AUGUST Fishing Report 2007
It's that time of year for anglers to hit the water and be ready to endure beads of sweat rolling down their face. This month brings afternoon thunderstorms, sweltering hot weather, and hot fishing. The big tarpon are in somewhat of a transitional mode. Various pods of fish will be in the upper reaches of the harbor and can also be found on the beaches and in and around Boca Grande Pass. Riley pictured above with Capt. Jason poses with a nice tarpon. During the same outing, his dad Kevin got in on the action. Find deep holes that stand out from the rest of the bottom throughout the harbor to look around for the silverking. Canals, bridges, and beaches will also show off some tarpon. Large swim baits, DOA baitbusters, and live blue crab and threadfins will also do the trick. Get the fish to the boat as quick as possible with the water temperature being so high, and make sure the fish is revived before release. A hotter bite can usually be found when it is raining or just after, but pick your days carefully and make sure there is no lightning present.Snook, snook, and more snook. They are everywhere. They will readily eat live bait or artificial lures. Find areas with a swift current, shady points, deep mangroves, structure such as docks, sand bars, just about anything is holding snook right now. Come prepared with tackle that can handle decent size snook or when fishing thick cover. Same applies with the tarpon, get the fish released quickly and revived well. David caught his first nice keeper snook while fishing with Capt. Tim. Redfish will start to school and can be found in many places. East wall, west wall, Pine Island, and Gasparilla Sound. A lot of fish will be over the slot limit with an equal amount within the slot range. Soft plastic lures can entice a bite as well as shrimp, live baitfish, and cut bait. Early in the morning they are willing to hit a top water plug. Find thick grass bordered by sandy bottom, mixed sand or potholes it doesn't matter. Some tides this month will reach extreme lows, others will be flood tides. Move near the mangroves on higher tides, and on extreme lows venture to shallow grass flats where redfish will tail and feed. Fellow friend and angler Chris Rudl captured a few shots showing just how shallow redfish will go. With his new camera, he has taken some amazing shots..... There isn't a whole lot more that can make your blood rush than seeing the sites in the above pictures. Stealth is a key factor when redfish are that shallow.That's it for the month of August. Get out on the water, bring a lot of fluids to drink, and be safe with all of the storms and lightning. Oh and catch ya some fish!Tight Lines from the CHO Guides
Charlotte Harbor Outfitters
Captain Tim White
941-916-4009
Captain Chuck Jenks
239-825-8791
Captain Jason Dill
941-628-2847
