As usual, time has gotten away from me and after realizing it’s been a while since I’ve put together a report, I thought I’d take a few moments to keep everyone up to date on where I’ve been. After spending a few weeks fishing Pine Island Sound and the Bull Bay backcountry , I thought I’d take a few days, get away from all the boat traffic, and work the labrynth of islands between Punta Gorda and Pirate Harbor. Even though tides are still low and there isn’t a lot of water, the bar that runs the length of the flat adjacent to the open harbor has been a good zone to look for redfish until the afternoon tide comes in. At that point, I’ve been making my way to the outer most islands and working maybe one or two islands in. It has been a mild winter and with warmer than usual water temperatures; the fish don’t seem to be pushed as far back as they normally would be for the beginning of February. I’ve seen a few snook and they’re still holding a few islands back in the deeper cuts and troughs. Spotted seatrout are out closer to the bar and seem to be more prevalent down towards Pirate Harbor. I’ve still gots lots of ground to cover down the east side of Charlotte Harbor, where I’d like to spend more time, and I’ll try and keep you posted.
Until next report,
Good tides
Capt. Mike