By Capt. Justin Napior
It’s May and the summer fishing is heating up! The fishing and the weather are hot right now. Snook fishing off the beach has been killer! There’s nothing better than sight fishing a snook or tarpon in less than a foot of crystal-clear water. Keep the leader long and light, I like twenty to thirty-pound leaders about three foot long. The lighter the leader the more eats you will have, but you run the risk of breaking off a nice fish if you hook a hefty one! Free-lining pilchards and white paddle tails have been working well, but the real fun is throwing a fly at them. It takes a lot of patience to finesse one, but I promise it is well worth it when that line comes tight! You need to be pretty stealthy also to sneak up on these fish. My Bonefish Boatwork’s Bohemian has been a game changer for me this season. I am able to get very close without spooking the fish and this skiff will float in a puddle! Fishing the beach in shallow water is also pretty cool because you can hop off the boat and get some really fun pictures. Like this one of Gregg Brent and Joe Kingsbury. Joe actually hopped off the boat to try and sight fish a few while standing on the flat, but you can’t beat being up high on a boat. You can see the fish coming down the shoreline way before they see you. Look for areas with lots of bait, like mullet and pilchards. The bigger snook and tarpon will be near the schools of mullet and can often be seen busting through the schools, easily giving away their location. Make nice long casts to the school of baitfish and work your lure or bait right through them. Many guides in Florida have lots of openings this summer and the fishing is excellent! Book your self a fun fishing adventure with a local captain in the area. It’s a great way to get outside while still staying clear of large groups. Hope everyone has a safe summer and hopefully I’ll see you on the water! Tight lines.
capt.jnapior@gmail.com or call 239-682-7101
