HB2

Our best spots were as you head out of Naples Bay and get to the intersection( where the police boats sit ) of heading straight to Marco or right to Gordon pass , about 250 yards past the intersection on the left , drift and cast , there are a ton of Ladyfish usually . Or head right to Gordon pass and that whole shoreline along Keywaydin to the mouth is good . All around the rocks on South side of Jetty is good also . Got some nice Redfish , Jacks ,and Snook there . Also that Sheephead time . Fun to catch . Also about 200 yds as you head right from the intersection there is a bay , allalong that shoreline to where it wraps back around . Watch out for the sandbar . I would think if you are a pin guy you would clean up with a shrimp or minnow drifted along the shore or rocks . I used Red / white bucktails w/ shrimp 1/4 to 1/2 oz mostly .

My brother Winters in Naples . Lives on a canal . We fished the bay out to the Gordon pass . Also went down on the inland canal to the Big Marco pass . Did well .We fished the inland stuff which I prefer . It's like bass fishing in salt water . Got Snook , Reddish , Sheepheads , Snappers etc. I used a 7 ft med spinning rod with braid and 20# floor leader . Bucktail jigs tipped with shrimp . Also shrimp under a float . Don't know any charters but there are a bunch down there. I did the party boat thing a few times and got grouper and some nice Mangrove snapper . But I like the inshore better. Where are you staying ?

I installed the Kell Outdoors noise filter on my Yamaha kicker . Was a game changer .

Something I did with my probe rigger was I made a 4 ft lead of coated downrigger cable for my pinch pad release . I have a broom stick with a cup hook on it. I reach over and snatch the cable while the ball it at the surface and put the line in the release and deploy it that way so I don't have to pull the ball to the boat . Works great.

I have been using pinch pad releases for 25 + years and I use to use blacks. I have used Offshore but I like the Scotty's better . Both work .

I have sharpened serated bread knives with something similar to Sk8mans sharpener and it works pretty well

Well , the DEC has said repeatedly that it is bait related. I have my armchair quarterback theory on why but they are the guys with the most experience with this . Banner year this year they supplied . I saw the most bait I have seen in a long time out there this year . There has been a biatfish biomass rebound the last few years . We are only about 5# off the mark for bigger fish actually. Let's see what happens when we have continuous years with good bait instead of using this as an excuse to close the tribs . Let's wait and see next year if avg and top end are bigger . We had a banner year . Be happy for that and hope for the best . I met the daughter in San Antonio of a guy who fishes a lot of Lakers in lake Superior. I have been going back and forth with him. The Lakers he catches average 5 # and a 10# is a big fish . If he gets a 10 fish day , that's a lot . He is jealous of what we have . It certainly could be worse . We are not Lake Superior.

Relax , the sky is not falling . At least not yet .

The distain for the trib guys on this site really urks me . An awfull lot of crying for nothing . Are 30 fish days with 15 to 25 # kings not enough ? These fish are there for everyone to catch . Everyone gets their chance at them at some time during the year . Those Salmon River guys don't hurt the fishery one bit . In fact , even with the outlaws , they probably help . It's put and take . If a guy has a successful trip and comes back next year , all the better . Each out of state angler probably drops 150$+ per day minimum up here. The Pulaski region relies on that which is pretty much all they have . I personally love fishing for these tributary kings .It's really a challenge to get them to hit . And they might not have the power they had in the lake but they sure do fight .Had many, many , run 150 yds up or down the creek I could not stop . And so do a lot of other guys because I talk to them.Some come up every year . Some don't want , or can't afford 700 to 1 k a day to pay a charter and have a mate hand then a rod and reel the fish in . I was invited in a charter this year . Awesome captain and mate . If that's what salmon fishing is , I'll take up birdwatching . The only chart or data that really matters to the state of NY is the one about economic impact . Which is probably why the judges in those municipalities the tickets get written in throw the cases out . And I don't care if a fish hits because it's hungry , out of aggression , it's a conditioned response or it just made a bad decision . It hit by its own choice .He took my bait ,which to me is what it's all about. Getting them to hit . Are we going to make fishing WOKE now ?