Charlotte Harbor is huge and it offers so many fishing opportunities. For many anglers, it may seem like a daunting task to figure out where to fish since so many spots look excellent. To start breaking down this area, take a look below and you’ll have a better idea of what types of areas you should fish when visiting Charlotte Harbor.
Fish the Bridges
Bridges hold plenty of fish, especially during the tidal changes. There are some large bridges here and fish will be found on both sides of the bridges. Anglers catch a variety of fish such as snook, tarpon, redfish, trout, sheepshead, mangrove snapper and more.
Fish the Backcountry Waters
If you take a look at the map, you will see that there are a lot of backcountry waters to fish here as well. The mangrove trees hold a lot of different species of fish, so if you want to get into some calmer water and fish the mangroves, you have a lot of water to fish in the Charlotte Harbor area. Anglers target snook, redfish, trout, sheepshead, mangrove snapper and more in these areas.
Fish the Canals
There are so many residential communities in the towns that surround Charlotte Harbor. As a result, there are many canals with homes and docks that provide good fishing. You will also find some mangroves in some of these canals as well. The best fishing won’t always occur in these canals, but at times, there can be very good fishing in the canals, especially during the winter months since these canals warm faster than the deeper waters out in the harbor. Anglers catch a variety of fish such as redfish, trout, snook, sheepshead, mangrove snapper and more in the canals.
Fish the Docks
In the canals, anglers will have plenty of docks to fish. If you want to fish docks, this is a good pattern to fish, however, it can be hit or miss at times. There will definitely be fish around the docks, but you may have to hit quite a few of them before you find some of the better docks to fish. Anglers catch a variety of fish around the docks such as snook, redfish, trout, sheepshead, mangrove snapper and more.
Fish the Rivers
The Peace River is a fairly large river that drains into Charlotte Harbor. The harbor also receives water from the Myakka River and the Caloosahatchee River watersheds. In this area, anglers have the option to fish the Peace River and Myakka River. The Caloosahatchee River is a much further boat ride away from the harbor. Fresh water flows into the Charlotte Harbor, so depending on where you are fishing, you may be fishing brackish waters. Many saltwater fish will be found in these brackish waters, however, if you head far enough upstream, you will find some freshwater species too.
Most anglers that visit the Charlotte Harbor area will be fishing closer to the harbor even if they are in the rivers and they will be targeting saltwater fish such as redfish, sea trout, snook, tarpon, sheepshead, mangrove snapper and more.
Fish the Barrier Islands
For many people that visit this area, the real fishing occurs farther out from the towns of Charlotte Harbor and Punta Gorda. As you get out towards the Gulf of Mexico, you will see several barrier islands that are home to some incredible fishing opportunities.
Gasparilla Island
Gasparilla Island is a popular barrier island of Charlotte Harbor. On this island, you will find the town of Boca Grande, Gasparilla Island State Park and the Boca Grande Pass. This is one of the most popular areas to fish in all of Florida when the tarpon migration hits its peak every spring.
Gasparilla Island State Park
Gasparilla State Park is located at the southern end of Gasparilla Island on the Boca Grande Causeway. People enjoy visiting the state park to swim, snorkel, fish and just enjoy the beautiful scenery. The lighthouse is the centerpiece of Gasparilla and it is home to a museum that is open to the public.
https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/gasparilla-island-state-park
Boca Grande, FL
Boca Grande is a small, residential community on Gasparilla Island, which is home to many seasonal residents as well as some permanent residents too. This is a popular vacation destination due to the warm weather, beautiful beaches and awesome fishing.
Boca Grande Pass
Boca Grande Pass is a natural inlet in Florida that connects Charlotte Harbor to the Gulf of Mexico. This area is one of the most famous fishing spots to target large tarpon since huge numbers of these fish will gather in the harbor and at the mouth of the harbor on their migration north. This happens every spring and you will see a ton of fishing boats out here if you choose to visit during the peak of the migration. There are plenty of other species of fish that you can target in and around the pass as well.
Cayo Costa
Cayo Costa is home to Cayo Costa State Park. This area is accessible only by boat or kayak and it is a popular are to visit for swimming, fishing, bird watching, snorkeling and just enjoying the scenery. There are 9 miles of undeveloped shoreline that gives people a chance to see a piece of Florida how it would look without all the development. Some of the best fishing in Southwest Florida is in this area.
https://www.floridastateparks.org/CayoCosta
Pine Island
Pine Island is a unique vacation destination. The island is the largest island on the west coast of Florida and it is just 15 to 20 minutes from Cape Coral, a half hour from Fort Myers and an hour from Southwest Florida International Airport. The towns that make up this island are Matalacha, St. James City and Bokeelia. The fishing is very good in this area. Anglers target redfish, trout, snook, tarpon, grouper, snapper and many other species of fish, inshore, offshore and nearshore here.
We have an entire website dedicated to Pine Island, so if you’re interested, take a look at our Pine Island Florida Fishing home page.
Don Pedro Island
Don Pedro Island is a barrier island located just north of Little Gasparilla Island in Charlotte County. These islands are separated by a tiny stretch of beach and a mangrove swamp. For inshore anglers, Lemon Bay and Stump Pass are the places to fish in this area.
Manasota Key
Manasota Key is a small census-designated place that consists mostly of the Englewood Beach community. Manasota Key attracts a good amount of visitors during the winter and spring months as many people from up north enjoy spending several months down here every winter. For inshore anglers, Lemon Bay and Stump Pass are the places to fish in this area.
Lemon Bay
Lemon Bay is a shallow, narrow bay located in between Manasota Key and Englewood, Florida. This bay receives water from several creeks in the area and it flushes out through the Venice Inlets, Stump Pass, Gasparilla Pass and Charlotte Harbor. This bay does not get as much attention as nearby Charlotte Harbor and Boca Grande Pass, however, there is some good fishing in the inshore waters of Lemon Bay. Many anglers fish here and catch a variety of different fish species.
Stump Pass
Stump Pass connects Lemon Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. This pass does not offer the fishing that you most likely have already read about in the Boca Grande Pass. However, this pass does attract fish on both sides during the tidal changes. Anglers may catch snook, redfish, trout, tarpon, sharks, sheepshead, mangrove snapper and many other species of fish too.
Stump Pass Beach State Park
This state park is located at the southwest corner of Charlotte County. People come here to enjoy the beach and beautiful scenery. This is a popular beach for finding shells and shark teeth that wash up onto the shore. Surf fishing is popular here as well.
https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/stump-pass-beach-state-park
