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CBN Mothers Day Meal

Author : Capt. Pete Rapps
Published: April 26th, 2010
Coastal Breeze News
310 Royal Palm Way
Marco Island, Florida, 34145

Cook mom a freshly caught Mother’s Day meal!

Let’s face it, sometimes we all need a good excuse to go fishing. With a little planning, you can get out on the water with a special purpose to provide, cook, and feed all of the wonderful moms out there.

Thumbs up for a good sized Snook. Photos by Capt. Pete Rapps

Right now we are smack dab in the middle of one of my two favorite fishing seasons in Southwest Florida. For those who know me, the last two weeks of April and all of May are my favorite spring seasons, followed closely by October and November.

There are many reasons why I love fishing this time of year so much. First off, the winter is gone, and the water temperatures are on the rise. The end of April and beginning of May generally bring the Gulf surface temperatures in our area up into the high 70’s and low 80’s. With these warmer temperatures comes lots of live bait being followed by hungry fish! Some other reasons why I love this time of year are that the winter winds have generally ended, the summer storms have not yet arrived, the air temperatures are in the mid 60’s to the mid 80’s, the humidity is bearable, and the seasonal population has been cut in half therefore reducing the fishing pressure on the fish.

Perfect sunset to end a good day fishing.

Snook are HUNGRY this time of year. They are on their annual migration of heading out of the backwaters and looking for love. They have eaten just enough to survive all winter, and are eager to fatten up. You can catch them on both live and artificial baits, but nothing beats live finger sized Mullet, Pilchards or Thread Herring. Try fishing for them on the outgoing tide.

Tarpon are on their annual migration north, and they are found in shallow waters eating anything from ladyfish, Pilchards, Thread Herring, and Crabs early in the morning just after sunrise, or early in the evening before sunset.

Trout are gorging themselves on all of the live bait swimming in the flats with the tides. This is the time of year that you generally catch all slot sized Trout. They prefer the last part of the incoming tide.

Redfish are also around and feeding on live baits and crustaceans near the oyster bars also on the last part of the incoming tide. Try throwing them a live Shrimp, a Gulp Shrimp on a lead head, a DOA shrimp, or a live Pilchard.

Happy with their Sheepshead.

Cobia, Permit, Spanish Mackerel, Tripletail, Shark, and many other species of fish are feeding too.

It’s hard to beat the spring action our pristine area has to offer! Get out there and catch some fresh fish, and cook a celebratory meal for all of the wonderful Mothers on Mother’s Day! Be sure to visit my web site for many recipes and cooking videos on cooking local fish!

Captain Rapps offers expert guided light tackle near shore and backwater fishing trips for anyone from beginner to seasoned pro. His trips and tours begin from Chokoloskee Island, which is just south of Naples and Marco Island in the Everglades National Park. Visit www.CaptainRapps.com for full details about charters, along with Captain Rapps’ availability calendar.

CBN Angler or Not

Author : Capt. Pete Rapps
Published: March 27th, 2010
Coastal Breeze News
310 Royal Palm Way
Marco Island, Florida, 34145

Angler or not, get out there!

Jill is just happy to be out on the water.

The question comes up often…… “I would like to do a fishing charter with my wife, but she is not really into fishing like I am. Can we do a combination of a fishing/sight seeing charter?

A porpoise comes right up to the boat.

The truth is that there is so much natural beauty to enjoy while out on the water here in Southwest Florida. Much of the wildlife that can be seen, is in the calm and shallow backwaters of the 10,000 Island and the Everglades National Park. The same water that we fish.

White Pelicans

As you can see from my photos, on a typical fishing charter we often have Porpoise come right up close to the boat. Depending on the season we sometimes see loggerhead turtles in the shallow water flats, bright pink Roseate Spoonbills feeding in the shallow water, Giant white Pelicans on the sandy island beaches, an occasional Bald Eagle nesting, Osprey talking to each other from high in the mangroves, Manatee feeding on the grass flats, Brown Pelicans catching baitfish, Cormorants popping out of the water with fish in their beaks, Frigate Birds circling high above, Herons & Egrets feeding in the mangroves, gulls, pipers, and various other birds searching for something to eat, and horseshoe crabs up on the beaches.

Being out on the water is not always about fishing. Truth be told, some of my happiest customers have been more excited about what we see during the course of the day, not what we caught on rod and reel. Whether you are an angler or not, be sure to get out there and take in the natural beauty of what Southwest Florida has to offer us.

Captain Rapps

Captain Rapps offers expert guided light tackle near shore and backwater fishing trips for anyone from beginner to seasoned pro. His trips and tours begin from Chokoloskee Island, which is just south of Naples and Marco Island in the Everglades National Park. Visit www.CaptainRapps.com for full details about charters, along with Captain Rapps’ availability calendar.

Author : Capt. Pete Rapps
Published: March 27th, 2010
Coastal Breeze News
310 Royal Palm Way
Marco Island, Florida, 34145

New Video Feature

Fishing Forcast

Forecast by Captain Pete Rapps published in Coastal Anger Magazine Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Edition April 2010

April Forecast: 10,000 Islands, Everglades City, Chokoloskee (Everglades National Park)

In like a lion and out like a lamb….. March is over and spring fishing is finally among us. Air temperature averages in April are about 4 degrees higher than March, and will range between 61 and 86 degrees. This in turn gives us an average water temperature of 77 degrees this month.

Tarpon are beginning to show on the shallow flats. Although not the “peak” month for Tarpon, April is the month you can catch a few on their annual migration through the area. They are on the move and are feeding on many things like Thread Herring, Pilchards, Ladyfish, and crabs. Rig a good rod with a 6/0 circle hook, tied to 4’ of 60lb Fluorocarbon leader, on a baitrunner reel filled with 30 lb braid. Stick it in your stern rod holder and wait for a Silver king to start peeling line off. Click the bait runner into gear and point the tip of the rod at the Tarpon during the first run. The circle hook will work it’s way into position for a solid hookup. After that first run, get that rod tip up and let the circle hook do it’s job to drive the hook home.… don’t forget to bow to the king and point your rod tip at him each and every time he jumps so that he can take drag easier. In the flats between Lumber Key and Pavillion Key, you can find areas where you have grass on one side of the boat, and sand on the other. Here you can fish the same flats for a Tarpon, Speckled Trout, and Pompano.

While that Tarpon rod is set off the back of the boat, you can cast out 3/8 oz jigs tipped with fresh shrimp pieces. You can use green, red, silver, or red headed jigs with a little flash in the tail. The Trout will be in 3-5 feet of water in the grass, and the pompano will be in the same depth of water in the sandy area. Let the jig bounce in the sand a little to get the Pompano interested.

Forecast By:

Captain Pete Rapps

Hailing out of Chokoloskee Island Park Marina, Chokoloskee, FL

I offer expert guided, light tackle, near shore and backwater fishing trips in the Everglades National Pak. I am happy to accommodate anyone from novice to hardcore seasoned pro. See online availability calendar and booking info at www.CaptainRapps.com

Snook Foundation 2

Public appearances and fishing seminars

Periodically throughout the year, Captain Rapps is asked to give demonstrations, seminars, and workshops at various venues. His most recent public apprearances were held at: THE NAPLES FISHING CLUB, CHAUTAUQUA MARINA, WEST MARINE, SUNSHINE ACE, TALL TALES TACKLE, ENCHANTING SHORES FISHING CLUB, AND MORE. West Marine: Captain Rapps was invited to give speak at West Marine in East Naples, FL. The topic of discussion was fishing in the 10,000 islands of SW Florida. Captain Brandon joined Capt Rapps and together we also spoke about target species, fishing techniques, Jigs, and baits for fishing the area. Tall Tales Bait and Tackle: Captain Rapps was invited to give a seminar at Tall Tales Bait and Tackle in Naples, FL. The topic of discussion was navigating the waters of the Everglades National Park from Everglades City and Chokoloskee, FL. We also spoke about top fishing techniques, favorite lures, Jigs, and baits for fishing the area.     Naples Fishing Club: Captain Rapps was recently invited to speak to the Naples Fishing Club. At the event, Captain Rapps gave pointers on fishing the flats and backwaters of the Everglades National Park and the 10,000 island area of southwest Florida. Captain Rapps spoke about what tackle and brands he uses, brands of fishing gear preferred, his boat and what he has it equipped with, and what sunglasses and apparel he prefers when out on the water every day. He even passed along tips and pointers on everything from sunscreen to tying knots.

Coastal Breeze News

Gaff Magazine

Snook Foundation

See Captain Rapps in the News