Well, its been a long and interesting summer in southwest Florida. Up to this date as summer comes to a close we have been lucky with the storms, no hurricanes like last year when Irma rolled through.
All summer southwest Florida has dealt with water issues including red tide and toxic algae blooms. A lot of fish and mammals, including dolphin, sea turtles, and manatees were killed over the summer. Most of the damage was through the Caloosahatchee River and along the barrier islands, plus near shore gulf waters. Conditions have improved and should continue moving forward.
Fortunately, the waters we primarily fish including Matlacha Pass, northern Pine Island Sound and Charlotte Harbor have not been affected. Fishing in these areas has been good all summer and remain good at present time. With the fish kills, the FWC (Fish & Wildlife Commission) put a temporary closure on snook and redfish in southwest Florida. They will review and study both species and make a decision soon as to whether either species will reopen for harvest. We are still catching both and having fun with them, but its catch and release only.
Below are random pictures of our summer fishing including one picture of dead fish from red tide taken back in early July just off the beach of Captiva Island
Marine life has been plentiful around Matlacha Pass and Charlotte Harbor including sea turtles and playful bottle nose dolphin
Laurie and I spent most of July in Alaska on vacation, first time there, WOW, what a cool place. Below are a few pictures, including my first fish caught north of Charlotte Harbor. A big king Salmon caught on the Kenai River with Captain Chase Looney.
Fall begins this week and is a great time for fishing and boating in southwest Florida as the temperatures begin to fall. If you have any questions about the red tide or water quality in our area, please get in touch. As mentioned earlier, my home waters have remained untouched and fishy, and we are hoping it stays that way. Thank You for taking the time to visit our site.
Also, click the link to our weekly fishing column, On The Water, that appears in Pine Island and Sanibel papers
Gulf Coast Guide Service
Phone: 239-283-7960
Website: www.fishpineisland.com
Email: gcl2fish@live.com
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