Tarpon Time

Conditions: Water temps are between 81* and 85*. Moderate winds should allow for good sight fishing this week. There is a good chance of showers so keep an eye to the sky.

Bait: threadfin herring, Green back Herring, pinfish, shrimp, crab

Species to target this week: Tarpon, Snook, Redfish, Seatrout, Jack Crevalle, Ladyfish.

Fishing Tactics: Time to hunt for tarpon. They are starting to show in Pine Island Sound and on the beaches. Look for rolling fish early and then for sub surface pods as soon as the light gets good.

My Fly Fishing Tip of the Week: Tarpon time – rig your 11 or 12wt with a sink tip or use weighted flies if the tarpon are moving fast or deep.

My Spin Fishing Tip of the Week: With backwater temps in the mid eighties, your casts need to be at the drip line or up under the mangroves as the tide rises.

7 day outlook: Moderate winds and 20-50% chance of showers this week. Good morning tides will produce moving water for first part of the week. Neap tides late week morning tides will provide little or no moving water. 

I have a full compliment of Orvis H2 rods on my boat. If you haven't experienced the Helios 2, you are truly missing something. Book you trip today, cath a fish of a lifetime on the worlds best casting fly rod!

5/5 Best guide I've met - 4/9/2015By: gkilloug fished Matlacha, FL

"Dave Pecci is the kind of guide you'd want to fish with every day. Dave is a passionate (die hard) angler who works as hard as any guide I've seen to keep his clients on fish. He should be running clinics on boat control... He's also a great teacher, but he offers instruction in a patient and calm way, you almost don't realize he's coaching you until the casts get better, the presentations improve, and you start hammering fish. It doesn't hurt that he's a great story teller and also just an all-around good guy (and those pastries he brings...). I'll be fishing with Dave again the next time I'm in the area without a doubt. Can't wait!"

 5/5Look no further... - 3/25/2015 By: FlyByNite fished Pine Island/Matlacha, FL

"Capt. Dave is a joy to fish with. He uses top shelf fly fishing and spinning gear, is a wealth of local knowledge, and doesn't rely on two or three "honey holes" to provide action. He will work to keep your day on his boat action-packed. West coast Florida is filled with amazing, scenic back-country fishing and Capt. Dave is the guy to take you there." 

Fishing for seatrout, snook, redfish, bluefish and jacks combined with a successful hog hunt. Hope your flight home was uneventful. Great having you visit with Barb and I. Next time BRING DENISE! That's an Order! See you in June on our trek north.

Conditions: Neap tides of the past week are now behind us. Good flow and water temps in the low 80s will produce great conditions. Watch out for those afternoon storms though.

Bait: threadfin herring, Green back Herring, pinfish, shrimp

Species to target this week: Snook, Redfish, Seatrout, Jack Crevalle, Ladyfish, Bluefish.

Fishing Tactics: Go early and blind cast the first hour or two of the incoming tide. Sight fishing will be good as soon as the sun gets overhead.

My Fly Fishing Tip of the Week: White bait patterns are working on snook. Be prepared for follows and refusals if the strip is not correct. You have to tease the big’uns into biting.

My Spin Fishing Tip of the Week: White and pink soft plastic twitch baits are producing snook. Root beer is the redfish color of the week.

7 day outlook: A lack of weather fronts in the 7 day forecast will provide a steady barometer and light winds. There are a few snook on the beach and some tarpon in Pine Island Sound. Lots of white bait around too.  Snook, trout and jacks are on the backcountry flats. 

Brad Osborn from Falmouth, Maine joined me this past weekend for some productive snook, trout, and jack crevalle action. We fished Pine Island Sound with both fly and spinning gear. Brad brought along one of his favorite New England "Albie" lures and the local fish ate it up! 

From Brad 04-14-15: Thanks Dave! As always, I had a great time. Snook, jacks, ladyfish, trout, thousands of cow nose rays, a manatee at the boat, sight casting to giant snook on the beach. It does not get better than that for a Mainer looking for a break from mud season.