Fishbuster Charters' Captain Dave Hanson reported, "Wind, wind, wind, and more wind! That describes our weather pattern lately. Monday, 4/22, was predicted to be calm, after a couple weeks prior of mostly strong winds and rough seas. But long-time customer Roy Mittman and his son, Zack, who headed offshore with me Monday quickly decided that 18 miles would be far enough, since seas were choppy even that close-in. The guys used squid to box a half-dozen grunts and four 11-inch lane snapper. They released two short lanes, along with six red grouper shorts, two ladyfish, and three crevalle jacks that were all around two pounds.


Ann Heck, accompanied by her two young grandsons, Carter and Jackson, and by daughter’s boyfriend, Dane, fished 19 miles west of New Pass with me on Tuesday morning, 4/23. Using squid, the family boxed six keeper grunts and two keeper lane snapper. They released lots more grunts, along with a 19-inch goliath grouper, five short lane snapper, and five crevalle jacks that were all around two pounds. Lines were cut twice by sharks, but we didn’t get to see what kind they were.


Wednesday morning, 4/24, I fished a catch-and-release trip in southern Estero Bay with LeAnn Russell, her son, Aubrey, and Aubrey’s girlfriend, Lindsey. The group used live shrimp to catch and release three sheepshead to 12 inches, three sailcats all about 18 inches, and eight short mangrove snapper. Lindsey had a redfish on, but jerked the line a little too hard, and lost it. Water conditions weren’t ideal, muddied by the nearby dredging and a lot of floating grass.


Thursday, 4/25, was not at all what was predicted, and was not a stellar day of fishing. In advance of a weather front approaching the area Friday, NOAA had forecast two-foot seas, but I encountered three-to-four footers, fishing between 19n and 28 miles west of New Pass with frequent customer, Ron Musick and several of his friends and family. Fishing was extremely slow—I am not sure what was going on, but we released close to a hundred squirrel fish, and only caught one 20-inch Spanish mackerel, a keeper lane snapper and some grunts.


Seas were choppy again on Friday, and my offshore trip cancelled, with hopes to reschedule on a better day."

1.) Angler Dr. Meir Daller with a 16-inch mangrove snapper, caught on squid 34 miles west of New Pass on a recent offshore Fishbuster Charter.



2.) Angler Jack Brennen with a 19-inch redfish, caught on shrimp and released (due to moratorium on harvesting reds) in southern Estero Bay on a recent inshore Fishbuster Charter.