July
2010 - Fishing Report - By Captain
Stewart Ames.
At
the beginning of June, it appeared that, with the exception
of chasing an occasional tarpon, fishing efforts this summer
would be focused on redfish and the random large summer seatrout...then,
it happened. As if coming from nowhere, our long overdue snook
showed up on the beaches. Their arrival this summer was as late
as it has ever been, but decent numbers of fish are now available.
Supporting this statement, snook were caught on almost every
trip in the last two weeks, with several days producing over
a dozen fish. Many of these "high fish count" days included
numerous smaller male fish in the 24 to 28 inch range, but there
were plenty of larger fish sprinkled in.
Historically,
there is a good bite at first light as well as late in the day.
The prime time during daylight hours is almost always about
an hour and a half into the outgoing tide, and the bigger the
tide, the better. Any day that has a strong outgoing tide as
the sun is setting represents the "perfect storm" for snook
fishing. Fish may be hooked one after another and, if your luck
is really running good, they could all be big fish. In summary,
fishing during low light periods and or during strong tides
will greatly enhance your chances of putting a hook in a snook's
mouth.
.
Any
deep cut near the mouth of a pass is a likely holding spot for
snook. Deeper swash channels on the beach side of our barrier
islands are another preferred location, although the fish, on
average, are smaller in these areas. The last type of structure
to target would be any rocks or rock piles in close proximity
to the beach. Whichever of these locations you fish, use frisky,
un-weighted live baits for best results. Pilchards, threadfin
herring, grass grunts, and ladyfish will all get a snook's attention.
Shad is probably the best, big fish bait out there. This bait
can be cast netted both inside the intercoastal waterway as
well as out along the beaches and under major bridges. Shad,
which are typically seven to eight inches in length, make a
distinct slapping sound with their tails unlike any other bait
fish. These baits will typically be heard before being seen.
Harvest these with a cast net but don't put too many in your
bait well as they will die if not given a lot of breathing room.
Immediately proceed to an area holding large snook and hang
on.
As
the tide starts to head towards high, it's time to switch tactics
and chase redfish. On any day with good tidal movement, redfishing
has been consistent over the last month. Fish have been averaging
from 25 to 30 inches. On certain outings, keeping a limit was
difficult as too many over slot fish were caught. Small live
pinfish and chunks of larger pinfish fished under bobbers has
been an effective approach on the open flats. Around structure
such as docks and mangroves, split shotted cut pinfish and cut
whitebaits have been well received. As summer wears on and water
temps continue to climb, look for these fish to really seek
the shade on the higher phases of the tide. Perfect your skip
cast so that you can present baits way up into the shadow line.
Trout
are still available but both their size and numbers shrink as
summer progresses. Fishing grass flats near the edges of deeper
channels is an effective approach and may yield larger fish
than those found drifting the grass flats. Whitebait is easily
the most productive bait. With all the snook and redfish activity
right now, however, it's hard to justify targeting trout. Tarpon
are still around in decent numbers off of the beaches down towards
Clearwater for anyone willing to set up and be patient. Drifting
crabs in front of oncoming fish is a time tested method as is
fishing with large threadfin herring, either under a bobber
or on the bottom along "highways" typically followed by tarpon.
Make sure to use a float on your anchor so you can just "pitch
it and go" if you hook a fish. Good luck and good fishing.
Captain
Stewart Ames - Gone Fishing Charters -
www.Tampa-Fishing-Charter.com 727-421-5291 - sames001@tampabay.rr.com
- Gone Fishing Charters, P.O. Box 541, Crystal Beach, Florida
34681.
