Fishing is on the upswing with some nice snook and reds being caught. The day begins early at 6:30 am and ends at about 11am, which is plenty of time to get to the backcountry and return…fishing spots in the mangroves and islands…
The weather plays a big part of how far to travel with many thunderstorms almost everyday, so caution and safety are paramount.
Fly fishing the islands we often get good shots at Tarpon in the early am and hook-ups are frequent but landings are minimal as they generally end up in the mangroves. We are fishing 8wts for snook and reds so when a unexpected Silver King slurps your fly, the fight is on and mostly favorable for the tarpon. These early morning fish have been between 30 and 80lbs….Naturally the first jump will make your day!!
Baitfish proliferate the back country at present with
Cuban anchovies and silver sides being predominate…so Beige and white patterns and all white baitfish patterns are producing the best.
Fish are holding in deeper shadows in the mangroves and well placed casts will catch fish. Don’t be worried about hanging a fly in the Mangroves…it is going to happen if you are throwing to small targets of points and back bays….
There have been nice catches of big snook on the Beach from Englewood to Manisota Key… Start fishing about 10am and stay back a good 10 yards from the water as the snook are in the trough which is about 2 feet deep and only 5 feet from the edge of the sand… If you see any baitfish pods throw into them, there is generally a snook or two beneath them waiting to attack the bait…
Offshore fishing has been excellent with catches of Mangrove snapper, Lane snapper,scamp,and mixes of other bottom fish…Water depth has been 40 to 165 feet for best results…Slow pitch jigging has produced the best.
Looking forward to September and cooler weather!!!
Stay safe and well,
Capt. Al
