Mid-Summer Acton with Snook, Redfish, Tarpon and Sharks in Naples Back Waters

We had  better weather last week than the previous with things drying up a little and managing to get out fishing daily as well as a couple evening trips.  Fishing action held up with redfish and snook still strong as well as juvenile tarpon and plenty of sharks bringing smiles to my anglers.

Capt. Ben Geroy and Nick Hamilton with a double on some nice July redfish released last week!

Last weekend, I fished a local charity tournament benefiting the University of Florida Construction School.  This was my third time fishing the TR Rushing Construction Co. team out of four years that the tournament has existed.  We have come in the top three every year and added another second place finish this year.  We released redfish to 26 inches along with snook to 27 inches to come in just four inches from first place.  It was a great, fun event with strong competition followed by a wonderful party hosted by Hamilton Harbor Yacht club.  We are looking forward to next year already!

The rest of the week brought great catches of redfish, snook, sharks and tarpon ranging in from 15 to 30 lb. class.  Great fun on light tackle.  I have seen an increase in the juvenile tarpon during the last week with the influence of fresh water run off flushing through the back country.  These events usually push plenty of fish out of the inland creeks and concentrate them along the shorelines in the back bays.  The small tarpon take artificial lures and flies very well as well as live baits.


- Capt. Todd Geroy

Redfishing Heating Up in Naples Backwaters

July 17, 2013
Fishing remains strong despite some very heavy periods of rain throughout South Florida.  With the rains, the waters have cooled a bit making the fish especially feisty and feeding more through the day than previous weeks.

Redfish have made a sudden appearance showing up in good numbers through out the back bays.  Live baits such as shiners and shrimp are taking plenty as well as soft plastic jigs and Gulp shrimp.  Natural colors such as “root beer”, “new penny” and “molting” do well in the stained water.


 John Schnurbush with a nice multi-spotted redfish before release with Capt. Todd Geroy

Taylor Schnurbush caught a surprise last week with a nice back country permit

Snook are still very reliable with plenty of fish schooled up in the passes, but also scattered through the backwaters.  This time of year, we usually start to find some very large post-spawn fish in the deeper runs and channels of the back country.

Sharks are ever present and are making easy targets for those who want to pick a fight with a big fish.  Lemons and bulls are running from 5 to 8 feet long.  All are being caught in the shallow, calm bays.

- Capt. Todd Geroy

Summer Big Snook Action in Naples Backwaters

Summer is in full swing now as water temperatures have really heated up and the afternoon rains have begun to be a daily event.  The trick to summer fishing in SW Florida is to plan your fishing in the morning and evening hours avoiding the mid-day heat.

I have seen afternoon water temperatures reaching 93 degrees in the bay recently.  That makes the fish a bit sluggish until the later evening hours.  Some anglers have been taking advantage of the sunset trips with good results.  However, it has been a bit of a gamble with the lightening producing afternoon thunderstorms getting in the way.

Ben and I have had some great catches in the last week or so with many large snook still making happy memories for our anglers.  Shark fishing has been as easy as it gets with mainly bull and lemons sharks ranging from 5 foot scrappers to 8 1/2 foot bruisers.  They are providing great action for those who want to catch a big fish and get a work out at the same time!

Redfish have also been showing up in many of the spot we are concentrating on snook.  Although they are not schooled up, they are very nice fish running in the 24 to 30 inch range when we find them.

The following are photos of some of the snook released in the last week with Capt. Ben and I. …

Ron Petuch with a 16 lb. snook caught with Capt. Todd Geroy on a recent evening trip

Ron Petnuch with another large snook caught and released last week with Capt. Todd Geroy

Pete Seitz with a nice snook released with Capt. Ben Geroy

Audra McDermott with a big snook released on June 27 with Capt. Ben Geroy

 Matt Geroy with a bruiser snook caught and released with his brother Capt. Ben Geroy

July promises to be a great month to get on the water and catch some trophy sized fish in the backwaters!

- Capt. Todd Geroy