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Pine Island Fishing Reports

Your Virginia Beach Fishing Experience

Welcome to the Fishing Report page from Salty Pirate Fishing Charters—your go-to source for up-to-date insights straight from the water. Captain Keith Zumar shares firsthand observations from recent trips, covering weather shifts, water clarity, fish behavior, and techniques that worked best. These reports are built on experience, giving both newcomers and seasoned anglers a better understanding of how the local waters are performing.

Each entry dives into real conditions across areas like Pine Island Sound, Charlotte Harbor, and the backwaters of Matlacha. Whether targeting Snook, Tarpon, Redfish, or Trout, Captain Keith highlights what’s biting, where to find them, and what gear is producing results. His knowledge helps you prepare and gives returning guests a sense of what to expect on their next charter. These aren’t just numbers or stats—they’re daily stories from the deck, shaped by tides, bait movement, and seasonal patterns.

You’ll also find helpful answers to common questions about fishing licenses, trip durations, and the species found in our waters. With charter options ranging from quick inshore outings to full-day and multi-day trips, there’s something here for every angler. Whether you’re planning your first fishing experience or returning for more, let Captain Keith’s fishing reports guide you toward a successful day on the water.

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Cape Coral Fishing Report fishing report coverpicture

June 7, 2024

Florida Bay - Monroe, FL Inshore Report on 7th Jun, 2024

The inshore waters around Cape Coral are bustling with activity. Anglers are reporting excellent catches of Redfish and Snook, particularly around the mangrove edges and grassy flats. Live bait, such as pilchards and shrimp, has been particularly effective. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to target these species, with the cooler water temperatures encouraging more aggressive feeding.
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Cape Coral Fishing Report  fishing report coverpicture

February 2, 2024

Charlotte Harbor - Charlotte, FL Inshore Report on 2nd Feb, 2024

Skipping schools is allowed on windless days! Book your Cape Coral Fishing Charter Now!
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Storm dodging and higher tides fishing report coverpicture

August 28, 2023

Charlotte Harbor - Charlotte, FL Inshore Report on 28th Aug, 2023

Snook remain all over the beaches just have gotten picky as we get deeper into summer. Snapper have moved in to the mangroves and docks which are picking at white bait and bringing home nice inshore sizes for dinner. Trout have been the go to on slower days on grass flats. This past Monday northern sound flats produced plenty of trout action with by product catches of grouper, snapper, and big ladyfish which always make for a fun fight! Both live bait and artificial have been producing good fish.
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Welcome to Summer fishing report coverpicture

June 2, 2023

Charlotte Harbor - Charlotte, FL Inshore Report on 2nd Jun, 2023

The full moon and bigger currents have scattered bait and fish around the sound a bit but the usual suspects are still around and next week will just heat up again. Snook remain on the beaches and back sides of the barrier islands. Target them with live bait. Redfish along interior islands in the sound are plentiful. Tarpon are still thick in the passes and bridges but you can find bigger tarpon settling on inshore flats as well perfect for fly or sight casting! Local bait shops like D&D in Matlacha or Gromms on the water north of Boca Pass have plenty of crabs available for your silver king adventure. The bait has been scattered. Chumming will produce plenty of pinfish. Reports of white bait south of Matlacha bridge and they can be found on the flats but have moved off the beaches now. Look for them to come back inside with the full moon gone. Sky got her a beautiful snook off the beach this past week all on her own! The smile says it all!
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Redfish and Snook on the move fishing report coverpicture

April 26, 2023

Pine Island Sound - Lee, FL Inshore Report on 26th Apr, 2023

Redfish and snook from sub to over slot are cruising all over the mangroves. Both live whitebait, cut bait like mullet/ladyfish and crab, as well as artificial baits like gold spoons/paddletail jigs/topwater and subsurface twitch baits are producing great numbers of inshore fish from the flats boat. Good water tides have allowed us to get deep into the creeks and site cast in 1-2' of water is the funnest way to chase these fish. You cover lots of ground, see tons of fish and really get to test your fishing skills with casting and presentation to get hook ups!
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Tarpon Time! fishing report coverpicture

April 14, 2023

Charlotte Harbor - Charlotte, FL Inshore Report on 14th Apr, 2023

Tarpon have arrived en-masse and the fishing couldn't be better! As we tick into May, more and more big fish will be showing up. Outgoing tides work best but Tarpon will be around beaches and passes thru summer at this point. Sight casting snook on the beach and pass edges makes for a fun day and nothing beats dropping a crab or thread fin into a mass of tarpon and experiencing that fight. We are having multiple hook ups each day now on our tarpon trips throughout the day. Boca Grande pass, Matlacha, Sanibel Causeway and the barrier island beaches of Sanibel and Captiva all are holding good numbers of fish.
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April is heating up fishing report coverpicture

April 11, 2023

Pine Island Sound - Lee, FL Inshore Report on 11th Apr, 2023

As our waters crept into the low 80's this past week, our fishing is just getting better. Snook and redfish are out of their back country hides and cruising mangrove islands, trout are covering the flats and our tarpon migration is hitting full stride. The winds these past few weeks have made tides difficult to judge and days on the skiff difficult. On calm days, watch the tides. At lower tides, fishing oyster bars and grassy ledges in 3-4' of water has been key. As the water rises on the flats and we are able to get into the islands and mangroves, snook have been hitting artificial and live thread fins especially as water gets moving down the banks. Beaches for tarpon and snook site casting is a great late spring task and outgoing currents in local passes flush crabs and bait out which fire up the tarpon and snook bites!
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Indy Boys Seeing Red fishing report coverpicture

March 14, 2023

Pine Island Sound - Lee, FL Inshore Report on 14th Mar, 2023

Very choppy conditions at first light prevented live bait options so we shifted to all artificial and it paid off! First cast started the day off right with a slot trout hitting it as it landed. We escaped the wind and went with Plan C chasing trout on the grass flats in upper PI Sound before moving to Redfish spots a little further south. Trout continued to follow us as we sought out the slam landing one slot redfish at 22" and a monster redfish at 32". The 32"r gave us a run for our money darting around islands as we chased line under mangroves with the trolling motor. All in all we boxed 3 trout and 1 redfish and released another 15+ trout!
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PI Sound Redfish Snook and Trout heating up fishing report coverpicture

March 8, 2023

Charlotte Harbor - Charlotte, FL Inshore Report on 8th Mar, 2023

As our waters clear up and flush out from the red tide issues, the fish are getting active. We have bait on most flats firing up the fish. Redfish and snook are cruising the mangroves. Fish them with chummed live bait or cut ladyfish, which are abundant along grass flat drop offs in both Matlacha and Pine Island Sound. On the grass flats in 3-4' of water, trout ranging from 14 to over 23" are hammering suspending twitch bait lures like the Mirrodine 17MR as well as paddle tails on jig heads, top water on calm waters. Finding the water depth trout are hanging out in is important. If you make a pass in 2-3' with no strikes, shift to 3-4'. While throwing the lures and drifting the flats, throw a shrimp or smaller white bait under a cork/bobber to drive behind you keeping an eye on it for a big trout, ladyfish or passing Spanish mackerel to strike it. If you are having a slow day or have kids on the boat, turning your focus to the trout flats will spark a slow day!
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Wading Burnt Store Bar fishing report coverpicture

February 3, 2023

Charlotte Harbor Inshore Report on 3rd Feb, 2023

with the fly rod and baitcaster in hand (the only two rods I can throw fish with one arm) and still unable to drive the boat, I ventured out the North Cape Trail having just discovered it the other day.  wading across in a south-west-north-east-south rectabgle in an incoming tide, i ovserved little activtiy on the ouster bars.  on the north bound leg about 200 yards iff the shore, muklet began jumping near the shoreline.  as i got to the south bound leg i was able to cast behind a nearby leaping mullet for an instant hook up.  My first ever fish on a baitcaster pulled hard to the point I thought perhaps a snook.  but finally showing was a beautiful lower slot redfish with two big tail spots either side and a whiter color due to temps.  i will certsinly be adding this to the youth canp!
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Duck Hunt Scout trip - post cold fishing report coverpicture

December 29, 2022

Matlacha Pass Inshore Report on 29th Dec, 2022

the boys and I took off early morning to scout duck hunting possibilities in Matlacha Pass.  i have observed several species of ducks the last few weeks in the pass as well as early spring redheads in the 1000's last spring.  

We set up for wind on the northern tip of an island in order to see big water ducks that may be coming into the mangroves and grass flats to feed.  numerous redheads and mergansers were observed but stuck to open water.

This was also several days after our biggest cold front of the year and we observed numerous dead fish with little to no signs of fish activity in the pass.  
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Redfish from Burnt Store fishing report coverpicture

December 3, 2022

Matlacha Pass Inshore Report on 3rd Dec, 2022

great day leaving from Burnt Store Ramp at 7am with some new Cale Residents getting to explore back waters and Matlacha Pass.  

plenty of small snook in the trees.  Ladyfish in the deeper pass ledges for bait the. redfish aling NW mat pass on paddletails.

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Redfish snook and ladies fishing report coverpicture

December 3, 2022

Matlacha Pass Inshore Report on 3rd Dec, 2022 - 1

starting the day trolling for ladyfish and mackerel landing muktiple ladyfish and saving some for bait.  redfish ignored the ladies and smashed the white paddletails.  finally moving into a skinny creek we landed our snook for the day!  ended the day throwing at some shy tarpon
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Slow troll back country snook fishing report coverpicture

December 1, 2022

Matlacha Pass Inshore Report on 1st Dec, 2022 - 2

good day on the trolling motor working treelines and spilleays for snook
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Bait scouting trip fishing report coverpicture

November 12, 2022

Matlacha Pass - Lee, FL Inshore Report on Invalid Date

Plenty of ladyfish schooling in deeper channels of Matlacha Pass. Mangrove fishing remains difficult in Matlacha Pass with damage to shorelines.
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Cape Coral Fishing Report fishing report coverpicture

November 10, 2022

Caloosahatchee River - Lee, FL Inshore Report on Invalid Date

Status: Lavenders ramp to Jug Creek Shoals and flats. Fished 10:30 Am - 1:00 Pm and targeted the grass shoals. Fish are all over the place. Bait, mullet, birds, and sharks are plentiful. Some grass flats survived some look very ravaged. Not “flowy” but instead look smashed down with mud and not alive. Mangroves took a beating. Overhangs and shade in some of my traditional snook spots do not look fishy right now. Debris is still plentiful. New sandbar and higher elevation on old sandbars. Marked Channels are good despite some downed/missing markers. A lot of the debris that is “grounded” is visible at lower tides and covered during high. Might be good to plan trips around lower tides to learn the new norms and where is safe to run outside marked channels. I only fished for about an hour and by the time I got home I had rashes on both feet despite not being “in the water”. Lots of sharks. Usually, see them anyway but they were all over JCS. Bigger bulls and bonnetheads were chasing almost every hookup. Trout were plentiful from 1-4’ depths on artificial. Rapala sub walks, topwater spooks, and popping-cork with DOA Shrimp all worked well. The largest was 23”! Catch and release.
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