Summer is in full effect and your fishing techniques should adapt. With warmer temperatures setting in, it’s time to fish early to avoid the heat and afternoon showers, and fish deeper waters for some relief. Tarpon will still be on the minds of most anglers this month. May showed to be a good month for Tarpon, but June should be better. The Trout bite continues to be outstanding and should continue. Spanish Mackerel will always be there for you to bend rods. Cobias have made a nice showing, so be on the lookout. If shark fishing is your thing, now is the time to do it.
Tarpon
The big bridge is holding some nice fish and will continue this month. Anchor up tide from the bridge and free line some baits back, and you are sure to hook a Silver King. Threadfins, Scaled Sardines, and Pinfish are baits of choice. Be sure to equip yourself with the correct tackle to fight the fish around the structure the bridge offers. I prefer a Penn Battle 7000 with 50lb Ohero braid, 80lb Ohero fluorocarbon leader and a 5/0 Daiichi circle hook. If you want to venture out of our region, the gulf beaches will be holding plenty of fish. The important thing here is to be courteous. If you are not familiar with fishing the beach, go and just watch to see how things are done. You can learn a lot from just watching.
Snook
The Snook spawn will be in full swing this month. There are some areas on the Southshore that will hold fish. This year’s spawn season is as important as any for the Southshore. We lost a lot of fish from the freeze of 2010 in the Southshore area so we are looking for a very successful spawn. If you plan to target these fish, remember they are under extreme stress spawning, so handle them with extreme care and release them quickly. Snook season is closed and will remain closed until September when the FWC will revisit the issue whether to reopen.
Trout
I sound like a broken record, but the Trout bite has been phenomenal all year and should continue. We are catching good numbers and some really nice size fish. Look for these fish to be in the shallows early in the morning then move out to the deeper grass flats as the water temperatures heat up. Our region has a lot of nice deep grass flats with good tidal flow. The trout will hold in these areas to stay cool. So find a good area and give it a try. Scaled Sardines are bait of choice. 25lb Ohero Fluorocarbon with a 1/0 Daiichi circle hook is a great setup.
Best of the Rest
If you want to bend rods and have a good time, Spanish Mackerel are the ticket. Great for kids and decent table fare. Most reefs, range markers, and ship channels will hold fish. 2X long shank hooks will help with the cut offs. I prefer a 40lb mono leader over steel. You will get more cut off, but the hook up ratio goes up. Cobia made a good showing last month and should hang around this month. Have a rod ready when you run to your next spot and check the markers as you pass. Pinfish are hard to beat. Shark fishing will be going strong. They migrate with all the pelagic species to our area and are willing to eat anything. I prefer a fresh Mackerel head under a balloon or cork. Be ready for some exciting action!