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 Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Fish Caught: Redfish, Sheepshead, Lady Fish, Catfish, Mangrove Snapper
High Tide: 12:30 AM 1.9 FT Low Tide: 8:30 AM -0.9 FT Wind: 5-10 NE Air Temp: 42/71 Water Temp: Clarity:
It was kind of cool in the morning so we didn't leave the dock until nearly noon. My brother Fred and wife Ruth are down from Connecticut for a few days, so this was to be their day on the water. As it turns out they liked the first day a lot so it ran into two days and screwed up all the plans they had for the last days of their vacation. I can't blame them, after the cold weather we've had (nothing compared to theirs) it was perfect boat weather. Sunny, 75 degrees, with only a light breeze.
In the two days we used up 9 dozen live shrimp. As you can see from the photos it was only Fred and I feeding shrimp to the fish. Ruth was practicing to be a sun worshipper, following it around the boat with a book or a nap. Fred and Ruth are dog rescuers and Ruth was on the phone a lot trying to rescue dogs while on vacation. I did notice she'd take the time in every conversation to ask the weather the caller was experiencing and reporting her location, temperature and sunny comfort. "How is the weather there?… Oh, man, well it's 75 here, I'm on a boat, in a canal, in south west Florida…" Something us Floridians do regularly when talking to northern friends.
Fred did a lot of fishing in two days. We caught a lot of fish with our 9 dozen shrimp but mostly, as Ruth would be glad to tell you, we fed shrimp to many small sheepshead, mangrove snapper, catfish and redfish. There was rarely a dull moment, we were forever trying to set the hook on the little tap tap tap of the small, bait stealing sheepshead or snapper. But mostly we were helping them gain back their strength after the horrible weeks of cold weather. There are still fish dying in the canal, mostly sand perch. We also got to see a manatee which swam within 10 feet of us. It seemed like it was cold, surfacing very frequently and swimming very near the surface trying to get as much warmth from the sun as it could.
And we did manage to get a redfish over the 18 inch limit and a keeper sheepshead and we had a sudden run on mangrove snapper that were around 11 to 13 inches, so we did have some fish to clean when we got home.
But we could have done better at the fish market with the money spent on bait. But we would have had to find something else to do for two days and the cost of vacation would have been that much higher. So we're all sunburned and happy. At least Karen and I are, I checked the weather in Connecticut, where Fred and Ruth are home by now, it was only 5 degrees. I'll bet that sunburn looks a little out of place now, doesn't it Fred?
But it was a really nice visit, a great couple days on the water and we hope ya'll will come back soon.
Fish Caught: Redfish, Sheepshead, Lady Fish, Catfish, Mangrove Snapper
High Tide: 5:00 PM 1.3 FT Low Tide: 10:00 AM -0.4 FT Wind: 5-10 NW Air Temp: 53/80 Water Temp: Clarity: clear
We managed to get away mid afternoon for a few hours of fishing. The weather was so nice at about 80 degrees with a light wind we just couldn't resist. That and every one seems to be talking about the red fish that are biting all over this end of charlotte Harbor.
So I ran out for some shrimp and we were in the boat anchored at the end of the canal by the docks by about 2:30. It wasn't as wild as our last trip but we started catching small reds and mangrove snapper. A few very small sheepshead mixed in. It was a little slow so we moved around a bit. I was throwing a gold spoon and Karen and I each had shrimp out. We stopped by the mouth of a little reedy swampy area where I know there is an oyster bar. There was a lot of movement in the water but it was mostly mullet. The shrimp were doing nothing and I was about to suggest another move when a nice red hit my spoon. Doesn't it always seem to be when you least expect it. Well it woke me from whatever I was dreaming about and when we got it netted I knew it was close to slot sized. Sure enough, just over the 18 inch minimum, finally a red fish dinner.
As the sun got low it started getting a little chilly. The photo is the last thing we did before heading back to the dock to clean fish. Another great day on the water.
Fish Caught: Lady Fish, Sail Cat, Catfish, Stingray
High Tide: FT Low Tide: FT Wind: Air Temp: Water Temp: Clarity:
I just don't have the time to write out a nice pleasant story. But I wanted to keep you all posted on fishing in my end of Charlotte Harbor/Myakka River. We went out on a few short trips over the last week. The last trip was Sunday morning, we left the dock at about 6:30 AM.
On all 3 trips we caught a lot of junk fish, no reds, trout or snook. But we caught lots of cat fish and ladyfish.
But more importantly is for the first time this year the deep water around the el Jobean bridge was full of bait. I threw my cast net once and had to shovel bait back off my boat because I didn't have room to keep so many bait. They were there all 3 trips.
And on Sunday huge schools of ladyfish came in from the harbor to devastate the bait. The bird were diving everywhere. The water, calm due to no wind, was alive with schools of fish and birds were diving as far out as we could see. I have to believe that something worthwhile will be coming in to feed on all this bait. I hope I can find the time to get out there again soon.
High Tide: 4:00 PM 2.2 FT Low Tide: 12:01 AM 0.0 FT Wind: 5-10 S Air Temp: 77/91 Water Temp: 85 Clarity: murky
Well, over a month with no fishing. I've got to stop letting that happen. But finally, we took the time to get back out even though it was only for a short time.
I ran to El Jobean Bait & Tackle Shop to greet them as they opened at exactly 6:00 AM and picked up a couple dozen nice fresh shrimp. So by 6:30 we were on the way down the canal.
As we got to the end of the Jupiter Waterway there was a lot of action on the water surface so we anchored and threw a Gulp Swimming Mullet at the swirls. But nothing was interested so I put a shrimp on with a small split shot and cast it in the deeper water. After catching 2 small catfish and not a lot of action we decided to move on.
I worked the Gulp hard passing through the sea walls and under the docks along the way but the only action was from very small Ladyfish. So we anchored and threw some shrimp at the docks.
That's when I started getting plenty of action. But only from very small mangrove snapper. I don't know how many I got in the boat, a lot. But only one was over the 10 inch minimum and that was only by 1/2 inch.
By about 10:00 AM I'd used up my shrimp and it was already getting hot, even though the south wind was really picking up and we got a few light sprinkles of rain. So we turned towards home, another nice day on the water.
As I was writing this I got to talk to one of my neighbors that is on vacation this week. And he spent a lot of his free time out on his boat. He has been having no luck with fish all week. I checked the Waterline Magazine and it seems its been a tough week for fishing for almost everyone. But, that usually turns around with a great day of fishing, I hope I'm on the water for that!
Fish Caught: Sugar Trout, Sail Cat, Lady Fish, Gar
High Tide: 3:00 PM 2.4 FT Low Tide: 11:45 PM -0.5 FT Wind: 5-10 E Air Temp: 71/88 Water Temp: 81 Clarity: murky
We had a little BBQ for Memorial Day and all our guests came by boat. After dinner we packed up a couple boats and ran out to the El Jobean bridge. I had some shrimp from El Jobean Bait & Tackle Shop and a couple others had been catching and freezing mullet and rays for a few days. Shark was our goal.
The sun was down but the sky was still brightly colored when we anchored up just a few hundred yards north west of the El Jobean bridge in the Myakka River. The tide was ripping out so our baits were carried towards the bridge and the El Jobean fishing Pier. In the top photo on this page we'd have been just in the right edge of the picture. We set up some IV drips (literally) of menhaden oil, tossed out a bunch of varied baits both on the bottom and under corks and settled in for the night. The radio played some great classic rock, the wind blew just enough to keep bugs away and keep us comfortable on a nice warm night.
It was a night to catch big sail cats and that started immediately. I think Beth probably got the first and the most but I think I had the biggest. The sail cats kept us busy all night long. I know most people don't like them but they are really very good to eat. They need to be quite large to make it worth the effort of filleting them but we were catching some of the biggest I've seen and we ended up with a cooler full which are headed for the dinner table.
There was also a school of sugar trout and I seemed to hit that hole with a shrimp on a lead head jig. I pulled in just shy of ten sugar trout and tried a few as bait under a cork. But they only attracted the attention of some big sail cats. The bait was about half the size of the sail cats but they ate them anyway.
Julie hooked into what we had hoped was our first shark. But when it got into view of the boat lights it was a huge, nearly 4 foot long, gar. It was almost scary thinking about bringing that thing into the boat to unhook. But luckily, after playing with it for a while, it released itself.
And that's about it for the night. Sounds kind of uneventful as a fishing trip but I assure you it was not. It was midnight before we decided to head home. The hours passed in what seemed like minutes. Good weather, good music and most importantly good friends made for an extremely enjoyable evening on the water. I hope to do it again soon.
Fish Caught: Redfish, Lady Fish, Catfish, Skate/Ray
High Tide: 4:15 PM 1.2 FT Low Tide: 10:30 AM -0.2 FT Wind: 10-20 E Air Temp: 50/77 Water Temp: 68 Clarity: murky
Ran down to El Jobean Bait & Tackle Shop got some shrimp and we left the dock by about 11:30 AM. Down near the end of the Apollo canal I noticed a lot of action on the water in a deep trough were the water was rushing over a sand bar. It took me a half hour to find out it was a bunch of catfish, I've seen them breaking water like this before but its not too common.
I moved on to drift my shrimp under the docks with little result. I think I fed a few Mangrove Snapper but even they didn't seem hungry today. I did see a manatee come by but the water was so dark I could only see it's nose when it came up to breath even though it swam within 4 feet of our boat. As the water got a little deeper I moved over to an oyster bar, there's a channel that runs strong between two bars and sometimes the snook feed there.
No snook today but I did get a bunch more catfish and rays. I also got a few small redfish but only one reached the 18 inch minimum and I kept a couple ladyfish to put in my crab trap.The wind was very strange all afternoon. It would be calm when suddenly the palms on the west side of the canal would start rattling and a wall of wind would sweep across the canal blowing the boat into the tide on the anchor line.
It was during one of these revolutions that one of my rods started bending over. I though it was caught in the oysters and it was the motion of the boat pulling it over. But when I picked it up I felt some life on the other end of the line. I set the hook and realized I had something huge. It wasn't fighting like you'd expect from a snook or even a redfish. It just swam around a little while I tried to pull it towards the boat. I could feel it thrashing it's head but it was a slow powerful motion. I finally got it up to the boat and we started to see a shadow in the very dark water when the hook shot up and over our heads.
We'll never know what it was, it never surfaced or gave us a glimpse. It was about 4 o'clock when we ran out of shrimp and headed home, another exciting day on the water.
Fish Caught: Sheepshead, Snook, Lady Fish, Catfish, Spadefish
High Tide: 6:00 PM 1.25 FT Low Tide: 11:50 AM -0.25 FT Wind: 10-20 S Air Temp: 60/81 Water Temp: 71/73 Clarity: murky
The day was so nice and the forecast for the next few days was so bad that we decided to get our fishing trip in today. A front coming through tonight, heavy wind from the south and a steep rise in the tide was so much like our trip on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 that I had to think we'd have some fun in the same spot we fished on the 13th. So I made the trip down to El Jobean Bait & Tackle Shop and got a couple dozen shrimp.
We were a little early for the tides so we stopped and fished the tail end of the outgoing tide by the docks at the end of our canal. It was so windy it was hard to get the boat right but when we finally started drifting shrimp up under the dock the action was immediate. I'm sure we made a lot of mangrove snapper very happy. They know how to get shrimp off a hook without touching the hook. But we did find a couple very nice sheepshead, one was 14 inches and the other went almost 17 inches. That's enough for dinner for two.
I also got a small snook, about 20 inches and a spadefish that was pretty big, about 13 inches. We weren't sure about size limits or even if spadefish were any good to eat so we let it go. But I see from a Google search that some people really like them, but I guess they're hard to fillet. Maybe next time we'll try one. There doesn't seem to be any size or bag limits in Floorida.
When the tide was really rushing in we went over to the oyster beds where Bimini and I did so well a couple weeks ago. The tide was really rushing in and the water was just about as deep as when we had all our luck with snook. I put some shrimp out into the very fast current and started getting action immediately. I got a couple catfish before I noticed the same big swirls in the water that I had seen on the trip with Bimini. So I put on a Gulp Swimming Mullet and started casting. On my second cast I saw the swirls very near and head towards my lure and, as I said so out loud, I got a nice hit on my Gulp. It was a nice snook that we manged to net and measure at just shy of 29 inches. I put an X on the side of the boat, we'll be back for that fish when it's in season. But they are so much fun to catch even when you have to let them go.
We fished on to catch a ladyfish, several more catfish and Karen got another smaller snook on a shrimp. We finally used up the shrimp and headed home to clean our two sheepshead for supper. Another great, sunny day on the water. I really hope my experiences on the Myakka River can take some of my northern friends out of that harsh world for just a little while. From what we see on TV it's a tough world up there this year. Come on down and take a break!
Fish Caught: Redfish, Snook, Lady Fish, Jack, Mangrove Snapper, Catfish
High Tide: 6:30 PM 1.1 FT Low Tide: 12:01 PM -0.75 FT Wind: 20-30 S Air Temp: 53/77 Water Temp: Clarity: murky
My neighbor, Bimini, asked if I'd like to go out fishing with her. Of course, even though I have an awful lot of work to do, I couldn't say no to that offer. Bimini is know for her fish catching abilities and I wanted to learn anything I could from her.
So I ran down to El Jobean Bait & Tackle Shop and got some shrimp, packed up some lunch and fishing gear and stood on my dock with my thumb out. Bimini slowed as she passed my dock (she didn't want to waste any fishing time) and I jumped aboard..
The tide was rushing out when we reached the end of the canal. We anchored up so we could drift our shrimp under the docks and started feeding little mangrove snappers. In the first couple hours, on a tide running out very quickly, we caught several small snapper, Bimini got a redfish that was just over the 18 inch minimum by 1/2 inch, a small snook, a huge jack and finally a very nice snook that was about keeper size. It took me a while to get the hook out so I didn't take the time to measure it before returning it to the water but I'd guess about 27 inches.
When the tide turned in we moved to the upstream side of a very shallow oyster bar and anchored so we could drift our shrimp over the bar to a deeper trough. I got tired of feeding shrimp to the little snappers and switched to throwing a white Gulp Swimming Mullet. The wind was really blowing out of the south by now and the tide was moving in extremely fast. The water was all churned up and we kept seeing these big swirls and tails flashing in the chop. Finally my casting efforts paid off and I hooked up with a nice big snook and a real fighter. I got him to the boat twice only to have him take off again dancing on the water before he at last gave in on the 3rd approach and Bimini scooped him in the net. He was hooked right in the corner of the mouth so we took a few seconds to measure him at 31 inches and then got him right back in the water. I'll come back looking for him again when snook season opens.
I got one more snook about 25 inches before the rain came and we headed for the dock tired and cold and smiling from ear to ear. Another great day on the water.
Fish Caught: Redfish, Lady Fish, Mangrove Snapper, Skate/Ray
High Tide: 6:00 PM 1.0 FT Low Tide: 10:00 AM -1.0 FT Wind: 0-5 S Air Temp: 46/79 Water Temp: Clarity: murky
It's been hard to find time to get out on the water lately, too much work and other events. But I've been told redfish are all over the Myakka River, Charlotte Harbor area so I just decided today was the day to get away from responsibilities and GO FISHING!
So I went down the the El Jobean Bait & Tackle Shop and picked up a few dozen shrimp. Randy and Patricia, the owners, are wonderful, hard working people and they love fishing. I was surprised to see fiddler crabs and pass crabs (new to me) among the very healthy shrimp and pinfish. Patricia threw a few fiddlers and pass crabs in my bucket of shrimp to let me try them.
We left the dock about 2:15 PM and headed down to the end of the canal. The tide was very low and there were several other boats out there already but we got into one of our favorite low water areas and drifted bait over the oyster bar. Action was immediate but it seemed we were just feeding some very small Mangrove Snappers. Most just stripped the shrimp and the few I got in the boat were well below the 10 inch minimum. I finally did get one that went about 12 inches, great eating fish.
The pass crabs and especially the fiddler crabs got gobbled up within minutes of reaching the bottom. I never managed to hook anything with them but by the bite I'm guessing it was the master thieves, the mangrove snapper, that was feeding heartily on the crabs. I'll definitely try them again but the pass crabs are a little too expensive for me at $20.00/dozen. Patricia says they are used mostly for tarpon down in the passes around Boca Grande although I imagine if tarpon is what you want to catch they are around the El Jobean bridge quite often. And I would think big snook, redfish, sheepshead and grouper would love these little crabs as well. I only had a couple and they were taken from my hook quickly.
I poled the boat around some and finally found the redfish in the shallows. I missed a couple nice hits but did finally get my one keeper, just over the 18 inch minimum which we'll enjoy with our snapper for dinner. As the sun was setting a huge moon came up directly over the other end of the canal. We headed right into it on our way home about 6 PM, another wonderfully relaxing afternoon on the water.
Fish Caught: Redfish, Lady Fish, Trout, Snook, Blow Fish
High Tide: 10:00 AM 1.6 FT Low Tide: 5:30 PM 0.5 FT Wind: 0-5 NE Air Temp: 51/82 Water Temp: 72 Clarity: very clear
It was foggy again this morning so I didn't leave Eldred's Marina until about 11:00 AM. But by then it was beautiful weather with bright blue sky and next to no wind. It was our last day in Placida so I was alone to make the long trip back home. With as much fishing as I could stand along the way.
I went straight to Bull Bay and fished the point just inside the entrance to the west. The water was glassy calm and there were bait fish schooled just up on the flat next to the deeper channel. I netted a bunch and started catching trout with them and on my Gulp Swimming Mullet. I don't know how many I caught but it was a lot, all under the 15 inch minimum. I also caught some big pinfish and the largest blowfish I've seen in shallow water. When it finally got all puffed up it was about 8-9 inches in diameter.
There was a bunch of mullet jumping nearer to the mangroves and I keep reading "find the mullet and you'll find the redfish" so when I was tired of feeding the trout I poled over that way. I threw some bait out under a bobber and started casting my Gulp around over the grass and up near the mangroves. And about the 8th cast produced a nice 20 inch red. I poled around there for another hour with out much more action and decided to drift out with the tide towards the deeper water.
Just before the deep water the flat runs over an oyster bed which was only about 3 inches deep and 3 feet wide. I cast over it and had a nice hit but missed it. I had to pole around the deeper side of it and as I drifted back down to where I had had the hit I saw a school of about 5 redfish the biggest about 24 inches. The water was still glassy calm and very clear so while I was seeing the fish they were seeing me and scattering.
As I continued to drift that edge out towards the channel into Bull Bay I could see the bottom in 4-8 feet of water very clearly. I was seeing lots of reds in the shallower water but as I got farther down and deeper I started to see schools of snook. At times I saw as many as 10 snook in loose schools and they would scatter as I got near them. I cast my Gulp past them and tried bouncing it along the bottom towards them but it only seemed to frighten them off. I dropped some bait down with the same results. I think it was so clear they could watch me and could clearly see the line. Or they just weren't hungry, but either way I had no luck getting them interested in anything with a hook in it. It was nice to see them all there though.
It was getting late and I had a long way to go for my 15 mph max speed so I headed back around the point towards the Myakka River and home. The water was still glassy calm and speeding over 3 to 6 feet off water was more like flying over the terrain. Lots of stingrays and sharks were sunning themselves just inches below the surface. I saw several black tips the largest was about 4 feet and a hammerhead about 2.5 feet long. Stingrays were every where in large schools and I even saw 3 spotted eagle rays. I tried to get a photo but by the time I saw them I'd already frightened them. But here's a picture I found of the spotted eagle ray if you're interested.
I stopped at Trout Creek very briefly with no luck at all. I also stopped at the El Jobean bridge, again with no luck. I'd had 3 solid days on the water fishing and if you've ever spent days out there like that you know it will wear you out. So I headed for home and got the boat up on the lift by around 5:00 PM. Tired and relaxed, ready for a beer and to tell my fish stories of another great day on the water. First I had to clean fish for supper.
High Tide: 8:15 AM 1.75 FT Low Tide: 4:45 PM 0.2 FT Wind: 5-10 NE Air Temp: 51/79 Water Temp: 72 Clarity: clear
Thursday morning was a bit foggy so we waited until about 10:00 AM to leave Eldred's Marina and we went straight out to the far side of Devilfish Key. There were a couple other boats there and a few guys wading along the sanding shore casting into the deeper grass flats. We anchored just off the east point where we could see a lot of action in the water. Turned out to be mostly mullet with ladyfish moving thru a little and lots of pinfish. After a half hour or so with only a couple ladyfish I chummed up some pinfish, threw my net and put a half dozen pinfish in my live well.
We picked up and went over to Bull Bay. It was still breezy and a little cool so I went east upon entering Bull Bay and we went up on the south side of one of the bigger islands in the lee of that north wind. It was beautiful there and we pulled a couple small redfish out on a Gulp Swimming Mullet. Karen had a nice hit on one of the pinfish but she missed it. We poled around in about 1-3 feet of water with mullet jumping all around us and an occasional school of bait fish passing thru with little more action.
In the mean time the wind died and it got very hot in the sun. We started back towards the mouth of Bull Bay but almost a soon as I started the motor something took off from about 20 yards in front of us. I managed to motor close enough to see a 4-5 foot black tipped shark. We stopped by one of the stilt houses and drifted a pinfish under a Cajun thunder cork just outside of the stilts. On every pass I hooked a grouper looking fish that I had never seen before. I looked thru all the grouper listed in the fish identification charts at My FWC and the closest thing I see is the Black Sea Bass. The picture there is not great but the description lists "iridescent blue and ebony markings" which were very obvious on the few fish I caught. then end of all it's lower fins and tail ended in a line of bright iridescent blue, it was beautiful. All were around a foot long and the minimum size limit is only 10 inches. I think we may have released a nice dinner. I wish I had taken a photo, doe anyone have one they could send me?
We didn't have much luck fishing beyond that. We looked for conch shells on the sand bars just outside Bull Bay and while there were plenty only two were unoccupied. We caught more ladyfish as huge schools moved around us but mostly we enjoyed the weather which had turned perfect and the water which was like glass.
On our way back to Eldred's we stopped once more by Devilfish Key, on the east end where there's a shallow bar that the outgoing tide was washing over. It was just loaded with schools of pinfish feeding on the debris washing over the bar. I don't think I've ever seen so many pinfish schooling in one spot before.
The sun was getting low as we idled under the Boca Grand Causeway Bridge into Placida Harbor, another great day on the water.
Fish Caught: Redfish, Lady Fish, Trout, Sail Cat, Spanish Mackerel, Skate/Ray
High Tide: 7:00 AM 1.8 FT Low Tide: 4:00 PM 0.2 FT Wind: 5-10 N Air Temp: 55/69 Water Temp: 72 Clarity: clear
Finally, the weather cooperates and our plans to take the boat down to Gasparilla Sound for a few days fishing will be realized. It was kind of cool in the morning so I didn't rush out too early, but when I was finally packed and ready to go the boat wouldn't start. Turned out the battery shorted overnight (was fine the day before) so after a trip to get a new battery and installation time we were ready to leave the dock by about 10:30 AM.
The plan was for Karen and Julie to travel by car to meet Bimini and I at Eldred's Marina in Placida. Bimini and I would make a few stops along the way to see if we could catch a few and meet them for a late lunch and then some more fishing.
Our first stop was Trout Creek and our first fish was a small snook on a white Gulp Swimming Mullet. But soon after we started catching trout, lots of trout, but most were 12-13 inches. We caught about 15 trout on shrimp, greenbacks and Gulp with only 2 going over the 15 inch minimum but of course there is now a closed season for Nov-Dec. But it was fun catching them and nice to see so many around.
Next stop was supposed to be Bull Bay but neither of us had been down there for a long time and we made the turn in a little early and passed thru Turtle Bay. We paused in the middle of the pass and caught a few big ladyfish in very shallow water. Just as we passed into Bull Bay there were a couple small islands that really blocked the cold wind so we anchored there for a while. There were a lot of Mullet jumping and after a while we started spotting reds tailing in the shallows just a little out of casting range. Bimini poled us in a little closer and I dropped a Gulp on one of them and boated a nice 19 inch red. It was awful shallow but the site of those tails was more than we could resist. But when we decided to head for deeper water we found we were stuck. It was about dead low now so after pushing and shoving we settled in to wait for the upcoming tide to float us again.
About 2 hours later I jumped in the water and lifted the engine enough to get us going again. We were very late for our lunch date so we postponed it to the next day by cell phone and finished the day in Bull Bay. As we drifted near the entrance to Bull Bay the wind really picked up and clouds blew in from the north, it was cold. But we caught a nice Mackerel on chunked ladyfish and a huge sail cat on a live pinfish and a bunch of other small stuff.
About 4:30 or so it was really getting windy and the sky was dark so we headed back to Eldred's. It was a cool ride back but a nice exciting day on the water.
Fish Caught: Sheepshead, Snook, Lady Fish, Mangrove Snapper
High Tide: 5:00 AM 2.5 FT Low Tide: 2:00 PM -0.25 FT Wind: 5-10 NW Air Temp: 66/88 Water Temp: 81 Clarity: normal
We had a little cool front come through overnight. It turned the afternoon into a spectacular warm sunny but not too humid day. So we had lunch packed up the boat and headed down the canal.
I didn't go out for shrimp so I took a bag of menhaden out of the freezer, some extras I had from a preivious trip. When we got down to the end of the canal I could see bait up in the shallows being chased by something small. So I poled up there and threw my cast net over them. I got a few smallish silver jennys, some striped mojara, better than frozen and a couple sheepshead, which of course I let go. The water was very shallow and still going out so we went out were there's a little deeper channel and anchored for a while. I had something pretty good sized pick up a frozen menhaden, but I lost it.
When the tide started going slack, around 1:45 we moved over by the docks to drift under them on the incoming tide. As soon as the tide turned in the water came alive. Something was chasing the bait around under the dock and up the shoreline. I got a couple mangrove snapper on my live bait and fed a few with my frozen bait. The Gulp swimming mullet did nothing at all so I started changing lures. I threw a blue Rapala swimmer, some smaller silver swimmers and finally put on a Heddon Zara Puppy, topwater. That hit the water and I let it sit still for about 15 seconds to get a little closer to the dock. As soon as I twitched it just a couple times a streak came out from under the dock and smashed it. It was a small snook, real small, about a foot long. A got another similar and missed a couple and then a small ladyfish.
I put the ladyfish on a big hook and tossed it back in. It swam around for a while as I tried to coax it into a deep hole I know of under the dock. Well it finally swam down where I wanted it and it suddenly felt much bigger than a tiny ladyfish. I tightened my line and it started moving out from under the dock and up along the edge. I gave it some time to get that ladyfish swallowed and then set the hook. Whatever it was turned directly under the dock and around the far piling and hooked me up solid. I held the line tight for a while then let it slack. When I put tension on the line again it came free and I got back one dead and beaten ladyfish. Most of the scales were gone from its back and it was kind of crunched up.
That was the excitement for another beautiful day on the water. We were back at the dock by about 5:00 pm.
Fish Caught: Sheepshead, Lady Fish, Trout, Catfish, Mangrove Snapper, Skate/Ray
High Tide: 3:45 PM 2.1 FT Low Tide: 9:45 AM 0.5 FT Wind: 5-10 S Air Temp: 75/91 Water Temp: 83 Clarity: coffee
Hurricane Ike has had our tides running very high with lots of wind and sudden bands of thunderstorms which kept us off the water. Our dock actually had water on top of it a couple times this week, I've never seen that before. What a storm, we watched the broadcasts from Galveston with some relief but also with a great deal of sympathy.
But it was finally a more normal September day so we decided to get out for some fishing. I went out early to get shrimp and when I brought it down to the dock a little before sunrise there was a lot of action in the water. I put on a Gulp and cast at some of the noisy spots only to scare some large schools of mullet. But there was something bigger out there but I never did get a hit except for something very small which appeared to be a small trout. I never got it out of the water except that it jumped to get lose of the hook.
So we left the dock about 8:30 AM stopping a couple times along the way to cast a Gulp with no luck. We finally anchored near the docks about 9:30. The tide seemed to have turned in a little early so we were already on the incoming. I started getting small, snapper like hits, immediately. I got about 3 small snapper and 4 or 5 nice sized sheepshead in the boat while missing quite a few. The sheepshead went from about 10 inches up to about 13. We don't like sheepshead so we didn't keep any even though at least 3 were over the 12 inch minimum.
I caught several large rays which I wished to be redfish as I was yelling for the net, but they were rays everytime. There were a few catfish and the lady fish were around most of the day but they did their aerial displays and spit the hook everytime. I would have kept a couple for my crab traps which have been drydocked far too long.
Another fun day on the water, plenty of action but nothing to show for dinner. Next time!
Fish Caught: Redfish, Sheepshead, Lady Fish, Trout, Catfish, Mangrove Snapper, Skate/Ray
High Tide: 4:00 PM 2.25 FT Low Tide: 10:00 AM 1.0 FT Wind: 10-20 NE Air Temp: 75/91 Water Temp: 84 Clarity: dark
It's been about 5 weeks since the last trip out on the boat, too long. And we almost got canceled again because of Hurricane Gustav. But we left the dock about 9:15 with my Dad, my sister Kate and her husband James looking forward to a quiet day of fishing in the canal. Not too far from home because the weather wasn't looking very gentle.
We had menhaden, shrimp and a brand new bucket of 4" Gulp Swimming Mullet. We stopped in the Apollo Waterway at the very end of the ebbing tide. The shrimp proved productive immediately but only small bites including a sheepshead about 10 inches long. When the tide turned in we went over to the docks where we could drift the shrimp underneath. There were a lot of small snapper, a ladyfish and generally bait stealing pests. We were about to pick up and move when my Dad cast in one more shrimp.
I happened to look over at him when his pole was almost yanked from his grip. I watched as he reared back and set the hook into something that didn't seem to slow down at all against the pull of 30 lb Fireline and a tight drag on a Penn 450SS. I could see by the bend in the pole and the speed of the line peeling out that he had the big red we'd come here to catch. I yelled "Net" and then watched as the tiny wake from the line zipping thru the water headed back under the dock, around a piling and, with a huge swell of water, snapped. It was all over in 15 seconds or less. But we've talked about that 15 seconds for an accumulated 4 hours since then. We've decided it was a redfish at least 30 inches, maybe bigger.
We made several other stops without getting too far from the canal. The sky looked threatening and the water outside the canal was starting to show signs that Gustav was exerting some influence on it. We only managed some rays and small catfish and a trout that was 1 inch shy of the 15 inch size limit.
Finally the rain got too hard and lightning started showing on the horizon so we started back home with nothing in our cooler for dinner but a great fish story and a fishing spot to look forward too in the near future.
Everyone agreed it was another great day on the water and we're all enjoying razzing my Dad for losing that fish! Dam what a fish.
Fish Caught: Lady Fish, Sail Cat, Mangrove Snapper, Skate/Ray
High Tide: 4:30 PM 2.5 FT Low Tide: 9:30 AM 1.2 FT Wind: 0-5 SE Air Temp: 71/90 Water Temp: Clarity: murky
My neighbor and good friend, Bimini, went out yesterday around lunch time and got chased back into our canal by the strong thunderstorms that started popping up. But before she ran for cover she hit a large school of redfish feeding in the mouth of the canal. She landed two small ones and broke the line on what she says was an easy keeper, maybe over slot limit.
So, this morning she headed out early and I happened to be on the dock. She twisted my arm, I grabbed my gear and we were off. We both had things to take care of for the 4th's celebration and agreed to be back by around nine. But we were too early for the fishing, the tide was wrong and the wind was not drifting us the way we wanted to go. There were plenty of tiny mangrove snapper but only one keeper. I also caught about 6 stingray and a ladyfish. Bimini brought in a very, very large sail cat. We thought it was a shark the way it was attacking her bobber and live bait.
With the 4th we both have places to be and people to see but I hope we'll time that tide better in the next few days to find those reds feeding on the flats. There has been lots of bait in the water lately and I knew it was only a matter of time until something big came in to fill up their bellies.
Thanks for the trip Bimini, it was a beautiful morning on the water. I think we did good to get home only an hour late. Well, maybe an hour and a half.
High Tide: 2:00 PM 2.1 FT Low Tide: 7:15 AM 1.2 FT Wind: 0-5 SW Air Temp: 74/96 Water Temp: Clarity: murky
I got a couple dozen shrimp the day before and soon after leaving the dock at about 6:15 AM I was able to net about 10 small greenbacks in our canal. We had decided not to travel too far, gas is getting to be an expense to consider even with our little 40 HP Mercury.
When we got to the end of the Apollo Waterway the sun was still low and the water was glassy calm. There were fishing popping and slapping the sides of the sea wall all up and down it's length. I hadn't planned on stopping there but I dropped the anchor and put out a shrimp, a greenback and I threw the Gulp around. I had a couple small hits on the Gulp Swimming Mullet and the shrimp but the fish were small and I never got one to the boat to see what they were. I saw a few break water and at a glance I would say some kind of small jack, tall flat body with a bright yellow tail.
We moved down a little farther and fished under the docks. Shrimp were getting stripped from the hook shortly after hitting the bottom and I got several small mangrove snapper to the boat. The small greenbacks sat in the water a lot longer between bites but they did produce a keeper snapper and a lady fish which I kept for crab trap bait.
There was a lot of action all morning but nothing too exciting. A lot of small bait in the water, at some time there will be some bigger fish after them and I hope I'm there to get a couple. About noon it starting getting way too hot in the sun so we headed home. Another relaxing day on the water.
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.
High Tide: 11:15 AM 2.0 FT Low Tide: 8:00 PM 0.2 FT Wind: 5-10 NE Air Temp: 73/91 Water Temp: 81 Clarity: clear
I managed to net about 5 dozen good sized sardines from a local canal Thursday afternoon. Having that much nice bait made me anxious to get fishing so we left the dock early, before 6:00 AM. I fished a short while at the end of the Apollo canal but I was to anxious to get to my snook spot at the El Jobean bridge, so we set out while it was still dark.
But that was disappointing. Almost no action at the bridge. A few lady fish that never got to the boat but ripped up my sardines and my Gulp Swimming mullets.
I'd been looking at the satellite images at the Charlotte County GIS System and the top of the Tippecanoe Bay. It seemed like a lot of water passes through that area when the tides are changing so I decided to try some snook fishing up there.
We cruised around that area throwing the Gulp and live lining the sardines. There was a lot of action but the fish all seemed small and I couldn't get anything to the boat to see what I was dealing with. I lost the tail off mt gulp several times, which seemed odd in that shallow water. It's usually trout, lady fish or snapper that do that. I saw a small shark cruising around us for a while but I couldn't catch his attention.
I finally hooked a redfish on my Gulp in one of the little shallow coves. He was 18.5 inches, just enough to keep for supper. We blackened it with some cajun seasoning, excellent.
On our way back we saw ladyfish busting up the bait near the El Jobean bridge so we stopped a got a few for the crab traps.
We did have one exciting find on our way in to the dock. The story starts on our trip out around 6:00 AM. I spotted something floating in the water and I shined a light on it. It appeared to be a cooler and I wondered why it would be in the water and if there might be something still in it. On our way back in I recognized it again a little farther up the canal so I pulled over to see what it might be. I at least thought we might get some garbage out of the water.
But, we were surprised to find it was a safe. The kind you might have in a closet in you home to keep valuables. As I tried to get it on the boat it popped open, apparently it had been damaged. But it was near full of stuff, the most obvious were a couple check books on the top. Karen pawed through enough to find some keys and she read an address in the check book. We decided to not look any farther and call the police when we got it home.
The police woman was able to determine that a report of 2 stolen safes had been filed by the person whos's name was on the check book. She was contacted and the safe and contents where returned. I have since heard that a safe was found in a canal in Punta Gorda a few weeks ago. If you're the vandal, be warned that there are good people that will try to get you. I hope there are finger prints on that safe that will get back to you.
We got back to the dock at about 1:30 PM. A very long day on the water but a great day. Seems like every day on the water is a great day!
High Tide: 12:15 PM 2.0 FT Low Tide: 6:00 AM 1.5 FT Wind: 5-10 SE Air Temp: 71/88 Water Temp: 80 Clarity: murky
It was one of those odd days that we are under cloud cover almost all day. We left the dock about 6:20 AM and headed straight out to the bridge over the Myakka River in El Jobean, FL. But with the wind blowing straight up Charlotte Harbor it was too rough to hold bottom so we decided to find some shelter in the Myakka Cutoff behind Hog Island. I tried a few of our favorite deep holes in the cutoff and had a few small fish steel my white bait. We moved a little farther into the cutoff to a hole I've had good luck at before. I tossed a free lined white bait up under the mangroves and it obliged by swimming farther under and attracting a nice snook. I set the hook and that snook jumped straight up out of the water and right into the mangrove, of course dragging my line with him and tangling it. He thrashed again while suspended from the mangrove and snapped my 30 lb leader. I lost 2 more fish which I'm sure were snook under the same area of mangrove.
We explored some new water way back in the cutoff and I found some places that I'll revisit but we didn't have any more luck today. The sky was looking a little threatening so we decided to head a little closer to home When we got back out to the harbor it was filled with birds diving. We ran over to marker 9 to find huge schools of lady fish feeding on something, I assume glass minnows. I guess the cooler water brought them back up into the harbor. I played with a few which I'll use to bait my crab traps.
On the way into the Apollo Waterway I threw my Gulp Swimming Mullet along the seawalls and got a nice 13 inch Mangrove Snapper, we had him for supper, along with some shark we had in the freezer.
BTW, the sail cat we got last week was okay. It tasted very good, no muddy or iodine flavor at all, a nice mild fish, but the meat was not the nice flaky white of a snook or redfish. But Karen and I agreed it would be a good fish to batter and deep fry.
High Tide: 6:00 AM 2 FT Low Tide: 2:00 PM .25 FT Wind: 5-10 E Air Temp: 75/93 Water Temp: 85 Clarity: murky
We decided to go back to see if we could catch that shark. Our neighbor, Bimini, came along for the excitement which began when we left the dock about 6:45 AM.
We went right to the end of the Apollo Waterway drifing threw the sea walls with sardines both live lined and under bobbers (this time with steel leader) and casting a Gulp Mullet and a Heddon - Zara Puppy.
It was very quiet, no action at all until we were almost in the Myakka River. We could see a lot of commotion on the glassy water surface just ahead. I dropped anchor before we got too close and Bimini was able to cast a sardine, apparently right on the head of a big jack. It seemed to grap that sardine practically before it hit the water and Bimini battled it into the net. We sat there for a while and then decided to head back up the canal. As I was hauling the anchor Bimini took one more cast into the mangrove roots and a little snook blasted out and grabbed her sardine.
We went back up to the Jupiter Waterway and played with some sail cats and lady fish. One of the sail cats was quite large and I talked Karen into trying it for supper. We've heard from a couple different friends that they are very good and the one you see in the photo was so big we thought it was time to try it out. We've been pleasantly surprised with other fish, such as spanish mackerel, that most people don't eat. But very fresh fish can be very good when the same fish purchased at a store may not be fresh and can be less than satisying. We made the dock by 10:30 AM
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.
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: 3:30 PM 2.3 FT Low Tide: 9:00 AM 1.1 FT Wind: 0-5 E Air Temp: 73/93 Water Temp: 88 Clarity: muddy
We left the dock at 6:15 to take full advantage of the cooler morning weather. I have been able to net bait fish at some point in the canal but this morning I couldn't find any. So when I reached the Myakka I threw some plastics and popers with no luck. Unfortunately I am out of my favorite Gulp Swimming Mullets.
I poled the boat into some shallows with grass edges but all I netted there were tiny things that looked a lot like baby pompano or maybe jacks. but they were only an inch or less in length so useless as bait.
So we took a ride out to the El Jobean bridge to see if we could get some bait out there, but again I didn't see any. So we went over to the Tiki Bar and picked up a couple dozen live shrimp.
I fed a few shrimp to what I suspect were Mangrove Snappers under the bridge but it was slow action and hot in that sun so we moved back to the Apollo Waterway ant threw the shrimp under the dock by what we call the "Hunt Home". We had a little better luck there with Snappers but small. A lot of action behind the dock but we couldn't seem to attract the attention of whatever was feeding back there. So we headed home.
Our neighbors, Bimini and Julie were parked in one of there favorite spots so we tied up and shared our last shrimp with them. We got a lot of small stuff like cat fish, mangrove snapper, ladyfish and one decent sized jack. There was a little more breeze there but it was still very hot so after the last shrimp we headed for home and the pool.
High Tide: 9:45 AM 2 FT Low Tide: 6:45 PM -0.25 FT Wind: 5-10 SW Air Temp: 75/93 Water Temp: 87 Clarity: clear
The shark was excellent. I marinated it with grapefruit juice and grilled it with garlic, pepperoncini peppers and rosemarry. It was a nice moist mild meat similar to red fish or bass.
So we went out again today to get a couple more. You’re limited to 1 fish per person or 2 per vessel, which ever is less. Karen and I were joined by Bimini, our neighbor so we were allowed 2 and we didn’t struggle too much to get them. We left the dock at Eldred’s marina about 6:45 AM and after netting a little bait between the 2 islands off from the Fishery Restaurant we headed out towards Catfish Creek. Our shark spot was just a little south and off shore from Catfish Creek in about 4-5 feet of water. We anchored and started chumming, threw out some chunked mackerel I brought from the freezer, some pinfish and tossed some gulp. Bimini caught a ladyfish and we chunked that too. Shark seem to love ladyfish because that did the trick. We ended up with three in the boat and a bunch that cut the 35 lb florocarbon leader. A few catfish liked the chunked bait as well.
We went in shore to try for some redfish too but no luck. So we went back out to drift the grass flats. We managed a couple trout, one was 16 inches so we added that to the cooler, the rest were small.
It was a nice day but by 11:00 AM it was getting very hot, we headed home.
Since fish is sometimes a challenge for many to cook, your recipe was a great addition to your comments. It sounded great. By maralyn, At
August 13, 2007 2:30 PM
Fish Caught: Snook, Lady Fish, Spanish Mackerel, Catfish, Stingray
High Tide: 5:00 PM 2.5 FT Low Tide: 1:00 AM -.5 FT Wind: 10-20 NE Air Temp: 66/89 Water Temp: 79 Clarity: clear
We left the dock about 7:00 AM, without checking the weather since the evening before. We made our first stop at the Bridge over the Myakka in El Jobean, FL. I bought a new Gulp called "Greenback" which looks very much like a threadfin sardine. It is shaped like a fish but has a lump on its tail that causes it to swim when you pull it through the water.
On my first cast with that lure I hooked a spanish mackerel about 19". Nothing more there for a half hour and the wind started picking up and blowing us around so we headed for trout creek.
We anchored in that first big cove in trout creek, we were watching a bunch of pelicans diving as we approached, thought that was a very good sign. Well they weren’t afraid of us at all and for the 3 hours we fished there they kept up the comical group fishing all around us. I took a video on my little digital still camera, its not great but here it is, Pelican video.
My Mom and Dad are with us on this trip. They were fishing live shrimp, my Mom under a cork and my Dad on the bottom. Plenty of catfish for both and my Mom also got a stingray. I was throwing my new green back Gulp and got a couple ladyfish.
Then, about 11:30 I hit a huge snook on my Gulp. A great fight around the boat, under the motor, passing the pole between the bimini top and finally landed a 28" snook.Unfortunately the season is closed because that 28 inch fish would have made a great dinner, I got 1 more about 23" before we decided to leave. It was getting very windy out in the harbor, there were no boats looking for cobia like we had expected, maybe they checked the morning weather report.
We made our way into the shelter of Hog Island at trolling speed pulling a few lures. About halfway up Hog Island in 7 feet of water my Dad hooked a nice Spanish Mackerel about 22". We got several more bites a small one in the boat and Karen had a nice one on that cut the 35lb florocarbon leader right at the boat.
It was a great day on the water, we were back at the dock by about 2:30 with fish to clean.
High Tide: 5:45 PM 2 FT Low Tide: 2:00 AM -.25 FT Wind: 0-5 E Air Temp: 62/89 Water Temp: 79 Clarity: clear
I netted a few bait yesterday from our dock. Went down early this morning, about 6:00 AM to put the bait in the live well on the boat and decided to throw the net once more. I got an 11" sheepshead which was a little shocking.
So we left the dock by 7:00 AM, stopped at the bridge in El Jobean, FL, no fish but we did see a big manatee. Decided to head to Trout Creek since the tide would be rising all day. We weren't the only ones that thought Trout Creek would be a good place today. But we drifted into the first main cove and I dropped the anchor. Lots of tiny bait in the water and big swirls. After 3 dolphin came splashing through and things calmed again we started catching trout.
I lost count after 10 but I'd say at least 15 trout, mostly on Gulp Swimming Mullet, white, 4". When I ran out of those I tried the Gulp 3" shrimp, white and got a Lady Fish but no more trout. I switched to a Berkley Glass Minnow and got a couple more trout. But in all 15 or so I got, only 1 that was a keeper at 16" the rest were 12 to 14.5" and I had to throw them back. But a great time.
From Trout Creek we could see a bunch of boats anchored about a 1/2 mile SE. We got curious so we went to see what was so interesting. Everyone was fishing but we didn’t see anyone catching. So we tossed the Berkley Glass Minnow out and trolled around. Most boats (there were about 10) were in 10-12 feet of water. We headed back towards Hog Island and in 8 feet of water Karen yelled, her indication she had a fish. I looked at her rod and saw it was a large fish and then the line snapped (I think it was my fault for getting it into the mangroves a few times, Fireline is not great for abrasions). We’ll never know what it was, I noted the time at about 12:30, we trolled for another half hour and headed home.
Added 5/16/2007: Found out that there are cobia in Charlotte Harbor out by marker 8. That's where we were when Karen hooked and lost that big fish. Must have been a cobia, see you out there Saturday.
We left the dock about 7:00 AM, without checking the weather since the evening before. We made our first stop at the Bridge over the Myakka in El Jobean, FL. I bought a new Gulp called "Greenback" which looks very much like a threadfin sardine. It is shaped like a fish but has a lump on its tail that causes it to swim when you pull it through the water.