If you’ve been having more than a difficult time finding fish lately, you’re not the only one. This has been an odd winter, and the last couple weeks especially have been really tough. Some of our more experienced local anglers have been questioning their ability to catch fish, and if you’re new to Southwest Florida fishing you may be wondering what all the hype was about. Trust me, it gets better.

This time of year, we normally find a lot of fish in the upper end of the Harbor and the surrounding canals of Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda. That’s because the cooler water temperatures drive them to seek warmer refuge, which they find in the deep, dark waters of our canal systems. But despite a few cold snaps, this winter has been so mild overall the fish have had little reason to head upriver. With plenty of food available and comfortable water, most of the fish have been staying closer to the Intracoastal. Even there, they’ve been very difficult to pattern because they’re always on the move. It’s as if the fish are thinking, “OK, it’s warm now, but it could get cold any minute. Or maybe it’ll get warmer because summer is coming. So I should move upriver — no, wait, out to the beach — no, wait, up under the mangroves — no, wait …”