Fishbuster Charters' Captain Dave Hanson reported, "Tuesday morning, 7/19, I fished in Estero Bay’s backwaters with long-time customer Peder Engebretson and his eleven-year-old grandson, John. The guys used shrimp and shiners to catch 25 mangrove snapper, 20 of which were keeper-size, though we released them on this catch-and-release trip. We also released three stingray, and had a line broken off once by something large. We released a couple of catfish too, a by-product of the plentiful rains and fresh water in the bay.
Wednesday, 7/20, Armando Rodriguez and his two sons-in-law, Ross and James, fished offshore with me in spots ranging from 20 to 27 miles west of New Pass, using live shrimp, squid, and baitfish. The guys caught three keeper red grouper, one at 21 inches and two at 22 inches each. They also caught 28 keeper lane snapper to 16 ½ inches and a half dozen grunts to 14 inches. They released lots of red grouper shorts and a few lane shorts.
Thursday morning, 7/21, I headed 22 miles offshore with Frank Fanta and his wife, Heidi. It was Heidi’s first time fishing, and she caught the biggest lane snapper of the eight keeper lanes we boxed, using squid for bait. Hers was 17 inches. The couple added three grunts to the fish box. We probably would have gotten a red grouper or two, if not for being harassed by dolphins at one spot, and by a goliath grouper at another favorite grouper hole. We released two red grouper at 19 ½ inches before the predators began eating our catches!
Long-time customers, Paul Fenwick and son Spencer, joined by friends, John Priddy, daughter Jordan Priddy, and Jordan’s boyfriend, Zak Foster, fished 22 miles west of New Pass with me on Friday morning, 7/22. Using squid, the group caught twenty red grouper, but all were short of the 20-inch mark, so we released those. We did get to box 26 keeper lane snapper though, which will make for plenty of dinner for the two families!
Saturday morning, 7/23, I fished a catch-and-release trip in Estero Bay with Kris Outman, his son, Jack Henry, and daughter, Emerson. The family used shrimp and shiners for bait, and released seven mangrove snapper, a sheepshead, five stingray to 3 pounds and, after a mighty battle, a ten-pound crevalle jack. A manatee swam up to the boat, and it was trailing bunch of fishing line with sea grass tangled in it, so we managed to get it all untangled, and it swam off happy and unencumbered. This is one reason that it is so important for anglers to dispose of their fishing line appropriately."
1.) Angler Brenton Payne with a 17-inch lane snapper, one of thirty keeper lanes he and his group caught on shrimp 28 miles west of New Pass on a recent offshore Fishbuster Charter.
2.) Angler Russ Maavich with a 28-inch gag grouper, caught on a baitfish 28 miles west of New Pass on a recent offshore Fishbuster Charter.