Boca Grande and Charlotte Harbor

Capt. Van Hubbard
September 14, 2006
Boca Grande - Saltwater Fishing Report

Let's Go Fishin' now.

September offers varied opportunities.

Our inshore fish are all in season for harvest. Snook are moving and hungry. Reds are schooled up and traveling. Trout does close next month and are small but biting now. Mackerel will be moving in soon. Check with me for last minute updates to make the most of your fishing adventure.

I was blessed to vacation in the Fabulous Florida Keys recently. Our Florida Outdoor Writers Association had their 60th Annual Conference at Hawks Cay Resort on Duck Key in early September. Since we have been lucky so far this year with hurricanes I even trailered my 23 Dorado south. It’s a great all-around rig; shallow enough for the flats and sea worthy enough for the blue water. The wind and rain challenged us at first but we got off shore for some yellowtail snapper.

Captain Eddie Walker fishes out of Stump Pass Marina in tarpon season and from the Keys afterwards. I caught up with him and he invited us to join him to a hot lump he had been catching “flags” on. The wind was blowing and we got wet on the trip out. Ed also has a 23 Dorado and teaming up is a good safety thing also. The cloud of yellowtails in our chum slick calmed the seas as we proceeded to land our liberal limits of taste tails. The color of Gulf Stream water is beautiful. Add flashing brilliant yellow tailed rainbow colored fish to the blue water and you don’t even need a picture to capture a memory. Ed hooked some big grouper but they were tough and schooled us.

We tried some small silver kings one day. Merry Beth wanted to catch a fun sized tarpon. She was out to enjoy herself and was tired of big tarpon. We had to look around but found plenty of manageable fish. She hooked up a perfect fish and after several jumps it was landed and we got our photographs. We do still have some tarpon around Charlotte Harbor as of the 15th.

FOWA had a fishing event on Friday AM. Several boats went towards the Everglades and caught snook, reds, and trout. Others went off shore for tuna, and reef fish. Some went to the flats and caught bonefish and permit. Everyone had fun and a great lunch at the Lorelei Lei restaurant on Islamorada. This is the spot to enjoy a cocktail and fabulous sunset if you are not fishing.

On the way home we stopped at Everglades City to see what we were missing. I still love fishing around my “home port” of Boca Grande but the remote 10,000 Islands are a unique, special place. We checked at the docks of the Outdoor Resorts at Chokoloskee Island as the guides came in. Everyone had fish. The rainbow that evening, over the resort was a sure sign we were at the right place. Resort manager Kenny Brown was helpful and hooked us up with a talented local guide, Captain Ray Culver, ph 239-354-0604. Captain Ray said he had a creek system farther south with perfect small silver kings. We agreed to meet at 6:30 AM to try them. The ride thru the islands was beautiful, quiet and we never saw another boat until our return to Outdoor Resorts. As we eased into the creek we started to see rolling tarpon regularly. We had so much fun with these smaller fish. We had about twenty bites before we could get a solid hook up and landed our prize. Captain Ray likes the 7m Mirrolure in gold with black or green backs. We tried several lures but this was the ticket. His new 18 foot Maverick and 150 Yamaha were comfortable and fast enough to make the shallow water ride exciting and memorable. We are going back to both places as soon as we get the time.

Local fishing cab be challenging. Some red tide out breaks persist but some good fishing also. The problem is how to guess which days are the best ones. The problems seem to be in the Gulf more than the Harbor. Maybe the fresh waters are helping protect many of our fish and our fishing? Several captains I checked with have enjoyed some great action recently. Snook and reds are here and feeding most of the time. Trout have been small but abundant; a good sign of clean waters. We do have some minnows but must exercise caution traveling with them. It helps that gas prices are falling. October is usually my favorite time of the fishing year. Mackerel migrations are due later this month. This adds even more fish to our area. Good fishing and less company. Let’s Go Fishin’ soon. Captain Van Hubbard

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