fishing ding darling need info

[reload556]

ok so the end of next month the wife and i will be down on sanibel and i'm fishing the ding . any body have any tips or suggestions? i'm fishing out of a ascend fs 10 with 6 lb to 12 lb spinning tackle

[bluebill]

September is usually a good month for redfish in Pine Island Sound.

And, you should have access to miles of shoreline with your kayak. You may also run into some snook that are returning to the Sound after spawning on the beach.

Trout are also available on grass beds and in the sand holes.

Good Luck

[reload556]

i'm kinda partial to gold spoons ( but i do have other tackle ) is there any artifical you would recomend?

[bluebill]

Gold spoons work for redfish reeled as slowly as possible without hanging up.

I like Mirrolure plugs for snook. The slim body and deeper body suspending twitchbait plugs produce on snook. In natural bait fish finish or classic red and white. If you get out on the flats early in the morning, and the water surface is flat, it is worth fishing a topwater plug of your choice.

For trout, I prefer a white plastic grub with chartreuse curly tail on 3/16 or 1/4 oz jig head.

And, good old DOA shrimp can be used for any of the above. I usually keep one rod ready with a DOA shrimp in pink or new penny color.

If you get back in one of the mangrove ditches, you may find some baby tarpon rolling. I find that they respond best to a smaller brightly colored grub on light lead jig head. Or smaller shallow diving plugs like Rapala or Yozuri.

[reload556]

thank you very much

[VFTG]

FYI Ding Darling Preserve Wildlife Drive is closed till Oct. 1 for road resurfacing. Tarpon Bay is still open. Check the link below.
http://www.fws.gov/dingdarling/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[sessions]

I'd recommend you and your wife fish Tarpon Bay( depending on the winds). Tarpon Bay runs NE to SW so the directions I give you will be on those coordinates. Would be very helpful if you looked at Google Earth before going out. There is an excellent launch at Tarpon Bay (reasonable launch fee of @$10). From the launch head north towards the cut that opens into Pine Island Sound. A couple of miles at most. Don't go thru the cut but rather fish the shoreline southeast from the cut all the way to the entrance to Ding Darling ( well marked with signs). Most productive will be the first 500 yards SE from the cut since all the fish you want to catch are predators and will orient to the current flowing through the cut. However, don't ignore the remainder of the shoreline all the way to the Ding Darling entrance. For reds you are looking for sand holes (lots in the first 500 yards but also many all along the shore). Second spot: if the tide is high and/ or from the south the sand bar along the SW shore holds lots of sand holes for reds and on the inside some good size snook. All you have heard about baits/lures is solid advice. I prefer a 5"jerk bait but that's just me. I recognize that this is a lot more specific info than is usually posted but I think that's what the forum should be rather than "look what I caught".

[lastresort]

I'd recommend you and your wife fish Tarpon Bay( depending on the winds). Tarpon Bay runs NE to SW so the directions I give you will be on those coordinates. Would be very helpful if you looked at Google Earth before going out. There is an excellent launch at Tarpon Bay (reasonable launch fee of @$10). From the launch head north towards the cut that opens into Pine Island Sound. A couple of miles at most. Don't go thru the cut but rather fish the shoreline southeast from the cut all the way to the entrance to Ding Darling ( well marked with signs). Most productive will be the first 500 yards SE from the cut since all the fish you want to catch are predators and will orient to the current flowing through the cut. However, don't ignore the remainder of the shoreline all the way to the Ding Darling entrance. For reds you are looking for sand holes (lots in the first 500 yards but also many all along the shore). Second spot: if the tide is high and/ or from the south the sand bar along the SW shore holds lots of sand holes for reds and on the inside some good size snook. All you have heard about baits/lures is solid advice. I prefer a 5"jerk bait but that's just me. I recognize that this is a lot more specific info than is usually posted but I think that's what the forum should be rather than "look what I caught".

Agreed great information.

[bluebill]

These Forums are titled "Regional Fishing Reports"

And, I do enjoy reading about what you caught. Also like the photos of catch and released fish.
Also like photos of how you all present the cooked fish.

So, please keep your reports coming.

[Urban Legend II]

Fished down there back in June out of Cape Coral for 10 days. Some of the best fishing of my life. Fished the first day with a friend who is also a guide. Hooked but lost the Snookzilla of my life near the power lines in Ding Darling. Send me a PM I will give you what I found out from the locals.

[Urban Legend II]

Also hit up the local bait and tackle shops for latest info. Here are a few we hit:

On Sanibel

Whitney's Bait & Tackle on Periwinkle Way at the beginning of Sanibel Island.
The Bait Shop about 2 miles further into Sanibel also on Periwinkle.
Norman Zeigler's Fly Shop a resident expert on Snook on the fly.

In Cape Coral

Capt Robs on Del Prado Blvd

In Matlacha (Pine Island)

D&D Matlacha Bait & Tackle

If you decide to venture out and fish Pine Island/St James City there are amazingly productive oyster reefs, downed trees and mangroves in the area.

Also back in June there were 2 High tides and 2 lows a day which meant a lot of water movement throughout the day.

Tight Lines

[John g]

If you want to stray away from sanibel I fish on pine island every Sunday. I can show you the local wild life. Just pm me if interested. I am not on sanibel to often though.