The snook and redfish are spawning and the jacks are chewing anything they can get a hold of during the month of July. We like to fish live bait along the jetties during the day and drift the inlet day or night for great action throughout the entire month with live bait, Rapala XRap 14s or Bucktails. Live pinfish rigged on a 5/0 VMC circle hook and 50lb fluoro leader will do the trick during the month. Catch and release is required because snook are out of season and both snook and redfish are over slot. Please take extra care reviving your catch as the
fish are spawning and we need the fish healthy so they can reproduce.
The tarpon, jacks, kingfish, bonito and snook should be off the beaches and the nearshore reefs outside Sebastian Inlet from Melbourne to Vero Beach. Bring your sabiki and look for Threadfin herring and sardines. Catch the threadfins and sardines on the sabiki and use them for bait around the bait pods off the beach and along the shoreline if the swells are down for snook and redfish action. Rig your baits on a 7/0 or 8/0 VMC circle hook and freeline the baits in the trough on the beach, along the bait schools or sight cast to rolling tarpon. If artificial baits are what you like to use, cast the Mirrolure 77M in purple demon, the Rapala Gliding Rap or the Hogy 7” Original on a VMC Dominator Swim Bait hook at the beach tarpon in clear water.
The inshore bite in July can be good early morning and late evening, but the morning bite shuts down quick as the water temperatures rise with the sun. Find the flats with the grass coming back and fish the potholes with topwater early and fish the deeper mangrove shorelines and docks with suspending baits like the Rapala Twitching Rap or BX minnow or the Mirrodine from Mirro Lure. As the temps heat up fish the deeper drop-offs around the spoil islands for trout, jacks and ladyfish.
There will be good action on sharks, tarpon and snook in all of the area creeks. Live finger mullet is the best live bait but you can also try chunk mullet or pogies. The fly guys will have the best success on the tarpon but anglers using topwater should get some good action early in the morning.
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