It's been awhile since my last report... In fact, it's been awhile since I was able to get on the water and actually fish!!!

Hurricane Ian did a number on the Palm Island and Manasota Key area. We got hit with sustained winds of 175 mph and gusts at 208 mph. (those are numbers from a wind machine set up by storm trackers in Placida) so you can imagine the rebuilding efforts are going to take some time.

Almost 90 days removed from the storm, Rum Bay restaurant in the resort is open and serving patrons. Owners and island residents are still filtering in, some for the first time since Ian. There are debris removal trucks on Palm Island daily, but there is still lots of clean up left. 

Our Pathfinder 22' made it through the storm, but with lack of use, there are maintenance items that needed addressed. That boat should be up and running by the holiday hopefully. Our Parker 25' had a tree fall on it, and hopefully be back online by spring or tarpon season.

We have fishing guides waiting for your bookings. Due to both of our booking venues having taken extensive damage, our last 90 days have been slim pickings for the industry eco tourism. It will be some time still, before we get back to normal, but our hope is that we can help fill some gaps for our friends and family in the industry. 

So, if you are interested in a fishing charter... Please reach out, we have fantastic fishing guides wanting your business and excited to get back to work!!! 

Thanks, and as always it's a fantastic time to just be alive in South West Florida!!!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946

It's Tarpon time!!! I know... I know... Tarpon have been around our area for months now... But, now is the time to go catch them.  Late June/post- spawn can be some of the best Tarpon fishing of the year. Bites tend to come more frequently, although you won't see as many fish as in our pre-spawn season. 

Inshore, our snook are also coming off a mid summer spawn, and are aggressively feeding, to stack up fat and protein.  Mangrove snapper have moved into the bays and passes, and afford anglers the opportunity to take home great table fair after a hot day on the water. It's a fantastic time to go fishing in Southwest Florida.

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946

Early November cold fronts have started to decrease the water temperature fairly rapidly around Palm Island and Manasota Key.  This has moved some of the local guides to start fishing their winter trends.  For me, that takes my attention off of the usual suspects (reds, snook, and trout) and turns my attention to some "food" fishing.  Triple tail and pompano are on my menus for winter time.  Both are delicious, and fun to catch.  Both have a fairly abundant population locally, and both can be caught on either live bait or artificial.  As it gets cold up north, it becomes a fantastic time to go fishing in Southwest Florida!!!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946

The wind has been brutal since memorial day weekend. So, the Tarpon bite has been lackluster to say the least.  Because of that, I tend to turn my focus on another "big game" species we have available in summer time. Big snook hunting can be some of the most fun and rewarding fishing we offer. Multiple bite days, often in the double digits, with the opportunity for the anglers to land a trophy sized fish.  June is the month for catching big critters, and we have them in fantastic order.  It's a great time to be fishing in South West Florida!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946
Manasota Key Fishing Charters

Tarpon fishing is starting off with a bang!!! The new moon tides proved to be very good on the slower portions.  Most guides fished heavily around the passes this week.  We started to see some migrating fish showing up on our beach front, and these fish are opportunistic, and not relegated to feed on tide flow.  Great opportunity to sneak in some quick bites!!!  It's a fantastic time to fish in south west Florida!!!

Capt. Mike Slattery
Manasota Key Fishing Charters

The week started out on an absolute high note with that super moon on Monday.  We recorded our first "client" tarpon bite of 2021, and caught the "Grand Slam" plus 2 keeper cobia.  We were able to successfully produce results on that same trend for a second day in a row on Tuesday.  Wednesday the tide slowed and the Tarpon fishing got difficult us. As the week progressed, we saw that the fishing tailed off a bit.  But, we still boated 250+ snook, more than 20 overslot redfish, and only the trout we needed to catch and secure the "inshore slam" ever day this week.  That being said, isn't it about time to go fishing in south west Florida?

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946

The South West Florida winter just doesn't seem to want to subside.  Moving into the middle of April, we are still seeing northern blows and weak fronts... But, they seem to have about run their course, and our trend looks to be moving along the summer temperature trend.  That means it's time to go TARPON FISHING!!!!  As a SWFL guide, we live for this season.  Giant schools of Tarpon moving into our area from the north and south.  We will hunt these giant groups of fish in crystal clear water, using live bait and lures.  There has never been a better time to book a Tarpon charter for summer time in South West Florida!!!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946

For the last week in March/first week of April, we had another cold front.  This spring has been a trend of getting right with water temps and trends, and resetting...  It's really has been a grind.  With the latest Easter front, our water temperature dropped 13 degrees in the bay.  So, we reset into a winter trend and caught pompano, spotted sea trout, and flounder. We are looking forward to the summer season, it's time for the water to get warm around Manasota Key.  With that said, it's great time to book your adventures with Manasota Key Outfitters.

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946

With winter cold fronts on the weekly basis, we fisherman in South West Florida are in the depths of winter... Honestly, with all joking aside, it's cold in Florida.  So, that gives us guides a chance to fix some gear, do maintenance on the boats and trailers, and get geared up for the upcoming spring season.  Our clients should be doing the same... This is the time of year we start booking our Tarpon fishing slots for the Spring-Summer season. So, if you have ever wanted to make your Tarpon fishing dreams a reality, now is the time to contact your most favorite guide, and ink in your day! Tarpon season is on the horizon, and that fishing friends, is the most exciting time to fish South West Florida!

Capt. Mike Slattery
941-626-6946