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 A couple of other Fishin reports & Fishin stories-->  

 These are fishing or boating trips available from Fishin Franks.
                Reports by the spot. alphabetical listing.

 
       
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Charlotte Harbor Custom Upholstery
 

Fishing Report Date----->01/31/2012

The Harbor is really windy, and adding salt to the wound it is out of the
NNE pushing all the water out of here. But the positive side is that this
is the best time to go scouting, you can not learn anything when
every thing is covered by water it all looks the same. right now you can see the holes
troughs, because if it is not deep it is dirt.
Another thing to consider is that the fish have to live in water, they do not hang out on land
So many times it is easier to fish when there are fewer places that have water, find water
You should find fish.

sneaky is a virtue right now the water is clearer and the fish see you coming, maybe they
don't say hay look the are people coming lets run, but from a fishes perspective you are
at least the size of a whale or Flipper, and in nature bigger means it eats you.
even understanding that fish are just smarter than a rock, does not help if they out smart us....

41 bridges - ......whiting, small black drum, and the occasional small red fish, snook at night, small trout
# different Trout have been at the bridges Sugar, sand/silver, Spotted.
 

Alligator Creek-.......lots of rats, Some big snook have been caught & a lot of smaller one
trout at the bends & the mouth, of the creek have been thinning & are mostly short
But the are some larger fish  in the channel once you past the island

Alligator creek reef "concrete reef"- ....lots of gag grouper, but they're closed, a lot of small jewfish too,
sheephead are doing fairly well too.
Whiting have been showing & the mangrove snapper are in good numbers.
Spade fish at the south end are doing ok, but it is hit or miss, Now is a good time to get a chum bag
the fish have been scattered & the chum will bunch them for you. 

Bay shore piers- . ..............whiting, a few trout. A nice Cobia caught there this week end.
Silver Trout was the bait.

              
Bokeelia-/ Jug Creek ........Bonnet head, and some other Small Sharks, pompano, spanish mackerel, a few
 sheephead starting to move in.

Sea Trout out alnog the under water Islands nice size mirror lures slow twichin close to the bottom

Boca pass "from boat".......mangrove snapper in the center, spanish  in the channel,
pompano and whiting along the edges of the drop off and a few small sharks,

Look for some Bonita and kings out by the last marker, Sheep head not in big numbers but
very nice size fish out in 30 feet in the channel

Boca Grande canals . ........mangrove snapper, trout, and nice snook.
Big sheephead have moved into the canals and If you are looking for your bag of big one check the docks

Bull bay-   - ..... Large Spotted Trout in the open center about 3 feet of water,
for some bigger Reds look to the south shore lines inside, the passes are still holding smaller reds

Cape haze reef, -. ......small snapper and sheephead,
I am hearing stories of guys getting railed on this reef.

Cape Haze behind the bar-  ..... playing with smaller Snook along the shore line is going to be a blast
they are in there pretty thick right now.

Cattle dock ....Red around the markers, look for big lady fish just in front of the pilings.
 

Charlotte Harbor Deep holes- ....... Lady fish, Catfish. been a few tarpon, yes tarpon, they're not
rolling but worth taking a look at, most of them are running in the 40 to 100 pound range.         

East Side "keys" the Islands which run from Alligator Creek to Pirate Harbor
. .....small reds in the bushes, bigger ones on the outside in the holes.
 look for the schools of mullet, lots of little trout with a few bigger ones mixed in, try drifting or using your
trolling motor on low.

Flounder have been working / laying along the out side of the bar,
Pompano are cruiseing the 4 feet of water along the bar, shrimp are starting to mirgrate out I think this is what
is causeing the fish to wrok the bar

East spring lake -.........Lady fish, Sand bream. lots of baby tarpon but good luck catching them...

El-Jo bean pier- ......Snook , Snapper, quite a few keeper Sheephead, some black drum and snook at
night is getting better.

Whiting have been the eating fish of choice here, & the guys useing them foolishly for bait, are catching big huge Snook.

Englewood pier "Tom Adams bridge"  ......Lady fish, Pompano, Spanish, Bonnets

end of Midway-. ..........Black drum & blue fish.

Gilchrist pier-  .........whiting,

Gulf cove- .........Red fish  at the locks. Snook under the docks in the canal system, a couple of
reports of small Tarpon way in the back of the canals.    

Fresh water fishin west of 776 is getting more & more popular, from what I understand 
the bass fishing up there is very good right now on crank baits. but get ready to switch to lizards

Gulf of Mexico  -. . ....80 feet is still the magic number, red grouper and ajs doing great, snapper good
at 7 to 9 miles, sheephead and grunts at the 10 mile mark.

.

Harbor Heights park- . .. Silver trout

Hog Island outside... Trout drifting the flats

Hobbs point-  ......some pompano scattered
Reds back on the very back of the along the old road, look deep.
Trout sneaky as they are way out past the bar.

I-75 bridges "boat only"  ......  Trout Silver, hybreds, sugar, spotted, If you want to play this is the place
Whithing on the bottom.
 

If you are tring to find the Trout drift with a shrimp & just a split shot when you hook up drop the hook

Laishley Pier - ,........slow to slow ,

Little Gasparilla pass - .....Spanish, & Pompano, some mangrove snapper mixed in.                                                                   

Mouth of the Myakka river,  . ......no reports.

Myakka cutoff- ...... there are reds and snook in there if you work at it.
 look to the trees, once the water level rise the reds are hungry for the crabs , water is a must
and right now there is not much of it.

Navigator - ..... Gar,  some pretty nice ones too.
 

Peace river above I-75  - . .....snook along the docks and some keeper reds in the deeper troughs along
the islands, little slow with the work going on with the water pipe they're running. use cut mullet or
sardines, you'll weed through some catfish but there are some oversized reds up to 32".

Placida pier //  "trestle" //-,...sheephead moving in better, bonnetheads, mangrove snapper and some
spanish mackerel

Red fish have been feeding I think under the sloppy eating sheep head, as they are crunching baricules
the reds seem to be hanging under neath waiting for what ever falls.

Ponce de-Leon park- .....Snapper, some Lady fish, & good Snook fishing early early evening

Port charlotte Beach pier- . .....Late night Snook bite.

Port charlotte Canals Salt/brackish -  .....lots of small reds and trout at the mouths of the canals and a few
snook, Lady fish big ones to play with

Pirate Harbor- .......Trout mostly smaller ones , use chartreuse or yellow jigs.

Punta Gorda canals..... Black drum, lots of small snapper, a few keeper reds, big jacks,



Pine Island Sound...lots of reds in the deep sand holes, trout, and some pompano, some big bonnetheads,
lots of sheephead in the sand holes.

 Spillways along 41- .......no reports.

Stump pass-   ,.....some spanish and a few pompano, lots of whiting.

Sharkey pier "Venice" . ...... Pompano, Spanish                                                      

Skating Rink .......some small snook and rat reds.

Three sisters flats and islands - ...trout and reds in the deeper sand holes, some bigger reds on the ICW
channel side.

Turtle bay- ....... reds and snook in the deeper holes, some trout out front, shrimp is the choice here too.

Venice Jetties- . ......good reports of sheephead and some pompano on the south jetty.

West spring lake docks - ..........lots of small tarpon, rat reds and small mangrove snapper and sheephead.
 

,

Fresh Water- Canals, Creeks, Ponds, & lakes,.............
 

Blue crabs.........
 

    End of list.                        <back to top
 If you want info on a spot or area
let me know by E-mail
frank @ fishinfranks . com

.

It would be hard to picture life without fishing. People who do not fish do not understand the
therapeutic value of fishing, losing yourself to the motion of the waves and just relaxing.
The best things about fishing is where you do it, and that you do not carry a score card.