The temperature isn’t the only thing that’s hot during these dog days of summer… the inshore bite is on fire!
Early morning topwater baits on the flats are still yielding lots of action from speckled trout and redfish. Most of the redfish are gathering into small schools but you’ll also find single fish cruising along the shoreline or laying up in sandy potholes. The bigger groups of fish have been in water 3-10 feet deep and lots of schools are holed up under docks, tucked tightly underneath whatever shade the dock might provide. Most of the time, you can catch redfish around docks with soft plastic jigs but, if they are being picky, then a medium-sized pinfish with a light split shot will usually entice a strike.
To catch big bull reds, target the bridges on the bottom half of a strong outgoing tide. You can also catch them on the bottom in the St. Andrews Pass, around points or over submerged rocks.
Look for speckled trout to be in 2-5 feet of water around grass flats, points, mouths of creeks and bayous, oyster bars and other similar features that give specks some cover and a place to feed. Artificial shrimp, jigs, surface lures and virtually all live baits work well.
There are still a lot of mangrove snappers around many different types of structures. Inshore, I like to target them in about 5-10 feet of water (but the best fish have been close to deeper water). Drop offs with good current and some type of structure are prime spots to give it a shot. Try throwing a few pilchards out to see if anyone is home and have one rigged and ready if you see fish attacking the chum or coming to the surface.
Although I haven’t been targeting Spanish mackerel, I’ve been catching some really nice ones while fishing for redfish on drop offs in about 10 feet of water. They’re not showing up in big numbers, but I’ve bagged a couple of four pounders here and there as a nice bonus. Strikes typically occur when I’m fishing jigs and using a fast retrieve.
If you have questions about what's biting, how to catch them or would like to book a trip of your own, then give me a call or shoot me an email. Tight lines!
