Marco Island, Ft. Myers & Boca Grande

Break Out The Big Guns! First of all, I'm sorry for not keeping up with my reports this season. I've been running double trips lately and by the time I get the boat cleaned up it's well after 10 PM. This time of year most of my time is spent chaseing tarpon in Pine Island Sound and Charlotte Harbor. It took a while this year but the major migration of tarpon is finally here and will be in our area until the first cold front this fall. We have been scoring with tarpon on most of our morning and afternoon trips. All of the well known tarpon hangouts are holding fishable numbers of tarpon and they have been eating. The Ft Myers Beach and Sanibel Island area are picking up the migrating tarpon first and we have been doing well drifting live threadfin herring early in the morning. After the morning bite shuts down I've been swithing to cut bait. In the same area, night fishing has been good for tarpon in the river. Live ladyfish, herring and mullet have been scoring on tarpon in the 50-100 pound range. Pine island Sound has been good to me on most days. I prefer to fish this area in the early morning with live herring. This is also an area that is good for flyfishing. Charlotte Harbor has had a alot of fish early in the morning but the bite has been well documented and there is alot of boats fishing for them. Boca Grande Pass is full of tarpon and they have been feeding well. I've been doing well fishing the beaches near the pass in the afternoon. Most of my fishng has been sight fishing pods of tarpon with live herring. Snook, redfish and some trout are around also. The snook are feeding well on "white bait" or scaled sardines and the reds have been hitting cut threads or white bait. Small to medium sized trout are along the grass flats and taing a variety of soft plastic jigs. Oh yeah, lots of sharks. Everywhere! Good Luck! Capt. Scott Hughes Blackwater Charters 941-628-4247 cell