What a perfect time to be fishing! With our waters now full of bait, the fish are eating heartily. Almost all the summer seasonal species have arrived and when combined with our traditional gamefish, provide a whole range of options for an angler. If your fishing season hasn’t yet begun, there’s no better time to get going!
Redfish have been making fast work of any well placed bait. Make sure to bring along your cast net and try catching some finger mullet or the soon to be arriving menhaden. We’ve been having the most luck around rock walls, docks and other structures while fishing live bait on a carolina rig. Make sure to use a weight heavy enough to hold the bait stationary, otherwise your rig will drift along the bottom until it snags.
It’s that time of year for topwater trout action at first light! Heddon’s Super Spook Jr. in their silver mullet color works great but my favorite is the chartreuse and black. Vary your retrieve as you work these lures back to the boat. This is a lure that you need to reel tight to the fish before raising your rod tip. Good luck with that as a violent boil erupts around your lure! Once the topwater bite slows, suspended twitch bait lures can keep things going for a little while longer.
Sharks are back and several species like bonnetheads, sharpnose and black tips are already prevalent. You’ll start to see the fins of sharks dicing through the water as they seek out food in skinny water and also find them foraging along drop offs in the inlets and harbor. Chunks of cut bait, blue crab, and live shrimp all work well on these predators. I favor 7/0 circle hooks and just leave the rods in the holders. Fishing for sharks can be a great way to get young anglers involved as sharks are usually cooperative and put up great fights.
See you on the water!
