Welcome to TheFishingReport.com Forum

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...

All Great sportsman in pursuit of big game know that the extreme latitude a species presides is home of the largest. This is no different for Bonefish. Hawaii falls in this catagory. Specifically, Oahu is known to have the highest potential for the first 20+ lb. bonefish. With that said, my mentor, Ca...

The conditions were almost too perfect this week! Yes, it is possible for it to be too nice as Mike Johnson found out. We had a slow morning but as the tide rose there was no shortage of fish. The problem was the fish were on the large side in the 8-10 lb range and didn't get there by being dumb. He made a couple...

The weather made for some tough conditions over the past week. High winds, rain and cloud cover made sight fishing for bonefish very difficult. We had all of that. The bonefish seem to love the adverse conditions. Monster tails were spotted on the proper tides but connecting was another story. With t...

Wintertime Red Hot Hawaiian BonefishingCapt. Chris Asaro January 30, 2010 Honolulu - Sal****er Fishing Report Non-stop action is the only way i could describe last week! With great tide and perfect conditions, we spotted tailing bonefish as we pulled up to the flats. On friday, Matt Harper relea...

9 lb Hawaiian Bonefish on the FlyCapt. Chris Asaro February 18, 2010 Honolulu - Sal****er Fishing Report Super low tide made conditions tough but we have flats that like the low water as Blake from Conneticut found out. He was able to land this beautiful 9 lb bonefish with Capt. Duffield. They hooked...

First time bonefisherman scores!Capt. Chris Asaro February 24, 2010 Honolulu - Sal****er Fishing Report On saturday, i had the pleasure to fish with Mike Schaeffer and friend Tony. They had never bonefished before but were up for the challenge. We decided to do a half day in the afternoon due to ext...

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...

What are a few of the reasons that make sal****er fishing so exciting and enjoyable? Is it that fact that the scenery is second to none? Is it because the salty air brings back old memories? For most anglers the endless possibilities of every cast is what draws most anglers back to the salt waters yea...

“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...

“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...

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...

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...

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...

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, 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...

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...

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...

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 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...

Joe Hahn is expecting delivery of his new bay boat soon, and he took a morning to fish Estero Bay’s backwaters with me on Monday, 9/8/14, hoping to learn the best techniques for fishing in the backwaters. Prior to now, most of Joe’s fishing experience has been from shore. So we headed out to fish various...

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...

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, 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...

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	1536	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...
bonefish hawaii sal****er flyfishing spin fishing flats fishing Pursuit of the next World Record Bonefish on the oahu Flats (Preview)	Hawaii	1	1308	Oct 24, 2009 by TFR_Admin
All Great sportsman in pursuit of big game know that the extreme latitude a species presides is home of the largest. This is no different for Bonefish. Hawaii falls in this catagory. Specifically, Oahu is known to have the highest potential for the first 20+ lb. bonefish. With that said, my mentor, Ca...
flats fishing sal****er fishing bonefish hawaii the Hunt for Monster Bonefish around Oahu (Preview)	Hawaii	2	2499	Oct 28, 2009 by capt chris asaro
The conditions were almost too perfect this week! Yes, it is possible for it to be too nice as Mike Johnson found out. We had a slow morning but as the tide rose there was no shortage of fish. The problem was the fish were on the large side in the 8-10 lb range and didn't get there by being dumb. He made a couple...
sal****er fly fishing oahu hawaii flats fishing massive tails in windy paradise (Preview)	Hawaii	0	1186	Nov 18, 2009 by capt chris asaro
The weather made for some tough conditions over the past week. High winds, rain and cloud cover made sight fishing for bonefish very difficult. We had all of that. The bonefish seem to love the adverse conditions. Monster tails were spotted on the proper tides but connecting was another story. With t...
flyfishing bonefish hawaii bonefishing flats fishing Winter time Red Hot Hawaiian Bonefishing (Preview)	Hawaii	0	814	Jan 30, 2010 by capt chris asaro
Wintertime Red Hot Hawaiian BonefishingCapt. Chris Asaro January 30, 2010 Honolulu - Sal****er Fishing Report Non-stop action is the only way i could describe last week! With great tide and perfect conditions, we spotted tailing bonefish as we pulled up to the flats. On friday, Matt Harper relea...
bonefish hawaiian bonefishing sal****er flyfishing flats fishing 9 lb Hawaiian Bonefish on Fly (Preview)	Hawaii	0	1233	Feb 18, 2010 by capt chris asaro
9 lb Hawaiian Bonefish on the FlyCapt. Chris Asaro February 18, 2010 Honolulu - Sal****er Fishing Report Super low tide made conditions tough but we have flats that like the low water as Blake from Conneticut found out. He was able to land this beautiful 9 lb bonefish with Capt. Duffield. They hooked...
hawaii bonfishing flats fishing bonefish First time Bonefisherman Score! (Preview)	Hawaii	0	1132	Feb 24, 2010 by capt chris asaro
First time bonefisherman scores!Capt. Chris Asaro February 24, 2010 Honolulu - Sal****er Fishing Report On saturday, i had the pleasure to fish with Mike Schaeffer and friend Tony. They had never bonefished before but were up for the challenge. We decided to do a half day in the afternoon due to ext...
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	1401	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...
Redfish Speckled Trout Florida Crystal River Flats fishing Salt Water Fishing Red Hot Fishing Charters Capt. Kyle Messier Surprises of Sal****er Fishing in Crystal River!!! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1331	May 17, 2010 by Capt Kyle Messier
What are a few of the reasons that make sal****er fishing so exciting and enjoyable? Is it that fact that the scenery is second to none? Is it because the salty air brings back old memories? For most anglers the endless possibilities of every cast is what draws most anglers back to the salt waters yea...
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	1431	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 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	1366	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 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	1519	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 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	1301	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	1536	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 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	1443	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	1174	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 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	1165	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 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	1402	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	1156	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	1242	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	1278	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	1140	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	2120	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 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	1045	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	1041	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	1043	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	1006	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	1477	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	1100	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	956	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	956	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	1143	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	1134	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	1240	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	885	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 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	1107	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	995	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 inshore estero bay hickory bay bonita beach naples fort myers captain dave hanson fishbuster charters redfish snapper sheepshead flats fishing live bait light tackle swfl florida SW FL-Bonita Beach: Redfish, Sheepshead & Snapper Inshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	914	Sep 22, 2014 by fishbuster
Joe Hahn is expecting delivery of his new bay boat soon, and he took a morning to fish Estero Bay’s backwaters with me on Monday, 9/8/14, hoping to learn the best techniques for fishing in the backwaters. Prior to now, most of Joe’s fishing experience has been from shore. So we headed out to fish various...
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	930	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 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	1071	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	1036	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	1026	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	1047	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	1312	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 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	944	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	978	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	1052	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	1115	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 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	1021	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...