A ugust is obviously a hot month with daytime air temperatures constantly in the 90 degree range and water temps virtually the same. This does not mean it’s TOO hot to fish!
Personally, when targeting shallow water fish I prefer to start very early in the day and try to leave the dock before it’s actually light. A bit of morning glow allows me to see well enough to safely navigate to my first location. Often the splash of our lures or baits from our first casts are hidden from view simply because it is still a bit dark and shadowed near the east shorelines.
Since I tend to start early I also typically stop early too. For me, three or four hours are enough when it’s this warm. I will obviously fish longer at a client’s request, though I do not advise it if slot redfish is the targeted species.
Trout on the other hand, especially schooling trout, don’t seem to mind the warmth as much. Years back I made my summer paychecks by catching and selling spotted seatrout. We usually fished in two to four feet of water depth with popping floats, suspending live pigfish which we trapped ourselves.
For the group of anglers who prefer lures to live bait the popping float will still work with a plastic shrimp, grub, Twister Tail or shad body lure “nearly” as well!
The key to making the popping float work to its maximum potential is suspending the lure or bait at precisely the right depth.
August also kicks off the redfish spawn for our inshore fish. These adult redfish will average well over forty inches and become ravenous after a spawn. While I love throwing a Banks Lures Fender Walker at them for the intense visual stimulation these critters will also eat spoons (Aqua Dream), soft plastics (Exude RT Slugs) and crank or twitch baits (Sebile), etc.
Please “tackle up” when targeting these breeders to shorten the battle. Get your photo quickly and make sure to support the fish’s midsection as you hold them horizontally. Finally take all the time necessary to revive the fish before letting it go. Often a minute or two does the job, though sometimes it takes longer, much longer. Remember, if it’s worth the time to target and battle these awesome fighters it worth the time to ensure their safe release!
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