The weather in SWFL has been changing, It's starting to finally look like spring here. We have had a blustery March and April thus far, and are anticipating the wind and weather to begin a more consistent pattern for the end of the month. 

Inshore... Redfish, Trout, and Snook are the target species. Redfish have rebounded nicely after more than a few years of epic red tide events. There are both adolescent and adult breeder fish moving in and around the bay.

This months pictures come from two local anglers and coaches at Lemon Bay highschool. Coach Huber and Coach Southwell are both avid anglers, and have been riding an afternoon trend for a few weeks now. They report that the bite has been great for artificial and coach Huber caught his Personal Best Redfish!!! Along with coach Southwell landing a great SWFL snook!!! 

Well fishing followers... It's my first report since hurricanes Helene and Milton. Yes, two storms in succession ravaged our area of Manasota Key, Englewood Beach, Palm Island, and Don Pedro Island. 

We are still in recovery mode. As most you know, both our areas of operation were severely damaged by storm surge. Our Palm Island/Don Pedro clients with elevated residence, got whacked with sand and estimated 5'-6' of water under their homes. Any enclosed structures under the homes were destroyed. All pools and equipment were filled with water and sand/much or washed away. But, it's the amount of debris in the waterways around the island that will take the most time to remediate. 

Manasota Key and Englewood Beach got the same treatment. The difference was, there is more population density, and a higher percentage of ground based units under FEMA flood elevation. These ground based homes were destroyed. Some, with severe structural damage and the inability to rebuild. This area has the longest road back in recovery. 

So, "we" a collective of fishing guides have been helping during this recovery process where we can. Weather it's moving sand to the beach, hauling trash to the curb, doing flood cuts and demolition on the units. Wherever we can be of service, we are going. We are operating under our "Banyan Breeze Builders" LLC that was started after hurricane Ian in 2022.

The outlook for timeline as I see it is this. It's possible by March, that we will have boats running. The reality is, business is going to be slow until the units dedicated to our travel clientele come back online. That timeline will be on a individual owners basis and could take years to make whole again. So for fishing guides that rely on visitors and travel income, next season will be a tough one. 

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

Fishing around Manasota Key, Boca Grande, and Palm Island has been great this July!!! The summer time inshore bite has been fairly consistent. Getting out early has been working well for us. Snook fishing on the early morning incoming tides, is producing good consistent "catch and release" action. For keeper fish, we are targeting our inshore mangrove snapper. Most snapper caught are within 10-16" and with full bag limits for your party, it's a fun way to catch some really good tasting fish for dinner.

Tarpon are still lingering about... Some days there are fish in "Big pass". Some days there are scattered fish on the beach, and fish scattered in the harbor.  It's a go to know scenario at this point in the season. But, there are definitely still plenty of shots out there to be had.  It's a fantastic time to go fishing in South West Florida.

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946

Summer time fishing is getting hot! "Pun" intended there. The warm weather has the fish moving into a summer time trend. That means some great snook fishing is to be had throughout the fishery.

Snook stack up in and around most of the passes or inlets. Snook can be found tight to heavy cover, or in close proximity to anything that can block or slow the current flow. Fishing for snook on crystal clear, early morning tides can be some of the most fun fishing we do all summer time.

If you aren't into the Tarpon thing, summer time snook fishing is the next best thing! With all fish pictured in this report being caught in the last 7 days... It's a fantastic time to go fishing in South West Florida!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946

Tarpon Season is here! It's hot, hot, hot! With daytime temperatures reaching into the mid 90's, the water temperatures have absolutely skyrocketed!

Tarpon are pouring into our areas from all directions of our fishery. There has never been a more exciting inshore #gamefish to target! Tarpon pull hard, have aerial acrobatics that are unmatched, and can get a case of "lock jaw" at a moments notice, all while maintaining the possibility of chewing the bottom off the boat!

They are truly the #silverking. With Tarpon season in full swing, it's a fantastic time to go fishing in South West Florida!

Redfish!!! It's been an awesome spring fishing season so far. We are starting to see "lots" of Redfish moving throughout the bay. We are even seeing some "breeder" sized fish, not just the smaller juvenile fish we would expect coming back from Red Tide.  We are not allowed to keep the redfish in Charlotte harbor, but it's great to allow clients opportunities to catch them. With our redfish population on the rebound, it's a fantastic time to go fishing in South West Florida!!!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946

With rising temperatures, we have entered the "Goldilocks Zone"!!! From now, until the summer heats and rains set in, is the best time to #spring fish in #SWFL!!! #Snook, #redfish, and #trout are being caught on every trip; both morning and afternoon tides!!! With two owned boats available to book, and two #Native Captains at the helm!!! It's a great time to go fishing in #SWFL!!!


Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946

Our spring fishing has kicked off with a bang!!! This years relentless winter, has given way to an "Oven baked" spring!!! We had temperatures this week, that started in the low 50's, and rose to nearly 90 degrees!!! Those rising temperatures, have made the fish respond positively!!! 

Morning half days are producing a good bite for keeper trout, and snook on deeper shorelines, because the tides are still in the winter solstice... But, the afternoons... with the turn and help from the westerly winds, and a healthy incoming tide, have been producing redfish, snook, and trout... with incredible consistency!!!

It's a fun time to go fishing in South West Florida!!!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946

The pompano fishing in the bay remains strong. With the forecast calling for highs in the low 80's for the next 10 days, we anticipate bait fishing to kick off within that time frame. Transitioning nto spring conditions Snook, redfish, and trout are our bread and butter trips. With spring conditions on the horizon, it's a fantastic time to go fishing in South West Florida!!!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946

The pompano fishing throughout the bay has been as good as I've seen this winter, in my 15 years of professional guiding!!! For that, I'm continuing to ride them through the remainder of this trend. 

As we progress into spring, our water temperature will rise, bait will move in from offshore, and we will start our "bread at butter" snook, trout, and redfish routine. Until then, it's pompano and fresh fish dinners for our respective guests. It's a fantastic time to go fishing in South West Florida!!!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946