Fishbuster Charters' Captain Dave Hanson reported, "Seas finally calmed sown after a few days of small craft advisories and cancelled trips, and I fished in spots 22 to 24 miles west of New Pass on Wednesday, 4/18, with Brad Cornell and Tony Stincon. The lane snapper bite was on, and the guys used squid and cut-bait to catch 40-some keeper-sized lanes, but released about ten of those, since they had no need for that many fish. They also released twenty-two red grouper shorts to 18 inches, a 20-inch gag grouper, and one true black grouper. They also battled and released a 40-inch blacknose shark.


The lane snapper were still biting well on Thursday, 4/19, when I fished 22 miles west of New Pass with John Abernathy and his son, Ryan. They boxed two dozen lanes to 14 inches, which bit on squid and cut-bait. They released several red grouper shorts and blue runners.


On Friday, 4/21, John and Ryan Abernathy brought Ryan’s sister, Becky along to fish a catch-and-release trip in the backwaters of southern Estero Bay. The tide was going out all morning, and there was a good bit of red tide in the Wiggins Pass area. The family used live shrimp to catch and release two crevalle jacks, each about 3 pounds, along with a black drum and three sheepshead.


That's it for this week, as our winter tourists and part-time residents begin to return home. We'll still be out there fishing, though, next week."

1.) Angler Tom Butts with a nearly 20-inch redfish, caught on shrimp and released in Estero Bay, on a recent inshore Fishbuster Charter.



2.) Angler Mike Connealy with an 11-inch, unusual schoolmaster snapper, caught on squid and released 19 miles west of New Pass on a recent offshore Fishbuster Charter.