The new year brings plenty of action in the Naples backwaters

We are getting at least a temporary break from the record cold temperatures experience here for the last month. Water temps are up to 64 in the back bays. January 1 marked the opening of trout season in our region. My clients who are interested in taking some fish home for the plate are not having any trouble catching limits of trout up to 19" while also releasing plenty. We are targeting them in channels adjacent to shallow flats with shrimp tipped jigs. Along the deeper mangrove edges and oyster bars, we are enjoying plenty of school sized redfish action. Many trips are catching as many as 50 of these fish ranging between 17 and 20 inches. I fished with Dave Speigel and his boys Ryan (8) and Josh (9) last Sunday morning. They released nearly 50 reds along with some nice trout and sheephead. Those boys could really fish! Capt. Todd Geroy Naples