By Capt. Jamie Thrappas, Yellow Dawg Fishing
Summer is at its hottest come August, it’s another one of those months that I like to get out there early. The weeks with a high tide right at sunrise or shortly there after are by far the best. You can take advantage of the high tide switch to outgoing, this is by far the most productive tide in my opinion. Red fish and snook seem to prefer this tide swing, however some will also feed on the low to incoming switch, just the bite doesn’t seem to last as long. Croakers, pin fish, shrimp, and live mullet will certainly get you a bite. I tend to do better on snook, by freelining the bait or with a pinch weight. Whereas the redfish will typically eat on the bottom so I’ll use a 3oz weight with a Carolina rig setup for them. I almost always have a pin or a mullet free lined this time of year as it’s not uncommon to get a nice tarpon hook up while you’re focusing on the reds and snook. When I get to mid tide I like to switch gears and target mangroves and flounder for the cooler. The mangroves will typically be around structures like the jetties, docks, or even the Site 2 close reefs off the beach like sunflower pier and Flagler ave in NSB. While shrimp work my favorite bait for big mangroves and for flounder is by far medium and small mud minnows. Be careful not to venture too far in August, especially late in the afternoon with the thunderstorms, they will absolutely sneak up on you. If you see us out there say hello and if you’d like to fish with us give me a shout!
