Charlotte Harbor fishing report

It’s beginning to feel like Fall and both our air and water temperatures are now starting to cool down. As a result, our fish are getting more active. Of course, they’ve chewed best on the bigger tides around both the full and new moons. For now, I’ve been sticking closer to Punta Gorda along the east side and have been crossing the harbor to fish the west wall as well as into both Bull and Turtle Bay. Where you can find sea grass, the spotted sea trout bite has been good. I’ve been spending most of my time exploring shorelines getting reacquainted with islands I’ve fished for years but haven’t worked in a while as I’ve spent most of the last few years in Pine Island Sound. On the east side, visibility has been marginal as we’ve been struggling with water quality issues. Across the harbor along the west wall visibility is a little better and the farther you go west the better it gets. Bull and Turtle are actually pretty good and if you venture into Gasparilla Sound it’s even better. I’ve been seeing good numbers of snook although they’re definitely on the wary side. A long cast away from the skiff is your best bet. Being October, I’d like to see more redfish but there have been a decent amount mixed in with the mullet and snook. I’ve received several reports that there’s lots around, I just haven’t been in the right place at the right time. As I continue hunting, I’ll update here.