Fishing this week has been good! Lots of small sharks (mostly bonnet heads and black tips) and large ladyfish near the sounds. Sharks and ladyfish have been thick! The state record for ladyfish is only 5 lbs.. There are plenty fish in the sounds over this weight.. We weighted one at 4.25 lbs. Ladyfish sometimes called “poor man’s tarpon” can be a challenge to land. Frequent jumps, incredible speed and a tender mouth make thrown hooks common. Those desiring to land these fish need to be to reel fast to keep up this speed demons. A solid hook set is no guarantee of landing this fish. This fish can be a lot of fun but also frustrating if you think you’re dealing with your typical inshore fish. Old timers say catching a ladyfish is a sign of good luck. That’s probably because you need luck to land this fish!
Seatrout action has been good when the water has been clean and sharks and ladyfish haven’t been overwhelming. Best action has around points and in the current. Those fishing at night around dock lights have done well! Redfish action has been good. Some small redfish are already 14″ (legal size). Most are still around 12″, still large enough to hit a plastic. Some larger redfish are on the flats. As temperatures begin to cool, action on tidal mud flats will heat up! The flounder bite has been good near the sounds. Those gigging flounders are typically taking more fish than rod and reel fishermen. Tarpon action appears to picking up but east winds have limited fishing. Nonetheless, there are reports of pogies, tarpon and large black tips on the beachfronts. As August comes to a conclusion this is an excellent time to think about large reds in the surf. Fishermen can target this fish from a boat or the beach. Timing in surf fishing, like all coastal fishing, is critical. Low incoming is a favorite tide to target large reds on outer sand bars. The state redfish limit is five fish per fisherman with a slot limit of 14 to 23 inches. Most redfish in the surf will be larger than 23 inches. It is possible to catch a legal fish surf. A large redfish, channel bass, is big a beautiful fish. It puts up a great fight, makes a great picture and might be responsible for making more fish. What a great fish!
Fishing for the coming week looks a little ify with Ernesto hovering below. Best fishing opportunities will come early in the week before the coast experiences wind and rain from the storm. Tides during the week are less than 7 feet building to 7.2 feet on Saturday. Rain is much needed. Despite good tides fishing opportunities will decrease as we go through the week.
Good Fishing!
Capt. Jack McGowan