FISHING AFTER IRMA
Well weβve been waiting for it southwest Floridaβ¦ Irma punched us straight in the teeth, punched us in the gut and while we were bent over kicked us right square in the butt. But weβre Floridians, and you know what we do after a hurricane right? We go fishing! We may have an addiction or are just absolutely nuts but we canβt live in the fishing capitol of the world and have something like wind keep us from our passion. And the bite in and around Boca Grande is hot. As everyone drags themselves back to their feet after a Mike Tyson one, two punch we can at least take a little comfort in knowing our communities are there for each other in this time of need.
INSHORE CHARLOTTE HARBOR
Weβre still seeing large schools of reds roaming around a good portion of Charlotte Harbor. This is the time of year when the big schools of reds are chewing their way through the bays and out on the flats and if you keep your eyes open while running youβll be able to see them βpushingβ big wakes as you pass by.Β Weβve been hauling in upper slot and over slot fish from these schools. Quick baits are the way to go. A Johnson silver minnow or jig head and soft plastic are almost guarantee hook ups. Chunked ladyfish or live pinfish are also great baits as well.
OFFSHORE BOCA GRANDE AND ENGLEWOOD
Nearshore, look for that definitive current line in the water, find the bait and work along the outside edges of those lines and if you donβt get bit thereβ¦ fan cast around and try to note where hook ups happen.Β Weβve had a really good mix bag of upper size spanish mackerel and bonito from just outside of the passes and out to 1 Β½ miles. Another good way to find fish right now is just look for the birds.
Offshore reports are still nothing less than excellent as always. Guys are tearing up the grouper and snapper on most of our known reefs and hard bottom. Gag and red grouper on the near shore reefs are still around but dirty water can hamper them. You might need to push out or look for cleaner water to hook up with keeper size fish.Β You may have to make a few moves to find the fish you want so drop it down and drift over the area youβve marked as a potential hot spot. Something else you may want to look for on your machine is not only that βlive bottomβ but the bait and other smaller fish as well. Another thing Iβve had to do is alter the gain on my sounder. There have been so many jellyfish and thermocline layers around Iβve been picking them up as smaller bait schools. So turn that auto setting off and manually set it to filter out those jelliesβ¦. especially if you have an older machine. But, the bite is hot out there and if youβre thinking of splashing the dive gearβ¦. 12-14 miles is where youβll find the color change and cleaner water.
FUN FISHING!
If youβre looking for some fast paced actionβ¦ well youβre gonna enjoy the bite thatβs happening right now. First, head out offshore a few miles and look for the schools of bait that are just outside and easily accessible. Donβt worry, youβll know where they are because the birds are looking for them as well.Β Iβve been throwing small spoons, stick baits and silver minnowβs and just about anything that has a hook on it around those pods and all kinds of things are crushing in those schoolsβ¦. bonito, spanish mackerel, kings, sharks everything. You canβt miss themβ¦just look for the birds and all the fish crashing bait.
If youβve got your eye on landing a few, give us a call and weβll βhook you upβ. If youβre ready to get out and see how Kelly and I do it, give us a jingle at 941- 698- 0323. You may also find us on Facebook, Instagram or our web page www.floridainshorextream.com. So for now tight lines and yβall stay safe!!
Capt. Jesse McDowall
Florida Inshore Xtream Charter services
941-698-0323
www.floridainshorextream.com
[email protected]