Schools of tarpon were found happily feeding on the morning high tides in Matlacha Pass. These aren't the big boys but averaging fifteen to forty pounds they are an absolute blast on light tackle. Our best morning we hooked eight and boated five, that's what's great about this size tarpon, they fight hard with spectacular leaps but the fight is over in a short time giving opportunities to hook more.
The redfish we are catching are either over the slot at thirty inches or better or are around the twenty inch mark. We are finding them under the mangroves in north Matlacha Pass and upper Pine Island Sound on high water and falling into holes behind the bars surrounding Charlotte Harbor on the tail end of the falling tide.
Surprisingly we also caught a good number of snook with a few up to thirty inches from the same low tide areas as the redfish.
A few large trout up to twenty-three inches were caught over oyster bars on the high water and good action with trout up to seventeen inches and Spanish mackerel was found on the falling tides along deeper grass flats near sand bar drop-offs around Bokeelia.
With the days getting shorter and the water cooling fishing should only get better each day. Look for schools of large fall redfish pushing along the flats and bars. Snook will also begin to move off the beaches and back inshore and generally adopt a very strong appetite this month.
For charter information please contact us at:
Phone: 239-283-7960
www.fishpineisland.com
E-mail: gcl2fish@aol.com
"Catch the Action" with Captain Bill Russell
