Fishing Charlotte Harbor Area (Marathon, Burnt Store Marina: activity, station, health)

[Foxrivman1]

Originally Posted by Messing About

Only managed to land a catfish, when I wanted Redfish. Oh well, it was still a gorgeous day out there. I thought I'd share this photo of where I spent the day in the mangroves near the Myakka Cutoff. Hard to believe by looking but this spot only has depths of 1-3'. You have to have a trolling motor to get in and out. It looks like a lake, doesn't it?

Nice pic, I can't wait to get down and do a little Redfishing as well!

[Old Man Winter]

You guys had better be careful out there


YouTube - ‪killer whale eats eskimo‬‏

[Foxrivman1]

That would hurt!! That's one big fishy!

[Big House]

Originally Posted by Foxrivman1

That would hurt!! That's one big fishy!

I wonder how long it took the eskimo to skin and clean that fish?

[pcozad1]

Originally Posted by Big House

I wonder how long it took the eskimo to skin and clean that fish?

It's a much slower process from the inside

[trpt]

HI everyone! Haven't posted in quite a long time but finally did it! Retired in New York and moved to Port Charlotte in early April. Loving it here but am dying to fish. No idea where to begin as I have never fished salt water before. What I am really wanting to learn is to fish from the beach. Not sure why but it has always appealed to me. Looking to see if anyone is headed out and would be willing to show me the ropes....

[Foxrivman1]

Originally Posted by trpt

HI everyone! Haven't posted in quite a long time but finally did it! Retired in New York and moved to Port Charlotte in early April. Loving it here but am dying to fish. No idea where to begin as I have never fished salt water before. What I am really wanting to learn is to fish from the beach. Not sure why but it has always appealed to me. Looking to see if anyone is headed out and would be willing to show me the ropes....

If Big House is out there I'm sure he will give you some pointers, he is always wade fishing, and doing all sorts of different types of techniques for salt water. I've personally tried fishing from the beach in several different places in Florida, and have caught some smaller fish like croaker. Look back in the thread and you will find that there was a girl who caught a very large grouper very recently from a beach nearby. The post was by SoFLGal.

Good luck in your learning process, I'm about to come down myself to look for an area to live in July. You might try pier fishing, it can be very fun as well.

If you get out with Big House don't forget to bring the Yeungling (beer).

[Messing About]

Welcome to the thread and welcome to the area. If you want to fish with your feet in the sand, I'd recommend starting at Stump Pass State Park. You can fish the Gulf or the bay without moving your car. It's a pay to park area, about 5 bucks I think, but that will keep you there all day. Before you go, decide if you want to fish live bait or lures. Both will catch fish but lures take some learning. I recommend you go to my favorite bait shop, Fishin' Franks, on US41 near the Peace River bridge, next to Circle K. The staff there is great and will set you up with the right gear. Tell them how and where you plan to fish and they will show you what you need.

Don't forget to have a license, a good lipping tool, a better long nose plier, and lots of water/clear fluids. Start reading the Water Line, which comes out every Thursday for free. You can get a copy at the bait shop or read the online version. I learned a ton from Franks and the writers in the Water Line. (I've been here since Dec 07).

When you are ready to buy a boat, read earlier threads in this post or feel free to ask what we've learned from our mistakes too. LOL. I have the right boat now and almost always catch fish. For me, the most fun is to not target a particular species but to just go out to catch fish. I release more than I keep but it's still a blast.

If money is no object (right?) you can start going out with professonal guides and captains and learn must faster, I'm sure. Fishin' Franks also is a place the pros hang out to teach and maybe get some business while they're at it. It's where I learned to throw a cast net in their parking lot.

I came here thinking I'd become a sailor but I'm having a blast pretending to be a fisherman. Again, welcome to paradise.

[Big House]

Originally Posted by trpt

HI everyone! Haven't posted in quite a long time but finally did it! Retired in New York and moved to Port Charlotte in early April. Loving it here but am dying to fish. No idea where to begin as I have never fished salt water before. What I am really wanting to learn is to fish from the beach. Not sure why but it has always appealed to me. Looking to see if anyone is headed out and would be willing to show me the ropes....

trpt, check in next week. I plan on doing both some wade fishing and going out on my boat. I am not sure when, weather plays a big factor. This weekend we are sending my daughter off to Ireland to study abroad for the summer, and as soon as she is gone, I will be into high fishing, and rigging some of my new stuff. Wade fishing is easy and a blast. You can go out almost anywhere, just make sure to wear sun glasses, a hat, bring a bait bucket that will float, some string to tie it off to you, and some shoes that can get muddy. You need to protect your feet from barnacles and shells!! If you check in, we can arrange where to go.

[trpt]

Sounds great Big House! Will definitely check in next week Thanks to all who replied also....