With the kids out of school, after a great year, I was able to escape to the water, with just my son and nephew to Estero Bay for the day. It was also my Nephew’s birthday, so the days’ itinerary was all up to the kids. We started, per request, looking for some spotted sea trout by drifting shallow grass flats with live shrimp under popping corks. With not a bite, and a too fast drift anyhow, we idled to a nearby point where we got the fish catching started. Several snapper came to the boat, including a couple of decent keepers, and some small snook added to the fun.



When the bite tapered off it was time to head to the beach for the boys to play and swim, and I could hunt for some live fishies to add to the livewell for bait. The wind was up, we were actually lucky to not get any rain besides a brief drizzle, and the onshore breeze had the near shore water actually rough. We got back inside the bay as quickly as possible and found a quiet spot inside New Pass where the boys got their beach fix in. After the beach fun, it was time to seriously fish the now sufficiently high tide. As we headed back into Estero Bay, there were some birds diving along a shallow sandbar where a couple throws of the castnet got us enough small threadfins and whitebait to fish with. The action started immediately on the mangrove lined point we set up on next.



Ladyfish, snapper and small snook where pouncing on any bait we put out in the now nicely outflowing current. The birthday boy, my nephew CJ, had the hot hand for the day, although my boy kept reminding us that he caught the keeper snapper, with several small snook. Both kids did great keeping their baits out of the trees, as we worked our way along the shoreline using the trolling motor.



CJ got a just under slot redfish that made his day. Until he hooked and battled this nice snook to the point, after which he complained his arms were now tired.



With a couple of tired kids and darkening skies we headed back to the ramp, where we fed some monster snook the last of our bait before we loaded the boat on the truck, and the kids were asleep before I left the parking lot.