Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Punta Gorda - Port Charlotte
 [Register]
Punta Gorda - Port Charlotte Charlotte County
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 04-11-2013, 11:58 AM
 
Location: Punta Gorda and Maryland
6,103 posts, read 15,018,681 times
Reputation: 1256

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by MikMal View Post
All of my boating experience has been on the middle and upper Chesapeake Bay. I have zero experience in transiting an inlet...figure my first several times I'll time it with a slack tide. I'm hoping that the "washing machine" effect is less during slack tides or is my confidence misguided??
BTW, I don't even have a boat down here yet. Present one won't fit under the Midway bridge. I've been reading this site, taking in the comments about boats so hopefully I can buy one and keep it for a while, not be trading up or down every few years!
MikMal,
In the harbor here, you will have the washing machine effect right at the top (north end) of the harbor where they Myakka River, Peace River and the Harbor meet. It can be unpredictable when it gets turbulent there, and it gets worse when the wind picks up. Right at the Pass it can get rough when the wind picks up suddenly as well. When a storm blows through it can get really rough. It took me 4 hours to get home one night, where as it can take me as little as 30 minutes to get from my home the Pass on calm days. On the Chesapeake, I've been through worse! But, since it is so easy to go out here - I wait until the weather is accommodating - which is a lot more often than it is in MD, or on the Great Lakes where it can be FAR FAR FAR worse.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 04-17-2013, 01:25 AM
 
Location: Florida
1,646 posts, read 3,002,741 times
Reputation: 1125
I'm just bumping this great thread up

I've been on the boat every day and night for the last two weeks. I didn't get much fishing in but I have noticed a huge increase in marine life out there. Many snook are in all the usual good lights...but none in the crappy lights. Mullet are starting to jump and are almost ready to school....a good sign I think. Dolphin have been few and far between this week, not sure why. Last week they were all over.

We've been doing a lot of sunset cruises lately, out to a little past the beach complex and markers and back. A couple nights ago the wind kicked up wicked from the south west and some commercial crab traps got carried into the center of the channel, so be careful at night. I dragged the traps back out of the channel with my boat hook....and pulled one up just to see (illegal, but I could have just cut the rope because it was a nav hazzard). It had 3 smallish 4" or so crabs. I dropped the traps out where they should be, but be on the lookout because the buoys were way out of the channel on the way out, but right in the middle on the way in. If the com guy is reading this please lengthen the rode...I don't feel like diving in to un-wrap my prop, if I do the trap is mine . If I see them in the channel again I won't be so nice.

My new 4 stroke EFI is unbelievable! Slow cruises through the canals that used to use gallons of gas now only use a few drops. The difference is amazing. So now, when the boss asks for a ride every night I say...sure, why not. We've met a few new friends on our trips. Not many people are out on their docks but the ones that are are usually very nice. Say hi if you see a white and maroon pontoon .

PS..i spent the day replacing my tilt/trim motor. Thanks to a friend that let me use their boat lift and their boat to get underneath. If anyone has a pontoon trailer for sale please PM me!

This was last night, the rays were amazing, cell phone pic does not do justice:


Last edited by HarborRat; 04-17-2013 at 01:36 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-17-2013, 08:35 AM
 
Location: Lemon Bay, Englewood, FL
3,179 posts, read 5,958,717 times
Reputation: 1170
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarborRat View Post
Not many people are out on their docks but the ones that are are usually very nice. Say hi if you see a white and maroon pontoon .
A white pontoon was flying through W Spring Lake two days ago, fully planed out. Hope that wasn't you I get SO sick of the freaking morons around here that think they are above the law and could care less about property damage. EVERY residential waterway around here is a NO-WAKE zone, for those that don't know. When I'm on my dock and a boat flies by, I try to take pictures and send them to the FWC. I know they have issued 3 tickets based on this, so that's at least 3 boats that hopefully get the hint now. It's the little victories in life
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-17-2013, 11:19 AM
 
Location: Port Charlotte
535 posts, read 1,023,872 times
Reputation: 166
So, that's you in that pontoon boat I see all the time
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-17-2013, 11:21 AM
 
Location: Port Charlotte
535 posts, read 1,023,872 times
Reputation: 166
I'm seeing commercial traps in my canal nowadays is that legal?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-17-2013, 12:42 PM
 
Location: Florida
1,646 posts, read 3,002,741 times
Reputation: 1125
Quote:
Originally Posted by Harbor Hopper View Post
.......Hope that wasn't you .....
Nope, wasn't me. I don't get up your way often. Everyone usually complains because I like to go slooow, even in the harbor... what's the rush?

Quote:
Originally Posted by rock creek View Post
So, that's you in that pontoon boat I see all the time
Probably, I have to go up your canal to get to a friends house a couple times a week.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rock creek View Post
I'm seeing commercial traps in my canal nowadays is that legal?
I think most of those traps are recreational. Anyone with a fishing license is allowed 5 traps/buoys. Somebody just went through your area and dropped a bunch of traps, one right in front of my friends house on Auburn. He's not too happy since he throws his own traps out there. I'm not too happy because now i have to dodge traps at night in the canals (although most are out of the way).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-17-2013, 04:34 PM
 
Location: Lemon Bay, Englewood, FL
3,179 posts, read 5,958,717 times
Reputation: 1170
Oh i thought you (HR) lived on Spring Lake. My bad. We have 3 commercial crabbers constantly fishing spring lake. Traps everywhere, and some floats are so old and black its hard to see them! Dinks.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-17-2013, 07:16 PM
 
Location: Florida
1,646 posts, read 3,002,741 times
Reputation: 1125
Nope, I'm on Countryman waterway.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-17-2013, 08:47 PM
 
Location: Port Charlotte
1,721 posts, read 2,765,923 times
Reputation: 387
Quote:
Originally Posted by Harbor Hopper View Post
...........some floats are so old and black its hard to see them! Dinks.
I wonder why they are black at all, you can hardly see them as it is, at night it would be impossible
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-17-2013, 09:10 PM
 
Location: Port Charlotte
535 posts, read 1,023,872 times
Reputation: 166
I don't think they should be in the canals or the channels at all
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Punta Gorda - Port Charlotte
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top