I live 15 Miles from Boca Grande pass.
The tarpon capital of the world.
Every spring thousands of mature tarpon gather in the pass.
Last Friday My neighbor Mike and I made a trip to the pass to enjoy the spcetical.
We drifted the hole where the tarpon gather using pass crabs for 4 hours on the incoming tide.
Mike hooked 1 and broke off. I hooked 2 the first one stayed deep and I never got the hook set. Number 2 was over 80 pounds and jumped twice coming fully out of the water breaking my line.
What a thrill.
I think All fisherman should have a tarpon trip on their bucket list.
What a magnificent fish.
Sorry I didn't get any photos.
I'm going again and I promise to take some

I was trolling a 3" Berkeley rainbow trout
hard bait.
It's like a rapala.

I am part of our community marine neighborhood watch.
Today I went out early and with my neighbors for a patrol.
Since we're in a minimum wake zone I brought a couple of rods.
Ended up with 2 snook and a tarpon trolling/ patrolling My zone.
Don't tell my captain.

Rodger that

Chucky do you sing at the shipwreck saloon on Thursday?

Went out late 11:30 to see if the fish were hungry.
This time it was a short run to the first stop. The wind was blowing around 17 mph.
I was fishing with Bill and Randy.
We threw artificials and live shrimp.
After about 30 minutes we found some fish.
Most of the day the bite was slow but consistent with More large fish .
At the end of the day we found working bird's and joined the party.
For the next 40 minutes it was lady fish and small trout every cast.
I fish a double rig so I caught doubles many times.
Fish count for the day 90 + in the boat.
These are the ones we kept.
I got the biggest one.
One trout on bait all the rest were on artificials.

We run 15 miles one way to the flats no kayaks around.

These are all the keepers

The puffer's are everywhere in the
Harbor

Went out with my friends Bill and Paul Tuesday morning to catch some trout.
The ride to the flats was bumpy and sloppy
After we found a dolphin on the flats we started catching trout.
But the puffer fish were terrible so we switched from rubber to hard jerk baits.
We caught puffers on the jerk baits too.
Fish count 2 puffers 1 giant lady fish 1 sting ray 2 jacks and fifty trout.
We had 4 keeper trout.
Fun Day but the wind was blowing all day casting for the most part was cross wind or down wind.

How did he lasso it on the tail?
Nice catch.
I'm going out Tuesday.

My theory about Mayan cichlids is they definitely came for aquariums but I believe they are the result of hurricanes you can take your bird, dogs, cat's.
But who takes their fish?
When a hurricane hits their is standing water every where as well as toppled aquariums.
After hurricane Ian there were fish in my drainage ditches until they dried up or the birds ate them.

Did you get the bonnet Head inside Bull's bay.
I fished that same day on the flats at Port Charlotte City winds we're 15 to 20
We boated 5 trout 1 legal.
More fishing than catching.
Sloppy ride home.

I'm thinking tilapia

To windy to fish outside our canal's.
So we grabbed some live shrimp and did some sight fishing.
My self and my granddaughter and her boyfriend set out to put some fish in the boat. We found a wind protected shoreline with Reed's and spawning bed's
We put 30 Mayan cichlids in the boat.
We also caught a giant blue gill.
Fish tacos tonight.
I don't like fresh water fish but the Mayan cichlid is very tasty.