Fishing has been fantastic out of Hernando Beach. The hot bite has been trout in 8 - 10 ft of water. We are catching our limit of "specs" nearly every trip. The trout might be hot, but the weather is hotter. I like July because I can fish early in the morning, and when it gets hot I cool off by jumping in the water to bag some tasty scallops.
Look for these tasty bivalves in 3 to 6 ft of water. A mask, snorkel, and fins are all that's needed to capture scallops. Just swim along the grass until you find some and scoop them up. Carry a mesh bag to hold your catch. Scallops should be placed on ice immediately for the trip home unless you plan on cleaning them on the water. Placing them on ice makes them easier to open because the cold causes the muscle holding the shell together to relax. A spoon is a great cleaning tool. It's a bit time consuming to clean these guys but it's worth the effort.
The trout bite should stay hot through the month. Look for grass with sandy pot holes in 8 - 12 ft. of water. Again the best bite will be early and as the day gets hotter I like to move to deeper water. Drift fishing is a great technique to use. I like using small pin fish but my favorite this time of year is to jig a 3" white scented GULP shrimp as slow as possible across the bottom. I prefer the 1/8 - 1/4 jig heads by Strike King Because of the larger hooks the have prevent less gut hooks on smaller fish. Trout are a blast to catch and in my opinion are fantastic table fare.
Good luck out there and tight lines!
Capt. Keith Tomlinson
Bulldog Fishin Charters
www.bulldogfishin.com
(352)238-3581
