I see that this thread is a few months old, but I wanted to chime in. The residential canals can be hit or miss. A buddy of mine lives on a canal in Cape Coral, and we fish it a couple times a month if we just want to wet a line. Depending on depth and structure, a cut pin can actually yield a pretty solid red. I throw an entire half of a pinfish with no cork or weight under a neighboring dock and wait. Seems somewhat unconventional, as many anglers go straight for live shrimp, but I've caught numerous reds over 30" like that. I've also been skunked on the same canal many times, so once again, hit or miss. Depending on your situation, you can put the pinfish rod in a rod holder (makeshift if need be) and throw an artificial in the meantime.

The important thing is to have fun with it. If you get a smaller pin, throw it out live and see what happens. Although catfish and the occasional mangrove snapper are somewhat the norm on these canals, we've seen Tarpon cruising through and have caught multiple snook and redfish.

Also, funny you mention Hudson. I've been out with these guys out of Hudson a couple years back and they were great. https://www.fishanywhere.com/charter...harter-company Not sure if they're still running, but Captain Fred was a good guy to deal with, and could get you on some fish if you have a craving that needs to be satisfied. Good luck!