Sebastian River
Tarpon will continue to be the main target for anglers fishing the freshwater rivers and creeks along the treasure coast. The north fork of the Sebastian River is usually the place to look for tarpon in the early morning and evening. Flies, plugs, D.O.A. Root Beer TerrorEyz and finger mullet when they become available will all catch these backwater tarpon.
Indian River Lagoon
Things will stay status quo in the lagoon until the finger mullet show. Trout will remain available early and late for anglers using artificials, while live pigfish will catch trout in deeper pockets throughout the day. Redfish can be a daily occurrence on the flats, where top-water plugs, D.O.A. C.A.L. jerk-baits and gold spoons will usually get their attention. Snook fishing around docks and shorelines can keep anglers busy during the day. Skipping D.O.A. Shrimp and jerkbaits under cover will produce violent strikes from linesiders of all sizes. You may also find a fair number of trout, redfish and mangrove snapper in the same areas. Residential canals are a good place to look for juvenile tarpon rolling. Drop a D.O.A. tiny TerrorEyz right where the tarpon roll and jig it vertically, allowing it to stay close to where the tarpon rolled for as long as possible.
Sebastian Inlet
In years gone by, August was my favorite month to fish “The Inlet”. Snook will be stacked on top of one another and the big reds will be wherever they can find room. Live bait, including croakers, pigfish, greenies, pinfish, shrimp, in that order, will be the key to daytime inlet action. Night fishing can also be great, whether you drift through the bridge with live bait, or chuck plugs or bucktail jigs from the rocks. Catch and release is the law until September 1; please handle the snook with care.
Near-Shore Atlantic
Weather permitting, August should still find kings, Spanish and occasional cobia and dolphin not too far off the beaches. Resident tarpon schools will also be a good bet over the reefs just off the beach. As mullet and other baitfish begin their southern trek late in the month, the near-shore can come alive. Big tarpon, kings, Spanish mackerel, sharks, snook, jacks, and more, all chase the bait south and unlike the spring run, they tend to stay within surf casting distance of the beach where the mullet like to swim, so surfcasting for fish weighing in the double and even triple digits is possible.
Tight lines!
[easy-social-share]
