Charlotte Harbor and Boca Grande tarpon report

Capt. Scott Hughes
July 27, 2008
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report

This report will give an overwiew of the past three months since i was to busy to write reports lately.

May: The tarpon fishing was excellent when the wind didn't blow. Despite the fact that we had some of the worst winds that i can remember, May was much better than June was. We were averaging about 40-47 hooked tarpon per week. Afternoons and Mornings produced about the same results. Jigs and crab fishing was best in the morning and crab fishing dominated the pm trips.

June: There were plenty of tarpon in June but there was plenty of people as well. Due to fuel prices and the publicity of all the TV show done lately, we had many more "out of town" guides and recreational boater in and around Boca Grande Pass. Again, the afternoon trips produced excellent numbers of tarpon by either drifting crab or sight fishing with crabs. The moring fishing was tougher due to the number of "rookes" trying to jig fish in the pass. Jig fishing is the prefered method when the tarpon are in more then 30ft of water. In water shallower than 30 ft, pitching live bait with spinning gear is more effective. A few guides and anglers who only come to the pass prepared to jig fish and don't attain the proper bait. When this happens, they ruin the fishing for everyone because they run over the tarpon when they are shallow and prevent the guys with live bait from getting casts on the pods of fish. We were able to make due by finding fishable number of tarpon off the beaches and in lower Charlotte Harbor but a large part of the morning fishery was "hogged" by an number inexperienced and rude anglers.

July: I've been booked almost everyday this month and I've tried to stay on the fish but its been a difficuly month so far. I've had 2 skunks out of 18 tarpon trips so far this month, which is more than I'd expect for July. The first part of the month I fished mostly in the Boca Grande Pass. Most days I was only one of maybe three or four boats out there. I don't like to jig this late in the year so most of the fish were caught on crabs or thread herring. We did have a few 6-8 fish days in the afternoons by sightfishing with crabs off the Boca Grande beaches. The last week or two has been split between Boca Grande Pass and in the bay. I've been drifting crabs and pinfish in the pass for 100-150 pound fish. In the bay, I've been drifting herring and throwing soft plastic swim baits for tarpon in the 40-80 pound range. We're averaging slightly below the norm of 3-5 fish per trip.

Fort Myers Fishing Forecast:

I expect August to be better than July for the tarpon. As we get more rain the baitfish in the bay should start to move out of the flats and this will concentrate the tarpon.

Target Species:

tarpon

More Fishing Reports:

• All Reports by Capt. Scott Hughes
• Fort Myers Fishing Reports
• Southwest Florida (Cape Sable to Boca Grande) Reports
• Florida Fishing Reports
• Browse All Fishing Reports