May 17

A Guide to Fishing for Tarpon in Florida

Tarpon are some of the most popular fish in Florida. This fish is known all throughout Florida, and it can jump as far as 10 feet from the water and rattles its gills, so it sounds like a rattlesnake. They can become very big. They’re also called Silver Sides, Sabalo, or Silver Kings. Even though they’re edible, they’re not eaten very often because they’re full of bones that are small and difficult to clean. They usually are found in water that is 74 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit.
Read More

May 17

4 Fascinating Facts About Tarpon

If you are someone who likes to go fishing, chances are that you have heard of tarpon. But do you know anything about this fish? There are some things that you may not know about the fish. How big do they grow? What kind of water do they live in? How do they spawn? Here are five facts about tarpon you may not know.
Read More

Feb 17

5 Fascinating Facts About Tarpon

Tarpon Fishing in Naples, FL

Growth and Eating Habits

An Atlantic tarpon can grow anywhere from 4-8 feet in length and they’re very active, plus they have great strength. When they are hooked, a tarpon will vigorously leap and this makes it a game fish that a lot of anglers will go after. Their bodies are silvery in color and they are covered in large scales. An adult tarpon will prey on fish, shrimp and crabs and they’re swallowed whole.

Breathing

Tarpons are able to breathe using their swim bladders, something that the majority of other fish only use for buoyancy. Having the ability to go to the surface to gulp oxygen will give them short energy bursts and allows adults and young to live in the waters that have low oxygen levels and fewer amounts of predators.

Water Temperature

A tarpon is able to tolerate different temperatures and levels of salt. But temperatures under 60 will cause them to be inactive and under 40 will kill them.

Spawning and Growth

A tarpon will spawn in secluded and warm areas. Eggs and sperm all are released into water, in a process known as broadcast spawning. The females will release as many as 12 million eggs each time. Once the eggs are fertilized, these eggs float on top of the water and this stage is known as leptocephalus. The eggs resemble transparent ribbons and it makes them hard for the predators to see. To nourish themselves, the eggs absorb the nutrients in the water by way of the skin. Then the tarpon enters its juvenile stage, staying in the shallow waters, before becoming an adult.

The next time you go fishing for tarpon, now you know a bit more about these wonderful fish. Go out and catch a big one!

Jan 17

A Guide to Fishing for Snook at Night

If you like fishing, chances are that you might have gone fishing for snook. But have you ever tried fishing for snook at night? If not, you should give it a try. Below are some tips for night snook fishing.
Read More

Sep 16

Top 10 Fish Species in Florida

For anglers who love going out and catching the biggest fish they can find, one of the best places to go is to Florida. There are many game fish in this state that fishermen enjoy catching. Below you will find the top ten fish in Florida.

Tarpon – This fish is one that’s prized for its ability to fight but not really prized for food value. It’s found throughout the waters in Florida. They can also tolerate many types of salinities.

Sailfish – This is the official saltwater fish of Florida and it inhabits subtropical and tropical waters. They usually travel with small groups or alone. The thing that sets them apart is the high, long dorsal fin. It’s known for acrobatic, high jumps and a favorite fish for anglers in blue waters.

Speckled Trout – Also known as the spotted sea trout, this schooling species is usually found in estuaries’ and bays’ shallow waters. Its upper jaw has two huge canine teeth and mainly feeds on small baitfish and shrimp in the grassy areas.

Snook – This fish is very sensitive to water temperature changes and they’re found in Florida’s warmer waters. This fish is voracious and strong and will shred your fishing line

Red drum – These are also called redfish and they live in shallow brackish and salt waters in schools. It doesn’t have any chin barbels but it has a body that is elongated to distinguish it from black drums. There are also one or more large black spots just before its tail.

Largemouth bass – Officially Florida’s freshwater fish, this fish has a reputation around the world. Anglers come from all over so that they can fish this fish. This base eats nearly anything, even baby ducks and squirrels.

Panfish – This term is general and describes a lot of different types of fish, such as bluegills, redear sunfish, spotted sunfish, warmouth, and redbreast sunfish. These are fish that many of the young anglers catching using spinner baits, popping bugs, and worms.

Grouper – This generic name is used for species which live in deep water. They are very popular with most anglers, the gag grouper and red grouper being the best known. When the weather is cooler, they often can be caught in the shallower water with artificial lures.

Snappers – These fish are offshore species and they’re usually found in water that is 60-440 feet deep. Red snapper is very well-known and it’s pink to red. It also has an anal fin that’s pointed so that it can be distinguished from the other snappers. Red snapper is most delicious and prized in the waters of Florida.

Mackerels – This fish family includes the king mackerel and the Spanish mackerel, which is smaller. These types of fish can be found in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean, from the coast of Maine to beautiful Rio de Janeiro, along with Brazil and Florida’s Gulf of Mexico.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a great place to go fishing, you’ll find no better place than Florida. With so many fish species to choose from, you’ll be bringing home a trophy fish in no time.

Fishing Charters in Naples, FL

As a Naples native I have fished the waters of Naples, Marco and Ft. Myers my entire life. I know where the fish are and use live bait to catch them.

Don’t be fooled by no fish, no pay Naples charter boats. I take pride in what I do and know you will have a great time fishing the Gulf waters with me. Call 239-280-6246 or email me to book a trip today!

Jul 16

Summer Fishing in Naples, Florida

Naples tarpon charters, Naples fishing, Naples fishing charter

A nice summer time tarpon in Naples.

Summer here in Southwest Florida one word comes to mind, hot. The hot air temperatures also rise the water temperatures which make the fish most active in the mornings and the evenings. For our Naples fishing charter to be productive a early start is key. Snook, tarpon and mangrove snapper are our typical summertime targets. These fish love the warm water of the summer and are most easily caught on the beach is it in the passes. Baitfish are also plentiful to aid in catching these fish.

When targeting Snook here in Naples I like to fish in early outgoing tide if possible. The outgoing tide at this time of the year tends to bring dirty water out with it. This dirty water helps to hide our leader and hook to find success with these weary game fish. Snook have been taking live baits and well presented artificial as well as top water. Most of the fish are two to six pounds right now and can be caught along the beaches and the passes and within the first few bays as you enter the backwaters. Look for sandy bottoms and moving water.

I’ve also been finding great success with Tarpon early in the mornings. The tarpon are found off the beaches of Naples and Marco. Again I like to get an early start. I cruise the beaches in the pre-dawn hours looking for Rolling fish or schools of bait fish. 1 spotted I put the trolling motor down and have been using live crabs, thread Herring and pin fish as bait. Most tarpon been in the 60 to 100 pound range and with the warm water typically put on quite an acrobatic show.Last but not least mangrove snapper fill in the void between the tarpon and Snook. Mangrove snapper spawn in the summertime in the week ahead of the full moon. These fish Gather in big schools near reefs and wrecks close to shore. Chumming with small pilchards has proved productive on recent Naples fishing charters. Most of these fish have been one to three pounds. And quick limits are usually caught on most trips.

All in all summer is a great time to go on Naples fishing charter. Starting early and targeting the right species will ensure success. Another nice thing about the summer is the lack of boat traffic on the water. We may go all day and see just a few boats. This helps alleviate some of the pressure our area is felt by recreational Anglers.

Jun 16

May Fishing Charter report

May is a fantastic month to fish in Naples. My primary focus is on Tarpon during this month but there’s also many other game fish to pursue. There are Snook on the beaches and sea trout and mangrove snapper on almost every piece of structure both inshore and offshore. I’ve had some great Charters lately finding lots of opportunities fishing with both live and artificial baits. I’ve been staying flexible as far as what fish we target during the day. Some Naples fishing charters start out trying to catch Tarpon and then switch gears to Snook or Snapper. Some days the conditions allow tarpon fishing all day, other the clouds and wind make other species a better option. On a trip last week we found productive tarpon fishing first thing in the morning. We were sight casting to large schools of fish in the early Dawn hours. After finding early success we moved over to one of the flats and sight fished for Tarpon there. Cooperative fish and tired Anglers had me switch gears and we began fishing snook fishing. We found a great snook bite along the beaches. Fast action is the name of the game with snook who rarely turn down a live bait. these fish are reputed fighters and a top gamefish here in Naples. Those looking for table fare have found the mangrove snapper bite has been fast and furious. Mangrove snapper can be found on just about every piece of structure up and down the coast both inshore and offshore. Most of the fish are one to three pounds but what they lack in size they make up for in fight. Seatrout have also been very cooperative. Summer is when we find some of the biggest sea trout of the year. The trout are very opportunistic feeders and will strike almost anything that comes buy. Icing the trout immediately is very important This trend should continue through the next few months, making a great time to get out on a Naples fishing charter.

Call me any time with questions or to book!

Capt. Tony Fontana 239-280-6246

Google + page https://plus.google.com/104633003026504094361/about
FaceBook page https://www.facebook.com/Naples-Saltwater-Fishing-277385710449/

Apr 16

Naples Fishing Charter Update – From Captain Tony

Southwest Florida offers many different varieties of fishing depending on the time of year. As a local Naples Fishing Charter, it’s known at certain times we have great tarpon fishing, snook and redfish in the backcountry, grouper and snapper offshore, and a large variety of different pelagic species that inhabit the gulf.

Since Southwest Florida is located in a subtropical environment, water temperature plays a huge role in the quarry that we’re after. The popular Naples anglers fish for snook this time of the year also, for instance, they bite live pilchards quite well from mid-spring until early winter, whereas the redfish bite is best in the late fall, winter, and early spring. Tarpon also bite on certain water temperatures. Tarpon seem to prefer the warmer water with the late spring, summer and early fall.

The nearest shore reef fishing off Naples can be super productive in the winter. As the water temperature cools gag grouper move to the closest reefs and wrecks. And seem to be eager to bite most live baits offered to them. Another effective way to catch the grouper in the winter is to troll. Trolling allows you to cover lots of water and helps to land more fish due to the ability to pull them away from the structure with the boat. Mangrove Snappers seem to be year round they offer a great bite in the winter feeding mostly on shrimp and peeking around the week before the full moon. In the spring and summer our Naples fishing charters target mangrove snapper by chumming and flat lining for them. This can provide some fun action all these hard fighting good tasting fish.

Two other season of fish to catch are the kingfish and triple tail. Both of these fish seem to be really turned on October through December. Kingfish are usually found around natural reefs around Naples, FL and artificial reefs off the coast of Naples. They take mostly live baits but trolling spoons and plugs can also prove effective. Kingfish range from 10 to 40 pounds off the coast of Naples. If you’re looking for a Naples fishing charter with some great action, they provide some Fantastic activity especially when live chummed to the surface. Some other charters skip this, but it’s great to witness. Triple tail are probably some of the easiest fish to catch when chartering for fish. Buy cruising the beaches and looking at the Stone Crab Trap buoys that are placed off the coast each fall they are easily located. A live shrimp under a float, close to the buoy is seldom turned down. Fighting hard and tasting great they provide a unique angling experience.

Fishing in Naples has a lot to offer so don’t miss your chance for an awesome Naples fishing charter experience.
Give me a call any time of year and I’ll keep you up-to-date. Or check in on my

Google + page https://plus.google.com/104633003026504094361/about
FaceBook page https://www.facebook.com/Naples-Saltwater-Fishing-277385710449/

Thank You!
Capt Tony

Mar 16

Big Snook in Naples

March has offered some great opportunities for snook. Snook is one of the most sought after species we target in Naples. They readily take live bait, which I catch each morning before our charter. They can be found on mangrove shorelines, docks, passes and along the beach. Snook are a blast to fish for. They run hard, jump and try whole heartedly to break your line around any structure they can find. Snook fishing will be great from now until next winter when the water cools. The average fish is 2-6lbs but some real monsters can be caught at any time. The pictures show some snook in the 20-25+lb range that week caught over the last few weeks. Give me a call for more info.

Naples Snook

Oct 15

Fall fishing outlook

Big snook fooled by a live pilchard.

Fall is upon us in Naples, Florida. The days are shortening and the air and water temperatures are steadily dropping. The changing conditions trigger massive baitfish migrations and closely behind the baitfish is a wide variety of hungry predators.

On recent fishing charters I have easily found live pilchards for bait. Pilchards are generally easy to acquire which allows me to live chum for a large variety of gamefish. Using these great baitfish offshore and in the backcountry is a sure fire way to have a great day on the water.

Over the last week I spent several charters fishing both nearshore and the backcountry. The backcountry snook bite has been red hot. Snook are being caught around mangrove shorelines, passes and boat docks. The redfish bite has also been good. The low tides over the last few mornings have pushed the reds off the banks allowing for sight fishing opportunities. Besides the snook and reds there have been large crevelle jack and mangrove snapper rounding out the action.

The offshore fishing has also been quite productive. The bonita have been in a frenzy off the beaches with massive schools feeding on the migrating baitfish. Bonita are a great fighting fish easily caught by “running and gunning” a technique that involves running the boat near the school and casting baits in the crazed fish. A light colored D.O.A. Cal on a jig head has been most productive but they will take live baits as well. Along with the bonita the triple tail are out in full force. Running the crab trap buoys is the best way to find these tasty fish. Once spotted a well placed bait under a popping cork will entice a strike. A large hooked triple tail is a spirited fighter with jumps, runs and powerful dives they put up more of a fight than most anglers bargain for and are great on the plate. Offshore has also been yielding snapper, grouper, mackerel and the occasional tarpon.

All in all the fishing in Naples has been fantastic lately. The fish are biting and the weather has been great. Give me a call to talk about your next charter.

Tight lines-

Capt. Tony

Fishing Blog