By: Capt. Greg Poland
It may still be the dog days of summer but fall is right around the corner and it should start to cool off soon. The Bimini top I had installed on the new Contender has been worth its weight in gold, and honestly, I can’t believe I had not done it sooner. I fish around and under so many bridges that a hard T-Top would never work, but this removable Bimini is something I will always have on my boats in the future.
This summer I have been spending a lot of time fishing for snapper on the reefs and around the local Islamorada bridges and have been having a lot of success. My go to outfit is a 7ft 15-20lb spin rod with a long fluorocarbon leader and a sinker about 10ft away from the hook. I use a swivel to keep the sinker from sliding and find this gives the live bait a chance to swim around while being anchored to the bottom. My hook of choice is a 4/0 or 5/0 circle hook. If you are in the area check out Islamorada Fishing Outfitters which is where I get my fishing gear everything from custom rods to the tackle. Randy can help you out by selecting pre-rigged leader for your favorite rod.
If catching a snapper for supper is not your game head up to the Everglades where the snook fishing has been steady and there have been some big black drum around as well. I like to use the same tackle as the snapper fishing if using a live pinfish or pilchard. If you are casting a shrimp use a jighead and bounce it along the bottom near a mangrove shoreline and I bet you will get a strike. If you head to the Glades at sunrise you might even find some tarpon rolling around and they are always happy to eat a live bait under a cork or a fly which is one of my favorite ways to fish for them this time of year. See you out on the water… Capt. Greg
— Contact Capt. Greg at 305.393.3327 or email
at gregpoland@icloud.com