Capt. Mark Wright
True summer is upon us in July and summer means hot air and hot water temperatures along with low water levels. Yes, rain will influence water levels to some degree, but only on a temporary basis.
This rain driven rise and fall of summer water levels is not a tidal experience, though it’s the nearest thing to it in our waters and sometimes spurs on great feeding activity.
After major rainfalls, the prudent angler will look for feeding redfish, trout, snook, ladyfish and juvenile tarpon wherever water is flowing. While culvert pipes are well known for gathering feeding predators they are but one option.
Creek mouths whether embellished with culverts or not are potential hot spots. Blind creek mouths are my favorite because most people do not know they are there. Being overgrown with mangrove trees or pepper trees keeps them hidden from view, but does little to stem the flow of water leaving the mainland and draining into the lagoons.
Lastly, troughs formed between back-water islands that happen to channel water into the open lagoon can be magical. Learning to recognize when to be in these spots will up your catch exponentially.
Since these areas often are structure oriented I seldom use my ultralight gear and tend to go with ten or fifteen pound braid outfits. The extra strength helps with convincing a larger than normal specimen to come out of the tangles…
For me three and four-inch soft plastic swimming baits rigged weedless are ideal. Most of the minnows swept into the open lagoon waters are on the small side.
Of course, Z-Man Minnows, Diezel Minnowz and Curly Tailz will all catch fish here and are extremely easy for anyone to manipulate; simply cast and retrieve!
Capt. Mark Wright
321-302-3474
captmarkwright@earthlink.net
www.captmarkwright.com