Hello all. The guides at Charlotte Harbor Outfitters would like to apologize for the reports section not being up to date since 2008 started. The reports section was experiencing technical difficulties but is now up and running. Instead of filing reports and pictures for the last four months, here is a recap and the spring report thus far. Thanks again to our readers for being patient. Now on to the report!

This time of year on Charlotte Harbor brings warm weather, higher water, and a red hot bite. Tarpon have been showing in great numbers so far throughout the open harbor, beaches, and even Boca Grande Pass. Bait of choice has been large threadfins which can be found anywhere in the open harbor under pelicans diving, which by the way are everywhere. Fish are really good size as well, a lot of 150 pound class and bigger fish. Look for them to continue their haunts in the deep holes in the harbor, as well as the big bridges, and to start showing in good numbers in the pass.

Snook will be on the flats in force. Solo fish and schooled fish will be roaming and hugry, ready to eat on any hard outgoing or incoming tide. They can be caught on top water lures early on, or soft plastics later in the day. Their candy will be a frisky live white bait or cut bait will work as well.




Most fish will be under the slot, but fish within the slot are on the rise. Be sure to revive them good before releasing them, especially as the water temp. heats up. The east and west wall are holding great numbers of fish and will be mixed with redfish and trout.

Redfish.....what else is there to say about the spring time. Massive schools won't be seen as much this time of year, but can be found in Pine Island and parts of the western harbor. Look for solo fish under mangroves on high tide, or pods of 5-20 fish on the open grass flats near pot holes. Cut bait and live bait will work, but the Sebile blood series has proven to work quite well. Don't be afraid to fish stained water, during the spring with some rain the water will not be as clear, redfish like this kind of water this time of year. Matlacha, Bull Bay, and Pine Island are all good areas to look for these bronze beauties.






The last of the inshore species is the speckled trout. This is a transition time of year for the trout. The really big trout that have been around for the winter time start to fade but will still be caught with regularity. A lot of smaller trout will start to show and can be caught on every cast in the right area. They like deep grass flats on the east wall as well as Gasparilla Sound and Pine Island Sound. Soft plastic jigs or live shrimp under a cork works very well. Kids can have fun catching the smaller size fish but catching a lot, or grown ups can have fun catching the bigger fish while stalking them shallow. Below Capt. Tim White poses with a few youngsters, Capt. Jason Dill holds a hefty arti caught trout, and Capt. Jay Withers holds a big trout caught on the Sebile blood series....





In other news, Capt. Jason Dill of CHO and his fishing partner Jason Reynoso took 2nd place in the IFA Redfish Tour event in Punta Gorda, congrats guys.


Also, The Professional Tarpon Tournament Series team consisting of Capt. Jay Withers, Capt. Tim White of CHO, Lee Crosby, and Jon Hoke picked up a new sponsor for the PTTS series in 2008. Reactor Watch will be the official time of the PTTS in 2008 as well as the title sponsor for the above mentioned team members. They look forward to fishing the series which starts mid May and will be every Sunday for five weeks, look for Team Reactor Watch in Boca Grande Pass during the series and check out their watches which each team member will be sporting in each event, visit www.reactorwatch.com and read up on their new sponsorship with the PTTS.


That's it for now, the guides of CHO are glad to have the reports section back up and running. Keep checking back for month to month reports and news and updates starting in May. Tight Lines from the CHO guides!

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With snook season opening, a wide array of anglers will be in search on that perfect slot limit fish. The new regulations to keep a snook are 28-33 inches. For those anglers that just enjoy catching the fish and releasing to swim again another day, take extra care in hook removal and revival of the fish. Snook are showing up all over the harbor. Big snook catches are coming from mangrove islands with deeper water, local canal docks, and beaches.



These snook will readily eat live baitfish on a strong moving tide but will also start to eat artificial lures with regularity. An early morning top water bite is hard to beat.


Redfish schools are still on the rise. Approach the schools with as much stealth as possible. Live or cut bait will do the trick when presented ahead of the school, but artificial lures will work just as good.


On lower stages of the tide in Pine Island and Matlacha, the wide open flats with mixed sandy bottom and grass is where these fish will lurk. A soft finessed plastic bait or early morning top water lure will trigger a strike. Most fish will be over the slot with some measuring within.


Trout are making a showing as well. The east and west wall flats are providing decent numbers of small trout. A few catches over 20 inch plus fish have been made and these fish will eat live shrimp under popping corks or top water plugs.

Big jacks are hanging around the flats as well as local canal basins and mouths. Tarpon are everywhere, the beaches, passes, flats, harbor, and canals. Best bet is to fish them first thing in the morning or late in the day. Live baitfish will be best but hard suspending baits and soft plastic jerk baits will do the trick.

Baitfish are around and can be caught. Most anglers can chum them to the boat on local flats in 3-4 feet of water. Most of the whitebait is on the smaller side with some schools pushing 4-6 inches, it can be hit or miss. Pinfish are in full force though and not too many redfish or snook will turn their head to a pinfish. For a long day of fishing with live bait, most anglers will want to pack their livewell full of these little swimmers.


Look in the rest of the month for the snook bite to get better. Temperatures will start to cool a bit and the fishing will turn on. Bait also has a good possibility of getting thicker and bigger. Big tarpon will soon be in the upper reaches of the habor.

Tight Lines from the CHO Guides

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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

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What a red hot month for fishing. Whether it be tarpon, snook, or redfish, fishing is at its best. Higer water and warmer days, have fish of all kinds on the move and on the feed. With the influx of baitfish throughout the harbor, there are numerous applications of fishing to take place. One of the hot bites this month will be redfish, big redfish. They can be caught under the mangroves using cut or live bait in the upper slot range, as well as finding them in large schools on the flats. A lot of these fish will be over the slot limit. It doesn't really matter what time of day as long as the tide is moving. On a recent charter, Capt. Jason Dill guided this lady angler to a monster redfish.........


If you want numbers, go for the linesiders. Snook are very prevelant right now. With enough live bait, they can be caught left and right. They can also be caught using cut dead bait, particularly cut chunks of threadfins. A hard moving outgoing tide, or the last of an incoming will be your best bet. On a recent trip with Capt. Tim White, Boston Ken caught 32 snook in a few hours of fishing with cut bait.





A lot of the snook are in the 21-27 inch range, but a few fish have been caught mixed in at 12 pounds and 34 inches long.

Cobia are roaming the upper reaches of the harbor. Find the big schools of threadfins with diving birds, and there will be cobia near. Also check out random markers throughout the harbor, you never know when one of these brown race machines will be lurking.

On a bigger note, the summer has proven to be an outstanding tarpon bite as usual. Big fish entered Boca Grande Pass late and were caught with ease. Pods of tarpon are in the harbor as well as the beaches. Capt. Tim caught his biggest tarpon to date at 190 pounds while fishing with fellow guide and friend Capt. Jay Withers. The fish broke the reel almost breaking Capt. Tim's wrist as you can see in the photos below.....



A hammerhead shark was lingering by the boat, so the fish was gaffed to ensure there wasn't a premature release before the big girl was revived and ready to go and it was far away from the shark.

In tournament news, the 2007 Professional Tarpon Tournament Series has come to an end. Capt. Tim of CHO and Team Maverick(Jon Hoke, Capt. Jay Withers, and Lee Crosby) placed in the top five again in the last tournament of the series with a 144 pound fish......


Another CHO guide who faired well was Capt. Chuck. He and Team Sign Zoo captained by Capt. Rob McCue won the 2007 PTTS championship.....




Congrats guys on a great year! Well, that about sums it up for July. The fishing is outstanding. Be careful with the weather patterns this time of year, don't stay out if lightning is present. Be safe and have fun.

Tight Lines from the CHO Guides

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This tarpon season has been very busy to say the least. The silver kings are thick in Boca Grande Pass and willing to eat. The flats fishing is still up to par, but usually more times than not tarpon is the target fish for the months of May/June/July. Some trips have seen double digit numbers of tarpon jumped and anglers are cashing in on landing that dream of a lifetime.



Some tarpon can still be found in local canals, bridges, and open harbor.....but your best bet to do battle with this mighty fish is none other than Boca Grande Pass.




For those familiar with the Professional Tarpon Tournament Series, CHO guide Capt. Tim White, Lee Crosby, Jon Hoke, and captain of the boat Jay Withers all of Team Maverick-Ingman Marine finished 2nd in the week two series of the PTTS.



Dates are booking up fast, if you are interested in the superbowl of fishing, and want to do battle with a Boca Grande silverking, contact one of our guides for more information!

Tight Lines

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It's that time of year on Charlotte Harbor for warmer days and hot fishing. One of the factors this time of year that yields better fishing is that the live bait is abundant. White bait, threadfins, and pinfish can all be caught on the flats right now.....


Recent trips have boated many snook and redfish by way of live bait. Higher water on incoming tides, fish can be caught under mangroves and in deeper creeks and cuts. These guys had a blast on an outing while fishing with Capt. Jason Dill.....




Fish can also be caught in local canals as well. Schools of big jacks will be roaming as well as snook.....




Some situations call for fishing live bait under a small popping cork. It not only keeps the bait fish from getting in the grass, but the popping noise it makes can attract hungry fish. Such was the case on a recent trip for young anglers Scott and Cameron while fishing with Capt. Tim White.....




They weren't the only ones catching fish using a popping cork. Their dad Gregg got to tango with a 100+ pound tarpon roaming in 4-5 feet of water on the flats as Scott and Cameron looked on with excitement. The tarpon towed us a half mile out into the deep harbor and 57 minutes later we had the fish boatside......






The only difference in the rig he was using was that instead of live bait under the cork, the tarpon ate a 3 inch Gulp shrimp. Here is the rig pictured below.....


Another fish found on the flats right now in numbers is the speckled trout. They can be found in deeper grass flats in 3-5 feet of water. Plastic jerk baits are working well and you can't go wrong with live white bait.

Redfish are schooling in parts of the harbor. Most fish are just over the slot limit when fishing these schools. Beating the bushes with live bait can give way to various solo redfish in the mid to upper slot. As the water warms, release these fish as quick as possible for a healthy release.

The season is just about upon us, tarpon season that is. As you can see, big tarpon are already starting to show in many places. Soon enough, May-June-July will be your best bet to tango with a tarpon in famous Boca Grande Pass. Book your trip soon if you want to dance with the mighty silverking!

Tight Lines from the CHO Guides

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Though some cold days still linger around, the weather is heating up, and that isn't the only thing! The fishing has been red hot. Most mornings start out a bit on the cold side, but by mid day you are in shorts and a t-shirt. There have been a lot of pressure systems on the move and this has proven to directly effect the bite in a good way.

All sorts and sizes of redfish have been caught. Monster fish in the 40 inch range to nice slot size 7 pounders. A lot of these fish have came by way of a top water lure or soft plastic bait, when it is tougher, live shrimp or cut bait will do the job. Incoming or outgoing tide haven't really mattered, but the slack periods yield no bite at all. Here Capt. Jason holds up a 46 inch monster one of his clients caught.....


Usually this time of year brings out the rat reds, but so far the opposite has happened with their bigger counter parts showing.....






There have been schools up to hundreds of fish all the way to many solo fish roaming the flats and some pods of 10-15 fish here and there. PI Sound, Charlotte Harbor, and Matlacha have all produced. Here an angler from up north holds up his first ever redfish caught while fishing with Capt. Tim.....



As usual, the same areas that are holding redfish tend to have big trout with them as well this time of year. Trout are hitting very bright colors lately, and top water lures is almost a sure thing. The shallower sandy flats will have the bigger trout in the 3-5 pound range. The deeper grass flats in 4-6 feet of water should produce smaller trout but in more numbers. Right now there really isn't anything a trout won't eat......







Be sure to handle these fish carefully and get them back in the water quick to fight again another day.

On to the snook. They are really making a showing on the flats. A lot of fish can be found but sometimes hard to get to eat. Fish have been caught early in the morning on overcast days with a strong tide. Under slot fish, slot fish, and a few overslot fish. Live pilchards is a sure thing for snook and the bait is starting to show in northern PI Sound. A few snook have came by way of top water lure and soft plastic white colored baits. They are also hanging around canal systems, creeks, and sea walls. Big snook like the one Capt. Jason is holding below will eagerly take a big white bait.....



Cobia for the past month have been holding heavily off the east and west walls. They can be found roaming with stingrays over sandy bottom. Most anglers will choose to sight fish them with live shrimp or crab. For the artificial lovers, the cobia have came on white color soft plastics worked very fast. Days can be hit or miss with finding them un numbers, but if you are lucky enough, you can tango with these brown race machines.....



That's it for now. Tarpon season will be here before we know it!

Tight Lines

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So far 2007 has started off right for all of the CHO guides. Although snook are being caught in pot holes on the flats and around docks in local canal systems, the targeted species and the hot bite has come from big redfish and big trout stalking the shallow flats of PI Sound and Gasparilla Sound.



The best time to go for tailing redfish is usually at the start of an incoming low tide. Lately, the bite has been good at the last of the outgoing tide early in the morning.




A lot of the redfish are over the slot, but there is a good amount of big upper slot fish willing to eat. Redfish and trout are biting artificial lures with force. Soft plastics, hard plastics, jigs, and even top water lures. The cold weather may be hard to deal with, but when it comes to redfish and trout, they really turn it on.





Fish are really exploding on top water lures. Look for clear water in the shallows that have a mixture of birds and crabs on the flat. A good scattered sandy bottom can be the ticket and distinct pot holes on super low tides will be a sure thing.



Remember, when you see that redfish tail flagging you down, don't jump the gun in excitement. That is usually most anglers mistake when they miss a fish. Pole yourself into position to where you can reach the tailing fish at your maximum casting distance. Figure out which direction the fish is facing, and make a cast beyond the fish, reeling your bait on the surface quickly to get the fishes attention, then drop the bait within a few feet of the fish and start working the lure. Stealth is the key, and eventhough wading to tailers can have success, you are better off poling quietly up to the fish. Better vantage point, and less friction in the water.

Tight Lines from the CHO Guides!

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