Fishing there has produced a good catch of snook, although most are over the slot size. Snook season comes to a close May 31 until it re-opens Sept. King Fisher bay boat guides out of Fishermen’s Village in Punta Gorda have found very good snook fishing, mostly just under the 28- to 33-inch slot size, plus “a handful of reds” biting under the.

1. Average Snook Size
2. Snook Size Florida

There's nothing quite like a tailing redfish making its way across a flat. Usually seen working in groups of several fish, they're aggressive in chasing bait across the flats and getting them balled up for big topwater strikes. A lot of my fly fishing charters like to sight fish for reds on oyster beds and sand bars that run alongside deep drop offs. Redfish will school up and tail in 3 or 4 inches of water, making them a difficult target without an extremely shallow drafting boat. They also consistently run with snook and will often shadow schooling mullet. Many guides and anglers agree that redfish are the best tasting game fish. I will gladly fillet any redfish you catch as long as they're in the legal 18' to 27' Florida harvesting slot. For those planning to make this great fighting fish the main course for dinner, I've listed some great recipes below. Their skin can be left on unlike snook which are known as soapfish by some as their skin can give a soapy flavor to the fish when cooked. These are my favorite ways to cook both.

Book Your Charterearly for the best times and days for tides during the upcoming months!

Average Snook Size

941-416-7905

#1 Bull Bay Paprika Redfish

Ingredients

4 potatoes
1 tbsp salt
4 fish fillets (snook, redfish or...)
4 cloves/tsp garlic
5 tbsp olive oil
1⁄2 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp parsley fresh/chopped

Instructions

1. Peel, wash and slice/chop potatoes.
2. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
3. Cook potatoes in boiling water for 12 to 15 min.
4. Add fillets to the pot with the potatoes and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes or until both are tender.
5. Drain/keep 1 cup of the boiled water
6. Place potatoes on a plate then gently lay fillets on the potatoes.
7. Peel and slice cloves of garlic or buy the minced garlic.
8. Heat 5 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet. When warm add the garlic and cook over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden.
9. Remove from heat and set skillet aside.
10. Add the cup of boiled water, 1/2 tbsp of paprika and chopped parsley to the skillet and stir on low heat to make a sauce (a teaspoon of cornstarch can be added to thicken).
11. Spread the paprika sauce over the plate of potatoes and fish.

#2 Turtle Bay Tomato Ginger

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 fine diced onion
1.5 tsp grated fresh ginger
1.75 cups canned crushed tomatoes
.75 tsp salt
2 Lbs fillets
.25 tsp black or white pepper
.25 cup fine chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. Heat the oil over moderately low heat in a deep frying pan.
2. Add the onion and saute until soft (not brown) for a few min.
3. Stir in the ginger and continue stirring for a couple min.
4. Add the tomatoes and salt then bring to a light simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cover for 10 min.
5. Add the fillets and black pepper to the mix and re-cover for about 15 min (depending on the fillet thickness) until fish is cooked.
6. Remove the fillets and place on plate to serve.
7. Mix the cilantro with the sauce and pour over the plated fish.

#3 Boca Grande Pass a l'orange

Ingredients

4 potatoes
3 Florida Oranges
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
4 fish fillets
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper

Instructions

1. Peel and chop 2 oranges into 1/2 pieces and add to cup.
2. Squeeze the juice from 1 orange into cup of pieces.
3. Heat the olive oil in a deep pan over medium heat.
4. Add the onion and saute until tender then transfer to a plate.
5. Add fish to pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. Cook about 4 min per side until golden brown (thicker fillets will take longer)
7. Transfer cooked fish to a plate.
8. Return the onions to the pan.
9. Add the OJ pieces and juice and increase the heat bringing mixture to a boil.
10. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 min.
11. Pour the OJ mixture over the plated fillets and serve.

#4 Creamy Roasted Pepper Redfish

Ingredients

12 oz. jar whole roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
2 tbsp minced garlic or half a dozen chopped clove pieces
2 tbsp fresh basil chopped fine
.5 onion chopped fine
3 tbsp olive oil
1.25 cup light cream
.25 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
2 lbs redfish or snook fillets

Instructions

1. Add peppers, garlic, basil and olive oil to pan and cook on medium heat for 10 min.
2. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree (optional).
3. Return the mixture to the pan and simmer for 2 min.
4. Pour in cream, add cheese, salt and pepper.
5. Simmer for 5 min. while stirring occasionally.
6. Pour half of sauce mixture into a baking dish.
7. Add fish fillets to dish and pour remaining sauce over them.
8. Bake, uncovered at 350F for 30-40 min. until the fish flakes apart and is fully cooked.
9. Pull, plate and serve.

#5 Old Lemon Bay Livation

Ingredients

2 Lbs fish fillets
4 tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
.5 stick butter
.5 lemon
2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tbsp salt
1 bag rice

Instructions

1. Drizzle olive oil into pan and bring to medium heat.
2. Add fillets and cook for 4 min per side.
3. Add butter and garlic to pan then sprinkle the fish with Old Bay and salt.
4. Simmer for 3 min then squeeze lemon juice into pan over the fish.
5. Turn the fish over, cover and cook for 2 min.
6. Add fillets to a bed of cooked rice. (microwave minute rice is fast and easy)
7. Pour the remaining lemon butter garlic mixture from the pan over them.
8. Serve

REDFISH (RED DRUM)

Regulations

Slot limit of not less than 18' or more than 27'; no closed season; one fish per person per daylimit

General Information

This is one of the top recreational saltwater gamefish in the state. Redfish spawn from Augustto November in the offshore waters near passes and inlets. September is usually the peakmonth. Those that survive the open water larval fish stage, move into the estuaries asjuveniles where they will live for several years. Anglers sometimes encounter large schools ofthese young fish, often called rat reds. The schools do migrate although scientists believe thatthey do not move over great distances.

Distribution

At one time the fish was in danger of being overharvested because of commercial activity. It's strong recovery led to the recent change that eliminated the closed season for this species.

The redfish's recovery from the brink of being wiped out is a direct result of its designation asa 'restricted species' in 1989. This ended the commercial harvesting of the fish, a move thatultimately saved the species being wiped out by highly efficient offshore commercial netters. With the change of the redfish's status to a non-commercial species, stocks have been able torecover and the fish is now abundant in many parts of the state. Redfish are now commonthroughout the coastal waters and nearshore areas of the state. A stocking program in BiscayneBay has also brought redfish back to this lower southeast coast are for the first time in nearly30 years.

Tackle and Techniques

Anglers have a wide option when it comes to the tackle needed to catch redfish. When fishingthe open waters of the flats try an ultra-light rod and 2 pound test line. It will definitely testyour skill. A more conventional combination is a 6-7' rod with 12 to 15 pound test line with a40 pound test leader. It will work on the flats, along mangrove shorelines, and in the deeperwaters. In a corresponding fashion, fly fishers can use an 8 or 9 weight rig and make thefishing interesting by varying the tippets from 2 to 12 pound test.

Normally redfish move onto the flats to feed when the water temperature rises above 70degrees. They will tolerate much higher temperatures but tend to remain there for less time asthe water temperature approaches the upper 80s.

Tidal stage also has a strong influence on when redfish move onto the flats. The best time isduring the first half of the flooding or ebbing tide. The fish's advantage over the angler at thistime is water depth. You either need a very shallow draft boat which can be poled or run witha trolling motor or must wade onto the flat to get to the fish. Many anglers prefer to wadebecause redfish can see and hear boats. An angler walking through the water is much lessobvious to a redfish.

When water temperature drops below 70 degrees, redfish abandon the flats and head for theslightly deeper and warmer waters of channels near the flats. The fish still get hungry so workthe drop-offs until you find the fish.

Bait

Redfish grow fast. In one year most are a foot long. To grow that much redfish must do a lotof eating and most of it comes from what they pick up off the bottom. Stomach analysesreveal that their natural diet consists of small crabs and shrimp. This explains why shrimp isone of the most widely used baits.

Crustaceans may be what you find in the fish's stomachs but anglers know that with avoracious appetite, redfish will take a variety of other offerings. Small live baitfish, just aboutany jig, gold and silver spoons, and even topwater plugs are potential meals if they arepresented correctly. Of these, the topwater plug is an interesting bait to use when fishing theflats because the fish must come to the surface and rollover to get its mouth in position tostrike the bait.

Secrets to Success

* Redfish are very aware of what's going on above the surface of the water when they are onthe flats. They can see and hear anglers, especially when they are in boats. This is whywading for them often results in more hook-ups than staying on the boat. Be quiet and keep alow profile.

Snook Size Florida

* Sightfishing for redfish is one of the most exciting types of fishing for saltwater anglers. The principle of the technique is not to cast until you see the fish. You can locate them on theflats by looking for the fish's tail which breaks the surface when they stick their nose in themud to feed (what anglers call tailing redfish) or when you can see the hump of water theypush in front of them as the cruise across the flats.

When you find tailing fish wait for them finish eating and begin to move. As they swim awaycast your bait ahead and past the fish. The idea is to have your bait intersect the fish's path andhopefully catch it's attention. When their nose is in the mud, the fish often cannot see yourbait.

Redfish associate with stingrays. And stingrays, when they feed, stir up the bottom and createwhat anglers call a 'mud.' This highly visible sign should be an automatic signal to casttowards the muddy area. Redfish frequently hang around the rays looking for food that isstirred up by the rays.

Redfish don't move around too much. If you find fish on a flat or in a channel, it's a good ideato go back to the same spot the next day. Chances are good that the fish will be there again.