Fishbuster Charters' Captain Dave Hanson reported,"Monday, 12/22/14, there was a weather front approaching our area, and winds, though calm in the early morning, were predicted to pick up, with seas rising as well. Bradley Miller had a choice between trying to beat the worst of the wind and fish offshore, or playing it safe in the backwaters. He decided to fish offshore. We had a great morning of fishing and caught a bunch of fish, all in shrimp. It was worth putting up with 3-foot seas, and we were back to the dock before they got any worse than 3-foot. Bradley released a dozen out-of-season red grouper, two of which were would-be keepers at 22inches and 23 inches. He also released two beautiful gag grouper, also out of season currently, at 25 and 25 ½ inches. Brad also caught seven mangrove snapper, three of which were keepers at about 13 inches each. He also caught a 13 ½-inch hogfish and eight good-sized grunts, and released two porkfish.
Tuesday, 12/23, Ed Bernicke and Daiva Lenauskas filed the backwaters in lower Hickory Bay with me. The couple used live shrimp to catch fifteen mangrove snapper, nine of which were keepers to 13 inches. They also boxed two keeper sheepshead at 13 inches and 15 inches, and released five smaller sheepshead, along with two crevalle jacks.
Christmas-eve morning, I fished the backwaters, along the east wall of Estero Bay, with Brian and Julie Clark. It was a windy morning, ahead of a cool front that was to bring rain later in the day, but the tide was favorable, and the couple had some great redfish and sheepshead action. Using live shrimp, Julie caught and released a brace of 29-inch bull reds (slot-size is 18-27 inches.) The second of those was caught on 8-pound test, which was a challenging battle, for sure! She also caught an 18-inch sheepshead. Brian landed a keeper 25-inch redfish, along with a 15-inch sheepshead. The couple released a few short sheepshead and mangrove snappers, along with a trio of two-pound stingrays.
Thursday, Christmas Day, and also the day after Christmas, were reserved for family events, off the water.
Clement and Evelyn Wong, and son, Joshua, fished offshore, 18 miles west of New Pass with me on Saturday morning, 12/27. It was foggy nearly the entire morning, but seas were calm, and the family had some good snapper action, culling twenty keeper mangrove snapper to 15 inches. Evelyn landed a nice, 17-inch hogfish to add to the box, and the group also boxed four 14-inch whitebone porgies. They released a small gag grouper, along with four 18-inch red grouper."
1.) Angler Mike Connealy with a 16-inch mangrove snapper, caught on shrimp, 18 miles west of New Pass on a recent offshore Fishbuster Charter.
2.) Angler Erwin Metusiak with a 15-inch pompano, caught on shrimp in Estero Bay on a recent inshore Fishbuster Charter.