Since it has been stated that reports are down and I have had nothing to contribute fishing-wise for quite some time, here is my report. We’re down in Bokeelia, FL (Pine Island) west of Cape Coral.
Day 1: Launched the boat and cruised around checking out the waters. Looked for bait but had little luck so we tried artificials. No luck, Nice day on the water (hot) but no fish. After talking with the locals, we found we needed to get chum to get the bait to school up on the shoals so we did.
Day 2: Hit the shoals early, chummed and had moderate success catching bait. They call them white bait down here. They have greenbacks and sliver sides (pilchards, greenbacks)? So, we took our bait and hit a few spots with a few bites and a few catfish (yaay). Hot a couple of “well publicized” spots and the only good thing was a well-toned woman in a boat next to us in an extremely tiny bikini. We saw no one catching anything.
Talked to a fellow across the canal from us who said red tide is pretty bad north of us. We saw quite a few floating dead fish and 3 huge (50 lb) grouper near the Boca Grande pass and the northern part of the harbor. Several of the spots we planned to try appear to be in the area effected by the red tide so, change of plans.
Day 3: Hit the shoals again early and filled the bait well. At least we’ve mastered getting bait. Tried a couple of spots and ended up catching 2 keeper mangrove snapper and (yaay), more catfish. I had my first ever (twice) Snook on the line today. The first one spit the hook at the boat, the second one broke off right at the boat (I blame my crew). The leader was really chewed up. I had no idea they chewed up line that bad. We ended up being chased off the water by some ominous looking clouds and there ended up being some pretty heavy rains and some gusty winds. Not something my little boat can handle.
We still have a few days to go and we feel like we’re learning a little each day so hoping for more to report. Been having a problem with my Chart
Wow. Looks like a great place to be. Are you on the south end of pine island? Place with a dock? Been there before? How did you find the right place to rent? Thanks. Hope I’m not too needy. Want to get down that way in the fall.
We are actually on the north end of Pine Island in a community called Bokeelia. We are on a canal that is about a 2 minute boat ride to JUg Creek through Shell Pass that puts you in Charlotte Harbor. There is a boat landing 2 blocks away that was very convenient. We found the house we are staying in on VRBO and it suits our needs perfectly. I can look out the back door and see my boat docked up.
We caught a few more mangrove snapper yesterday AND we landed our first 2 Snook. Not huge but fun to catch and now I can add Snook to my :caught: list. Lots of news and warnings on our weather apps sp apparently the red tide is worse than we thought. Fortunately it doesn’t seem to be as big an issue right around where we are. If you are looking for a fishing destination, I would definitely recommend this area.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”, but really, who cares?
Was just down there at the beginning of the month, caught a lot of snook around turtle bay and the passes.
Bait was tough, chum and get out there early.
Day 5: Filled the bait well with greenies and headed to the southeast end of Charlotte Harbor (away from the red tide). Saw a large patch of floating grass with at least 40 dead fish and many more singles here and there. As we were heading towards our selected location, we saw a massive bait school busting the surface so we changed course and headed towards it. This school was HUGE, hundreds of yards long and a 100 or so yards wide. We drifted on the edge and decided to throw some spoons. We caught Spanish Mackerel for over 2 hours and I had a Tarpon about 20 yards from the boat when it broke off (weren’t really rigged for Tarpon). Had a 6’ Bull shark chase a mackerel right up to the boat and then a big dolphin did the same. The bait school moved on and our catch changed to ladyfish so we moved back into the mangroves. We caught a few more Snook and I had (yes another break off) big Snook (30" or so) when he got up into the mangroves and my line hung up on a tree branch. All in all, a really fun day.
I spoke with a couple of locals about the bait school. They were dark on top and white/silver on the sides and as big as my hand. I assumed menhaden but they said threadfin herring. They said that starting mid-summer, huge schools come into the harbor and will stick around for several weeks. It was a sight to see.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”, but really, who cares?
Day 5: Filled the bait well with greenies and headed to the southeast end of Charlotte Harbor (away from the red tide). Saw a large patch of floating grass with at least 40 dead fish and many more singles here and there. As we were heading towards our selected location, we saw a massive bait school busting the surface so we changed course and headed towards it. This school was HUGE, hundreds of yards long and a 100 or so yards wide. We drifted on the edge and decided to throw some spoons. We caught Spanish Mackerel for over 2 hours and I had a Tarpon about 20 yards from the boat when it broke off (weren’t really rigged for Tarpon). Had a 6’ Bull shark chase a mackerel right up to the boat and then a big dolphin did the same. The bait school moved on and our catch changed to ladyfish so we moved back into the mangroves. We caught a few more Snook and I had (yes another break off) big Snook (30" or so) when he got up into the mangroves and my line hung up on a tree branch. All in all, a really fun day.
I spoke with a couple of locals about the bait school. They were dark on top and white/silver on the sides and as big as my hand. I assumed menhaden but they said threadfin herring. They said that starting mid-summer, huge schools come into the harbor and will stick around for several weeks. It was a sight to see.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”, but really, who cares?
Day 6: Again found plenty of bait and headed back to where we fished yesterday. Giant bait school there again so we threw spoons and some other artificials. Caught more Spanish then got into a school of trout but they were all under the 15" minimum required here. More ladyfish and my youngest had a big Tarpon on the line but the spoon was small for a Tarpon and it bent the hook and came off. Hooked a shark and a few more ladyfish so we decided to head back into the mangroves. More mangrove snapper and Connor had his first ever permit on the line which promptly headed towards a crab trap a then wrapped the line around the float. We motored over and could see the fish (a nice sized one) wrapped around the float line and as we were trying to net him, the line broke. To say Connor was pissed is an understatement. It was a good day but man we’ve lost some fish.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”, but really, who cares?