East Marco Bay Weather Forecast
Fishing reports straight from our guides in East Marco Bay
Steve G.
Marco Island, Florida
Reported 1 week ago
Tim R.
Naples, Florida
Reported 1 month ago
With plentiful bait comes big snook. We are hooking at least one really big fish on every trip, and on most trips we are hammering the mid size, and smaller snook. to put it into perspective, in terms of freshwater fishing back home for many folks, its like catching a dozen 2 – 3 pound bass or walleye, that fight twice as hard, with the opportunity to catch a huge one.
The big redfish have also been gobbling up bait bending rods, and ripping drags right along with the snook. We haven’t been doing anything specific for the redfish, they are just on the move with the warming water and the oncoming burst of life the water brings every spring and early summer. This time of year, the big reds seem to be in the same spots as the big snook, which adds to the intrigue when you see a huge boil and hear that drag start squealing.
Robert F.
Naples, Florida
Reported 1 month ago
Steve G.
Marco Island, Florida
Reported 1 month ago
Robert F.
Naples, Florida
Reported 2 months ago
Perry B.
Naples, Florida
Reported 2 months ago
Our inshore fishery will change dramatically by the end of this week. With a steady warming trend, we’ll shift from shrimp to live pilchards, opening the door to some of the best backcountry fishing of the year. Snook, Redfish, and juvenile Tarpon become increasingly active as they push back into the shallows after winter, making for exciting, visual fishing in calm conditions.
Offshore has already been stellar and is only getting better. Hundreds of permits have shown up early this season, along with plenty of barracudas and amberjacks to pull on. We’ve been feeding the AJs flies and artificials, creating some epic topwater eats. Cobia should begin to show soon, another strong kingfish run is upon us, and the snapper bite has been phenomenal. This time of year, we can chum them up near the surface—a bonus when we’re already surrounded by action, and they make for incredible table fare.
As we move into April, all eyes turn toward the arrival of the silver king. Tarpon and Permit will be our primary targets throughout the spring and into early summer.
March is already nearly full and April isn’t far behind. We’re looking forward to an epic spring with our clients—feel free to reach out with any questions about upcoming trips.
Happy fishing
Tim R.
Naples, Florida
Reported 2 months ago
In the backcountry, we have been bouncing jigs and drifting shrimp on the bottom of the deep holes surrounded by shallow flats, and getting rewarded with all kinds of fish, big and small. Redfish, black drum, sheepshead, big seatrout, big mangrove snapper, jewfish (golaith grouper) and jack crevalle have been the predominant characters in the show, and they have kept bends in the rods, smiles on faces, and yummy delights on dinner plates!
The only species we have not been tangling with, have been snook and tarpon. And with another strong cold front heading down shortly, I don't expect to see those fish in the back waters, but one never knows!
In the meantime, we will keep on enjoying some outstanding fishing, fun, and fish dinners in the foreseeable future!
Perry B.
Naples, Florida
Reported 3 months ago
Offshore action has been excellent with a wide variety of species in the cooler water. We’ve been blessed with some of the best King Mackerel fishing we’ve seen in years. Chumming them up and throwing artificials has been an absolute blast. These fish are a riot on light tackle, and watching them sky out of the water on topwater plugs truly never gets old.
The deeper wrecks have been holding their usual winter residents as well, with plenty of Amberjacksto pull on and some Cobia mixed in. On top of that, the snapper bite has been outstanding for those looking to bring home dinner. Big Mangroves, Lane Snapper, and Yellowtails have been common on our offshore trips.
Nearshore, we’ve been treated to an unexpected bonus for January — giant free-swimming Permit. We’ve had shots at some true giants recently, fish we typically don’t see until summertime. This is just the beginning, as the Permit fishery is set to explode over the next month, and we’re anticipating an epic spring and summer with these fish.
There’s also been no shortage of jacks on the nearshore wrecks, providing plenty of hard-pulling action. The nearshore meat bite has been strong as well, with quality Sheepshead fired up in the cooler temps — some of the best table fare around.
Inshore, we’re in full winter mode with cooler water temps. I
