 |
|
|
|
There is no substitute for experience.
Fishing
Report |
July and August. 2008
Conventional wisdom tells the unfortunate angler
that tarpon season “ends” by the first week of July. Boca Grande
Pass has always been and always will be the best tarpon fishing
destination in the world. For that very reason, most of the information
concerning tarpon comes from that specific arena. Most destination
fishermen have been led to believe that Florida west coast tarpon
fishing ends when the fish move out of Boca Grande Pass. This could not
be farther from the truth. As the silver king moves out of the pass, the
migration heads inward. Our guides have perfected the art of locating
and hooking these fish as they move up the harbor. 2008 was no
exception. As early as late June, the tarpon began moving into the
harbor and settling into their daily routine. A routine that involves
laying up at times, and blasting schools of bait clear out of the water
at others. Some of the best and most exciting tarpon fishing occurs
during the later summer months of July, August, and September. We are
now in full swing summer tarpon catching mode.
May and June, 2008
Year after year this phenomenon known as the tarpon
migration bestows upon us the finest inshore and light tackle tarpon
fishing in the world. Beginning as early as February, the tarpon schools
start “rolling” into the harbor and into Boca Grande Pass. Our
guides are on the water from daylight till dark nearly every day through
May and June. The 2008 tarpon season brought a large migration of big
fish into Pine Island Sound and Charlotte Harbor. Although May saw some
high winds and rough water, the bite was strong, and we averaged
multiple hookups every day. The famous “hill tides” stayed fantastic
through the end of June and early July, where the tarpon fed ravenously
on crabs as they flushed out of Boca Grande Pass. Our guides spent many
days fishing just east of the famous pass through most of June, as large
schools of rolling fishing pushed into the harbor each day. A solid
number of fish moved out onto the beaches as well, where we sight cast
to rolling and laid up tarpon early in the morning.
April, 2008
April of 2008 saw a plethora of species both
abundant in numbers and plenty willing to feed. Our guides focused on
chasing the early tarpon migration into Charlotte Harbor, as well as
stalking the flats species inside the bar. Our fly fishing clients saw
multiple hookups of tarpon on fly, as well as hungry snook and reds. The
inshore wrecks continued to produce keeper gag grouper, as well as cobia
and the occasional king fish. By late April, the tarpon bite was in full
swing, with some clients getting a dozen or more hookups a day. Baitfish
seemed to be everywhere in April, and the game fish were hungry and
aggressive. Schools of redfish ate topwater plugs readily, and snook
crashed live baits along the mangroves. Schools of tarpon roamed the
shallow water, easily spotted by the searching angler. Hookups were
high, fisherman were happy.
February and March, 2008
A relatively mild winter brought early bait pods
and warm water to the west coast of Florida. Charlotte Harbor was
teaming with schools of snook and huge speckled trout, feeding heavily
after a lazy winter slumber. February and March also saw a solid number
of redfish, with tailing reds still prevalent throughout late February.
The inshore wrecks produced a large number of gag grouper and goliath
grouper, as well as cobia and sharks. Our guides have a select and
virtually unknown group of inshore wrecks that hold fish all year long.
Through countless hours of searching, we have located these fish havens
and keep them in our daily repertoire.
Some trips, as early as mid February saw some
tarpon action inshore. Our guides located a small number of big tarpon
in crystal clear water starting during the second week of February, and
into most of March. A typical February or March day included a number of
snook, a few redfish, plenty of huge trout, and the occasional tarpon.
The weather was perfect and the fishing was great. In all, it was a
great opening to yet another fantastic spring fishing season.
|
|
Home
Tarpon Fishing Charter
Backcountry & Flats Fishing Florida
Florida Shark Fishing
Florida Saltwater Flyfishing
Overnight Trips
Southwest Florida Fishing Seasons
Florida Fishing Report
Our Florida Charter Boats
Testimonials
Our Photos
Contact Us
Links
Sitemap
|
.gif){kind=small}