Fishing Charlotte Harbor Area (Key West: vs., to eat, swimming)

[bbronston]

BTW, Foxrivman1, Captain Mel passed away but his webside is being maintained and you'll learn everything you want to learn from there (all due respect to BH!). The fact that it is geared more to the Tampa Bay area won't really matter--all same principles. www.capmel.com

[Foxrivman1]

Thanks, I will check this out as well. Hey, anything and everything is what I read. Never to old to learn!

[Big House]

Originally Posted by bbronston

Had to laugh when I saw that. There was a guy named Captain Mel Berman who had a great Saturday morning fishing show on the radio and I learned a lot from him. He used to say that shrimp was the Sarah Lee of baits...."Everybody doesn't like something but nobody doesn't like Sarah Lee..."

That's true I like that!! I think shrimp is like Wrigley's Gum, the fish chew it up!

[Big House]

Originally Posted by Foxrivman1

Thanks, I will check this out as well. Hey, anything and everything is what I read. Never to old to learn!

I use this one for checking the tides
Tide Location Selection for Florida Gulf Coast

And this one for fishing reports
Florida Fishing Reports
Check out Charlotte Harbor, Pine Island, and Boca Grande - they are all areas where I fish.

You have to keep an eye on the wind and the weather as well.

[John Buettner]

Great boating & fishing in this area. Here is a list of what can pull your line. Black drum,Cobia,Flounder, King mackerel, Mangrove snapper,Permit, Pompano,Redfish, Red Grouper,Sheepshead, Snook, Tarpon, Tripletail. Have fun and good luck.

[Foxrivman1]

From wha I understand snook fishing is a lot like bass fishing, so can I use some of the same lures? Rattletraps, Rogues, plastics, zara spooks?

[Big House]

Originally Posted by Foxrivman1

From wha I understand snook fishing is a lot like bass fishing, so can I use some of the same lures? Rattletraps, Rogues, plastics, zara spooks?

Sure, you can use all of that stuff, but shrimp work really well, also cut baits, lady fish, green backs, and other live bait. The other poster mentioned black drum. Under the bridge at bass inlet, from the shore (which enters one of the canals here) I have watched people catch two huge big black drum. These were both around 30+ inches and I couldn't guess their weight because I haven't caught one - YET! But I will. I've seen just about everything that swims in the canals as well. Huge cat fish, big drum, rays, dolphin, porpoise, tarpon, ladyfish, mullet, amber jacks, and some mackerel. I haven't seen an alligator or a manatee in the canals yet. Alligators don't like our canals because there is no place to bank and sun themselves. They are all concrete lined with retaining walls.

They tell me I can troll with my planner boards, but I think that will be tough because of the shallow depths here in the harbor.

[Foxrivman1]

Is the Black drum related to the Redfish?

[bbronston]

Yes they are related...both are drums. I think bass fishing is actually pretty different. The top water part is similar but a bass will also just feel like you are dragging along the bottom and a snook will hit hard every time. Personally, I like reds and jacks for a good pull.

[Alaska to Florida]

So does this mean that I need to remove all the salmon flies from my tackle box?