July is one of my favorite months of the year to fish the beaches from Melbourne down to Sebastian Inlet. The snook bite is very good in the inlet as well as along the beaches. Fish live bait along the jetties in the day and fish Rapala Long Cast 14 lures and Hogy 7” jigging eels at night off the jetties for consistent action. If you are fishing the beaches from Melbourne south to Sebastian, use live bait rigged on a VMC circle hook, or anglers using artificial baits can use Rapala Long Cast 12 or D.O.A. 4” Cal and Baitbusters fished in the trough to target snook from the shore. Beachgoers targeting tarpon should be able to find good numbers, but it will take a bit of work to find and stay on the fish. Look for bait pods along the beaches and use the Rapala Long Cast 14 to be able to reach the fish cruising the trough looking for a meal.
If anglers plan on fishing the flats, islands or mangrove shorelines in the Indian River Lagoon from Palm Bay to Sebastian, get out early and the bite will be good, but once the sun comes up, the bite will slow a bit. Topwater baits such as Rapala’s Skitterwalk as the sun comes up and as it sets should be a sure bet for trout, snook or redfish. If the fish won’t hit topwater, go subsurface with the new Rapala Twitchin’ Mullet and Twitchin’ Minnow. If soft baits are your preference, D.O.A. Shrimp and Cal 4” jerkbaits in the mullet pattern or rainbow trout work well. Look for bait pods in the areas you are fishing and work the bait pods, cast under the mangroves and along the deeper parts of the spoil islands.
I don’t spend a lot of time fishing the creeks in July, but get in the creeks early for snook and tarpon action, as well as big jacks and sharks. After the rains, the action can be great around the dams using live shrimp or artificial baits.
Whether fishing the beaches or the lagoon, be aware of the clouds forming and make sure to get off the water before you get caught in a lightning or hail storm.
Capt. Glyn Austin
Going Coastal Charters
www.goingcoastalcharters.com
321-863-8085