Calm mornings followed up with stormy afternoons, has put us smack dab in the middle of summer fishing patterns. Getting out early has proved to be well worth it as redfish, tarpon, and snook have been available along our beaches, bridges, and in the backcountry. Tarpon have been keying in on the rain bait, however mullet and whitebait will get there attention. Floating small crabs during outgoing tides under corks may also give you a chance to jump a silver king. Redfish are biting, but you do need to put your time in while moving down shorelines with good current. Cut lady fish has worked well as the water has been a bit milky, especially on outgoings so the smell of fresh cut bait gets their attention. Snook fishing along the beaches has been average, but in the passes along Sanibel, Captiva, and Cayo Costa good numbers of fish have been common. Trout fishing was great for numbers at times just not size. The biggest trout were found off the beaches in 4-5 feet of water usually taking baits that wondered away from the beaches meant for snook. Those that had a chance to go offshore in 30-45 feet of water and chummed found some nice mangrove snappers this week with a few nice gag groupers mixed in. This coming new moon should give anglers a good bite throughout next week, just make sure you bring your rain gear as you’ll probably need it.
No Doubt Summer is here!
