Fishbuster Charters' Captain Dave Hanson reported, "Monday, 12/30, I fished 18 to 20 miles west of New Pass with Teresa Schmidt, her boyfriend, Tim Garling, Tim’s son, Carter, Teresa’s parents, Mark and Elizabeth Venturin, and family friend, Braden Welleral. The group used cut-bait and squid to catch a nice variety of fish. They boxed three keeper lane snapper, four of the largest grunts they caught, and a 16-inch triggerfish. They released nineteen additional triggerfish, some just shy of keeper size, along with eighteen grunts, four gag grouper shorts, a 23-inch goliath grouper, and twenty-five red grouper shorts to 19 ¾ inches, just short of the 20-inch legal size.


Ian McKinnon and his family had planned to fish offshore on Tuesday, 12/31, but with strong winds and seas upwards of four feet in the gulf, he traded those plans for a morning of inshore fishing in southern Estero Bay’s backwaters. He, along with his daughter, Michelle Nichols, and her two children, Jack and Mark, used live shrimp to catch two redfish that would have been keepers, had it not been for the current moratorium on reds. Those measured 18 inches and 21 inches. Jack was very proud of the 19-inch seatrout he caught, but was disappointed to learn that also had to be released, due to the same moratorium. The family also caught a half-dozen sheepshead, including one that was keeper size.


Mark and Elizabeth Venturin and their daughter, Michelle Nichols, all of whom fished offshore with me on Monday, 12/30, fished the backwaters of Estero Bay with me on Thursday morning, 1/2/20 , joined by Michelle’s husband, Scott Nichols. The family used live shrimp to catch thirteen sheepshead, including three keepers to 17 inches. They also released two redfish at 17 inches and 21 inches, along with two mangrove snapper shorts.


Dale Cruzan, along with hsi son, Cody Cruzan and his wife, Kate, had fished offshore with me on 12/28/19. They wanted to try a backwater trip also, so we fished southern Estero Bay on Friday morning, 1/3/20, using live shrimp for bait. The family caught seventeen sheepshead, including nine keepers to 15 inches. They released two small snook.


Saturday morning, 1/4/20, was a windy one, but the tide was good in Estero Bay’s backwaters, where I fished a catch & release trip with David Dunbar and his girlfriend, Emily Eiteljorg. The couple used live shrimp to catch a dozen sheepshead, four of which would have been keepers in the 13 to 14 inch range. They also released a crevalle jack, a 26-inch sail-cat, as well as two redfish at 17 inches and 19 inches."


1.) Angler Engle Merz with an 18-inch sred grouper, one of over thirty red grouper shorts he and his sons caught on squid and cut-bait, and released 36 miles west of New Pass on a recent offshore Fishbuster Charter.


2.) Angler Max Merz with a 12-inch lane snapper, one of six keeper lanes he and his family caught on squid 36 miles west of New Pass on a recent offshore Fishbuster Charter.