Sea trout and redfish are the primary targets of anglers on the Lagoon flats. Anglers should focus their efforts in areas of mullet schools, throwing top water plugs in the early morning and late afternoon hours, or at night. Once the day gets hot and the top water bite slows, switch your tactics to live bait (pigfish) or DOA CAL Jigs fished on the deeper edges of the flats, and don’t overlook the large ladyfish schools shadowing glass minnows out in the deeper water, your targets will mix in with them.
If the ocean water stays warm (above 80 degrees) along the near-shore coast, look for pods of baitfish to move in close. Pods of Atlantic menhaden (pogies), thread fin herring (greenies), and bay anchovies (glass minnows) will all be shadowed by predator species like large tarpon, smoker kings, blacktip and spinner sharks, jack crevalle, bonito and redfish. Focus your attention on bait pods where there are visible predators, feeding activity and active bird feeding. It can be worth the ride along the beach when you find these conditions. Keep wire leader onboard and tie a short piece in front of your hook when cutoffs occur frequently.
As we approach the end of the month and the beginning of the fall mullet run, look for snook fishing in the surf to improve as they move into the surf break to feed. Remember snook season is closed in August, so please handle and release then with extreme care. The snook populations in our area are elevated this year due to the warmer than usual winter we experienced.
