: Red Grouper, Gag Grouper, Sheepshead & Drum (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1144	Nov 24, 2014 by fishbuster
First, Happy Thanksgiving to all! Now, let’s go fishing! Tuesday, 11/11/14, I fished 19 miles west of New Pass with brothers, Mike and Pat Connealy. We had steady action, and the guys used live shrimp to catch and release lots of red grouper to 24 inches, many of which would have been keepers, had red g...
saltwater offshore gulf gulf of mexico bottom fishing snapper grouper porgy triggerfish live bait inshore estero bay backwaters flats fishing snook redfish sheepshead black drum naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters SW FL-Bonita Beach: Fighting Fish...and Weather! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1118	Dec 8, 2014 by fishbuster
Monday morning, 11/24/14, was windy, as had been the case for several days, and I fished inshore in Estero Bay’s flats with Jim Fares and his father-in-law, Doug, on a catch-and-release trip that yielded five sheepshead and a crevalle jack. Tuesday, 11/25, I had an offshore trip scheduled, and I wa...
saltwater offshore gulf gulf of mexico estero bay backwaters inshore bottom fishing flats fishing light tackle live bait bonita beach bonita springs fort myers naples florida gulfcoast swfl guide charter captain dave hanson fishbuster charters grouper goliath grouper snapper hogfish shark porgy triggerfish redfish black drum sheepshead pompano redfish snook SW FL-Bonita Beach: Big Sheepshead Return:; Grouper Action Good! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1116	Dec 20, 2014 by fishbuster
Long-time customers, Erwin and Millie Metusiak fished the backwaters with me on Monday morning, 12/8/14. Using live shrimp, the couple caught and boxed two pompano at 14 inches and 15 inches, along with a 13-inch sheepshead. They released some smaller sheepshead, along with four crevalle jacks....
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	1135	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 captain dave hanson fishbuster charters bonita beach naples fort myers swfl florida kingfish grouper snapper hogfish backwaters estero bay inshore sheepshead redfish light tackle live bait bottom fishing flats fishing SW FL-Bonita Beach: Kingfish, Grouper, Snapper, Hogs & More (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1416	Jan 19, 2015 by fishbuster
As a windy weather front approached the area on Monday, 1/5/15, small craft advisories were issued, and my anglers, Allen Jacobs, Phil Corey, and friend, Lenny traded their offshore plans for a morning of fishing in central Estero Bay. Using live shrimp, the guys caught a half dozen nice sheepshead...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico bottom fishing live bait light tackle inshore backwaters estero bay bonita beach bonita springs fort myers naples swfl gulfcoast florida captain dave hanson guide charter fishbuster charters shark grouper snapper porgy hogfish redfish sheepshead SW FL-Bonita Beach: Shark, Grouper, lots of rough seas (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1020	Feb 2, 2015 by fishbuster
Monday, 1/19/15, predictions for 15-knot winds and seas of two to three feet were just wrong! The wind blew 20 to 25 knots and seas were four-feet-plus at times, 18 miles west of New Pass, where I fished with David Bloomfield, David Price, and David Price, Jr. the guys used live shrimp to catch fifteen p...
saltwater offshore inshore gulf bay light tackle live bait bottom fishing flats fishing captain dave hanson fishbuster charters guide floridagulfcoast bonita springs bonita beach fort myers naples swfl grouper snapper kingfish porgy redfish sheepshead SW FL-Bonita Beach: Fishing good when conditions allow (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1042	Mar 2, 2015 by fishbuster
Monday, 2/16/15, I fished the backwaters of lower Hickory Bay with Patrick Gartland, his dad, Tom Gartland, and friend, Chris Ladtke. The guys used live shrimp to catch four nice sheepshead to 16 inches. They released four redfish shorts in the 17-to-18-inch range, along with a dozen mangrove snap...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico estero bay swfl florida gulfcoast bonita beach bonita springs naples fort myers captain dave hanson fishbuster charters bottom fishing flats fishing live bait light tackle seachaser stratos grouper snapper porgies redfish black drum sheepshead SW FL-Bonita Beach: Grouper, Snapper, Porgies, Red & Black Drum, Sheepshead (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1053	Mar 16, 2015 by fishbuster
Monday, 3/2/15, I headed offshore in calm seas—what a treat that was, after a couple of battling or surrendering to windy, rough conditions. Long-time customers, Jim McGrath and Bill Crockett had a good morning of fishing 22 to 25 miles west of New Pass. They caught two keeper red grouper, both 23 inc...
saltwater offshore inshore gulf of mexico estero bay flats fishing bottom fishing light tackle live bait bonita springs bonita beach fort myers naples swfl florida gulfcoast grouper kingfish mackerel snapper porgy triggerfish redfish snook sheepshead fishbuster charters captain dave hanson SW FL-Bonita Beach: Kingfish are here! Grouper, Snapper, Redfish Too (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1144	Mar 28, 2015 by fishbuster
Monday, 3/16/15, I headed offshore nineteen miles west of new Pass with frequent angler, Mike Connealy and his friend, Roger. The guys used live shrimp to catch and release lots of red grouper shorts to 18 inches, lots of mangrove snapper shorts, and lots of blue runners. As for keepers, they boxed ni...
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	1209	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...
saltwater offshore grouper snapper bottom fishing live bait inshore backwaters bay estero bay swfl florida gulf coast naples fort myers bonita beach redfish sheepshead captain dave hanson fishbuster charters guide SW FL-Bonita Beach: Grouper bite on! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1182	May 14, 2015 by fishbuster
Stormy weather began setting in on Monday, 4/27, with lots of moisture over the gulf. By the time Tuesday rolled around, there were scattered showers over much of the area, but Mike Boden and I managed a morning of bay fishing, with just a few drizzles, and returned to the dock just before the heavy rain...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico live bait bottom fishing spinning tackle inshore backwaters estero bay flats fishing fishbuster charters captain dave hanson florida gulfcoast swfl bonita springs bonita beach naples fort myers grouper snapper porgy shark goliaths redfish flounder SW FL-Bonita Beach: Lots of Action Offshore & Inshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1106	Jun 6, 2015 by fishbuster
Monday morning, 5/18, Mike and Casey Calvert fished a catch-and-release trip with me in Estero Bay’s Mound Key area, using live shrimp for bait. The couple caught and released a good variety of fish, some of which were would-be keepers. The couple released a pair of 18-inch snook, a 16-inch black dru...