Hot Summer Fishing in Naples Backwaters

I have been on hiatus for the last month taking a lengthy vacation and returning to do some major boat renovation. I have returned to fishing during the last week and had some great action. I ran an inshore shark trip Tuesday morning and the sharks were very cooperative. We boated and released 5 out of 7 hooked. The catch consisted of two 5' bull sharks and three lemon sharks ranging from 5' to a monster 7 1/2' fish that I estimate was over 200 lbs. We were fishing in shallow water less than 5 ft. deep. Jack crevalle were used for bait. Snook fishing has been very good this week with good tide flow brought by the full moon. Live pilchards are more than plentiful and are key to catching big numbers of snook. I covered a lot of water and while finding a few good fish scattered in the back bays, most concentrations of snook are still near the passes. There have been plenty of keeper mangrove snapper in the same areas as the snook. I don't recall such an abundance of nice snapper in a long time. My anglers have caught a few nice reds on recent outings. They have been mid-slot fish scattered here and there along the mangroves. Higher tide stages have been best. Tarpon are working the passes mainly at sunrise on the outgoing tide. I witness them each morning as I go out to catch bait before my trip. I have not targeted them, but they are available for anglers that want to get out early and take a shot. I have caught a few juvenile tarpon in the back country around creek mouths and deeper pinches between bays. - Capt. Todd