Monday, 12/15, on a cloudy morning in Estero Bay, I dodged a few rain sprinkles and fished with H.O. Brownback and Steve Aggunt. We did pretty well using live shrimp and caught five keeper-sheepshead to 16 inches and four keeper-mangrove snapper. We released smaller fish of both varieties.

The rest of the week was pretty slow, as is typical in the lull before the holiday rush. I fished Estero Bay again on Saturday, 12/20, with Robert Haller, his wife, and his parents. We used shrimp to catch two keeper sheepshead to 15 inches, six keeper mangrove snapper, a 15 inch keeper black drum and a 14 inch keeper pompano. We released a trout, which is currently out of season.

Monday, winds whipped in advance of a cold-front, but that didn’t bother us much fishing in lower Estero Bay. Bill Darkoch and his son, Justin, wanted to learn to fish the bay and scheduled a day of catch-and-release fishing. We used shrimp and released thirty sheepshead to 15 inches, twenty mangrove snapper, ladyfish and cravalle jack.

Tuesday and wednesday I fished offshore, as I did after Christmas too. That report and pic are posted on the offshore forum.

By the time I update this fishing report next weekend, I will be changing the dates to ’09 so happy New Year to all, in advance.