South West Florida in January??

[pablo]

I will be heading to southwest florida for most of january I am an avid trout and steelhead fly fisherman But have not fished the warm salt yet :confused:
I will be staying in englewood and looking for some wade fishing opportunities from there to keys.
Any info sure would be appreciated
Happy Holidays
Pablo

[saltydancindave]

You can pick up some county Boating & Fishing Guides which will direct you to Lemon Bay & Manasota Key. Fish the Gulf if there's not too much wind out of the west nor too many sunbathers early in the morning & head to the flats of the bay ..... just remember to do the stingray shuffle ! :cool:

[flyfishsalt]

While there are some places good for wade fishing in Englewood in January this is usually the slowest time of the year to fish. If you are a freshwater enthusiast this can be a great time to try for large mouth bass. I have been fishing the lakes in Rotonda during the month of January for the last 10 years and they hold large mouth bass. My favorite lake for wade fishing is in Rotonda Meadows off Placida Road and then Robin Road. These lakes are surrounded by home lots and roads that were built 25 years ago. There are still no homes in this area. Because of this you can access the water well for wade fishing. There are alligators in these ponds and they will lay on the banks, just be careful and think about that while you are fishing. I have also caught some great redfish, snook, baby tarpon and large mouth bass, in the canals along the road in Rotonda Sands and South Gulf Cove.

If you are looking to do some saltwater fishing at this time of year there is a couple wade fishing spots around Lemmon Bay, and one of the best access points is Stumps Pass State Park. I think the parking is around $2 and there is a path that accesses the back side of the barrier beach. It is a busy spot for boat traffic in the middle of the day so go early in the morning or late at night. There are tons of ladyfish, small jacks, sea trout, and some reds and snook in the channels behind the beach at stumps pass at this time of year. On the Gulf side people catch Pompano with artificals and mole crabs in January. I have also seen schools of Cobia around Stumps Pass in January.

[pablo]

I will be heading to southwest florida for most of january I am an avid trout and steelhead fly fisherman But have not fished the warm salt yet :confused:
I will be staying in englewood and looking for some wade fishing opportunities from there to keys.
Any info sure would be appreciated
Happy Holidays
Pablo


Thannk for some heads up Have you ever fished the Myakka river?
Looks like it is a pretty good back water for charlotte harbor. It should winter over some fish? :brow

[flyfishsalt]

Yes it can be great, but the fish move around in the river and it is very long. I have fished it from a boat with some success. If I were to target reds in the winter from shore I would try the area around the 776 bridge. There is always a bunch of guys fishing there, you can find plenty of parking spots on the west side of the bridge and can actually wade fish at low tide. It is also a place to catch tons of sea trout. If I were to target Snook in the winter in the Myakka I would hike into the Myakka River State Park off of River Road. There are two picnic areas along the river where you can access the river. At extreme low tide you can walk along the banks of the river and at high tide it is very difficult to move around. There are also some massive Alligators in the river in that area. I would be careful not to get into the water in the freshwater part of the river, but that is where the Snook go in the winter months. If you feel like renting a canoe or kyak you can launch at Snook Haven and paddle down to the Rt. 41 Bridge and have someone pick you up there. It is a good long paddle downstream. You will find Snook, Reds, Trout, and Large Mouth Bass in that stretch in the winter months.

Here are some photos of typical size fish you will find up the rivers in the winter months. These pictures were shot on the river last febuary...

[saltydancindave]

One can fish the Myakka River from Hog Island, where it meets the Peace River to form Charlotte Harbor, north to the 776 bridges at El Jobean & up river thru North Port to Rt 41 & farther on to the I 75 bridges & beyond....the brackish water holds a mix of species :cool:

[pablo]

One can fish the Myakka River from Hog Island, where it meets the Peace River to form Charlotte Harbor, north to the 776 bridges at El Jobean & up river thru North Port to Rt 41 & farther on to the I 75 bridges & beyond....the brackish water holds a mix of species :cool:Will be heading out soon leaving the cold and RAIN behind --127-3- Thanks again for the info. looks like there is plenty of fishing in the area.Do you also fish the peace river? Also do you know of any reasonable boat rentals around.
Happy New Years
Thanx Pablo :)

[saltydancindave]

There are boat rental places along with kayak rentals & just about anything else that floats can be rented. What you consider reasonable might not be what the businesses are offering to the tourists ! The Peace river can be fished up past Arcadia if you have a GPS & don't get lost, but watch out for the gators & cottonmouths upstream !

[ACE]

Snook Haven, mentioned in prior post, rents small motorboats and canoes and is a HILARIOUS truly old-Florida kind of place