Best Bets for August fishing

Report Date: July 27, 2004

When you think of August your mind can conjer up an assortment of summer fishing opportunities. From stalking big tarpon or tailing redfish on the flats, snorkeling for scallops, grouper digging offshore, to bream fishing on a small farm pond. Even throwing a popping bug next to cypress stumps and willow trees in search of redbellies and big copperhead bream. No matter what type fishing you have a hankering for in August, it is likely to be pretty darn hot. The midday sun can plumb nearly fry your ol? noggin.

A good solution to this dilemma is early morning and late evening fishing and for those brave souls, even night fishing.
One of my favorite methods is watching the sun come up over the flats, tossing a topwater plug and watch a big ol? gator trout or redfish slam it and sending a spray of droplets turned golden by the early morning sun. A scene repeated again and again on an early morning section of flats or oyster bars in our neck of the woods. From daybreak to about 9 o?clock is prime time for early morning fishing, while an hour or so before sunset is good for late evening.
Either way, you can catch big fish and stay in the air conditioning during the midday heat.

Here?s a real All-American story as related to me by Capt. Mike Locklear of Homosassa:
Corp. Mike Sullivan, one of our country?s finest from the Army's 7th U.S.Calvary, 3rd Infranty Divison and 3rd Squadron was home on leave from Iraq. Mike's Dad, Neil, planned a tarpon trip with Capt. Mike for catching hopefully his first tarpon, and Mike's wish came true. A 70 to 80 pound tarpon was landed as Mike tossed a small bait known only to the crew as the sand demon to a hungry string of seven tarpon. Sullivan made a perfect cast and reeled in fast until the bait was inline with the cruising tarpon. One of the tarpon turned and ate the bait and immediately took off for deep water. More than 200 yards were taken off the reel as the Power Pro Line held up strong throughout the battle. Sullivan put a lot of fighting pressure on the 5 foot long silver king and quickly subdued it. I bet his experience in Iraq, doing the same thing to the enemy made this battle look like a cake walk?Congratulations Mike and Thanks?from all of us.

Best Bets: Redfish is a summertime sure thing. Look for schooling reds along rocky shoreline, oyster bars, grass shorelines and even in open water hard bottom areas. Gold or silver spoons work well as well as soft plastics and jigs. Work the incoming and falling tides. If you hit a good school, stop and switch to live bait like pinfish or cutbait like mullet or ladyfish. Usually you can catch your limit before the school spooks.

Tarpon will remain throughout our area for the summer, however, the recent rains have hindered the clarity of the water and spotting them won?t be as easy. Look for rolling fish around mouths of rivers, inside rivers, and in the bays. One method some of the old timers use is to fish a mullet head on the bottom in areas where tarpon are present. A large pinfish or finger mullet under a balloon will work well too.

The largest tarpon I have heard of landed on flyrod this year was by Mercury Pro Staff guide Jimmy Long out of Homosassa?.a 173 pounder!!!

Grouper getters will have to dodge the afternoon storms, tropical storms and possible hurricanes this month to get out to 40 -60 feet to catch their limit. However, on a good day, it can be well worth it.

Trout have moved out to deeper water. Look for grass flats in 5-7 feet. Try using jigs tipped with shrimp or synthetic Fish Bytes and fish them slow.
Also, soft plastics like Salt Water Assassins 4in. or 6in. Sea Shad, and DOA shrimp will work well.

Be sure you take plenty of water, sunscreen, a straw hat and watch out for those afternoon thunderboomers. And remember, if it gets too hot?.Crank up the ol engine and let ?er fly!! and cool off some.

As always?Be sure to take a youngster fishing, ?cause a child?s smile and a good day fishing is the best medicine for whatever ails ?ya.

Until next time?.

Captain Ed Lewis
www.RedfishHunter.com

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