Capt. George Tunison

Hope no one was caught in an open boat while fishing Wednesday morning, but I did spot a handful of diehards standing along Burnt Store Road fishing the weirs in the torrential downpour looking for a big snook drawn to the food items dropping over the little dams.

Actually you never know what might bite there. A friend actually caught a grouper there, another, a peacock bass. In 2012 I released an over 7-pound largemouth, all on the “saltwater side” during a rainy period. Watch the highway traffic as fishing fever-distracted, on-foot anglers are hard to see in the downpour.

Weather permitting, go a little deeper to get that red snapper bite. Most reports say 140-160 feet is the hot zone where boats are also seeing quite a few small schools of mostly peanut or juvenile mahi-mahi or dolphin fish. Expect to also encounter red grouper, which closes to harvest at the end of the month, as well as various larger snapper species that don’t see as much fishing pressure. Wahoo and sailfish have also been reported out this far.

Mahi live their short lives at warp speed, reaching sexual maturity in just months, swimming up to a reported 60 mph and growing to 40 pounds in only a year’s time at up to two inches a week, then dying at a ripe old age of just 4-5 years old. In 1998, a Florida angler fishing in the Bahamas bagged an 88-pound specimen establishing a new world record that still stands. An amazing, high jumping and quite beautiful gamefish, great on the plate when freshly served.

What’s red snappers’ favorite bait? Not enough space here to print the many opinions, but live baits, pinfish and cigar minnows are highly regarded while squid, bonito strips and most other cut baits all take their share of these hard fighting, beautiful, mild and sweet tasting, oh so delicious fish.

If your boat isn’t safe 50 miles out and beyond, don’t worry as there are several near-shore structures offering everything from grouper, snapper, cobia, permit, huge bonus snook and sharks. Helen’s, Belton Johnson, Mary’s, Pace’s and quite a few other reefs and structures are all in range of today’s fast bay boats with common sensed, weather savvy captains at the helm. Actually some like Helen’s are only 5 miles off Captiva Pass. The Power Poles are only 5 miles out of Boca and several others all under 20 miles. Check the FWC and other internet sources for the GPS coordinates and structure info as you will be fishing over sunken boxcars, barges, concrete, steel structures and other items which host a huge variety of game fish at one time or another.

If you’re new to offshore reef and structure fishing, now’s the time to really learn how to use and understand the information your electronics are providing, as well as mastering other vital skills like knowing where, when and how to anchor, which can make a huge difference in your fishing success. Two of the most important things for the newbie offshore captain to remember is knowing when to stay in port and also knowing when to head in. In the quickly changing Gulf summer weather, staying to catch just a couple more can doom you and your passengers that you’re responsible for. A 22-foot bay boat quickly gets smaller and smaller as the offshore wind and waves get bigger.

Although you might encounter moving coastal tarpon off the beach to a few miles out, or on the inside along the ICW through Pine Island Sound down to Estero Bay, the main body is still attending the big tarpon bash at Boca Grande, with better coastal or beach chances when turning north out of Boca.

One thing for sure, from ankle deep to the horizon, it’s a good time of year to be a multi-species angler here in Southwest Florida.

Capt. George Tunison is a Cape Coral resident fishing guide. You can contact him at 239-282-9434 or via email at captgeorget3@aol.com.