Port Charlotte fishing adventure

[timmeh]

A couple weeks ago I was fortunate enough to back my bags and head for warmer temperatures in Florida. Unfortunately the week before I left Florida experienced the worst cold front it had seen in over 50 years. Temps dropped to 32F (0C) for about a week straight. Apparently the water temps in the Gulf of Mexico dropped from the 70's down into the 50's which devastated the inshore fisheries. Tens of thousands of dead fish, mostly snook, were everywhere. Some fisheries managers estimated they may have lost 5 years of snook production!

 

The fish that survived the cold either headed out deep into the Gulf, or those that stayed shallower slowed down and suffered a strong case of lockjaw. Considering this I opted not to spend good $$ on a charter (but thanks to those who pointed me in the direction of guides in my previous post). Maybe another time.

 

But I did managed to spend a fair bit of time fishing the local piers. According to the locals, at this time of year pier fishing can be hit or miss, and the cold front certainly didn't help, but it was still great to experience a totally new type of fishing. Pier fishing can be quite exciting as you never know exactly what you'll find on the end of your line.

 

I didn't take a pic of every fish I caught but I tried to get a pic of each different species I caught. Some of them I can id, others I'm hoping someone on here can help out with???

 

These mangrove snappers were probably the most common fish I caught. They were piled around the pier and I was catching them like you may get rockbass here. Most of them were in the 6-10 inch range. Apparently there are normally larger ones around but the cold weather moved the out deeper.

 

Unfortunately the glare really ruins this pic, but the colors on this fish were incredible. Bright blue and yellow stripes. It resembled a pin fish, but I don't believe it was. I think it's another species of snapper but not sure (juvenille yellowtail?). Maybe someone here can tell.....

 

Here's a picture of a pinfish. They're commonly used a bait apparently.

 

Sheepshead were fairly common and were what most of the locals were targeting. They hang out right below the piers and eat the barnacles off them. They're good fighters too, and supposedly good eating but I didn't keep any.

 

These saltwater cats were also quite common. And they're much stronger than freshwater cats of similar size. I almost lost my rod of the pier to one of these guys when I set it down for 2 minutes.

 

I caught this little puffer fish right off of the beach one day. I'm not sure what type of pufferfish it is, but it's interesting anyway.

 

Probably my favourite catch of the week was this guy, who I'm sure you'll recognize. I caught 4 of these guys one morning between 16-24 inches. As they have no bone in them it's amazing how light they are. One old fellow who was fishing beside me told me one day a 12 footer was caught off the pier, which happens to be on a popular beach

 

This guy was probably the most exciting fish I caught during the trip. You may not guess it, but the strength of this fish was incredible. I was convinced I had hooked into something much larger. I've caught 15-20lb channel cats on this same setup and they were nothing compared to this fish. The 4 inch stinger on the tail made for a very careful release...

 

This guy I caught near the end of my trip and I honestly have no idea what it is. Does anyone have any idea?

 

 

 

I also caught several whitting but didn't get a pic of them. I was also able to spend a little time testing out my new fly fishing setup on the resort ponds but I didn't have any luck. Probably cause my casting is still pretty poor..

 

Or maybe since I had to watch out for these guys.

[irishfield]

This guy I caught near the end of my trip and I honestly have no idea what it is. Does anyone have any idea?

 

It's the cousin of the Lizard fish I caught in Saint Maarten ! lol Nice post !!

 

[Roy]

Great report Timmeh! Looks like a lizard fish to me?

[bassman]

I believe the lizard fish is also known as the mother in law fish, down in FLA.

[BillM]

Yup, definitely a lizard fish... Oldman and I caught a few of them off Honeymoon Island State Park..

 

And that shark is a Bonnethead shark, world record is 24lbs, so I think that oldman you were talking to might have been thinking about some other species

[timmeh]

And that shark is a Bonnethead shark, world record is 24lbs, so I think that oldman you were talking to might have been thinking about some other species

 

Hmm, I didn't realize there were different species of hammerheads. That's what the old guy was talking about. Or maybe he was exaggerating a little... But others mentioned to me that larger ones are caught from the piers now and again.

Edited February 5, 2010 by timmeh

[Gerry]

That 12 foot Hammerhead (1200 lbs) that the old guy was referring to was indeed caught nearby, at Boca Grand Pass in 2006 I believe. I happened to be down there Tarpon fishing when it was caught but I didn't see it, saw it in the news however.

[Greencoachdog]

Great report and pics timmeh!!!

 

Makes me want to pack my bags and haul buggy down to south Florida for a few day!

 

The bleached out mystery fish in the second pic is probably a Lane Snapper, and I believe the puffer on the beach is a Porcupine fish.

[timmeh]

That 12 foot Hammerhead (1200 lbs) that the old guy was referring to was indeed caught nearby, at Boca Grand Pass in 2006 I believe. I happened to be down there Tarpon fishing when it was caught but I didn't see it, saw it in the news however.

 

That would make sense. I was fishing at the Boca Grande pier.

[Rizzo]

nice report with tons of variety (isn't ocean fishing great?) I know what you mean about those little rays/skates as well. I hooked into one when I was a kid and thought I had a giant tuna they put up such a tussle