Angler's paradise awaits in Charlotte Harbor & the Gulf Islands, and fishing Capt. Ralph Allen can't wait to show you the sights. All year long.

"We're blessed to be able to fish year-round," Allen says as I giddily reel in a beautiful 12 or so-inch trout from a sweet spot in Charlotte Harbor as the sun gently caresses us.

Allen gives me "at least a 9.8" for enthusiasm as I jump up and down on the deck of the 18-foot flats boat.

The stats shine bright for some serious fishing in Charlotte County: 830 miles of everything from river passages to mangrove-edged aquatic preserves to miles and miles of sandy beaches; 53 canoe and kayak Blueway Trails (nearly 200 miles throughout Charlotte Harbor); the Peace River, which feeds into the harbor; 190 miles of saltwater canals and 175 miles of freshwater canals; and deep-sea charters in the Gulf of Mexico.

And the incredible weather will lure you back time and time again. It's January, and Allen wears his usual ensemble of shorts, polo shirt, cap and sunglasses. A jacket would be too much on such a perfect day.

Allen knows he lives in a fishing nirvana, and the fact that he makes his living doing what he loves best makes it even sweeter. His dad Bob started the King Fisher Fleet in 1981, and Ralph took over a few years later. Sightseeing cruises, fishing (back bay, river, deep-sea). Trout, grouper, snapper, sheepshead, barracuda, snook, tarpon. You get the idea.

Ever watchful, his eyes dart toward the brilliant, blue sky. He spots some pelicans, and gulls hover over the water. He gives them kudos "because they're better at finding fish than I am." We head toward them and he cuts the engine. Allen plucks a live shrimp from the boat's bait well, deftly hooks it and casts the line. He favors live bait, occasionally using artificial lures, and says "there are plenty of opinions" on what to use.

Capt. Marian Schneider expertly settles herself into a kayak and glides out into the pristine Coral Creek where it's a heavenly world away from everything.


Once you've lured your fish, you might want to hire the Village Fish Market Seafood Restaurant in Fishermen's Village as your personal "chef." They'll prepare your just-caught-fish blackened, grilled, whatever way you wish. Owners Sue and Nick Randall remember a King Fisher charter group staying in timeshare apartments at Fishermen's Village that caught about 20 pounds of fish. The restaurant cooked it, placed it in two large hotel pans and "served a rather large to-go order," Sue Randall vividly recalled. "It was quite a party."

And it's quite a way to spend a vacation, as is a trip to Palm Island Resort. Part of the fun is getting there: drive your car onto the ferry and a few minutes later you've arrived at a beach paradise that reflects an old-Florida-style elegance. Swim in the shimmering Gulf of Mexico (or one of the pools), collect shells on powdery-sugar-like beaches, play tennis or cast a line to catch a fish.

You might want to cast that line from a kayak on Palm Island or at Grande Tours, where kayak fishing charters take you into backwater mangroves, small island shallows or bay waters to hook a trout, a redfish or maybe a snapper. Capt. Marian Schneider expertly settles herself into a kayak and glides out into the pristine Coral Creek where it's a heavenly world away from everything. She reflects on why kayaking and fishing have become such a popular twosome. "Kayaks can get into areas other boats can't," she explains while pointing out a gorgeous, majestic white pelican, just in for the winter months.

Also, kayaks aren't expensive, they're eco-friendly and easy to maneuver, and all ages can enjoy them, like Mary Cordero, 73, who works at Grande Tours. Cordero fishes most days in her kayak and says the beauty is they don't require gas or major upkeep and they're "very quiet so you can sneak up on the fish." She likes to sauté redfish in a bit of olive oil, sprinkles with basil, and bon appetit!

I'm getting hungry and even more so when Schneider maneuvers her kayak next to a crab trap bobbing in the creek. She pulls up the trap, revealing a lively bunch of blue crabs.

Did someone say dinner?