The nearshore fishing off Englewood and Boca Grande Florida has been pretty stellar these last couple months. We’ve had our share of fishy dinners and it is a 100 times better than anything you can buy in a restaurant. Snapper and grouper are the top menu item when we start heading out in to that deeper water.

The good news is you don’t have to go far if you’re looking for a quick snapper dinner. Most of the nearshore artificial reefs (within 5 miles) have good sized snapper schools on them right now. Do not park directly on top of the reef but position your boat near the structure so the tide carries your chum back to it. In addition to chum bags, we’ve been cutting up small pieces of frozen sardines and mixing that in to our chum slick. Soon, snapper will begin coming up in your slick. I like to tie on a small hook (2 or 3 ott circle) and free line a piece of cut sardine in to the mix. Fish on! Get that fish to the boat quick or the local barracuda will enjoy that snapper before you even get a chance. If you’re looking for that grouper dinner instead, you will most likely have to travel out a little further. Many of the artificial reefs will hold gag grouper but with the season being opened for nearly a month now, it could make for some slim pickens. We have the best luck on private numbers that we have found…rock piles, hard bottom, ledges, etc. If you don’t have any numbers, start looking! Stop and look at your bottom machine anytime you pass crab pot buoys or see large schools of bait. These are sometimes indicators of good bottom. If you still aren’t able to secure your own fishing spots, give us a call and we’d love to take you out for an exciting day on the water!  We’ll teach you how to better understand your bottom machine, what types of rigs to use, what baits we suggest, and much more!

On a side note, tarpon season is winding down but a few fish are hanging around if you’re looking to hook in to a last minute silver king. Goliath grouper around Boca Grande Pass have been gobbling up all sorts of baits. If you want to catch one of these beasts, look no further. We’ve caught 8 or 9 fish each trip this past week. Also, our snook fishing has been pretty good as well. In and around the passes are great areas to look. Toss out live freelined white bait or soak cut pinfish or ladyfish and you’ll be certain to hook up with a linesider.

Well folks, that about sums up our fishing in and around Placida, Fl. If you want to get out on the water and enjoy some of the finest fishing Florida has to offer, give us a call at 941-698-0323 and talk with captains Jesse or Kelly to set up your fishing adventure. Look us up on our webpage Florida Inshore Xtream charters and read our reviews on TripAdvisor to get to know us and our business better. We look forward to fishing with you!

Capt. Kelly Eberly
Florida Inshore Xtream charter services
Gasparilla Marina, Placida, Fl