WhooHoo!!! Boy is it hot out there. With air temperatures' running in the low 90's and water temps hovering close to 89-90 degrees early mornings and late evenings have been where the best bites are at. Lately, my clients and I have been leaving the 'world famous' dock of Pete's Pier Marina around 6:00-6:30 a.m. in the morning. These early departures have been great for beating the heat and the late afternoon storms that pop up from time-to-time along our coast. With such early departures throwing Topwater lures for healthy Gator Trout and Redfish has been an excellent way to start our mornings.
On a few recent charters my clients and I have been targeting Big Trout in 3 foot of water or less during the early morning hours and have been rewarded with tons of keepers including a few whoppers. I throw a ton of topwater lures throughout the year but in my opinion for the action and fish durability the Rapala Skitterwalk and Heddons Zara Spook are tough to beat. The walk the dog action drives the fish nuts and even when a fish hits the lure and misses it, the action still drives the fish back for a second look. There are tons of colors to choose from but I like most of the patterns that resemble a pinfish or mullet, basically because that is their primary food source anyways.
On the Redfish scene, the early mornings have been great for finding big schooling reds way inside the backcountry. I have been throwing the same topwaters along with baits ranging from cut mullet and pinfish to live select shrimp. Basically, I have been matching the size of the bait to the size of the fish I am targeting. The reds I have been catching have all ranged from 18-32 inches with a few big schools of smart fish way over 30 inches. I guess that's why their in schools because they are sure smart and finicky! Regardless, I plan on pursuing this school of fish in the next couple weeks with an eight weight and few Borski fly's so stay tuned.
If long drag screaming runs and topwater explosions are what get your blood boiling give Red Hot Fishing Charters a call today, we are in the "Fishing Memories Business."
Capt. Kyle Messier
(352) 634-4002
kylemessier@yahoo.com
WWW.REDHOTFISHINGCHARTERS.COM