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Fish Tales

By CATHY COTTRILL (Contact)

Monday, April 2, 2007

Last week gave anglers a few calmer days that led to catches of sheepshead, mackerel, snapper and grouper. Hungry goliath grouper, however, snatched many a fish off a hook before it got to the boat.

Fishbuster Charters’ Capt. Dave Hanson fished a catch and release trip in Estero Bay last Monday with Leeds Hutchinson, son Bill, and grandsons Joe and Tim. They fished a slow incoming tide along the channel by New Pass, with live shrimp and caught a keeper-sized redfish at 19 inches, two small snook, a few keeper-sized sheepshead and lots of smaller sheepshead, ladyfish, and crevalle jacks.

Fishing Tuesday at the reefs off Sanibel with Tom Batchellor and friends Becky, Chris and Jean, Hanson had to battle the goliath grouper for the sheepshead.

"We got some keepers to 14 inches, but the goliaths stole every one of the larger ones,’’ he said. "We also caught Spanish mackerel to 24 inches, so there was plenty to fill the dinner bag. We released gag grouper shorts.’’

Hanson fished Wednesday a little further out Wednesday in 40 feet off Sanibel, since the winds and seas were calmer than they have been in awhile. Fishing with Christine Elzinga, Ron Sparks and Ron’s uncle, Joe Grimsley, he used live shrimp to catch keeper mangrove and lane snapper to 15 inches, triggerfish, grunts and Spanish mackerel to 22 inches. They released gag and red grouper shorts to 18½ inches, along with two small 20-inch kingfish.

"I was happy to see some kings at last, and I am hoping the bigger ones are moving in now,’’ he said.

Fishing Thursday in 35 feet off Sanibel with Stewart Norris and friends Richie and Bob Riehner, Hanson was hoping for some of those kingfish.

"There were certainly a lot of blue runners around, which are pretty typical in kingfish territory, but the only mackerel around were of the Spanish variety,’’ he said. "We caught those to 22 inches, along with keeper mangrove snapper, and released lots of gag and red grouper shorts again.’’

A windy front began coming through the area on Friday, and it got progressively rougher offshore as Hanson was fishing with Lee Larsen, Bud Glanzer and friends Tom and Steve. They caught keeper Spanish mackerel, triggerfish, and mangrove snapper, but had to release all the gag grouper, because the largest of those was only 21 inches.

Saturday morning, the winds were still gusting, but the Boyd Bowden party decided to give it a go, since weather had foiled their fishing plans several times previously this season. Hanson headed out to the 5-mile reef off Bonita Beach with live shrimp, and began catching sheepshead. They only got to boat one of those, however, since the goliath grouper were feeling greedy that morning. They had pretty steady 3-4 foot seas, even just five miles out, so Hanson decided to let the goliaths have the rest of the sheepshead, and moved a little closer toward shore to the MAY reef. They caught lots of Spanish mackerel to 24 inches, kept 15 of them for dinner, and released the rest.