The Waller Report
August is already here, and summer is winding down. Although fall is my favorite time to fish, there are still fish to be caught in the summer. This month, try to fish in the mornings rather than the afternoons if possible, or at least stay close to a landing in case afternoon thunderstorms arrive, which happens quite often in August.
Bait is plentiful in the creeks in August and can be caught with a cast net as long as the tide is not high. For cast netting shrimp, the water needs to be out of the grass. You can catch mullet on high water, but it is easier when the tide is out.
This month, I like to bottom fish most of the time; however, others do well with cork rigs. Creek mouths, structure, docks or oyster beds are good places to start. It is a good idea to keep records of your catches, capturing information about the tide stage, water temp, air temp, winds, locations, etc.
Inshore fishing is wide open, and you can catch almost any species now. We fish live baits on our trips to get the best variety. Every fish that can be found inshore will eat live shrimp. If you are fishing with live shrimp and nothing is biting, you should move. There are downsides to using live shrimp, however. You need a lot for a trip because every fish found inshore eats them. Pinfish are plentiful this time of year and will devour shrimp. If you are just wanting action, use live shrimp; but if bigger fish are the object, change to artificials. There are still plenty of sharks to be found in the rivers as well as near the shrimp trawlers.
When fishing in the summer, always take precautions from the sun and have plenty of water on board. August heat can be brutal.
Capt. Mike Waller
SaltFisher Charters
www.saltfisher.com
(843) 224-8197 or
(843) 343-7538