New guy with lots-o-questions

[jonboat]

Hi folks. I'm new and clueless to saltwater fishing as a whole. I'll be staying on Sanibel at the beginning of August and am trying to plan my fishing ahead - buy stuff at the local Bass Pro before taking the drive South.

Rod & Reel Combo questions:
I have a heavy 9' rod with oversized spinning reel that I use for salmon, spooled with 20# mono. Will this be good to bring along?

How about my "frogging rod" - a 6' MH baitcaster (Ambassadeur 5 series) spooled with 40# power pro?

My wife and son have general purpose 6' Ugly Stick spinning outfits, spooled with 10# mono. Will they work?

I've heard that most all saltwater fish are toothy critters - are steel leaders pretty much mandatory?

Final question for this post has to do with species, and how good they are to eat. You see, I practice catch and release much of the time, but also enjoy practicing fillet and release now and then. What would you expect to be biting and in season around Sanibel at the beginning of August, that is also decent table fare?

[Green Tide]

Your froggin rod should work for the snook that hang in that area. Look at the dainia pier thread and you will learn allot about the methods and tackle to catch them.
Your larger spinner sounnds like it would get you started on some bottom fishing from the local pier and bridges.
Search posts from a guy named snook mook on this forum and you will learn allot about the west coast fishing styles and the right local tackle shops to hit for up to date info.
Good luck and bring a digital camera so we can see how you do.
Welcome to the board.

[FriskyMullet]

All those set ups sound good. The only issue is the salt on the reels so be sure to rinse them off thouroughly after fishing.

I never fish with steel leader unless for cudas or sharks. Just use florocarbon like 20-40lb depending on the target species either fish finder rig or straight with a uni to uni or albright.

As for whats bighting, normally I don't fish that far west but august is the best time of the year to catch beach snook, however the season is closed on the gulf until further notice and is closed in the atlantic until sept 1. Hopefully someone will chime in soon as to whats biting.

Pomps are usually consistent in sanibel. You can also fish at night from the beach and catch plenty of small black tip sharks with steel leader of coarse. Good luck and we look forward to the report.

[jonboat]

Thanks guys! I'm starting to put together a mental picture of what I'm going to need.
Which kinds of fish will be in season and are worth keeping for the grill? Stinks about snook season closure - I've heard they're great eating. I'll plan to try for something else that is edible.

[Albacized]

All those set ups sound good. The only issue is the salt on the reels so be sure to rinse them off thouroughly after fishing.

I never fish with steel leader unless for cudas or sharks. Just use florocarbon like 20-40lb depending on the target species either fish finder rig or straight with a uni to uni or albright.

As for whats bighting, normally I don't fish that far west but august is the best time of the year to catch beach snook, however the season is closed on the gulf until further notice and is closed in the atlantic until sept 1. Hopefully someone will chime in soon as to whats biting. Pomps are usually consistent in sanibel. You can also fish at night from the beach and catch plenty of small black tip sharks with steel leader of coarse. Good luck and we look forward to the report.

I just got back from just south of there (Naples) and among other things, the spanish mackerel bite was red hot...but I'm not sure how long that will go on for

[shmegger]

Great beach fishing in Sanibel! Last time we went down, we pulled in a snook and a couple nice spanish mackerel. You need wire leader for the macks, fluoro for snook. There are also a ton of speckled trout on the west coast this season. Flounder and pompano are also on the beaches. Those five are the best table fare from shore, and only snook will be closed in Aug. You may also run into jacks, ladyfish, and whiting, none of which are edible.

The salmon rig you have would be perfect for getting a bait past the sandbar. When I was there, the trough was very shallow (the area before the sandbar). I had to walk way out to get my bait into deeper water.

I would beg, borrow, or steal a cast net if you are thinking about live bait. If you don't feel like messing with the net, live shrimp are a great bait. For either, you'll need a 5gal bucket with a cheap battery powered aerator.

We stayed at the Island Inn btw. Nice and quiet there that time of year.

[PhishingPhanatic]

You may also run into jacks, ladyfish, and whiting, none of which are edible.

Whiting are great to eat, as long as they are big enough to make it worth while. Much better them macs, IMO.

[shmegger]

Whiting are great to eat, as long as they are big enough to make it worth while. Much better them macs, IMO.

I have caught what I consider to be monster whiting, which is about the size of an average trout. But they are usually way too small to fool with. This is not the same whiting our NY friends catch up north, btw. For that reason, they are not usually a 'food' fish.

Also, not everyone likes mackerel. If you clean and cook them the same day, and remove the skin, its very clean. Maybe b/c it is so oily, it does not keep very well at all.

But considering the poster's question, if I came all the way from NY to fish in Sanibel and caught a keeper mack and a few whiting, I would definitely fry up the whole mess.

[Albacized]

Great beach fishing in Sanibel! Last time we went down, we pulled in a snook and a couple nice spanish mackerel. You need wire leader for the macks, fluoro for snook. There are also a ton of speckled trout on the west coast this season. Flounder and pompano are also on the beaches. Those five are the best table fare from shore, and only snook will be closed in Aug. You may also run into jacks, ladyfish, and whiting, none of which are edible.

The salmon rig you have would be perfect for getting a bait past the sandbar. When I was there, the trough was very shallow (the area before the sandbar). I had to walk way out to get my bait into deeper water.

I would beg, borrow, or steal a cast net if you are thinking about live bait. If you don't feel like messing with the net, live shrimp are a great bait. For either, you'll need a 5gal bucket with a cheap battery powered aerator.

We stayed at the Island Inn btw. Nice and quiet there that time of year.

A sabiki rig is also a good way to catch baitfish - it's not quite as efficient as using a castnet and perhaps a bit more work (depending what aspect of the 'work' your talking about - it's not as strenuous, but it may take longer to get the amount you're looking for)...but it's still a pretty good way to go about it

[shmegger]

A sabiki rig is also a good way to catch baitfish - it's not quite as efficient as using a castnet and perhaps a bit more work (depending what aspect of the 'work' your talking about - it's not as strenuous, but it may take longer to get the amount you're looking for)...but it's still a pretty good way to go about it

Good point, you need a sabiki even if you have a net, depending on conditions. And if he has to buy a net and learn how to use it in just a few days, that may be too much trouble.

[jonboat]

Wow, tons of good info guys. Looks like I found THE place to get the info I need for our vacation. Thanks so much!

I can put people on bass, trout and panfish (of the freshwater persuasion), but the only thing I've eve caught from saltwater is blue crabs when we camped at Assateague Island when I was a kid.

Another question after doing a bit more reading on the boards... Sand spikes for Sanibel - will the all PVC ones work (is the sand soft enough?). I've got enough 2" pvc to make that type of sand spikes sitting in the garage.

[Green Tide]

I have used the pvc in the past. 1 1/2 is plenty big enough and is easier to get in the ground.
I do have taller spikes because I am too lazy to bend over.

[Albacized]

Wow, tons of good info guys. Looks like I found THE place to get the info I need for our vacation. Thanks so much!

I can put people on bass, trout and panfish (of the freshwater persuasion), but the only thing I've eve caught from saltwater is blue crabs when we camped at Assateague Island when I was a kid.

Another question after doing a bit more reading on the boards... Sand spikes for Sanibel - will the all PVC ones work (is the sand soft enough?). I've got enough 2" pvc to make that type of sand spikes sitting in the garage.

Hey have fun down there - I'm your neighbor just to the east (Massachusetts) but used to live down in Tampa as a kid and I'm still a regular visitor to areas south of there (Venice and Naples)...If you ever make it over to cape cod, let me know - I can put you onto some stripers (although my performance from this past weekend would have you convinced otherwise )