by Capt. Tom Bailas
August, in my opinion is the hottest month of the year. Although we fish most of our charters during the day, my favorite time to fish in August is the early evening.
The afternoon thunderstorms can be of a dangerous situation as well for anglers and boat owners, so you must know your forecast before heading out later in the day or evening.
I like to head offshore after the storms have passed and the temperatures have cooled down a bit, to catch the late mangrove bite. Evening fishing can be a bit tricky to anchor up properly on your spot, so here are a few tips to help.
First, attach a glow stick to your marker buoy, so you can clearly see your mark to back up to. You can use dead cut bait, as grouper and snapper feed more on scent at night. Fresh caught sardines or cigar minnows cut into plugs seem to work best.
You can float the bait down slowly on a ½ oz jig head for best results.
Some of our biggest gag groupers have been caught at night. The mangroves seem to feed more freely as well at night.
Look for a public knowledge wreck site for flag yellowtail. Bayronto holds some of the biggest yellowtail I have ever seen. Fishing at night also reduces the chances of being cutoff by barracudas and sharks. Nighttime fishing can be very relaxing and gives you a break from the midday heat. There is also less boat traffic to deal with as well.
Remember to always follow state and federal regulations. Be courteous of other boaters and keep only what you can eat.
Charter fishing from Venice, FL is home to some of the best fishing anywhere! You can
reach Capt. Tom at 941-587-2028 or at www.tntfishingchartersvenice.com or follow on
FB @ tntchartersvenice – specializing in Family Friendly Fishing Adventures.
