It’s mid-June and we are entering a critical time for fishing. June is a make- or-break month because as conditions get hotter, the fishing starts to slack off and once we enter the month of July, the summer doldrums start to take full effect. The good news is we are not quite there yet, and even with some extremely warm days, the water temperatures have remained steady around the 80-degree mark. The fish seem to be cooperating and there is actually a little bit of a cool down forecast for the upcoming weekend. The bad news is that when there is a cool down in the month of June, that normally means a cold front and some active weather. While rain doesn’t appear to be an issue this time around, the wind does, so if the forecast holds true, the boat fishing isn’t looking all the promising.
Offshore, the fishing up to this point has been pretty good with lots of reports of large dolphin being caught in the 30- to 40-mile range. Anglers are reporting fish coming from both trolling and light lines while bottom fishing. Areas further offshore have also produced dolphin as well as a few wahoo, but with water temperatures continuing to warm, finding those areas holding fish has become a little more difficult. The bottom fishing in the 30-mile range has been very good with reports of triggerfish, grouper, snapper and other assorted bottom feeders.
Closer to the beach, king mackerel are holding from just off the beach out to around 20Â miles. Amberjack are being found around the nearshore wrecks and reefs and will provide for some fun but muscle-stressing battles. Cobia continue to be a main story around the same areas as well as around the inlets. Some anglers are targeting them by sight casting large jigs and bucktails around the schools of menhaden while others are soaking baits on the bottom near the inlets and live bottoms.
The Spanish mackerel are still being found in good numbers in water depths around 35 feet and can be caught by trolling Clark Spoons on planers or sight casting small jigs to schooling fish. The sight casting for Spanish, however, has been limited to early and late in the day as the midday heat and sunshine is keeping the fish off of the surface.
Inshore, the fishing for red drum around the docks has been really good, provided you can power the fish out of the pilings. Live baits, such as peanut menhaden, and even cut bait will work to elicit some interest. Keeping the fish out from under the docks is a whole different issue and will take some practice and luck. Some keeper flounder have been caught around the same areas on live baits. Of course, if artificial baits are your preference, both species will also strike those if presented correctly.
The piers are reporting some bluefish and Spanish mackerel being caught on Got-Cha Plugs. Bottom fishermen using shrimp have had some luck with pompano, Virginia mullet and small black drum. The live bait fishermen are still waiting patiently and have reported some decent-sized Spanish and some barracuda.
