CTFishTalk.com: 01/28 Gulf of Mexico - M/V Lady Brett - Naples, FL - Connecticut Out of State Reports ( CT Out of State Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

Although I told myself that I'd spend all of my time with my wife and my mother while visiting my mother down here in Naples, after only two days of just combing the beach and shopping, I started looking for a deep sea party boat (aka head boat) out of Naples Bay. A Google search on my cellphone browser took me to the M/V Lady Brett:

http://www.purenaples.com/fishing/head-boats/fishing-options/

For $85, I fished with a group of 10 anglers from 1:00 pm to 5:30 pm. After travel time through Naples Bay and out to small reefs in 40 feet of water only three to four miles offshore, we fished for less than three hours. We dropped cut bait (i.e., squid and mackerel) to the bottom. Unfortunately, the bite was slow. A recent cold spell and rains had cooled and clouded the water. Plus, dead low tide hit around 4:00 pm, so the water wasn't moving very much. I ended up boating more than a dozen fish, but got only three keeper Lane Snappers, which says something about the size of the fish I caught, because a keeper Lane Snapper is only eight inches long. All of the fish I boated were under a foot long. And the 10 of us managed to boat only one keeper grouper that was slightly over 20 inches long.

I had a great time, though. After all, I was fishing, not combing the beach or shopping. Wink

It was a beautifully warm, sunny and calm day. After our last cast, we saw a tiger shark swim slowly past the stern right on the surface. During our slow transit through Naples Bay, we saw dolphins riding the wake of the boat. I didn't take any photos, except for this one of a bald eagle sitting atop a dead tree:

Captain Jason and Mate Johnson (aka Jonathan) were great. No fishing license was required and the boat was well suited to the size of our group. If I were to have another urge to wet a line, I wouldn't hesitate to book a spot on the M/V Lady Brett, again.

Oh, and the pan fried Lane Snapper fillets were absolutely delicious. Very Happy

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DirtyDawg10 · Joined: 27 May 2009 Posts: 2238 Location: Granby, CT

Definitely better than sitting on the beach.

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629