Saturday, 3/23/13: Sanibel, Captiva & Fort Myers Fishing Report ~ Fort Myers, Sanibel & Captiva: tarpon and hammerhead sharks @ Boca Grande Pass

Posted by Charlie & Tim Landon
Jimmy, 250 lb. Tarpon, May 21, 2011, Boca Grande Pass, Sanibel & Captiva Islands & Fort Myers Charters & Fishing Guide Service.
Jimmy, 250 lb. Tarpon, May 21, 2011, Boca Grande Pass, Sanibel & Captiva Islands & Fort Myers Charters & Fishing Guide Service.
Jimmy, 250 lb. Tarpon, May 21, 2011, Boca Grande Pass, Sanibel & Captiva Islands & Fort Myers Charters & Fishing Guide Service.
16 ft. Hammerhead Shark, Boca Grande Pass, 2010, Sanibel & Captiva Islands & Fort Myers Charters & Fishing Guide Service.
16 ft. Hammerhead Shark, Boca Grande Pass, 2010, Sanibel & Captiva Islands & Fort Myers Charters & Fishing Guide Service.

We saw our first few tarpon moving in in the last several days!

The tarpon season won’t really begin to heat up for another four to six weeks.  It generally reaches its peak around Memorial Day, but it ebbs and flows based upon how quickly the water temperatures heat-up, the migratory nuances of the tarpon, etc.

We love the above photo of Cousin Jimmy and a 250 lb.+ tarpon he caught and released on a charter on May 21, 2011.  It was an epic battle that went on for about two hours and I had to use my boat to keep about a 15 foot hammerhead shark away from the tarpon.

Hammerhead sharks and other sharks, mostly bull sharks, also move into Boca Grande Pass at this time of the year to feed on the tarpon.  They will often snatch a tarpon off your line and it can be quite stunning and even a little bit scary, and very frustrating to say the least.

We included a photo we found on the net of a hammerhead caught and released in 2010 at Boca Grande Pass that was about 16 feet.  It will give you a sense of the size and power of these animals.  In any event, we’re looking forward to tarpon season, but it is still a little early!

Please call 239-472-8658 or email captjoefred@gmail to book a Sanibel & Captiva Islands or Fort Myers fishing guide trip – or we can head up to North Captiva or Cayo Costa Islands for a shelling charter!

We’re located at Castaways Marina, Santiva, Sanibel Island, just before the Blind Pass bridge to Captiva Island.

Whether you’re a longtime customer who has fished with us for many years or a first-time customer, expert fisherman or just a family with young children out to catch fish and have fun, you are going to enjoy being out in the boat with Hank and me!  We greatly appreciate your friendship and business!!!

If you had a good time fishing with Hank and me on a Sanibel & Captiva fishing charter, please post an “excellent” review on Google Places Reviews.  Huge thanks for doing this!

Fair winds and following seas,

Captain Joey Burnsed ~ call 239-472-8658 or email captjoefred@gmail to book a Sanibel & Captiva Islands, Boca Grande or Fort Myers fishing guide trip or shelling charter.