 July 2010
The heat is on. But remember last year. July’s afternoon water temperature in the bay was reaching 91 and 92 degrees. My clients were still catching snook, redfish, trout and on some of those hot days, the inshore slam. It didn't matter how hot it was, the fish were biting.
I see the same scenario happening this month with snook, redfish, trout and other inshore fish. The waters are very clean and clear on the inside of Clearwater and Dunedin passes. The near shore and beach waters are also very clean. There is bait fish along the beaches and inside all of the bays from Bellaire Causeway to Anclote Key. That's why all of the inshore fish are so active, even during the heat of the day.
What's hot now? Snook on the beaches. I didn't remotely think that I would be saying that after the terrible winter we had and the devastating snook kill. But yes, they are out there and tearing up reel drags. The preferred bait is a medium to large live white bait tossed out in the zone. Also, a medium size grunt is hard for snook to resist. The zone could mean, on the beaches right up next to the break waters. It would help if there are some rocks or grass on the bottom and along each side of the passes. Look for ambush areas that the snook can hold on, waiting for food to come to them. Areas like, patches of grass, rocks or even a bend on the side of the channel. Always keep your bait fresh, lively and in the zone for best results.
Keep in mind that snook will feed best in moving water and may be finicky at times. When approaching these areas, be extremely quit, as it only takes a little noise from whatever to shut the bite down.
My equipment setup will be, 20 lb. braid with a 25 lb. fluorocarbon leader and a # 1 circle hook on a 7 foot spinning rod. Try one line with a float and another without. Determine which set up is producing and stay with it.
Remember to totally revive the fish before releasing. This will give the snook the best chance of survival. There's a lot less oxygen in the water when it's this warm so take your time releasing.
So get out there and catch'em up. Have your camera ready to snap a quick picture and release alive. Catching a trophy snook in our pristine waters is waiting. Give me a call now.
Capt. Gary guides in the Tampa Bay area, Clearwater and Dunedin.
Capt. Gary Burch
www.allcatchcharters.com
727 458-6335
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