North Port/Venice/Lemon Bay Florida Report
Snook, Redfish, Tarpon & Trout
Snook are thicker than cordwood across El Jobean in the upper harbor as winter slips into spring on the inshore of Southwest Florida.
We started out dropping cut shrimp for Sheepshead, Whiting, Drum or Redfish in the deeper channels, of the skinnies of the harbor in our canoe. The Heads were uncooperative as the sun rose to warm the day and waters around us. My boat thermometer showed 70 degrees before the sun slitted the horizon and by mid-morning we were at 72 degrees in some hot bite action on a cool water day. Ladies to small juvenile tarpon were picking up our live medium shrimps on every cast. Sometimes as the shrimp parted the water, “FISH ON!” was the phrase as the fish hit the baits before the slip Bobber could come to rest and sometimes before the cork even touched the water!
As the day fleeted by and the noontime came and went, the water had warmed to a pleasant 74 degrees. Anchoring down our Mohawk, into the water we slipped in a wading frenzy with the Snook. Doing the sting-ray shuffle and dragging our bait bucket about brought to a couple of fin slicing Black tips in a dancing circle around us. Like a couple of kids at the zoo, we tossed out shrimp to these young fish, to which they frighteningly lashed out in a quick bite to eat. Foolish, maybe but they soon grew tired of us and disappeared into a large school of roaming mullet, to which was scattering to the four corners of the earth. We worked the area until just around threesome to call it a day. Edwin, said, “Hey Dad, I think I'll give'em a plate full,” as he rigged two live shrimp on a single hook to chunk out for that 'one last cast', when the drag was a screaming and the rod a bending to one big fish. Working the Trilene blue ten pound test on a Penn Combo spinning out fit, Edwin finally netted his “Last Cast,”, a 30 inch really nice Snook. No trout out there but a heck of a day while angling to get a catch and release Snook, to be a memory to never forget on light spinning tackle.
Reports also from Captain Mike Zegrabik and Bob Nordstrom of The Englewood Fishing Club, Englewood, Florida where they were in many a rat red up in the ferry area of South Venice popping shrimp under a cork. In the mix as well, were a number of juvenile redfish, making the hot action, nothing short of phenomenal. After angling upper north Lemon Bay and slaughtering the Specks, Bob and Capt. Mike worked the area around the Indian Mound Park area in catching more trout but this time, they were all in the 'Gator” scale of twenty to twenty one inches long with shoulders. Hungary to the bite, Capt. Mike said they polished off 17 dozen shrimp in four hours, fattening up a whole lotta fish!
“FISH ON!”
Story Developing, on the Englewood Fishing Club & Captain Mikes Charters at The Online Fisherman...
