by Capt. Matt Mitchell
Yet another week of windy weather was bad enough; some days it caused me to cancel a few trips. When it’s blowing 30 mph some days, I didn’t feel I could safely run a charter. As much as I hate to cancel on any client, I would rather do that and try to reschedule than have a bad trip. The days I did get out this week were less than stellar, but we did manage to bend the rods on snook, trout, and a few redfish. Throw in some of the biggest King tides of the year and conditions on the water could only be described as extreme.
For the past few years, I have had the privilege of guiding in the 2026 Boca Grande Classic, a huge fundraising event for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. This event is out of the Gasparilla Inn & Club and is roughly 40 guided boats. It never fails; it’s always crazy windy, and the run across Charlotte Harbor and Boca Grande Pass is hardly ever fun. This year was much the same: 25 mph-plus winds and white-knuckle wet rides to get to the better fishing in the sound.
With so much planning involved in this event, there is simply no canceling it due to the wind. As rough as the conditions were, once we got across the sound, the snook and trout bite was much better than expected. We had to take advantage of the places to get tucked away around Bokeelia and catch a few fish. Luckily my clients had spent some time on boats and didn’t get freaked out by the sea conditions.
The Eastern side of the sound has remained clear as the prevailing wind for weeks has had an easterly element to it. It remains the better fishing for me and has offered lots more out-of-the-wind options. Flamingo Bay to Demere Key flats in the 3-5 feet range have produced some great trout action when all else has failed. I look for “salt and pepper” bottom where the grass has lots of white sand holes. Making long casts with free-lined shiners and slowly retrieving them has been working.
During higher water conditions, the many oyster bars on and to the east of Captiva rocks have been holding lots of snook and redfish. It’s funny, though, how one day a certain bar can be so good, then the next day it’s a different bar in the same area. All these oyster bars have great tide, and they seem to hold fish when the tide is up high enough. The bars with the most mullet activity have held the most snook and redfish.
Although these far-from-perfect conditions make everything a little harder while out fishing, it just comes down to working harder to catch the fish. There is something very satisfying about catching a few quality fish when it’s just tough rather than crushing it in perfect conditions. Simply put: you won’t catch anything if you stay home.
Capt. Matt Mitchell moved to Sanibel in 1980 and has lived in St. James City since 2000, when he started his fishing charter business. He spends over 300 days a year “living the dream” fishing. For questions and info: bookings@captmattmitchell.com
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