Wrapping up the last week of fishing in Naples, Florida for the month of February. 

This month has felt more like June then February. Crazy hot air temperatures an even warmer water temperatures. It’s almost time for another cold front!  

Our fishing still remains on fire and all of the local gamefish are cooperating. Giant schools of Permit are all over the place. Most wrecks hold all sizes. From 10-20s seems to be the norm last few days. 

We have gotten some fish in 30 pounds range and also lost several more. The cobia fishing still remains incredible. We had wolf packs all around the boat today and yesterday and even this ginormous 50 pound came over the gunnel this week. 

The back country is starting to heat up as well. Perry’s boat has been running nonstop. Lots of inshore species are eating pilchards and the water is warming up nicely. 

This is the time I reach out and start saying that if you want to get some good dates with us, you need to book accordingly. Chunks are just being taken out of our calendar every day in a few more weeks we’re not gonna have any more room for the month of March. 

Please reach out to any of our captains to handle any of your charter services. 

Thank you the Bedell Captains. 

We have still been blessed with amazing weather. Incredible fishing and it doesn’t really feel like winter. Both boats are up and running. We are gearing up for a busy, busy March.

Our nearshore and offshore fishery is as good as it gets. February is usually a coin toss, but we have picked the right flip. 

This next week for the new moon phase incredible light winds extremely big tides, and the Permit & Cobia are going to be going off! We have seen these stars align before & next week is going to be one of those weeks. 

We still have a few spots available for Captain Perry’s boat between Monday and Thursday look incredible. I would not sleep on any of those dates if you’re trying to knock any of these bucket list fish off the list. 

Our inshore and backcountry fishery has been in kind of a state of disarray. When we get in these mid water column temperatures high 60s to low 70s the backcountry gets very tricky. Most of the snook & redfish have lockjaw. 

Also, offshore we have been running into a few tripletail running from spot to spot. Also, picking up a nice variety of snappers for the dinner table. Mixed in can be a flurry of drag, screaming cartwheeling, barracudas, which make for a great photograph as you can see. 

Our calendars are gearing up for a very busy spring. Lots of big chunks out of each month have already been taken. With the addition of captain, Perry’s boat and please reach out to anyone of our captains and we can make an unforgettable experience for you and your family. 

Looking for, and hopefully get a chance to see all of you on the water very soon. Tight lines. Thank you so very much! 

The Bedell Captains

Well, we have been completely blessed with a very short winter. The weather and fishing conditions have been more like a spring then winter. The fishing around here has been incredible to say the least. 

With air temps in the 80s water temperature in the mid-70s and no cold fronts in sight. We are all very excited about the work we have the next month.  

I can’t believe that we just rounded up January and we have been site casting to schools of Permit & Cobia off the inshore wrecks here in Naples. Absolutely crazy! 

The Permit have been ranging from 10 pounds to some high, mid 30s mixed in. They have been eating hand pick select shrimp very well, and even a few of the larger ones gobbling crabs. It’s nice to have a little mixed bag of both. 

The Wolfpack Cobia been showing up on the nice calm days and when the water gets in the mid 70s. Fish ranging from 5 pounds all the way to the mid 30s. Packs of twos. Packs of sevens. Even larger schools of 20s all around the boat. They are eating everything you throw at them. Have some larger tackle ready to go from jigs, plugs, and a variety of live baits. 

So between all that fun. Take one of those hand pics shrimp. Or a crab. Or a giant sardine. Or a pin fish and we have been putting on some Snook clinics. All slot fish even some larger 40s mixed in. We had one pop the leader at the boat today that was in the 20 pounds range. 

If this isn’t enough for you, the snapper and sheep head bite have been next to none. Great table fair, great fishing to do in between the difficult game fish bites and always nice to have a little groceries at the table for the family. 

We have both boats back up and running full-time now. Captain Perry’s boat just got back from a full rebuild and she is shiny brand new with a cherry on top. This is a perfect sister boat to our Sabalo and we are looking forward to getting her in the mix as of tomorrow. 

With that being said, please book accordingly, there already have had large chunks of our calendars taken out of February, March, April, May, and even June have been getting extremely busy. 

These months are prime time for permit and tarpon, and a lot of our clients have been listening over the years because a lot of those dates have been getting sucked up! Please don’t sleep on any of these amazing trips coming up in the future. 

We look forward to getting you on the water with our amazing team, tight lines everyone.  
Thank you the Bedell Captains.  

Let’s wrap up 2022 as we bust the door open for 2023. Incredible fishing to end the year to incredible fishing to start the new one.

We closed down last year with one of our busiest weeks of the year as always. We were blessed with some beautiful weather, busy schedules, and amazing fishing. 

We still remain putting all of our eggs in the offshore basket. When the weather has been like it has its feeling more like spring then winter. 

With this being said, obviously we can’t let our guard down. It is January, and it is the middle of winter. As it may not seem though. 

We did have a couple of days the water temp was in the low 60s air temp thirties to 40s. We did have a couple days last week that were very cold and we switched gears. 

That’s when we going to shrimp mode. Sheephead for instance. Great table fair, hard fighting not the prettiest things but they do get the job done.  Also, some likely characters are trout, mangrove snapper, black drum and redfish. Those are all winter staples when temperatures plummet.  

Now to where we have been shining on these warm winter months. The inshore wreck bite as been unstoppable! These spots have been thriving with Gamefish! 

On the nice days the cobia packs are still up high and floating. Anywhere from 10 pounds to 50 pounds just shows the diversity in the schools of fish. They are very curious and once located doubles and triples have not been uncommon. 

Also, on these wrecks have been an incredible Snook bite. When the water cools a lot of these fish move from them back country and intercoastal waterways to these inshore wrecks! All quality fish ranging from slot fish to well over slot. All of these are catch and release only. 

While running to the spots, we have encountered some nice Tripletail as well The fish are starting to show up around the stone crab traps they make for a great site fishing opportunity. Also incredible on the table. 
 
The goliath grouper, a.k.a. Jew fish, and the sharks never disappoint. They’re always a nice mix bag to target when things are slow and clients absolutely love the strength and endurance It takes to get these fish in for a photo. 

We are excited to be in this new year. Lots of good things are on the horizon for the OAM team. We hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday. We will see you on the water, tight lines. 

Thank you, the Bedell Captains. 

Well, some things have changed around here. Here is the last photo before old man winter showed up on our doorstep. We are doing everything we can to make this last week of the year memorable. 
  
As our fishing reports have shown for the last three or so months, the cobia fishing has been one for the record books. We were averaging 8-10 fish per half day trip.

That is going to be over for a little while until we can get some decent weather. 

With our temperatures now averaging in the low 40s. Water temperatures in the 50s we are definitely going to be switching gears. When are now in full winter swing. We definitely got the best of the fall and pre-winter. 

This week we are doubled up every day. With shrimp being on the table for Bait for the next few months. We might have a few warm up days and a few cherry pick days where we will be able to sneak offshore and play with some more cobia, Kingfish, Bonita, Gag Grouper, jewfish, sharks and Tripletail. 

With the shrimp being the bait of choice. Also of course our species are going to change. Sheephead , mangrove snapper, trout, redfish, and black drum will be the species around mid February. 

Also, some slow played artificial’s coming to play this time of year. We will be using a different variety of jigs tipped with shrimp just to try to cover some more of the water column. These work very well with a slow, retrieve and bounce on the bottom with the water being so cold. 

This is a very difficult time of year for us to fish. Ironically also everyone and their mother is here. We know everyone looks at our social medias and wants to cherry pick their favorite fish like they’re ordering it off the menu. With this being said. Please try to have some patience with us in these winter months.  

We want to deliver the best memories we can to you and your family. Please just remember this is not the type of fishing we do all year! If you come prepared, dress warm, you and your family will still have a fantastic day on the water! 

Merry Christmas and happy holidays from the Bedell Captains. 

Well, we had cobia for Halloween. We had cobia for Thanksgiving, and by the looks of it lots of cobia for Christmas! 

As long as the weather remain solid and beautiful, we can capitalize on herds, packs, and giant schools of these fish have infested our area. 

Also, let’s get real. It is December and these cold fronts are gonna start stacking. Hopefully we have enough flexibility to move or shuffle your offshore charter. 

With that being said, we are getting ready to switch gears into our winter grind next week lows in the 50s we will be shrimping it and trying to find some shrimp eaters and stay out of the cold. 

We’ve been very lucky with mild weather, and been able to capitalize on some offshore fishing. The triple tail, king fish, Bonita, should all be following suit in the next few days or so. 

Our calendars are jamming the week of Christmas and New Year’s. Captain Perry Bedell’s boat is getting ready to enter the fleet again and we will have all of those days to fill. 

Please keep an eye on our fishing reports and our calendars and make an unforgettable time for your family. 

Please continue to have tight lines until you’re on our bow! 

Thank you, the Bedell Captains. 

The transition from Thanksgiving to December has been a pretty amazing week of fishing.

Things are pretty much back to normal here in Naples, Florida. Lots of family tourist are in town. Our books are very busy. The weather is beautiful & fishing is off the charts.

Let’s start offshore. That’s where we’ve been fishing for the majority of the time since the beginning of October. If you time it right and keep your eye on the weather, you can cherry pick some amazing days for your family.

The cobia fishing still remains as solid as can be. There are still wolf packs, trains, herds, schools, whatever you wanna call it they’re everywhere. These curious fish are all over the water column. Frisky live bait or a well place jig or even a plethora of assorted Topwater plugs will get destroyed by these fish.

Let’s not forget about the table fair. These fish are delicious prepared anyway. You cannot mess them up. Although there has been a new rule adjustment this year these fish used to be 33 inches minimum to the fork now they are 36 inches to the fork. We have been catching a lot of smaller fish in 2021 models. Which are still fun site fished. Take a great photograph and released for next season.

Also, on these wrecks, we have been in countering incredibly large schools of Jack’s. All sizes from 5 to 20 pounds. These large packs of fish, just ravish and destroy anything insight. Toss a top water plug out in the middle and watch it get destroyed. Very cool stuff to witness.

Also, a large variety of Apex sharks. From bulls to sandbars, lemons, even occasional tiger, and hammerhead have been stopping by. These are great fish for the whole family. There’s no shame in the game and passing the rod over and letting everybody grab a turn. It’s incredible to feel the immense power these fish have, and it’s always great to see all the smiling faces.

Now, if that’s not enough for you, drop one of those chunks to the bottom and hold on with everything you got. The goliath grouper have been stopping by and visiting as well. We’ve been getting fish from 20 pounds all the way up to 150 these fish are dinosaurs. They eat anything and everything in sight and this is also a get the whole family involved because it’s very hard to do solo.  

Our month is getting very busy. Lots of people in town. Lots of beautiful weather around. Our books are jamming all month especially the end. If you or your family has any ideas of going out on one of our excursions, please let anyone of our captains know. We would love to get you and your family on the water this holiday season. Please have a safe one and we will see you on the water. 

Thank you, the Bedell Captains. 

We had cobia instead of turkey this year!

The cobia fishing remains as solid as it’s ever been. I believe our headcount for just this fall has reached 50+ fish! That’s not counting the ones lost at the boat or any others lost. Kind of incredible numbers considering we just had a category five hurricane go through here. 

Speaking of the hurricane and our area. Our area has bounced back and is very resilient like we always are after a storm. The water is beautiful fishing is incredible despite what the news says every day! 

We are full this week but still have room for a last minute half day here or there. We’ve got some beautiful weather all the way to Saturday with this oncoming front. 

Actually, Thanksgiving was gorgeous. We worked a full day last year and probably will again this year.

We hope everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving on the water!

Thank you the Bedell captains. 

If one fish has definitely been a staple this month. It’s been the Cobia! The Cobia fishing in Naples has been incredible for the last few months. Also with the numbers of fish that we were seeing we don’t see it stopping anytime soon! 

These fish can be an amazing sight fishing opportunity! For the most part. They’re not very picky. We’ve been hooking them anywhere from straight off the bottom. The mid water column. Even picking off fish at the surface from the tower. 

Most of the time with a hooked fish on the bottom. Halfway through the fight he will bring up lots of friends. That’s when we’re ready with any kind of artificial, jigs, even flies. Great opportunities happen very quickly! 

The wrecks have also been providing great table fare of mangrove snapper. Along side with these great tasting cobia makes for a nice mixed bag meal!  

We are completely gearing up and getting ready for the holiday season. We are taking the delivery of our complete restore of our second boat this weekend it is 100% brand new from bottom to top. 

This area took a devastating hit just a short time ago, but everything is open and we are anxious and ready to get back to work and get you on the water! 

In this downtime we have also started a YouTube channel for OAM team called Guide’s Day Off. Please check it out. 

Thank you the Bedell Captains. 

Fall fishing is in full swing and completely off the charts! Book your trips now to get in on some of this amazing fishing! 

The Cobia have completely invaded our area. Fish in all sizes. Definitely a few for the table. Also even more being released! We have been picking these fish up off the top and the bottom even the middle water column. Also site fishing packs of these fish off the surface with a well-placed fly or artificial has been sealing the deal as well. These fish are starving and hungry and cooperating like we love them too! 

In the same areas we have also been been rewarded by some massive offshore Snook. These fish are also eating everything from a frisky live bait to artificials as well! The Snook are a little more cunning and will try to break you off in the structure as much as possible. Please bring your A game! 

We have also been dabbling with some goliath groupers. A.k.a. the Jewfish! These fish also variety in sizes from 10 pounds to some little more manageable ones in the 60-80 pound range. We love these sizes, these are very manageable you can get them in rather quickly and released even quicker for the conservationist. These fish are protected, but a quick photo usually follows! 

We have also been noticing a lot of crabbers setting their stone crab traps out for season. Most everyone knows with the site of these the triple tail will soon be near! We have been seeing some little ones already lining up. Only a matter of time before the big prehistoric dinosaurs are up high and floating. Another amazing site fishing opportunity. Also amazing on the table. One of our favourites! 

Let’s also visit what just happened to our area. We all know that most of the world has seen the pictures and the devastation from our area. With this being said of course the news exaggerates a lot of this. We are not sugarcoating any of it, our friends and fellow guides to the north really took a devastating blow. On a lighter note we fared very well, our area our boats, our captains are eager and anxious to get back on the water! 

With this storm we have had lots of cancellations and lots of reschedules. We just wanted everybody to know we are up and running fishing is on fire and we are very much looking forward to getting this season underway.

Hope to see you all on the water very soon. Thank you the Bedell Captains.