by Capt. Craig Korczynksi, Contributing Writer
Happy Fourth of July, anglers and boaters. July offers explosive inshore action for anglers. The key to great fishing in July, early morning and late evening as water temperatures are cooler. Stay cool, drink water and load up on the sun block; its summer time.
The snook are setting off this month with a bang, as the spawn is on. Snook are thick in the inlets and along deep channels and beach fronts. Live bait schools are prevalent just about everywhere you look and the key to fishing is match the hatch. Greenies are the bait of choice for snook but pinfish and mullet will set you apart from others. DOA lures work great for the snook along the beaches; nothing beats a pearl DOA C.A.L. or DOA C.A.L. 4-inch jerk bait in glow holographic or pearl color. Mirror lure twitch baits also a great bait while fishing the beaches or drop offs where snook are lurking. The size of the snook ranges from 5 to 30 pounds.
This time of year, the silver king action is amped up. Tarpon are everywhere on the beaches, in the Icw and all through our deep channels. The tarpon tend to school up in pods; early morning risers get the best shots at bigger fish, as they are less spooked. The fish on the beach range from 50 to 120 pounds. The silver kings in the inlet and Icw are willing to devour any greenie in their path, but don’t shy away from artificial DOA bait busters and DOA terror eyz in root beer or pearl; they provoke drag screaming action. Fly anglers can battle fish as they are chummed up boat side; this can lead to close combat fishing. That will get your blood flowing.
Local canals and bays are also great areas to target trout, jacks, and drum as they roam seawalls and docks pilings in search of a meal. Live baits or DOA C.A.L. 3-inch shad in gold and glow or figi chix trigger the fish to strike. This month produces great trout catches from 2 to 8 pounds, the key is jig pot holes and areas were bait schools are prevalent. Drum will strike DOA shrimp or DOA C.A.L. 3-inch shad on 1/8-ounce jig head in gold glitter or glow holographic.
The peacock bass will offer anglers plenty of sight fishing action. Fly, DOA shrimp and live shiners are great tools to entice the peacock to strike. Peacock are very aggressive and can be found on beds near shorelines and seawalls. The warm weather really triggers the peacock bass, the hotter the better. Schools of peacock bass are not uncommon to see and they can range in size from 2 to 7 pounds.
Well that is the fishing report; hope you all enjoyed. Get out there and get your drags screaming. Tight Lines!
Capt. Craig Korczynksi
PhlatsInshoreFishing.com
561-644-4371