April 1 marks the return of harvest season for bonefish and tarpon from state waters and the opening of Gulf grouper season for recreational anglers.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission temporarily closed bonefish and tarpon season in January as a precautionary measure after prolonged cold weather resulted in massive statewide fish kills. Read more here.

Our 2nd Annual In-Water Luxury Boat Show hit the harbor yesterday and was a smashing success!  More than 700 invited guests perused a fantastic display of the newest and finest vessels, from yachts to backwater fishing boats, showcased in and around the waters of Hamilton Harbor.  They also enjoyed a Taste of the Harbor with samples straight from our menu.  Kids were invited to create nautical crafts with Rookery Bay while adults indulged in a Sunset Wine Tasting.  One lucky guest left as a new Hamilton Harbor social member…part of our raffle to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Collier County, which raised more than $3500!  Check out the show photo gallery here. Thanks to all of our boat brokers, boating and fishing vendors and community partners.  We’re already looking forward to next year!

By Captain Will Geraghty,The Grand Slam, grandslmcharter@aol.com

What a late summer it’s been for plying the Gulf of Mexico waters! Throughout August and the last several weeks, light winds, calm seas and a solid bite has reigned supreme. The bite has been so good that it’s had many anglers seeing red, red grouper that is!

From the near shore ledges and hard bottom areas out beyond to the offshore artificial reefs red grouper limits have been consistent and impressive. Mixed in with the great grouper catches has been an eclectic mixed bag of snapper, stout Spanish and king mackerel rounded out with heaps of coastal sharks.

Cpt. Geraghty and HH Member with a King Mackerel

On a recent outing with members of Hamilton Harbor, the game plan was to make the long run to fertile offshore grounds. Greeted with slick calm seas and exceptional tides we knew we were in for an outstanding day on the Gulf!  

Breaching Gordon Pass shortly after sunrise, we pegged the throttles of their beautiful triple 350 Yamaha powered 37′ Pursuit. A short stop at the Santa Lucia, a shallow artificial wreck located due west of the pass, had us gathering a variety of small baitfish employing  #8-10 Sabiki rigs. Live bait, often a crapshoot during the summer months, proved easy as we filled the wells in no time flat with a healthy combination of threadfin herring, pinfish and spot tail grunts. Necessary live baits to have on board for those wishing to tangle with big grouper!

Arriving on the scene in eighty-two feet of Gulf cobalt water we took the opportunity to diligently look around checking out the rocky substrate on the Raymarine fish finder in search of an aggregate of fish. Once dialed into where we wanted to concentrate our angling efforts, we set anchor and began deploying a variety of metal jigs coupled with live and dead baits.

Cpt. Geraghty and HH Member with a Grouper

The bite was on fire from the first drop as we enjoyed solid red grouper action for nearly an hour before being “covered up” in pesky Atlantic Sharpnose sharks. No worries, as we had nearly a limit of reds up to 9 pounds already in the fish box on ice!

For the remainder of the morning and into the early afternoon we shopped around on several diverse natural live bottom areas with each producing quality catches of yellowtail snapper, mangrove snapper and smoker king mackerel up to 35-pounds!

Look for this offshore bite pattern to continue to hold strong well into September. While the action is indeed hot out in the Gulf it will be prudent to keep an eye to the sky as the afternoon weather is heating up as well. Always check the forecast, pick your days wisely and catch em up!

Till Next Tide, Hook Up, Hold On and Have Fun!

Over the weekend more than 30 kids, mostly from the  Boys and Girls Club of Collier County, took over our docks on a mission to hook the biggest fish.  The free fishing clinic was Hamilton Harbor’s way of celebrating National Marina Day.  We provided the bait and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Collier County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol provided the instruction, including how to bait and remove hooks and cast.  The officers also taught the young fishermen about conservation, identifying which types of fish are in season and OK to keep.  

For many of the kids, this was their first experience with a rod and reel, but patience and persistance paid off with a few big catches, including Snook and Sheapshead.  ”It’s so important that young people have something productive and positive to do with their time,” said Todd Byrns of the Collier County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol.”The fishing clinic helped them learn about conservation and the environment while having a great time.”  It will now be an annual event at the Harbor.

Click here for local news coverage of the event!

Here, in the waters around Hamilton Harbor, the spring fishing bite is in full swing!  Despite what has seemed like months of relentless winds, severe hard charging gamefish species are now staged in their traditional May haunts testing the tackle, skills and wills of anglers.

Aboard the Grand Slam, our efforts have been focused on the “big three”, snook, tarpon and permit.  While each species habituates diverse locations throughout our coastal ecostystem, all posses’ incredible prowess and power make them great light tackle targets.

Along the beaches from points south of Marco Island northward to Bonita Beach, the tarpon have poured into the region in big numbers and they are hungry!  Tarpon, often referred to as the “silver king,” are eagerly snapping up a variety of natural and artificial baits both early and late in the fishing day.  While the results of each tarpon trip can vary, anglers can expect to tangle with behemoths in the 80 to 150-pound class.  Truly an incredible thrill!

Snook, a popular light tackle target, can now be found prowling area beaches, middle bays and passes.  Tide will be cruicial to your snook success as these feisty gamefish aggressively feed during times of swift water movement.  My favorite tide phase to prospect for snook is the last half of the falling tide when the water becomes slightly turbid, as snook can often be hook and leader shy.

On the offshore, the permit bite is beginning to hit full stride.  Here for their annual spring/summer spawning cycle, permit in the twenty to forty pound class are taking live silver dollar sized pass crabs and well presented Merken style crab fly patterns over several of the larger artificial wrecks and reefs that dot our coastline.  Revered for their keen instincts and drag screaming runs, catching a permit on light tackle should be on every anglers “bucket list!”

Till next tide… hook up, hold on and have fun!

Captain Will Geraghty, The Grand Slam, grandslmcharter@aol.com