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

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

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

Some really cool temperatures moved into the area over the Christmas and New Year holiday. The blustery winds and cooler temperatures had the pompano moving throughout the bay nicely.  A delicious fish to target, their table fair is top 5 in my book. They are also really fun to catch, will hit a jig like a sack of bricks!!! With cooler temperatures on the horizon, and a full box of jigs, it's a fantastic time to go fishing in South West Florida!!!

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

We had an absolutely beautiful week of fishing. The red tide has definitely dissipated, and fish are responding positively in our entire region. Bait has poured into the fishery, and with consistent rising water temperature, fish are hungry. Lots of snook were caught this past week. It's not uncommon to make a stop and catch 20 in a spot!!!

Trout fishing has also been steady. Weather you want to take some home for dinner, or just enjoy the sport of catching this beautiful game fish, the action has been consistent. Redfish still remain tough to find in good numbers for me. We find a few here and there, but I haven't been able to lay together a consistent trend to put quality fish boat side for my clients.

I'll keep hunting though, that's the challenge of it all for myself!!! With all that being said, it's a beautiful time of year, to go fishing in South West Florida!!!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946

It's been awhile since my last report... In fact, it's been awhile since I was able to get on the water and actually fish!!!

Hurricane Ian did a number on the Palm Island and Manasota Key area. We got hit with sustained winds of 175 mph and gusts at 208 mph. (those are numbers from a wind machine set up by storm trackers in Placida) so you can imagine the rebuilding efforts are going to take some time.

Almost 90 days removed from the storm, Rum Bay restaurant in the resort is open and serving patrons. Owners and island residents are still filtering in, some for the first time since Ian. There are debris removal trucks on Palm Island daily, but there is still lots of clean up left. 

Our Pathfinder 22' made it through the storm, but with lack of use, there are maintenance items that needed addressed. That boat should be up and running by the holiday hopefully. Our Parker 25' had a tree fall on it, and hopefully be back online by spring or tarpon season.

We have fishing guides waiting for your bookings. Due to both of our booking venues having taken extensive damage, our last 90 days have been slim pickings for the industry eco tourism. It will be some time still, before we get back to normal, but our hope is that we can help fill some gaps for our friends and family in the industry. 

So, if you are interested in a fishing charter... Please reach out, we have fantastic fishing guides wanting your business and excited to get back to work!!! 

Thanks, and as always it's a fantastic time to just be alive in South West Florida!!!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946

Summer time fishing is in full swing!!! With the addition of a "new to us" boat to our fleet, we have been in consistent Tarpon and snook fishing. The tarpon fishing is being done in Boca Grande pass, and on the beach front. Our Parker 25' can accommodate a larger party, up to 6 anglers, and affords comfortable and stability.  Our snook fishing is being done out of the Pathfinder 22' and has all the latest technology to put your party up to 4 anglers on great inshore game fish.  It's a fantastic time to go fishing in South West Florida!!!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946