Well we have finally battled the wind and rain of July and August. Weather has finally gotten back to our normal summer pattern. We are still out of normal summer fishing as fresh water continues to dump out of the rivers that hug the South Shore. This has made for some very bad visibility in the water but it hasn’t slowed down the big school of Redfish. We are also getting hit by our first cool fronts this month. This will start to effect fish in a good way as they make their transition to fall. This means the flats fishing will start to blossom.
Redfish is the highlight of late summer. It can sometimes be shadowed as Snook season opens but Snook fishing typically slows down as they are on the backside of the spawn. It gives you all the more reason to find those big schools of Redfish. There are a number of ways when targeting Redfish and one of our big obstacles is finding decent size Greenbacks. This can be near impossible as the fry bait is just about all that is around but using a Cajun Thunder back bay cork will help you be able to make the longer cast. Another good option is to shift to cut bait. This works great but you will also catch your fair share of Catfish. One of the most productive ways to catch these Reds when schooled up is to use artificial baits. Most fish are pushing in from the gulf and most schools I encounter are eating anything you throw in front of them as long as it’s moving. The Mirrolure Mirrodine 17 MR is great bait with awesome action and plenty of flash to entice the strike. All of the above will work but you will just have to see which technique works best for you
Another great tip is to pick your most productive days to find these fish schooled up. Fishing the strong tides around the weeks of the new and full moons will be your most productive tides as fish tend to school up and get more aggressive. Another great technique if you just can’t seem to find that big school of Reds is to fish the big schools of mullet. Redfish
are known to mix in with the schools of mullet and this can be more productive than finding that big school. As mentioned about bait is small so take what is there, that’s what they are eating. Downsize to a 1/0 Daiichi circle hook and as mentioned above use those corks for added weight to make that longer cast. Another great tip is to use the trolling motor when targeting Redfish as they are a spooky fish at times. Look for the big schools to ripple up the surface and make a small wake at times. Other times just fishing a healthy flat will produce just as many fish. Most important is to book that Tampa fishing charter today. 813-727-9890
