Fishbuster Charters' Captain Dave Hanson reported, "Monday morning, 4/6, I fished with long-time customer, Frank Partee, joined by his extended family, Joe, Joe’s three sons, Jack, Dave and Michael, and Joe’s brother and dad, Pat and Jeff. The guys did well with snapper fishing, using live shrimp, and culled thirty-five keeper lanes to 12 inches, along with four good-sized grunts. They released a dozen red grouper shorts to 17 inches, 22 miles west of New Pass.



Ron Musick and Eddie Alfonso, who fish with me frequently each winter and spring, fished 29 miles west of New Pass on Tuesday, 4/7. The guys loaded up on lane snapper, with twenty-five keepers. They caught about as many porgies and grunts as they did lanes, so there was plenty of table-fare to choose from. Everything bit on live shrimp.



Wednesday morning, 4/8, Nick and Krista Brown, son, Jake, daughter, Marissa, and Nick’s parents, Glen and Bernie, fished 19 miles offshore with me, using shrimp for bait. The group caught a total of forty keeper-sized lane snapper, kept eighteen of those, and released the rest. They also caught a 14-inch porgy, an 18-inch Spanish mackerel, and a few grunts. They released ten red grouper shorts to 17 inches, and also released what would have been a 40-inch long king mackerel, that is, if a big barracuda hadn’t decided to make it its lunch as it was being reeled in. The ‘cuda bit the kingfish off at its dorsal fin, and there was still 25 inches of it remaining on the hook!

Jim Novy has been taking his children, Jimmy, Jacklyn, Jordan and Julia, fishing with me annually for years, ever since the kids were very young. They fished with me offshore on Thursday, morning, 4/9. Conditions were a little sloppy offshore, so we stayed within ten miles of land, and used live shrimp for bait. Action was steady, and the kids counted 104 total fish caught, most of which were released. They boxed two Spanish mackerel and about fifteen keeper lane snapper, along with a few grunts. They released lots of lane snapper shorts, red grouper shorts, and ladyfish.



NOAA’s forecast for seas of less than two feet out to twenty miles for Friday morning, 4/10, was not accurate—maybe seas were two feet right off the beach, but they were a lot choppier where I fished, 19 miles west of New Pass, with Roy Mittman and his son-in-law, Zach. The guys braved the waves, and used live shrimp to catch four 14-inch porgies, two keeper lane snapper to 15 inches, a 13-inch mangrove snapper, and a few grunts. They released a dozen red grouper shorts.



Saturday morning, 4/11, I fished Estero Bay’s backwaters with Sam Sommer and his friend, Jerell. The tide was not optimal, and there was heavy boat traffic and jet-ski traffic, making fishing more of a challenge. The guys had fun, nonetheless, using live shrimp to catch and release some lane snapper shorts, along with two stingray, one of which was a big one at nearly ten pounds."

Angler Jimmy Fitzgerald with a 16-inch lane snapper, the largest of thirtly keeper lanes he and his group caught on shrimp 20 miles west of New Pass on a recent offshore Fishbuster Charter.



Angler Rusty Hook with a nice redfish, one of three reds he and his party caught on shrimp in Estero Bay on a recent inshore Fishbuster Charter.