Fishbuster Charters’ Captain Dave Hanson reported,"Bob and Jo-Ellen Exby fished 18 miles offshore with me on Tuesday, 10/22, just ahead of a cool-front due in the next day. The day began calm, and seas of one-foot were predicted by NOAA, but we had two-to-three foot seas most of the morning, as winds picked up to 15 knots prematurely. The couple used live shrimp to catch a nice, 17-inch hogfish, a keeper 21 1/2-inch red grouper, a keeper yellowtail snapper, three keeper porkfish, and four keeper whitebone porgies. They released a half dozen mangrove snapper shorts and six porgy-shorts.
I had hoped to take a group out for a full day of offshore fishing on Saturday, 10/26 but, following Tuesday, our conditions changed and the winds and seas built for three days. By Saturday afternoon, it was calming, but seas well offshore were still three-to five feet Saturday. My group deferred their trip for a day with more favorable conditions."
Angler Roberto Russi with a 25 1/2-inch red grouper, caught on a grunt on a recent offshore Fishbuster Charter.
Angler Jim Jambor with an 25 1/2-inch redfish, one of two nice reds caught on shrimp in Estero Bay on a recent inshore Fishbuster Charter.