By Capt. Dave Stephens
Well fellow anglers, it seems Mother Nature took us from May to August on water clarity. Normally it is a slow transition over a month or so. Lucky for us our estuary needs a balance of freshwater to keep everything happy. For the most part, our fish can tolerate the rain. Some of them it takes a little while for them to adjust, probably the most sensitive is seatrout. Snook, tarpon and reds can tolerate lower salt contents. The water on the northern end of the harbor will be a lot darker. The closer you get to the gulf the water will begin to clear up. The water is not dirty, just think of it like a glass of tea. All the leaves and foliage tan the water as it makes its way to the harbor.
The snook fishing has remained good with the rainfall. This time of year, the snook will be spawning, so a higher level of salt is required. Mangrove points with good tide flow have been holding good numbers of fish and flats in and around pot holes. This time of year, there is an abundance of pinfish for them to eat. Live sardines have been getting the most bites, although pinfish under a float has been doing well also.
The rain has moved the trout around over the last couple weeks. Look for these guys outside sandbars and on the deeper flats. Early morning will be your best shot at some good size fish. The hotter weather has got the bigger fish a little lazy. Sardines and pinfish will get the rod bent. For the artificial guys, I would recommend soft plastics fished slow. Early in the morning a top water should get some bigger fish’s attention also.
Over the past couple weeks, I have noticed the mangrove snapper are showing up. I’m not making a prediction, but they seem really thick this year. The stained water seems to help with the bite on these guys. Here’s a few tricks I would recommend. First thing I do is down size my terminal tackle. These guys have great eyesight so smaller hooks and leader will help. Also use smaller bait, such as small pinfish, shrimp or cut bait. Snapper are often over looked, as game fish. For their size these lil guys put up a great fight. If you find yourself with kids on the boat, snapper can be a day saver. Look around deeper mangrove points and other structure.
Post-spawn tarpon should start making their way up the harbor. These slick calm mornings are a great time to locate rolling fish. Also look for fish free-jumping and blowing up schools of thread herring. The chances are good you will not be alone, so please respect your fellow anglers on the water. Live herring free-lined or under a float will get their attention.
Its storm season, so keep an eye on the sky. These lightning storms can pop up fast. Stay safe!