If the title caught your attention, regrettably we’re not talking about the fishing — we’re talking about the weather. But during the second week of July, that’s to be expected. Though the first week found fairly comfortable temperatures, the winds and storms made things interesting to say the least. Now conditions appear to be improving for the late week, but along with that comes the hot weather. Fishing in the morning and evening will help your cause, and that’s not to say you won’t catch anything in the middle of the day either, but your body will enjoy those early- and late-day trips much, much more. Water temperatures are reading in the lower to mid 80s.
If you managed to get out on the water over the weekend to fish, you are probably one of the bravest people I know. But, despite all of the boat traffic, vehicle traffic and boat ramp congestion, there were some of you who were going fishing no matter what was thrown at you and some of you even managed some respectful catches. Of course, those who were successful were those who hid in the creeks, the river or the ocean in hopes you didn’t get run over by some wayward weekend Jet Skier or boater who managed to stumble on your secret holiday fishing spot.
The flounder fishing has been good and appears to be steadily getting better with reports of lots of keepers coming from the deeper channels and along the mud banks, which tend to keep the water temperature down just a bit. Live Carolina rigged finger mullet and peanut menhaden, which are quite plentiful now, tend to be the better baits for the larger fish, while soft artificial baits will also attract some attention. Red drum are being found in the same locations as well as the creek mouths and around oyster beds.
Pier anglers had a little excitement last week with Johnnie Mercer’s Pier reporting a tarpon released, and a king mackerel and barracuda landed. In addition, several piers along our coast have reported either releases or hookups of tarpon during the past week along with a few king mackerel. Those fishing with fresh cut shrimp have reported some decent-sized spots for this time of year and some Virginia and pompano. Cut bait soaked in the sloughs have resulted in lots of reports of oversized red drum.
With all of the talk about sharks in recent weeks, for those who don’t know, there is a good fishery for these if you want a tug on your line. Drifting baits behind shrimp boats is a good tactic to target these fish, which do live in the ocean and, yes, also frequent our waters. Any live or dead bait drifted behind a shrimp boat culling its catch will almost always result in a rod- bending event. While some anglers elect to keep and eat their shark, depending on the species and if it meets the minimum size requirement, much of this fishing is strictly for fun and catch and release. Check your regulations and know how to identify your species before you elect to put one in the cooler.
Offshore, conditions have not been good but those that managed a quick trip before having enough of the bouncing around reported some dolphin and king mackerel action in the 10 to 15 mile areas. Not many ventured much past that due to sea conditions.
