RED STIER / Special to the Eagle

First place winners for the CCA Collier Chapter March catch and release fishing tournament. Mr. Aldacosta on the left, Zumfeld on the right, with two redfish weighing in at 11.04 lbs total.

More All

• Royal Wood Golf & Country Club doesn’t ask for, but demands, good course management
• The tale of the Olde Naples Pier
• Sunset Grille: A sports bar on the beach

Tell us about it

• What would you add to this story? Tell us what we missed.
• Do you have photos from this event? Documents we need to see? Share with us.
• Upload photos & videos
• More ways to get your stuff online and in the paper.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

Share and Enjoy [?]

Weather permitting the rest of March should continue to get better on most all fishing fronts. The water temperature should get warmer and could kick some kingfish heading north from the Keys into our waters. Fishing deeper water south of Marco might be best for the kings.

Leaving the dock early allowing time to catch some live bait that includes pinfish, grunt, minnows, small ladyfish and bluerunners will work for live or fresh cut bait near the bottom for grouper and snapper.

From the shoreline out anglers will be looking for patches of bait with Spanish mackerel and some trout in them.

Our inland, passes, flats and outer shoreline will have a nice selection of species such as trout, snook, redfish, pompano, mangrove snapper, some sheepshead and black drum all with good food value. Be sure to have the latest copy of the rules and regulations for southern Gulf waters at your fingertips.

I received some information about the numbers of pelicans getting entangled in fishing line left in the mangroves.

Ted Below who has spent years counting the birds and doing other research out of Rookery Bay reported he has found 102 dead birds due to fishing line.

With this in mind, please make every effort to remove the rig, jig or lure from the mangroves and in so doing make sure you do not put yourself at risk by falling overboard or getting a hook in your body by having the tackle spring back into you or your fishing partner.

I do not get out there as much as I used to and when I do I find the first few casts are not as accurate as they should be so I start with casting the bait out away from the mangroves. Some anglers will anchor out away from the mangroves at about their maximum casting distance.

Most marinas and tackle shops have a recycle container for your old monofilament nets, leader and line. Please keep it and drop it off at your favorite shop or marina. This program has been in place for many years so look for the containers.

The fishing and catching is looking good for the rest of March. Please feel free to share your pictures and stories with us.

Marco angler Wright Taylor, President of Coastal Conversation Association Naples/Collier chapter, reports their monthly fishing tournament had another great turnout of 29 boats that spawned four new members to the CCA.

Taylor adds, while the weather was pretty good the tide seemed kind of screwy all over the place, high in one spot, low in another.

Several boats caught fish but only six teams came in with two redfish. Here are the winners:

First Place team of Aldacosta and Zumfeld with two redfish weighing in at 11.04 pounds; second place team of Meland, Parsons a with two redfish weighing in at 9.96 pounds; third place team of Taylor, Giampaoli and Peterson with two redfish weighing in at 9.92; fourth place team of Turner and Simmons with two redfish weighing in at 8.28 pounds; fifth place team of Shaw and Rego with two redfish weighing in at 8.22 pounds; sixth place with team of Williams and Ulrich with one redfish weighing in 8.07 pounds for a total of 13 redfish caught in the inland and outer shoreline then weighed in and released at Calusa Marina boat ramp.

The tournament pays a cash prize for the winners funded from the tournaments entry fees.

Special thanks were given to Marco Sunshine Ace Hardware for their sponsorship and for donating cold drinks at the weigh in station as well as their $50 gift card to the store. Also to Kid’s Quality Cleaning for sponsoring the Big Fish Award for the year. The person who catches the largest redfish of the year will win $500.

I had the pleasure of attending the weigh in and to my surprise was given an award thanking me for the PR from my articles in the Marco Eagle and on my old Anglers Outlook TV show. The Eagle and I say “thank you, our pleasure!” It will hang proudly on the wall in my den.

Kat McNabb, Executive Secretary of the Naples Fishing Club reminds us they will hold their monthly meeting March 18 at the VFW, corner of ST RD 951 and Pine Ridge Road just behind Neff’s Way store.

It all begins at 6:30 p.m. with the club meeting followed with a members tell fishing tales about recent experiences forum. Then at 7 p.m. an offshore and backwater division meeting, where the club divides into two groups, reflecting preferences, plan outings and reports conclusions to the membership.

Their guest speaker is Captain Mike Malay. He has 15 years of fishing experience in Southwest Florida, 10 years of diving experience and is a member of International Game Fish Association America and Professional Captains Association.

The public is invited to attend the meeting to see what they are all about and join the NFC if they wish. They offer members fishing outings, picnics and support other programs including the Annual Kids Fishing Clinic held at the Naples Pier.

You may contact Kat McNabb at Naples Fishing Club, PO Box 12161, Naples, FL 34101 or call 595-3122 or visit their Web site www.naplesfishingclub.com for more information.

Have a great week!

---

Red Stier is a weekly contributor to the Marco Island Eagle. Questions or comments may be directed to redstier@aol.com or 172 Trinidad St., Naples, FL 34113.