Summer time is here and the fishing is just as hot as the weather! Its always a great feeling as we transition from spring fishing patterns into our summer fishing patterns. The summer months of July, August, and early September provide an excellent time of year to fish. What is so great about the summer fishing is the amount of bait in the water which means lots of hungry Redfish, Trout, and Flounder. The other nice thing about the summer months is that it brings in other species of fish including Tarpon, Triple Tail, Jacks, Spanish, and an assortment of different sharks.
Our guides are mostly fishing early in the morning or late in the afternoon depending on the tides for the day. The reason for this is to beat the heat! With the high summer temperatures brings hot water and not very happy fish in the mid day tides. We have found from over years of experience that staying out of the heat is best not only for you and your health, but also for the fish. The great thing about summer fishing is how active our Redfish are when roaming the shallow flats for food. This food includes shrimp, crabs, and an assortment of baitfish. Matching the hatch is key but also matching the water color. During the summer months we get a lot of rain which can make the water a little muddy sometimes. We solve this problem with big black, purple, or just a darker colored fly.
Low tide fishing can provide some amazing sight fishing opportunities with small schools of fish swimming in the shallows. Some days you'll see these redfish swimming so shallow that there backs are out of the water which is an amazing sight to see. We call these redfish "Belly Crawlers" and see more of this action during the summer months than any other time of the year. Flood tide fishing is also very good this time of year for Tailing Redfish on the short Spartina Grass flats. Whats so great about flood tide fishing is how aggressive the fish are when they are on the flat looking for fiddler crabs. Nothing better than watching a fish tail on your fly in just a few inches of water!
We have seen some very steady weather this time of year in the mornings staying away from the afternoon thunder storms. Beating the heat is key and getting on the water as early as possible! Light tackle fishing can provide a huge variety of species during the day using live shrimp, mud minnows, or cut mullet when it comes to bait. We are also using a lot of soft plastic artificial baits when sight fishing light tackle during low tides and flood tides. Even a good early morning topwater bite is a great possibility this time of year. Below are a few photos from our guides showing of a few hero shots from the lat couple weeks!
