Understanding The Food Chain on Charlotte Harbor
To understand Charlotte Harbor you have to look closely at the food chain. Most of us understand that migratory baitfish and shrimp are a big part of the fish’s diet. But if you look closer it is far more complicated. One way that I continue to learn about the ecosystem is through crabbing. Fifteen years ago I left Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay to live and fish here. Crabbing was a lifestyle there and it is here as well. Our fish love to eat crabs especially in the summer and fall months. Redfish eat crabs year around and there are many varieties of crabs they dine on and small blue crabs are a favorite of tarpon. Snook will eat them as well!
Recently while castnetting pilchards in shallow grassbeds, I observed lots of blue claw crabs. The next day I placed crab traps where I had seen them the day before. Nine traps in total, packed with ladyfish for bait and two days later I pulled them. One small female crab. Go figure, but the traps were full of all types of sea creatures! Small flounder, spadefish, porcupine puffers, boxfish, catfish, sheepshead and sailcats. I made another interesting observation that might have factored in. Two days earlier there were crabs galore and big schools of baitfish. Now there were no crabs and no baitfish.
Trying to tie this in with fishing is not really straight forward but I figure if there are plenty of crabs around in the shallows, then I expect redfish would be more plentiful and they were. On a high tide on the east side reds to 23” where active and happy and two days later no reds…maybe just a coincidence.
With all of these different species of fish in the traps maybe the gamefish feed on their young. The fish most common in my traps were sheepshead and lots of them! They are considered a winter species but there are lots of them on the flats right now of all sizes.
On three different fishing trips within 10 days I had no problem finding lots of snook! The first trip I was tipped off to a big school of snook a friend told me about. On the top of the high outgoing tide I chummed a dozen free swimmers and maybe 8 snook blasted! Wow! My wife Joyce and I each cast and hooked up immediately. We released the fish and watched for the next 1 ½ hours as the snook recklessly hit any bait without a hook in it! We used light leaders, with 10# braid of different colors and very small hooks but no takers. The next fishing trip was in a different location, same tide phase and same results. Fish blasting baits with a couple caught right away and then no more takers. Something about the bait with a hook in it was easily detectable in the dark waters and the fish chose to ignore them. Even more stunning to me was fishing off my dock with some leftover bait I had snook blasting in every direction. Three fish caught and quickly released and the word was out. Plenty of fish blasting free swimmers but avoiding the hook.
Charlotte Harbor is a complicated fishery. There is a super highway of sub-surface activity with baitfish and tropical fishes migrating in and out. Following this are the gamefish we all hope to catch. The fishing hole you had yesterday might be a dud today. Even more remarkable is that fish can communicate with each other and detect the slightest variation in their bait sources. With all the modern technology out there you would think the fish would not have a chance. Think again, as evolution proves that wild creatures adapt to their changing environment.
Capt. Chuck Eichner operates Action Flats Backcountry Charters and can be reached at 941-628-8040. Call to buy a house and you can live the dream too!
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