#Snook Archives - Share the Outdoors

Fish-Catching, Beaches, Baseball and Sunshine. A GOOD Winter Day!

Posted on January 23, 2024 by Dave Barus

Fishing for Saltwater Gamefish near Fort Myers, Florida, in the Winter.

The conjunction of natural creeks and man-made canals in the Fort Myers saltwater canal system are where big fish can hide.
Circle Hooks allow for easy presentation of live forage bait and quick release of gamefish.
After you hook a few trees, then catch a few fish, the positive state-of-mind begins to form for the next fish. The fun begins!

**Rich Perez with a young snook taken from a canal waterway off the Caloosahatchee River near Fort Myers, FL. The fish was held gently and carefully released a few seconds after being out of the water.**

By Forrest Fisher

Within the bustling livelihood of Fort Myers in Lee County, Florida, the Caloosahatchee River and its many tributaries form a network of lush vegetation and age-old mangroves within the fertile canal systems found here.

The eddy currents formed at the conjunction of natural creeks and man-made canals often allow the tidal flow to create deep pockets where big fish can hide. The constant tide reversal and related current changes beckon to schools of forage stocks to find relative safety among the mangrove roots, with the occasional live oak tree acting as a mangrove bundle anchor. The big fish in the area know the forage is among the roots, as snook, redfish, speckled trout, tarpon, and other species often spend feeding time here. There is magic to be found in this silent and peaceful water flow system.

For the fish, it’s breakfast and dinner with a menu. For the anglers that can learn the secrets of tidal flow profile, consistent fish-catching adventures await them.

**A power-pole makes anchoring in the canal system easy and silent – that makes fishing more fun.**

A decades-long Floridian, humble Rich Perez shared with me that he is new to saltwater fishing, but with a confident voice, added that he is learning more from savvy fishing friends each day he can make it to water. A busy family man, when time allows, he explores new fishing areas and generally reverts to time-tested live bait methods. Using Circle Hooks to present wriggling live shrimp or live forage minnow bait, such as pinfish, he knows it’s easy to verify that a spot may or may not hold fish with live bait. With the minnow bait, he carefully threads the Circle Hook through the hard-nose area to keep the bait alive and in the free-swimming state. Perez says,” I’ve learned that this is the ultimate live bait meal method to use for roaming gamefish, sometimes, really big gamefish.” He catches fish often.

First, though, besides learning to be a perceptive fisherman, he is a hard-worker. He believes that good fishermen should catch their own live bait. They don’t go the easy way and just buy it. So he has practiced hard and learned to throw a 12-ft cast net. Of course, succeeding in this native art form of bait-catching is not painless. It takes time to practice, with a skill developed over time. He’s been doing it for 3 years now and is tossing near-perfect circles to 15 feet from the boat. He admits that he visits the local live bait supply shops on some days with his busy work schedules.

“With a full baitwell, you can ensure your bait is fresh and enjoy perfect live bait presentations no matter where you explore new areas. I like to invite friends and family out fishing too, so I try to make sure the baitwell is well-stocked. It’s not always easy to find the forage, but eventually, with some patience, you do find ’em. I look for diving birds or surface ruffles to find the forage schools, that’s the easy way.”

With a 7-ft semi-stiff fishing rod, medium power, Perez uses Penn 40-series open-face fishing reels loaded with 20-pound braid and a 2-ft long/30-pound fluoro leader tied to a 2/0 or 3/0 Circle Hook. He doesn’t lose fish, day or night. “The hardest part for most newbies like me is casting precision. You really gotta get the bait right alongside the edge of the mangroves, especially during daytime. The fish are usually there with an incoming tide current,” Perez adds.

Perez continues, “Sometimes we catch yearlings, other times we catch old fish, big fish, all with this simple, uncomplicated live bait system. We release all the gamefish to live another day. It’s great fun and even more fun to watch my dad or friends land a nice fish…or catch a big mangrove treetop. We laugh a lot. We joke about who caught the biggest tree for the day. With the fish, we take a quick picture and watch the fish swim back home. It’s a good feeling.”

**Perez throws a 12-ft cast net to catch live forage bait, though this native art form takes time and practice to develop effective skill.**

Over the day, Perez shared that good fishing is really a matter of gaining enough confidence to make that perfect cast every time. After you hook a few trees and then catch a few fish, the positive state-of-mind fun begins to form for the next fish, even the next trip.”

I could not agree more that good fishing is a state of mind. When it happens to you, it’s a sure thing that the next trip is not too far away.

This Fort Myers area is home to a fleet of charter captains and fishing guides that share their skills in the nearshore waters and far offshore. To discover more about the outdoor adventure and pristine beaches found here, or to just rest for a few nights between fishing fun, you can request a free guidebook from the visitor’s bureau online at https://www.fortmyers-sanibel.com/order-travelers-guide, or call toll-free, 1-800-237-6444.

There’s more than fishing too. During March, near Fort Myers and Sanibel Island’s Beaches, the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins are back for spring training and competition in the Grapefruit League. I love baseball! The Lee County Visitor Bureau also has a free mobile savings passport for locals and visitors with access to exclusive deals on attractions, restaurants, and experiences here. Sign up at https://explore.fortmyers-sanibel.com. The passport will be delivered to your mobile phone via text. Redeem it on your mobile phone at participating businesses. Pretty cool.

Fish on!

Snook on the Hook – Sanibel Island, Florida

Posted on January 23, 2024 by Dave Barus

Live bait, long semi-stiff rods, braided line, fluoro leaders and sharp 4/0 circle hooks
Add a teaspoon of courage, hold your breath, cast under mangrove trees
Fish with a friend as often as you can, it’s more than just fun!

**Rich Perez (left) and son, Richie, enjoy a peaceful and fun-filled day catching snook and watching wildlife in Southwest Florida.**

By Forrest Fisher

Hey dad, “Can you cast your line right under those mangrove trees near that little fallen log over there, the snook and redfish like those kinds of places.” Richie Perez was sharing his growing expertise on saltwater fishing with his retired dad, Rich Sr., near his home a short distance away from San Carlos Bay. The clear saltwater between Sanibel Island and Fort Myers Beach in Southwest Florida has been attracting forage and predator fish since the days of pirates.

“The tide is ebbing right now and as soon as we see the flow begin around the pilings of the boat docks and the overhanging mangrove trees, the fish seem to get instantly hungry. It happens so fast, it’s bang, bang, bang, fish-on. You’re gonna love it dad!”

**Richie started his day right after sunrise, tossing a 10-foot diameter net to catch pinfish and pilchards for bait.**

Richie had started his day at sunrise, tossing his large cast net to catch bait that included pinheads and pilchards, all between four to seven inches long, or so. I was excited to be with my Vietnam era Navy buddy, as Rich (Sr.) had invited me to join him and his son for a few hours of saltwater fishing fun. Like most winter days in southwest Florida, it was sunny, there was a gentle breeze and the water color was perfect, seemingly sounding the “breakfast bugle” for the fish and calling all sensible fishermen to get a line in the water. We had met Richie at his Caloosahatchee River boat dock about 10 a.m. The 42-year old youngster sounded confident, totally in-charge of providing a great day of fishing ahead. It was so good to be here.

As Richie hopped onto the dock, he hollered over, “Good morning gentlemen! Are you ready for some fishing?!” The promise in his voice was totally reassuring. “We’re gonna go fishing today for a few different types of fish, but we might catch quite a few snook, that ok?” Are you kidding me? Gotta love this kid. Richie continued, “Snook can grow really big, even to 40 inches, sometimes more, but we usually catch daytime Florida snook in the 20-30 inch range, sometimes redfish and speckled trout too. Sometimes other fish as well, they all fight so hard, it’s fun.” My heart was picking up speed.

Richie added, ”We have the right bait, my 7-foot rods with Penn 40 series open-face reels are filled with 30-pound Power-Pro braid – easy to cast, and 4-foot/40-pound fluorocarbon leaders. There’s a 4/0 hook on the end of the leader and we’ll use live pinfish for bait. They’re in the baitwell.” We left the dock and motored downstream toward Sanibel Island. Geez, this was exciting. The 24-foot Key West fiberglass boat with a 300HP Yamaha came up on plane very quickly, it didn’t take very long to get us there. I felt like I was sitting next to Ricky Clunn at the 2020 Bassmaster Classic in Alabama as the boat hit 50 mph heading down the channel. I had two hands on my hat!

**Rich Sr. found fish and sometimes, a tall tree, as we tossed lines along the mangrove inlets of the canals near Fort Myers and Sanibel Island.**

We started off fishing in the mangrove-lined canals near the Shell Point, a modernistic retirement community of popular condominiums for retirees. These are a semi-high rise, resort-style home that includes the option of assisted living and recreational life. I made a mental note to myself that I need to check that place out for my wife and I, getting old is something to think about, but not for long. As we approached, a dolphin was making a ruckus crashing the surface in the lead canal entranceway. Splash! Splash! Zoom, Turn, Zoom, Zoom. Splash! Splash! Slurp! Slurp! Incredible. We waited and watched as this astonishing sea mammal fed, swimming back and forth, thrashing the surface. I wondered if the dolphins were enjoying snook and trout and redfish for breakfast. Life is so big and so real in the ocean waters, perhaps like all else in wild nature, but it felt good to be here to see all this nature living their life in the sunshine. I’m from western New York. This stuff helps make a guy feel younger and baby-faced…mesmerized.

Snook, redfish and large sea trout all pounce on live bait under the mangroves, sometimes they hit it and run, only taking a small bite. The result is having the fun of talking out loud to a missed fish and laughing. We did a lot of that.

**Richie caught snook after snook in one area of the bay where the tidal currents were gathering baitfish with the incoming flow.**

Richie walked us through what to do with the rod/reel gear, how to bait to the hook, cast the rods, feather the spools, and the details of a double uni-knot, for the leader to braid union. The baitfish were lip-hooked sideways near their nose, then we cast out to the edge of the overhanging mangroves. When we started casting with those wide-gap 4/0 hooks and uneducated cast-control fingers, we caught a few tall critters. Some of those mangrove trees were 30-feet tall! Yeah, we laughed a lot, our casting skills helped keep Richie busy, though Rich and I were trying to be more careful. There were lots of trees. We crossed lines a few times, caught a few more trees and while it slowed us up a little, but each 20 to 30 footer gave another chance to offer condolences. Not sure we never stopped chuckling. “Mine was bigger. No, mine was bigger.” We were talking about trees. It went on all day. I felt like we were both 20 years old again.

Restarting old memories can be such a good thing. Toward the end of the fish day – five hours later, we had learned how to cast, thanks to the patience of Richie re-tying our leaders and hooks with a smile, ok…maybe it was a grin.

As the tide started to pick up, I realized that Richie had both of us elders on a training mission for prime time. This clever kid was amazing. We had actually become quite accurate as live bait casters. We started to catch plenty of fish. Fish on! Where’s the net? Got it. A nice snook. They’re a gorgeous looking fish. Five minutes later, fish on! I got the net. It went on like that for a while.

We had hooked snook, jacks, and redfish. Many more snook than other species, most were about 24-28 inches long, as Richie had thought they would be.

**Hungry dolphins can be found in the canals and in the open waters of the bay that surround Sanibel and Pine Island. They’re fun to watch!**

Everything we caught was carefully released without harm to grow again in support of a healthy fishery.

We had watched dolphins swim within 50 feet of us, huge manatees too, in the warming canals and natural tidal inlets near Shell Point.

We watched many forms of wildlife, including birds that included hundreds of beautiful white egrets, multiple pelican species, fish hawks, a majestic bald eagle perched high on a leafless tree on Picnic Island and many other species. The bright sunshine seemed to energize all forms of life here, us old guys too.

Any time that you can spend on or near the water is precious. Precious beyond description.

When you can do that with friends to reconnect with fun times from the past, make exciting new memories, fight with a few trees, laugh, land a few fish, laugh more, it is only then that you realize such moments are unforgettable and they may have added a few extra years for all of us.

That adrenalin laugh pump, you know, the anti-aging motor…gets turned on.

Laughing, joking, catching fish, it’s so good for the soul.

Southwest Florida in winter is an excellent place to start. My better half and I are going back very soon.

Beaches, Sun, Fish.

Get fishing with an old friend soon. It can be unforgettable. Wait a minute, let me write that down. Do you know what I mean?

Cockroach Bay: Daytime Saltwater Fishing Thrills near Tampa

Posted on January 23, 2024 by Forrest Fisher

Speckled Trout, Tarpon, Redfish, Snook, Jack Crevalle, Pompano, others
Lures or Live Bait, both work well
Lagoon or flats, there are fish in all places here

**Trevor Brate with a nice, 19-inch Speckled Trout that fit the 16-20 inch slot limit, taken on a gold Johnson Sprite spoon.**

By Forrest Fisher

New to Southwest Florida and only in the wintertime, there is so much to learn about where to fish and what to do. Rod strength, line test, reel size, lure and bait choices, where to fish, a mystery for anyone new to anywhere, but I had one advantage, my nephew, Jeff Liebler, who lives in Florida, had a close friend with a boat and a “best place” to go fishing for a half day: “Cockroach Bay is one of the best places to cast a line in southwest Florida,” said Trevor Brate. ”You could catch a tarpon, snook, redfish, speckled trout, flounder or any of dozens of other fish here too.”

At 25 years young, Brate is the youngest licensed construction contractor in Southwest Florida (A+ Yardscapes / (813) 642-7358), having passed all the exams and certifications, a smart kid, and it shows in his fishing prowess. “I keep it simple, lures and simple live baits is all I do,” says Brate. “Keeping it simple allows you to become really skilled at simple efficiency and it catches fish, my grandpa taught me that.”

**Launching the boat is a 2-man effort to keep the launch moving. The ramp is concrete and solid, though no dock is present.**

We launched his 17-foot Grady White right at Cockroach Bay boat launch (near Ruskin, FL), a single ramp in a lagoon-like bay area with no dock – so it takes two to be efficient, one driving the truck to the water and the other in the boat, starting up and beaching the boat on the large sand beach next to the ramp. The parking line with boats and trailers begins at the ramp and goes for as long a way down the single lane road as you care to walk. Once in the water, the tide is a factor for water depth, see the charts, and fishing can begin right in the lagoon or outside the canal that leads to Cockroach Bay and Tampa Bay. In either area, be prepared to hook a fish.

**Launched boats are beached after launching to load up and head out, there is no dock at the ramp.**

Jeff and Trevor opted to leave the crowd at the ramp and head to the flats. The water was nearly crystal clear with a sight brownish tint and we arrived with an outgoing tide, soon to be a negative tide – it is wintertime, not a good thing by local fishing optimism. It didn’t matter, we were all there to enjoy a few hours of fishing. The cooler was filled with sandwiches and dehydration prevention liquids that had a low ABV rating, if you know the lingo. Electrolyte replacement is important!

**Fish can be caught in the lagoon right near the ramp.**

Not more than 5 minutes into fishing, the electric MinnKota bow motor moving us around between sand flats and emerging weedbed edges, Trevor yelped out, “There’s one!” His drag was singing a gentle scream tune, testing the 30 pound test braid with flourocarbon leader a bit. About a minute later, Trevor hoisted a silvery, thin-bodied fish with a deeply forked tail fin out of the water, a nice Jack Crevalle, grinning that grin of success, you know “the grin look,” as we looked on and reached for a camera. “Nice fish!” I quipped, “Spoon? I asked.” Trevor was casting a 2/5 oz. gold-plated Johnson Sprite with a red flicker tab on the tail treble hook. “You need that red flicker thing he said, it seems to make ‘em hit it.”

OK, reaching for my backpack with a limited supply of tackle goodies – hey, I’m new at this, I searched for anything gold with a red flicker thing. Nope, none in there. I stuck on a red/white Mirrolure, one of my favorites from way back when at home in New York. Jeff too, searched out his tackle, nuthin similar. “Got any more of them ‘thar spoons Trevor buddy?” Jeff asked. Without looking, Trevor says, “Nope, just had one.” He was grinning. I saw that. Hey, what are friends for?

**The kids let me catch one or two fish too, this one took almost two minutes to bring aboard. Fun times.**

Jeff added a plastic tail to a jig and soon after, he was hooked up with a bonnet head shark! WOW! The 3-foot long shark fought so hard, testing Jeff’s 20-pound braid with several runs, but eventually coming to the boat. We released the shark too, though there are some good recipes for bonnet head steaks.

We were now about 15 minutes into the trip and it was already so exciting. I had casted about twice per minute, so 30 tries or so. I reached over to the live bait bucket where we had 5 dozen shrimp that I brought “just in case” the lures didn’t work. Some charters fish with nothing else, some charters fish with all lures, I just wanted to be prepared for the guys, as a guest of this friendship.

So I tied on a size 1 circle hook and weighted bobber, was just about done when Trevor shouted, “Fish on!” Again, his drag screamed and I stood up to get the net, this fish looked like a double rod bend species when I got wacked by the rod and fish coming aboard. “Schllaaaap!” The sound of a loaded fishing rod hitting me square in the shoulder with a fish on makes that sound. Trust me. I was knocked on my butt, but stayed in the boat. We all laughed. Me too.

**Jeff Liebler with a feisty Bonnethead Shark that tested his light tackle to the tune of a screaming drag.**

The fish was a beautiful speckled trout, 19 inches of pure energy with soon to be white fillets. It met the 16 – 20 inch slot limit allowed to keep four per day. Again, on the gold spoon. “Sure you don’t have any more of those spoons Trevor?” Jeff asked again. “Nope,” answered Trevor without looking. Again, the grin. Made me wonder twice now.

That was it, I hurried to hook up a live shrimp to the bobber rig. Slipping the hook right behind the stud above the shrimp’s nose for a secure locking point, I cast out to the edge of a weedbed I could see about 50 feet away. The bobber never had a chance to settle, the line just took off. “Fish On!” I could not believe the power of this fish. My 20-pound braid was wailing a James Taylor tune…Fire and Ice, I think. Indeed, I was dreaming. About a minute later, a 22-inch Pompano came aboard. These saltwater fish really fight well.

Over the next two hours we landed another 12 fish, puffer fish too, several speckled trout, others. These two kids opted to let the “old guy” take the fish home for a guest fish dinner. I didn’t argue.

**Trevor Brate and Jeff Liebler, fishing buddies, share the half day of fishing fun before getting back to work.**

In just three more weeks, all three of us would be part of a formal ceremony day in a formal uniform suit of the day, Jeff’s wedding! This was sort of a pre-bachelor party fish trip. Jeff and his bride are both outdoor-minded conservationists. I’m so happy for them both to be getting formal about being together for their future.

Fun? Oh my gosh, this was such a great adventure day!

A New Chapter in Saltwater Fishing: Catching Fish and Sharks in Charlotte Harbor, Florida

Posted on July 7, 2023July 9, 2023 by Forrest Fisher

Advice #1: Seek expert help. The well-stocked Port Charlotte tackle shop called Fish’n Frank’s offers charter captain advice from local fishing specialists.
Advice #2: Keep an optimistic focus. Share a grin and good questions to identify the best fishing methods.
Advice #3: Tackle care. The legendary fish-filled backwaters of Charlotte Harbor demand that every angler check lines, leaders and hooks often.

**Simon Cremin with one of 25 sea trout caught while fishing lures and jerk baits over an oyster bed in Charlotte Harbor.**

By Forrest Fisher

In the sun-kissed kingdom of Southwest Florida, shimmering waters meet pristine beaches, and tales of fun, exploration, and daring adventure unfold with each fishing trip.

More than once a week, Simon Cremin embarks on a journey to share his unmatchable passion for fishing and the sea. Originally from the United Kingdom, Simon resides with his family in the United States. He is transitioning from fishing in Europe, where the goal was to catch toothy northern pike and musky.

Today, Simon sets out to find and conquer the mighty Apex predators that roam the coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Facing the challenge of choosing the right fishing gear and learning where to fish with success, Simon works with optimistic focus, a grin, and a curious expression to develop answers that satisfy his call for challenging the deep. His fully equipped 19-foot fiberglass Sailfish Boat, powered by a 90 horsepower Yamaha 4-stroke outboard, transports him and his fishing friends to their destination quickly and affordably.

**Every summertime saltwater fish trip starts at sunrise. It’s dark when the boat goes into the water.**

His home base of operations for learning more about the nationally famous tarpon waterway of Charlotte Harbor, Bull Bay, and Boca Grande is a well-stocked tackle shop called Fish’n Frank’s (941-625-3888). Recently rebuilt after a fiery vehicle accident burned the homey, 5-decades-old tackle store to the ground, the new location in a plaza is located at 4200 Tamiami Trail (US Route 41) in Port Charlotte, FL. Store manager, Robert Lugiewicz, offers a complete and friendly service with live bait, frozen bait, lures, rods, reels, and line, all at affordable prices. Maybe the best part is that the store is filled with nautical wall maps, silent conversations, and finger-pointing to hotspots with fishy details, explanations, and a grin to cheer you on your way. The Lugiewicz staff provides the most considerable degree of encouragement to newbies and retirees that enter this legendary tackle store domain. The visitors find a boost of honest help on what, when, where and how to catch fish. Simon will agree because, with their help, Simon has succeeded.

Launching in Charlotte County from Placida Park (6499 Boca Grande Causeway) or Charlotte Beach public boat ramp (4500 Harbor Blvd.), Simon usually meets up with one or two local friends. They check lines and leaders, then head out to explore the legendary, island-filled coastline and mangrove-filled backwaters of Charlotte Harbor. Simon says, “Each fishing trip is new to me, as I am still sort of new to the area. It’s fun to learn where to find fish, and we have found fish in some of the most remote areas imaginable.” Laughing a bit, Simon says, “Good thing most of my friends have little fear and a brave heart.”

**The morning scenery can be amazing as daylight and warming occur to form cloud formations that are absolutely beautiful.**

Simon continues, “We fish simple. We use my electric bow motor to access secluded backwaters where we have found some of the largest fish, including Tarpon, Snook, Redfish and Speckled Trout. Of course, wherever we go, I focus on also catching a Shark, they are so powerful, and there are so many types here. I have learned with each fishing trip and have evolved to establish a simple system that offers an opportunity to catch multiple species, and sharks too.”

Simon prefers the back of the boat to the front, so his fishing partner is offered control of the boat, running the bow motor for the day. Simon says in his British accent, “All of my fishing buddies seem to enjoy that part of our 6 to 8-hour fish trips. We each cast lines with plastic-tailed jerk baits on weighted weedless hooks or throw hard baits. Both lure types are designed to mimic the local forage groups. Doing that, I like to trail one or two lines for Shark. I have learned that it is better to trail one line simply. You can get into a real mess with two trailing lines when a handsome Gafftopsail Catfish hits and runs laterally. In the back of the boat, I can still cast out the side of the boat for multiple species, but now I trail just one line with a huge bobber, a wire leader and a huge hook with a half ladyfish or other cut bait. Some days, we catch five sharks and more than 50 other gamefish. It’s exciting! I’ve even caught sharks while casting lures. They can be that aggressive. “

**Simon says, “Snook, redfish, trout, catfish, and others, like this bluefish, are all out there chomping on our lures.”**

Simon explained that on one trip while discovering a new oyster bed with nearby emerging sea grass, he and his partner caught 11 different species while hooking up with 3 Tarpon, some more than 6 feet long. They also caught Blacktip Sharks and watched dolphins, stingrays, nurse sharks and bull sharks swim near their newfound fishing zone. In total silence, the intriguing sounds of a circling osprey or a nearby eagle crack the meticulous silence of the fishing mission.

Simon admits that studying the weather, the tides, and moon phases is necessary, but he enjoys the academic side of fishing the saltwater. He also admits he may be pushing the boundaries of his fishing gear at times since he hooked and landed a 7-foot Lemon Shark estimated at 125 pounds in weight, a personal best shark catch on one recent trip. That Shark and all the others were each carefully released to live another day. That giant Shark was caught on a 40-pound braid main line, a 60-pound fluorocarbon leader to the bobber, and a length of 0.040-inch diameter wire leader to an 8/0 circle hook.

**Using a 40-pound test braid and a 60-pound test fluorocarbon leader to wireline worked for this shark. Released alive and hook-free.**

Before each fish trip, Simon studies the local areas, reports on marine life, and talks with his newfound friends at Fish’n Frank’s. He studies the successful strategies of others, takes notes, watches videos and readies himself and his boat to face the ultimate challenge and adventure of fishing the saltwater.

**Some of the sharks are so huge, and their teeth are readily apparent as they tire and swim alongside the boat. It’s pretty exciting.**

Each trip begins with setting sail before dawn, and enormous anticipation fills the air each time. Minutes turn into hours, and there have been times when he admits they have persevered in unpredictable weather and high heat index days, knowing that the ultimate prize may await on the next cast or next drift. Persistence pays off when a gargantuan shadow glides beneath the surface on the end of your line. The true leviathans of the deep live in each of the natural bays here. Simon says, “Each trip is so exciting that when we power the boat onto the trailer at day’s end, I cannot wait for the next time.” Talking with Simon in person, he admits, “Hooking up with one the Sharks, there is adrenaline pumping through my veins, and the fun of it all is indescribable.”

**Just when you think the good fishing is over for the day, a drag-screeching Gafftopsail catfish can brighten your day.**

Amidst the fish battle struggles, Simon admires the magnificent creature fighting for freedom. He recognizes the importance of conservation and respect for these majestic Apex creatures—reasons why he makes the ultimate sacrifice and releases the Shark. Simon is an advocate for conservation in his community.

In the heart of Southwest Florida, tales of adventure are etched along the coastline and every inlet of the intra-coastal waterway. The Simon Cremin “learn-to-fish” story is a testament to the attraction of the sea and the capacity for personal growth. Through his journey of learning more about saltwater fishing, particularly shark fishing, he has reinforced the importance of responsible fishing practices, the value of conservation, and the irreplaceable wonder to be discovered in the natural world here. As the sun sets on the Gulf waters, the tides of destiny await the next trip. His future focus? As a Charter Captain, his new goal, Simon Cremin plans to share more of his fishing time with others. He’s going to be a good one!