By: Eric Henson
Summertime is officially here, and things are really heating up. Make sure that you are prepared so that you can be more successful on your outings. When you start to feel hot towards the middle of the day, so do the fish in our gulf waters. Try and plan your trips early mornings, late afternoons, or at night when the water temps are cooler, and the fish are more active. Not only will you beat the heat but, the fish will be less lethargic and ready to eat!
When you start in the mornings, the best time to get out there is while it is still dark. This way, by the time you are kayaking up to your spot you catch that first bit of the twilight hour, and you will be set up ready to rock. This hour is what fishermen and women refer to as the “Golden Hour”! It’s that first bit of golden sunlight creeping up over the horizon as mother nature begins to wake up. As the first light reflects off the glass water conditions, you see a wake from a school of fish beginning to push towards you. Or you see a fin break the surface, a tail pop up in front of you. Your heart’s pounding, legs shaking, and you are ready to make the perfect cast. Now, I wish every morning could be just like that! But it must be the conditions, weather, wind direction, tides, and location.
If the weather is more favorable in the afternoon, the last hour can be just as productive as the sun drifts behind the horizon. Not only do fish eat more in low-light conditions because they feel safer from predators, but many fish species are nocturnal and so they are more active. This is just another reason fishing at night can produce a great deal of success. When fishing at night, the time doesn’t necessarily predict when I go but I more check the best tide for what species and the location I will be fishing.
So, let’s get out there, beat the heat, and take advantage of the optimal feeding time this month! Be sure and take full safety precautions while fishing in low-light or dark conditions like wearing a PFD, 360 degrees lights, and reflector flag on a 4-6 ft pole to keep boaters from running you over. The only tough part of low-light fishing is that it is a lot harder to get good pictures of your catch! Just do your best to get a quick pic so, your fish can swim away healthy and strong to fight another day. Tight lines and Tight knots to everyone! Eric Henson is the owner of Casting Kayaks LLC. a guided kayak fishing company out of Sarasota Florida. He specializes in inshore light tackle or fly fishing from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor.
