The inshore bite has been good! This year is shaping up to being a good year for seatrout! Seatrout love clean water and current! Even when you find clean and current remember the bite can last only a few minuets or a couple of hours. This time of year there of other fish that can interfere with your bite. Some fishermen are finding success fishing on bottom as well as on float rigs and on soft plastics. Seatrout are like actors in play. They’ll show up right on time!
When fishing a float rig be prepared to make long drifts. A long drift can cover lots of water and increase your probably of catching fish. If you can see your float you can often catch that fish. Hooks like a 1/0 khale hook are a favorite choice when fishing for seatrout. Belly in a fishermen line is a typically problem. Lines that float on the water such as power pro are easily mended and have no stretch and can aid in catching a fish. Another trick is fish all around your boat. Seatrout at times might be found mid channel. Since they are sight feeders suspending your bait as shallow as couple of feet could be all it takes. Bait can be short supply this time of the year. Dead shrimp might work well. A Gulp or DOA shrimp under a cajun thunder float is another effective rig. The seatrout bite is good, so grab a rod and some bait and go fishing!
Redfish action is still sporadic.
Flounders have pushed during the past week! Fishing gullies on an out going tide might produce some nice ones! Large mud minnows, finger mullet and shrimp are favorite flounder baits.
Whiting action can be good however, there is an over abundance of small black tips. If you’re looking for whiting and you’re getting overwhelmed by black tips pull anchor and look else where. In recent days that has been a very good whiting bite in the shallows, around five or six feet of water.
There are plenty of sharks in the sounds. One tip is to crush the barb on your hook so you can release the fish unscathed. A quality heavy duty de hooker is a necessity when shark fishing. If you keep a shark make sure you have a legal fish and be very careful when around these fish. Some sharks such as black tips should not be handled regardless of the size.
Hope this of interest and help!
Fish On!
Capt. Jack McGowan
www.coastalrivercharters.com