Greg had a great day fishing Matlacha Wildlife Refuge using an Orvis 8wt Helios 2. Fog and clouds combined with an incoming tide set the stage for some fantastic fishing. Greg is an excellent angler, he made my job easy. Safe travels back to Canada Greg, We’ll get that 34” snook next year.

Both Matlacha and Ding Darling Preseves have great fishing this week. Here's Greg Killough and a nice Jack caught on an Orvis Helios 2 8wt fly rod. Greg also caught seatrout and snook. 

Conditions: Water temps are in the high 70s to low 80s. A mild cold front will be arriving late in the week slight chance of afternoon showers and light winds through the weekend.

Bait: threadfin and greenback herring, pinfish, shrimp, crabs

Species to target this week: Snook, Redfish, Seatrout, Jacks, Ladyfish, Spanish Mackerel.

Fishing Tactics: With water temps rising the mid day fishing will be slow. Fish the morning tides for the best action.

My Fly Fishing Tip of the Week: Snook will be cruising the mangrove edges at the tide rises. Redfish will be near the oyster beds as the tide ebbs.

My Spin Fishing Tip of the Week: Suspending twitch baits and soft plastic on light jig heads fished slow along the mangrove shadows can be productive.

7 day outlook: Higher water levels in mornings will allow for easier access to the backwaters.

Conditions: Water temps in the high 70s to low 80s and mid day high tides. This is the week for an inshore slam.

Bait in the Area: scaled sardines, pinfish, shrimp, crabs, some threadfin herring.

Species to target this week: Snook, Redfish, Seatrout, Jacks, Ladyfish.

Fly Fishing Tactics: Start the day around the oyster beds and the cuts. As the tide rises and the sun comes up move to the mangroves and creek mouths. Shrimp, crab and small baitfish imitations will all work.

My Fishing Tip of the Week: Redfish will be around oyster beds at low tide and move to the mangroves and creek mouths as the tide rises.

My Spin Fishing Tip of the Week: The old standby gold spoon or Mirro Lure jerk bait are the hot set up right now. If the bite falls off swap to a live shrimp on a jig head.    

7 day Outlook: Wow what a week! Dry all week temps in the 80s and light winds. Great morning incoming tides should provide consistent action. 

(file photo)

Conditions: We will see temps in the 80s and there will be a chance of off and on showers with light winds throughout the week. Water temps will be in the low to mid 70s. No red tide is predicted. There will be Mid-day ebb tides of average height early in the week and neap tides at the end of the week.

Bait: threadfin herring, pinfish, shrimp, crabs

Species to target this week: Redfish, Seatrout, Snook, Jacks, Ladyfish, Bluefish. Maybe a cobia or baby tarpon.

Fishing Tactics: Make your redfish presentations to the edges of potholes in grass flats. Baitfish and shrimp imitations will work best. Seatrout will be on banks near grass. Chartreus or hot pink Clousers will be productive.

My Fly Fishing Tip of the Week: The Redfish on the grass flat will be spooky. Stake out or drift and watch for schools of reds moving over the flats. Long casts and stealth will be key in hooking up.

7 day outlook: Trout and redfish are moving onto the grass flats Pine Island Sound. In the upper harbor the Redfish are in the holes around the mangroves. The Snook are getting more active as the water warms. 

For all our friends in the Northeast; it’s not all flip flops and sunscreen here in SW Florida. David Soule, Jim Soule joined me for a not so warm and sunny day fly and light tackle fishing in the Matlacha Pass Refuge. Low 70s light winds and on and off rain along with a neap tide made for a challenging day. We all agreed a slow wet day of fishing was still way better than shoveling roofs and busting up ice dams…