Fishbuster Charters' Captain Dave Hanson reported, "After another spell of high winds and seas for several consecutive days, I got back o out offshore on Wednesday, 4/17, and fished 20 miles west of New Pass with Troy Reazin and his three sons. The guys used squid and cut-bait to catch fifteen grunts, ten of which they boxed for fish tacos. They released five red grouper shorts and lots of blue runners.
Thursday, 4/18, was windy again, and I fished inshore in southern Estero Bay with Ed Knapp and his thirteen-year-old grandson, Austin. They used live shrimp to catch five sheepshead, including a 13-inch keeper, and two 11-inch keeper mangrove snapper. They released two crevalle jack, about 12 inches each, a 17-inch redfish, and two 18-inch sail-cats.
Weather was a problem again on Friday morning, 4/19. Peyton Amato, his dad, and his two cousins had planned to fish offshore, but rough seas prevented that, so they decided to cut their planned full-day, gulf trip to a half-day, and fish in the bay instead. We managed to catch an incoming tide, and the guys used live shrimp to catch a few keepers, including two 16-inch black drum and a 12-inch mangrove snapper. They caught a half dozen sheepshead too, but all of those were just short of keeper size and were released. About an hour sooner than we’d planned to head in, the rains, which had been light and scattered grew heavy, and we headed back to safe harbor."
1.) Angler Brett Ewig with a 23-inch porgy, caught on shrimp 33 miles west of New Pass on a recent offshore Fishbuster Charter.
2.) Angler Terry Tank with a 19-inch redfish, caught on shrimp and released in southern Estero Bay on a recent inshore Fishbuster Charter. Currently, there is a moratorium on harvesting redfish.