Backcountry Fishing

Sight Fishing

The beautiful grass flats, creeks, and mangrove estuaries of the Charlotte Harbor make sight fishing with a fly rod as fun as it gets. Redfish and snook are the main targets of a day of backcountry sight fishing.

Negative tides in the fall and winter put redfish right in their natural habitat. Shallow, clear water is where they thrive. These fish love to "root" around in grass and mud looking for their next meal. When its shallow enough, they will stick their tails out of the water in search of crabs, shrimp, and worms. These tailing opportunities are a thrill for saltwater fly fisherman. When the fly lands, they will often charge it to eat as they are already in a feeding mode. If the water is too high, watching these fish slowly crawl a shoreline is just as exciting! Snook fishing is very similar to this. They love to sit on sandy banks and sulk in the sunlight, especially in the winter time. The larger fish demand a soft presentation and smooth movement of the fly. Although they are extremely smart and have great eyesight, hooking a big snook on fly is as fun as it gets.

Artificial Spin Fishing

If you don't have a passion for fly fishing but still love the shallow water thrill, do not worry! Light tackle spin fishing is an exciting time for anyone looking to experience inshore fishing. Redfish, snook, trout, and jack crevalle are all common catches in a day of throwing lures in Boca Grande. Some days topwater plugs work best to get massive blowups from several different species. Other days we will use paddletails and jerk baits to blind cast pothole edges or mangrove shorelines. This type of fishing provides a lot of hookups and is fun for all ages!