The Wandering Disciple

Englewood, Florida: The cold front had passes, the tide was in and the fish were biting out at Englewood Pier today. After the rain passed through with the cold front, we decided to hit the pier at Chadwick Park and try our luck today at high tide. Once again it was my wife leading the pack today with three fish, I came in second with two and my dad had one. Almost identical outcome from our last outing. I hope we can get my son to land one soon so it keeps his interest.  We came armed with a supply of fresh shrimp from the bait shop across the street from the pier. During this out we snagged a Crevalle Jack, a couple Snappers and some Pig Fish. Sheepshead were also biting but they were falling off as we reeled them up to the pier because of the size of the hooks. During our next trip, we are going to try and use the cast net to get our bait. There was a group using live bait caught of a cast net and they were stealing the show with their catches. We hope to have t...

Venice, Florida: After a long hiatus from fishing, we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and go fishing. We decided on the Venice Pier for today's trip. We picked up two dozen live shrimp at the pier and headed out to fish. We picked a spot mid-point on the pier and went to work. It was a very slow day on the pier, while I am used to us not really catching anything, but others around us were not having any luck either. We did catch a juvenile Crevalle Jack, a Lizardfish and a crab. While fishing, we watched a pod off dolphins playing on both sides of the pier for much of the afternoon. Since we were not having much luck at the pier, we decided to head to the South Jetty and try our luck there. We had a lot more success there. While we didn't catch a bunch, we had plenty of hits on our remaining bait. At the Jetty, we caught a Mangrove Snapper, Gag Grouper and an unidentified fish. We also observed some Snook near the seawall in which my Dad hooked...

El Jobean, Florida: Located where the Myakka River meets Charlotte Harbor, the El Jobean Fishing Pier is one of Charlotte County’s premier fishing piers. Like many of the other piers in the county, this is an abandoned railroad trestle that was converted into a fishing pier. The pier was once the Myakka River crossing on the Charlotte Harbor & Northern Railroad. When the route was discontinued, the local government removed the drawbridge and converted the southern end of the crossing into a fishing pier. The location of the pier is where the Myakka River empties into Charlotte Harbor and the water is mostly saltwater. Snook and Redfish are frequently found in this area. In addition to fishing from the pier, there are also plenty of good fishing spots along the seawall of the SR-776 bridge. There is no charge to use the pier. 3/27/2011: Hit the pier just after noon today with a dozen live shrimp. Had several hits but did not land a fish. One took the line and ran it around the pili...

Venice, Florida: Located in the Shark’s Tooth Capital of the World, it is only fitting that fishermen are drawn to Venice to try and hook one of these predators of the sea. The abundance of sharks in the region and their close proximity to the beach make fishing popular here and the Venice Fishing Pier is one of the hot spots where thousands flock each year to try and bring in the big one. Built 1966, the Venice Fishing Pier extends 700 feet into the Gulf of Mexico. Located on the south end of the island near Venice Municipal Airport, the pier is part of the City of Venice’s park system. The pier was almost lost for good in 2000 when rough seas caused by Hurricane Gordon tore off the end of the pier. Repairs were made to the pier and the newly renovated pier later reopened to the public. There is a small bait shop located on the pier. They offer live and frozen bait, limited tackle, equipment rental, drinks and snacks. For a full meal, Sharky’s on the Pier is located at the base...

Boca Grande, Florida: The Boca Grande Pier is located on an abandoned train trestle on the barrier island of Boca Grande in west Charlotte County. Its location on the northern end of the island has become a popular fishing spot for locals and tourists. The train trestles leading to Boca Grande were once the lifeline of the island. Aboard these tracks, trains loaded with phosphate would make their way from the mines to the awaiting freighters in Port Boca Grande. But when the rail shipping of phosphate had ended, the tracks were no longer used. Several years later, government officials from Charlotte County parks and recreation turned a section of the train trestles on the island into a fishing pier park. This section on Boca Grande provides excellent fishing along the Gasparilla Sound. In these waters live grouper, black drum, white grunt, sheepshead and more. There is no charge to use the facilities, however the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority charges a toll to cross the only brid...

Placida, Florida: Located at the point of the Cape Haze peninsula is Placida Rotary Centennial Park. Home to the popular annual seafood festival, it’s the park’s fishing pier attracts visitors all year round. The fishing pier is actually part of an abandoned train trestle. During the peak of the phosphate mining days, the railroad took the phosphate from the mines to the freighters at Port Boca Grande. Once the rail operations were shut-down, the train tracks were decommissioned and sat unused, quickly deteriorating in the Florida weather. The Charlotte County government stepped in to turn portions of the track into fishing piers. The Placida portion is located on the mainland side, just south of the Boca Grande causeway. It goes several hundred yards out into the Gasparilla Pass and provides great fishing opportunities. In these waters you can catch grouper, drums, snapper and much more. In addition to the pier, there are great fishing spots located under the SR-771 bridge. 1...