Spring fishing is blossoming now around Venice and Boca Grande. Weather has been beautiful on our sunny beaches. Our Englewood Beach Gulf waters are warming up and the Mackerel migration is starting already. Minnows have been hard to find; so snook fishing will come to live when minnows appear locally, any day. My snook indicator is my jasmine bush by the front door and it is ready to bloom in the next couple of nights.
Business is great and reservations are advised I do have a few days open from the 12 – 15 and then the 25 of April; there are dates available in May and June for tarpon, C&R snook, whatever’s biting, or family fun trips.
Spanish and king mackerel are abundant, exciting, speedy fish that will help you literally understand how reels scream when they race off your line. Multiple hook up are common. Spanish run smaller and they are fun on matching lighter gear. The kings are much bigger, from 15 to even 50 pounds, and will grab your attention when they eat your baitfish; then scream off a couple hundred yards of line! Both are good eating and have liberal bag limits. Bring a cooler to carry fish home, or grill some for lunch at our Stump Pass Grille.
Speckled trout have provided most of our action on the windy days. It is nice to get outside into the near shore Gulf when conditions allow, but the protected waters allow us to get out even if it blows.
Tarpon have already teased us and will come on strong very soon. We can anticipate some good catch and release snook action this Summer. With minnows scarce so far fish should be hot when they show up.
Let’s go fishin’ soon. Captain Van Hubbard