Naples Fishing

Naples Fishing Report 2/24/12

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 00:46:00 +0000

The past few days the fishing has been on fire in the backwaters of Naples. The warm weather has continued to help drive fish in to Spring like feeding patterns. The last three days we have caught snook over 10lbs with two fish weighing 16lbs and 17lbs on live pilchards. Deeper mangrove shorelines are holding these big snook along with redfish, big trout to 4lbs and some brusier jacks. Each day I am finding more tarpon and I am starting to fish for them daily, just need the sharks to leave a bait alone for a while. The shark in the picture was caught today and was close to 9ft long and weighed over 250lbs, most have been bull and lemon sharks. Now is the time to go fishing as Spring has come early.

Naples Fishing Report 2/21/12

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:11:00 +0000

After a busy month of charters I have a day to get reports done and get ready for another busy week. If you are not down in Naples right now or arent going fishing you are missing out on one of the best Winters I can remember. The weather has been amazing with highs in the low 80's and water temps have been in the 70-76 range. This warmer than average weather has kept the live pilchards in the area all Winter and has really helped the fishing. Snook, redfish, tarpon, trout and sharks have all been in the area and are being caught. Snook and redfish have been the main targets most of the time, but more tarpon are showing up each day. The backbays, passes and docks are holding great numbers of snook to 32" on both pilchards and DOA Cals in the stark naked and bloodworm colors. Redfish have been on shallow points and deeper mangrove/oyster shorelines. The tarpon and sharks have been in shallow bays laying in the sun to get warm. Trout fishing has mainly been out on the nearshore rock piles and ledges, but have been caught in excellent numbers if you want dinner. I have also been running a good amount of night trips and we are catching upwards of 50 snook a night with some redfish and trout mixed in. Pilchards, DOA Cals, jerkbaits and fly are all producing great numbers. If you want to get out fishing dont hesitate to call or email its going to be an amazing Spring.

Warm Weather Great Fishing 1/18/12

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:48:00 +0000

Naples is enjoying some great warm weather that is keeping the fish chewing. This morning we had great action on silver and sea trout using DOA Cal Tails in the key lime color. These fish are in the 13-18in range and make for quick action and great eating. I haven't snook fished in a few weeks, yet had a feeling they would be chewing. I netted bait early and ended our trip fishing a dock where we caught a bunch of nice snook to 29". It's always nice to enjoy a great snook bite in the middle of Winter. We have weaker tides right now so I haven't fished for redfish the last few days, but last week was great and have been finding a lot of them in shallow water. Great for the fly or light jigs, give me a call and let's go catch em.

Cooler Weather To Start 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 02:56:00 +0000

The 1st week of January brought some of the coldest temps to Naples since last February and fishing slowed for two days with water temps dropping from 73 to 61. The weather is now back in the mid 70's and the water temps are on the rise and the fish are hungry. The fishing over the holidays was very good with great numbers of snook and some really nice redfish. I fished a few night trips and 30-40 snook were common on a 4hr trip. Now that the waters have cooled the main targets will be trout and redfish during the day and trout and snook at night under the lighted docks in the Naples/Marco waterways. Fishing before the front was still being done with DOA Cals on 1/16oz jig heads and live pilchards both free lined and under corks. We caught some really nice snook the afternoon of the cold front during the rain, 20mph winds and temps dropping to the low 60's. Since the front I have been targeting trout and redfish in deep holes and shallow bays. This is also a great time to do some sight fishing for redfish in shallow clear water. If you like to hunt this is something you have to try, stalking redfish in less than a foot of water is awesome. There are still bonita to be caught you just have to run a little farther to find them.The weather is forecast to get back in the upper 70's and will really help the fishing. I am also running some specials right now for 2 anglers aboard my shallow water skiff, these trips will take you deep into the backcountry to target snook and redfish in shallow water. Call 2394046255 to find out details and prices.

Naples Fishing Report 12/14/11

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:51:00 +0000

Christmas is right around the corner, but you wouldn't know it here in Naples. Our weather has been amazing with lows in the 60's and highs from 78-84. The water temps are still above 70 which has kept the live bait fishing above average for this time of year. On most trips we are catching a wide variety of fish snook, trout, redfish, flounder, pompano, snapper, jacks, bluefish, ladyfish, mackeral and small gag grouper are being caught. It's also good out off the beaches for the hard fishing bonita. These fish are amazing on spinning gear or with a fly. I have days open still and I'm running a 1/2 day night fishing trip for snook, trout and reds for $300. The trip is for 2 anglers and is from 6-10pm. This is a great trip for fly fisherman. Till next time tight lines

Snook, Redfish, Trout, Pompano Naples Fishing 11/16/11

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:07:00 +0000

The fishing in Naples has been excellent so far this month for a wide range of species. Somedays have been spent chasing bonita on light spinning tackle and fly just off the beaches. These fish are speed demons and will attack most offerings, most popular have been a DOA Cal key lime on a 1/4oz chartreuse jig head or a gummy fly. These fish have been in the 6-10lb range and have been anywhere from a 1/2 mile to 3 miles offshore. There are also some tarpon, kingfish and sharks still hanging under the birds in the mackeral schools. These fish have been in 6-15ft of water, north and south of the pass. Most days have been spent fishing the bushes for redfish and snook with live pilchards. There has been a great amount of snook to 35" in the passes and in the back bays. Mixed in with the snook are some big jacks to around 12lbs. The trout and pompano are also biting good in the deeper channels and passes in the Naples/Marco area. Mixed in with them are ladyfish, bluefish and spanish mackeral to keep the rods bent. I have a good 10 days of fishing starting tomm so if you want to go fishing for the holidays dont wait as I have a few spots open. Tight lines

Naples Fishing Report 10/12/11

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 01:36:00 +0000

October is a great month to fish in Naples and this year is no different. I've been on the water everyday since Oct 5th and had some really good days. The pilchards are easy to net and are finally in the 3-5in range. We have fished for tarpon, snook, and redfish almost everyday and hooked tarpon on every trip but one. The redfish have been in the slot or over making for a great meal. I really have not fished for snook that much this week with so many redfish around. there are plenty of them around the passes and docks and a good amount are moving into the backwaters. Most of the snook are in the 19-26in range, though we did hook a couple big 10-15lb fish the last few days. Tarpon fishing has been good, hooking 1-5 fish a morning. They are in the 50-120lb range. I have a few days open this month and fishing should only get better. Pictured is Paul Webb from
Canada with a 33" 11lb red caught today on a live pilchard

Fall Tarpon and Snook 9/30/11

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 22:22:00 +0000

The fishing is really getting good here in Naples with tarpon, snook and redfish being caught on every trip. The fishing will be some of the best of the year this month as most fish will feed like crazy before heading south or hunkering down before Winter approaches. Here are a few pics from two days ago of a big snook and some tarpon caught on a trip out of Naples. Dont wait to book your trip as October is very busy for me, 239 404 6255

Fall Tarpon, Snook, Redfish Sept 18, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 01:57:00 +0000

The days are getting shorter and the water temps are finally coming down here in Naples. The mornings and late afternoons have been very enjoyable weather wise as we have a nice northeast wind. The fishing has also gotten much better over the last few weeks in the Naples are. The pilchards are still on the small size, but thats what the fish are eating. Im gonna start with the redfish bite that has been strong with great numbers of fish off the beaches, passes and back bays. The reds in the back bays have been eating well on the incoming tide with a pilchard under a popping cork or a Gulp Shrimp on a 1/8oz jig head. In the passes and off the beaches Ive been fishing a live pilchard with a split shot. Once found the reds are pretty much every cast until the dolphins show up and ruin the party. Most of the reds are keepers in the lower slot 18-23" and make a great dinner. Snook fishing is still going strong in the normal places and have been eating very well on the outgoing tides. Live pilchards are the bait of choice when the sun is up and swim baits in the early morning hours are doing great. We did manage one big fish this week in the 20+lb range on a big mullet while tarpon fishing. Last but not least tarpon, they made a good showing on the full moon and where really eating mullet well. These were resident fish in the 30-70lb range and made for some good mornings. As the waters cool more and the bait stacks up on the beaches we should experience some of the best tarpon fishing of the year. October is my favorite month to fish so dont wait to book your days. Tight lines

Naples Tarpon and Snook Report

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 05:55:00 +0000

July is typically a slower business month for me and this year is no different for me. I have ran some trips, but not like a normal 25 plus trip month. The bait has been on the small side and there is a lot of fresh water run off on the beaches and backwaters. Its been hard for me to get out in the morning with all the heat and little baits. The bite shuts down early and then your stuck fishing and not catching. This is a great time to fish the late afternoons and at night for snook and mid size tarpon to 60lbs. I have been fishing a lot at night lately with friends and doing very well on tarpon. We have been throwing all soft plastic swim baits on light rods at these tarpon. We have been hooking anywhere from 6-12 tarpon a night in a few hours of fishing and the weather is much cooler at night. The afternoons have been mainly focusing on snook around the passes and docks with live baits. If you want to get out for an afternoon or night of great fishing give me a call 239 404 6255. Tight lines

Naples Fishing

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 03:38:00 +0000

Things are still hot in Naples, both the weather and fishing. I've been off the water for about about a week with maintenance on the boat. Had a great group of guys tonight and the fish were chewing. I was able to get a well full of pilchards, threads and menhaden for bait in about 20ft of water. The big outgoing tide limited the places we could fish, water was very low. We got close to thirty snook with 5 being over 12lbs. Fishing will remain good throughout the Summer and we should start seeing more tarpon on the beaches.

Naples Tarpon and Snook

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 17:15:00 +0000

This June has been very busy for me, and my anglers have been rewarded with some great days on the water. I have managed to hook tarpon on every one of my charters but one and conditions were not great for that one. Tarpon was my main focus for most of the month, things picked up leading to the full moon, but winds came up hard from the west making it rough. Mark Yanowitz and friends fished three days with me in less than ideal conditions and we managed to hook a bunch of tarpon, but couldnt keep one on. The tarpon really went crazy on the days after the full moon and we managed to go 3-12, 4-7, 3-6, 2-4 and 1-1 on tarpon ranging from 50-125lbs. The last week has slowed for tarpon so I have been snook fishing more with lots of action on slot size fish on the outgoing tides. We have not got any real monsters, but this weeks big tides again should really get both the tarpon and snook going again. July is a great month to fish and I have days open so dont wait to get your spot. Tight lines

Naples Tarpon and Snook

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Wed, 25 May 2011 01:58:00 +0000

May is coming to an end and our fishing here in Naples is really picking up. Tarpon fishing in Naples has been up and down this month with some great days and some that turned into shark trips. The big schools of tarpon are to our north and south yet havent filled into our beaches yet. We are catching them when conditions are right for casting to fish in shallow clear water or fishing dead baits in some select back bays. I have been running most of my tarpon trips out of Lovers Key in Estero Bay and running to fish off the Sanibel beaches where there are hundreds of hungry tarpon. Today we managed to catch four tarpon from 70-170lbs and had a huge 12ft hammerhead try to eat one, see video. The snook fishing has been excellent in Naples along the beahes, passes and bays close to the beaches. I finally managed to get some bigger snook with a few this week close to 15lbs on pilchards. Along with the snook have been big jacks, snapper and some really big trout. Summer fishing is going to be great so get your dates reserved now 239 404 6255. Tight lines

Naples Fishing Report

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 02:31:00 +0000

I finished the week on Sunday after running 14 trips last week. The fishing was really good for most of my trips with snook, redfish and big jacks being the main targets. The pilchards were easily found in the early morning and they worked great around the passes, docks and back bays. Most of my morning trips were fished in the back bays in shallow dirty water and the fish were hungry. In the afternoon I fished the docks and passes for snook and tarpon on the outgoing tides. We managed to hook 7 tarpon over the week ranging from 50-100lbs and didnt land the first one, oh well. I have had the last two days off to stock up on tarpon tackle and do a little scouting for tarpon. I found the fish in great numbers and this morning we went 1-2 in a few hours in rough weather. This coming week has great tides in the morning for snook and reds and tarpon in the afternoon. Pictured are a nice redfish from Friday and a tarpon this morning.

Naples Tarpon and Snook

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 03:34:00 +0000

I have been fishing everyday for the last few weeks and the fishing has been good. The last few mornings have been a bit tough with the the lack of bait due to high winds and dirty water. We still managed some nice snook, huge jacks, small reds, snapper and a few trout. The afternoons were a totally different ballgame, the outgoing tide cleaned up the water and the snook bite was out of control. I ran a 1-5pm trip with a group of 12 guys and the three on my boat caught close to 50 snook missing a bunch too. We topped it off jumping a 100lb tarpon on a live mullet. I then picked up my 3rd trip of the day at 5pm and we caught close to 50 snook again in three hours. I only had to fish two spots and we had bites on almost every pilchard that hit the water. The weather looks to stay warm and the tarpon should be out on the beaches soon, just need the winds to cooperate. They are already here in some back bays and passes on select tides. I have some spots open for prime tarpon tides so dont wait to book your trip. Till next time tight lines.

Naples Fishing Report

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 03:26:00 +0000

Spring is here and the fishing has been excellent the last few weeks. All the major fish have shown up and its hard to choose what to fish for at times. Snook fishing with live pilchards has still been the best bet with great numbers of fish being caught on most charters. Im having my best luck fishing the passes, docks and bays closest to the passes on the incoming and the first few hours of the outgoing. I have not fished much for redfish the last few weeks, but did try a spot today and managed two nice 26.5in fished and three little ones on the last of the outgoing tide. Live pilchards on a split shot did the trick. Trout fishing has really picked up the last week, but the tide has to be incoming and the water has to be clear to get them. Chumming with live pilchards is needed to get them to the top as we are catching them in deeper water. I managed to tarpon fish three days this week and although we did not boat any we did have seven fish hooked up. I hooked them all on mullet on the outgoing tide, most of the fish were in the 80-120lb range. I was on some nice tarpon in the back bays, but the heavy winds made them impossible to fish for. We did soak some cut bait two days for tarpon and caught six big sharks, mostly bulls. We had one that was over 200lbs and a few in the 150lb range. Tarpon fishing should really break lose with all the warm weather, so dont wait to book your trips. Tight lines

Naples Tarpon Fishing

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 04:48:00 +0000

The tarpon are here and eating on the right tides. Live mullet have been the bait of choice the last week and the tarpon are between 60-120lbs. I have only fished for them twice this week, but have had fished hooked each time. We did catch one the other day around 20lbs fishing for snook by a dock. Look for it to get better as more fish show up with warming water and weather. Snook fishing as been the go to for numbers, we have had some really good days this week with 30 fish in a four hour trip. The snook are getting more aggressive and starting to bunch up more. Ive got a good week of chartes so check back in a few days for an updated report. Tarpon fishing trips will fill up in the Spring so dont hesitate to book your trip.

Naples Fishing Report 3/3/11

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 04:59:00 +0000

Spring is finally here and the fishing has improved fast in a few short weeks. The water temps are in the 70's and we have switched from shrimp to live pilchards. Snook have been feeding good and they have been the main focus on most of my recent trips. Pompano fishing has been excellent first thing in the morning using tube jigs tipped with shrimp, getting a limit has been pretty easy work with some going close to 3lbs. Redfish are here, but I have not spent much time looking for them with other fish around in better numbers. Tarpon are showing each day, I have not had people interested in targeting them yet, but they can be caught on the right tide and time of day. I will be running some special full day charters starting at 2pm and ending at 10pm on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. We will be targeting snook, tarpon, and sharks on these trips. Season is here and its getting busy, dont miss out on all the great fishing going on. Tight lines till next time

Reds Snook Trout Naples Fishing

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 04:51:00 +0000

Last week had some warm days and mild nights and the fish responded well to the warm up. I was able to find water temps ranging from 68-73 in some creeks. We were able to catch a handful of snook to 24" and some nice jacks to about 7lbs. These were nice to see as its been a while since my charters have caught snook or jacks during the day. The redfish my clients caught were all in the 15-18in range, by the spring those little guys should be keepers. Trout were the main focus on the five charters I ran last week. They have been holding in deeper holes and channels with good current. Live shrimp on a 3/8oz jig head as been working the best in cooler water and Gulp Shrimp on a 3/8oz jig head when the water is warmer. Most have been keeper size in the 16-18in range, but some days you have to weed through the smaller ones. Spring is just around the corner and the tarpon will be here soon. It's never to early to book your trips. Till next time tight lines
www.Naples-PangaFishing.com

239 404 6255

Naples Fishing Report

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 20:09:00 +0000

After a slow cold December January is starting off very warm with
highs close to 80. The fishing before Christmas was great for redfish
to 33" with water temps around 68. We got a big cold front with
freezing temps that dropped the water to the mid 50's. Trout, ladyfish
and sheepshead were the main targets in the backwaters. The water has
since warmed into the low to mid 60's and the fishing is getting back
to normal with redfish and trout the main targets.

www.Naples-PangaFishing.com
239 404 6255

Naples Fishing Report

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 16:09:00 +0000

The last few weeks the fishing has been really good. We have been
catching some really nice redfish along with a ton of smaller redfish.
The best baits have been cut ladyfish chunks and shrimp in deeper
holes or points with good tide flow. When fishing shallow water a gulp
shrimp or DOA Cal has been catching alot of nice reds. When not
fishing for redfish the trout, snapper, sheepshead and ladyfish have
given us great action. Trout season opens Jan 1st and they make a
great dinner. If you want to get out fishing give me a call
239-404-6255. Tight lines

Naples Fishing Report

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 05:26:00 +0000

Since my last report a lot of things have changed. The weather has
been pretty cold this week dropping the water temps to around 60. This
means we will be fishing for redfish, trout, pompano and sheepshead in
the backwaters and gag grouper, snapper, and sheepshead on the shallow
wrecks and rock piles. Lately I have been fishing for redfish in
shallow water with soft plastic shrimp and paddle tails. The fish are
in lest than 2ft of water and a well placed cast gets rewarded with 5
to 9lb redfish. On the deeper points the little reds are very thick,
not uncommon to catch 10-20 reds off one spot. It's a great time of
year to fish if you want to bring some fish home for dinner as these
are all great eating. This cold weather is forecast to be over by
atuesday and we should see water temps climb back into the mid 60's
and start catching some snook. If you are coming down for Christmas or
New Years don't wait to book as things will fill up fast. Call 239 404 6255
or shoot me an email. Tight lines

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 03:42:00 +0000

Monster Snook and Tarpon 11/5/10

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 03:41:00 +0000

We got our first big cold front of the year last night and the fish
hunkered down this morning. I had my bait pen loaded with pilchards
and bought shrimp as back up for the morning trip. The winds were
blowing 20knts from the northwest, water was filthy and the fish would
not bite for me. I tried looking for tarpon first thing, mullet were
there but no tarpon. Then I tried the back and couldn't get a bite
going. Tried docks for snook and caught three and missed a half dozen.
We did find
some tarpon, but time was running out and the other boat was already
in. My afternoon trip was at 130 and I told Shayne the tarpon bite
should be good so we will give it an hour and if it's slow we will go
in. After getting mullet we found tarpon instantly and ended up
hooking five and getting one 60lb fish to the boat. He also caught
this monster snook on a big mullet. After a slow morning it felt good
to get back on some nice fish.

noreply@blogger.com (Capt. Chris McCubbin) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 19:03:00 +0000