Fishbuster Charters' Captain Dave Hanson reported, "I fished the south end of Estero Bay’s backwaters Wednesday morning, 7/5, with Tim Hertaus, his son Bren, and Tim’s brother-in-law, Ryan. The guys used live shrimp to catch two keeper sheepshead at 14 inches and 15 inches, along with eleven mangrove snapper, one of which was a keeper. Along with the mang shorts, the group released an undersized snook and a pair of two-pound stingrays.




David and Carly Bernegger fished south Estero Bay with me on Thursday morning, where they used live shrimp to catch a 20-inch keeper redfish. They had a larger red hooked at one point, but it pulled off the hook and escaped. They also caught two keeper sheepshead at 13 inches and 14 inches, and released three stingray.




I fished 17 miles offshore on Friday morning, 7/7, with Scott and April Pace and their children, Leah and David. Using squid and cut-bait, the family boxed a mess of lane snapper to 14 inches and grunts to 12 inches. They released a half-dozen red grouper shorts.


I was back in southern Estero Bay’s backwaters on Saturday morning, 7/8, where I fished a catch-and-release trip with Steve and Gayle Repetto. The couple used live shrimp to catch a 15-inch black drum, a sheepshead short, a 14-inch sand bream (striped mojarra), and two would-be-keeper redfish at 22 inches and 24 inches."

1.) Angler Doug Shepherd with a 24-inch red grouper, caught on a baitfish 25 miles west of New Pass on a recent offshore Fishbuster Charter.


2.) Angler Wade Shepherd with an 18-inch, lane snapper, caught on squid 25 miles west of New Pass on a recent offshore Fishbuster Charter.