Captain Phil Snook
Captain Phil Redfish:
28 inches
Captain Tom
Captain Tom
Captain Phil
Redfish:
31 inches
10 pounds
Cobia:
36 inches
24 pounds
Ed with a Winner !!!"Let's GO on a Fishin Mission"
Fort Myers / Cape Coral / Pine Island
Matlacha / Sanibel Island / Captiva Island
Lee County (Southwest) Florida ~ United States
A Message From Captain Phil:
Welcome to one of my websites. It is my desire that these sites provide you with everything you need to know to plan your next fishing charter. Please take time to look at each page and do contact me if you have any questions.
I have fifteen years experience fishing the local near shore and shallow backwaters here in southwest Florida. I can put you on the big fish or just help you catch that personal best. I enjoy taking digital photos of your catch and I always make those special photos available to you by email.
Plan your own personal trip or bring a client along; I love teaching you my techniques. My boat is the perfect fishing platform for all the great local fishing action.
Southwest Florida’s coast is known for its white sand beaches, and tourists enjoy the barrier islands for shelling, swimming and other activities. There are a number of public boat launch locations providing access to island beaches and mazelike mangrove waterways where nearly 200 species of fish are known to reside.
No matter what time of year you visit The Beaches of Southwest Florida (Sanibel & Captiva islands, Fort Myers Beach, Fort Myers, Bonita Springs & Estero, Cape Coral, Matlacha, Pine Island, Boca Grande & Outer islands, Charlotte Harbor & the gulf islands), the fishing is phenomenal. Temperate waters welcome large gaming fish in the spring like our famous tarpon and grouper, and year-round catches of succulent snapper and redfish are common.
The beaches on the Gulf of Mexico in southwest Florida offers myriad inshore and offshore fishing opportunities, from shorelines, bridges and piers to deep sea casting and backcountry boating. In fact, the destination is considered one of the greatest areas in Florida for saltwater fly-fishing and light tackle fishing, the fastest growing segments in the industry. The area has earned its reputation as a "fisherman's paradise," with many world-record fish catches in its waters.
Deep channels along mangrove stands often harbor snook searching for a meal. Edges of sea grass beds hold many types of predatory fish, but we need to stay off the shallow grass flats to prevent propeller damage to these critical marine nurseries. Beaches, piers, bridges and docks also provide excellent fishing to people of all ages and experience levels. A saltwater license is required for non-residents older than 16 without a Licensed Captain. Captain Phil provides the Boat, Fuel, Fishing License, Spinning Rods, Reels, Tackle, Bait, and a Cooler with ice.
Angling trips in Florida are usually marked by deep sea angling. Southwest Florida (places in the area around Naples, Florida, for example) holds the best variety and quality backwater salt water angling. The four major fish types that fishermen come here to catch are the snook, spotted seatrout, redfish and tarpon. If you're lucky enough to catch one of each species, you can brag about getting a “grand slamâ€. The angling here is especially good because of the area's strict rules about marine cleanliness and keeping the area pristine for aquatic life.
There are abundant saltwater fishing opportunities here in our area to catch trophy size snook, tarpon, redfish, goliath groupers and other species that make this your best stop for recreational fishing in Southwest Florida. Savvy professional guides can help anglers find lots of biting fish in any season. Florida definitely is the Sportfishing Capital of the World. Charter boats provide anglers of any expertise personalized attention and instruction from an experienced guide.
The Tarpon Capital of the World is reeling with opportunities to catch big fish. Tarpon is one of the most sought-after fish in the world, and the Fort Myers/Sanibel area annually experiences one of the world's largest tarpon migrations. From Boca Grande Pass to the reefs off of Sanibel Island and Fort Myers Beach, tarpon migrate by the thousands during the months of April, May and June. (There are some year-round resident tarpon, but they are usually inconsistent and fishing activity is spotty.)
Every spring, tarpon fishermen head for the "Tarpon Capital of the World" to fish famous Boca Grande Pass. During this time of year there are numerous sponsored tournaments, several with large cash prizes. Most anglers fishing the pass are recreational fishermen, and most hire a fishing guide who provides the boat, equipment, bait, knowledge and a fishing license to pursue the much sought after, 150-200-pound giants.
Fishing in Florida is easy, exciting and fun. There are so many productive places to fish in the state it's not stretching the truth to say if you see some water and it's more than a few inches deep, it's worth checking out. There's probably fish to be caught. There are close to 100 species of fish for anglers can catch. Angling on the open water of the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico can make your trip to the southern United States both exciting and memorable.
The fish are biting and the days are lazy come summer in southwest Florida. So it's time to grab some bait and try to hook a grand prize or at least put up a good fight.
A true sportsman never keeps more fish than regulations permit, nor keeps more than necessary for a gourmet meal or two. Releasing a fish after the battle ensures fishing for future generations.
The fact that you can fish every day of the year adds to the state's attraction as a fishing mecca. Your chances of catching what you want do vary with the time of year and where you're fishing so if you are planning a trip check with a knowledgeable local bait and tackle store, marina or fishing guide before you go.
My “Fishin Mission†is to make your fishing trip truly memorable. Hook up with "A Fishin Mission" professional charter for the most carefree and successful fishing trip. Reservations strongly suggested, especially in high season. Some visitors book well in advance to be sure of their first choice in guides.
Capt. Phil Evans
Email me at: [email protected]
Click Here to Reserve your * Fishin' Mission * Trip in Southwest Florida
http://www.afishinmission.com
© 2007 A Fishin' Mission
As a charter guide or fishing guide Capt. Phil prides himself in light tackle saltwater fishing for permit, trout, redfish, snook, and tarpon in the shallow water and backwater areas of pine island sound, Sanibel, Captiva, Cape Coral, Ft Myers, Fort Myers and the near shore waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Florida is a premiere destination for light tackle anglers all over the world and the unique estuary found in these shallow waters offers some of the best fishing anywhere. Flats fishing as it is called here requires the use of a flats boat or bay boat and Capt. Phil’s 24 foot bay boat made by Pathfinder, a division of the Maverick Boat Company, is one of the best fishing platforms available. This is day one of two fishing trips planned with Capt. Phil Evans. We had heard from friends that Capt. Phil is one of the best charter guides in all Southwest Florida, ( SW Florida ). Redfish Fever: It was a warm summer morning when my son, Seth, and I arrived at the boat ramp at Matlacha Pass on Pine Island . It was still dark and the wind was dead calm. Capt. Phil had the 24 Pathfinder in the water and the Yamaha 4 stroke outboard engine was quietly warming up. We loaded our gear and shoved off for what was going to be a great day on the water. Phil told us that he had plans to get an inshore slam for each of us. We headed north going under the Matlacha Pass Bridge in search of bait. It wasn’t long before Phil located what he was looking for, birds. He explained to us that the birds are diving on the bait. That’s one thing nice about Capt. Phil, he does an excellent job of teaching and explaining all his secrets and tips. He knows that his clients want information; they get their moneys worth. Phil positioned the boat and lowered the trolling motor quietly into the water. As we moved slowly toward the bait he readied the cast net. With one single cast, the ten foot net opened fully, like a pancake, catching all the bait we could possible need. Phil handed each of a rod with a lure attached and said for us to make a few casts and catch some lady fish. Those little fish were fun to catch performing all sorts of jumps as we reeled them in. We caught a half dozen lady fish before Phil said we have enough. With the live well full of bait we were off to mangrove islands; the mangroves. Phil said the tide is very important to our success and it would be perfect in one hour. He positioned the Pathfinder bay boat at the mouth of a creek and lowered the Power Pole using the remote in his pocket. The power pole is a fantastic new shallow water anchoring system that is absolutely dead quite. He prepared two rods with lady fish chunks and two with live baits. He explained to us that he was using circle hooks and therefore he did not want us to jerk the rod to set the hook. He had barely finished giving us the instructions when the first rod bent over. It was one of those with a lady fish chuck of cut bait. I picked up the rod and as soon as the slack in the line was gone, I lifted the rod tip and the fight was on. Either the drag was loose or I had a very nice fish. Shortly I had the upper hand and the fish was slowly coming my way. Phil got the net ready and soon the fish was ours. After a quick measurement, Phil said she is too big. I exclaimed “what do you mean too big”. Then Phil reminded me that redfish must be between 18” to 27” (a fish within these two limits is called a slot fish) overall length with the tail pinched to make the fish as long as possible; mine was 29” and weighed 9½ pounds according to the IGFA certified scale that Phil has on board. Just then another rod went down and Seth grabbed it; another nice battle and another tight line. Soon Seth had the redfish along side and Phil scooped him up in the net. This time we had a slot fish – 26” and almost 8 pounds exactly – a nice keeper. We continued with great action for a full hour then Phil said lets go get some trout. Phil took us on a short ride out into Charlotte Harbor passing just offshore of Bokeelia, on the most northern end of Pine Island , on our way to Pine Island Sound. As we passed Jug Creek on our left Phil slowed the boat and lowered the trolling motor. He positioned us over a nice grass flat where he said some nice trout had been caught yesterday. Phil handed us a rod outfitted with a pink tail grub on a jig head. He showed us areas he called “pot holes” and he said for us to aim for and cast beyond them. Sure enough we started catching spotted sea trout, aka trout. We seemed to catch a lot of undersized fish, shorter than 15”. It seemed like no time had passed before we had our limit of legal size trout. Phil said it was time to work the bushes for some snook. He pulled up the trolling motor and fired up the 250 hp Yamaha. What a nice quiet engine but wow does it push that 24 Pathfinder. I looked at the 10” color Garmin GPSMAP and it said we were doing 55 mph. We stopped near a mangrove island, to fish the bushes also called mangroves. I could look across Pine Island Sound and see Redfish Pass , Captiva Pass and the pass created by Hurricane Charlie in 2004. Phil looked in the live well for the perfect “white bait” to put on our hooks. He showed us how to make casts back up under the overhanging mangrove limbs. For this we were using Owner 3/0 j-hooks, which meant that we had to set the hook. The first area only produced a few undersized snook, so Phil moved the boat. The same story at two more locations but finally we hit the big ones. By now we were way down by the power lines that cross over to Sanibel and Captiva. He took us to several spots that produced some real nice action; slot size fish. Now we had both caught our inshore slams and it was time to make our way back to the ramp. We continued south around St. James City and back into the shallow waters of Matlacha Pass. What a wonderful day we had. Thanks Capt. Phil – you made memories that my son and I will never forget. Tarpon Magic: As my dad and I pulled away from the house, I was already envisioning the giant silver king. We arrived at Punta Rassa shortly after 7am. The winds were calm and the sun had just begun to peek over the tree tops. Captain Phil, a local southwest Florida legend and Christian charter guide seemed to be eager about the adventure to come. As we idled down the channel Phil shared his plans for the day. We headed to the Sanibel, Captiva causeway, C-span (the bridge closest to Sanibel), in hunt for large thread-fin herring, the live-bait of choice for large Tarpon and Snook. The current was ripping ocean-side toward the San Carlos Bay area just off Ft. Myers Beach . Phil maneuvered the Pathfinder bay boat in and out of pilings. I noticed his face light up; about the same time I saw the tell-tale upside-down rain drops produced by large bait just under the surface. Phil already had his ten foot 3/8” net in hand as we drifted back through. The net opened flawlessly. I could not believe the effort it took to bring the net boat-side. I scurried toward the gunwale to help bring the enormous catch in. We scored; one cast, and we had all the bait we could need for a week of fishing. Phil eased the net over the side and released the enormous threads into the well. We were off. As we passed the light house on the southern end of Sanibel, Point Ybel, I asked Phil where we were headed. He pointed west into the Gulf of Mexico, toward the horizon, in the direction of Knapp’s Point, the southern most bend in the Sanibel Island . A large congregation of boats had already begun fishing near the shore. As we neared Knapp’s, I saw the first king of the day, a free jumper, nice size too. Phil also saw the fish and headed in that direction. We were just east and slightly off-shore from the central pack off boats. The breeze was coming from the southeast so Phil decided to position the boat just east of the free-jumper. We began our drift in 17 feet of water. He cast out two enormous threads, both on the surface, about 20 yards behind the boat. No more than ten minutes passed when one of the poles bent over and the drag started screaming. My dad quickly grabbed the rod. Seconds later, the giant fish launched out of the water. “Tarpon”, Phil yelled, “Bow-Bow to the silver king!” Dad followed the direction of our fearless captain. The fish put on a fantastic show for us. Dad fought the fish for nearly 45 minutes before the fish finally tired enough to bring it along side the boat. Phil reached out and grabbed the leader. He brought the beast alongside the port gunwale. He was armed with his IGFA certified 60 pound Boca grip. The Boca closed around the fish’s tough lower-jaw, near the corner. He removed the hook and positioned the fish so that the water moved freely over its gills. Phil raised the giant’s head out off the water and estimated the fish to weigh in excess of 125 pounds. I grabbed the camera and took numerous photos. This was to be the first of three Tarpon we were going to release this day. Phil said let’s run offshore and see if the permit are still here. We ran to the southwest for 20 minutes to a depth of 35 feet. I could not believe my eyes, hundreds of permit on the surface. Phil reached into his small live well where he had some small crabs. Sometimes the tarpon like a crab but the permit love a crab. He rigged two light tackle rods with crabs and we were ready to fish. We made a nice, but long cast toward the pod. A monster turned on my crab and I set the hook. Dad was extremely happy as I had never caught permit. The drag was screaming as Phil fired the engine for the pursuit. After what seemed like a long time the beautiful permit gave up and Phil grabbed it by the tail and pulled it in the boat. After Dad got several nice photos we released the fished un-harmed. What a great day we were having. Our next mission was to boat a couple of nice Snook. Phil decided we would head back over to the beaches of Sanibel to a place called “Snaggle Rocks”. As we neared the site, we were relieved to find no others boats fishing this hot little spot. We approached the rocks which were nestled very close to the shore. The water was only a couple of feet deep. Phil carefully and quietly deployed the sea claw anchor and it immediately grabbed and we began fishing. A nice school of jacks swam by, just short of the rocks. Just then my line went tight and the fight was on; I thought it was a jack. Only a moment later my snook started jumping. It was a really nice Snook. Phil put the Boca on the fish and removed the hook. The giant Snook was 41 inches long and weighed in at almost 21 pounds; a monster. I was amazed; it was by far the largest Snook I ever caught and the largest I ever saw in person. We caught several gorgeous Trout before my dad had his chance. Dad saw a large boil at the surf-line. He cast out a large thread and just missed the sand. As he gave the bait a tug the water blew up. We could clearly see it was a large Snook. Dad fought the fish for a few minutes. Phil brought the giant in the boat. It measured in at 39 inches. By now it was approaching 5pm so we decided to call it a day. I had a chance to reflect upon all of the day’s action, as we speeded back to Punta Rassa. Dad and I were both tired from the monsters we had caught and released today. As we approached the dock, Dad and I were so grateful we had a chance to fish the famous Tarpon grounds of Fort Myers . The mission was a success and we were proud of our accomplishment. I saw Dad slip Capt. 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