Coastal Angler Magazine | July 2020 | Ft. Lauderdale Edition by Coastal Angler Magazine

FORT LAUDERDALE AREA EDITION

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UNDER the LIGHTS PHOTO BY CAPT. CHASE FULTON / WATER DAMAGE SPORTFISHING INSTAGRAM: @CAPTCHASEFULTON VOLUME 25 â&#x20AC;¢ ISSUE 304

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JULY 2020

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LIMITING OUT ON GULF SNAPPER

ast month, a couple buddies and I booked a charter for the opening day of Florida’s Gulf red snapper season with Capt. Brian Smith, of Big Bend Charters out of Steinhatchee. Capt. B. has a 34-foot power catamaran with enough room on the deck to play a game of volleyball. If you’ve ever been red snapper fishing, you understand the process. The day starts with loading the boat with tackle ranging from 8-pound light tackle to 30-pound bottom fishing rigs. A complement of frozen baits, including Spanish sardines, squid and chum blocks fill one of the big coolers. We ran out to a spot south of the Steinhatchee River and broke out light tackle to catch live bait. It’s basically bream fishing gear, using tiny slivers of squid to catch pinfish and other finned critters. All would be used to create an offshore smorgasbord for snapper, grouper, king mackerel, cobia and more. With the livewell full, it was just over an hour’s run at 27 knots to reach our first drop in 65 feet of water. We were anchored over a ledge with about 3 feet of relief. That doesn’t seem like much, but in the vast expanse of flat bottom out there, a small change in the topography can create an entire ecosystem. Each of us took a corner of the big catamaran and dropped live baits down. Before the bait could reach the bottom, our offerings were usually inhaled by either a grouper or a snapper. These were not small fish. The snapper averaged about 28 inches, and the grouper

were well in excess of the 24-inch minimum length. We would catch a couple fish at a spot and then move to another. The idea is that once you get a couple fish on the line, the remaining fish tend to get a bit finicky, and the bite can slow down. When a fish came on board, we paused for a quick photo and shouted “atta-boy” from across the boat. In all, we limited out on red snapper and had five gag grouper as bonus fish for the day. From first-hand experience I can tell you there’s no shortage of bottomfishing adventure to be had in the Gulf of Mexico. The Florida Gulf snapper season remains open through July 25. Alabama’s season runs Fridays through Mondays until July 19. Louisiana will remain open Fridays through Su nd ay s , and on

By Capt. Cefus McRae

holidays, until the state quota is met. Mississippi is open seven days a week with an undetermined closing date as fisheries managers closely monitor catches to avoid overrunning the quota. The Texas season ends Aug. 2 for charter boats and Aug. 3 for private vessels. As summer gets in full swing, give some thought to ways you can get outdoors, enjoy each other’s company at a distance and get rid of those social-distancing blues. Cefus McRae is host of the Nuts & Bolts of Fishing Series, contact him via e-mail at Cefus@ NutsAndBoltsFishing.com

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teamed blue crabs seasoned with J.O. No.2 or a custom blend that J.O. manufactures is the flavor people experience at crab establishments all over. Most people credit this crab house seasoning to another product but J.O. has been the crab houses’ seasoning of choice since 1945. J.O. Spice, started by J.O. (James Ozzle) Strigle and his wife Dot in Baltimore City in 1945, is celebrating its 75th Anniversary. A native of Tangier Island, Va., J.O. Strigle brought the seafood spice blend he created in his kitchen on the island to Maryland. Jane McPhaul, J.O.’s daughter took over operations of the family business in the late eighties while her son, Don Ports, was serving in the Marine Corps. In 1990 Don joined his mother in the family business with a vision to expand. In the summer of 1991 Don met his spice girl, Ginger, with the pick up line, “you’re destined to be mine; you’re named for a spice,” said J.O. Spice Company president Don Ports to wife Ginger Ports the moment they met. Twenty eight years later, Don and Ginger- alongside their children Brittany, Tyler and Bethany, are continuing the family traditions of quality seasonings, spices, and more at reasonable prices at their Halethorpe based J.O. Spice Company. “We can provide crab houses everything they need for the crab eating experience, minus the crabs”, Don says. The company added crab boxes, crab paper, bushel baskets, crab knives, crab mallets and a variety of other items to their offerings. “We purchased our first laser engraver and that opened the door to the retail gift world and personalized options,” Don says. J.O. specializes in custom blended seasonings for pizza companies, pit beef stands, butchers, potato chip companies and more. We are more than seafood seasonings. “My children, the fourth generation, and our amazing team work side-by-side to make all of this happen,” Ginger says. “At J.O., we are all family who enjoy working with so many other family businesses. We are blessed.” Please visit us at jospices.com.

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uring the 2016 Southern Kingfish Association National Championship in Fort Pierce, Fla., Capt. Steve Sprague of Team Tuppens used Garmin electronics with SiriusXM Marine weather to guide him on a last-minute change to his game plan that made all the difference. Moving south to warmer water identified by the Sea Surface Temperature feature of his SiriusXM service, Capt. Sprague guided Team Tuppens to an SKA National Championship with a $140,000 purse. With that kind of cash, it’s safe to say his SXM service paid for itself for many years! Capt. Sprague has relied on SiriusXM’s satellite-delivered weather and Sea Surface Temperature data for years to help locate edges of temperature breaks faster and stay ahead of the weather.

HERE'S WHAT THE PROS SAY ABOUT SIRIUSXM MARINE: “Using SiriusXM’s Sea surface Temperature feature I saw that cold water had moved in all the way down south near Jupiter, so we decided to head down there until the water temperature came up a little. That’s when we caught that big 62.33-pound kingfish which held on to be the largest fish of the tournament. The Garmin GXM-54 weather receiver allows us to receive SiriusXM Marine weather and other important water temperature data that helps us make critical decisions about where we fish. Without this information, I wouldn’t have known to make the decision to head south that ended up helping us win the SKA National Championship.” — Capt. Steve Sprague, Team Tuppens

Now SiriusXM Marine has added more fishing features in their newest, most comprehensive service package, Fish Mapping. Delivering regularly updated, science-based data via satellite to compatible Garmin multifunction displays, this service is available well beyond cellular range to help you find the hot fishing spots faster—saving time and fuel. Fishing features include recommended locations for specific game fish, Weed Lines, Sea Surface Temperatures and Front Strength, Sub Surface Sea Temperatures, Sea Surface Height Variance, and Plankton Concentration data. Fish Mapping also includes all the weather information in SiriusXM’s Marine Offshore package. SiriusXM Marine weather and fishing data are great for offshore anglers fishing in tournaments, taking clients on charter trips or just fishing for fun. For more information, visit www.siriusxm.com/FishMapping

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TROPHY HUNTING

Finding a productive pattern and making high-percentage presentations wins tournaments; it does not typically catch double-digit bass. Bass large enough for the record books are loners. Anglers who pursue them are looking for one big bite. Here’s a little insight on how successful trophy hunters fish:

LOCATION: With a few exceptions, large reservoirs are not the best trophy bass fisheries. It’d be a good wager that more giant bass are caught from jonboats than from high-performance bass boats. There is a south Georgia gentleman, who prefers to remain unnamed, who has caught countless 10-plus-pounders and several fish that weigh in the high teens. He’s made a practice of looking for out-of-the-way lakes and ponds. Upon getting landowner permission, it takes him a single trip to determine if he’s found the right mix of depth, water flow, vegetation and forage to produce monster bass. If the lake doesn’t have what he’s looking for, he moves on. If he sees what he likes, he fishes it hard, often at night and often concentrating on just one point or drop-off where the biggest fish in the lake is likely to be. The strategy is to make a thousand casts to the best holding water or to sit there quietly By CAM Staff for hours keeping a live bait fresh. When it comes to public waters, smaller reservoirs or hidden gems like oxbow lakes off productive rivers can be pay dirt. Find waters with a reputation for large fish, and then scour them with electronics for the edges where sunken creek channels with plenty of cover lie adjacent to shallower feeding areas. Keep in mind that large fish dominate prime holding areas. Find that magic spot, fish it hard, and it will produce year after year, even if hile perusing the various big-bass records lists, it becomes readily it’s just one big fish for a week’s worth of fishing. apparent that huge bass usually come from lakes with a bigbass reputation. Also, anglers appearing in these lists often have TACTICS: Giant bass don’t like to chase food, and they prefer large multiple large bass to their names. meals. Trophy bass hunting with lures is slow and tedious. Drag a big jig with There is a lesson here for anyone in search of their personal-best a chunky trailer across the bottom, Texas-rig a big 12- to 16-inch worm or largemouth. Whether it’s a 10-pounder or one that weighs into the teens, slow-dance a swimbait. Fish as slow as you can, and then slow down more. luck is rarely the primary factor that leads to a true giant. Most of the time Stick with it and remain vigilant. Remember that you’re fishing for one bite. anglers who catch monster bass use specialized tactics to specifically target If you’re not snooty about it, live bait will absolutely increase your odds. them. Go with the natural forage for the water you’re fishing. If it’s gizzard shad, These are not the tactics used by professional tournament anglers. fish a big one. Largemouth bass have huge mouths relative to their body size.

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TIME TO SWITCH TO SUMMER TACTICS

Keep at least one person on the sabiki until the livewell is completely full. Keep a big beautiful bait out under a float and one down 20 or 30 feet deep right around the outside of the circle of light. I like to call this area “the ring of death.” It is where the light dissipates into dark water. Don’t act surprised when a large wahoo swims right by the boat Tim Barefoot for a good look and then returns 30 seconds later to smoke a bait. The anticipation followed by the visible ferocity of a bite hen it comes to like this is exhilarating. summertime This time of year is also fishing, here when some of the snappers are some observations I’ve and the kingfish spawn. made over the years. Typically it peaks on a new Around the end of or full moon in mid July. June and the beginning of It’s a good time of year to July, changes in daytime catch a real “smoker” on temperatures and the light line. duration of daylight hours The night bite can be make it wise to fish at awesome this time of year, night. The major feeding but another advantage periods each day occur to fishing at night is the at dawn and dusk. It’s the comfort factor. Set up time of year when you offshore just before dark, need to set aside some and you don’t have to time to fish both inshore worry about sunburn. and offshore at night. Catch the livewell full of Offshore fishing can squid and baitfish, catch be red hot right now with U.S.A.F. Photo by William Blankenship fish all night, and be there the use of lights. Full disclosure: I know the owner of Hydro Glow and have used his products for the early morning bite. Get your work done in the early morning, then go home and get some sleep while the fish are “chillin’ out” in the cooler. for years. I am convinced the green light draws fish to the boat. I always anchor when I’m in water shallower than 200 to 250 feet, and this is a perfect time to put the lights out to attract bait like flying fish, For rigging and fishing videos, go to squid, sardines and cigar minnows up to the surface where they are very BAREFOOTCATSAND TACKLE.COM vulnerable to a sabiki.

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GILLZ PERFORMANCE FISHING APPAREL

ummer is here. It’s time to cast off and fish on. Gillz’ innovative fabric and design enhancements keep you cool and comfortable even on the hottest summer days. Gillz shirts move effortlessly and won’t cling as you twist and turn in a battle of wills with a feisty snook. From their 30 percent cooler GillzTec fabric to their cross-breeze ventilation system, Gillz strives to make its gear the freshest and most comfortable on the water. And of course, they provide all-day protection from UV rays that are particularly harmful during the summertime. So, grab yourself a t-shirt, shorts, a hat, a pair of sunglasses and rock the boat. Gillz has everything you need for a summer of tight lines. Summer fishing has never been so comfortable.

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JULY 2020

NATIONAL 13

FOUR DAYS

OF RED SNAPPER IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC By CAM Staff

PHOTO BY NICK CARTER

omething is better than nothing. That seems to be the consensus of anglers after NOAA’s early June announcement of a four-day recreational red snapper season in the South Atlantic. With open dates set for July 10-12 and July 17, recreational anglers and charter captains are hoping for good weather during what promises to become a mad scramble at boat ramps from the Florida Keys up the Atlantic coast through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. The well-known reefs and wrecks will be packed with anglers dropping baits and jockeying for position to catch their one fish per person, per day limit with no minimum size. For some, catching those limits won’t take long at all. Reports from captains in the fishery tell of areas where an over-abundance of red snapper is making it tough to target any other species. All the while, data used by federal fisheries managers indicates overfishing for the species is still occurring. Since 2017, the South Atlantic red snapper season has been curtailed each year. Since 2010, a cumulative total of just 37 days has been allowed in South Atlantic federal waters. In May of this year, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) was scrambling to make rule changes that would allow any 2020 season at all. Effective July 15, regulations require descending devices be on board and readily available on all vessels pursuing grouper or snapper in the South Atlantic. Non-offset, non-stainless steel hooks are mandatory north of 28 degrees north latitude, which is near Cape Canaveral. It’s a similar scenario to what played out with red snapper seasons in the Gulf of Mexico over the last decade. Bound by legislation, federal managers are forced to make decisions based on available data on snapper stocks. At the same time, anglers and groups pushing for angler access insist the data is badly flawed. According to the American Sportfishing Association, the trade organization that produces ICAST and lobbies on behalf of the industry, an updated and improved red snapper stock assessment is due in spring of 2021. In the meantime, recreational anglers must be happy with what they get, which is roughly 70 percent of the total allowed catch. Commercial anglers get the other 30 percent.

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his month marks the launch of CCA Florida STAR, a summer-long competition put on by the state’s leading organization dedicated to marine fisheries conservation. STAR invites anglers and nonanglers to participate and win prizes valued at almost $500,000, including boats, motors, scholarships and more. With an official start date of July 1, STAR focuses on conservation with its catch, photo and release format and unique garbage division. Additionally, the STAR competition is driven by its smartphone app, which promotes proper handling of species and allows participants to upload competition photos, eliminating the requirement to harvest or capture and transport fish. CCA Florida also uses the app to educate the public on the importance of protecting Florida’s marine resources. “In the past five years, it’s been amazing to see STAR participants catch more fish, release them back to the water and support recovery efforts – all to conserve and enhance our state’s coastal waters and marine resources.” CCA Florida STAR Director Leiza Fitzgerald said. “But, what’s been just as exciting, is awarding more than $1 million in prizes, including $500,000 exclusively for youth scholarships, to the thousands of STAR registrants.” The 2020 STAR competition is comprised of 17 divisions targeting 12 species. STAR’s signature category is the iHeart Radio Tagged Redfish Division, and prizes in this exclusive division include a Contender Boats 22 Sport, Pathfinder Boats 2200 TRS, Hewes Redfisher 16 and 21’ Carolina Skiff all powered by Yamaha Outboards. For the first two youth anglers who win this division, prizes include two Salt Marsh Skiff 1656 tiller boats powered with Yamaha Outboards, trailers, Minn Kota trolling motors and Humminbird electronics. This year’s newest division, the Tagged Dolphin Division (mahi mahi), offers one winner a $10,000 cash prize. The first STAR registrant and CCA Florida member who catches one of 20 tagged dolphins, tagged and

released in the coastal waters of Florida by the Dolphin Research program implemented by the Beyond Our Shores foundation, will win. STAR is a family friendly competition, and CCA Florida youth members (ages 6 to 17) can participate for free. Kids are encouraged to submit entries in the Youth Scholarship Division presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors for a chance to win a scholarship, with more than $100,000 available. Other divisions include ladies, kayak, guides and many more. Since most division winners are determined by a random drawing, it is not about the catching the biggest fish but submitting the most qualifying entries. STAR’s technology-based format encourages participants of all ages to protect and conserve Florida’s fisheries for today and future generations. Registration is open now and ends Oct. 4. Anglers must be registered to be eligible for prizes.

To register for STAR 2020 or receive additional information on divisions, prizes and more, visit ccaflstar.com or Facebook.

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ag grouper are rated E for everyone. The gag belongs to a family of over 400 different types of grouper. Florida’s favorites include black, red and gag groupers. Gags have long compressed bodies, and their coloring is unique to each fish. Generally, large gags have a darker brown or grayish tint. I have caught smaller ones that are lighter in color with dark brown markings. Their large mouths allow them to engulf large prey. Here are a few facts to keep in the back of your head. Gag grouper grow slowly, but they can reach over 3 feet in length and weigh more than 50 pounds. They can live as long as 30 years. They are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning they begin life as females and sexually mature at around the age of 4. As they grow and mature to around the age of 8 some of them become males. Gags like to dine on fish. Pinners and grunts are candy, squid and sardines are great dead bait, and you can occasionally catch one on crabs or shrimp. Gags are a structure-loving, shelter-seeking fish. Larger fish prefer rocky bottom offshore, while younger fish can also be found inshore on rocky and grassy bottoms. Popular homesteads for these fish include ledges and holes, and they party on offshore reefs and shipwrecks. Live bait or cut dead bait is the best option for beginning anglers, and a live pinfish or grunt is a gag’s drug of choice. Don’t forget that much of Florida’s coast requires a circle hook when bottom fishing, and the seasons vary as well. For the pundits, artificial options include vertical jigs, bucktails and trolling with deep-diving hard baits. Regardless of the bait used, one thing remains steadfast, the strike! Gags are a very aggressive and will fight to the end at all depths. These fish are the embodiment of power, and once hooked their sole objective is to return to the hole, rock or ledge from which they were plucked. If you are slow to react, you will most likely get “rocked up.” Grouper will flare their gills if given the chance to get back to structure, which literally locks them in place. I have learned a few tricks over the years to get out of this situation, and you will too should it happen to you. Heavy gear is a must for gags, as well as a locked drag. Gag grouper is a fish that can be enjoyed by even the most finicky of eaters. It is a lean, moist fish with a very mild flavor, large white flakes and a firm texture. A few Florida favorite recipes include the infamous grouper sandwich and grouper nuggets. For a refined palette, gag is a wonderful fish for a Moqueca. Rosemary White is active on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

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FROM THE

PUBLISHER

uly is here and that means that we have made it through the first half of 2020. It’s anyone’s guess as to what the second half of the year will bring us. Unfortunately, most of what is happening across South Florida and the world for that matter, is out of our control. Fortunately, we can control how we react to what does happen. Remember that it doesn’t cost anything to be kind. Kindness is infectious and can go a long way in improving someone’s day. Go out of your way to be kind and our world will become a better place. With temperatures climbing to the hottest we’ll feel all year, July is a great time for night snapper fishing. I like to leave the dock late in the afternoon and head offshore to hunt for dolphin for a few hours. As the sun begins to set, I’ll run back inshore to one of our artificial reefs and set up in 60 to 80 feet, drop the anchor up current from the spot and begin to chum. It’s important to use a chum bag with the larger holes to get your slick going. Use 12 to 15 pound spinning outfits with 3 to 5 feet of 20 pound fluorocarbon leader tied to a 1/0 circle hook or yellowtail jig on the business end. I like to use live shrimp for bait when available, but a variety of cut bait like ballyhoo or bonito will do the trick. Keep reelin,

GENE DYER

Editor & Publisher Coastal Angler Fort Lauderdale fortlauderdale@coastalanglermagazine.com (954) 680-3900

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JULY 2020

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ne of the keys to being a productive angler is always having a backup plan. We all know that sometimes they just won’t bite, regardless what you throw at them. Whether the mahi have lockjaw, the swordfish aren’t home, the current is just too heavy to yellowtail or the weather is not as predicted, we’ve all been there. When I’m preparing for a charter or fun fishing trip with the family, I like to have plans A through D covered. If your plan is to run and gun for mahi, I’d highly suggest bringing along a deep drop setup, some leads, rigs and lights as well. You’ve invested a lot of time and money running all over the ocean looking for weed lines or flotsam and can’t find anything. Switch it up and start looking for some groceries. Rosies, blueline or golden tilefish can help add color to your fish box. In most conditions, you might be able to deep drop and keep a surface bait ready for the possibility of a mahi that’s investigating your boat. There’s been several times when bringing the deep drop rig up, that we’ve had a mahi follow it up. It pays to be prepared. Last year one of my customers caught a 28 pound bull off Fort Lauderdale while we were targeting golden tilefish. You just never know! On a recent run and gun trip with a well full of pilchards, it was forecasted to be 1 to 2 foot seas, but as we all know, the weatherman can be wrong. By the time we got to 500 feet of water off Islamorada, it was a solid 3 to 5 feet. There would be no running, so we switched gears and put out a trolling spread. We had our first mahi in the box within five minutes. We continued our push offshore at a slower pace. We added a couple more fish to the cooler before we decided to look for some groceries. Bouncing some lead off the bottom in 500 to 700 feet produced some quality blueline tilefish and one of the largest rose porgies I’ve ever caught. As an avid angler, you need to be able and willing to forgo what you planned on happening and adjust to what is happening. Being adaptable will help you fill the box or keep the crew happy when the fish or conditions aren’t as expected. Even then, we sometimes still get skunked, but that’s what keeps us coming back. CAPT. RYAN PALMER Until next time, Family Jewell Fishing Charters 954-882-2631 www.fjsportfishing.com

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JULY 2020

FORT LAUDERDALE AREA 3

SPORT

FISHING

portfishing is a lot of fun in the summer. Trolling the reefs produces non stop action on bonito and kingfish as they are really thick out there. On some days, you can literally catch over forty 20 pound bonito on a half day trip. They are just everywhere. Mixed in with the schools of bonito are kingfish, wahoo and even sailfish. They all feed on the same baitfish, so it makes sense they would be patrolling the same territory. Blackfin tuna are also a great summertime fish we catch a lot of this month. Blackfins tend to travel solo this time of year and they are much larger than the football sized ones we've been catching the past couple months. The July blackfins we catch are full grown and well fed 25 to 30 pounders. We catch a lot of blackfins trolling around the Pompano and Hollywood sewer outfalls. Fishing around the shipwrecks can be good for some

DRIFT W

FISHING

e are at the start of the summer fishing season and the weather is getting hot. The action on the reef is even hotter as droves of bonito flood our waters. Bonito are a very bloody type of tuna that migrate through our reefs each year in massive numbers. They are incredibly strong for their size and put up a greater fight than most fish twice as big. Throughout the summer months in Fort Lauderdale we catch thousands upon thousands of them. They are already showing up and biting like mad. Right along with the schools of bonito are king mackerel, blackfin tuna and barracuda. They all feed on the same baitfish and travel together, but the bonito highly outnumber everything else. We have caught some really nice kingfish this month, a few of them smokers. Wahoo will usually travel within or underneath the schools of bonito too, so no matter how sure you are that the fish you are

4 FORT LAUDERDALE AREA

FORECASTS Nice blackfin tuna caught with Fishing Headquarters.

big fish too. Barracuda, jacks and sharks like to hang around the shallow wrecks during this time of year, while grouper and cobia fishing is good on the wrecks over 200 feet deep.

fighting is a bonito, fight every fish as if it were a big wahoo with a soft jaw. Fighting them smooth and steady catches the fish, while fast and jerky busts them off. Night anchor fishing was astounding during the full moon in June. We caught a ton of mutton snappers. They were snapping! Snapper fishing in general has been quite good. Yellowtail snappers are coming up really good in the chum line, right up to the back of the boat. Sometimes it takes a half hour of chumming to get them going, but once they start biting it's a blast. Some nice mangroves and muttons are down on the bottom, along with a few big groupers. There are usually some cobia that move through in July. Every few nights we'll get lucky and catch a big, fat cobia and always when we least expect it to happen. With little to no waves on most nights, July is a great month for night anchor fishing. The July full moon can sometimes be really good for muttons too. July 5th is the full moon. It looks like it should be a JULY 2020

Offshore fishing is picking up too. The mahi mahi have finally shown up for us and are forming up into some pretty large schools. This is a good season to head offshore and troll along

the weedlines, looking for birds and floating debris. If you've got a long trip, you can go out there and keep trolling around until you find a school of fish. Then just keep at least one in the water at all times, and pull out the light tackle spinning rods. You can sit on top of a school of dolphin and bail them all day. It's a blast. The dolphin are small ones, most of them schoolie sized at 3 to 5 pounds. This past week, we were live baiting with the kites in only 150 feet of water and caught a 54 pound mahi mahi, our biggest one all year. Usually for those monster dolphin, you have to go way offshore to find them, but this one came right into the reef. There's a lot of activity a mile and half off our coast which attracts some of the biggest game fish around. It's shaping up to be an excellent July fishing season. Tight lines.

CAPT. NICK COLOSI New Lattitude Sportfishing (954) 707-2147 www.NewLattitude.com

July is prime time for mutton snapper on the Catch My Drift.

great summer fishing season for everyone. Good luck out there fishing everybody. Sea ya on the water.

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CAPT. PAUL ROYDHOUSE Fishing Headquarters (754) 214-7863 www.FishHeadquarters.com

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FORECASTS

KAYAK

FISHING

Casey Debrecht won last year’s Summer Slam Junior divison with this 23 pound kingfish.

uly is here and with it comes solid fishing, the rain & tournaments. This month has produced some of my biggest kingfish catches to date in very shallow water. I have caught 30 pound kings in 60 feet. Of course with the heavy rains the fishing can get slow or the fish could move out to deeper water. Lately, the kingfishing has been on fire, with kayak anglers consistently catching 15 to 25 pounders. Use a 30 pound mono leader and a short piece of wire with a 3/0 J hook and the always important stinger. Targeting wahoo in July has produced some awesome catches in depths from 180 to 250 feet of water. I’ve caught some slobs really shallow as well in the 80 to 160 foot range on a full moon and an outgoing tide in the early morning off Pompano Pier, which is perfect for offshore kayak anglers. Try slow trolling with a downrigger mid depth for killer results. On your top bait use a live goggle eye

with wire and a stinger rig. The stinger is very important as most of my catches were only hooked by the stinger. If you are in a large school of bonito drop your live bait down deep and slow troll for solid results. Wahoo eat bonito so they will hang around under the schools of them. Wreck fishing can also be very good in July. Many anglers jigging on the deep wrecks for

Port Everglades Tides

www.USHarbors.com

Port Everglades, ICWW, FL - Jul 2020 High

Date

big amberjacks have gotten lucky with a nice 20 to 30 pounders. The morning bite is key, the sooner you make it out to those deep wrecks the better chance of you catching a beast, especially on an outgoing tide. If you’re heading out before first light, make sure you have all your kayak safety equipment, including a light. I’ve done well with a green or yellow glow in the dark color jig. We’ve also caught

JOE HECTOR 954-895-4527 Extreme Kayak Fishing Inc. joe@extremekayakfishing.com www.extremekayakfishing.com

Hillsboro Inlet Tides

www.USHarbors.com

Hillsboro Inlet (ocean), FL - Jul 2020

Low

nice gag groupers and snowy groupers off Fort Lauderdale and Pompano at those same wrecks. If you're using live bait, make sure your leader is over 10 feet long.. Blackfin tuna are slowing down some in the month of July. You can still catch some jumbos from time to time and large schools of the small tuna will still roll through around the full moons. Blind jigging has been pretty effective for catching a passing jumbo, but try around the deep wrecks in 200 feet or deeper to increase the odds. The pink jig has always been my go to for blackfins. Be sure to check out the Extreme Kayak Fishing Summer Slam Series in Pompano Beach on August 29th. For more information on this one of a kind tournament series go to www.extremekayakfishing. com or find us on Instagram @ extremekayakfishing.

High

Date

Moon

Low

Rise

Set

6:31

8:17

Wed

5:23

2.6

6:15

2.8

11:47

-0.5

Rise

Set

6:30

8:18

-0.6

6:30

8:18

-0.6

6:31

8:18

2:25

-0.6

6:31

8:18

0.0

3:14

-0.6

6:32

8:18

3:45

0.0

4:02

-0.4

6:32

8:18

2.8

4:32

0.1

4:49

-0.3

6:32

8:17

11:49

2.7

5:19

0.1

5:35

-0.1

6:33

8:17

12:04

2.5

6:06

0.2

6:21

0.1

6:33