by Bill Buckley, Contributing Writer
Is it June already? The summertime heat is certainly here, as well as the warm water temperatures. For that reason, canal and ICW fishing far from inlets tends to slow down as fish rest in deeper, cooler water during the day. Early mornings and late evenings will be the best times to target snook, jacks, and sheepshead in these more stagnant areas.
As of June 1st, snook are no longer on the menu, but there will be plenty around for catch and release. Joe Donnelly of Boynton Beach mentioned that snook gather in good numbers near the inlets as their spawning season begins. Use live baits on incoming tides and artificials for outgoing. Watch for tarpon stalking the beaches in pods chasing pilchards and threadfins, which will also be showing up in large schools near shore.
Reef anglers at anchor can expect to fill their bag limits with yellowtail and mangrove snapper with a little effort and a lot of chum. Free-lining silversides, squid, or shrimp in a good chum line with moderate current will be your best bet. Since the nuisance fish are difficult to avoid during the day, fishing at night will yield better results. Drifting fresh cut baits near the bottom in deeper water outside the reef line may put a hefty mutton snapper or two in your cooler. Kingfish can be caught fairly consistently while drifting frozen sardines in the mid-water depths from 80-150ft. All shallow water groupers are in open season now. Be sure to review the FWC regulations at www.myfwc.com for size and bag limits.
I asked Capt. John Caselli, who runs the “RingMaster” charter boat out of Hillsboro Inlet, what he was expecting to catch offshore this month. He said there are usually plenty of kingfish and bonito caught while trolling strip baits on the surface or behind planers, as well as the occasional wahoo. Troll in depths from 80ft to 350ft. He also mentioned catching several sailfish on the troll during this same time last year. Be ready to drop-back a bait that gets whacked for a better chance at hooking a sailfish while trolling. Capt. Caselli also said that this time of year should be good for dolphin, but he hasn’t seen them in consistent numbers quite yet.
As predicted, the blackfin tuna bite was strong in May. There could still be some decent sized fish available in June. Most of the jumbos have moved on. Dolphin have been sporadic this year, but the calmer summer seas will offer more chances to go offshore in search of weedlines and floating debris. Don’t forget your sunscreen on those glassy summer days!
Bill Buckley “Uncle Buck”
Graphic artist & offshore angler, Boca Raton, FL