It has been a sweltering summer so far. Beat the heat and increase your catch by fishing at night in August.
It is still closed-season for snook, but many can still be caught and released at the inlets, day and night. Joe Donnelly of Boynton Beach says snook can be found stalking the shadows surrounding underwater dock lights and bridge lights. Flair Hawk jigs, surface plugs, and live croakers or sardines all work well. You may also find tarpon around the lights at night. Live pilchards or sardines and heavier tackle will give you a good shot at releasing one.
Permit have been making a good showing on the beaches at night. Live crabs are a fantastic bait for catching permit. Cast your bait out beyond the surf zone to where the permit will be foraging. A member of the jack family, permit can really test your tackle and your skills. Be ready to settle in for a long fight if you hook one over 20lbs. There is no closed season in our area, but size and bag limits are technical for permit. Two fish per angler per day. One of those two fish can exceed 22 inches (fork length), but the second must measure between 11 and 22 inches.
Donnelly also mentioned that lookdowns, often called moonfish, can be found circling around lights at night all along the Intracoastal. Anglers who know how to fillet these skinny fish know the reward is worth the effort. Lookdowns will readily eat small pieces of cut shrimp on small hooks and light line. They will also bite small jigs, and even sabiki bait rigs. Larger fish can put up a good fight on light tackle, so don’t underestimate them.
Anglers drifting dead sardines or live baits from 160ft into the reefs can expect to catch medium-sized kingfish and large bonitos. Anchored anglers who chum heavily over active reefs can fill bag limits with yellowtail snapper at night, avoiding the triggerfish and filefish during the day. Trollers dragging small feather lures in the 120-300ft depth range can catch up to 8lb blackfin tunas, and bonitos up to 15lbs.
Dolphin have finally shown up in good numbers offshore, and should still be around in August. Most are schoolies, but there are some nice bulls and cows mixed in. Head east early in the morning and look for floating debris and weedlines, especially near the edge of the Gulfstream, typically 10-12 miles offshore at this time of year.
And for you divers and freedivers out there, spiny lobster season opens August 6th. Be sure to have your crawfish endorsement on your saltwater fishing license and a 3″ carapace measuring tool with you while you’re harvesting. Regular season daily bag limit is 6 lobsters per angler.
Bill Buckley
“Uncle Buck”
Graphic artist & offshore angler, Boca Raton, FL