I know it is hot, humid and miserable once the sun gets overhead this time of the year. This is the time of the year when shade is your friend! That applies to the fishing as well.
Unfortunately, many anglers don’t even try to go fishing this time of the year. That is a big mistake! This is definitely the time of the year when the 90/10 rule applies. Ninety percent of the fish are in ten percent of the water.
Early, and I mean prior to or at sunrise, the water will be at it’s coolest. This provides a great opportunity for the top water bite. The fish are active on the shallow flats but not for long! Once that sun gets up in the sky, just like us the fish are looking for shade. In our area that means mangrove covered shorelines and docks. We are fortunate to have both.
One of the keys to fishing mangroves is to try and fish on the shady side if available. Live bait can really shine when the fish get buried deep in the bushes. It is not as simple as just casting toward the mangroves you must get into the mangroves. I mean as far back as you can get your bait, live or artificial.
Right now, the most effective live bait is pilchards or other white bait. The shrimp are small and with all the baitfish around you need to match the hatch. The problem with any live bait is they can swim away from the predators.
The solution is to cut the tail off and use a split shot weight close to the hook. Hooks should also match the hatch, normally a 1/0 or 2/0 circle hook works great. OK, your bait has been eaten, now what? First, if using circle hooks, do NOT set the hook! Put your rod tip low and into the water and reel until you get the fish out from under the mangroves.
Only when the fish is out in open water do you want to raise the rod tip up. If you try a normal hook set, you will either pull the bait out of the fish’s mouth or let the fish wrap you up on the mangrove roots. If using artificial bait, make sure they are rigged weedless. Of course, in our area everything is related to tidal movements. Make sure there is good water movement in front of the mangroves you are fishing.
When fishing docks, realize that they are all different. Once again current plays a role. The more current moving through the docks the better.
Current brings food! Boat position makes a big difference. You should be upstream from the dock. Make sure you can get your bait down to the bottom. I look for three things when picking out a dock. First, I want an established dock with lots of growth on the pilings, second the end of the dock should be in at least four feet of water, and last, I want current moving through the dock.
The old fishing pier at Bokeelia met all those requirements and it offered great fishing.
I invite the readers of the Nautical Mile to attend a meeting of the Reel Anglers Fishing club on the second Wednesday of the month at the Power Squadron Building downtown Cape Coral.
For the rest of the summer we are doing, how to fishing seminars. These are covering everything from lure selection and presentation to spot selection, inshore and offshore. There is no cost to attending the first meeting.
Please visit our website for more information.
Dan Carney
Reel Anglers Fishing Club
www.reelanglersfishingclub.com
