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Fish Tales: 'Local Waters' class offered

By CATHY COTTRILL (Contact)

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

The San Carlos Bay Power Squadron, a unit of the United States Power Squadrons, is once again offering the popular "Local Waters" class. The class is directed toward new boaters and boaters new to the area, as well as those wishing to learn chart reading.

Special to the Banner

Bernie Didoro with a 26-inch gag grouper caught earlier this year on an offshore Fishbuster Charter.

It will provide the boater with some of the basics of navigation, oriented to the Fort Myers area. Students will be using chart 11427 and you must bring this chart to class. The class will be held Saturday, Feb. 17, and runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

Classes are conducted at the squadron classroom located at 16048 San Carlos Blvd., at the corner of Kelly Road ( across from Ace Hardware) in South Fort Myers. The cost of the class is $30. Register online at www.scbps.com or call 239-466-4040.

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Out on the water, wind and rain continued to plague anglers. The week's balmier days yielded catches of trout, snapper and sheepshead.

Fishbuster Charters' Capt. Dave Hanson said after the rain, winds and chill of Feb. 5, the next day offered his first opportunity to go fishing.

"I fished the oyster bars of Estero Bay with Bill Gardner and his sons, Jamie and Brian. The tide was low, and it was still windy and cool early in the morning, with a slow bite early. The bite picked up toward mid-morning, when we caught three keeper sheepshead to 15½ inches, and a 16½-inch trout. We released some smaller sheepshead and three ladyfish."

Special to the Banner

John Hull with a flounder and pompano, all caught on live shrimp on a recent backwater Fishbuster Charter in Estero Bay.

Last Wednesday, the seas finally calmed enough to head offshore, but the fish weren't as enthused about it as the anglers were.

There was a slow snapper bite in 40 feet out of New Pass, and Bob James and his friend Dick were happy to get a single keeper mangrove snapper. They also caught a keeper hogfish, and filled the rest of their dinner bags with whitebone porgies, porkfish and grunts. They also had fun catching and releasing plenty of gag grouper to 20 inches and red grouper to 19 inches.

Hanson fished Estero Bay Thursday with Leeds Hutchinson, son Bill, and friend Gary Jorgenson. They did well fishing a wash channel (water running off a flat) close to Wiggins Pass, with live shrimp.

They caught three trout 16 to 17 inches, four keeper sheepshead to 15 inches, and two keeper pompano.

Friday, fishing in 45 feet out of New Pass with the Bill Schroeder party, there was a very slow tide and light bite for a couple of hours. The group ended up doing all right with snapper — 15 keepers — and they released grouper shorts.

Special to the Banner

Angler Bob Hull with a 20-inch redfish.

Fishing with Earl Meturfman and friends Phil and Tom in Estero Bay Saturday, Hanason reported a 16-inch trout and released sheepshead and ladyfish to 24 inches."

Capt. Ron Kowalyk said anglers were busy looking for fishable water much of last week and were rewarded with nice redfish, juvie snook, big sheepies, a few trout and some nice snapper in the protected lagoons, sloughs and creeks off Estero Bay.

"Shrimp and shrimp imitations were the only real option as cast-netting was difficult and unproductive," he said. "The guys up north toughed it out and came up with a few slot reds, legal trout and mixed-size snook.

There are some major league fish in the Caloosahatchee, but they've all got lockjaw."

Submissions to Fish Tales should be made by noon each Monday. Contact Cathy Cottrill at 213-6031 or by e-mail at cccottrill@bonitanews.com. Her fax number is 213-6099.