The South West Florida winter just doesn't seem to want to subside.  Moving into the middle of April, we are still seeing northern blows and weak fronts... But, they seem to have about run their course, and our trend looks to be moving along the summer temperature trend.  That means it's time to go TARPON FISHING!!!!  As a SWFL guide, we live for this season.  Giant schools of Tarpon moving into our area from the north and south.  We will hunt these giant groups of fish in crystal clear water, using live bait and lures.  There has never been a better time to book a Tarpon charter for summer time in South West Florida!!!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946
www.palmislandoutfitters.com

For the last week in March/first week of April, we had another cold front.  This spring has been a trend of getting right with water temps and trends, and resetting...  It's really has been a grind.  With the latest Easter front, our water temperature dropped 13 degrees in the bay.  So, we reset into a winter trend and caught pompano, spotted sea trout, and flounder. We are looking forward to the summer season, it's time for the water to get warm around Palm Island.  With that said, it's great time to book your adventures with Palm Island Outfitters.

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946
www.palmislandoutfitters.com
www.charlotteharborchronicles.com

With some cooler temperature, we turned our attention back gulf side last week.  The plummeting Gulf water temps, moved some nice triple tail back into our area.  We were able to take advantage of calm winds and flat seas.  It has been a great winter season for this fishery, what a fantastic time to go fishing in South West Florida.

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946
www.palmislandoutfitters.com
www.charlotteharborchronicles.com

With good spring temperatures on the horizon, the fishing is getting good around the bay and intercoastal waters. Guides throughout the harbor are catching pilchards, and transitioning into spring trends. That means snook are a main targeted species. We look for these groups of fish at "traditional" locations.  Because of the moratorium on inshore species, Snook are still catch and release in our region.  That means great numbers, and plenty of smiling faces with bent rods!!!  It's a fantastic time to go fishing in South West Florida.

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946
www.palmislandoutfitters.com
www.charlotteharborchronicles.com

With warmer than typical air temperatures this month, our inshore water temperature has sky rocketed!  With that, and calmer winds last week, conditions set up for a good few days of inshore fishing this weekend.  Our good clients the Neimishine's, got a good look at an early spring school of redfish. These fish will push into our bays and flats as the water temperature continues to increase, flooding out of the creeks hungry and looking to feed.  This is a great time to go fishing in South West Florida!!!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946
www.palmislandoutfitters.com
www.charlotteharborchronicles.com

With winter cold fronts on the weekly basis, we fisherman in South West Florida are in the depths of winter... Honestly, with all joking aside, it's cold in Florida.  So, that gives us guides a chance to fix some gear, do maintenance on the boats and trailers, and get geared up for the upcoming spring season.  Our clients should be doing the same... This is the time of year we start booking our Tarpon fishing slots for the Spring-Summer season. So, if you have ever wanted to make your Tarpon fishing dreams a reality, now is the time to contact your most favorite guide, and ink in your day! Tarpon season is on the horizon, and that fishing friends, is the most exciting time to fish South West Florida!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946
www.palmislandoutfitters.com
www.charlotteharborchronicles.com
   

The Christmas cold weather had our local fishing fleet turning towards winter trends over the holiday push. Inshore jig fishing for pompano throughout the bay produced good numbers of fish.  Trout, lady fish, blue fish, and mackerel are all by-catch and keep our anglers busy during drifts.  Nearshore, our sheepshead have started to gather on our areas artificial reefs.  Bottom fishing with cut and live baits, is a great way to fill a cooler with some food fish during your stay in South West Florida.  

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946
www.palmislandoutfitters.com
www.charlotteharborchronicles.com

With December cold fronts now coming in weekly, we might have done our last bit of snook fishing for 2020.  We saw bay temperature at 65 degrees this past weekend, but we were still able to manage a few "linesiders".  The deeper grass and sand bottom channels of the bay, will hold more of the fish inshore, with cooler temps. Redfish, pompano, trout, flounder, lady fish, and mackerel can all be caught inshore during our winter months.  Nearshore, our triple tail fishing has kicked off with a bang.  Every trip we went on last week, yielded keeper fish.  It's a fantastic time to go fishing in South West Florida!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946
www.palmislandoutfitters.com
www.charlotteharborchronicles.com

The cold fronts this fall will begin to drop the water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico.  This will begin to push our seasonal benthic fish south.  Cobia, kingfish, Black fin Tuna, and triple tail will be our target species naearshore for the month of November.  Inshore we will start to see some of our hot bite snook fishing start to tail off with cooling temperature.  But, we begin to jig fish our deeper sand bottom channels and target pompano, trout, and flounder.  Fall season is a fantastic time to go fishing in South West Florida!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946
www.palmislandoutfitters.com
www.charlotteharborchronicles.com

"Our fall weather has arrived in Florida".  That phrase is a local joke here in the state.  Because, the only true change we really see is, water temperature starting to decrease because of all the rain.  Other than that, it's still pretty hot throughout the state.  The fish don't seem to mind at all, because they really enjoy our fall season and some cooler water.  The snook fishing has been just plain good inshore.  We are really starting to see our redfish stocks locally bounce back a bit.  Still not like 2016, but we are catching some while snook fishing shorelines throughout the bay.  It's a fun time to go fishing in South West Florida!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946
www.palmislandoutfitters.com
www.charlotteharborchronicles.com