Manasota Key, Boca Grande, and Palm Island fishing has been good this month, despite all the rain runoff from tropical storm Debbie. Debbie dumped more than 12 inches of rain within 24 hours locally. Some areas that boarder our fishing grounds got much more. 

We have experienced "tannin" water for almost the entire month of August. "Tannin" is when the freshwater runoff from the mainland, enters the saltwater estuaries and begins to blend. Nothing that is unusual for our area, it just typically happens over and more consistent time frame (weeks rather than days). 

With all that in play, we are still catching quality fish. Pictured are photos from Capt. Conrad, he runs our 22 Pathfinder, and has been on a good run of fish. It a fun time to go fishing in South West Florida!!!


Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946

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

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

Happy New Year fishing followers!!! 

Our 2023 season ended with some incredibly cool and unusual weather. We had a low pressure system move into the Gulf the week before Christmas, and it was followed by the coolest temperatures of 2023.  That set us up for some winter time conditions.  

When our water temperature falls under 68°, we turn our attention to some "off brand" species.  Pompano are available throughout the bay, during these cold temperatures of the winter season.  Working diligently to jig the deep water flats, produces a high rate of by-catch, and the value of the target species is worth the hunt. 

With the right guide service, winter time can be a fun and tasty time to fish in South West Florida!!!


Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946

With our first real cold front of the year on our front door step, the fall fishing has been excellent thus far. Bait has been abundant and available for most days to catch on your leisure. 

Inshore, redfish have starting their spawning routine and can be found in massive schools throughout the harbor system. Snook, are always fun to target this time of year, and it's been hard to find a shoreline that doesn't have a few sitting on it. 

Trout are being caught on the deeper edges of grass and oyster bars throughout the region. The winter months seem to be the best season for finding big trout in shallow water. Look for the "Gators" sunning in shallow sand holes near those same oyster bars, in which you like to fish the deep grasses. 

As always, it's a fantastic time to go fishing in South West Florida!!!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946

With September rains, the inland and harbor water temperature have started to fall. This triggers all of our inshore gamefish, to start moving into a fantastic fall trend. Trout can be found in abundance, over the deep water grasses on the bar edges throughout the harbor.

Snook have started to move from the passes and beaches, into traditional trends heading for warm water refuge for a fall feed looking forward to winter time. Redfish can be found scattered throughout the harbor and bays, most fish caught on shorelines are under slot... But, big schools of over slot breeding fish are starting to pop up throughout the fishery on moon tides. Like most fall seasons, it's a fantastic time to be fishing in South West Florida!!!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946

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

We are look forward to getting back fishing after hurricane Ian!!! With Palm Island Resort opening up to guests in the month of March, myself and the guides of PIO are looking forward to some great spring time fishing. With rising water temperature we anticipate bait any day, moving into our bays and Harbor.

With that said we are still fishing our winter trend. The nearshore bite has been the "go to" when conditions allow. On a 2 boat trip today, we were able to catch triple tail and pompano inshore, and grouper and sheepshead nearshore.  With the warm start to February, it's a fantastic time for fishing in South West Florida!!!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946