August is very hot, but can be very productive for land based fishing. By this month, most of the summer bait will have settled at the local piers and will have attracted quite a variety of game fish. Some piers will hold more bait than others. Find the bait and you will find the fish.
Typical summer species will be available for the taking. These include snapper near the pier pilings or out in the reef. You should be able to sight cast snook and tarpon most mornings if you can be ready to fish at first light. Depending on the winds, there can be some nice sized cero mackerel around. They are very good fighters on light tackle and make extremely good runs after being hooked. They also make nice table fare when the fight is over. August is the last month of the closed season when it comes to snook. I always suggest backing off of pressuring them the last week of the month so that when the season does re-open on September 1st you will have a good chance of landing a keeper.
I would suggest taking further conservation measures and tossing back the extra bait that you may catch while using a sabiki rig during the late summer. There is nothing like seeing a bunch of unused and dead bait all over the pier while fishing. It is wasteful and ruins the experience for others. I always take pride in leaving a fishing spot cleaner than I found it. I pick up loose line or trash and throw it in the nearest garbage can. There isn’t any reason to let trash get blown into the water.
Top lure recommendations for August fishing would be a crappie jig, white bucktail or small spoons for mackerel or runners. Small lipped crankbaits would be one of the better lures for fishing shallow or walking the beach. Top colors would be the olive green or white. If the live bait is thin or moves away from the pier during your fishing trip you can try one of the newer swimbait models. Again, natural colors would be the ticket. They are very realistic in their look and could be used to fool quite a few species.
For terminal tackle I would suggest 30 lb monofilament or fluorocarbon leader for smaller live bait or artificial presentations and 50 lb mono or fluoro leader for throwing any type of larger presentation to bigger fish. Give yourself a chance to catch a nice fish by using the right terminal tackle. If you haven’t invested in a pier net / drop net it is an invaluable tool. If you can’t flip the fish up on the pier, you can still land them. If they are out of season or out of the size regulation you can return them to the water unharmed. It may be one more thing to carry out with you but you will be glad you did.
You can enjoy your summertime fishing a lot more with just a little preparation. Know what is running, use the best presentation, bring the right tools and leave the place better than you found it!
Good Luck and Tight Lines!
Josh Manso
aka “King of the Pompano Pier”
T & R Tackle Shop
Lauderdale By The Sea
(954) 776-1055
facebook.com/tandrtackle