Well, I have finally slowed down enough to write up a unique fishing report here @ IDA. Stacie & I spent a good 5 days down in Fort Myers Florida this last week. We spent it with some good friends (Paul & Miranda) from Fargo and we stayed at another good friend’s house down in Fort Myers. This trip was long long over due for me. 
I used to escape there a few times a year, but it has been 2 years since I have been down chasing those hard fighting Saltwater Fish with my long time College buddies Scott & Tina. 
We did not boat anything Monsterous like in the past, but we did end up with some “unique and elusive “fish like this Hogg Snapper Stacie boated.
The weather was warm and mostly sunny for the most part, but a bit on the windy side. However, we did manage to get out 18 miles off shore one day with the whole group and boat some nice fish. We were catching fish off a reef that was man made from an old bridge that was demo’ed, hauled to sea and dumped to create this reef. We were catching many different types of fish, but not quite the right ones so we kept searching for different spots on the reef that held the fish we were looking for. During this time huge schools of Barracuda were roaming just under the surface. We tried casting and trolling for these cuda’s for awhile with only one short hook up before it was gone. On our 3rd anchor spot we hit pay dirt as the types of fish that started coming to the boat started ending up in the cooler. My buddy Paul was the HOT stick early in that spot. I think he had 3 fish in the cooler before anyone else even caught a fish period. We were anchored on the reef, jigging & rigging shrimp on the bottom. THere was no doubt that the fish had a preference that day and it wasa white jig. The key here was, once you got bit was not to set the hook, but just to reel. Not easy thing to do when you feel a tug on the line jigging. 
Scott has been fishing down there for 8 years and has only caught a couple of Hogg Snappers so far in the 8 years. Well…. that number was doubled this day, as him and Stacie boated 4 of them. 
Notice the darker color on the head of Scott’s fish pictured here. This was a male Hogg Snapper compared to the other ones that were female. In the third picture Stacie has another unique fish for this area and that was a Trigger Fish. Scott also landed a Parrot fish that is also a rare fish to catch.
So,,,,, we already were satisfied with our day and we were headed back inshore and our 18 mile journey back to the pass was interrupted when Scott spotted a fish that was sunning himself besides a crab trap buoy. He turned back around and killed the motor to get set up for another adventure. He said that he just spotted a Triple Tail next to the crab bouy. As he rigged up a rod and explained on how we were going to go after this fish. Since we were out of shrimp, he went into his plastics bag and pulled out a Berkley Power Bait Jumbo Shrimp and rigged it on a plain hook so it would be more buoyant and float. It was then decided that I was going to be the one to cast to this very elusive fish. Scott has been down there for the 8 years I mentioned and has never caught a Triple Tail. I took some practice casts, to see how far I could cast the light shrimp on the spinning gear I had. I got up on the bow and took a cast blindly looking into the sun as I could not see the fish. I retrieved it and by then Scott had positioned the boat more to the South and I could easily see the Triple Tail resting next to the crab trap. I casted again and plunked the shrimp only a few feet in front of the fish’s mouth this time. Twitched it once and the Triple Tail made a mad dash towards the bait and 
it. I waited a few Seconds to make sure the fish had it, set the hook and it was GAME ON as Scott went bezerk. 
He could not believe that we actually had a Triple Tail Hooked Up. Well it was game on as I walked towards the back of the boat to fight this fish that was now directly below the boat making some short mad runs below the boat making the drag scream. I finally got him on top of the water and back to the transom where Scott hoisted it into the boat and the celebration began. 
Man we caught so many different types of fish it was unreal. 
I will try to list all the different types but I’m sure I’ll miss some: Triple Tail, Gag Grouper, Red Grouper, Hogg Snapper, Red Tail Snapper, Mangro Snapper, Vermillion Snapper, Parrot Fish, Trigger Fish, Grunts, Blue Runners, and Squirrel Fish. We basically caught most of these fish on a Bass set up (Spinning Rod Medium Action with 20 lb Braid or Mono). Do you want to talk about a fight……. Wow when you hook into a Decent Grouper, Hogg Snapper or Triple Tail……you have all that you can handle on this gear. Stacie and I both have bruises under our arms from shoving the rod in there for leverage. I had a few standoffs with some fish that I wasn’t quite sure I would get into the boat. Man fishing down there is always a different adventure, you never know what will be tugging on your line next. Typically we do not take Charters when I’m down there. Like we did on this trip, we just go out in Scott’s boat, and it makes it even more special when you tie into something big on your own vs. a charter. A luxury I’m privileged to have down there, a friend as crazy about hunting fish as I am about hunting. 
The best part of the whole vacation was spending it with Great friends and having great times on and off the water. Thanks again for the hospitality and the good times Scott and Tina. 
Stacie and I are already looking forward to our trip next year to the Keys in that new boat Scott 
I can’t wait to get back out on the water and for some more "HOT WHEELS, HOT WHEELS"! 
CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE
Scott and Stacie with thier HOGGS. Again Notice the difference in Color of the 3 females to the Male.
Sounds like a great time…thanks for the photo….oops I mean photos
A nice Gag Grouper
Scotts Red Grouper
I think it may be called a snowy Grouper also.
Another Trigger Fish
Funny story here: I started out baiting Stacies shrimp for her. After awhile of not much action Stacie wanted to bait her own shrimp (little Ms. Indpendent
). I do not think the jig hit bottom and she was fighting this Trigger Fish instantly. 
After that, she baited her own hook the rest of the day and caught fish after fish. 
I guess I wasn’t doing it right. 
2/3rds of the Group Shot
Sunset Pic!
Nice report and pictures Rob!
Sure is fun reading your report and looking at pictures of much, much different species of fish than what we normally see around here. Sounds like it was a blast catching them to.
p.s. – did Stacie tell you that your not doing it right? Ouch!
Boog
Hey Lip, did you do any backwater or shore fishing? I am heading to Bonita Springs (just south of where you were…)next week
for some snook fishing. Did you fish for snook at all? RR
Thanks Guys!
Jeff….. She did.
Man it was a blast, I can’t wait. I might have to break down there this Summer for the Tarpon Run.
I have been fortunate to be a part of some great days on the water down there. 
A few years back our crew made the Front Page of the Sports there with a Monster 11-12′ Mako Shark catch (estimated @ 500 lbs). Rare for the Warm water near there. Only the 2nd one in a long lon gtime. Funny thing is that was the fish we targeted. We were 60 miles off shore catching jacks and filleting them for shark bait. 
Kind of weird down there. You usualy catch bait first and then start throwing out the big gear for Jacks, Sharks, Groupers, Kings, etc. A LOT more to fishing down there then one would think. 
RR,We did not, but that is something I would like to do again. We could have opted for some Permit and Spanish Mackerel inshore. They were on the chew up in and aorund the Passes by us (Captiva, Sanibel, etc). I have tried a little bit for some snook on other trips but to no avail so far.
Excellent report.
Nice report Lip. Looks like you guys had a blast and some nice weather.
big g
Great report!!! I love saltwater fishing too. Roosterfish is next on my list.
Grouper & Snapper – it’s what’s for dinner!
Our fishing trip in FL was one of the best by far.
I couldn’t believe the fight in those fish! 
I am still blown away by how many different species we encountered. Scott (our friend in FL) kept saying how awesome and rare it was to be catching some of these fish…the Hog Snapper inparticular… he had only caught once before, in the 8 yrs he’s been there…and we landed 4 of them! 
This is a fishing trip I will not soon forget! Thanks again Scott! 
Sounds like you had a great fishing trip and by the photos looks like the weather was just as nice. Great job.
Awesome report and pic’s.
Rob and Stacie,
Great report, and Greater vacation.
Sounds like some special time together and with good friends.
Congrats..
Jack..
Looks like you had an awesome time! Good fishing and great friends…it can’t get any better than that! Unless of course you were bowhunting with great friends!
I second that Dartman, Cool pics! Thanks for sharing. Lip I was just wondering how big of a boat you needed to get off shore that distance? Does your buddy own his own? Just curious! Looks like a great time was had. Man you must get an a$$load of vacation time! Thanks again.
Great report thanks for sharing or teasing us still with ice on our lakes..
What the
Koonce, I think BFN needs a Jumbo Shrimp Plastic.
Copper, Since he has moved down there 8 years ago he bought a 21′ Pro-Line Center Console with a 200 hp SaltWater Series Yammy on it. It is fairly deep hull and sides on it. We have had that thing out there in some monster swells before. I know we have been out almost 40 miles off shore a few times in his rig. He is a member of SEA-TOW and Pays a premium every year, but fairly inexpensive if you consider the alternative if you break down. SEA-TOW will come get you and your boat where ever you are. It just might take awhile to get out there, but they will come.
He has his eye on a few boats that range from 30-32′ and will probably have twin 225 4 stroke Yammmies on the back is my guess. Above is the picture of his current rig on the lift after the last fishing trip. Fishing in Salt water is a pain. That water does some Nasty stuff to your gear. You need to rinse and scrub everything from the entire boat, Motor, rods, reels etc. every time you come off the water. All the “extra” work is well worth it though!
I have had some Pm’s asking me if or what Charter we took. I have yet to take a charter on any fishing trip down there. That may change sometime soon, but this is what my buddy Scott does all year long. We have either taken his boat or have gone with soemone he knows. This last trip it was just 6 friends out on his boat for an afternoon of fun.
Todd, I have another Buddy in Costa Rica that
them all the time. 
I have yet to get down there, but that is on my list also. 
Nice report Lip- I’m with RVRAT nice picture, oops we did it again, nice pictures.
John
Lip and Stacie great report ,
It must be nice to have a friends with a boat to play on while your down there on vacation. Better keep them around, any chance they are looking for some new friend 
Are them Red Snappers?
Nice report and fish
Anyone looking for some info on fishing in florida, http://www.floridasportsman.com is a great site. They were very helpful on the 3 trips we took to florida. They have seperate areas for each area of florida.
Dan
RangerSki, The Hog Snappers look very similar to the Red Snappers, but notice the curled nose on the Hogs we caught and the extra fins/tenatacles (hard to see) on top of of the fish by the Dorsal Fin. They are very similar in color also, but do not have that distinct line along the head. Also the extra Longer Y on the tail is a give away.
Ther pic here is a Red Tail Snapper. We have also cught those down there, man are they good eating. Sometimes Mangrove or Mango Sanpper are also confused or called Red Sanpper. We did catch some of those down there this past week.
Way cool report and pictures Rob
It had to be a blast catching up with good friends and catching a variety of fish.
I use to have some triggers in a salt water aquarium. Nothing the size of what was pictured here, but I know they are a cool and tough fish.
The snappers look very tasty also
Glad you all had a fun and safe trip
My wife and I were down at Marco Island, Fl. about 50 miles south of Ft. Meyers a couple of weeks ago and I went out fishing with my brother in law and his friend. We had good luck also. We were only able to go out about 4 miles because of the wind. We caught alot of blue runners, a couple of 3 ft. shovel head sharks and alot of others I don’t remember the names of. We were all getting fish on almost every cast. It was alot of fun. Then we moved back in to about 1000 feet from shore and started catching Pompanos. I also caught a different species of the grouper family. Man what a fight! I would do it again in a heartbeat.
4 WEEKS AND COUNTING!!!
My wife and I have a charter out of Miami Beach to see if we can catch a sail fish. Cant wait
Just back from a week on Sanibel Island….Great fishing in Pine Island sound…Pompano, Blue Fish, Sea Trout, Spanish Mackerel. Now going aftrer the eyes on pools 4 aqnd 5 next weekend…life is tough!
Sounds like you boys know what I’m talking about.
C Chap I hope you guys hook up.
That is one thing that is also on my list the next time we hit the Antlantic side or the Keys.
Pompano and Spaniosh Mackerel were on the chew 9in the passes by Captiva & Sanibel when I was down there.
I think I said Permit & Spanish Mackerel earlier. 
I’m taking the lap top along so if I get time I can post the picks while I’m down there.