ST. AUGUSTINE
With air temps getting into the mid to upper 90’s the next few months, it’s a good idea to get on the water as early, or as late as possible, as the fish will be on the feed during those times, and laying low during the heat of the day. Inshore, toss your favorite top-water plug at first light, for exciting redfish and trout blowups. Some favorite top-water plugs for our area are the Rapala Skitterwalk, Heddon Super Spook Jr., or any “walk the dog” type lure. If you’re not an “early bird”, check out the dusk bite, using the same lures. The fishing right off the beach really comes alive this time of year. Huge sharks, tarpon, kingfish, and many more will be chowin’ down on the giant pods of pogies, right behind the breakers. It’s a great time to put your heavier tackle to the test!
When looking to catch some redfish, be on the lookout for concentrations of finger mullet, or pogies on the flats. You can be guaranteed that at least a redfish or two will be hanging nearby a big school of baitfish this time of year. During the higher tide stages, one of my favorite lures to toss this time of year is the spinner bait, as it provides a ton of “thump” and flash that the fish can easily hunt down. On the lower tide stages, a lot of the bigger fish will move to slightly deeper water where it’s a little cooler. Live mud minnows or finger mullet will be hard to beat, but a chunked piece of ladyfish or mullet will also work especially well for the redfish when fishing deeper. A scented soft plastic like a Fishbites lure fished very, very slowly, will also be a good bet.
The flounder bite should be good at the St. Augustine and Mantanzas inlets and just about all the regular inshore flatty haunts. Fishing around the slack tides will give you the best chance to get your bait on the bottom where the flounder
hide. Small to medium sized finger mullet on a fish finder rig can be deadly. Don’t be afraid to use a good-sized mullet to catch the doormats. Just remember to let the flounder chew on the bait a few moments before setting the hook.
One of my favorite fish, the tarpon, should be thick along the beach gorging themselves on the bait (pogy) pods just about now. The best bite will be early morning, and just before, or after the afternoon summer rainstorms. Rig a live pogy on a large 6/0-10/0 circle hook, and fish the outside of the bait pods. Sometimes a little weight to help the pogy get down will help. Depending on water temps, you’ll also find some huge jacks and plenty of sharks around those pods–maybe even a stray cobia as well!
Capt. Tommy Derringer www.InshoreAdventures.net
904-377-3734