Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946
www.palmislandoutfitters.com
www.charlotteharborchronicles.com
The Fishing is getting good again with rising water temps. It seems that we are in a vicious cycle with cold fronts in spring. Let's hope we don't see another cold front in the month of April. Our Gulf temperatures should hit 80 degrees soon, with that the snook fishing is heating up. Big fish are moving down edges and shorelines making their way to the passes. Double digit snook half days are happening now with good quality fish being landed. It's a great time to be fishing in South West Florida.
Capt. Mike Slattery 941-626-6946 www.palmislandoutfitters.com www.charlotteharborchronicles.com
0 Comments
I have grown up in this area, and have always been a good news/bad news type of guy. So, the bad news first...Bad news, we experienced the worst cold front of 2017 the 3rd week of March. The inshore water temps dipped down into the high 50's for the first time in 2017. The fish did not respond well, being that we had temperatures in the mid 70's the day before the cold hit. The Good news, the warm sun has returned and the water temperature is on the rise. The fish have moved back onto the flats, and have started to resume their spring trends that were interrupted with the unseasonal cold. Big redfish and large trout have been moving over the shallow grass on the incoming water. Nearshore, our guides are still banging out full coolers of sheepshead and snapper while anticipating the spring run of pelagic fish to show up. With the warm weather, it is now a great time to be fishing in South West Florida.
Capt. Mike Slattery With the mild winter we had in the state of Florida this season, spring has sprung earlier than past years. Snook have poured into the bays, and can be found in those same old spring and summer haunts. The redfish have done the same, pouring out of the creeks and collecting in schools on Creek mouth and bay grass flats. Nearshore, some mackerel are being caught. Most of our nearshore guides are doing real well on snapper and sheepshead while bottom fishing. As always, it's a fantastic time to go fishing in South West Florida!
Capt. Mike Slattery 941-626-6946 www.palmislandoutfitters.com www.charlotteharborchronicles.com Happy New Year's Eve from Palm Island Outfitters!
It's been beautiful this week on the water. We look forward to getting you out on the water in 2017! We had a quick bout with Red Tide in south west Florida last week. The good news is, it is starting to dissipate and the process of moving it offshore may be sped up with Hurricane Mathew scraping close to the East coast of Florida later this week. Our guides have been focusing on the areas south in the larger waters of Charlotte Harbor during the last week. Most of the fish have pushed way up in the back country to remove themselves from the effects of the deadly tide. The guides that have been successful, have found fish at the heads of the creeks and most outer edges around the mouths, when the tide pushes high enough to access those areas. The tarpon fishing in the upper harbor system has made for some better fishing in typically deplorable conditions considering the effects of red tide. Looking forward, we expect the bait to move back into the beaches and sounds, and that should move the fish back out into the bays with a willingness to feed after a week or so of fasting. Schools of redfish will be found again once the water cleans up, and snook should move back to the middle bays looking to fatten up before the first couple cold fronts of winter move in. The crab traps will be set next week for an October stone crab season, and that means our triple tail fishing will hopefully start with a bang. With all things considered, we are looking forward to being back on the water after a slow week of charters due to some "stinky" conditions.
Capt. Mike Slattery Cell- 941.626-6946 Office- 844.289-0741 With all the rain from Hermine, it made fishing the beach side bays tough due to lots of fresh water runoff. But, there is always a bright side. In the oxygen strangled areas with heavy fresh water pushing into our estuaries, our guides are finding schools of Tarpon that have collected to take advantage of the slower moving prey. They have gathered around the mud flats of Charlotte Harbor, and in the tide stricken areas of the outer bays and back country. This is sight fishing at its best, done with fly, artificial, or live bait they all have the same outcome. Putting a tarpon skyward, always puts a smile on our clients faces! It's a great time to be fishing in South West Florida!!!
Capt. Mike Slattery 941-626-6946 www.palmislandoutfitters.com www.charlotteharborchronicles.com We have an incoming tide this week that's going to clean the bay up, and allow the fresh water runoff and a lot of the floating grass to be pushed back into the creeks. This should allow for the schools of #redfish that have been hiding off the edges on the lower tides to be found with ease. Look for them moving over the grass again with the rising waters. Schools of #Bonita, #mackerel, and #kingfish are starting to show relatively close to shore. The birds working the showering schools of bait are a sure fire sign, that our fall fishing season is just around the corner. It's a great time to be fishing in South West Florida!!!
September fishing offers opportunities like no other season. Inshore there are large groups of pre spawn Redfish, both overslot and slot fish combining to create numbers that boggle the mind. Snook season opens September 1, for a 90 day window and a chance to dine on a true Florida delicacy. The tarpon fishing in the fall can be down right great! The fish begin to stage in the upper Harbor, and become vicious feeders on the ebb tides. We sight fish them with large swim baits, it's not uncommon to receive double digit bite days when the fish are active and the tide is right. This "dark water" tarpon fishing can be as fun as it gets.
Nearshore, the mangrove snapper fishing will remain strong close to shore as the fish wind down their summer spawn. As the water cools with an abundance of rain fall,we will see large groups of Spanish mackerel and Bonita within a stone's throw from the beach. The bait muds will hold spinner sharks, king fish, and the late migrating tarpon. And the boys will begin to be set in the beginning of October for stone crab season, which affords us great sight fishing opportunities for cobia and triple tail. There truly is not a better time to be fishing in South West Florida! Capt. Mike Slattery 941-626-6946 www.palmislandoutfitters.com www.charlotteharborchronicles.com |
Capt. Mike
Check back every month for the latest fishing report by Palm Island Outfitters. Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|