Boca Grande and Charlotte Harbor have great snook
Capt. Van Hubbard
August 17, 2009
Boca Grande - Saltwater Fishing Report
8-16 -09 fishing report, by Captain Van Hubbard.
Get ready for some great snook action around Charlotte Harbor and Boca Grande when season opens the First of September.
We enjoyed some good snook catch and release action this week. We also caught a nice redfish and saw others. The trout we also abundant; some were just legal but we had a few larger ones too. Mangrove snapper were small but fun. We have some Spanish outside when the winds allow us into the Gulf. Baitfish are everywhere and getting larger every day. Boat traffic has slowed down and mornings have been cooler recently. It's time to set up a trip to fish if you can get away.
William Green brought his two son's Jarrod and Cameron down from Crystal River for some snook fishing before they went back to school. Jarrod caught the bigger snook but Cameron did get a good one. They fished two days and had about twenty fish apiece plus one slot redfish and several trout. We saw some manatees and dolphin. We fished Lemon Bay, the Gulf Beaches, and Charlotte Harbor. It was mostly sight fishing and live minnows. Let me explain my rigs and why I choose em.
We rig with Daiichi Bleeding Bait "red" circle hooks; they are the sharpest hooks around. I add a small soft Target Bead allowing just enough room between the hook barb and bead for the minnow to move freely. If you leave too wide a space the minnow double hooks on these very sharp hooks and you miss the bite. I spend the extra money to use a long Fluorocarbon leader on my braided 14 – 20 pound line. Personally I like the smooth drags on my Quantum Cabo 40 reels matched with 8 feet Cabo PT medium action rods. I went into detail so I could explain how quality helps your catching. Sharp hooks make a big positive difference in hook ups. Circle hooks rarely gut hook fish and most fish need to be released these days. That Target Bead almost eliminates twice hooked minnows. Look at mono then fluorocarbon in clear water and you can see a difference; how much are more bites worth to you? Smooth drags do not jerk your hook as fish pull. Long medium action rods cast a mile with light braided lines and live minnows. You need to lob minnows do not try to whip cast live baits with no stretch braids! Load the rod tip, but do not snap the tip back and forth because this rips minnows off and loops around rod tips. You will need to adjust to braids if you are not used to them. With no stretch braid and long limber rods you must work your rod slower when fighting fish because you were used to fast movements required to compensate for mono's 20% stretch factor. Just watch your rod tip as you play fish to adjust your speed to the equipment.
I hope this info helps you catch more fish and enjoy the time fishing even more. We do still have a fair shot at tarpon if the weather is not too windy. Spanish Mackerel will just get better for the next few months; until cold winds blow em south. Kings are not very far up the road. The storms in the Panhandle could push them down even sooner. We saw a fat pompano last week and more are due soon. Snook opens in two weeks get set up now! Redfish and trout are fine and getting better as temps start to slowly cool now. If you like mullet they are fat and excellent eating now. This is the time to enjoy our Charlotte Harbor/Boca Grande/ Lemon Bay waters while many prepare to go to the woods. Let's Go Fishin' soon. Captain Van Hubbard.
Boca Grande Fishing Forecast:
snook opens the First of September. redfish and trout are ready. mackerel and snapper good eating too. some tarpon.
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