Capt. Rob Modys, SoulMate Charters. 
It was quite a week and the fishing was some of the best I’ve seen in a while. It would be almost impossible to list all the species we caught but the highlights were permit, tarpon, redfish and snook. The backcountry waters were loaded with jacks. It really didn’t seem to matter what tide you fished, they were everywhere. Live pilchards worked best but they’d also go for a live shrimp under a cork. Here’s a tip. We used a lot of artificials while working large open areas of water this past week. The go-to was the Storm Chug Bug in both gold and chartreuse colors. Think of this lure as a popping cork with hooks attached to the cork. It cast pretty well and you can cover a wide expanse of water in no time. Try altering the retrieve speed. Sometimes fish want a slower moving bait and sometimes they like it fast. No matter the chosen speed, make sure to stop every once in a while and let it rest on the water. That’s usually when the explosion happens!
Capt. Alex Dolinski of Spot On Charters 
Switched gears this week and made an offshore excursion and reported that the bite was off the charts! Red, black & gag grouper were eating around wrecks and on live bottom. Most were caught using 6 to 8 ounce jigs with squid or putting live baits on 6/0 hooks. Traveling out to deeper water produced american red snapper using live baits on circle hooks. Capt. Alex said that the best way to find the red snapper was to look for bait pods on a depth finder in about 90 to 200 feet of water. Anchor up on the bait and then fish with large pinfish, grunts or thread herring on 7 to 9/0 circle hooks tied to 100 pound leader. If everything is set up right, your baits won’t make it to the bottom. He also mentioned that it would be a good idea to hold on tight!
Capt. Neil Eisner of Fishing The Flats Charters 
said that the snook bite remains strong. Free lining live pilchards on 3/0 circle hooks during the strong outbound tides has been working best. Capt. Neil passed along this tip. Catching big snook is going to require something anglers like to call “snook candy”. Also known as white bait, shiners or pilchards, it’s a live bait that can be found along our beaches during most of the year. A cast net is required to catch them. A good net to start with is one that’s 8 feet long with a 1/4 inch mesh size. There are lots of brands available with a wide price range. The more you spend, the better the net and in most cases the easier it will be to throw. You can learn to use a cast net by watching videos on the web or by taking lessons from a pro.
Capt. Jon Fetter of Catching The Cure Charters
It’s best to get out early to take advantage of the quality incoming tides this coming week. It’s a good time to fish the mangroves for redfish and snook using live bait or artificials. If artificials are your thing try going with soft plastics, like the Zoom Jerk Shads or Gulp Jerk Baits in white or watermelon. Rig them weedless by putting the tip of the hook back in the plastic to avoid picking up grass. Gold spoons also work well. Cast them parallel to the mangrove shorelines and be sure to hit all the deep pockets. On higher tides Capt. Jon says it’s a good idea to bag the lures and go with bait. You’ll need the smell advantage to draw the fish out. Cut ladyfish or pinfish work well. Anglers should chum the area with small pieces of shrimp and cut shiners to increase their chances of a hookup.
Capt. Tyler Whidden of Capt. Ty’s Charters
Reported another top notch week in Estero Bay for both the weather and fishing. The nearshore reefs have been stacked up with seatrout, flounder, spanish mackerel, jacks, mangrove snapper and numerous other reef dwelling fish eager to take a live shrimp or a pilchard. Redfish and snook were biting around the oyster bars and mangrove edges on the higher stages of the tides. Live shrimp or pilchards on a circle hook, either free lined or with a small split shot for weight did the trick to get them to the boat. Capt. Ty noted that he prefers to use split shot over slip egg sinkers. A split shot weight can be quickly added or removed from a rig making it go from bottom to free line fishing without having to retie.
