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We had heavy rains most of the week of 6/5/17, then rough seas for a couple of days. I was in port most of that week, but got to fish in the backwaters of south Estero Bay on Friday, 6/9, with Ashton Lockhart and his nine-year-old daughter, Barrett. Barrett is proud to say she caught more fish than her dad di...

Ryan Hall, Matt Hoffman, Greg Wetzel, and Tom Brackmann headed 25 miles offshore with me on Monday, 6/8, hoping to catch some grouper. The guys did well, catching twenty-eight red grouper in all, three of which were keepers at 24 inches each. Those larger grouper bit on bait-fish, while live shrimp l...

Evan Hamilton, Arly Smart, and Arly’s son, Justice, fished 22 miles west of New Pass with me in calm seas on Monday morning, 6/22/15. The guys used live shrimp to catch a 24-inch keeper red grouper, along with twenty keeper lane snapper, a keeper mangrove snapper, and three 13-inch porgies. They rele...

Joe George and his two sons, Eric and Brad, fished 23 miles west of New Pass with me on Monday morning, 7/6. The catch-of-the-morning was a 27-inch red grouper, which bit a baitfish. The guys also caught a dozen keeper-sized lane snapper, which they chose to release, along with yellowtail and mangrov...

Been trying to fish around the rain lately… Monday morning, 7/20, I headed offshore, 22 miles west of New Pass, with Patrick and Jessica Goodman and friends Ally Janson and Blake Cissell. The group used live shrimp and bait-fish to catch a nice variety of fish, including twenty-five red grouper sho...

Monday morning, 8/3/15, I headed twenty-two miles offshore with Ron Sticha and his son, Noah. They had planned to go last Thursday, but that day was rained out, so we rescheduled, hoping to beat the PM showers predicted for Monday. Seas would have been calm, but some squalls kicked up in the late morni...

Labor Day, 9/7/15, I had a morning backwater trip scheduled with Dave Schwanke, his daughter Kaline, and Kaline’’s boyfriend, Tommy. But, when I awoke to get ready for that trip, I heard thunder rolling in the distance. Radar confirmed a mess of thunderstorms rolling in from the gulf. So we postpone...

Season is gearing up for a busy fishing calendar around here, that is, if weather will cooperate. Thursday morning, 9/24/15, I fished Estero Bay’s backwaters, around the Horseshoe Keys, with Tennessee bass fisherman, Rick Dann. It took rick a little while (and one lost redfish) for Rick to quit fi...

After several weeks off the water, with a week-long family reunion to attend, and some rainy weather once back home, I finally got offshore fishing on Friday, 11/6/15, when I headed out to fish twelve to twenty-two miles west of New Pass with Glen Harris, his girlfriend, Dawn Welch, his son, Tripp, a...

Sara Liegel had arranged an offshore fishing trip for herself, her husband Ryan, her parents, Wyon and Mary-Jo Wiegratz, and her brother, Nathan, for Tuesday, 11/17/15. But, the winds and seas began building over the preceding weekend and, by Tuesday morning, they were four-to-six feet offshore...

After a rainy Monday that caused us to cancel their trip that day, Erwin and Millie Metusiak, who have fished with me yearly for many years, fished Estero Bay’s backwaters with me Tuesday, 12/8/15. Winds were strong, so we fished around the islands, close to New Pass, wherever we could stay somewhat s...

Friday morning, 12/18/15, just ahead of a cold front that was about to bring rain to the area, I headed into the backwaters of Estero Bay with the Lang family--Reese and Kara and their two young children, Nicholas, and Brooklyn. The Langs did not mind if rain cut their trip short, as they mostly wanted t...

Saturday, 1/2/16, my first day of the new year on the water, was spent in the backwaters with Ann McManus, her brother, Phil Arnes, and their friends, Roger and Maureen Paruie. The group opted to fish the bay instead of the gulf, since a cool front approaching promised some windier conditions and buil...

Monday and Tuesday, 1/18 and 1/19/16, began just as the preceding week had begun, that is, with a cold front that brought high winds and seas, along with some cold temperatures. The two offshore trips I had planned for those days had to be canceled. Wednesday, 1/20, it was still pretty breezy, but win...

Tuesday, 2/2/16, I headed 20 miles offshore in calm seas with Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, and Dick Arnett. The guys used live shrimp to catch seven nice mangrove snapper keepers to 16 inches, a dozen lane snapper keepers to 15 inches, seven porgies all around 14 inches, a few 14-inch grunts, and six she...

Monday, 2/15, was a windy day, and seas offshore were about three feet and sloppy when I headed out to 22 miles west of New Pass with Brian and Marcia Wilson. The couple used live shrimp to catch six keeper mangrove snapper that ranged 14 inches to 17 ¾ inches. They also caught a 14-inch hogfish, seven por...

Saturday morning, 2/27, was chilly at 48 degrees, with a pretty hefty wind blowing and low tide conditions in the backwaters, where I fished a catch-and-release trip with Richard Plum. He caught and released two sheepshead, a 16-inch trout, and a dozen ladyfish, all on live shrimp. Monday, 2/29, M...

Saturday morning, 3/12, I fished 22 miles west of New Pass with Mike Wickman and his friend, Paul. The guys used baitfish to land two keeper red grouper at 21 ½ inches and 24 inches. They released numerous red grouper shorts. Using live shrimp, they added to the fish box five keeper mangrove snapper to 1...

Saturday morning, 3/26/16, I fished 23 miles west of New Pass in calm seas with Bob Bockhorst, his son-in-law, Don Leesman, and Don’s college-aged kids, Dave, Kevin, and Kristen. Dave used a pinfish to reel in a 31-inch gag grouper—it was a beauty, but had to be released after we took its picture, due...

Monday, 4/11, I headed offshore with Tom Breyer, his son Scott, grandson Reid, and Reid’s friend, Logan. Winds were hefty, and NOAA’s prediction for two-to-three-foot seas was about a foot short of reality. We tried fishing a few spots close-in but the bite wasn’t great, so the group decided to brav...

After a couple days off, I was back on the water Tuesday, 4/26, when I headed 28 miles offshore in calm seas with frequent fishers Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, and Dick Arnett, joined by friend, John. This was the last fishing trip of the season for Ron, so we had to finish off with at least one keeper groupe...

I was off the water for a few days, with busy season winding down, and fishing trips not scheduled every day of the week, as they have been for the past several months. On Wednesday, 5/11, I fished inshore in lower Hickory Bay with Nat Drourr and his son, Josh. Using live shrimp, the guys caught and releas...

Tuesday morning, 6/14, I fished a catch-and-release, inshore trip in Estero Bay with Mark Basrap and Shannon Featherman. The guys did well using live shrimp. Catches included a 32-inch bull-redfish, a 19-inch redfish, a 17-inch sheepshead, eleven mangrove snapper ranging 11 to 12 inches, a six-...

Monday, 7/11, Mike Kownacki fished the first of two trips he had with me this week. Mike was mostly interested in grouper, so we used live shrimp to catch some baitfish, then caught a couple keeper red grouper, on the baitfish--one 21-inches and one 23-inches. We released a dozen red grouper shorts, f...

Wednesday, 7/27, I fished offshore in spots from 20 to 27 miles west of New Pass with Mark Aldridge, kids, Alfie and George, their cousin, Nick, and family friend, Mark Lansarve. Using baitfish and squid, the group caught thirty-one red grouper, including one keeper at 22 inches, one 14-inch yellow...

The tropical system, Hermine, which wreaked havoc upon many areas to our north, spared us its worst, but brought high winds and torrential rains for several days, and fishing was out of the question. The ill effects of the storm were gone by Saturday morning, 9/3, but residual rough seas changed Mark...

Hannah Merter, her parents, John and Tammy, and her boyfriend, Lance, fished near-shore with me on Thursday morning, 9/29. We dodged rainstorms most of the morning, running about fifteen miles to various close-in spots. The group used squid to catch fourteen keeper lane snapper and a half-dozen g...

I had quite the active morning of fishing the south end of Estero Bay on Wednesday morning, 11/2, with Dave Mercer, friend Rod Knudson, and Rod’s ten-year-old grandson, Gavin Knudson. The trio, who were fishing a catch-and-release trip using live shrimp, landed ten would-be-keeper black drum: a 2...

Friday morning, 12/2, predictions were for two-to-four foot seas offshore. Bob Eckle and friend, Ken weren’t fazed by that, since they are both hardy, avid anglers. It was pretty rough out there for the first half of the morning, then calmed a bit after the wind shifted. The guys had a good time using s...

Monday, 12/19, seas were calm, and I fished in spots between 17 and 28 miles west of New Pass with Josh and Mikelle Schmitt and their friends, Laura and Evan Kemp. Using squid, the group caught fifty-four lane snapper in all, twenty-five of which were nice keepers at 13 to 14 inches, and went into the fis...

A strong cold front came through our area the weekend of 1/7, bringing blustery winds, cold temps, and high seas. Dave Carr and his friend, John Kinkaid, had hoped to fish offshore Monday, 1/9, but seas were high and small craft advisories were in effect. The tide in the backwaters was far from optimal...

Seas were choppy Saturday morning, 1/28, when brothers, Nick, Andy, and Ken Eckle, fished with me 17 miles west of New Pass, using squid for bait. The guys decided to brave some rougher than ideal conditions offshore, rather than fish the backwater in the extreme low tide that accompanied a cold fron...

Long-time customer Kari Vilamaa, along with three of his friends, George, Don, and Dick, fished 22 miles west of New Pass with me on Friday, 2/17. The guys used squid to catch a mess of keeper lane snapper, and kept forty of those, releasing an additional twenty. They also boxed a 13-inch keeper mangro...

The winds that had been blowing hard for the past several days continued into Monday and Tuesday, 3/6 and 3/7, with gusts still at 20 knots and seas offshore still too choppy for my fishing party, Shawn Enoch and his parents, Janie and Monty. So we fished south Estero Bay’s backwaters instead of headi...

Five-year-old Ben Dwyer had a great time fishing with his dad, Sean, and his grandpa, Mike, in the backwaters of southern Estero Bay on Saturday morning, 3/25/17. Using live shrimp, the guys caught a total of twelve black drum ranging from 14 inches to 22 inches, and Ben caught three of those by himsel...

Monday morning, 4/10, seas were a little choppy and sloppy, after a very windy weekend. But, hardy anglers John King, his sons, Chris and Dan, Dan’s girlfriend, Nora, and the boys’ grandfather, Dick, withstood conditions to fish fifteen miles west of New Pass with me. The family used squid to catch a...

Monday morning, 4/24/17, winds were howling, as they had been for several days and, with small craft advisories offshore, the Stevens family, Mike & Michelle and young sons, Ryan and Jonah, traded offshore plans for a backwater trip in southern Estero Bay. The family used live shrimp to catch s...

Monday, 5/15, I headed out to spots fifteen and seventeen miles west of New Pass with Dave and Debra Brinkmann and family. Using both squid and cut-bait, the family boxed twenty-one keeper fish, consisting of lane snapper and grunts. They released fifteen red grouper shorts, along with a 30-inch sh...

Saturday morning, July 1, 2017, I fished 22 miles offshore with Barry Hart, his son, Derrick, and Barry’s grandson, Baylor. The guys used squid to catch 25 keeper lane snapper, and released fifteen red grouper shorts. I fished the south end of Estero Bay’s backwaters Wednesday morning, 7/5, with T...

Mr. and Mrs. Rick Ogata fished a catch-and-release trip with me in southern Estero Bay on Monday morning, 7/24. They used live shrimp and sardines to catch fourteen snook to 22 inches, two sheepshead, and a sand bream. Wednesday morning, 7/26, I headed 23 miles offshore with long-time customer Jos...

For Craig Seacrest and family, it was a toss-up as to whether to fish offshore or in the backwaters on Thursday, 8/24. The threat of rain was a concern offshore, with its timing uncertain, and with its potential to rough up the seas. The bay was at a low, outgoing tide. The group decided to take their chan...

Gary Wilson, Larry Jones, and Kevin Scully fished 19 miles west of New Pass with me on Monday morning, 10/16/17, in calm seas. The guys had a productive morning of fishing, using cut-bait and squid. They boxed a dozen keeper lane snapper to 16 inches, a keeper mutton snapper at 18 inches, and 18 grunts t...

Mike Connealy, a long-time customer, fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with me Friday morning, 11/10/17, using live shrimp for bait. We caught fourteen sheepshead, four of which were keepers ranging from 13 to 18 inches, and four mangrove snapper, including an 11-inch keeper. Mike also re...

Bart Arrigo, his wife, K.C, and their friends, Brian Bialas and Lori, fished 35 miles west of New Pass with me on Friday, 12/1/17. The group used squid and cut-bait to catch seven yellowtail snapper, including three keepers to 13 inches, seven mangrove snapper, including three keepers to 15 inches,...

On Wednesday, 12/20, John and Kim Zitur treated their six-year-old daughter, Carlyn, and their five-year-old son, Quinten, to a catch-and-release trip in southern Estero Bay. The kids had a great time using live shrimp to catch and release a 15-inch black drum, fifteen sheepshead to 13 inches, a s...

As 2017 was drawing to a close, I had hoped that the good fishing weather we had over Christmas week would hold steady. But on Saturday, 12/30/17, when I fished with Rich Driscoll, Sr. and Rich Jr., joined by son Jack and his cousin, Sadie, sea conditions changed by about mid-day, and got progressively...

After a few days of cold temperatures, high winds, and rough seas, causing me to cancel a couple of trips, Saturday, 1/20/18, was finally calm enough to get offshore. I fished in spots from 18 to 28 miles west of New Pass with Joe Hahn and his friends, Bob, Mike, David, and George. The guys used cut-bait a...

Monday, 2/5/18, I fished with frequent customer, Ron Musick, joined by friends who are visiting for a few days. We used cut-bait and squid to fish spots out to 28 miles from New Pass. The spots that have consistently yielded lots of lane snapper have not been doing so recently, and this day was no except...

Long-time customers, Jim McGrath and Bill Crockett, fished 19 to 23 miles west of New Pass with me on Monday, 3/19. They used squid and cut-bait to box fourteen keeper lane snapper and three 12-inch grunts. They released seventeen smaller grunts and sixteen red grouper shorts. Tom Butts, Sr, his so...

Red tide has been lurking around our area for weeks now, but had not impacted fishing until this week--Fishing offshore is still great, when seas are calm enough. But bay fishing right now is pretty much off the table until this red tide dissipates. We have been in a windy pattern for a good while aro...

Winds and seas have been erratic, and the NOAA forecast has often been unreliable recently. I canceled a trip based on a small craft caution and 4-foot seas prediction on Tuesday, 5/1/18, and I believe it would have been quite calm offshore, from what I saw of the wind action that day. On Thursday, 5/3,...

It's slow season here in SW FL, and also rainy season, so fishing trips are less frequent, but still productive for game fish and food fish. On Tuesday morning, 6/5, I fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with Rick and Patty Mason. They used live shrimp to catch four keeper mangrove snappers a...

Scott Shinke, friends, and family fished with me on Friday morning, 7/6/18, 22 miles west of New Pass, using cut-bait and squid. They boxed fifteen lane snapper to 13 inches, along with two Spanish mackerel 22 inches and 23 inches. They released twenty-five red grouper shorts, and also battled and r...

Fishing was tough Saturday morning, 8/11/18, when I headed out 24 miles west of New Pass with Darren Rachman, his brother, Mark, and a couple of their friends. I fished in spots that had been productive several times this week, but the bite was pretty slow everywhere we went. There were some rain storm...

I fished offshore for the first time in many weeks on Friday, 10/19/18, when I headed out to various spots out to 26 miles from New Pass with father and son, Daniel and Josh Koppy. The bite was kind of slow, but at least it was improved over the last time I fished offshore, which was at the peak of the red tid...

On Monday, 1/14, I headed offshore with Bill Conklin and his two friends, Mark and Susan. NOAA had forecast seas of two to three feet well offshore, but even out just eighteen miles from New Pass, we encountered seas of three to four feet. We didn’t head out any further than that, due to rough conditions...

Craig and Jan Royal and their son, Dan, along with Craig’s dad, Ron, fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with me on Monday, 2/4/19. The family used live shrimp to catch four nice, keeper sheepshead, two at 14 inches and two at 17 inches. They also caught a keeper, 12-inch mangrove snapper. Gary Z...

Monday, 2/25, brothers Ed and Fred Armstrong had planned to fish offshore with me. A weather front came through the area over-night, however, and kicked up winds to about 25 knots, with very rough conditions offshore. So the guys decided to fish in Estero Bay’s backwaters instead. Even the bay was ch...

Saturday morning, 3/23, I fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with Tom Weid and his son, John. The guys caught thirteen sheepshead on live shrimp, including eight keepers from 13 inches to 18 inches. Seas were a little sloppy heading offshore Monday, 3/25, for a catch-and-release trip with C...

Wind, wind, wind, and more wind! That describes our weather pattern lately. Monday, 4/22, was predicted to be calm, after a couple weeks prior of mostly strong winds and rough seas. But long-time customer Roy Mittman and his son, Zack, who headed offshore with me Monday quickly decided that 18 miles...

I fished offshore, about twenty miles west of New Pass, on Wednesday morning, 5/29, with Paul and Belinda Parks. It was sloppy heading out, despite a seas forecast of two feet, but it calmed down toward mid-morning. The couple used squid to catch two keeper lane snapper, and they released two trigger...

On Wednesday morning, 7/3/19, I fished miles west of New Pass with Dwayne McCoy and his family and friends. Although seas were predicted to be less than two feet, that was not the case until it was nearly time to head in from our ½-day excursion. But we made it out to 23 miles, hoping for action similar to t...

I was off the water for all of September, but fished in southern Estero Bay on a windy morning Tuesday, October 1, with Roy and Derek Brown. The guys used live shrimp to catch and release three redfish to 19 inches. The 19-inch red would have been a keeper, if not for the current moratorium on harvesting r...

The day after Thanksgiving, 11/29, I fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with Dianne Hogler and her seventeen-year-old son, Ryan. They used live shrimp to catch twenty sheepshead, including four keepers that were all around 13 inches. They released four redfish to 17 inches and five snoo...

Saturday morning, 1/4/20, was a windy one, but the tide was good in Estero Bay’s backwaters, where I fished a catch & release trip with David Dunbar and his girlfriend, Emily Eiteljorg. The couple used live shrimp to catch a dozen sheepshead, four of which would have been keepers in the 13 to 14 inc...

Ed Thompson and his family fished offshore with me on Tuesday morning, 2/11/20, 18 to 20 miles west of New Pass. The family used squid and cut-bait to catch and release five red grouper shorts to 18 inches, along with a bunch of blue runners and sand perch. They boxed four grunts and a porgy for dinner. L...

Frequent fisher, Mike Conneally, joined by his sister and brother-in-law, Rod and Cass Bromm, fished 35 miles west of New Pass with me on Wednesday, 3/18. The family used squid and cut-bait to box nine nice porgies to 15 inches and grunts to 13 inches.. They released thirty-two red grouper shorts to 1...

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saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: June wrap-up--Grouper, Snapper, Shark (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1504	Jul 1, 2017 by fishbuster
We had heavy rains most of the week of 6/5/17, then rough seas for a couple of days. I was in port most of that week, but got to fish in the backwaters of south Estero Bay on Friday, 6/9, with Ashton Lockhart and his nine-year-old daughter, Barrett. Barrett is proud to say she caught more fish than her dad di...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Offshore Fishing Great for Grouper, Snapper, Shark & More (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1508	Jun 22, 2015 by fishbuster
Ryan Hall, Matt Hoffman, Greg Wetzel, and Tom Brackmann headed 25 miles offshore with me on Monday, 6/8, hoping to catch some grouper. The guys did well, catching twenty-eight red grouper in all, three of which were keepers at 24 inches each. Those larger grouper bit on bait-fish, while live shrimp l...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: great variety offshore & nice reds inshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1332	Jul 4, 2015 by fishbuster
Evan Hamilton, Arly Smart, and Arly’s son, Justice, fished 22 miles west of New Pass with me in calm seas on Monday morning, 6/22/15. The guys used live shrimp to catch a 24-inch keeper red grouper, along with twenty keeper lane snapper, a keeper mangrove snapper, and three 13-inch porgies. They rele...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Super-Snapper Bites Two Hooks! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1512	Jul 18, 2015 by fishbuster
Joe George and his two sons, Eric and Brad, fished 23 miles west of New Pass with me on Monday morning, 7/6. The catch-of-the-morning was a 27-inch red grouper, which bit a baitfish. The guys also caught a dozen keeper-sized lane snapper, which they chose to release, along with yellowtail and mangrov...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SWFL-BonitaBeach: Rain, rain, go away--got some snapper anyway (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1488	Jul 31, 2015 by fishbuster
Been trying to fish around the rain lately… Monday morning, 7/20, I headed offshore, 22 miles west of New Pass, with Patrick and Jessica Goodman and friends Ally Janson and Blake Cissell. The group used live shrimp and bait-fish to catch a nice variety of fish, including twenty-five red grouper sho...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Red & Black Drum Inshore; Grouper & Snapper Offshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1438	Aug 14, 2015 by fishbuster
Monday morning, 8/3/15, I headed twenty-two miles offshore with Ron Sticha and his son, Noah. They had planned to go last Thursday, but that day was rained out, so we rescheduled, hoping to beat the PM showers predicted for Monday. Seas would have been calm, but some squalls kicked up in the late morni...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Nice redfish inshore; red grouper offshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1249	Sep 21, 2015 by fishbuster
Labor Day, 9/7/15, I had a morning backwater trip scheduled with Dave Schwanke, his daughter Kaline, and Kaline’’s boyfriend, Tommy. But, when I awoke to get ready for that trip, I heard thunder rolling in the distance. Radar confirmed a mess of thunderstorms rolling in from the gulf. So we postpone...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Reds, Snook, Cobia, Shark, Grouper & Snapper (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1405	Oct 18, 2015 by fishbuster
Season is gearing up for a busy fishing calendar around here, that is, if weather will cooperate. Thursday morning, 9/24/15, I fished Estero Bay’s backwaters, around the Horseshoe Keys, with Tennessee bass fisherman, Rick Dann. It took rick a little while (and one lost redfish) for Rick to quit fi...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: red grouper know it's safe to bite now! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1437	Nov 14, 2015 by fishbuster
After several weeks off the water, with a week-long family reunion to attend, and some rainy weather once back home, I finally got offshore fishing on Friday, 11/6/15, when I headed out to fish twelve to twenty-two miles west of New Pass with Glen Harris, his girlfriend, Dawn Welch, his son, Tripp, a...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita beach: Tricky Winds & Seas, but Fishing Good (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1423	Nov 28, 2015 by fishbuster
Sara Liegel had arranged an offshore fishing trip for herself, her husband Ryan, her parents, Wyon and Mary-Jo Wiegratz, and her brother, Nathan, for Tuesday, 11/17/15. But, the winds and seas began building over the preceding weekend and, by Tuesday morning, they were four-to-six feet offshore...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Great Grouper & Snapper Fishing! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1356	Dec 17, 2015 by fishbuster
After a rainy Monday that caused us to cancel their trip that day, Erwin and Millie Metusiak, who have fished with me yearly for many years, fished Estero Bay’s backwaters with me Tuesday, 12/8/15. Winds were strong, so we fished around the islands, close to New Pass, wherever we could stay somewhat s...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Red Grouper Re-0pen Today! Big Sheepshead Moving in Too! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1387	Jan 1, 2016 by fishbuster
Friday morning, 12/18/15, just ahead of a cold front that was about to bring rain to the area, I headed into the backwaters of Estero Bay with the Lang family--Reese and Kara and their two young children, Nicholas, and Brooklyn. The Langs did not mind if rain cut their trip short, as they mostly wanted t...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Gotta love the grouper bite! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1637	Jan 18, 2016 by fishbuster
Saturday, 1/2/16, my first day of the new year on the water, was spent in the backwaters with Ann McManus, her brother, Phil Arnes, and their friends, Roger and Maureen Paruie. The group opted to fish the bay instead of the gulf, since a cool front approaching promised some windier conditions and buil...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting Fishing great when weather allows. 22-inch mutton snapper! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1620	Feb 1, 2016 by fishbuster
Monday and Tuesday, 1/18 and 1/19/16, began just as the preceding week had begun, that is, with a cold front that brought high winds and seas, along with some cold temperatures. The two offshore trips I had planned for those days had to be canceled. Wednesday, 1/20, it was still pretty breezy, but win...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Big snapper, sheepshead, redfish, trout (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1572	Feb 14, 2016 by fishbuster
Tuesday, 2/2/16, I headed 20 miles offshore in calm seas with Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, and Dick Arnett. The guys used live shrimp to catch seven nice mangrove snapper keepers to 16 inches, a dozen lane snapper keepers to 15 inches, seven porgies all around 14 inches, a few 14-inch grunts, and six she...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Snapper abundant offshore; Trout inshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1391	Feb 28, 2016 by fishbuster
Monday, 2/15, was a windy day, and seas offshore were about three feet and sloppy when I headed out to 22 miles west of New Pass with Brian and Marcia Wilson. The couple used live shrimp to catch six keeper mangrove snapper that ranged 14 inches to 17 ¾ inches. They also caught a 14-inch hogfish, seven por...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Grouper, Snapper, Big Sheepshead, Trout (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1625	Mar 12, 2016 by fishbuster
Saturday morning, 2/27, was chilly at 48 degrees, with a pretty hefty wind blowing and low tide conditions in the backwaters, where I fished a catch-and-release trip with Richard Plum. He caught and released two sheepshead, a 16-inch trout, and a dozen ladyfish, all on live shrimp. Monday, 2/29, M...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Lots of variety offshore and inshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1578	Mar 25, 2016 by fishbuster
Saturday morning, 3/12, I fished 22 miles west of New Pass with Mike Wickman and his friend, Paul. The guys used baitfish to land two keeper red grouper at 21 ½ inches and 24 inches. They released numerous red grouper shorts. Using live shrimp, they added to the fish box five keeper mangrove snapper to 1...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Lots of Action! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1653	Apr 9, 2016 by fishbuster
Saturday morning, 3/26/16, I fished 23 miles west of New Pass in calm seas with Bob Bockhorst, his son-in-law, Don Leesman, and Don’s college-aged kids, Dave, Kevin, and Kristen. Dave used a pinfish to reel in a 31-inch gag grouper—it was a beauty, but had to be released after we took its picture, due...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: grouper, snapper, shark, trout (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1390	Apr 24, 2016 by fishbuster
Monday, 4/11, I headed offshore with Tom Breyer, his son Scott, grandson Reid, and Reid’s friend, Logan. Winds were hefty, and NOAA’s prediction for two-to-three-foot seas was about a foot short of reality. We tried fishing a few spots close-in but the bite wasn’t great, so the group decided to brav...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: grouper & snapper & shark, oh my (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1409	May 6, 2016 by fishbuster
After a couple days off, I was back on the water Tuesday, 4/26, when I headed 28 miles offshore in calm seas with frequent fishers Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, and Dick Arnett, joined by friend, John. This was the last fishing trip of the season for Ron, so we had to finish off with at least one keeper groupe...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita beach: Some Big Game this week (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1349	May 21, 2016 by fishbuster
I was off the water for a few days, with busy season winding down, and fishing trips not scheduled every day of the week, as they have been for the past several months. On Wednesday, 5/11, I fished inshore in lower Hickory Bay with Nat Drourr and his son, Josh. Using live shrimp, the guys caught and releas...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Bull-red inshore; nice grouper, snapper, hog offshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1584	Jul 2, 2016 by fishbuster
Tuesday morning, 6/14, I fished a catch-and-release, inshore trip in Estero Bay with Mark Basrap and Shannon Featherman. The guys did well using live shrimp. Catches included a 32-inch bull-redfish, a 19-inch redfish, a 17-inch sheepshead, eleven mangrove snapper ranging 11 to 12 inches, a six-...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Lots of Grouper & Snapper (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1225	Jul 25, 2016 by fishbuster
Monday, 7/11, Mike Kownacki fished the first of two trips he had with me this week. Mike was mostly interested in grouper, so we used live shrimp to catch some baitfish, then caught a couple keeper red grouper, on the baitfish--one 21-inches and one 23-inches. We released a dozen red grouper shorts, f...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Lanes, grouper, shark, goliaths, flounder & more (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1507	Aug 22, 2016 by fishbuster
Wednesday, 7/27, I fished offshore in spots from 20 to 27 miles west of New Pass with Mark Aldridge, kids, Alfie and George, their cousin, Nick, and family friend, Mark Lansarve. Using baitfish and squid, the group caught thirty-one red grouper, including one keeper at 22 inches, one 14-inch yellow...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Grouper, Snapper, Goliaths, Shark, Redfish, Black Drum (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1309	Sep 23, 2016 by fishbuster
The tropical system, Hermine, which wreaked havoc upon many areas to our north, spared us its worst, but brought high winds and torrential rains for several days, and fishing was out of the question. The ill effects of the storm were gone by Saturday morning, 9/3, but residual rough seas changed Mark...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: October: Mostly back-bay--Reds, sheepshead, black drum (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1389	Oct 29, 2016 by fishbuster
Hannah Merter, her parents, John and Tammy, and her boyfriend, Lance, fished near-shore with me on Thursday morning, 9/29. We dodged rainstorms most of the morning, running about fifteen miles to various close-in spots. The group used squid to catch fourteen keeper lane snapper and a half-dozen g...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Black Drum invasion! Red grouper too! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1173	Dec 1, 2016 by fishbuster
I had quite the active morning of fishing the south end of Estero Bay on Wednesday morning, 11/2, with Dave Mercer, friend Rod Knudson, and Rod’s ten-year-old grandson, Gavin Knudson. The trio, who were fishing a catch-and-release trip using live shrimp, landed ten would-be-keeper black drum: a 2...
: saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SWFL-Bonita Beach: Inshore on a good tide; Offshore in calm seas-Fishing is great! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1422	Dec 16, 2016 by fishbuster
Friday morning, 12/2, predictions were for two-to-four foot seas offshore. Bob Eckle and friend, Ken weren’t fazed by that, since they are both hardy, avid anglers. It was pretty rough out there for the first half of the morning, then calmed a bit after the wind shifted. The guys had a good time using s...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Lane snapper, red grouper, black drum and more (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1196	Jan 7, 2017 by fishbuster
Monday, 12/19, seas were calm, and I fished in spots between 17 and 28 miles west of New Pass with Josh and Mikelle Schmitt and their friends, Laura and Evan Kemp. Using squid, the group caught fifty-four lane snapper in all, twenty-five of which were nice keepers at 13 to 14 inches, and went into the fis...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita beach: All kinds of bottom fish offshore; Drum & sheepshead inshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1270	Jan 27, 2017 by fishbuster
A strong cold front came through our area the weekend of 1/7, bringing blustery winds, cold temps, and high seas. Dave Carr and his friend, John Kinkaid, had hoped to fish offshore Monday, 1/9, but seas were high and small craft advisories were in effect. The tide in the backwaters was far from optimal...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Two weeks of excellent fishing offshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1341	Feb 16, 2017 by fishbuster
Seas were choppy Saturday morning, 1/28, when brothers, Nick, Andy, and Ken Eckle, fished with me 17 miles west of New Pass, using squid for bait. The guys decided to brave some rougher than ideal conditions offshore, rather than fish the backwater in the extreme low tide that accompanied a cold fron...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Redfish & Drum Inshore; Grouper & Snapper Offshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1317	Mar 5, 2017 by fishbuster
Long-time customer Kari Vilamaa, along with three of his friends, George, Don, and Dick, fished 22 miles west of New Pass with me on Friday, 2/17. The guys used squid to catch a mess of keeper lane snapper, and kept forty of those, releasing an additional twenty. They also boxed a 13-inch keeper mangro...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Offshore or Inshore--Great Fishing! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1333	Mar 25, 2017 by fishbuster
The winds that had been blowing hard for the past several days continued into Monday and Tuesday, 3/6 and 3/7, with gusts still at 20 knots and seas offshore still too choppy for my fishing party, Shawn Enoch and his parents, Janie and Monty. So we fished south Estero Bay’s backwaters instead of headi...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach:Bull Redfish, Drum Bayside; Grouper Offshore When Seas Calm Enough (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1452	Apr 9, 2017 by fishbuster
Five-year-old Ben Dwyer had a great time fishing with his dad, Sean, and his grandpa, Mike, in the backwaters of southern Estero Bay on Saturday morning, 3/25/17. Using live shrimp, the guys caught a total of twelve black drum ranging from 14 inches to 22 inches, and Ben caught three of those by himsel...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Shark, Grouper, Snapper, Drum (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1308	Apr 22, 2017 by fishbuster
Monday morning, 4/10, seas were a little choppy and sloppy, after a very windy weekend. But, hardy anglers John King, his sons, Chris and Dan, Dan’s girlfriend, Nora, and the boys’ grandfather, Dick, withstood conditions to fish fifteen miles west of New Pass with me. The family used squid to catch a...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Summertime Shark Action, Grouper, Snapper (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1313	May 11, 2017 by fishbuster
Monday morning, 4/24/17, winds were howling, as they had been for several days and, with small craft advisories offshore, the Stevens family, Mike & Michelle and young sons, Ryan and Jonah, traded offshore plans for a backwater trip in southern Estero Bay. The family used live shrimp to catch s...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Cobia, Shark, Grouper & Snapper (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1358	Jun 3, 2017 by fishbuster
Monday, 5/15, I headed out to spots fifteen and seventeen miles west of New Pass with Dave and Debra Brinkmann and family. Using both squid and cut-bait, the family boxed twenty-one keeper fish, consisting of lane snapper and grunts. They released fifteen red grouper shorts, along with a 30-inch sh...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: grouper, snapper, redfish, black drum, sheepshead (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1276	Jul 20, 2017 by fishbuster
Saturday morning, July 1, 2017, I fished 22 miles offshore with Barry Hart, his son, Derrick, and Barry’s grandson, Baylor. The guys used squid to catch 25 keeper lane snapper, and released fifteen red grouper shorts. I fished the south end of Estero Bay’s backwaters Wednesday morning, 7/5, with T...
altwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Reds & Snook Inshore; Shark, Grouper & Snapper Offshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1534	Aug 19, 2017 by fishbuster
Mr. and Mrs. Rick Ogata fished a catch-and-release trip with me in southern Estero Bay on Monday morning, 7/24. They used live shrimp and sardines to catch fourteen snook to 22 inches, two sheepshead, and a sand bream. Wednesday morning, 7/26, I headed 23 miles offshore with long-time customer Jos...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Fishing pre and post Hurricane irma (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1354	Oct 7, 2017 by fishbuster
For Craig Seacrest and family, it was a toss-up as to whether to fish offshore or in the backwaters on Thursday, 8/24. The threat of rain was a concern offshore, with its timing uncertain, and with its potential to rough up the seas. The bay was at a low, outgoing tide. The group decided to take their chan...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Nice Trout Inshore; Keeper Mutton Offshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1371	Nov 9, 2017 by fishbuster
Gary Wilson, Larry Jones, and Kevin Scully fished 19 miles west of New Pass with me on Monday morning, 10/16/17, in calm seas. The guys had a productive morning of fishing, using cut-bait and squid. They boxed a dozen keeper lane snapper to 16 inches, a keeper mutton snapper at 18 inches, and 18 grunts t...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Sharks, Grouper, Snapper; Sheepshead, Drum, Bream (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1494	Nov 30, 2017 by fishbuster
Mike Connealy, a long-time customer, fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with me Friday morning, 11/10/17, using live shrimp for bait. We caught fourteen sheepshead, four of which were keepers ranging from 13 to 18 inches, and four mangrove snapper, including an 11-inch keeper. Mike also re...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Sharks, Snappers, Groupers, Drum, Sheepshead (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1564	Dec 16, 2017 by fishbuster
Bart Arrigo, his wife, K.C, and their friends, Brian Bialas and Lori, fished 35 miles west of New Pass with me on Friday, 12/1/17. The group used squid and cut-bait to catch seven yellowtail snapper, including three keepers to 13 inches, seven mangrove snapper, including three keepers to 15 inches,...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting Christmas Time Fishing in Bonita Beach, SW FL (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1412	Dec 30, 2017 by fishbuster
On Wednesday, 12/20, John and Kim Zitur treated their six-year-old daughter, Carlyn, and their five-year-old son, Quinten, to a catch-and-release trip in southern Estero Bay. The kids had a great time using live shrimp to catch and release a 15-inch black drum, fifteen sheepshead to 13 inches, a s...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: weather isn't helping, but we're catching fish anyway! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1324	Jan 18, 2018 by fishbuster
As 2017 was drawing to a close, I had hoped that the good fishing weather we had over Christmas week would hold steady. But on Saturday, 12/30/17, when I fished with Rich Driscoll, Sr. and Rich Jr., joined by son Jack and his cousin, Sadie, sea conditions changed by about mid-day, and got progressively...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Battling winds and tides, but catches are good! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1380	Feb 5, 2018 by fishbuster
After a few days of cold temperatures, high winds, and rough seas, causing me to cancel a couple of trips, Saturday, 1/20/18, was finally calm enough to get offshore. I fished in spots from 18 to 28 miles west of New Pass with Joe Hahn and his friends, Bob, Mike, David, and George. The guys used cut-bait a...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Still windy, still fishing (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1378	Feb 23, 2018 by fishbuster
Monday, 2/5/18, I fished with frequent customer, Ron Musick, joined by friends who are visiting for a few days. We used cut-bait and squid to fish spots out to 28 miles from New Pass. The spots that have consistently yielded lots of lane snapper have not been doing so recently, and this day was no except...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Big game and tablefare (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1519	Apr 8, 2018 by fishbuster
Long-time customers, Jim McGrath and Bill Crockett, fished 19 to 23 miles west of New Pass with me on Monday, 3/19. They used squid and cut-bait to box fourteen keeper lane snapper and three 12-inch grunts. They released seventeen smaller grunts and sixteen red grouper shorts. Tom Butts, Sr, his so...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Snapper bite is hot; red tide is a bummer (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1425	Apr 28, 2018 by fishbuster
Red tide has been lurking around our area for weeks now, but had not impacted fishing until this week--Fishing offshore is still great, when seas are calm enough. But bay fishing right now is pretty much off the table until this red tide dissipates. We have been in a windy pattern for a good while aro...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonjita beach: Shark, grouper, lots of lanes & lots of rains! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1466	Jun 1, 2018 by fishbuster
Winds and seas have been erratic, and the NOAA forecast has often been unreliable recently. I canceled a trip based on a small craft caution and 4-foot seas prediction on Tuesday, 5/1/18, and I believe it would have been quite calm offshore, from what I saw of the wind action that day. On Thursday, 5/3,...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach-June wrap-up (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1356	Jul 1, 2018 by fishbuster
It's slow season here in SW FL, and also rainy season, so fishing trips are less frequent, but still productive for game fish and food fish. On Tuesday morning, 6/5, I fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with Rick and Patty Mason. They used live shrimp to catch four keeper mangrove snappers a...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Red tide hasn't stopped offshore fishing (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1347	Aug 11, 2018 by fishbuster
Scott Shinke, friends, and family fished with me on Friday morning, 7/6/18, 22 miles west of New Pass, using cut-bait and squid. They boxed fifteen lane snapper to 13 inches, along with two Spanish mackerel 22 inches and 23 inches. They released twenty-five red grouper shorts, and also battled and r...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Good Riddance to Red Tide! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1211	Oct 14, 2018 by fishbuster
Fishing was tough Saturday morning, 8/11/18, when I headed out 24 miles west of New Pass with Darren Rachman, his brother, Mark, and a couple of their friends. I fished in spots that had been productive several times this week, but the bite was pretty slow everywhere we went. There were some rain storm...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach-Gulf & Bay Catching (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1152	Dec 4, 2018 by fishbuster
I fished offshore for the first time in many weeks on Friday, 10/19/18, when I headed out to various spots out to 26 miles from New Pass with father and son, Daniel and Josh Koppy. The bite was kind of slow, but at least it was improved over the last time I fished offshore, which was at the peak of the red tid...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: January Wrap-up (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1183	Feb 4, 2019 by fishbuster
On Monday, 1/14, I headed offshore with Bill Conklin and his two friends, Mark and Susan. NOAA had forecast seas of two to three feet well offshore, but even out just eighteen miles from New Pass, we encountered seas of three to four feet. We didn’t head out any further than that, due to rough conditions...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Great action offshore and inshore! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1060	Feb 25, 2019 by fishbuster
Craig and Jan Royal and their son, Dan, along with Craig’s dad, Ron, fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with me on Monday, 2/4/19. The family used live shrimp to catch four nice, keeper sheepshead, two at 14 inches and two at 17 inches. They also caught a keeper, 12-inch mangrove snapper. Gary Z...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Good action offshore & inshore & fun with amberjacks (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1194	Mar 23, 2019 by fishbuster
Monday, 2/25, brothers Ed and Fred Armstrong had planned to fish offshore with me. A weather front came through the area over-night, however, and kicked up winds to about 25 knots, with very rough conditions offshore. So the guys decided to fish in Estero Bay’s backwaters instead. Even the bay was ch...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SWFL-Bonita Beach:Fighting winds and seas,but it's worth it (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1126	Apr 20, 2019 by fishbuster
Saturday morning, 3/23, I fished southern Estero Bay’s backwaters with Tom Weid and his son, John. The guys caught thirteen sheepshead on live shrimp, including eight keepers from 13 inches to 18 inches. Seas were a little sloppy heading offshore Monday, 3/25, for a catch-and-release trip with C...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Slow season, but the fishing is good (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1222	May 24, 2019 by fishbuster
Wind, wind, wind, and more wind! That describes our weather pattern lately. Monday, 4/22, was predicted to be calm, after a couple weeks prior of mostly strong winds and rough seas. But long-time customer Roy Mittman and his son, Zack, who headed offshore with me Monday quickly decided that 18 miles...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Fishing is great again! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1143	Jul 3, 2019 by fishbuster
I fished offshore, about twenty miles west of New Pass, on Wednesday morning, 5/29, with Paul and Belinda Parks. It was sloppy heading out, despite a seas forecast of two feet, but it calmed down toward mid-morning. The couple used squid to catch two keeper lane snapper, and they released two trigger...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Lots of rain, but the fishing is good when you can go (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1213	Aug 9, 2019 by fishbuster
On Wednesday morning, 7/3/19, I fished miles west of New Pass with Dwayne McCoy and his family and friends. Although seas were predicted to be less than two feet, that was not the case until it was nearly time to head in from our ½-day excursion. But we made it out to 23 miles, hoping for action similar to t...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita beach: Fishing action good offshore and inshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1216	Nov 23, 2019 by fishbuster
I was off the water for all of September, but fished in southern Estero Bay on a windy morning Tuesday, October 1, with Roy and Derek Brown. The guys used live shrimp to catch and release three redfish to 19 inches. The 19-inch red would have been a keeper, if not for the current moratorium on harvesting r...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Triggerfish, Grouper, Cuda, Shark, Redfish, Sheepshead & More! (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1329	Jan 4, 2020 by fishbuster
The day after Thanksgiving, 11/29, I fished the backwaters of southern Estero Bay with Dianne Hogler and her seventeen-year-old son, Ryan. They used live shrimp to catch twenty sheepshead, including four keepers that were all around 13 inches. They released four redfish to 17 inches and five snoo...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SWFL-BonitaBeach:Busy season here & the fish are cooperating (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1273	Feb 11, 2020 by fishbuster
Saturday morning, 1/4/20, was a windy one, but the tide was good in Estero Bay’s backwaters, where I fished a catch & release trip with David Dunbar and his girlfriend, Emily Eiteljorg. The couple used live shrimp to catch a dozen sheepshead, four of which would have been keepers in the 13 to 14 inc...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Nice Sheepshead Inshore; Triggerfish and More Offshore (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1307	Mar 18, 2020 by fishbuster
Ed Thompson and his family fished offshore with me on Tuesday morning, 2/11/20, 18 to 20 miles west of New Pass. The family used squid and cut-bait to catch and release five red grouper shorts to 18 inches, along with a bunch of blue runners and sand perch. They boxed four grunts and a porgy for dinner. L...
saltwater offshore gulf of mexico florida gulfcoast swfl naples fort myers bonita springs bonita beach captain dave hanson fishbuster charters live bait spinning tackle light tackle flats fishing inshore backwaters bay grouper snapper hogfish cobia shark goliath grouper porgy triggerfish flounder redfish drum sheepshead snook pompano trout permit whiting SW FL-Bonita Beach: Fishing still good, but pandemics are no fun (Preview)	Florida West Coast	0	1132	May 13, 2020 by fishbuster
Frequent fisher, Mike Conneally, joined by his sister and brother-in-law, Rod and Cass Bromm, fished 35 miles west of New Pass with me on Wednesday, 3/18. The family used squid and cut-bait to box nine nice porgies to 15 inches and grunts to 13 inches.. They released thirty-two red grouper shorts to 1...