By: Capt. Billy Norris
After a long winter of high winds, rough seas, and an unexpected wintertime red tide, we have finally made it to summer! The days are hot with our signature summer showers rolling in every afternoon. Even though the temperature may be up, summer is still my favorite time of year to fish. The mass exodus of snowbirds at the end of season is the first sign that fishing is about to heat up!
Backwater fishing has been great this past month. Snook are actively taking baits, redfish have been out on the flats, and there have been an abundance of trout. Pilchards and threadfin herring have arrived in large schools up and down the beaches. Although you can still purchase shrimp and use them if you choose, it is certainly not the bait of choice for summer fishing. Look for schools of bait in the passes and in the shallow water along the beaches, specifically where the waves break. Load up your live well in a few throws and then head to the backwater for some great action! I constantly get people asking what kind of rig they should use in the backwater. My go-to is a very simple rig; 3 feet of 30-pound fluorocarbon leader tied directly to your braid with a leader-to-line knot, and a 3/0 owner circle hook. You can add either a split shot or a popping cork to the rig depending on where in the water column you are trying to present the bait.
Offshore has been equally as productive as the backwater fishing. Inside of 20 miles we have been catching some beautiful slot-sized and over-slot snook. There has also been cobia around, although not a lot of big ones. Permit have shown up in big schools, so if you know how to fish them, they can make for an outstanding day on the water! There are also a seemingly endless number of sharks around right now! We have been catching a wide spectrum of species including tigers, hammers, bulls, blacktips, spinners and more. The sharks have been both close to shore in under 10 foot of water, all the way out to the wrecks and reefs. For some drag screaming action, get some steel and head out to battle Jaws. American red snapper are now open as well, so if you’re looking for an excellent eating fish to fill your freezer up with, load up your snapper gear and get out there!
This whole past month Pale Horse has been operating out of Bahia Honda in the Florida Keys fishing for tarpon. We had an excellent trip, hooking countless fish and landing lots. We have tarpon in Southwest Florida as well, however, in the Keys there are literally thousands of fish in the passes rolling, jumping, and actively feeding. If you’ve ever wanted to target tarpon in the Keys, be sure to give us a call to book a trip for May 2026! It does fill up quickly however, so make sure you don’t delay!
Fishing has been fantastic this last month and as long as we can get through the summer without a direct hit from a category 5 hurricane, or another gigantic apocalyptic red tide, we should have an excellent off-season! The weather is beautiful, the water is calm, and the fish are biting, so get out there and go catch them!