July:
Hot is not even the word. It's more like sweltering, blistering, scorching, well you get the point. Fishing the inshore waters this time of year has been a tad on the warm side. Air temperature in the AM is 81- 82 degrees and reaching 91-92 by afternoon. Water is at 88- 89. By mid afternoon, water on the flats is reaching 92-93 degrees. The hotter the water, the lower the oxygen levels will be. Consider these hot summer conditions in your fishing plans. Get out on the water as early in the morning as possible, or fish in the early evening. Night fishing for snook is also very popular this time of year when the hay maker sets and the bridge and dock lights come on. Also watch the tides. A strong incoming tide can bring slightly cooler water to the flats and give the fish something to cheer about.
Gary, Wayne and Rick joined me Saturday for an assault on the summer conditions. First area we targeted was the jetty at Clearwater Pass. I set up on the outside near the beach, looking for some beach snook. Conditions were not in our favor as we had a 15 knot west wind and It was the last of the outgoing tide. We fished the entire jetty and were able to catch some nice Mangrove Snapper. Rick and Gary scored on numerous fish. Several of these snappers were very nice, 16 inches in size. We moved on inshore as the tide had changed and now was bringing some cooler water to the flats. I checked some deeper water flats with moving water, but only saw several small trout along with a Manatee and a couple of lazy Dolphins swimming by. These inshore fish are not feeding as much in the heat of the day as they would early or late. The tide was high enough to get on one of my favorite flats. The location will remain top secret of course. The water was nice and clean with mullet and bait in the area. That's always a good sign. Only took ten minutes for the first 26 inch redfish to find Wayne's bait. Then Gary followed with another redfish about the same size. Both fish put on a nice fight even though the water temperature on the flat was 91.5 degrees. The strong incoming tide helped us out by bringing somewhat cooler water to the already hot flat.
Fish early or late for your best bite and don't forget that a strong incoming tide may help your chances at any time of day.
July:
Tom, from NJ, came aboard the Salt Aire on Thursday looking for some hot summer time action. Not only did he find some hot weather conditions, but the fishing was off the charts. We started out in the morning on the flats as the tide was high and water was a little cooler, an awesome combination to catch fish.
Tom landed a nice 26 inch Redfish and followed with another a few minutes later. We lost several other reds and saw others meandering in the flats. They still looked a little lethargic as their feeding was not very aggressive. We moved on to the outside of the pass as the tide had started out. I set up on some rock jetties where the snook have been spawning. Tossed out several large live green backs up near the rocks. it wasn't long till Tom's reel was screaming. The fish went down one side of the jetty then down the other. Tom was an experienced fisherman and handled this large female snook just right. We measured, weighed and took some pictures, then sent her on her way. Nice spawner size fish at 35 inches and just over 12 lbs. Next I relocated just outside the pass where Spanish Mackerel are always a sure bet. Didn't find any mackerel, but did find some of the largest Ladyfish I have ever seen. These fish were long, skinny and high flying leapers, close to 30 inches and had to be 6 to 8 lbs. Also they knew how to rip line off the reels. I mentioned to Tom that he needs a trout to complete his west coast slam. Snook, Redfish and Trout. So we headed inside to explore a few trout locations. First stop rendered half dozen small fish and completed Tom's slam but we wanted a larger trout. After a few more stops and a few large yellow tail jacks, a mackerel and a shark, we settled down in a cut between two flats. I hooked up two large 4 to 5 inch green backs on the two rods hoping for the theory of larger baits means larger fish. Soon Tom's bait got hit. The fish came to the surface immediately
and shook its head just as trout do. You could tell it was a nice size fish and moments later proved to be 19 inches. Nice slam Tom. A total of 80 inches, that's the length of all three fish. We finished the day looking for some Mangrove Snappers. This is the time of year to target mangroves as they are stacked up on most structure inshore or offshore. We lost a few fish in the structure and called it a day.
Our success came from different tide levels at various locations. Whether its cooler water from an incoming tide or moving water in or out, that's where you want to be.
Capt. Gary Burch
AllCatchCharters.com/
captgary@saltaireinc.com
727 458-6335
