Temperatures have been hot and the wind is pretty calm. Redfish, trout, snook and tarpon have offered a great bite – they are the targeted species in August along the east central backwaters of Florida. Locating fish is the biggest part of success this time of year, and once located getting them to bite is important. This guide prefers to throw fresh live baits, and or fresh caught bait cut up. Chumming an area with cut pieces of bait imitates the sound of jumping fish combined with smell will bring in redfish and trout to feed. Tip: when you catch a ladyfish, use a chunk of it for redfish bait.
With this hot weather, the fish are not aggressively feeding during the heat of the mid-day. Go fishing early in the morning. If you can start fishing with lines in the water by 5:00 am and off the water by 11:00 am, you’ll gain a slight advantage. Or, fish later in the afternoon from 5:00 pm until 9:00 pm. Make sure to watch the weather closely – afternoon thunder showers can be very dangerous. If you prefer to fish artificial baits this guide would recommend throwing topwater baits early, then switching over to a jerk bait or shrimp imitation, or a buck tail jig as a search bait. Look for tailing fish early and late in the day, and if there are manatees in the area, watch for feeding fish in their mud trails. Trout have been lurking in 3-4 feet of water farther out from shore than the redfish. Tarpon can be found near the ICW channel – when you see them rolling, throw a jig right in front of them and let it sink. Recommended baits: DOA Swimming Mullet, DOA Shrimp, Zara Spook, gold spoon, Gulp Shrimp.
