Fishbuster Charters' Captain Dave Hanson reported, “There were several days of high winds and seas as the Christmas holiday neared, and conditions weren’t too good for fishing anywhere. Mitchell Manz and family had to reschedule their gulf trip from 12/23 to 12/27, in order to get out fishing. Even on Friday, 12/27, it was still a little sloppy offshore, and we fished close-in at the reefs off Bonita Beach, using cut-bait and squid. It wasn’t as great day of fishing, but the family caught a few lanes and grunts, and released five small gag grouper, half-dozen crevalle jacks, and a bunch of squirrel-fish.


Dale Cruzens and his grandson and wife, Cody and Kate Cruzen, fished 19 miles west of New Pass with me on Saturday morning, 12/28, and used cut-bait and squid to catch a variety of fish. They caught fourteen lane snappers, including two keepers at 12 inches, along with a 13-inch keeper mangrove snapper, and a couple of grunts. They released two yellowtail snapper shorts and six triggerfish, the largest triggerfish being just a quarter-inch below legal keeper size at 14 ¾ inches. They also released twenty-one red grouper shorts to 18 inches. They got a bit of big-game experience when they hooked a big shark that they battled for 45 minutes on light tackle before it finally cut the line, before we could identify what kind it was."


1.) Angler Erwin Metusiak with a 25-inch snook, one of two he caught on shrimp and released in southern Estero Bay on a recent inshore Fishbuster Charter.



2.) Angler Millie Metusiak with a 13-inch sheepshead, one of many she and her husband caught on shrimp in southern Estero Bay on a recent inshore Fishbuster Charter.