Happy 4th of July! Two days of red snapper harvest in 2022 South Atlantic Ocean…July 8 and 9. This sure isn’t much of a season but at least we can keep one for dinner. Many jokingly call them endangered, but the reefs have plenty of ARS willing to take a bait. A live pogie won’t last long, and other baits like squid, sardines, threadfin, and pinfish work well too.
Fishing has been decent lately. A few mahi have been scattered around and a few cobias as well. Most of the mahi, kings and cobia have been on the reefs. Get your live bait and slow troll. The bunker (aka menhaden or pogie) has been fairly easy to net. They have been from the back basins to the pier. This is usually the time of month that all the fish move in close to the beach. If you’re catching bait close just start fishing outside the pods. Worst case, you don’t catch anything and head offshore anyways. Don’t leave fish to find fish. Tarpon and crevales have been around to have fun with.
At some point later this month expect it to completely shut down. Why you ask? Every year we have the cold-water upwelling show up and chills the water drastically and usually shuts the bite down. This does a few things. It makes it harder to locate the bait. And pushes the fish out of the area till the warm water returns. Check your bottom weights they will be nearly frozen. If that’s going on, then be sure the bite is gone. Yes, the cobia will show up at some point on those shoals. If a boat happens to spot a fish, let them fish. No need to rush up on them and start throwing your jig over their lines to attempt to catch the fish they spotted. And especially give the charter boats trying to make a living a little room.
