Fishing Facts
Some of the best fishing in southwest Florida and the whole state of Florida is on North Captiva and the surrounding waters of the island. The Gulf of Mexico, Captiva Pass and the backbay of Pine Island Sound is home to Snook, Grouper, Redfish, Snapper, Black Drum, Spotted Sea Trout, Sheepsheap, Spanish Mackerel, Blue Fish, Lady Fish, and Tarpon in the warmer summer months.
Fishing Licenses
Anyone age 16-65 needs a license for saltwater
fishing when fishing from a boat,unless otherwise exempt.
If you are fishing on a vessel that has a valid vessel license, like Captain Dennis Realy, you do not need to have a fishing license as his commercial license covers his passangers. He provides alsoprovides the bait, tackle and the know-how. He is happy to answer questions and to show you how to fish. No experience is neccessary.
Fishing Regulations
You need to know the current fishing regulations. There are stiff penalties for keeping fish outside of the size limits, for keeping too many of a species or keeping a fish “out of season.”
Call Gretchen for a current copy of the Florida Fishing Regulations Saltwater Edition Publication.
Fishing Report for November,
As the water gets colder different types of fish are moving into Pine Island Sound and the passes.
Sheepshead, Spanish Mackerel and Blue Fish are showing up in numbers. Look for Sheepshead around piers and docks. The schools of Mackerel and Blues can be seen offshore and near the passes.
Look for schools of bait and flocks of birds and the fish are near. You can keep 10 Blue fish and 15 Spanish Mackerel per person and they must be a minimum of 12”. Please only keep what you need for dinner and throw the rest back to be caught another day. These fish are great on the grill. When the Lady Fish are around as well it can be non-stop fun.
Snook season is still open but getting one that is in the slot size of 28”-33” so you can keep it is rare.
Trout season is now closed reopens January 1st.
Large mangrove snappers are showing up this time of the year. Many people drift the pass for these bottom dwellers but getting caught up on the bottom and losing your tackle is a common problem. Also you can bring up half a fish as the sharks are showing up now that the schools of mullet are back. Mangrove snappers must be at least 10" in length and you are only allowed 5 per person.
Sharks are always around and may favorite ones for the tables are small (less than 4’) black tips. You can only keep 1 per person or two per boat. Never kill the females and only take the ones you are going to eat. Other sharks are out there as well and with out the right tackle you could end up losing a lot of hooks and line even when fishing for different species. Large Bull Sharks can be had closer to the beach than you would like to think.
The much sort after Red Fish are on the move but can still be found if you have the time and patience. They must be between 18” to 27” and you can only keep one per person.
Tarpon are moving south this time of year. They out there but they few and trying solely for them could be unproductive. We have caught tarpon while fishing for other species. Some times you just get lucky.
The fishing regulations have change so check out the web site at www.myfwc.com
NOTE: Effective Aug. 1, 2009 - Residents and nonresidents fishing for a saltwater species (other than mullet in fresh water) from land or from a structure fixed to the land are required to purchase a saltwater fishing license.
Nonresident Annual Saltwater Fishing $47.00
Nonresident 3-Day Saltwater Fishing $17.00
Nonresident 7-Day Saltwater Fishing $30.00
Licenses can be purchased on line or by call toll free 888-FISH-FLORIDA
Estimating Fish Weight
Wondering how much that fish weighs and don't have a scale? Here's how to accurately estimate the weight of a fish from measurements of length and girth. The girth is measured at the thickest portion of the midsection and the length is measured from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail. All measurements should be in inches.
Weight Estimator Formula:Weight (lbs.) = length (in.) x girth (in.) x girth (in.) / 740
Example:
A fish is 52 inches long and has a girth of 30.5 inches.
The calculation is as follows:Weight = (52 x 30.5 x 30.5) / 740 = (48,373) / 740 = 65.37 lbs.