After a hotter than normal July and August, I think the worst of the summer heat is behind us and that should only improve things as a whole. A better than average summer sailfish bite put smiles on all of our faces this August, especially since the mahi never really showed up this summer during June or July. As the water starts to cool back down, expect the sailfish bite to slow a little bit before they start showing back up at the end of the month and the beginning of October, but there should still be pretty good action on kings, bonito, blackfin and a scattered dolphin.
This month is still a preferred live baiting month with sardines, greenies and small blue runners or goggle eyes as the bait of choice. We’ve been using the Sabiki rigs from R&R tackle and notice a huge difference in how much better they’ve been working. A more natural flash, and better fluorocarbon leader teamed with more hooks and a longer rig have us finished catching bait 50-percent faster. As it get rougher, I will increase my leader size on my live baits but still keep fishing 15-to-20 clear line and the same 5/0, 6/0 and 7/0 Mustad ultra-point hooks matched up to the size of the bait.
This is also a good time of year to target king mackerel along the reefs and bait schools. A light leader connected to a short piece of #6 wire to a pair of small 3X Mustad treble hooks should put some steaks on your grill and fill your smoker in no time.
Bottom fishing should be picking up as the month progresses with mutton snappper, gag grouper and sea bass being the target species. Anything from squid, to cut bait, to live bait will work well on them when you’re in the right spot. Depths from 75-to-175 feet seem to be the best. But obviously shallower or deeper payoff at times too. This time of year, there is also always the chance of seeing a free-swimming cobia too. It’s a good idea to have a nice Blackfin casting rod with a RonZ jig on it to take advantage of when that curious fish swims up on you. Green and pink are my favorite colors, but they all work.
Whatever it is you decide to target this September, I wish you the best of luck and I hope your trip is “Off The Chain” looking forward to fishing with you soon.
FORECAST BY: Capt. Scott Fawcett
Off the Chain Fishing Charters
Phone: (772) 285-1055
Email: fishscottyf@bellsouth.net
www.offthechainfishing.com
