There is no substitute for experience.
Fishing in Florida with Beyond Borders Outfitters has successfully put hopeful anglers on saltwater game fish all year long. While we specialize in tarpon fishing for eight months out of the year, we also target a variety of other game fish when the tarpon fishing has come to a halt.
APRIL THRU JUNE
The tarpon generally start showing up in great numbers some time in April. Some of the best and most successful fly fishing for tarpon takes place during April and May. The water is still very clear because the rain has yet to fall, and we typically see strong tides and aggressive fish-a gelled scenario for peak tarpon fly fishing. Those anglers looking to see some strong action on fly or conventional tackle before the main migration should consider the month of April. Our guides are chasing these early fish from the first day they arrive. It is not uncommon for fly anglers to see multiple tarpon hookups, with some anglers reporting well over ten fish hooked on fly in a single morning.
Florida FishingThe main tarpon season continues well into May and June when the fish come in a mass migration to Boca Grande Pass and Charlotte Harbor. Our guides will target huge tarpon in shallow water during the day, and generally move to the passes in the evenings for the last bite. Those anglers interested in pursuing other saltwater game fish as well will be able to catch redfish, snook, trout, permit, sharks, and cobia.
Often times, a typical charter will begin and end with tarpon fishing, with time for snook and redfish in between. The schools of redfish will be in the harbor in these spring months, chasing the schools of baitfish in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound. We will also be targeting snook in the mangroves with live bait, flies, and artificials. Permit will be offshore on the wrecks for those anglers who would like to sight cast to one of these incredible fish, which many anglers have spent over a decade of their lives trying to land. It is not uncommon for the permit in our home waters to weigh in excess of 25 pounds.
JULY, AUGUST & SEPTEMBER
In these months many anglers flee the waters of Charlotte Harbor due to the increase in temperatures. However, a few anglers in the know understand the benefit of fishing during these months. The tarpon move into the back country in huge numbers and begin chasing the schools of bait and ladyfish. While the tarpon of May and June are often seen refusing any bait and technique thrown at them, the tarpon of the late summer often feed ravenously.
Traditionally tarpon fishing has come to a halt in late June and early July, yet our guides are well known for chasing these fish into the harbor well into October.
These summer months are famous for a decrease in fisherman and an increase in the number of hungry fish. We commonly sight fish amid schools of rolling tarpon ranging in size from 30 to well over a 100 pounds.
Many anglers come in hopes of catching a “Charlotte Harbor Slam” during these summer months. Fishing in Florida with Beyond Borders Outfitters, we specialize in such days, as the snook are also cruising the waters off the crystal clear gulf island beaches. The large schools of snook often make easy targets on artificials and flies during these months as they stack up on these beaches. In recent years, the redfish, the third member of the slam, has become the most famous and sought after saltwater game fish in Florida.
The redfish begin their famous spawning ritual near the end of September. It is not uncommon to sight fish redfish up to 20 pounds on fly, artificials and bait during this phenomenon.
On certain special days, when the redfish schools cooperate, and those lucky anglers are able to spend upwards of an hour on one of these schools, hookups can number near the 50 to 60 range.
OCTOBER
October is the pinnacle of redfish fishing in Charlotte Harbor. The tarpon are generally still in the back country readily taking baits depending on the weather. The redfish are in a frenzied spawning phase often offering any angler unmatched opportunities for fish well in excess of ten pounds in water less than four feet deep. October is generally the month when our guides are also catching large “bull” reds in excess of 20 pounds, with some up to 30 pounds.
NOVEMBER, DECEMBER & JANUARY
During this time of year, due to the change in the lunar cycle, our tides in the Charlotte Harbor area frequently drop far below normal. This sets the stage for some of the finest sight fishing offered state wide for tailing redfish. Our guides will take angler deep into the back country through the mazes of mangrove islands to stalk these elusive game fish. In many anglers’ eyes, these tailing fish rival the excitement and intensity of stalking bonefish on the flats of the world famous Florida Keys.
Picture yourself gliding in only a foot of water in one of our shallow water skiffs in pursuit of Florida’s most popular inshore game fish. Many of our clients find themselves in awe of these tailing fish after having fled the northern cold to find 80 degree weather and feeding fish on crystal clear flats.Our guides will also take anglers who so desire after a variety of sharks ranging in length from 2 to 8 feet. It is common to sight fish schooling bonnet head sharks, a close cousin of the world famous hammerhead shark, in less than four feet of water. Other shark species that we target this time of year include black tip, bull sharks, sand sharks, and several other types of extremely aggressive sharks.
FEBRUARY & MARCH
This time of year typically sees a warm weather change which acts a catalyst igniting a newly found hunger in snook that have been in a winter slumber. It is this time of year that the waters of Charlotte Harbor are flooded with massive schools of baitfish. It is these months that are known as the beginning of what promises to be an incredible spring year after year. Those anglers with a passion for snook often migrate to our waters to get the first shot at these fish as they acclimate to the new warmer water. The feeding habits of the snook epitomize raw predatory reaction, creating a visual display for those anglers who have witnessed the disappearance of a lure or baitfish to its violent strike. Often times, the snook will leave behind only a swirl of foam following the trademark “popping” sound so common in the mangroves of Charlotte Harbor. Snook fishing with the guides of Beyond Borders Outfitters can result in both high quantities of snook and often times very large fish.
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