PAGE
26
EMAIL:
WATERLIFE@COMCAST.NET
AUGUST 2019
August – Predictions and Suggestions Charlotte Harbor Frank at Fishin’ Franks 941-625-3888
BackBay Xtremes Capt Dave Stephens www.backbayxtremes.com
941-916-5769
Explore!
Fish with one of our Guides
FISH PIX!
from Water LIFE magazine
Jason DeVane -redfish out near the Gulf
Youʼll learn something and youʼll catch some fish!
FISH PIX!
from Water LIFE magazine
Jerry Pirillo caught this grouper 20 miles out of Stump Pass with Cap'n Tom Towne
Snook is the No.1 thing going on right now, especially along the beaches and shorelines. All the passes have a lot of snook. Early and late is obviously best. Bull and Turtle Bay have more mid- size snook, then as you come up the Harbor what you find are highteens to low 40-inch snook. It’s movement time for the snook. Most of the spawn is done, so they are moving back up the Harbor toward the 41-Bridge. A lot of people are catching snook right now. In the Harbor we have a splattering of Spanish mackerel... not great, but in good numbers. Mkr No.2, the Alligator Creek Reef and the Cape Haze Reef are all good. But the best mackerel fishing is in the shipping lane just outside of Boca Grandewhere the mackerel go marker to marker. Not many good offshore reports because the weather has sucked. We know permit and snapper are there, but so few people are getting out the reports have been sketchy. In the good news, redfish are coming back from whereever they went. From the Pine Island Sound they are moving toward the Myakka. Up in the Harbor, redfish are a dead bait thing right now, taking chunks of crab and chunks of fish. The weather at the end of July brought a lot of clouds that cooled off the water so the redfish bite is good. There are a ton of tarpon in the Harbor. The tricky part is they are not rolling and showing themselves very much. You’d think you could just drift around the 20-foot hole, with your bait close to the bottom and get one. The problem with that is there are some monster catfish down there, Bring some extra baits – the catfish are on their game right now! In the Myakka River, tarpon is also good. With all the rains the Peace up and rising again and that’s flushing the tilapia and cichlids out of the rivers... that brings the tarpon. Weather service says more and longer rains coming this month. I expect that will bring
out more black drum, snook and tarpon. The top predators will hit the 41 bridge for their meals. Black Drum is also still good in the canals. The 14- to 24-inch drum is popular now. Freshwater fishing is attracting more and more people. The Price and Hillsboro canals all have good moving water and those areas are showing almost spring time bass fishing conditions. Guys are switching from worms back to crank baits. Lures with a lip are good because the bass aren’t as deep since the water cooled off.
Lemon Bay, Placida, Gasparilla Sound Jim at Fishermen’s Edge 941-697-7595
People have had pretty good luck in the Bay, catching a lot of redfish and snook. Mangrove snapper have been really good. They are closer to the edge, going to the Gulf as they mature. Catching 14-to 15-inch fish right now is pretty easy. Spanish have been good on the tide change. There are some bluefish around, 4-to 5-pounders! Guys throwing lures caught them. Drum have been around at El Jobean - big ones.... along with snook and plenty of tarpon around in the upper Harbor. Still some tarpon coming and going in Boca Pass. Guys tell me they got into them in Lemon Bay, north of the bridge. They jumped a couple there. They go to their spot and watch the stage of the tide. Guys at the Tom Adams Pier have been catching snapper. The Placida Pier is good too, but it’s a longer hike - the Tom Adams is shorter. The offshore is good, but when it’s inclement in the morning with lightening the guys don’t like to go. Lane, mangs, AJs, banded rudder fish, and nice grouper are around... if you can get to them. Still some bass around. Guys doing OK on bass in the Rotonda canals, throughout South Gulf Cove and at the Sportsmans Park. The fish are smaller 2-pounders. The frog bite is pretty much what’s going on around here now.
Englewood Bait House live shrimp etc.
Head-Boat Trips Offshore Fishing 941- 475-4511