SWFL Fishing Forecast for July, 2018

Well fellow anglers we went from the clear waters of spring, to the stained waters of summer. This has to be one of the biggest transitions I can remember. There can be both a positive and negative effect from this. So lets start with the bad first. If you depend on sight fishing, this is not going to be your favorite time of the year. As the freshwater pushes down the rivers and creeks, all the foliage that has been laying on the bottom during our dry season gets stirred up. The north end of the harbor has two rivers that feed into the harbor. The Myakka River that flows from the north from Manatee county. The biggest of the two the Peace River that starts in Polk County. The Peace River also flows through the heart of the Phosphate industry. Polk and Hardee counties have been mined since the early 1900’s.

The positive side of the summer rainy season in my opinion outweighs the negative. For the last several months our fish have seen tremendous pressure. The stained waters takes away your ability to see them, but it also makes it very difficult for them to see you. So this time of year fish seem to be less spooky. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be as stealthy. If anything, I become more stealthy. Just for the simple fact that fish might not be exactly where you expect them to be. Charlotte Harbor has been dealing with the summer rains since it was formed. The fish that call it home have been also. Some species can tolerate higher levels of freshwater, while some prefer higher salt levels. Snook are probably one of the most versatile fish that we have. These guys can live in a complete salt free environment. Actually the state has used Snook in lakes to help control the brim populations. How ever they do require saltwater to reproduce. Trout on the other hand prefer higher salt levels. So during the rainy season these guys will move to areas with a higher salt content. So if you’ve noticed some of your favorite trout holes haven’t been producing for you, it may be due to the rain.

Charlotte Harbor is an estuary that thrives and needs a certain amount of freshwater. The biggest problem has became the human effect. Over the years more people have moved to the coast, and altered the natural flow of our freshwater. We have damned natural flowing water ways, built dykes, altered rivers and changed natural water flow. Mother nature is a very resilient thing, but she can only handle so much. Last year we experienced large amounts of rain in a short period of time. We had a week of heavy rain fall, followed by hurricane Irma. This took a toll on a lot of sea grass in the north end of the harbor. Most of these areas have not recovered from this. With a little luck and no back to back major storms this year we wont lose anymore of our already declining flats.

If you would like to experience some of Charlotte Harbor’s finest fishing give me a call or send me an email. All of our charters are private to fit you and your party's needs.

You can also follow me on Twitter @ backbayxtremes for daily and weekly updates.

Captain Dave Stephens * (941) 916-5769 * Back Bay Xtremes * PO Box 510746, Punta Gorda FL 33951

Flats Fishing Charters for Charlotte Harbour, Punta Gorda, Florida