Inshore Fishing Report

For me, I am usually more confident catching Trout than perhaps any other fish. However, for the last couple of weeks the Trout fishing has been tough and I’ve been spending more time on my fishing charters fishing for Flounder and Redfish than anything else. The Trout bite has been good at times, but it hasn’t been consistent or reliable. If you’re heading out for a weekend of fun fishing that might not be a big deal, but in my line of work, inconsistent is a bad thing.

The Redfish have been doing really well and this might be the first time in several years that I have seen this many juvenile fish. This is great news for the Fall and Winter as the younger Redfish will typically grow at a rate of one inch per month. So those 12 inch Redfish will be a lot of fun in just a few months. I’ve been finding them in the usual small creeks and shell beds as well as around rocks and docks.

The Flounder fishing may be the most reliable of all right now. Over the weekend of the full moon we were still able to boat a lot of flat fish. With the tides beginning to get back to a more desirable height, it should get even better. I’ve been doing best around rocks and mixed bottom near the tide changes when there is some current but not too much.

Nearshore Fishing Report – Sharks, Tarpon, Bull Reds?

Near the beach we have been smoking the Sharks behind the shrimp boats. It’s been a mixed bag of Black Tips, Spinners, Black Noses, and Finetooths but it has been steady and reliable. I’ve been using Bonito strips for bait but I will catch fresh Pogies or mullet every chance I get and it seems to make quite a difference.

One added benefit of fishing with fresh Pogies is the possibility of catching a Tarpon. I did jump one Tarpon last year on a Bonito strip, but that is certainly just one of the freak things that will happen from time to time. Today though, we jumped a Tarpon on a dead Pogy while drifting behind the shrimp boats. He smoked a flat light and made a run straight for the boat. After the second jump he threw the hook but I was glad that I had some great bait to give us the opportunity.

If you decide to Tarpon fish, don’t be shocked if you find some Bull Redfish around the bars and in deep holes. Usually a bull Redfish this time of year would be considered a fluke, but not when you seem to hear about someone catching one nearly every day. There are definitely some fat momma Redfish here and I would be surprised if they don’t just stick around all the way until the Fall run. There are a lot of mullet and pogies hanging around the beaches and bars so maybe the bait surplus is what has them giving us a summer visit.

Offshore Fishing Report

Well, we have a Snapper season. Although it is a short season, it appears that it is coming at a great time as the first weekend saw a lot of nice Mules coming to the dock. Along with the Snapper were Cobia, Spadefish, Barracuda, Sea Bass, and a few Kingfish.

Spanish Mackerel have also been around and today I saw a couple of nice schools in 30 feet of water while we were Shark fishing.

If you have a fishing report of your own, please feel free to email it to skinnyskipper@gmail.com and I will include it in next week’s fishing report.

Don’t forget to go to the forum and post a picture to win an Avet reel!