May-June Tarpon

May and June have been super Tarpon months, especially for fly fishermen. We are seeing more tarpon than in past couple of years. They are still the same stubborn fish, but fished at the right tide an area hookups are plentiful. Casting accuracy is paramount using 12-14 foot leaders, tough to handle but essential to hook up. Best fly patterns have been Puglisi baitfish in yellow and white, toads in purple and chartreuse and all black patterns.

Tony from Scotland hooked a 120lb beast which took us one mile offshore and was still pulling drag when the truly unexpected happened. A 15ft hammerhead suddenly appeared and instantly attacked the tarpon…it was over in a matter of seconds. We are trying to see if we got it on video and if so, it will go on You Tube. I estimated the dorsal of the shark to be close to 40 inches in height….It was sad to watch the total destruction of such a beautiful creature, especially one that was probably 60 years old. The hammerheads usually will stay in Boca Grande pass with the thousands of tarpon there..we were south quite a few miles from the pass when the attack occurred …Predation takes place everyday and mother nature has a way of feeding the top predators all they can consume….

Backcountry fishing is on fire! Lots of fly opportunities for Redfish, Snook and some Seatrout. Poling the mangroves on incoming tides is super productive with plenty of hungry fish.

Best patterns are tan and white puglisi baitfish mixd with Steve FArrar flash blend in rainbow.

It is an exciting time to fish the Boca Grande area, charlotte Harbor, Pine Island, Gasparilla Sound and backcountry mangrove islands…..

Fly fishing at its BEST!

Capt. Al

April fish report

April fishing is on the upswing after cold fronts have moved through with high winds and fluctuating water temps. We are now getting higher daytime tides and are able to explore more of the backcountry and having good results on fly. Favorite patterns are Cuban anchovy baitfish, ice dub baitfish, clousers, and spawning shrimp The water is clear and average water temperature is 75 degrees. we have seen many free jumping tarpon in the back and with the wind dying down, expect to get plenty of good shots at them

There are “ Super Predators” in teh backcountry at present…8-10 foot Bull sharks, blactips and sand sharks.

These sharks are there because there food is present……Tarpon! Congratulations to Scott and Ryan Reidel who braved the wind and have good success on snook and redfish. Also to all of those that got their first snook on fly…Chris Mohr, Scott Reidel, Juan Jimenez, Scott Allan, Haden, Brook, Congratulations!

Lots of Tarpon in Charlotte Harbor at present and backcountry….time to break out the 12 weights!

Bend a Rod,

Capt. Al

March Report

March has been good with lots of backwater fishing topping the list. Excellent fly opportunities sightfishing snook and reds. Trout are solid on shallow grass flats in the early morning with Gurglers and Crease Flies getting the bite. The beach has been quiet but mackerel have been present just offshore with Kings also on the bite in deeper water. Hopefully the last of the cold fronts have past and fishing can return to normal.

The red tide is long gone and beautiful clean and clear water makes sightfishing a must try.

Jack Zelenka got his first fish on fly today….nice…job Jack

Terry Byce with another nice night snook….

Seeing tarpon during the day but nothing consistent, they are scattered throughout the harbor at present. Water temp is 74 at present. We should enjoy their company very soon……

Bend a rod,

Capt. Al

January Report

January was filled with high winds, low tides, cold weather and water temperatures but we still managed a few quality fish. When the sun did come out sightfishing was pretty good with lots of smaller snook being caught and a big trout and a few redfish. Presentation was the most important ingredient for success.

We lost a lot of days to high winds and rain, totally unfishable with no visibility adding to the discomfort.

When we did get out we found lot of big fish but they so cold they had no interest in chasing a fly or lure.

Can’t do much about mother nature…you take what she gives you and then move on…

February temperatures will be in the 80’s during the day…Can’t Wait!!!

Keep the rod bent,

Capt. Al

December Fishing

December has been, as usual, good and bad. The warm sunny days are excellent for sightfishing with good shots at big snook and redfish. There are plenty of seatrout on the grass beds early in the am that have been taking Gurglers and Crease Flies. As far as snook and reds, baitfish patterns and tailing patterns produce the best.

We have also been traveling to the Everglades to fish for panfish….especially Oscars…pound for pound nothing else compares to their fighting ability. We also catch Myan Cyclids, bluegill, perch and stumpknockers. It is a lot of fun walking the banks of the many canals in the Everglades and casting to visible panfish.

Night snook is still rated good, although with colder water temps, the snook are entering the river systems in search of warmer weather and their winter haunts….

All in all, still lots of fish to be caught exploring the outside bars and flats….

Good Luck and Happy Holidays,

Capt. Al White

November Fish

November fishing has been good with lots of different species being caught. Seatrout, Redfish and Snook have all been attracted to flies. Baitfish patterns work well, and when the conditions are right Gurglers, Crease flies and poppers do well, especially on windy days…

Other species being caught are Gag Grouper, Ladyfish, Jack Crevalle, Bluefish, and a myriad of lesser species. The water has cooled to 73 degrees and the fish are active. We are approaching winter negative tides which will offer sightfishing for tailing Redfish in the backcountry. We will pole the mangrove islands and cast to tailers when conditions are right. Casts of 30 to 90 feet are required with an emphasis on accuracy. Weedless shrimp patterns as well as crab and baitfish patterns get the job done.

We are still waiting for False Albacore to make their annual appearance. Generally we will have plenty of schools that are northbound and eat flies readily….

We see blitzes of Jacks throughout the day and we try to get on them quickly…oftentimes there are also bluefish mixed in.

The weather is good with mild temps in the morning giving way to 70+ degree heat in the afternoon.

Fall is terrific time to fish Charlotte Harbor, The Gulf of Mexico and the backcountry.

Hope to fish with you soon,

Tight lines,

Capt. Al

October Fishing

October has started off great with the New Moon and high early morning incoming water, the bite is on. We are averaging twenty to thirty snook and day on baitfish patterns as well as Gurglers and Crease flies. The red tide is gone and the water is clean and the fish are moving onto the grass flats and feeding on crabs, worms and baitfish…. The redfishing is picking up also with 4 to 5 reds a day playing with topwater flies and plugs. Trout fishing is rated good also…it is possible to have twenty fish days on Seatrout…

With the cleaner water and cooler temperatures we are expecting a blitz of False Albacore to arrive in later October or Early November mixed with Spanish Mackerel and King Mackerel which will be on the beach frothing up the surface and hitting Cuban Anchovy patterns and smaller tan baitfish patterns. Also available in November will be Triple Tail… which will range from a couple of pounds up to 20lbs…..

FWC , in order to bring back some of the lost snook and redfish, FWC has made a Zero limit on snook or redfish until further notice….We can still catch all we want, but catch and release is mandatory. Trout,, Triple Tail, Pompano, Mangrove Snapper and all of the rest are open.

After the devastation of Red Tide it is nice to see nature replenishing itself as seen in the pictures of the red fish……

As the water cools and the high early morning winter tides are in the forecast, fishing will be rated Very Good…

Lots of topwater action on Gurglers and Crease flies as well as baitfish patterns.

Fishing rated….Good

Water temp…..81

Air temp………..87

Wind………………ENE at 10mph

High tide 12:30pm….1.9

Mangrove fly fishing rated …..Excellent

Flies for Backcountry trout, snook and redfish and tarpon

Gurglers, Crease flies in olive back,

Puglisi baitfish in white and S.F Rainbow back size 1/0

Tan or white bunny flies with a little pearl crystal flash with silver coneheads

Clouser Minnow chart/white… grey/white….tan/white

Water is getting colder and fishing is only going to get better!!!!

See you soon and tight lines,

Capt. Al White

August Fishing

August fishing is getting much better with  good catches of Big Seatrout, Redfish and Snook.

The Red Tide is basically gone from the backcountry , the water is clearing and it is fishing as usua,finally.... Snook are co-operating in the back country staging around the mangroves on the incoming tide and redfish are hanging around the oyster bars. Seatrout are in the deep cuts bordering the grass flats and have been striking surface flies, Gurglers and Crease flies as well as Zara spooks and Skitterwalks... With the water cooling and the fall approaching, Redfish will start schooling and seatrout will graze on the shallower grass flats.

We have also been catching a few Cobia on the flats...lFishing the early morning is best and getting off the water by noon to avoid the heat and afternoon thunderstorms.

WAter is looking better and better......

Tight lines,

Capt Al

June Fish Report

June has been a decent month for tarpon, snook and seatrout.  Big tides near the full moon have helped the tarpon movement on the beach and just offshore. We are getting really good shots at fish as close as 50 feet before they bounce off the boat. Lots of fish around when there is no red tide present.....

Snook fishing is good fishing inland docks and canals....lots of current movement producing the most fish to 28"

Alex Rubino had a great day of tarpon and snook fishing. He fought a triple digit fish for an hour before the leader frayed and broke.  I leadered the fish three times but never could control her. We then chased snook and he caught snook to 27". The day before we chased bluegill in some of the local ponds....where he caught  many.

June promised to produce more fish and better conditions until end of month..

May Tarpon

May has seen the fish move to the beach on Boca Grande. After a brief restover in the pass, the fish have started to cruise the beach...High winds on the beach have been a dirge on sightfishing poons on the beach, but we have still caught fish when the weather permitted.

The end of May and start of June will be more productive. We are seeing big "Daisy Chains" during the day...some on the surface and some deep. The best fishing is yet to come....

Still have a select few days in June available....

Tight lines and bent rods,

Capt. Al

Snook fishing is still good in the backcountry, trout fishing over the grass is still producing on deeper flats.   

May Tarpon Season

May is here and so are the Tarpon...Lots of big fish in Boca Grande Pass and fish starting to show on the beach. Jumped two poons May 4th in the backcountry and then started to fish the beach May 6th and connected with an 80 lb tarpon on fly.... Great fight, she jumped 7 times and finally landed her.David Pustejovsky fought her for 45 minutes and did everything right, putting plenty of pressure on her throughout the fight.  She was released, and happily swam away.  Video is on my facebook page Boca on the Fly, capt. Al White.

Snook aren't getting much attention but we did mange to slide into the backcountry for 15minutes and he connected with two....

Trout are abundant on grass flats with good topwater action to be had on fly and plug...Fish to 24inches are common right now.

We are booked pretty solid for Tarpon Season but have a few days open in June....Don't forget about July....yes it is hot but so are the fish....no pressure and ready to eat! Not as many fish, but the ones you see will chew!

Tight lines and good luck,

Capt. Al