About Placida Harbor, FL

The Placida Harbor extends from the east of the Rambler Hole up to the southern end of the Little Gasparilla Island. It can be found in Charlotte County on the southwestern coast of Florida. The harbor is two miles long, and its widest section measures up to one mile, while its narrowest is up to 500 feet wide.

The harbor is named after the town, and the place is even dubbed as “paradise” by those living here. It is called such because of the way of life it provides away from the busy cities. It has a lush landscape with shell paths that prove how gentle and beautiful the lifestyle in this town can be. 

Furthermore, the Placida Harbor is divided into different sections, including the Zenil Flats, Seven Docks Flats, Bird Key Flats, and Boca Grande Sandbar. There are lots of activities that can be enjoyed here such as boating, paddling, wildlife viewing, diving, and most especially, fishing. 

All About Fishing in Placida Harbor, FL

The saltwater flowing to the Placida Harbor comes from Florida Coast and Little Gasparilla Island. Aside from that, the water here appears to be in pristine greenish-blue color. It is in its clearest form during high tide and can give you about three to five feet of visibility. However, it tends to become significantly murky during the low tides and starts to get clearer again come the month of June. 

The bottom of the harbor is usually composed of mud, and it becomes sandier as you approach the Gasparilla Pass. Nonetheless, it still offers a great environment for a variety of fish to live and survive in. The different fish species that can be found here include common snook, spotted seatrout, sheepshead seabream, tarpon, red drum, crevalle jack, blacktip shark, and gafftopsail sea catfish. There are other wildlife animals that can be witnessed here, such as the bottlenose dolphin, West Indian manatees, and brown pelican. 

The common snook is one of the most common catches in Placida Harbor since this fish likes brackish saltwater. It feeds mainly on copepods and microcrustaceans, and as they become bigger, they start to eat zooplanktons, crabs, and shrimps. Fishing techniques such as baitcasting, light tackle, and using lures have been proven effective in catching this fish species. 

On the other hand, the crevalle jack can be found in shallow areas of the harbor and has been dubbed as the hardest-pulling fish that lives inshore. This fish species is a diurnal predator that feeds mainly on shrimp, other fish species, and invertebrates. Given their diet, you can utilize the baitcasting method. However, they may put up a good fight so you can also resort to using the heavy tackle fishing technique. 

Both inshore and offshore fishing can be done in Placida Harbor. If you are going offshore fishing, you must note that there are lots of shallow mudflats throughout the harbor, and they are ten foot-deep on average, so you have to be careful when using a boat. 

Fishing Seasonality

The common snook is one of the protandric hermaphrodite fish species, which means that they initially develop as males that can later reproduce as females. They usually spawn from April to October, but you will see a higher increase in their population during July and August. 

Crevalle jack prefers more temperate waters, and they usually spawn in the spring and summer seasons. You can enjoy fishing for this species all year round in Florida. Although, their numbers peak from March to September. 

The best fishing season for tarpon is from May to June, and for the spotted seatrout, it is from May to September. Meanwhile, December to April are the easiest months to catch sheepshead seabream. Blacktip sharks are also an all-year-round catch, but their numbers decrease during the peak winter season and increase in late October to early November.  

Fishing Seasonality

The common snook is one of the protandric hermaphrodite fish species, which means that they initially develop as males that can later reproduce as females. They usually spawn from April to October, but you will see a higher increase in their population during July and August. 

Crevalle jack prefers more temperate waters, and they usually spawn in the spring and summer seasons. You can enjoy fishing for this species all year round in Florida. Although, their numbers peak from March to September. 

The best fishing season for tarpon is from May to June, and for the spotted seatrout, it is from May to September. Meanwhile, December to April are the easiest months to catch sheepshead seabream. Blacktip sharks are also an all-year-round catch, but their numbers decrease during the peak winter season and increase in late October to early November.  

All About Fishing in Placida Harbor, FL

The saltwater flowing to the Placida Harbor comes from Florida Coast and Little Gasparilla Island. Aside from that, the water here appears to be in pristine greenish-blue color. It is in its clearest form during high tide and can give you about three to five feet of visibility. However, it tends to become significantly murky during the low tides and starts to get clearer again come the month of June. 

The bottom of the harbor is usually composed of mud, and it becomes sandier as you approach the Gasparilla Pass. Nonetheless, it still offers a great environment for a variety of fish to live and survive in. The different fish species that can be found here include common snook, spotted seatrout, sheepshead seabream, tarpon, red drum, crevalle jack, blacktip shark, and gafftopsail sea catfish. There are other wildlife animals that can be witnessed here, such as the bottlenose dolphin, West Indian manatees, and brown pelican. 

The common snook is one of the most common catches in Placida Harbor since this fish likes brackish saltwater. It feeds mainly on copepods and microcrustaceans, and as they become bigger, they start to eat zooplanktons, crabs, and shrimps. Fishing techniques such as baitcasting, light tackle, and using lures have been proven effective in catching this fish species. 

On the other hand, the crevalle jack can be found in shallow areas of the harbor and has been dubbed as the hardest-pulling fish that lives inshore. This fish species is a diurnal predator that feeds mainly on shrimp, other fish species, and invertebrates. Given their diet, you can utilize the baitcasting method. However, they may put up a good fight so you can also resort to using the heavy tackle fishing technique. 

Both inshore and offshore fishing can be done in Placida Harbor. If you are going offshore fishing, you must note that there are lots of shallow mudflats throughout the harbor, and they are ten foot-deep on average, so you have to be careful when using a boat.