The drift fishing boats are having a great summer fishing season. The bonitos are making their run down our coastline, as they do every summer. They migrate down the coast of south Florida along the reefs, tearing up any schools of baitfish they happen across. When they
move through our fishing spread, every line we have set gets hit in a frenzy of action up and down the rail. If they were good eating, they would be the perfect gamefish. Kingfish, blackfin tuna, wahoo and barracuda are all also traveling within and amongst the schools of bonitos. Bonitos are just the most aggressive so they will usually attack the bait first. August is also a great time to fish for mutton snapper and grouper on the bottom. Instead of fishing the standard 3 hook drift rig, try fishing a ballyhoo plug on the bottom with a long leader. August is mutton snapper season in South Florida, but muttons are smart fish. You need to use a longer leader and a well prepared ballyhoo plug to entice a mutton bite. Just make sure you cut your ballyhoo plug streamline so that it doesn’t spin too much as it drifts along the bottom. Black, gag and scamp groupers will also chomp at this bait if it comes within their vicinity.
Night fishing is very productive this month. With calm seas and light North current most nights, these are the perfect conditions for yellowtailing. Yellowtail snappers get big in August, in fact some of the yellowtails we are catching are bigger than some of the muttons. Flag yellowtails are pushing 5 pounds. At that size and on light tackle, yellowtail put on a spectacular fight. The biggest yellowtail lie back in the chum-line so it is best to use little to no weight. Dropping straight to the bottom for mangrove snappers is working too. Squid and ballyhoo chunks are good bait for mangroves, but for an extra edge, bring some live shrimp and drop them down. Night anchor and chumming is also catching an occasional grouper, hog snapper and even a few cobias are being caught. Night fishing is wonderful in the summer because of the cool temperatures at night as opposed to the brutal heat of the day. And at night, you don’t even need to wear sunscreen or remember your sunglasses. We’re looking forward to a great month of August fishing.
Good luck fishing everyone, sea you on the water.
Capt. Paul Roydhouse
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