Fishing Charlotte Harbor in the Spring
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
| March | 81° / 57° |
| April | 85° / 61° |
| May | 90° / 66° |
The spring brings warmer waters and more fish into this area. Anglers catch plenty of redfish, sheepshead, sea trout, flounder, whiting and black drum, but they also see other fish migrating into this area. Bluefish, tarpon, cobia, pompano, jacks and sharks are just some of the fish you may catch as waters warm up in the spring. With all the said, this area is famous for its spring / early summer tarpon fishing. This area holds some of the largest tarpon anywhere as they migrate here in the spring to prepare for the spawn. If you’re looking to come here in the late spring to fish for tarpon, don’t be surprised if you see tons of boats out here. You definitely won’t have this area all to yourself, however, there is a lot of water to fish plus thousands upon thousands of migrating tarpon to try to catch.
Fishing Charlotte Harbor in the Summer
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
| June | 92° / 72° |
| July | 92° / 73° |
| August | 92° / 74° |
In the summer, the tarpon fishing has hit its peak and there will be plenty of fishing tournaments in the early part of the summer that are very popular among locals and tourists. While many tarpon will have come into this area and moved on up the Florida coastline, there are still a lot of tarpon here to catch. Inshore, other species to fish for are snook, redfish, sea trout, flounder and black drum. Anglers also catch bluefish, jacks, sharks, pompano and more. Offshore, anglers are bottom fishing for grouper and snapper and trolling for pelagics farther offshore. There is a lot of variety to fish for here in the summer.
Fishing Charlotte Harbor in the Fall
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
| September | 91° / 73° |
| October | 87° / 67° |
| November | 81° / 59° |
As the water temperatures cool in the fall, the summer tourist season brings some calm to this area. You will still see plenty of boats out here and other anglers, but nothing like what you see in the late spring through summer. The bite stays strong in this area for so many different species of fish. You can catch many of the migratory species into October, but as water temperatures cool off into November, the large number of migratory species start to dwindle. If you’re looking to come here and target the usual species here, plan on having good fishing opportunities for snook, redfish, black drum, sheepshead, trout and flounder inshore to go along with excellent offshore fishing as well.
Fishing Charlotte Harbor in the Winter
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
| December | 77° / 54° |
| January | 75° / 51° |
| February | 77° / 53° |
The cooler winter months provide tougher fishing when cold fronts move in. Because the bay is so large and open, the colder, windy days and make fishing a lot more challenging. However, the weather is good here through the winter, so there are plenty of warmer trends that still provide for excellent fishing conditions. There are still plenty of fish that will eat, but the crazy numbers of fish that are here from late spring through early fall just aren’t here, so you may have to spend a little more time figuring out where the fish are feeding. This is the time of year to target redfish, snook, sheepshead, flounder and trout. Some of the backcountry areas can hold some of the best fishing during the winter months, so don’t rule out some of the shallower backcountry areas from December through February.
