Summer's here, and the time is right... for snook fishing, though not to keep. Coinciding with the arrival of Summer, water temperatures and plentiful bait (shiners) have allowed for consistent action in all my fishing spots. The big shiners from Spring have given way to the new generation of (painstakingly) small greenbacks. They're a pain in the tail to deal with, but it is nice to see a successful spawn from the past generation. It's time to break out the 3/8" mesh castnet in order to avoid Southwest Florida's version of a Christmas tree. For those scratching their heads, a Florida "Christmas tree" is what your 1/2" mesh castnet looks like after throwing for this small bait. Their heads get stuck in the bigger mesh by the hundreds, and get all lit up and sparkly when the sun shines. One typically will spend a good 20 minutes or so squeezing off the heads, and then shaking the bodies out (or that sweet smell of death will eventually close you down). A 3/8" mesh will avoid this problem and allow you to spare the baitfish, clean up faster, and get fishing quicker. Water temps are c.88-89F, which means the oxygen content in the water is much less than the cooler Winter water (cold water holds oxygen; hot water disperses it). Try using frozen plastic ice blocks in your live well to keep the water cool and allow more oxygen to mix with your water, thereby keeping your bait alive that much longer.

This weekend marks the traditional "end" to the tarpon season, with three major league outgoing tides in the afternoon/evenings over the next three days. Look for pass crabs to emerge at sunset in Boca Grande Pass for a feeding frenzy one is blessed to live to witness. Singles will still be around thereafter, and fish are caught, but by and large the commercial (guided) fishery is becoming next year's fantasy.

The snook bite has been unbelievable! While still out of season, the ability to walk the shoreline on a calm morning and either fly fish or throw a bucktail jig, or even a rat-l-trap, can provide for a monster fight with a snook! For those who are savvy, an incredible bait to use is the sand flea, or mole crab, which bury themselves along the shoreline, and may be accessed via a sand flea rake (available at The Bait Box). Scrape the rake where the shore meets the water. If you look closely (on a calm day), you will notice about a 4"-6" dropoff right where land meets water. The fleas are in that dropoff. Keep them in a bucket with a bit of wet sand on the bottom and a wet towel placed over the top to keep the direct sun off them. Because they are light, and they bore through sand like acid, I recommend using a small trout float to suspend them up off the sand. Freelining (no weight) will work, if distance is not a concern. Trout and reds are still being caught, though we are still c.6-8 weeks away from the monster schools of redfish to start showing up. With those thoughts, I leave you for 10 days of wallowing around Darwin's waiting room in the Gallapagos. Swimming iguanas, blue footed boobies - I'll have to pinch myself! I'll give you a quick report upon my return.?? Remember: Don't jerk it 'til you feel the tug (and be prepared to yank and crank!)