SUBJECT: SW FL-Bonita beach: bull shark, goliaths, hogfish, Spanish, lanes & mangs

Submitted by Captain Dave Hanson (69.136.16.112) from FLORIDA on

With peak slow-season upon us in southwest Florida, fishing trips have been scarcer this month. I was looking forward to two days of fishing this weekend, but with a last minute cancellation for one of them, I ended up offshore only on Saturday morning. I fished with Ron Lyrek, Pete Fredrickson, Will Williams, Bob Tofison, Craig Sneed and Tom Cartier. We headed out to about 38 feet west of New Pass in calm conditions, but with rough seas predicted to arrive later this afternoon and extend into at least the middle of next week, we already began to see rougher conditions on our way back in at mid-day. Using live shrimp, Craig caught a 14 inch hogfish, and the group caught seven keeper mangrove snapper that were all around 13 inches, keeper Spanish mackerel and whitebone porgies. We released triggerfish and short red grouper.

I fished Friday morning, 10/5, with Herb & Renee Gueracio and their son James, friend Steven Macenas, and Steven’s mother, Peggy Macenas. We headed out to about 35 feet out of New Pass with live shrimp and caught a good variety of fish including a 22 inch Spanish mackerel, three keeper lane snapper, some keeper mangs and triggerfish. We released about 25 gag grouper shorts to 18 inches and a bunch of smaller snapper. We also released three goliath grouper that ranged 15-25 pounds, which we caught on blue runners, and a 4-foot bull shark.