Welcome back Yak fans and Happy 4th of July.
The hot Florida weather is upon us. When I say the flats are heating up, unfortunately, I’m talking water temperature. With that being said, the bite is still good, but planning is the key.
On recent trips, I have found that you have to cover some area to dial in the fish. They are moving around and it’s like playing hide-n-seek; one day one creek, and the next day the flats, and so on.
The best way to dial them in is with jigs (gulp glow shrimp 3 or 4 inch are working well), my trusty Zara Spook or spoons. As you approach an area, work these around you in an arc, and watch for a reaction. A good strike is nice, but sometimes it’s just a swirl. When you get that, stop and work that area for a while. This method has produced some beautiful reds of late, mainly on gulp, the spook, Using cut bait has also been very productive. On a recent trip, I hooked into three 27 inch reds, in less than 15 minutes, and that my friends, is what it’s all about.
The best bite has definitely been on either side of the low tide, whether on the flats or in the creeks. I know the flats guys in my area are struggling to find any reds lately, that’s why I love a Kayak. It’s all about getting to where they are.
The other fish that seems to be everywhere right now is sharks. Black tips and sharp nose are nailing anything natural I throw out there I caught eight the other day, and I wasn’t even targeting them. One was definitely targeting me though; a two-foot sharpie wanted to see how the trout on my stringer tasted, and I actually hit him on the head five times with my paddle, and he still wouldn’t give up. The little bugger finally got part of one. He waited till I was landing a nice red and pulled a sneak attack. A 19 inch trout, became a 16 inch, while my back was turned, but the red made up for it .
This made the paddle back interesting, because as I went across the deeper water, all I kept thinking was, “Now I’m chumming and where there are little sharks, there are BIG sharks.” While I like to bring my catch in alive, on that day I kept the stringer in my lap for a good part of the paddle. Let’s just say, I hate surprises and believe me, a big bull shark can take the fun right out of your day. That’s it for now. Have a safe 4th. God bless America and see you next month.
Bruce
