Hey all, We've been fishing the reefs, 20 to 40+ feet deep from Venice to Naples for years. But so far in the last couple months we're NOT getting any fish to write home about. Small snappers and grunts, enough for a Fish Fry when you get home, but besides that (and the hundreds of Sand Perch) it's been lacking to say the least. Did Ian cover all the structure that was attracting the better fish ???
I talked to a couple of charter guys they claim when the 15 to 18 feet of water came in so did the fish problem not many went out with the water.
MNMudminnow
Loc: MN (MSP metro/Alexandria) & FL (Ft.Myers)
I, myself, haven’t been out since Ian’s remodel took place.
My Dad has a place at the south end of Ft. Myers Beach which has permitted me to fish the Estero Bay waters over the last 20+yrs between November & April. Never had a day out with no action & it was always a mystery as to what might show up on your line.
The 15’-18’ submersion forced upon the area by the storm deposited a load of various fish species into the community’s swimming pool when the water receded. Most were Mullet & Snappers. It was a similar scene along the entire seven(+/-) mile beachfront of the island, covered with dead fish. The exact numbers escape me now, but there were many, many tons of dead fish removed from just that one island.
Imagine that quantity of fish spread throughout the area impacted by Ian & you might be able to begin to comprehend a small part of just how much death & destruction occurred in that region.
Is it really any wonder the fishing is a bit different now?
I think the Florida FWC has said nobody should eat any fish from those waters due to the unknown quantity of pollutants the hurricane added to the environment, aquatic & terrestrial. Not only the debris from destroyed buildings & their contents, but all the chemicals that are toxic when handled properly. Boats & cars filled with oil, gas/fuel & all the required other lubricants & fluids each of them contain washed into the ocean in huge numbers. Add that to the array of chemicals normally held at someone’s house…gas/fuel & oil for lawn equipment, air conditioning units, fertilizers, pesticides, weed killer, household cleaners, soaps & laundry detergents, paints & stains/sealants, and on & on…all instantly introduced to the environment.
All considered, I am actually a bit startled there are any surviving fish to be caught.
Then again, the power of Mother Nature never ceases to amaze.
I’m eager to get back down there to check things out for myself & get in touch with my network of, “local,” fishermen.
My experience is not so much in the offshore efforts, but if things are bad in the shallower inshore areas, that directly impacts the deeper waters. Bigger fish living offshore eat the smaller fish produced in the shallows. If their forage is lacking, they aren’t going to stick around for too long.
Regardless, I certainly hope the recovery of the local system is progressing at least as well as it is supposed to. I don’t know what I would do on my winter visits if fishing was no longer available.
MNMudminnow wrote:
I, myself, haven’t been out since Ian’s remodel took place.
My Dad has a place at the south end of Ft. Myers Beach which has permitted me to fish the Estero Bay waters over the last 20+yrs between November & April. Never had a day out with no action & it was always a mystery as to what might show up on your line.
The 15’-18’ submersion forced upon the area by the storm deposited a load of various fish species into the community’s swimming pool when the water receded. Most were Mullet & Snappers. It was a similar scene along the entire seven(+/-) mile beachfront of the island, covered with dead fish. The exact numbers escape me now, but there were many, many tons of dead fish removed from just that one island.
Imagine that quantity of fish spread throughout the area impacted by Ian & you might be able to begin to comprehend a small part of just how much death & destruction occurred in that region.
Is it really any wonder the fishing is a bit different now?
I think the Florida FWC has said nobody should eat any fish from those waters due to the unknown quantity of pollutants the hurricane added to the environment, aquatic & terrestrial. Not only the debris from destroyed buildings & their contents, but all the chemicals that are toxic when handled properly. Boats & cars filled with oil, gas/fuel & all the required other lubricants & fluids each of them contain washed into the ocean in huge numbers. Add that to the array of chemicals normally held at someone’s house…gas/fuel & oil for lawn equipment, air conditioning units, fertilizers, pesticides, weed killer, household cleaners, soaps & laundry detergents, paints & stains/sealants, and on & on…all instantly introduced to the environment.
All considered, I am actually a bit startled there are any surviving fish to be caught.
Then again, the power of Mother Nature never ceases to amaze.
I’m eager to get back down there to check things out for myself & get in touch with my network of, “local,” fishermen.
My experience is not so much in the offshore efforts, but if things are bad in the shallower inshore areas, that directly impacts the deeper waters. Bigger fish living offshore eat the smaller fish produced in the shallows. If their forage is lacking, they aren’t going to stick around for too long.
Regardless, I certainly hope the recovery of the local system is progressing at least as well as it is supposed to. I don’t know what I would do on my winter visits if fishing was no longer available.
I, myself, haven’t been out since Ian’s remodel to... (
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I was on Sanibel about a month ago, fished with live shrimp from the beach, only caught small fish, some whiting and yellow tails. Others at Blind Pass were catching a few fish including a decent sized red. A couple of guys in skiffs were cast netting bait around mile 2 on Sanibel so the baitfish are there. It will recover with time.
MNMudminnow
Loc: MN (MSP metro/Alexandria) & FL (Ft.Myers)
I appreciate the current update/observations.
Always a good sign to have baitfish present.
Yes, time heals everything, it's just the question of how much time it will take to result in an acceptable recovery.
It took 5 years before we could harvest reds and snook after the big red tide events, but the big fish were there much earlier. I think there will be an improvement in the next year barring any more major red tide. The Captains for clean water group is working on policy changes at Lake O so hopefully we will see less big discharges coming down the Caloosahatchee. Maybe I’m just terminally optimistic?
MNMudminnow
Loc: MN (MSP metro/Alexandria) & FL (Ft.Myers)
I was sure the Lake was supposed to be started on a rework plan to return the overflow/outflow to an over land method to restore the hydrology of The Everglades to an approximation of how it is supposed to be.
I thought it was voted on by residents several years ago to do away with the releases into the Caloosahatchee by way of letting it go southward, over the low-sloping ground, to be filtered as it meanders through the swamp en route to the ocean..?
I would certainly be pleased to see less of the murky, brown-stained water (& the consequences of it) in the Sanibel & Ft. Myers area (from releases of Okeechobee H2O arriving through the Caloosahatchee River) so am hopeful the Captains for Clean Water crew can finally accomplish something that results in commencement of some actual work headed toward a solution.
I tend to lean more towards lower expectations in order to provide fewer let-downs, but that doesn't diminish my enthusiasm or eagerness for the desired result(s).
The problem didn’t start overnight and won’t be solved overnight, but will be a work in progress for many years. It involves the entire system from the headwaters of the Kissimmee River to the Everglades. Things seemed to be improving until Ian dealt a setback.
I will forever remain optimistic.
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