Take Your Fishing To The Beach
Capt. Mike Anderson
July is the month when I take more than just my family to the beach. My clients will end up spending lots of time there as well.
Tarpon fishing here in southwest Florida will remain steady for most of July. Most anglers have gotten their fill of tarpon fishing in May and June and back off their search a little come July. This makes for great opportunities to do battle with the silver king all by your lonesome, which can be key in getting that hook-up. Small crabs freelined or 5 to 6 feet under a cork work well on the beach as do live threadfin herring. Threadfins, to me, work best come July as the beaches are usually covered with them by this time.
The beach is also the best place to catch that 40-inch snook you’ve been dreaming about for years. Big snook cruise the beaches during this spawning time and can be quite eager to jump on a live pilchard, threadfin herring or pinfish. Fish the swash channel up tight to shore, as this is the area they like to hang in on most beaches. Beach snook also offer great opportunities to put your artificial bait skills to the test. The Mirro-Lure Mirro-Dine is a great choice, as it can easily match the bait seen on the beach in July perfectly. You can also use a variety of soft-plastic baits and do very well. The Mirro-Lure Lil John and Marsh Minnow both come in great beach colors and are two of my favorites.
West coast beaches also offer some great pier fishing in July. The pompano and Spanish mackerel fishing can be outstanding from many piers and offer landlocked anglers the chance to fish a little deeper than normal, which can be quite helpful as water temps climb. Pompano can be plentiful and remain one of my favorite table fish. They are a blast on light tackle. A Doc’s Goofy jig will do the trick on the pompano, and their fight is underrated to say the least. You can tip your Doc’s jig with shrimp if you like, but normally I do well with just the jig itself. Again, July offers us the chance to get a little fishing in and take the family to the beach, so enjoy it this month and take your fishing to the Beach!
Catch Capt. Michael Anderson every Saturday morning on News CH8 at 6:30 a.m. for the Reel Animals Fishing Show and Saturdays for Reel Animals Saturday on 970WFLA from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. and Sunday mornings on AM620 for the TA Mahoney Co. Reel Animals Radio Show from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. To book a trip, call 1-866-Gamefish.