As the fall weather is soon upon us, many residents who spend part of their year up north, begin to migrate back to Burnt Store Marina. It is also a time when the community fishing club begins their full program of activities. As the cooler weather patterns arrive, many fish species, that do not do well in the warm summer water of our harbor, begin to school up in our areas. Snook, Spanish mackerel, redfish, jacks, snapper, and many varieties of grouper are here for the catching. It is also the time when members of the Burnt Store Anglers meet for their first meeting of the season.
To start our season off, Captain Robert, manager of the famous FISHING FRANKS bait and tackle shop, will be our guest speaker with great fishing information. The first meeting of the season will be held at the Tiki Hut, in front of Cass Cay. The date will be Monday, October 6, starting at 3:30 p.m. All folks who are interested in fishing are welcome to join the Anglers for their season-long series of meetings and activities. As usual, the annual membership for a family is just $10.
This year, the Burnt Store Anglers will offer its members a beautiful tournament hoodie fishing shirt and wonderful looking Angler fishing hats. As you walk around our community and see the many men and women wearing their blue fishing shirts with the fighting redfish on their back, you will know this is the fishing club. Our club supports “Catch and Release” activities, Captain’s for Clean Water conservation activities, The Punta Gorda Middle School Fishing Club, and many more community and statewide conservation programs. Shirts and Caps will be available for sale to all members starting at the October meeting.
The fish are biting. Lots of nice sized Spanish mackerel have been hitting trolled soft baits and silver spoons. Be sure to have a small piece of wire attached between your lure and the running line on your reel. Many species are feeding on live shrimp, fished under a floating cork or freelined with a small split shot weight to take the bait to the bottom – works just fine. If you can find white bait, the fish are really feeding well on this bait fish.
Pictured in this article is Anglers President, Tom Zalac, with a nice Spanish mackerel he caught to start off the season. Nice thing about catching mackerel is if you hook one there are usually many more in the area, as they are a nice schooling fish. Mixed in with this school of fish you usually can find small bluefish and an escaping ladyfish. Have fun this season and we look forward to seeing you at the Burnt Store Anglers meetings.
Tight Lines
