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Temperature roller coaster- 8th Jan 2026

What an amazingly warm January we are lucky enough to be experiencing. This is great for anglers looking to bend the rods on unseasonably fantastic snook fishing. With our water temperatures currently staying in the low 70’s catch and release snook fishing has been amazing with these fish being caught anywhere from the passes to the back country creeks. The fact we are still cast netting shiners has not been the normal over the previous few years as this magical bait disappears during our colder months. I’m really enjoying this warm winter weather and getting to show my clients this unusual late season snook bite.

If your more into sheepshead fishing things have been up and down with the best action occurring within a few days after a cold front goes through.

January can bring some of the best sheepshead fishing of the year although this is yet to materialize as we have only had brief periods of what’s to come. With some colder temperatures coming in the 10 day forecast this bite is sure to fire off.

Trout have been consistent action with grass flats in the 2-4ft range holding what seems like never ending fish. Clean clear water will hold more trout than anywhere else. Both popping cork rigs with live shrimp and live free lined shiners caught these fish. Generally for every 10 trout you catch only one is over the 15 inch minimum size. During the lower water periods edges of exposed grass flats are also a good choice. One of my favorite places to catch these trout is the back side of north Captiva, these super healthy grass flats have lots of sand holes which can be non stop action. Paddle tails are also a great option rigged on a 1/4oz jig head and let you cover lots of water.

By taking advantage of the days with super calm conditions get out on the Gulfside. Ledges and hard bottom areas in the 30-40ft range have come to life with lots of sheepshead, grunts and mangrove snapper. Rig up with a simple knocker rig with a 1/2oz sinker and a 1/0 light wire circle hook. Live shrimp are the bait of choice for this and it’s just a matter of dropping down to the bottom and then reeling up a foot or two. This method produces a crazy variety of species and is just plane fun fishing. This bite quickly shuts down once the big sharks show up and they always do.

Keep your eyes open while out on the Gulfside as big schools of Bonita are moving around, these fish are easy to spot as they erupt on the surface. A small spoon or jig cast through these fish and reeled super fast skipping across the surface will get them. Crab buoys are also worth looking at while riding around for triple tail. Enjoy this good weather as it gives anglers lots of options.

Pic: This big snook was a trip maker this week

Pic: Cold water has the sheepshead fired up

Sheepshead time:

Just in time for the New Year cold water and chilly conditions gave us the first big wave of our annual sheepshead. This bite will only continue to improve over the next few months as these aka “striped porgies” move inshore to spawn. Cold water and the full moon early January will make for the perfect set up to go out and catch one of our better eating fish.

Land based anglers will get in on this sheepshead action as bridges and docks are all great place to catch them. Dropping a bait right down pilings is a great method to catch these toothy fish. Also anywhere on the bay side of Sanibel look for these fish to be moving in from the Gulf and then staging on docks and structure. Small pieces of bait on a sharp hook are required to penetrate there crazy tough mouth. Day in day out a chunk of fresh shrimp is my bait of choice.

Once you do locate these fish the action can be non stop as they are generally in large schools.

Sheepshead feed on crustaceans including crabs, sand fleas, barnacles and other small live shells making for a sweet tasting fillet. I often hear how these fish are hard to fillet but a few little tricks and you will find it’s not harder than any other species that goes under the knife.

Having a sharp thin and flexible knife will make quick work of these fish. Where the big dorsal spines fold into the body you will find a little grove with no scales, this is where I push the tip of the knife in to start the process. Cut from the head to the tail letting the tip slide against the bones until you reach the spine. I then make a cut from behind the head to the anal fin, basically these fish have no meat over the rib bones so your cutting around the rib cage. With the tip of the knife then cut on the other side of the spine towards the tail letting the tip of the knife glide along the bones. I leave the fillet attached at the tail before flipping the fillet flat skin side down on the fillet table and skinning it while the skin is still connected at the tail. Then cut the tips of the rib bones out which are on the blood line and you are left with a pretty piece of meat.

Regulations on sheepshead are a 12 inch minimum size limit and a 8 fish daily bag limit. Although 12 inches is the minimum size these fish don’t yield much meat so on my boat I’m looking for 14 inches or better to harvest them. Though these fish are very plentiful only take as many as you plan on eating and conserve the resource as much as possible. Grilled, fried, sautéed or baked it’s hard to go wrong cooking them.

Capt Matt Mitchell moved to Sanibel in 1980 and has lived in St James city since 2000 when he started his fishing charter business. He spends over 300 days a year “living the dream” fishing. For questions and info: bookings@captmattmitchell.com

Pic: Sheepshead time has arrived

Cold is coming 26 Dec 2025

With the coldest weather so far this winter just around the corner it’s time to switch it up. If you wanna continue to keep the rods bent the target fish and the methods used will have to adjust. We will say goodbye to shiner fishing for snook for at least a few days until temperatures rebound. So far we have had a extremely mild winter and haven’t had to make the change.

I enjoy this change of fishing we experience annually. Sheepshead, redfish, trout and black drum become the predominant target species as snook kick into all that can be described as a cold water hibernation. Water temperatures in the low 60’s quickly halt the snook action with the warmest part of the day being the best time to fish them.

Bouncing a live shrimp slowly across the bottom on a jig head is the tried and true winter method when targeting snook.

Mangrove creeks come alive with blue tailed “rat redfish”. All of the Ding Darling creeks with fast moving water are great places to get in on this action. Generally most of these redfish are under the 18 inch minimum though the sheer numbers can be amazing. These redfish usually set up close to the roots and live shrimp on a 1/4oz jig head gets it down against the bottom as the current moves it.

Passes and shorelines will load up with pre spawn sheepshead. This cold water really fires this fishery up. Chunks of shrimp and fiddler crabs quickly get nibbled up by these fish. I’m expecting a huge push of these sheepshead moving into the passes and sound as the cold weather will correspond with the full moon. These sheepshead move in from offshore to spawn during the colder months. I have many northern clients that love to target sheepshead and really enjoy this fishery as they are great table fair.

Cooler conditions also mean switching it up to the lighter 6-12# rods with 2500 reels. Cold water generally means clear water so downsizing the leader to 25 or even 20# will get you more bites. These lighter rods make catching these bigger sheepshead a real battle and allow a more accurate cast of smaller presentations.

Shrimp become the bait of choice as water temperatures plummet. A chunk of shrimp threaded on a 1/4oz jig head is the catch all rig during our coldest conditions. Fresh dead shrimp kept on ice works just as well as live shrimp. Many of the die hard sheepshead fishermen prefer the fiddler crab which can either be caught or purchased though day in day out shrimp will remain my go to.

Loving the variety - 20 Dec 2025

Over the past few weeks I have been on what I would describe as an unusual black drum bite. Although I often catch these fish while targeting sheepshead or redfish while shrimp fishing I cannot remember having one spot that held these fish so consistently. These black drum range from 3-10# and are so much fun to catch on light tackle. For clients looking for a fish dinner the smaller ones under 20 inches are delicious and one of the most under rated or over looked table fair. Any of the larger black drum are loaded with spaghetti worms and should be released to spawn.

FWC regulations on black drum are quite generous with 5 per person per day with a slot of 14-24 inches (can include one over 24). Although there is no closed season on these fish we generally only come across them during winter mouths while fishing with shrimp, sand fleas or fiddler crabs. All our passes with docks and jetties along with bridge piling’s are good places to get in on this action. Black drum are bottom feeders so pinning the bait to the bottom is key to catching these fish.

In winters past I’ve ran into huge schools of spawning black drum out around lighthouse point and also in the sound. These fish during calm conditions could be spotted cruising up by the surface. Most of these fish are huge and well over 10# with some going as big as 50# it’s a total catch and release fishery. They make great sight fishing targets as they quickly eat a shrimp on a jig head. They are often over looked as a gamefish as they are not as fast as there cousin the redfish (red drum).

A lot of my winter time clients have been asking me about sheepshead which are just now starting to show up. The ones that we are catching right now are not the bigger spawning fish quite yet. I think the next full moon in early January will kick this bite into high gear. Last year we had extreme cold in December which had them showing up early. Although I,m catching keeper size sheepshead most are in the 13-15inch range and not roe filled.

With our water temperatures fluctuating so much it’s been great fun to go out and target a few different species. Changing up methods and baits have produced a crazy variety of fish from snook to sheepshead and everything in between. There is nothing better than having options and being able to show off the diversity of our back yard.

Pic: Happy clients with black drum caught while fishing with Capt Matt Mitchell this week

Pic: black drum are a sure sign of a winter time pattern

“Better bring both” 13 Dec 2025

Bringing both shiners and live shrimp on charters this week proved you never quite now what the fish wanna eat. For a few days even with a live well full of shiners I could not get the fish to respond to them. Sure trout ladyfish and jacks ate the shiners but with water temperatures in the high 60’s the snook would just not eat. This is not surprising as cooler mornings made water temperatures drop down from what seems to be the magic number of 70 degrees for snook.

Switching gears we went to shrimp on a jig head as we flipped to this tried and true winter method. Setting up in deeper natural mangrove channels around the passes we soaked our jig heads on the bottom and quickly turned out day around. Black drum where the big surprise with fish ranging from 14-24 inches. Although these are a common fish we catch in the winter catching them one after another is not something I usually see. Along with the black drum we also caught sheepshead, redfish, gag grouper and mangrove snapper all on shrimp chunks on a 1/4oz jig head.

All winter long bringing live shrimp is a good move as you never quite know what the fish want to eat day to day. Shrimp can be fished a variety of ways and no matter the conditions will produce fish when nothing else will. A jig head with a live shrimp can be slow bounced across the bottom or a chunk of shrimp on the jig head is a great bait to soak during the coldest conditions. Shrimp can also be fished under a popping cork on the flats. At some point all our species simply eat shrimp.

Although I had a few days that my bite was just better on shrimp this week I will continue to catch shiners daily until they disappear during the coldest periods of winter. Having bait options can turn a fishing trip around and also give me the ability to target different species on a trip. As we get further into winter shrimp fishing will get more and more prolific as the size of our bait shrimp get larger.

Look for bigger snook to still be in and around the passes as waters stay warm.

Still Snooking -7 Dec 2025

Unseasonably warm conditions this past few weeks has kept our fishing in more of a fall pattern. This time last year we had extreme cold which stuck around through the whole month of January. So far this year December has been outstanding with lots of bait everywhere still. Hopefully this warmer than normal weather sticks around and our snook fishing continues to be amazing.

With water temperatures staying in the low 70’s snook fishing around the passes has just never really quit like it does during our cooler months. Generally as water temperatures cool snook make a winter move into the back country. Although there are some snook in the mangrove creeks these fish are still just in better numbers in and around the passes. Even though our snook season closed December 1st this catch and release fishery is a client favorite. There are not too many other places that have the sheer amount of snook that we do. Pine Island sound is famous for this fishery and we are almost able to catch them almost year round.

Docks, jetty’s, eddy’s and mangroves in and around the passes are all holding these fan favorite snook. Both shiners and pinfish have been doing the trick. Boat position and bait presentation in this fast moving water are the keys to successfully catching these fish. Drifting or setting up the boat on a anchor or power poles all work depending on the water depth and speed of the current. Free line or weighted baits cover different depths. Get it dialed in and the action can be non stop.

During these extreme low tides all our passes are great options to target snook. Learning where the fish stage during different stages of the tide only comes with time on the water. All our passes are fish highways and with such fast moving water create feeding stations. One little rip or eddy can hold endless snook when the bait is allowed to naturally sweep through it.

One afternoon this week on what was supposed to be 12hr incoming tide we went pass fishing looking to find some current. When we arrived at the pass I was surprised to see the tide was going out, this can often happen on slower tide days. Taking advantage of this outgoing water we bounced from points to docks and found a wide open snook bite. A few hours later the tide simply quit and so did the bite. Moving water is the most important factor when snook fishing as these fish stage pointing into the tide generally drafting to pick of baits as they get swept by.

Bait bonanza = Nov 28th 2025

The amount of shiners currently throughout our area is just amazing. From the beaches to the bridges, flats and everywhere in between. I simply don’t recall seeing this much white bait in the past decade. This is great news for anglers and everyone else that cares about our water quality. So much bait is a sure sign of a healthy eco system and means all our favorite gamefish have plenty of food to sustain them.

I recognize there are a lot of different methods to catch all our popular fish from fly fishing to throwing artificial lures and everything in between. When it comes down to it and you need to produce fish for clients of all skill levels day in day out live bait is often the key to success and gets it done when other methods just don’t. Even if your not a live bait fisherman this much bait means more fish around to catch by which either method you prefer.

Most guides start our days by catching bait in a cast net for the majority of the year. During the hottest days of summer this bait often switches to pinfish and then switches again in the coldest months of winter to shrimp. Pine island sound is all that can be described as a bait factory producing such a variety this is why our fishery is so healthy. The most plentiful bait and preferred forage of most of our fish though is the shiner a.k.a. whitebait, pilchard, scaled sardine.

Rigs to fish shiners are very simple as you want to present the live bait as naturally as possible for the best results. Basically I use a 2-3ft piece of 25-30# fluorocarbon leader tied to the braid with a line to line knot of your choice. Hook size varies from a 1/0-3/0 depending of the size of the bait. Match the hook size to the bait so is can swim correctly, too big of a hook and the bait doesn’t act right. One thing I think makes the world of difference is tying a loop knot to the hook as this gives the bait more freedom of motion. I personally use a perfection loop but any kind of loop knot works.

Rods should be matched to the size baits your casting. Most of the year I use a 7ft 8-15# spinning rod for casting free lined shiners. A 3000 series quality spinning reel is the perfect match spooled with 15# braid. I find the 15# braid is a whole lot more cast able than even 20# braid. 10# braid is even more cast able but seems to tangle a lot more and isn’t quite enough when you hook a bigger fish by structure. When fishing deeper faster moving water in the passes or bridges I often add a small slip sinker or split shot to this same rig. When on the flats targeting trout a popping cork above the leader is a option.

Almost every type of fish in our area eats shiners they are definitely snook candy but also the go to for trout, redfish and many other species too. Having lots of shiners allows us to live chum the fish and quickly see if they are feeding. Once they feed you will often see pops, swirls or flashes then it’s as easy as presenting a hooked bait to the blow up to get that bite. As a fishing guide having plenty of shiners to get the bite to kick off can be an essential.

Get out and take advantage of all this bait throughout our region. Even if your a shore fisherman a small cast net and a live bait bucket will get it done. Matching the hatch of what the fish are feeding on will get it done.

Amazing weather amazing fishing -Nov 21st 2025

This weeks weather can only be described as outstanding. Cool mornings, warm sunny afternoons and light wings added up to great days on the water. Calm conditions made the angling options both inshore to offshore limitless. Throw in good tides and biting fish and it was a stellar week to be fishing.

Most of my week was spent in pine island sound chasing snook, redfish and trout. During lower tide periods periods we concentrated our efforts in deeper natural channels both out on the flats and back in mangrove creeks. Live shiners were abundant and were the bait of choice for all three species. Having lots of shiners I was able to live chum and had the fish fired up feeding aggressively on the surface. The amount of variety back in the mangroves was crazy. One morning we had over 10 species of fish out of the same mangrove creek.

As the tide came up we moved to shallower mangrove shorelines and the snook bite was on fire. What these fish lacked in size the sheer numbers where impressive. Although we didn’t have any large snook most days mid 20 inch range fish were common.

Mixing it up early in the week I had clients that wanted to target sharks. With the water temperature still in the high 60’s I was a little concerned if we would be able to find them. I started in a favorite spot up by Captiva pass and after a half hour of soaking cut baits without a bite quickly moved on. The next stop was a natural deep channel through a shallow flat in the northern sound. Within ten minutes we had our first shark on and to the boat. For the next 2hrs we never waited more than fifteen minutes between strikes on 4-5ft blacktips.

The bait of choice for these blacktips was half a fresh ladyfish free lined. My shark rig consists of a heavy 7ft rod with a 6000 series spinning reel. I spool the reels with 300yds of 50# braid and make my own leaders with 6ft of 200# mono. At the top of the leader I use a heavy duty barrel swivel and at the business end a 11/0 circle hook. The leader is so thick I use crimp sleeves. Using the mono leader gets you a lot more bites than using steel leader and the use of a circle hook insures you hook the shark in the side of the mouth. Once the sharks are boat side I have a long hook out tool to easily remove the hook and release the sharks unharmed.

With no cold fronts forecast until thanksgiving the great action and weather will continue for at least another week. This is great news as thanksgiving week is always a busy time with clients. Consistent weather makes for consistent fishing. Get out and enjoy what our amazing backyard has to offer

Pic:Nick Basilio 87yrs young with a 26 inch redfish caught with capt Matt Mitchell this week

Temperatures plummet -14 November 2025

What was almost 20 degree drop in water temperature was just a small taste of what is to come this winter. After a few weather days off the water early in the week getting back at it required drastic changes in tactics to keep the rods bent. The strong winds following the passing of this early season front also gave us some extreme negative low tides.

These extreme low tides are some of my favorite conditions as they really help to concentrate the fish into deeper channels and holes. It’s simple math less water and the same amount of fish which makes your odds higher. Finding the right deeper channels can be as easy as dead end canal fishing or working sheltered mangrove creeks.

When water temperatures plummet taking live shrimp is a must. Presentation works best low and slow as most fish simply don’t want to work for it. My go to set up during cold water conditions is a 1/4oz jig head with a 2/0 hook. I like to down size my 30 inch fluorocarbon leader to 20# and tie a perfection loop to the jig head. This knot let’s the jig free fall and make that magical bouncy across the bottom.

During the coldest times I often put a chunk of shrimp on the jig head pinching off the tail and threading it on the hook before removing the head. This small compact presentation will draw strikes when nothing else seems to get it done. My first day back on the water after the front this method caught 90% of our fish. Even though I had a live well full of shiners the fish just where not active enough to want to work for a meal.

This jig head chunk of shrimp set up catches a crazy variety of fish including redfish, sheepshead, snapper, flounder, black drum and even a few snook. Letting the jig soak you will gradually feel the fish tap the bait. When u feel the bite give a slow lift of the rod tip to make sure the fish is holding the bait before a quick pop hook set. Once the rod loads up another quick pop makes sure the fish is hooked.

In the days immediately following the front redfish and Sheepsheed where our main catch. As conditions warmed a few snook slowly stated to eat shiners again. No matter how badly we wanted to target snook when our water temperatures are in the low 60’s or colder it’s usually tough going. Although it seems really early to be catching sheepshead these fish save a lot of trips and will become our main target in the coldest months.

With a warming trend in the next 10 day forecast this past cold front will do wonders to put the fish where they are supposed to be. This change of season fishing can bring some of the fastest paced action of the year. Get the timing of an approaching cold down and the bite will be on fire. Get it a day late on the back side of a front and it can be a grind. Either way it’s always a good day to be fishing.

Super moon-super fishing 7th Nov 2025

The giant bright super moon we had all week gave us some crazy strong tides and fired up the bite. Early morning negative low water quickly came in and got high in what seemed like record time and just like that in just a few hours we had high water. These extreme tides bringing what was extremely fast moving water gave my clients some of the fastest paced action I can remember in the past few weeks.

One of the species that really cooperated were the speckled sea trout. Shallow edges in 1-2ft of sheltered flats throughout the sound had trout of all sizes feeding. Like all my fishing this week a free lined shiner, was the bait of choice. When fishing such shallow water keeping the rod tip really high while retrieving the bait in a stop and go method seemed most effective. When targeting trout which have a really soft mouth not setting the hook at all works best. When a trout bites I have just have my clients reel faster to create a bend in the rod then continue reeling just fast enough to keep the rod bent. Any kind of aggressive hook set pulls the hook on these soft mouthed fish.

Trout are a great tell tale of our water quality as they thrive in clean clear water. With so many trout throughout the sound it’s a great sign of a very healthy body of water. Trout are one of the more delicate species we target. Using a hook out tool and not touching any fish you do not plan on harvesting is best for the survival of the fish. If you do have to touch them to remove a hook wetting your hands first is a good idea as this lessons the damage to there slime coat. FWC regulations for our region of Florida are a 15-19 inch slot with 3 fish per harvester per day with only one per vessel over 19 inches allowed. Trout are open year round.

With water temperatures in the low 70’s most of the week snook fishing was also a good choice as the water warmed though the day. During the higher incoming tides mangrove shorelines with fast moving current were loaded with snook of all sizes. Skipping live shiners up under the tree’s and letting them make a natural drift in the shadows had these fish crushing the baits. Points and eddies held what seemed like never ending snook. During the afternoon outgoing tides I switched gears and headed to the passes. In this deeper faster moving water a pinfish with a small weight or split shot haws the more productive bait. The vast majority of these snook are well under the 28 inch minimum though what they lack in size they make up for in sheer numbers. We did manage a few slot sized fish this week though we released them. These bigger snook are what I call a trip maker and watching them swim off unharmed is always a good thing as they are the future of this amazing fishery.

The redfish bite was a little tougher for me this week with only a few being caught on the higher periods of incoming tide. We did manage a few slot fish fishing smaller wind blown mangrove islands in the middle sound. Cut ladyfish and tail hooked pinfish seemed to be the bait of choice although I never did find a hot redfish bite all week. It was very random for us with one red here and one there.

With a bigger cold front forecast early this week that will bring us strong winds and temperatures maybe as low as the low 50’s things on the water will change quickly again until conditions improve. This same pattern of ups and downs in both temperature changes and wind conditions is all part of the game of our winter times fishing.

Cold fronts have started 31st October 2025

This week marked our first cold front of Fall which quickly dropped our morning temperatures into the high 50,s. Although this brief cold is a far cry from from what most think of as winter it’s a sure sign patterns on the water are changing. October and November are what I like to refer to as transition months when fish are heading to the places they prefer to spend the cooler months. Water temperature can drop quite quickly as pine Island sound is a very shallow body of water. Seeing a more than 10 degree overnight is not out of the ordinary with a strong front.

Now our cold fronts have stated it will basically be close to the same weather pattern all winter. Timing when to fish can be the difference between a wide open bite and a tough day at the office. When a cold front approaches this always fires up the best bite as the barometer drops. Once the front passes we are greeted with high pressure and usually windy conditions which makes fishing generally a struggle. Conditions and fishing action will improve day by day until the next front. This same pattern will play out all winter long. Our cold fronts will often run on a 7-10 day pattern until spring.

With our water temperatures currently in the mid 70’s this translates into some of the best fishing of the year. Mild cold fronts like we just experienced are great and make the snook move towards the back country in huge numbers. Bait is plentiful on the beaches and on the grass flats and with winter right around the corner fish are on the feed. Redfish are not as affected by the cold and action remains consistent with fish both on the flats and up under the mangroves on higher tides. Docks and jetties around our passes are still holding both species.

This week I fished the Boca Grande classic which is a 2 day fund raising tournament for cystic fibrosis out of the Gasparilla Inn. It felt good to fish the northern sound and Boca Grande area as I don’t make it that far north as much as I’d like. We had two solid days of fishing catching snook, redfish and trout though we never managed to get our tarpon which we needed in the grand slam format. This is one of my favorite tournaments all year and helps support an amazing organization.

Fabulous fall fishing. 27th October 2025

Fall fishing continues to be nothing short of amazing. With so much bait throughout our area fish are feeding hard as they pack on weight before the arrival of winter. Wide open blitzes of feeding out along the beaches are becoming more and more common. In Pine Island sound snook, red fish, and trout fishing are also on fire.

This week I saw the first few white pelicans of the season, a.k.a. snowbirds. This is a sure sign. winter is on the way. The change of season in South Florida no matter how subtle it seems to us as the fish hungry and on the move. Out along the beaches, huge schools of bait have begun the annual migration south. Mixed in with all this, bait are the predators that feed on it, Bonita, Spanish mackerel, King, mackerel, bluefish, sharks, and even Tarpon. Grass flats in the sound are also covered up with shiners, and although the predators are different here, it’s the same thing just on a smaller scale.

Mornings this week we had lower tides than we have experienced in months. Deeper water mangrove channels had the fish stacked up in big numbers, Snook, redfish, trout, jacks and mangrove snapper were all caught in these same areas. Chumming lots of life shiners in these areas had the fish fired up and eating on the surface. These fish feed best on a moving tide, so I concentrated on shorelines that had wind and tide moving in the same direction.

As the tide got higher I have been switching it up and fishing oyster bars. Picking an oyster bar With the right set up of wind and Tide is made all the difference. Even though I caught fish on oyster bar yesterday, it is certainly not meant the fish are there today going from bar to bar. It only takes a few scoops of live chum and a cast or two to see if the fish are there. We have oyster bars throughout the sound so finding the right one is just a matter of moving around. Seeing happy jumping mullet working the bar is a great sign that you were in the right place.

Fall brings us some of the most diverse and exciting fishing we have all year not only do we have our regular inshore species we also have all the pelagic species moving down the coast. The options are almost endless when conditions are right being able to bounce between the bay and the beach will bring a crazy amount of variety.

One of my favorite things to do when conditions are right is to get out along the beaches and chase tarpon. The key to locate in these fish is finding large schools of bait with lady fish and Spanish mackerel feeding on them. Tarpon can be sight fished in these same areas as they come up and roll. Side imaging sonar is also a great tool to find these southbound fish Unlike in the spring these Tarpon are hungry and feed on almost any live bait, presented to them. This Fall, Tarpon bite can be some of The best fishing of the year. These fish will be around till our water temperature drops below 70° or we get one big cold front and it’s all over till Spring.

Bio: Capt Matt Mitchell moved to Sanibel in 1980 and has lived in St James city since 2000 when he started his fishing charter business. He spends over 300 days a year “living the dream” fishing. For questions and info bookings@captmattmitchell.com