Archive for March 10, 2011
The Redfish of Matlacha Florida
With our kayaks in tow, 
we traveled to an area just south of Punta Gorda and Northwest of Cape Coral and Ft Myers to find another fishing spot and the beautiful Redfish. Our destination was Matlacha, Florida.
Matlacha is one of five communities on Pine Island, although technically, it is located on a smaller island in Matlacha Pass, east of Pine Island. It is an “Old Florida” fishing village home to many brightly-colored art galleries, island boutiques, seafood restaurants, and traditional Florida cottages.
We put the kayaks on one of the town’s many beach launch access. Our 13′ hobie sit upons were just perfect to navigate the calm waters of the Pine Island Sound.
This protected area is surrounded by mangroves and grass flats. We found water depth at a mixed three plus feet with many pot holes and bars. Perfect ambush spots for waiting reds.
I always had success with a Rapala X-RAP floating jigs. I choose a light green with red spots. This matched the hatch for the day. The bait in the area met this size and colors.
It wasn’t long before we hooked up with a beautiful 16″ Red. We had a great day on the secluded water way. And look forward to our next trip.
NC Sea Trout & Flounder Regulations
Proclamations – FF-29-2011 & FF-30-2011
FLOUNDER
Effective at 12:01 A.M., Monday, February 21, 2011, minimum size limit for all flounder species has changed from 14.5 inches to 15 inches. This applies to all recreational anglers who fish in the internal coastal, joint fishing waters or the Atlantic Ocean. A total creel limit is six (6) fish per day as long as the does not exceed one calendar day.
SPOTTED SEATROUT
Effective 12:01 A.M. Thursday, February 17, 2011, it will be unlawful to possess spotted sea trout in all coastal and joint fishing waters for all recreational anglers.
This action is being taken in response to recent cold stun events affecting mainly spotted sea trout. The intent of this action is to prevent harvest of vulnerable cold stunned fish which may recover with warming water temperatures. We anticipate the fishery to re-open on 15 June 2011.
Please take extreme caution when landing and releasing these fish. A conscientious angler today will preserve this fishery later.
For more information, check with the NC Division of Marine Fisheries.
NCsaltaire 