Hooked Charters News Today

As fisherfolk are wont to say this time of year, "Tis the season." That would be the season for sheepshead, tripletail, and sharks. "Oh my!"

You name it. Snook, redfish, trout, pompano, king mackerel, cobia, snappers, bass, crappie and more are biting inshore, offshore and in fresh waters all over Southwest Florida. Even the weather has been good.

Pompano may well be the tastiest and pound-for-pound strongest fighting fish Southwest Florida has to offer. They also may be hardest to successfully target, but chances are rarely better than indicated by recent reports.

Fishing reports for the past week all begin with the caveat, "Other than the wind . . ." Happily, forecasts for the weekend are for moderate breezes.

The winds of change have arrived on the Southwest Florida fishing scene.

Hurricane Idalia dealt a blow (get it?) to Southwest Florida fishing efforts this week. But the outlook for a new fall season, beginning Friday, is remarkably bright.

With lots of Southwest Florida anglers down in the Florida Keys for the opening of regular lobster season, and lots more just not willing to deal with record-setting heat, there's plenty of room out on the water.

This week's good news goes both ways. Lee County has suspended the tolls for the Sanibel Bridge on Sundays through Sept. 10.