Boca Grande - Charlotte Harbor, Florida - Tarpon, Snook and Redfish - light tackle and fly fishing Charters with fishing guide Capt. Mark Bennett-seasons

Boca Grande - Charlotte Harbor, Florida - Tarpon, Snook and Redfish - light tackle and fly fishing charters with fishing guide Capt. Mark Bennett

Fishing Seasons

Most guides/people will tell you that “ Tarpon Season “ is May and June. Those are great months to fish for tarpon, but we have lots of tarpon here from mid-April through October. The most consistent time is late April - October. With my favorite time being July-September. If you look at my numbers tagging tarpon for the FWRI tagging program, (link) , we catch more fish in July-August than May and June.

This will vary from year to year a little, but I promise you this, if there are tarpon here I will be after them.

October and November: This is usually when we go back to the bays and backcountry in search of snook and redfish. On the nice days (light wind) there are usually plenty of tarpon still around. This is also a great time to fish the backcountry. Boat traffic is light compared to spring and the water is still warm. The snook are feeding up for winter and redfish are in abundance on the outside bars as well as around the mangroves.

November-February: This is the time to tie a fly on and get after those tails. As we enter into our winter the tides are low and the water is clear. Perfect for sight casting to tailing and laid up redfish. You don't have to be a fly angler to get in on the action. We also have spin techniques to hook up with these shallow water bruisers. There are still snook around on the flats on the warmer days and the bigger fish are back in the rivers and area canals. Seatrout are all over this time of year also. As we get into January and February they move to the shallowest water and sit in the potholes and on the edges of the grass. They provide excellent top water plug action. These are not the smallish trout usually caught over the grass flats. They are the gator trout, 20" plus, you might have heard about.

March and April: Hordes of baitfish have moved to the shallow water. This triggers all of our game fish into a feeding frenzy. The snook have made their move from their winter haunts and are ready to feed up for the summer time spawn. Redfish are hungry and some of the gator trout are still shallow. This is what makes this time of the year a favorite for a lot of people. Sometime in April we make the transition to fishing for tarpon. Exactly when they show up changes every year, but usually the last two weeks of April we are in full tarpon mode.

Because of the tropical climate we have great inshore fishing throughout the year. Snook, redfish, and trout are year round residents of our area. Even the coldest months of the year the many mangrove islands, creeks, and sheltered back bays provide ample cover out of the wind for our fishing. Even when it is freezing up north, most days we are catching fish down here.

Cobia are here all of the warmer months and sometimes in the winter. They are a pelagic species that roams around all over. It is not uncommon for people to catch them 100 miles offshore or in 2’ of water cruising the shallows. We catch most of them while we are tarpon fishing. Charlotte Harbor holds lots of these big fish. Although we do not target them on a daily basis, we run into them a lot and we always have a rod ready for one.

Generally speaking we fish for what is biting the best. Fishing is all we do year round. Tarpon is my species of choice (if you haven’t figured that out already), with snook and redfish a close runner up.

Weather patterns affect the fishing more than anything else. Tides are also important. If you are planning a trip please call or email. I will give you a rundown on the species and best times to fish around the time that you will be here.

For Information and reservations:

Capt. Mark Bennett

(941) 474-8900