July and August has been a great months of fishing
Capt. Jim Conant
August 26, 2017
Matlacha - Saltwater Fishing Report
26 Aug 2017
Sorry I haven't written a report for a month besides being busier than normal this time of year I can only attribute it to being lazy. I will try and do better.
July and August has been a great months of fishing especially if you're out early while the water was still cool. Bull reds have been all over Matlacha, Pine Island sound and Charlotte Harbor. Fishing the flats on the incoming or outgoing tides was the best with incoming being my personal favorite, I had tailing reds all around my boat and clients were amazed at seeing tailing reds on most trips. But as the waters warmed later in the morning the bite of reds and snook died down dramatically and we moved on to snappers and trout. As far as the eclipse and fishing I really didn't see a difference.
Now at the end of the month and the low pressure sitting on our coast dumping rain and flooding streets there is a bright side and a down side to this. The downside is extremely dirty smelly water is coming and possible algae blooms on the horizon. On the other side if you know where the creeks are that is dumping into main bodies of water it should be Snook heaven as the season begins next week. I don't expect fishing to be great for several days after the rain has stopped. Another good thing is the water temps are dropping which will make fishing better.
Tips: when you get out there after all this rain or even in it, there is going to be a dividing line between where the fish want to be. Maybe a little clearer water maybe saltier than fresh once you find where they want to be then you can tailor where you go afterwards. Snook, Tarpon and reds aren't really effected by the inundation of freshwater but when you notice the subtle changes in the environment and adapt to them your catch ratio will go up. Now if your using live bait and you notice your bait is dying quickly that normally means you're in too fresh of water and now you have a live well full of dead chum. I myself after all this rain will start at my normal stomping grounds and if need be I will head west towards the sound and passes to get to better water for what I am targeting.
Snapper: hit the oyster bars they're still big for inshore, free lining shrimp
Snook: find cover with current, any live large bait is the best free lined
Reds: this past month has been cut bait fest, Owners 3/0 mutu light wire with 20 lb fluoro leader free lined and soaked 5 min at each spot. I feel they will be switching to live bait with the cooler waters will make them a little livelier than before
Tarpon: Juvy tarpon are everywhere, live greenbacks, threads or pins free lined
Trout: lures and shrimp under a popping cork, Once I find them I switch to gulp shrimp
Conservation: Reposting blog from last month.
I've been seeing a whole lot of posts on FB and Instagram of all these huge catches coolers full and really happy fishermen/women. But with that haven't we all see a decline in our fishery? Do you really need to stock up your freezers with fish that's basically in your backyard? When you go out and fill up that cooler every time and think that you're the only one who fishes that location, think again. When you're not there someone else is and if they do the same thing the fish aren't going to have a chance to replenish themselves over time. So can everyone please try some conservation effort? I am a guide as everyone knows and yes my clients want to keep their catch most of the time. But I also try and tell them about conservation and encourage them to only take what they can eat that evening. Then when they are in charge of what they keep they keep very little and I tell them how to make a little less fish go a long way in when making dinner. I myself and most of my friends when we're fishing for fun don't keep any but I do occasionally keep a snook but only about 6 a year. Otherwise I go and support my community seafood restaurants in Matlacha, Pine Island and in the Cape when I'm in the mood for seafood. And their cooks are a heck of a lot better than what I am. Did you know SW Florida in particular our area from Lemon Bay down to Estero has more redfish tournaments than the rest of the state combined? So don't think your effort won't help conserve our precious resources. I hope my reports help everyone catch fish but also instill stewardship of what we do. If everyone gets into this mindset our fishery will rebound, fishing will get a lot better and a lot more fun for all.
Tight lines
Check out and like my Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jimbocharters/ and Instagram #jimboscharters page for recent pictures and trips. If you're ready to go fishing give me a call to plan your trip so we can try and catch the tides right. If you're a Veteran with proof I have the best prices around and I guarantee it. I'm also on Facebook at Jimbo's Charters where I post pictures if my clients let me and my website www.Jimboscharters.com and my You tube channel I am slowly building https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGhDg-V7oR-ex6W-5ztwLAQ
Also, if you see me out there say Hi. I am a friendly guy that likes to help. Just don't ask for a pin point location, but I will tell you what I am catching fish on.
Captain Jim
239-671-4692
Matlacha Fishing Forecast:
Tips: when you get out there after all this rain or even in it, there is going to be a dividing line between where the fish want to be. Maybe a little clearer water maybe saltier than fresh once you find where they want to be then you can tailor where you go afterwards. Snook, Tarpon and reds aren't really effected by the inundation of freshwater but when you notice the subtle changes in the environment and adapt to them your catch ratio will go up. Now if your using live bait and you notice your bait is dying quickly that normally means you're in too fresh of water and now you have a live well full of dead chum. I myself after all this rain will start at my normal stomping grounds and if need be I will head west towards the sound and passes to get to better water for what I am targeting.
Snapper: hit the oyster bars they're still big for inshore, free lining shrimp
Snook: find cover with current, any live large bait is the best free lined
Reds: this past month has been cut bait fest, Owners 3/0 mutu light wire with 20 lb fluoro leader free lined and soaked 5 min at each spot. I feel they will be switching to live bait with the cooler waters will make them a little livelier than before
Tarpon: Juvy tarpon are everywhere, live greenbacks, threads or pins free lined
Trout: lures and shrimp under a popping cork, Once I find them I switch to gulp shrimp
Target Species:
Red fish, Snook, Trout, Snapper
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