Hey everybody! Hope you are well. We are and even with the heat, we've done our best to stay on the water. July and August are known as the "Dog Days" of summer for a reason. It's hot, the wind is either ripping or absent. As of late, that has been proven more true than ever. So with that being said, here is what has been going on and pretty much what you can expect year after year.
Inshore/Nearshore
As July gets here and August is on the horizon, we know that the offshore trolling bite around our area is bound to slow down. However, trolling for Spanish Mackerel on the beach or chasing red drum, trout and flounder is a different story. It seems that as it warms up, the Spanish get more scattered as the bait moves up and down the beach as do the trout, flounder and drum. Drum can be found near oyster beds that are close to grass or marsh. Trout will be shallow in the early morning and then deeper as the sun rises. Flounder... well let's face it, flounder are everywhere. Probably because you can't keep them. That's how it usually works.
You can locate Spanish very easily on calm days. Just look for birds working, bait showering or odd looking sections of "disturbances" on the surface. Spanish, along with Bluefish, can be found anywhere from 50' to right in the surf. As a matter of fact, I have been known to cast in front of the breakers and rip a lure as fast as I can retrieve to fill the box with keepers. The best lures for casting situations (in my opinion) are: Casting spoons, Gotcha plugs, Diamond Jigs and Clarkspoon Pogie Jigs. That doesn't mean that other lures won't work, I'm just saying that they are my go-to lures. As far as trolling, I would recommend trolling Clarkspoons behind birds and planers. I like to cover as much of the water column as possible until I figure out the bite zone, and then I narrow my spread down to that area. Besides Clarkspoons, another great lure choice is Rapala diving plugs. Also, don't be surprised if you snag a False Albacore as they too will be making their debut. Typically they are a little farther offshore during this time but are beginning to make their move inshore to feed up for the fall migration.
Nearshore/Offshore
Well, as I mentioned earlier, the offshore troll bite always slows down this time of year. But, don't let that stop you from getting out there. The bottom fishing is fantastic (if you can stand the heat) and the full moons always bring a sprinkle of wahoo around. Let's not forget about the scattered dolphin, or Mahi Mahi as most people call them. Usually, I will start the day off trolling a good temp break around 100' of water or deeper. By mid morning: if the troll bite is steady, I will hold true to it but if I haven't done much on the troll, I will knock bottom. When I say "Knock Bottom", I'm referring to a specific method which most people call "Drifting". What I usually do is while I am trolling, I will mark spots on the chart that peak my interest. These may be drop offs, ledges, a point of relief (where the bottom or something on the bottom raises up off of the bottom), concentrated schools of baitfish close to the bottom, so on and so forth. Remember, in the world of fishing, structure is anything that is different and structure holds fish. I will go check these places out and drift over them a couple of times to see what we can grab. If the fish are cooperating (and they usually do), we will fish a few spots until we find a nice class of fish.
The July/August fish are typically: Triggerfish, Vermillion Snapper (B Liners), lots of different species of Porgies (Scups), Sea Bass, Grouper, Tilefish and many more. I highly suggest downloading the "FishRules" app so that you know what the size/creel/bag limits are on each of the species. Gags & Red Grouper will be a "Lucky" catch on a drift. To target grouper, I would suggest anchoring on small ledges where you can tend the bottom and give Mr. Grouper a chance to investigate his meal before he eats. Grouper are known to "watch what they eat"... literally. For "Knocking Bottom" I suggest using a chicken or high low rig rigged with #2 or #3 circle hooks tipped with squid or fresh cut bait. Use just enough weight to tend bottom and be sure to use circle hooks. Remember, when using circle hooks, DON'T SET THE HOOK! I know it's tough but you have to let the hook do its job and if you just stay tight and crank, it will do it every time. Grouper on the other hand prefer live bait or whole dead bait like a cigar minnow or shad (aka Menhaden or Pogie) on a #7 circle hook grouper rig.
I hope this helps you and gets you excited to get on the water. Just because the "Dog Days" are upon us doesn't mean we can't fill the box. It's actually pretty simple in most circumstances. So take this info and get out there. Comment below with any questions or if you have any tips or tricks, by all means post them in the comments. The main goal here at X Rayted Fishing is get people off of the couch and out on the water. Don't forget that if you would like to book a charter with us, where I am more than willing to explain everything we are doing and why so that you can learn or even teach me, check out our "Charter" tab or shoot me an email at: info@xraytedfishing.com where I (Captain Slick) will personally respond. Thanks again for all of your continued support as it means more than you know
Let's go fishing!