# Fishing Sanibel in May



## JaxLaxFish (Aug 23, 2010)

I'm heading down to Sanibel the first week of May to fish with my Dad. Typically we do the snook on the beach thing but as we found a few years ago this can be a crapshoot this early in the summer. Anyway we're going to drag the skiff down this year. So...my question is what's going on this time of year? We're not sight fishing purists and truth be told I am willing to pick up a spinning rod on occasion too, particularly if can throw a super spook. I spoke to Norm Zeigler and was told the fish are transitioning from backcountry to the beaches this time of year. I'm guessing the outer edges of Ding Darling or near the mouth of the river could be good? Also what should I be trying to imitate with my flies? Thanks in advance guys


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## Martin239 (Jan 8, 2015)

Really small shrimp & medium/small baitfish patterns. 
I live about 2 miles from sanibel but I honestly take the drive to pine island sound or estero bay when I can. Hard working byouou(however you spell it) is my favorite area inside of ding darling when I do fish sanibel though. & I've seen huge numbers of tailing redfish when I kayak fish in the guided area of tarpon bay. The water is pretty dirty here & will be really dirty come May; so when it gets like that I have my best luck with a purple Schminnow tied exactly the same way Norm does or medium sized SF baitfish flies in white/green or purple/black if it's super nasty. For shrimp patterns, I use a pattern that I don't know if it has a name, I use the brown part of an orange buck tail because it has some orange mixed in for a head with copper crystal flash & then use EP fibers to tie a body like a Merkin crab but then trim it really close to the shank. I can post a picture later if you want. 

back waters of sanibel are amazing that time of year, I just prefer the creeks in estero bay & the oyster bars near pineland marina more. Anywhere you can fish near mangroves down here usually holds fish, especially on a high tide. The hardest part about fishing this area of SW florida is finding sufficient vegetation near mangroves where fish will hang out. Since the water is dirty & relatively deep at most parts, sight fishing is limited anyways. The only 4 times I've ever seen tailing redfish are in ding darling or tarpon bay, so good thing you're prepared to blind cast!

Good luck, if you have anymore questions post a reply here. If you want me to send you like 6 flies in the mail for here I can do that too! (PM me for that of course)


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

What size skiff will you be bringing down, including hp and range you can run?  How many days will you be fishing?  Have you ever navigated the waters there by boat and what size flyrods do you have? Do you tie?


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## JaxLaxFish (Aug 23, 2010)

> What size skiff will you be bringing down, including hp and range you can run?  How many days will you be fishing?  Have you ever navigated the waters there by boat and what size flyrods do you have?  Do you tie?


We'll be in my Dad's 17' Mitzi skiff with a 50hp Honda. I've never paid much attention to our range but we'll have a 6.6 gallon tank and I'll have a refill 2 gallon or I could bring a 5 if need be. I don't have any experience navigating there but i've never had any problem with that in the keys, mosquito lagoon, etc. and I've been in small skiffs my while life. Yes we both tie and while I'm still not the best I've been doing so 3 or 4 years so I'm pretty proficient. I only have fly rods from 5 to 9. I wouldn't get much opportunity to use anything bigger in Northeast Florida but I do have access to a 12 weight. Also cmartin I'll be PMing you later. Thanks a lot to both of you for the help.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Ok bring your bigger rods (I guess 7 thru 9wts).  On the east side of Ding Darling, notice the cut openings too on the outside side to Pine Island Sound.  Just fish each little cut opening on either side (the edges) on the highest side of each tide (tide needs to be moving) and inside shoreline of each cut.  Use what you do in Jax, or clousers, sliders, kwans, small mullet patterns or that tan or rootbeer Schminnow.  Basically you are looking for snook and reds.

When the tide falls, you can tool along the shoreline on the outside of that or just inside of those cuts, again, along the mangrove shoreline where the fish are pushed out away from the mangrove roots and just laying or cruising the edge.  For that use kwans, sliders, shrimp patterns and those tan or rootbeer Schminnows.

You can also run to the outside mouth of Blind Pass near the bridge and along the jetty side and the beach side of the Pass (not sure if the jetty is still there) and fish a deeper rig, like an intermediate line (9wt) with a heavy clouser (chartreuse and white) or sardine patterns (look at the one I did for the 2015 MS Fly Swap) on 1/0 to 2/0 Owners Mosquitos hooks (found in Walmart).  Snook, jacks, big ladyfish and other stuff.  Tie the clousers up with bucktail instead of synthetics (for that time of year) on 1/0 hooks (sharp ones like Tiemco) and I like finishing the head wraps near the hook eye with hot pink or red.  Tides got to be moving (prefer the high side of the outgoing).  You can fish the Captiva's northern point shoreline of Redfish Pass (south side of the pass) in the mornings the same way, where you drift with a long cast to the shore, let it fully sink and dredge the bottom with the same flies.  Slow bump strips and mend your line with the tide. Those fish are grown if you can hook into one.

On the afternoons if the west and SW winds lay down, you can run outside on the Gulf beachside of Captiva and Sanibel from Redfish pass to the light house, out past the 2nd sandbar with the sun at your back looking towards the shoreline.  Have the boat just planing out but not faster.  So you'll be looking for big tan spots in the water, between 10-50ft across in the trough between the 1st and 2nd sandbar or outside edge of the 2nd sandbar.  They should be spawning jack crevalles daisy chaining from 5-15lbs.  Shut the boat down, idle back around and then shut it down.  Use either a trolling motor or pole to get within your longest cast to them.  Use that 9wt.  Throw either that same clouser or sardine pattern.  Let it sink, tuck the rod under your arm and do a 2 handed strip as fast as you can and hold on when they hit!  Remember, that's an afternoon thing.

Also, in the morning for an alternative, put in at the Punta Rassa boat ramp.  Depending on the winds, you can fish a high tide (waters has got to be moving) on the calm sides of the little islands in the center of the mouth of the river.  Fishermens Key, Big Island, Merwin Key, Miguel and also the easter & NE side of Punta Rassa cove. Snook, trout, reds...

PM me if you want to night fly fish.  I wouldn't publicly disclose those spots.   

Also, there are a few choice tarpon spots I can give you as well if you have the stuff for it.   But if you haven't done it yet, I would consider hooking up with someone that knows the ropes or PM me for more info on that subject.


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## JaxLaxFish (Aug 23, 2010)

Thanks a lot guys. PM sent to both of you


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Awesome info.

Still applicable mid June?


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Yep for the most part.  The jacks will be done with their schooling and will be staged up more around the passes and bridges.  Try Blind Pass for snook, jacks, ladyfish and other pelagics.

The inside will be pretty much the same as I described above working the outside openings of the inside mangrove back country.  You can also add gurglers for some topwater snook action (tan, white or whatever works for you).

If you are staying on the island, then June is a great month for the night dock light action.  The night thing might work good for you and allow you to spend the day with the wife and kids, then slip out late at night when they all settle down for the evening to get on a hot snook bite on fly.  Sleep?  Ahhh, don't worry about that, you can either sleep on the beach during the day or when you go back to Tampa!  Lol      PM me and I forward you what I sent to JaxLaxFish for the night bite.   

Beach snookin will be good from 1st light to about an hour after sunrise.  Then it shuts down.  #2 Shminnow is a killer for that.  I use several variations that do good as well if they are not "on" that pattern.  Also a white DT Special works good for beach snook.  They run the beach there from the surf to the 1st trough and run the shoreline looking like bonefish.  Be up on the beach and not on the water and sight cast to them, leading them about 5ft or so and then work it as they come close.  When they see your fly, pick up the pace to cause them to lounge at it.  I like the beach shore line outside of the passes best for that because they are fresh and looking.  Sanibel and Captive gets a lot of pressure sometimes (especially when school is out in June) and it might pay to run north across Redfish pass to beach fish Upper Captiva.  Try to find falling trees and stumps along that beach and you will find the snook.  Same witching hour applies!  Then you can fish around Redfish pass on either side afterwards.


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## JaxLaxFish (Aug 23, 2010)

I've never fished the area from a boat but I have fished the beach a time or three. I have to disagree that the snook shut down after sunrise. They become more difficult to catch but easier to see. Of course they can see you too hence the difficulty. It can be done though and to me it is pretty rewarding because it's difficult. The advantage of this is the tween waters beach should be relatively empty compared to public access points so you could take a short break from the family to fish right there across from the resort. Im sure Backwater already knows this and was just trying to lead you to the easiest fish to catch. If you go to Norm Zeigler's fly shop in Sanibel he's pretty open with information on which beaches are producing best at the time. My favorite personally is Bowman's beach because it's not too crowded. Good luck.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Oh you'll see cruiser snook all morning long, but they start getting lockjaw, especially when the shellers, beach walkers and bathers startup. But Yes, Tween Waters will have snook there in the morning no doubt and a good place to start. But if you not doing so well with them, try fishing the beaches just outside of the passes because when they comeout of the passes and on the beach, they are a little more friskier. Just sayin... 

Yes Norm is a great guy and his main claim to fame was an article done on him back in the mid `90's in the Florida Sportsman Mag where they featured him beach snookin on Sanibel on fly and featured his "Shminnow" which he says he came up with.

I'd be careful about fishing Bowmans, you might get an eyeful. ;D


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## JaxLaxFish (Aug 23, 2010)

What do you mean by eyeful? I think I saw a sign saying NOT A NUDIST BEACH. Have they had issues with this?


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