Got out for a 3/4 day with Andrew, Jen, and Nathan. We headed out into the backcountry, winds were northeast going more east throughout the day, blowing a good 15 to 20 mph. We caught bait easily, one throw of the net and got a ton of pilchards. We got into the backcountry and tried a few spots. Last bit of falling tide and not much doing, each of the first 3 stops we made produced 1 snook each. Finally the tide quit and we sat and as it changed, the bite picked up. We had a good little rally, catching a good 7 or 8 snook and a redfish. Then it slowed down again and we made a move. Went to try some areas for some bigger fish. Didn’t look great out there though, very muddy and the tide was already ripping. We did manage one good snook bite that zipped off a good bit of drag but unfortunately pulled the hook. But we did get a redfish and a tripletail while we were there so not a total loss! After that the tide was high enough to try another area I’ve liked as of late. We got into a crazy snook bite there, lost count but probably caught 40 or so there plus another 8 or 10 redfish. A handful of better size snook too which was nice. After that it was time to head on home, a tad bumpy but nothing the Contender 25 couldn’t handle we made good time cruising at 43 mph! Back at it tomorrow.
Capt. Rick Stanczyk
Instagram: @richardstanczyk
Facebook: Islamorada Tarpon Fishing
