Fishbuster Charters’ Captain Dave Hanson reported, “Bob O’Hara and grandson, Kevin, who had fished offshore with me on Friday, 7/12, fished again with me on Monday, 7/15. We headed offshore again, twenty miles from New Pass and had a fun fishing adventure, as well as bringing home some nice fish. The guys battled and brought to the surface a 30-pound barracuda, which bit a blue runner. After releasing and recovering, they fished for food fish, using live shrimp, and caught three keeper-sized hogfish at 13 inches, 16 inches and 18 ½ inches. We released the 13-inch one, since it was a female, and the two larger ones were plenty for the guys to bring home. They also caught a keeper gag grouper at 25 ½ inches, a half-dozen keeper lane snapper, two 15-inch mangrove snapper, a few grunts and a few whitebone porgies to 14 inches. They lost one big gag that bit a pinfish but got away, and they released six red grouper shorts, all of which bit pinfish.



(above) Angler Randy Buster with a 22-inch red grouper, caught on a pinfish on a recent offshore Fishbuster Charter.

(top right) Angler Paul McConnell with a 17-inch hogfish, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore Fishbuster Charter.


Wednesday morning, 7/17, with small craft advisories issued for beyond twenty miles, I knew my offshore trip would have to be a near-shore one. Even at the reefs just six miles off Bonita Beach, we encountered seas of three-to-four feet. I fished at the reefs with long-time customer Reiner Neumann and his son, Steven, who were joined by friend, Dennis Hill, and his grandson, Caden. The foursome used live shrimp to catch a half dozen Spanish mackerel to 25 inches, three keeper mangrove snapper, all 12 inches, and one keeper lane snapper. They released numerous mangrove snapper shorts, along with a few triggerfish shorts.

Thursday, it rained all day, and that was followed by some sloppy seas on Friday, 7/19. It wasn't calm enough to get too far offshore, so I fished near-shore with Bob Snyder, his son, Zack, and family friend, Buck. The guys used live shrimp at the May and GH reefs off Bonita Beach to catch fifteen Spanish mackerel to 24 inches, five grunts to 14 inches, a 15-inch spadefish, two triggerfish shorts, a few porkfish shorts, and six mangrove snapper shorts, They kept eight of the Spanish mackerel and the grunts for dinner, and released the rest."