I live in Port Charlotte, FL on a canal with access to the Myakka River near El Jobean, FL and Charlotte Harbor. I own a boat and I love to fish. I'm new to Florida so I'm learning a new kind of fishing and I thought a record of fish caught, weather, tides, etc. for each trip would help me to learn quicker. That record is what you'll find in my blog which I post as soon as I possibly can so check before you're going out, my success or failure might help make your trip more productive.
Fishing Myakka River/Charlotte Harbor, Florida Thursday, May 29, 2008
Fish Caught: Trout, Goliath Grouper, Blacktip Shark, Lane Snapper
High Tide: 11:53 AM 1.5 FT Low Tide: 5:45 AM 0.5 FT Wind: 5-10 NE Air Temp: 66/95 Water Temp: 81 Clarity: clear
I was invited out with friends, we took Dave's boat down to the launch in El Jobean and got underway by about 7:30 AM. Bimini had heard there were cobia in the harbor and she had a plan so the three of us set out to catch some fish. We started out towards Punts Gorda to catch some bait. There were greenbacks in the water but we didn't have any luck netting them. Neither did several other boats that stopped near us with the same thought. But we managed to catch some small sand trout (a favorite food of cobia and shark) and a few pinfish. Dave also got several small lane snapper, which he says is a first for him in Charlotte Harbor. They were all in the range of 4 to 6 inches so of course we didn't keep any. But 8 inches is legal size so maybe in a few months?
So we took our bait to this secret hole to see if we could get a few cobia. When we got there we saw several big schools of greenbacks in the area. We tried to chase them down to get the cast net over them but they're very aware of boats and they scatter long before you can get a net over them. So we anchored up and put a few sand trout and pinfish out.
I had a small cajun thunder cork on my sand trout while Dave and Bimini live lined a trout and pinfish. I was the first to hook up with a small black tip shark. I was using a 30lb mono leader but we managed to net the shark just before he cut the leader. Probably because he was so small. I hooked 2 more in the next couple hours and both cut the line before we netted them.
As we sat at anchor schools of threadfin herring would occasionally pass within net range and we managed to get a dozen or so in the live well. But by about 1:00 o'clock or so we hadn't had any action for a while and decided to head home by way of Trout Creek. There was a lot of action in the water and we fed a few greenbacks to something. I was throwing a Gulp Swimming Mullet and, after a few good hits, I finally hooked a small Goliath Grouper. Of course he went back in the water ASAP since they are Federally protected and carry a huge $5,000.00 fine.
It was about 2:30 when we called it a day. It was really a great day, many thanks to Dave and Bimini. Hope to do it again soon. Karen and I enjoyed the shark.
Fish Caught: Snook, Trout, Sail Cat, Goliath Grouper
High Tide: 2:00 PM 1.5 FT Low Tide: 8:00 AM 0.5 FT Wind: 5-10 N Air Temp: 53/80 Water Temp: 76 Clarity: murky
I forgot about the time change, I really wanted to leave the dock in the dark but it was getting light already at 6:20 AM when I got underway. I went straight to the El Jobean bridge to catch the low tide turning in at 8:00 AM.
I had some very nice 4 inch sardines which I got in the water still with an outgoing tide that was pretty fast. It's hard to fish that in my favorite snook spot but I managed to get a bite on the 3rd cast, which I missed. But I managed a 23 inch snook a few casts later on my Gulp Swimming Mullet. I finally found the Swimming Mullet in Berkley's new bucket and I'm glad I did, they are much better when stored in all the extra juice. FishUSA has them and their shipping is cheaper than any other I've found. Click the banner below.
I went on to boat 2 more snook about 25 inches each and missed one other good strike, all on the live bait. I also got a 2 Goliath Grouper of average size for here about 10-12 inches and one trout about 12 inches. By this time I had positioned myself for the incoming tide and about 9:45 I threw out my last live bait. As it drifted with the tide up to the edge of the bridge I felt a nice heavy bump on the line and set the hook. It was big, there was a large swirl in the water as my pole doubled over and that big snook dove right back into the bridge pilings. I couldn't stop her so in another 15 seconds of battle I could feel the line scraping the barnacle covered cement until it finally cut. Another nice fish lost and no more bait.
As I looked around for bait I saw birds diving several hundred yards out so I headed that way. The bait was small, no good to me so I threw a gulp to see what was feeding on it. I caught 4 good sized sail cats in the next 20 minutes. I found you had to let the gulp hit the bottom very often to hook the them, but sail cats is not my favorite fish. Although I know a few people that love to eat them.
I decided to call it a day and come back again tomorrow.
Fish Caught: Snook, Lady Fish, Goliath Grouper, Catfish
High Tide: 6:45 PM 1.5 FT Low Tide: 11:45 AM -0.5 FT Wind: 5-10 NE Air Temp: 73/82 Water Temp: 76 Clarity: murky
Left the dock about 6:45 with a live well full of nice big sardines I netted from a local canal yesterday. We went straight out to the El Jobean bridge with the intent of anchoring on the West side of the bridge so we could drift our bait under the old section of bridge. But the tide was so fast I was worried about the anchor pulling free and crashing into the bridge before I could react, so we went around the other Charlotte Harbor side.
Hard to fish with the tide racing at you but I was casting up under the bridge and letting my bait drift along the pilings. When I could keep from snagging the bottom I usually managed a Goliath grouper and caught about 4 or 5 the biggest was about 20 inches or so. Nice fish, strong fighters, they don't like coming up from the bottom and they let you know it. Karen was letting her line drift out and sit and she was catching an occasional cat fish.
I also managed to boat a snook about 23 inches long on one drift. At this time the tide was slowing a little so this one snook was a good sign of things to come. As the tide went slack I repositioned the boat to fish my snook spot on an incoming tide.
Once the tide turned in with a little force I started hooking snook. I got 2 more one going to just under legal at 27 inches. And then finally a keeper at 29 inches. Remember our slot limit is over 28 and under 33 inches with a pinched tail.
It was about 1:30 PM when I landed that keeper and since we'd left in the dark it was already a long day so we left them biting. A great day when you can hit that tiny slot limit and bring home a nice fish dinner!
We cooked the whole snook on the grill. I make a foil tray and seasoned it with salt, pepper, garlic and spritz it with lime, lemon or grapefruit juice. I cut rosemarry from our plant and place the branches on the flavor bar in the grill just before putting the fish on. It adds that smokey flavor missing from most gas grill cooked foods. We sliced an eggplant from the garden and brushed it with olive oil and lime juice and put it in the smokey grill too. Topped with a salad of arugula from the garden, it was delicious and we had leftovers for lunch.
Fish Caught: Lady Fish, Trout, Goliath Grouper, Spanish Mackerel
High Tide: 7:15 AM 2.0 FT Low Tide: 4:45 PM 0.25 FT Wind: 5-10 SW Air Temp: 75/91 Water Temp: 81 Clarity: murky
We left the dock about 6:45 AM and stopped at the end of the Jupiter Waterway. There wasn't much happening and since I'm not a patient fisherman we pulled anchor and headed for the l Jobean bridge.
There were birds diving into what appeared to be Lady Fish attacking bait fish. I stopped half way out to the bridge and caught a couple on a Gulp Swimming Mullet just to be sure. I was right, Lady Fish and they were all over the river northwest of the El Jobean Bridge. Lady fish make great cut bait and spectacular crab bait for a crab trap so I put a few in my cooler.
When I got to my favorite spot at the bridge I could see lots of flashing in the water so as soon as I got anchored I threw the cast net out. It came back with hundreds of 2 inch sardines, I think. They were a little different than what I normally see, thinner top to bottom and they had four or five spots along the top behind the gill. They were also small so I was putting 3 on a hook with a tiny split shot and casting them into the out going tide.
I immediately caught a trout that was a little undersized so I threw it back and got the line out again. Birds were diving all around us and I could see a lot of fish splashing up at the bait. We started catching spanish mackerel, Karen got the first one which was almost 2 feet long, a nice fish. During the next few hours we would see the schools of mackerel moving around attacking the huge schools of bait. We lost a lot more than we caught because they were cutting our lines with their sharp teeth. But we got 5 in the cooler before we started throwing them back. We feel mackerel is good when cooked fresh but we don't enjoy it much after it gets frozen so we figured 5 was enough for the next few days. We would pan blacken it all and have a huge dinner with left overs for sandwiches. I also caught some on my Gulp Swimming Mullet, on a rattle trap wich I finally lost to a cut line and on a silver spoon with a bucktail. I had several hits on my lure within 3 feet of the boat, which was a little startling and there were a couple times when the feeding frenzy was so aggresive that I thought a mackerel was going to jump in the boat. I saw one leap nearly 10 feet out of the water, it landed about 20 feet from where it came out. The bait fish would boil up around us making a sound much like a sudden, short burst of rain. It was a very exciting morning on the water.
I also got a few small goliath grouper drifting by the bridge pilings when the mackerel would let my bait get that deep. It started to get a little warm although there was a pleasant breeze. But by around noon we were ready to head home so we left the mackerel still feeding. It was 2 o'clock by the time I got the boat washed and the fish cleaned. A long tiring day and after cookng all that fish and eating a good bunch of it I was asleep before the sun was down. Can't wait to do it again.
Fish Caught: Tarpon, Trout, Goliath Grouper, Mangrove Snapper
High Tide: 5:00 AM 2.3 FT Low Tide: 12:45 PM -0.2 FT Wind: 10-20 NE Air Temp: 73/90 Water Temp: 82 Clarity: avarage
We left the dock a little late, 7:25 AM. We went straight out to the bridge in El Jobean, Fl and anchored in our favorite spot. I put a white bait (I netted yesterday in a local canal) on my hook and cast it near the bridge piling. The bait were pretty big 2 to 4 inches so I went with no sinkers.
The bait was very lively and it kept trying to swim into the piling where I knew I'd get hung up and probably have to break the line. So I kept pulling him out and one time when I tried to pull him out he pulled back VERY hard. I set the hook and the fight was on. Whatever it was it was big, I couldn't bring it to the surface and after only 30 seconds or so it got off.
So I put another bait on, cast him in the same place and hooked it again. This time it seemed I had him hooked well and after a few minutes of hard fighting a 3 foot tarpon blasted into the air about 4 feet from the boat. Karen had been reading and didn't even know I'd hooked the 2nd fish, so when that fish exploded at the surface she nearly jumped off the other side of the boat. I fought him a little while longer until he finally spit the hook. Good thing because I'm not really equipped to bring a fish like that into the boat. I managed to hook tarpon 3 more times after that, once even on my Gulp Swimming Mullet. All were released in much the same way and a couple gave us the same thrill by dancing on top of the water.
Then the goliath grouper started eating my white bait. I got about 5 or 6 in the boat between 10 and 15 inches, soon released. Even at that size they are fun to catch on light tackle, a very strong fish. I also got a couple mangrove snapper on the smaller bait, but nothing big enough for dinner.
Then the action slowed and I started paying less attention to my drifting bait. The tide was running out fast so it ended up behind us where the water motion start to slow as it leaves the influence of the bridge. Half way through a retrieve of my Gulp that pole bent over.
I managed to grab it and not lose the fish, the first trout of the season. Unfortunately it was 14.75 inches which is a quarter inch too short. But the next one was almost 16 inches and they kept coming. I lost a few and got 2 keepers in the boat before I ran out of bait. I had about 30 bait which is way more than I've ever needed before.
I'd seen some flashing in the water during the morning so I decided to toss the cast net and see what I got. A net full of scaled sardines but the largest was less than 2 inches long. Awfully tiny but I put 3 at a time on my hook and continued catching trout. But by about 10:30 the wind started really picking up and once again we started dragging the anchor. I got tired of fighting with the wind so we headed home by about 11:00 AM. A great day of fishing!
Fish Caught: Snook, Goliath Grouper, Blacktip Shark, Lady Fish
High Tide: 5:30 AM 2.0 FT Low Tide: 1:00 PM 0.25 FT Wind: 5-10 NE Air Temp: 73/93 Water Temp: 85 Clarity: murky
We ledt the dock about 6:30 AM. Made our first stop at the end of the Jupiiter Wateryway, it was just getting light. I had a live well full of nice 3 inch sardines I netted Friday in a local canal. I put one under a popper cork, live lined one and cast my Berkley Swimming Mullet Gulp.
I played with some small lady fish on the live lined sardine and got a big sail cat on it as well. After the sun was well over the horiizon I noticed a big wake and some splashing around my bobber. Something kept smacking it and swishing around leaving quite a wake. But then left without catching my very lively sardine.
A little while later I heard a big splash at my bobber and saw a large wake and fin breaking the surface, then the bobber just took off. I was at the far end of the boat, the bail was open on my reel so I wasn't too worried. But before I could get to the pole the line snagged coming off the spool and the pole doubled over under the pull of the fish. I managed to grab it and set the hook, a very large fish. But after just 5 seconds the line went slack, when I reeled it in it had been cut clean at the leader. A big snook? They have razor sharp gill plates that will sliice threw most leader if it happens to catch it in the wrong place.
I had one more similar experience on the bobber, with the line cut after just a few aeconds, that's when I started thinking shark. We decided to move on to the end of the Jupiter Waterway. Which we drifeted with little excitement until we were near the end. Thats when I saw that wake coming towards my bobber which had drifted quite close to the boat. That's when I got my first look at a huge (for this inshore area) blacktip shark. He was over 3 feet with a broad head that poked at my bobber, not the bait.
I dropped the anchor and cast the line out again and sure enough he came back. After a few more snaps at the popper cork he finally grabbed the sardine and the fght was on. When he got hooked he went wild, almost coming out of the water splashing and thrashing his big tail. But once again he was able to cut my 30 lb monofilament leader.
We moved out to the El Jobean bridge and dropped a few sardines into the current that dragged them into the pilings. I got a small snook and goliathe grouper and lots of broken lines. It's hard to fish with that raging current. I did hook something that felt very big but again the line got cut, I suspect on the bridge.
It was getting hot in the sun so we headed home stopping to cast here and there with no further action. We were home by about 1:30, a long day, time to clean the boat and nap before dinner, fishless dinner.
My husband and I just moved down from WV., and I have been trying to find a good place where we can fish. We do not have a boat, I ave been looking trying to find a simple way to get to Boca Grande, Charlitte Harbor, well any of the places that you have listed. Please tell me a good place to fish from the shores.
High Tide: 6:15 AM 2.1 FT Low Tide: 1:50 PM .1 FT Wind: 5-10 S Air Temp: 75/91 Water Temp: 85 Clarity: murky
Finally, snook are in season again. I went out on Friday to a local canal that has been holding sardines and netted a bucket which included sardines, small mullet and Striped Mojarra. On Saturday we left the dock by about 6:15 and got to the first fishing spot on the ApolloWaterway as the sun was just brightening the sky. I got a nice strike on a Heddon - Zara Puppy which I'm pretty certain was a mid sized snook. They love that top water lure, one of the few I've had luck with.
We went on to the sea walls down at the end of the canal and drifted through throwing a Berkley Gulp 4 inch White Swimming Mullet. The sea walls were alive with fish popping and any wake that brushed the walll seemed to energized the fish. I suspect they are eating those little bugs that always crawl just above the water line and the wake probably washes a few into the fishes reach.
I hooked something very large on the Gulp but lost it after only about 15 seconds. It felt big and more like a snook than a jack which are common to that area. Once the sun was up full the activity there stopped so we headed out to the El Jobean bridge.
The tide was moving extremely fast at the bridge. I saw tarpon rolling and was surprised that I couldn't hook one up on the sardines. But it was hard to keep from being washed into the pilings and after losing a few rigs and only catching small goliath grouper we moved out to one of the bays behind Hog Island.
It was hot in the mangroves and not much action. I boated one small snook, about 18 inches, on the Gulp and the sky started looking very threatening. We headed back to the bridge with the intent of waiting out the storm under its protection. But after another half hour the storm seemed to be intensifying and the wind started blowing us around so much we decided to run before we got stuck in the worst of it.
It turned out to be one of those very local storms and in 5 minutes we were back in the sun looking at the storm coming slowly behind us. We were back at the dock just before noon, another enjoyable day on the water.
Fish Caught: Lady Fish, Jack, Goliath Grouper, Mangrove Snapper
High Tide: 8:00 AM 2.0 FT Low Tide: 4:30 PM .25 FT Wind: 10-20 E Air Temp: 75/96 Water Temp: 86 Clarity: murky
Today was the day we felt the most wind from hurricane Dean. So we decided to stay in the canals and avoid the rough water of Charlotte Harbor. Theres a spot I know where two canals meet and the currents have dug out a few holes to about 9 feet deep. On Sunday afternoon I took my cast net, a cooler and a bubbler over to a canal off Biscayne Blvd. and netted some nice sardines. I kept them overnight in a bait basket I made from plans available on BaitBaskets.com. So I didn't have to worry about netting any this morning. We left the dock about 6:45 AM.
It was a nice cool calm morning. The first bait was in and I was baiting the second pole when the first one almost jumped out of the pole holder. I missed whatever it was. It went like that for the first hour with a couple big jacks, snappers and ladyfish making it into the boat.
We watched a big manatee swim right by the boat, mostly we only got to see a nose and the big swirls they leave behind. Jacks are a tough fight. But then I hooked something that felt much different. It didn't want to show itself to us but it wasn't fighting like a jack, just kind of hanging near the bottom flippings its big head back and forth, and wouldn't you know I hooked it on the smallest rod and reel I own. The reel stripped some gears and locked up, I had to flip off the antireverse and wind backwards to free it up but it wasn't winding a smoothly as it should. The fish almost got me wrapped around a marker pole but finally we got a huge goliath grouper into the net. We took a quick photo but didn't take the time to measure it, we estimate it was 20 inches long and very fat and heavy. Of course goliath are federally protected and carry a stiff fine of $5000.00 per fish. We threw him back.
You can tell a Goliath Grouper by the tail, the end forms a half moon or convex curve compared to a flat or concave curve for all other grouper. Click here for a better photo.
We got one more grouper and some mangrove snapper when around 9:30 the wind picked up and the fishing shut down. We headed back home with just a couple mangrove snapper for lunch, but it was still another great day on the water.
High Tide: 8:15 AM 2.1 FT Low Tide: 2:15 AM 0.8 FT Wind: 5-10 NW Air Temp: 97/73 Water Temp: 87 Clarity: average
It's been so hot an humid but not very much rain for this time of the year. We have a drainage culvert along the edge of our property that normally runs down into the canal pretty regularly in July and August. Snook love to sit just outside that torrent and catch frogs, bugs, etc. that get washed down. It has only trickled out of that pipe a couple times this season. And fishing in general has been a little slow and the weather has been too hot to enjoy it.
But we decided to get out early and since we had an 8:15 high tide we left the dock before 6:00 AM. I found some nice sardines schooling in the canal on my way out and put 30 or so in my live well. I casted the sea walls at the end of the Apollo Watery way with a Pop'R but no luck
We were anchored at the El Jobean bridge by around 7:00 AM so we still had the incoming tide. I was throwing a Gulp 3" Sardine while letting the live bait drift into the bridge pilings with just a small split shot. Had a couple strikes on the Gulp when the live bait pole bent over pretty hard. I managed to grab it before the fish got free and fought a nice healthy 22" snook to the boat. Of course that's undersize and out of season so I tossed him back.
Did you know the snook regulations have been changed effective on the next opening day which is September 1, 2007? They changed the slot limit to 28" to 33" inches with pinched tail and the closed season was expanded to include all of December and February. Snook closed season is now May-August and December-February. But please check with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for updates, they seem to want to change them frequently.
I also had a 3.5 inch striped mojarra that I fished under the bridge. A goliath grouper inhaled that and gave me a nice battle back to the boat. He was about 12 inches long and of course goliath grouper being a federally protected fish I unhooked him as quickly as possible and got him back in the water. It's nice to see them coming back, I’ve heard of many much larger goliath being caught in deeper waters. Maybe some day we'll be allowed to but one on our dinner table.
By about 9:30 it was getting awful warm in the sun so we moved under the bridge into the shade. I fed the rest of my sardines to what I assume where mangrove snapper but I never got one into sight. I saw quite a few tarpon rolling around in the shade but I couldn't seem to hook one.
By 10:30 we were getting bored and hot so we headed home. A pleasant short day on the water, but I'm ready for cooler weather.
Fish Caught: Goliath Grouper, Manatee, Update 7/1/07
High Tide: 11:30 PM 1.75 FT Low Tide: 5:00 AM .8 FT Wind: 0-5 NW Air Temp: 72/91 Water Temp: 85 Clarity: clear
Update July 1, 2007 WARNING: Thanks to Jim at Fine Bait & Tackle, 14503 Tamiami Trail, North Port, FL for setting us straight on this fish. It is a Goliath Grouper, or more commonly, Jewfish and it is Federally protected in any Florida water, on or off shore. There is a $5000.00 per fish fine plus your boat or car if you are in one. The easiest way to tell a Goliath from a Red Grouper is the end of the tail is round on the Goliath and straight on the red. A very exciting day on the water started at 6:00 AM. We managed to net some sardines just under the bridge at Biscayne Blvd. We spent a little time around sun up at the end of the Apollo Waterway with a little action on top water and a ray on the bait.
It was only 7:30 or so when we anchored at the El Jobean bridge. I started getting small hits immediately on the sardines and finally landed my first red grouper. I'd never seen one before and wasn't sure thats what it was but there you see the photo. I ended up with 4 in the boat from 6 to 10 inches. No where near the 20 inches we needed to get one to the dinner table, but still fun an unusual.
When I used up my bait we went looking for more. It wasn't too hard to find them but netting them was another story. There was bait all over the harbor around El Jobean but these were much larger and very timid. My cast net has a very fine mesh and doesn't sink very fast so we moved to the shallower water and tried to get some bait in about 3 feet of water. But the bait would dart away as soon as the net was in the air. After an hour of throwing a cast net your arms get a little weak, I finally gave it up with no more bait in my live well.
While not catching bait I noticed 2 or 3 manatee up in the shallower water. A few minutes later I saw what appeared to be a lobster pot bouy. If you've never been on the water up north you may not even know what that is. Lobster pot buoys are different from crab trap bouys in that they have a stick that rises above a bullet shaped bouy.
This marker was almost on shore and seemed so odd I decided to take a closer look. As we got about 50 feet away it started to move along the shore at a rate that had to mean it was attached to something that was swimming. As we pulled up along side of it it turned right into our path and I suddenly realized it was a manatee. I had to quickly shut down the motor and lift it up before the manatee and his/her marker passed diectly under our boat. Luckily we don't draw much water and the 2 feet under us allowed the manatee to pass without banging it's head but it's marker bumped the aluminum a few times.
We wondered later if we are supposed to read the marker and report it some where? I can't seem to find anything online about it. It seemed a little cruel to have that manatee towing that bouy but I suppose it may not even notice.
