Despite the abundance of storms, wind, heat and people, the first week of July has produced some pretty decent fishing. Water temperatures are reading in the low-to-mid 80s, not a perfect range for midsummer fishing, but the fish don’t seem to be too bothered by it yet. The weather for the week looks to be typical for this time of year although a tad toasty. Unfortunately the wind and sea conditions don’t look all that ideal for the offshore angler but those fishing from the beach or piers or inshore waters should be able to find a fish or two to tug on their line, especially now that the crowds should have subsided just a bit. Hopefully the upcoming weekend forecast will be more boater friendly for those who want to venture off the beach.
Inshore, the fishing has been pretty good for anglers targeting flounder and red drum. With the water temperatures being so warm, the fish will be holding in locations with cooler water, which is in the inlets and the deeper creeks and channels as well as in the shade of docks and bridges. Moving water is also a must. The baitfish are plentiful, so if a Carolina Rigged live bait is your preference then you should have no problems finding enough bait for a day’s outing. Those fishing soft artificial baits are also having plenty of luck, although they’re working a bit harder in the heat.
Surf and pier anglers are finding a variety of fish eager to bite. Those fishing with fresh shrimp are finding some decent-sized Virginia mullet, black drum and also some nice-sized pompano along with a few small croakers and other assorted bottom feeders. Some bluefish, red drum and a few flounder have been reported coming from both live minnows and cut bait soaked in the deeper holes and sloughs.
Anglers targeting king mackerel from the end of the piers have had a few strikes but limited action from the kings. They have, however, been rewarded with some visits from a regular summertime friend — the tarpon — although this summer seems to be producing a few more visits than usual. One angler managed to catch and release an 84-pound silver king, as they’re also known, last week from Johnnie Mercer’s Pier and area piers to our north and south have also reported several tarpon being hooked with a few caught and released. Since there’s no food value in these fish, most are released.
Off the beach, those live baiting have also reported some action from tarpon. King mackerel fishing has been good from the beach out to around 10 miles. Some more inshore dolphin have been reported around Ten Mile Rock but the better fishing is being found starting around 20 miles off the beach. The bottom fishing has been good for grouper, snapper, trigger fish and black sea bass in water depths starting around 100 feet.
As always this time of year, fishing early and late in the day will increase your chances of finding some fish. Make sure to pay attention to the forecast, especially with the chances of thunderstorms, which are typical this time of year. With the abundance of smartphone apps out there, checking the weather radar when you have a signal is always a good idea. If you’re out of signal range, there are plenty of friendly captains that have radar and will be more than happy to provide you with weather-related details, should you find yourself caught near an approaching storm while offshore.
