NCsaltaire

The Redfish of Matlacha Florida

March 10, 2011 at 10:22 pm Leave a comment

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.

Entry filed under: Home. Tags: beach, beach weather, boating safety, charlotte harbor, Florida, Key West, pine island, salt water fishing.