Bait bonanza = Nov 28th 2025

The amount of shiners currently throughout our area is just amazing. From the beaches to the bridges, flats and everywhere in between. I simply don’t recall seeing this much white bait in the past decade. This is great news for anglers and everyone else that cares about our water quality. So much bait is a sure sign of a healthy eco system and means all our favorite gamefish have plenty of food to sustain them.

I recognize there are a lot of different methods to catch all our popular fish from fly fishing to throwing artificial lures and everything in between. When it comes down to it and you need to produce fish for clients of all skill levels day in day out live bait is often the key to success and gets it done when other methods just don’t. Even if your not a live bait fisherman this much bait means more fish around to catch by which either method you prefer.

Most guides start our days by catching bait in a cast net for the majority of the year. During the hottest days of summer this bait often switches to pinfish and then switches again in the coldest months of winter to shrimp. Pine island sound is all that can be described as a bait factory producing such a variety this is why our fishery is so healthy. The most plentiful bait and preferred forage of most of our fish though is the shiner a.k.a. whitebait, pilchard, scaled sardine.

Rigs to fish shiners are very simple as you want to present the live bait as naturally as possible for the best results. Basically I use a 2-3ft piece of 25-30# fluorocarbon leader tied to the braid with a line to line knot of your choice. Hook size varies from a 1/0-3/0 depending of the size of the bait. Match the hook size to the bait so is can swim correctly, too big of a hook and the bait doesn’t act right. One thing I think makes the world of difference is tying a loop knot to the hook as this gives the bait more freedom of motion. I personally use a perfection loop but any kind of loop knot works.

Rods should be matched to the size baits your casting. Most of the year I use a 7ft 8-15# spinning rod for casting free lined shiners. A 3000 series quality spinning reel is the perfect match spooled with 15# braid. I find the 15# braid is a whole lot more cast able than even 20# braid. 10# braid is even more cast able but seems to tangle a lot more and isn’t quite enough when you hook a bigger fish by structure. When fishing deeper faster moving water in the passes or bridges I often add a small slip sinker or split shot to this same rig. When on the flats targeting trout a popping cork above the leader is a option.

Almost every type of fish in our area eats shiners they are definitely snook candy but also the go to for trout, redfish and many other species too. Having lots of shiners allows us to live chum the fish and quickly see if they are feeding. Once they feed you will often see pops, swirls or flashes then it’s as easy as presenting a hooked bait to the blow up to get that bite. As a fishing guide having plenty of shiners to get the bite to kick off can be an essential.

Get out and take advantage of all this bait throughout our region. Even if your a shore fisherman a small cast net and a live bait bucket will get it done. Matching the hatch of what the fish are feeding on will get it done.

Amazing weather amazing fishing -Nov 21st 2025

This weeks weather can only be described as outstanding. Cool mornings, warm sunny afternoons and light wings added up to great days on the water. Calm conditions made the angling options both inshore to offshore limitless. Throw in good tides and biting fish and it was a stellar week to be fishing.

Most of my week was spent in pine island sound chasing snook, redfish and trout. During lower tide periods periods we concentrated our efforts in deeper natural channels both out on the flats and back in mangrove creeks. Live shiners were abundant and were the bait of choice for all three species. Having lots of shiners I was able to live chum and had the fish fired up feeding aggressively on the surface. The amount of variety back in the mangroves was crazy. One morning we had over 10 species of fish out of the same mangrove creek.

As the tide came up we moved to shallower mangrove shorelines and the snook bite was on fire. What these fish lacked in size the sheer numbers where impressive. Although we didn’t have any large snook most days mid 20 inch range fish were common.

Mixing it up early in the week I had clients that wanted to target sharks. With the water temperature still in the high 60’s I was a little concerned if we would be able to find them. I started in a favorite spot up by Captiva pass and after a half hour of soaking cut baits without a bite quickly moved on. The next stop was a natural deep channel through a shallow flat in the northern sound. Within ten minutes we had our first shark on and to the boat. For the next 2hrs we never waited more than fifteen minutes between strikes on 4-5ft blacktips.

The bait of choice for these blacktips was half a fresh ladyfish free lined. My shark rig consists of a heavy 7ft rod with a 6000 series spinning reel. I spool the reels with 300yds of 50# braid and make my own leaders with 6ft of 200# mono. At the top of the leader I use a heavy duty barrel swivel and at the business end a 11/0 circle hook. The leader is so thick I use crimp sleeves. Using the mono leader gets you a lot more bites than using steel leader and the use of a circle hook insures you hook the shark in the side of the mouth. Once the sharks are boat side I have a long hook out tool to easily remove the hook and release the sharks unharmed.

With no cold fronts forecast until thanksgiving the great action and weather will continue for at least another week. This is great news as thanksgiving week is always a busy time with clients. Consistent weather makes for consistent fishing. Get out and enjoy what our amazing backyard has to offer

Capt Matt Mitchell moved to Sanibel in 1980 and has lived in St James city since 2000 when he started his fishing charter business. He spends over 300 days a year “living the dream” fishing. For questions and info: bookings@captmattmitchell.com

Temperatures plummet -14 November 2025

What was almost 20 degree drop in water temperature was just a small taste of what is to come this winter. After a few weather days off the water early in the week getting back at it required drastic changes in tactics to keep the rods bent. The strong winds following the passing of this early season front also gave us some extreme negative low tides.

These extreme low tides are some of my favorite conditions as they really help to concentrate the fish into deeper channels and holes. It’s simple math less water and the same amount of fish which makes your odds higher. Finding the right deeper channels can be as easy as dead end canal fishing or working sheltered mangrove creeks.

When water temperatures plummet taking live shrimp is a must. Presentation works best low and slow as most fish simply don’t want to work for it. My go to set up during cold water conditions is a 1/4oz jig head with a 2/0 hook. I like to down size my 30 inch fluorocarbon leader to 20# and tie a perfection loop to the jig head. This knot let’s the jig free fall and make that magical bouncy across the bottom.

During the coldest times I often put a chunk of shrimp on the jig head pinching off the tail and threading it on the hook before removing the head. This small compact presentation will draw strikes when nothing else seems to get it done. My first day back on the water after the front this method caught 90% of our fish. Even though I had a live well full of shiners the fish just where not active enough to want to work for a meal.

This jig head chunk of shrimp set up catches a crazy variety of fish including redfish, sheepshead, snapper, flounder, black drum and even a few snook. Letting the jig soak you will gradually feel the fish tap the bait. When u feel the bite give a slow lift of the rod tip to make sure the fish is holding the bait before a quick pop hook set. Once the rod loads up another quick pop makes sure the fish is hooked.

In the days immediately following the front redfish and Sheepsheed where our main catch. As conditions warmed a few snook slowly stated to eat shiners again. No matter how badly we wanted to target snook when our water temperatures are in the low 60’s or colder it’s usually tough going. Although it seems really early to be catching sheepshead these fish save a lot of trips and will become our main target in the coldest months.

With a warming trend in the next 10 day forecast this past cold front will do wonders to put the fish where they are supposed to be. This change of season fishing can bring some of the fastest paced action of the year. Get the timing of an approaching cold down and the bite will be on fire. Get it a day late on the back side of a front and it can be a grind. Either way it’s always a good day to be fishing.

Super moon-super fishing 7th Nov 2025

The giant bright super moon we had all week gave us some crazy strong tides and fired up the bite. Early morning negative low water quickly came in and got high in what seemed like record time and just like that in just a few hours we had high water. These extreme tides bringing what was extremely fast moving water gave my clients some of the fastest paced action I can remember in the past few weeks.

One of the species that really cooperated were the speckled sea trout. Shallow edges in 1-2ft of sheltered flats throughout the sound had trout of all sizes feeding. Like all my fishing this week a free lined shiner, was the bait of choice. When fishing such shallow water keeping the rod tip really high while retrieving the bait in a stop and go method seemed most effective. When targeting trout which have a really soft mouth not setting the hook at all works best. When a trout bites I have just have my clients reel faster to create a bend in the rod then continue reeling just fast enough to keep the rod bent. Any kind of aggressive hook set pulls the hook on these soft mouthed fish.

Trout are a great tell tale of our water quality as they thrive in clean clear water. With so many trout throughout the sound it’s a great sign of a very healthy body of water. Trout are one of the more delicate species we target. Using a hook out tool and not touching any fish you do not plan on harvesting is best for the survival of the fish. If you do have to touch them to remove a hook wetting your hands first is a good idea as this lessons the damage to there slime coat. FWC regulations for our region of Florida are a 15-19 inch slot with 3 fish per harvester per day with only one per vessel over 19 inches allowed. Trout are open year round.

With water temperatures in the low 70’s most of the week snook fishing was also a good choice as the water warmed though the day. During the higher incoming tides mangrove shorelines with fast moving current were loaded with snook of all sizes. Skipping live shiners up under the tree’s and letting them make a natural drift in the shadows had these fish crushing the baits. Points and eddies held what seemed like never ending snook. During the afternoon outgoing tides I switched gears and headed to the passes. In this deeper faster moving water a pinfish with a small weight or split shot haws the more productive bait. The vast majority of these snook are well under the 28 inch minimum though what they lack in size they make up for in sheer numbers. We did manage a few slot sized fish this week though we released them. These bigger snook are what I call a trip maker and watching them swim off unharmed is always a good thing as they are the future of this amazing fishery.

The redfish bite was a little tougher for me this week with only a few being caught on the higher periods of incoming tide. We did manage a few slot fish fishing smaller wind blown mangrove islands in the middle sound. Cut ladyfish and tail hooked pinfish seemed to be the bait of choice although I never did find a hot redfish bite all week. It was very random for us with one red here and one there.

With a bigger cold front forecast early this week that will bring us strong winds and temperatures maybe as low as the low 50’s things on the water will change quickly again until conditions improve. This same pattern of ups and downs in both temperature changes and wind conditions is all part of the game of our winter times fishing.

Cold fronts have started 31st October 2025

This week marked our first cold front of Fall which quickly dropped our morning temperatures into the high 50,s. Although this brief cold is a far cry from from what most think of as winter it’s a sure sign patterns on the water are changing. October and November are what I like to refer to as transition months when fish are heading to the places they prefer to spend the cooler months. Water temperature can drop quite quickly as pine Island sound is a very shallow body of water. Seeing a more than 10 degree overnight is not out of the ordinary with a strong front.

Now our cold fronts have stated it will basically be close to the same weather pattern all winter. Timing when to fish can be the difference between a wide open bite and a tough day at the office. When a cold front approaches this always fires up the best bite as the barometer drops. Once the front passes we are greeted with high pressure and usually windy conditions which makes fishing generally a struggle. Conditions and fishing action will improve day by day until the next front. This same pattern will play out all winter long. Our cold fronts will often run on a 7-10 day pattern until spring.

With our water temperatures currently in the mid 70’s this translates into some of the best fishing of the year. Mild cold fronts like we just experienced are great and make the snook move towards the back country in huge numbers. Bait is plentiful on the beaches and on the grass flats and with winter right around the corner fish are on the feed. Redfish are not as affected by the cold and action remains consistent with fish both on the flats and up under the mangroves on higher tides. Docks and jetties around our passes are still holding both species.

This week I fished the Boca Grande classic which is a 2 day fund raising tournament for cystic fibrosis out of the Gasparilla Inn. It felt good to fish the northern sound and Boca Grande area as I don’t make it that far north as much as I’d like. We had two solid days of fishing catching snook, redfish and trout though we never managed to get our tarpon which we needed in the grand slam format. This is one of my favorite tournaments all year and helps support an amazing organization.

Capt Matt Mitchell moved to Sanibel in 1980 and has lived in St James city since 2000 when he started his fishing charter business. He spends over 300 days a year “living the dream” fishing. For questions and info: bookings@captmattmitchell.com

Fabulous fall fishing. 27th October 2025

Fall fishing continues to be nothing short of amazing. With so much bait throughout our area fish are feeding hard as they pack on weight before the arrival of winter. Wide open blitzes of feeding out along the beaches are becoming more and more common. In Pine Island sound snook, red fish, and trout fishing are also on fire.

This week I saw the first few white pelicans of the season, a.k.a. snowbirds. This is a sure sign. winter is on the way. The change of season in South Florida no matter how subtle it seems to us as the fish hungry and on the move. Out along the beaches, huge schools of bait have begun the annual migration south. Mixed in with all this, bait are the predators that feed on it, Bonita, Spanish mackerel, King, mackerel, bluefish, sharks, and even Tarpon. Grass flats in the sound are also covered up with shiners, and although the predators are different here, it’s the same thing just on a smaller scale.

Mornings this week we had lower tides than we have experienced in months. Deeper water mangrove channels had the fish stacked up in big numbers, Snook, redfish, trout, jacks and mangrove snapper were all caught in these same areas. Chumming lots of life shiners in these areas had the fish fired up and eating on the surface. These fish feed best on a moving tide, so I concentrated on shorelines that had wind and tide moving in the same direction.

As the tide got higher I have been switching it up and fishing oyster bars. Picking an oyster bar With the right set up of wind and Tide is made all the difference. Even though I caught fish on oyster bar yesterday, it is certainly not meant the fish are there today going from bar to bar. It only takes a few scoops of live chum and a cast or two to see if the fish are there. We have oyster bars throughout the sound so finding the right one is just a matter of moving around. Seeing happy jumping mullet working the bar is a great sign that you were in the right place.

Fall brings us some of the most diverse and exciting fishing we have all year not only do we have our regular inshore species we also have all the pelagic species moving down the coast. The options are almost endless when conditions are right being able to bounce between the bay and the beach will bring a crazy amount of variety.

One of my favorite things to do when conditions are right is to get out along the beaches and chase tarpon. The key to locate in these fish is finding large schools of bait with lady fish and Spanish mackerel feeding on them. Tarpon can be sight fished in these same areas as they come up and roll. Side imaging sonar is also a great tool to find these southbound fish Unlike in the spring these Tarpon are hungry and feed on almost any live bait, presented to them. This Fall, Tarpon bite can be some of The best fishing of the year. These fish will be around till our water temperature drops below 70° or we get one big cold front and it’s all over till Spring.

Bio: Capt Matt Mitchell moved to Sanibel in 1980 and has lived in St James city since 2000 when he started his fishing charter business. He spends over 300 days a year “living the dream” fishing. For questions and info bookings@captmattmitchell.com