Venice, Englewood, and Boca Grande fishing report  by Captain Van Hubbard.

 Yes it is hot in South West Florida now. Thanks to my T-Top with it’s new lighter colored canvas by Omni Marine of Englewood we are comfortable most of the time. We also enjoy the sea breezes that pick up if we are fishing later into the afternoons. Summer fishing is not as consistent as I like, but we are enjoying some productive action.

Snook are catch and release but we have fish which bite when the tide is moving.  Minnows are abundant but smaller than we like here.  We do have some very large threadfins for the trophy snook if we Sabiki them. Water temps are hot so don’t cram too many minnows into your well because they will not survive! Hot water holds little dissolved oxygen. I use some weaker minnows to chum with just be sure you don’t over feed your target fish. The secret is to let the minnow flow naturally with the current flow. You will need to cast frequently but the results are worth the efforts. Most of the fish are medium sized but we do still have some bigger fish. Jake from Connecticut got a dandy last week. We do not play with lightening but our best bite was in drizzling rain.

Trout and redfish are around and mixed with the snook many times. We get the bigger trout and reds targeting them and that takes more patience. Most trips right now are with families getting a fish trip in before school starts back up. The kids want action and the smaller fish bite better. Ladyfish frequently help add excitement. Those abundant minnows are perfect sized for trout!

We do have a variety of fish on the near shore reefs but I have not been able to match trips with weather to get out there recently. The cuda are abundant, fast and even jump for trills. Spanish and a few big king mackerel provide for fish dinners and scream line off our reels. We have shot at cobia and a few permit or sharks if you desire.

Tarpon are still around just not dependable. They were in Boca Grande Pass last week and hungry until we went down there looking on Friday. We found a few but not cooperating. Several other captains had done well Tuesday thru Thursday. We looked on the beach and found only scattered fish. Charlotte Harbor was too rough to spot fish. We do have good action most trips now. Scattered fish are moving from Boca Grande along the Gulf Beaches pasted Venice most of the time.

This is a great way to enjoy shared family time and create new memories together. Let’s Go Fishin’ soon. Captain Van Hubbard. <www.captvan.com>