Fishbuster Charters' Captain Dave Hanson reported, "Monday, 3/9, seas were predicted to be two feet or less, but they were two-to-four feet just 19 miles offshore, where I fished with Steve Davis, his son, Matt Davis, and friend, Eric Goodmanson. Matt caught the only keeper red grouper, at 21 inches, which bit a bait-fish, but the group released twenty additional red grouper in the 18-to 19-inch range. Those smaller grouper bit on live shrimp, as did the two 13-inch triggerfish we released, due to closed season. Also on shrimp, nine nice porgies to 14 inches were boxed, along with ten 12-inch grunts, and a pair of 17-inch sheepshead. The group released ten additional smaller grunts and fifteen smaller porgies.


Tuesday morning, 3/10, I fished inshore in lower Hickory Bay with Tim Ellis and Ken Anderson, using live shrimp. The guys caught a 25-inch black drum, along with seven nice sheepshead ranging in size from 14 inches to 19 ½ inches. They released an additional fifteen sheepshead that were short of keeper size.


Wednesday morning, 3/11, Jim McGrath and Bill Crockett, who fished inshore with me last Monday, headed offshore to 19 miles west of New Pass, where they fished with live shrimp. They caught twenty-eight porgies in all, thirteen of them keepers to 14 inches. They also caught a dozen keeper-sized grunts, of which they kept the six largest, and released the rest. They topped off the fish box with a 15-inch lane snapper, and they released twenty-five red grouper shorts to 19 inches.

Thursday, 3/12, I fished from 18 to 25 miles offshore with Ron Musick, Eddie Alfonso, Dick Arnett and Bob Meyer. The guys used live shrimp to catch and release twenty red grouper shorts to 19 inches. They boxed six h keeper porgies, three keeper lane snapper, and a few grunts. We noticed lots of bait fish on the bottom, especially squirrel fish.


Friday, 3/13, Joe Watton and Wayne Bauman had planned on a full-day offshore, but with the winds having increased substantially, they decided a morning of backwater fishing would be best this time. The guys used live shrimp in central Estero Bay to catch eight sheepshead, one of which was a 15-inch keeper. They released the shorts, along with a 15-pound stingray, fishing on an outgoing tide all morning.


Saturday, 3/14, seas were still a little sloppy, but not rough, and I fished 27 miles offshore with Dave and Judy Eckrich, their son and daughter-in-law, and granddaughter. The family used live shrimp to catch and release twenty-two red grouper shorts to 18 inches. They boxed sixteen porgies to 14 inches, three mangrove snapper to 15 inches, and some good-sized grunts."

Angler Dave Eckrich with an 23-inch red grouper, one of three keeper red grouper he and his party caught on shrimp 26 miles west of New Pass on a recent offshore Fishbuster Charter.



Angler Tom Gartland with a 16-inch sheepshead, one of two this size caught on shrimp in Estero Bay on a recent inshore Fishbuster Charter.