My wife Laura and I enjoyed a day catching Spanish mackerel and ladyfish with Capts. Jimmy Burnsed and Jim Burnsed on May 15.
They are a father-son team based at 'Tween Waters Resort on Florida's Captiva Island. Joining us in the morning were Mick Gildehaus and Cherie Gildehaus of Warrenton, Mo.
With the tide rolling, we spent the morning fishing the hurricane cut between North Captiva and South Captiva islands for Spanish mackerel and ladyfish. The Spanish macks were considerably bigger than what I'm accustomed to catching farther north, and they fought very well on medium spinning tackle. The ladyfish also were quite a bit bigger than usual.
The highlight of my day was the four-foot blacknose shark that I caught. Mick Gildehaus caught a large stingray.
It was also a delight to see my first sea turtle loafing in the swells.
Fishing with the elder Burnsed in the afternoon was a different experience. We did the same kind of fishing, but he's quieter and more laid-back.
Joining us for that excursion was Scott Willett and Deb Willett of Middletown, Conn.
We started the afternoon trying to catch a tarpon. A big one rolled nearby several times, but it wouldn't take our bait. From there we spent a few more hours catching Spanish macks and ladyfish, but we ended the day fishing some downed wood near a seawall.
The snook were eager to play. Scott Willett and I caught two apiece to put the cherry on a sweet day of fishing.
For information about fishing with the Burnseds, visit sanibelcaptivafishing.com.
Sports on 05/24/2015