Sam Kirkland & The FWC’s Best Sanibel & Captiva Wade Fishing Tips!
Best Sanibel & Captiva Wade Fishing Tips, Throwing Castnet For Bait, Sanibel & Captiva Islands, Photo Credit – MyFWCmedia.
Sam Kirkland reflected on his year’s at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and shared some best Sanibel & Captiva wade fishing tips before he leaves the agency! Here is what he had to share.
- Watch your tides. Never fish a low tide.
- High tides can be tricky as well. If the water isn’t moving, the bait is not moving.
- Get a pair of wading shoes or diving boots and wear them religiously. There are a lot of sting rays out there.
- Fish on a stringer. Make sure you have a long stringer and let them float away from you. In 25 years, Kirkland only had one problem with a shark coming for his fish, but he says he sure was glad those fish weren’t right next to him.
- Think like a fly fisherman and “match for the hatch” by using bait on which fish are feeding. Kirkland prefers finger mullet, alewives and bull minnows.
- Don’t overfill your bait bucket. You only need 10 to 20 specimens at a time. More than that can kill the bait.
- Protect yourself from the sun. Kirkland wears long sleeves, a hat, a Buff and good polarizing sunglasses and says all are a must.
- Of course, make sure you have something to cover the buttons on your shirt if you plan to use a cast net for bait.
For more on wade fishing, please see Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
