[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he sea mullet and pompano will be on the feed in the surf, but we need to make sure we are hunting them effectively. The biggest mistake I see people making is casting too far this time of year. When water temps soar, oxygen levels drop and fish are looking for oxygen. When waves crash on the beach a lot of stuff is happening. Waves introduce oxygen, disorient baitfish, stir up crabs, clams and sand fleas. Fish such as pompano and sea mullet know this and look for them in the turbid water. Look for Spanish right behind the breakers early in the morning as well as bluefish. Stingsilvers and DiamondJ are great baits for them.
Gotcha plugs are OK but they are a whole lot more work in the surf than they are on the pier or out of a boat, where you do not have waves to contend with.
Offshore the mahi bite will be going strong. When you find some mahi on a weedline, have some bait chopped up ready to deploy. When you see some mahi, throw some chopped squid or cigar minnows out in a steady stream until you see the mahi starting to eat them. Then, hook a piece without weight and make sure it drifts at the same rate as the chum. This manner of fishing is known as bailing mahi and can be more effective than trolling. There will be some school kings caught in good numbers around the 20-mile mark on dead bait such as cigar minnows on Blue Water Candy dead bait rigs and ballyhoo with sea witches. If you are pulling ballyhoo, make sure you have a trailer hook as the fish like to short strike especially this time of year. If you see a bait get hit but no fish quickly drop the bait back as if it just got killed and many times the fish will pick up the other half.
Keep cool and make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids in this heat. Heat stroke and dehydration is no joke so be careful or do what I do and fish a lot at night. The ladyfish are in the sound and ready to feed so keep that in mind.
Tight lines and Fair Winds
Capt. Chris Medlin