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FOLLOW THE BAIT FOR NEARSHORE WAHOO

Tim Barefoot

his is the time of year when water temperatures allow pelagics like wahoo, dolphin and tuna to show up right on the beach… so to speak. I live in North Carolina, and every year there are stud wahoo caught “right on the beach.” Here “right on the beach” is the 20to 25-mile area off the beach. For some folks in Florida, “right on the beach” might be that first sea buoy right out of the inlet. In late summer, we have a monolithic water temperature from the Gulf Stream to the beach in the mid 80s. That allows wahoo to follow huge schools of bait wherever they go. This is what we call the beginning of the end… the end of summer. The cigar minnows and sardines come nearshore, and the wahoo follow them as far in as they are comfortable with the water depth, which is usually not much less than 75 or 80 feet. They will eat whatever they want, including live menhaden or cigs pulled around by king mackerel fishermen. We call it the beginning to the end of summer, but it’s also the beginning of a wonderful time of year for me… fall and winter. The cigs and sardines come in. The pelagics follow them for a month or so

until the water starts to cool in mid September. Then the magic happens. When cooling water runs off the wahoo, the gags show up in numbers. It’s all a very beautiful dance. Let’s enjoy every step along the way. I keep talking about the nearshore activity of the cigs and sardines, but the offshore schools are also getting bigger now, and this draws the attention of everything from pelagics to bottom fish. All the grouper and big snappers shadow these schools wherever they go. This is why it’s so important to “find the bait.” Cigs and sardines are not the only thing I’m looking for offshore. I like to find a big stack of beeliners. Wherever you find a big stack of beeliners, you can bet your bottom dollar there are grouper and big snapper directly under them and wahoo and kings around them. August is also a month to consider spending the night offshore. Yes, there are late afternoon thunderstorms that pop up, but overall weather patterns are consistent, and you can fish for days, back to back. Leave in the early afternoon, get where you are going and get acclimated to the setting sun. Anchor up on a pretty piece of bottom and bait, and turn on the lights. This is a “National Geographic moment.” The minnows and squid come to the light, so you can easily load up the livewell before the daylight bite starts. I will close with this: We lost a fishing pioneer and legend last month with Mark Sosin’s passing. Our thoughts, prayers and celebrations go out to his family. See more from Tim Barefoot at barefootcatsandtackle.com.

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upiter, Fla. is a worldrenowned fishery. In the summertime it’s known for hot inshore snook. Offshore produces an epic sailfish, kingfish, tuna and pelagic bite. There are always fish willing to eat. One of my favorite bites is for springtime blackfin tuna. From March through May, jumbo blackfins migrate down the east coast of Florida. It is not uncommon to catch them anywhere from 20 to 35 pounds. From their deliciousness on the table to their long powerful runs, blackfin tuna are one of my favorite offshore fish to target. They are sure to send you to the tackle shop to get your reels serviced after a productive day of fishing. Blackfin tuna are excellent hunters. Often, they work together to ambush schools of baitfish. They are equipped with massive eyeballs, which are designed for pitch black and low-light conditions. They spend a majority of their time down deep feeding on squid. However, at dawn and dusk, the tunas move higher in the water column to feed near the surface. Be on the lookout for frigates and disturbance on the water’s surface. It’s not uncommon to see them exploding and flying out of the water on a bait ball. I keep an easily accessible casting rod, with a plug or weighted feather jig tied on, for this scenario or in case a school of mahi shows up. Blackfin tuna will often hold to areas with bottom topography like humps, reefs and wrecks. You can find success drifting over areas like these with live bait. Live sardines, pilchards, threadfins and gogs will all work. I prefer live sardines. For me, they have been the most productive bait.

Chumming is important to bring blackfins higher in the water column. Chunk up pilchards and throw a few pieces out at the bow, mid and stern every couple of minutes. The best chum is live chum. Small- to medium-sized pilchards are your best bet. I throat-hook a sardine and send it out on a free line. The bait will swim down on its own, and you should keep some tension on it. I also drop a live bait on a down rod and wait for the bite as I drift along. Blackfins’ excellent eyesight means they can be leader shy, so I often run a 40- to 50-pound fluorocarbon leader, but will go as light as 30 pounds. A triplehook rig for freelining or a single 4/0 or 5/0 circle hook depending By Ryan Izquierdo on the size of the bait is my hook preference. You can also catch them kite fishing, trolling feathers/spoons, with ballyhoo rigs, cedar plugs, planer fishing, vertical jigging and slow-pitch. Second to live bait, slow-pitch jigging is a fun and effective way to catch tunas when the hot mid-day sun pushes them down deep. My go to jig is a Jyg Pro 240 Gram strike jig. I like to jig anywhere from 200 to 350 feet. Send it down to the bottom over active areas and work your rod up high and let the jig flutter back down. You can change the pace and tempo of your jigging until you find what works. Don’t be surprised to get hit as you are burning the jig back to the surface. I hope these tuna tips bring you success and dinner to share with your close friends and family. Keep on fishing! Check out Ryan Izquierdo’s adventures on his YouTube channel: Ryan Iz Fishing.

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FREEDIVER SPEARS WORLD RECORD CUBERA SNAPPER A massive 137-pound Atlantic cubera snapper speared by a Texas freediver in early June was heavier than the existing IGFA all-tackle world record as well as the Texas state record. It will not, however, qualify for either record because of the method used to catch it. Who cares? The diver, Braden Sherron, a student at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, can rest assured that his monster cubera is one of the largest of its species ever caught by any method. It will likely be the new International Underwater Spearfishing Association’s world record. If approved, it will replace a 122.4-pound fish shot in 2006 off the coast of Brazil. According to a Field & Stream story on the catch, Sherron first encountered the giant snapper while freediving a Gulf of Mexico oil rig about 60 miles out of Port Aransas, Texas. He did not take his shot at the time because he was not equipped to handle such a large fish. A week later, on June 3, he returned to the rig with heavier gear, dove to about 55 feet and put a dart into the fish. Luckily, the cubera wrapped the trailing line up in the oil rig, which kept the fish from diving. While the fish fought itself, Sherron returned to the surface to wait 10 minutes before diving down to secure

By CAM Staff

his prize with two more shots. When Sherron brought his fish back to the scales at Fisherman’s Wharf in Port Aransas, it began making the rounds on social media almost immediately. It truly is an enormous fish, which outweighs the existing IGFA record—a 2007 Louisiana fish that weighed 124 pounds, 12 ounces—by more than 10 pounds. Sherron’s fish also outweighs the Texas state rod-and-reel record of 131 pounds. The only larger cubera snapper research was able to turn up was a 151-pound monster that’s listed as an “other methods” catch by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. That fish, caught by handline out of Port Mansfiled in 1984, weighed 151 pounds. The thing is, none of these other anglers were holding their breath when they caught their fish. Sherron’s catch is absolutely one for the record books. “I would equate it to shooting a 200-plusinch whitetail deer on public land,” he told Field & Stream. “It’s one of those things that happens once in a lifetime, and you can’t believe it when it does.” Check out video of Braden Sherron’s spearfishing on his Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/3yKm8EP

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GIANT SNOOK By Emily Rose Hanzlik

ugust offers the best chance for anglers to catch a 40-inch-plus snook in Florida waters. With a majority of snook returning from offshore spawning grounds, the big girls will feed up to recover from the rigors of the spawn. Right now is a good time to catch them. Snook are widespread, but their range is limited by temperature intolerance. They are found throughout the Caribbean on the Atlantic and Pacific sides, including most of Florida. Due to their limited cold tolerance, Snook avoid temperatures below 60 degrees. There are 12 species of snook that can be found in just about any body of water within their range. Snook can be caught all year long. In winter they prefer shallow flats and deep holes in bay areas. As water temperatures rise, they move out to offshore structure to spawn. When snook are not spawning, they move inshore and travel upstream. Since snook are euryhaline, meaning they can live in a wide range of salinity, they travel upstream into brackish and freshwater areas. Snook have a special osmoregulation feature that allows them

to control the water content inside their bodies to maintain the same salinity as the outside water. Snook spawning takes place between April and October with peak around June and July. During this time, females and males move into higher salinity locations where they broadcast spawn with the females releasing eggs into the water column and the males fertilizing them. One female snook can release up to 1.5 million eggs each spawn. All of the hatchlings are born as males and transition to females when they reach between 12 and 35 inches in length. They are protandrous hermaphrodites, meaning the males change to females as they age. Some of the best places to locate big girls in large numbers this time of year are at the mouths of inlets, bridges and piers. Heavier tackle is preferred, since you will most likely be fishing heavy structure. Some of the best baits for really big fish include croaker, mojarra, snapper, needlefish and southern sennet. It is best practice, if you do land a big fish, to release the fish safely back into the water using a

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TH sling. Where a bridge/ pier net is used to land the fish, the net can also be used to release the fish when a sling is not available. Lay the fish in the net with its head as far upwards as possible. The largest IGFA-recorded common snook weighed 53 pounds, 10 ounces. It was caught from Costa Rica. Emily Rose Hanzlik holds 51 IGFA world records in various categories. She hails from West Palm Beach, where she has a part time Bowfin Guide Service as well as fishing classes for Jr. Anglers. Find her on Social Media @emilyhanzlikoutdoors.

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t its July meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved new management regions and regulation changes for redfish in state waters. The following regulation changes go into effect Sept. 1: • Establish nine redfish management regions. • Prohibit captain and crew from retaining a bag limit of redfish when on a for-hire trip. • Reduce the off-the-water transport limit from six to four fish per person. • Reduce the vessel limit in each of the management regions to be: »» Panhandle, Big Bend, Northeast: four fish. »» Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Southwest, Southeast: two fish. »» Allow only catch-and-release fishing for redfish in the Indian River Lagoon region. »» Set the bag limit to one fish in the Panhandle, Big Bend, Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Southwest, Southeast and Northeast regions. “With this new forward-thinking management approach, we’re trying to do what’s best for this fishery. This agency is committed to working proactively to conserve the redfish

fishery in Florida for future generations while balancing stakeholder interests,” said FWC Commissioner Steven Hudson. The changes to redfish management regions and regulations, as part of FWC’s new management approach, will better capture regional differences and improve angler satisfaction. The new management approach includes annual reviews of the redfish fishery For more information, including the July 2022 Commission and redfish regulations may be changed each meeting presentation, visit MyFWC.com/Commission year in response to the reviews. and click on “Commission Meetings.”

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By Phil Wolf

f you are in the market for a new flats boat, the 2022 Hydrastepp 18’ might just be the boat you’re looking for. It has all the whistles and bells that a flats boat needs, plus great looks, high-quality construction and performance abound. This new 18-foot flats boat is the result of several years’ trial and improvements. Renowned racing boat designer/ builder Steve Stepp has 50-plus years of experience in the industry. His previous company, Velocity Powerboats, in Sanford, Fla. holds 14 world records, showing that his advanced designs achieve performance and efficiency that most manufacturers cannot match. Hydrastepp Boats are built right here in Central Florida. Check-out their website at www.HYDRASTEPP.com, and take a look at this impressive HP flats-boat. At first glance, you’ll notice this boat’s sleek and clean lines. It has 94” beam, which is extremely wide for an 18’ boat. This makes it very stable when walking around on the wide gunnel. There is a huge storage compartment up front, with a removable tackle storage system and two additional large storage compartments in the rear, both at port and starboard. Two 28-gallon livewells are located in the front and the rear, and a new rod-storage system holds 16 rods. Custom divided sport seats with removable backrests, like you see on offshore racing boats, provide comfort. The console is very sleek and sports

a pair of 9” Simrad flush-mounted monitors for fish-finder/ GPS and supports all the normal gauges: tachometer, waterpressure, temperature, gas and speed by GPS. They are all linked to the motor and fuel system, which is very cool! A 29-gallon gas tank allows this boat to make long runs thanks to the super high-efficiency hull design. On a recent test ride of the new 2022 demo model Hydrastepp 18’, the boat was equipped with a 150 hp Mercury Pro XS, a 30” pitch Mercury 4 blade prop, three-quarters of a tank of gas, a Motorguide 24 volt trolling motor, 50 pounds of gear in the front compartment, three batteries and two adults. The boat’s performance was outstanding! It gets on a plane in 2.5 seconds with little effort. Top speed with load is 65 mph at 5,800 rpm, while getting 5 miles per gallon. Fuel consumption at 30 mph and 3,050 rpm was 7 miles to the gallon (best), allowing over 200 miles to the tank! To say this vessel is super-efficient is an understatement. I’ve ridden in just about every flats boat on the market. This Hydrastepp 18’ outperforms all of them by far. If you are in the market for a flats boat, give Steve a call to schedule a test ride for yourself, and place your order for the new face of flats boats! Tell them that you read about them in Coastal Angler Magazine! Phil Wolf is co-publisher of the Orlando edition of Coastal Angler Magazine. Check out HydraStepp boats at hydrastepp.com.

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Handling The Summer Heat By: Capt. Greg Poland

t looks like it’s going to be a hot summer and I am happy my Contender Bay Boat has a Bimini top! It took a few Capt. Greg Poland years to convince me to get a top but honestly, it’s really 305.393.3327 | gregpoland.com nice in the summer months and I can put it up or down in just Instagram: gregpoland a few minutes. I think the fish feel the same way as we do in the middle of the day so this time of year, as my preference is Facebook: Fishing in the Florida Keys with Capt. Greg Poland to get out early and get back to the dock by lunch time then go for a swim! We have been having a lot of fun catching mahi out in the 600-800ft area and who doesn’t like a fresh fish dinner? I like to run out to 600ft then get out a rod rigged with a squid or a small trolling lure like the one pictured below then start looking for birds or floating debris, once you spot something slow down and deploy your rig. I also have a live gregpolandphotography.com bait on a circle hook ready in the week just in case we see a gregpolandstudios.com mahi swimming, or if we have one on the line, I will cast it in hopes for a second one that may be following the hooked fish. I am sad to say we lost the largest bull dolphin I have had on the line in many years just last week, I was going for the gaff and saw it jump and throw the hook. I estimate it was about 30lbs and it brought a tear to my eye! If the offshore scene is not your cup of tea, then get into the backcountry for some great snook action around the shorelines of the Everglades National Park. We have been catching juvenile tarpon and snook around the islands but be careful with the sharks who seem to find you after you release a fish or two. Personally, when the first shark shows up, I like to move because you know it is only a matter of time before he is going to get your fish and there is no need to feed the sharks as they can do just fine by themselves! If you are looking to get out for a morning 1/2 day give me a call and lets go catch a fish or two this summer. — Contact Capt. Greg at 305.393.3327 or email gregpoland@icloud.com FACEBOOK.COM/CAMFLORIDAKEYS

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AMBERJACKS? By: Michael Sipos, Florida Sea Grant agent, UF/IFAS Extension

reater amberjack season is opening again August 1st– October 31st in Gulf of Mexico state and federal waters here in Florida. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share some facts about this species, update anglers on the current Gulf of Mexico regulations and a short identification guide on how to distinguish greater amberjack from lesser amberjack, almaco jack and banded rudderfish. If angling and have and doubt on species identification, it’s always best practice to release the fish and let him see another day. Jacks are prized sport fish, providing anglers with some legendary fights! After just a few of them, anglers are often ready to trade in the rod for a break and a beverage. They are voracious eaters and often targeted by recreational, commercial and charter fishermen as they readily accept lures or natural bait in a variety of fishing methods. Greater amberjack are heavily sought after for their sport quality by the recreational fishermen and fillets by the commercial fishermen which puts a lot of pressure on this species! Moreover, it is super important to be able to properly identify which jack is on your line before throwing it in the ice box. Spaghetti? I didn’t order Italian?! Tapeworms belonging to the order trypanorhyncha otherwise known as spaghetti worms, can occasionally be found in the fillet of greater amberjack. Jack and other fish are the intermediate host for these cestode worms that undergo an interesting and complex life cycle. Spaghetti worms are harmless to humans and can be cut out of the flesh. Amberjack that have been bred and raised in captivity have shown reduced tapeworm infection rates as their diets consists of pellets, this gives seafood consumers a good excuse to support aquacultured jacks! There are some fish parasites that can be transmitted to people so cooking fish thoroughly or freezing to FDA recommendations when eating fish raw should be taken seriously. Amberjack have a firmer/steak like flesh that can deliciously be prepared, grilled, blackened or smoked. For an overview on how to smoke fresh fish check out our blog here and video. 2 FLORIDA KEYS

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A Complete Guide of What You Need to Know

The genus Seriola contains nine species, four of which are frequently encountered in the Gulf of Mexico. These schooling jacks inhabit offshore reefs and wrecks where they cruise the water column and search for fish and invertebrates. The largest of the four species is the greater amberjack, followed by the almaco jack; the lesser amberjack and banded rudderfish are significantly smaller species and can be similar in size. In Florida, a typical cookie cutter greater amberjack will be in the 20-40 pounds, almaco jack between 2-20 pounds and lesser/banded jacks weighing in below 10 pounds. Size is one criteria to take into account when identifying these species as it would be very unlikely to encounter a 50 pound banded rudderfish or lesser amberjack, slightly unlikely to be an almaco jack and very likely to be a greater amberjack. The size of these fish can vary greatly throughout the world and along Florida’s 1300 miles of coastline. In Southwest Florida there may be some seasonal size variability with larger jacks moving closer to shore during the winter. Juvenile versions of these jacks can look different than their adult counterparts and undergo physiological changes as they grow. These changes can primarily be observed in juvenile coloration and pattern. As juveniles, these jacks are lighter in color with vertical bars along the length of the body. The number of gill rakers found on the fish’s gill arch are reduced as these jacks increase in size. Luckily slot and minimum size limits are regulated on all but one of these four species and helps in the prevention of misidentifying undersized jacks. Using color for species identification gives you a guess but also can be unreliable as color can vary within the species based on genetics, size/age as well as fish activity. One feature that may be more pronounced when the fish is active and “lit up” is the darker colored eye stripe called the nuchal bar. In greater amberjack the nuchal bar starts from the nose and extends into the first dorsal fin area, in lesser amberjack the bar starts from the eye and extends to in front of the first dorsal fin. Banded rudderfish can be more blue-ish in hue as adults and have white tips on their tails. Almaco jack are usually darker in coloration than the other species which is more noticeable when observing the upper portion of the body. Body shape, fin size/position, jaw maxilla, dorsal spines, keels, gill rakers and more! Details on all these features and identification factors can be found on my blog, https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/collierco/2020/04/29/amberjacks-a-completeguide-of-what-you-need-to-know-before-the-season-opens/

— For more fishy content and updates on upcoming educational programs check out the UF/IFAS Extension Collier County Florida Sea Grant Facebook Page, YouTube Channel, or Michael Sipos’s UF/ IFAS Blog. Contact Michael Sipos at sipos624@ufl.edu.

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Summertime Snapper By: Capt. Bruce Andersen

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n the Florida Keys, we’ve got a lot of different types of fishing available to us all year round. One type of fishing that always stands out for me is the snapper fishing available on the reef in the months of June through August. Fishing on the edge of the reef for Mangrove, yellowtail, and mutton snapper in depths from 30 to 90 feet of water can be very productive this time of year, especially for the mangroves. The last few years this type of fishing stayed hot all the way through the summer and should be a great option through the month of August this summer. Around the mangroves, I will anchor on the shallow side of any of my normal reef spots that I fish the rest of the year. Usually in about 40 feet of water just inshore of my normal yellowtail spots, I’ll chum heavy, and drift cut baits back in the chum slick on light 12-pound tackle and ¼ to ½ ounce jig heads while also fishing live baits like pilchards or cigar minnows on the bottom. I can usually get away with using relatively light tackle on the bottom as well. I’ll make up a rig on 20 lb. spinning tackle with a 2-ounce lead, a few feet of 30 lb. fluorocarbon leader and a light wire circle hook in the 2/0 to 5/0 size range depending on the size of the bait. Most days if the conditions are right, the mangroves and yellowtail will come up in the chum right behind the boat. There are even many days where the mangrove snapper will be eating the chum just a few feet behind the chum bag! On the bottom I will usually pick some of the bigger mangroves, and I have got a excellent chance at some mutton snapper as well. If I haven’t caught any muttons by the time I’m finished on the reef, I may want to head out to a little deeper water. So far this summer we’ve seen some phenomenal fishing for the muttons out in the 150-to-200-foot depths on hard bottom or areas around wrecks. If you would like to get out to the reef, get in on the action, and see what it’s all about give me a call and I would be happy to show you how we do it! — www.captaineasycharters.com You can reach Captain Bruce Andersen at Capt. Easy Charters, MM 85, call 305.360.2120 or email at: captbrucekey@comcast.net

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All Jigs Are Not the Same By: Joe Sheaffer

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f I had to pick one lure to fish, with no hesitation it would be a jig. I have a few shirts that I wear often with I GOT JIGS plastered on the front. I have quite an arsenal on my boat. I have different shapes, sizes, colors. If there is a piece of lead with a hook on it, I have one. During my bassin’ days, I loved to flip a heavy jig into thick grass or around docks, waiting for that awesome thump. With that being said, there is one jig that I tend to use more often than any other. The jig I prefer over others is a swim jig. A jig that is tapered in the front with a 45 degree hook off the front. I usually pair the jig with a small paddle tail or medium sized swimbait. Many times, I will also use a silicone skirt in the front of the hook, creating a larger profile. Because of the shape of the jig and the position of the hook shaft, the jig definitely swims through the water nat- There are times that the jig buries into urally. It comes through the grass, a quick change to a lighter grass and other forms of vegetation with little re- weight should fix that problem. The key sistance. I prefer a slow steady retrieve most of is to get the jig swimming just above or the time but there are on the top of the vegetation. times a faster presentation works better. A swim jig can be manipulated with jerks and popping actions, which can create erratic movements. Using different sizes or shaped plastics lures can add to the versatility of this jig. Paddle tails, swim baits, creature baits and jerk shads are some of the trailers that I use on the back of these jigs. I like to have a few different sizes ⅛ oz up to ⅜ oz for changing conditions such as heavy current, lower water, and thicker grass to name a few. There are times that the jig buries into the grass, a quick change to a lighter weight should fix that problem. The key is to get the jig swimming just above or on the top of the vegetation. I hope you have a chance to use this awesome presentation, good luck and keep casting.

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Smoking Hot Summer By: Eric Henson

ach day is getting a little bit shorter which gets us a bit closer to fall and as we head into the next season, this will trigger one of my favorite fish feeding frenzy times of the year! Fish will be schooled up and feeding heavily to prepare for the cooler months ahead. Look for birds diving as these fish push the remaining bait schools to the surface with violent crashes exploding the tops of the water! Trust me if you can get any type of bait in the middle, it is game on! Trout- Look for them to be in the 3-6 ft. depth range. They will be hanging out on drop offs and deeper grass-flats where the water temps are still a little cooler. Most snook will generally be stacked up in the passes and on the beaches for their annual spawn. Keep your eyes open for pods of them hanging close together and don’t be surprised if you run into larger schools as well.

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This is one of my favorite months of the year for redfish. These fish will be joining forces in huge schools scouring the flats for their next meal. A lot of the redfish will be upper to over-slot fish but tons of fun to catch! Sometimes at this time of year they become a little picky. When they are schooled up at this time of year, it is mainly for spawning purposes and that will be primarily the only thing on their minds. So, either move on to find another more cooperative school or try to patiently wait them out. Maybe even save one or two of those pesky pinfish or lady fish to use for a little cut bait. Sometimes a piece of chunk bait on a circle hook can be the golden ticket! Be sure to be safe, stay hydrated, and respect your fellow anglers on the waters at all times! There is plenty of water out there for everyone. Tight lines and Tight knots to all!

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The Reef is the Place to Be By: Capt. Chris Johnson

nd where you want to be in August! The mangroves and yellowtails respond well until mid-morning. But, when the sun gets high in the sky, the fish easily see your line, and the bite can slow a bit. When that happens, switch to bottom fishing the deeper wrecks. This time of year, you’ll need to use abundant quantities of chum, as the snappers on the reef are spawning and react best to copious amounts of food. We supplement our block chum with YellowtailUp and ChumDrop. We concentrate on the hard-hitting mangrove snappers as they are more aggressive and easier to catch. You’ll find them in the shallower, 35- to 50foot, depths. They average two to four pounds, but we’ve seen them as big as ten pounds! Live baits do the trick most often, including pilchards, small pinfish to about three inches and small ballyhoo. Some days, the mangroves prefer a

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chunk bait, such as a slice of pinfish or ballyhoo, or even whole dead pilchards. Drift these baits back in your slick the same as yellowtailing, or fish them on jigheads at or near the bottom. Slightly heavier leaders are needed for the mangroves, as their teeth can cut through the lighter leaders rather easily. And, with these bigger baits, we like to use larger Owner SSW hooks in either 1/0 or 2/0 sizes. Jigheads ranging in size from ¼ to ½ ounce will cover all current conditions. The yellowtails are less aggressive, so it’s best to use light You will also find wahoo mixed in. 15-pound leaders, small #4 to Trolling around these weed lines #6 hooks and small chunks of cut bait, such as ballyhoo, to mimic the pieces of chum driftwith lures that resemble flying ing in your slick. fish - typically blue and white Our typical setup for mangrove and yellowtail fishing is or blue and black patterns - will a 7-foot Star Stellar Lite 12- to 20-pound rod with a Penn provide the best results. Slammer III 5500 reel spooled with 12-pound Berkley Pro Spec and 20- to 25-pound Seaguar fluoro leaders. While you’re fishing on the Atlantic side, check out the deeper wrecks and artificial reefs for nice size mutton snapper and exceptionally large black grouper. The Marathon area sees muttons up to 20 pounds this time of year, although the majority are in the 12- to 14-pound class. Live ballyhoo, pinfish or cigar minnows are the baits of choice. June and July saw particularly good dolphin fishing, and we expect that to continue into August and September as it has for the last couple of years. This time of year, there are lots of weed lines and giant pads of grass, which is where you’ll find most of the dolphin action. You will also find wahoo mixed in. Trolling around these weed lines with lures that resemble flying fish - typically blue and white or blue and black patterns - will provide the best results. Also look for birds picking away at the grass, which will help you eliminate a lot of empty water in your search for dolphin. Those with an electric reel setup can search the bottom, looking for any sort of hill or deep depression to find tile fish, rosefish ad snowy grouper. Squid is the best bait for this. Lobster season opens August 6 and brings with it an influx of boaters not familiar with the Keys waters. Be mindful of the added boat traffic and be on the lookout for dive flags indicating the presence of lobster hunters in the water. If you want to try lobstering as a first timer, I recommend hiring a charter company that knows where the spots are and can show you the ropes.

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— Capt. Chris Johnson | SeaSquared Charters, Marathon FL 305-393-2929 | SeaSquaredCharters.com

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TIDE CHART KEY LARGO

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Islamorada, Florida Bay, FL AUGUST - Aug 2022 High

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