August 2017 Florida Kayak Fishing Forecast

August 2017

By Neil Taylor and capmel.com kayak fishing staff contributors

Around the state:

The month of August.    70% of the time, some great action.     The more rain, the better the fishing.   Cloud cover means cooler water.   Expect a lot of rain.  Expect great fishing IF you go at the right time.     All over the state:   Great fish will be caught.

The Tampa Bay region–

Catch as many species as you can this month!

New hatches of baitfish maturing all over the Tampa Bay region will attract a variety of species.   Mackerel, ladyfish, jacks, tarpon, snapper and speckled trout will be located around the baitfish schools in the deeper waters.  Hovering birds tip off the location of feeding fish and exciting action.  For another month, best results will remain:  early morning, very late afternoon or the nighttime fishing.

Pompano will be in the passes and on nearly every bridge fender inside Tampa Bay and will be caught on The Silly Willy jig.  Add a “teaser” to the jig for added attractiveness.  The smaller pompano of early summer will give way to the larger ones that are returning inshore from the spawn.   Anglers may have to fight through the mackerel and other species to get them, but the tasty pompano is a tremendous August target.  Use 40-pound Seaguar leader line to prevent cutoffs from the toothiest fish.  The deeper the water or heavier the current, the heavier your Silly Willy jig should be.   Various colors work but yellow is tough to beat.  For the teaser, the white, yellow or pink are great choices with pink as the top choice.

Black drum?  Same spot, same lure.   They are HUGE so you need to be ready to pull them away from the pilings/fenders/pads.

The host schools of the juvenile redfish will also be available.   That game plan should remain a “sunup” or “sunset” selection on good tides.   Consider looking a little deeper than you would normally target them, in two to three feet of water instead of the less than two feet.   Do not be surprised to see the arrival of the mammoth variety of redfish this month.  Schools of the huge females will arrive sometime during the month and require heavier tackle.  Herds of redfish that are all over 40-inches are not difficult to see-   A huge section of copper colored water will be the school of these oversize beasts.

Tarpon will be on the shadows of the big bridges inside Tampa Bay for nighttime action.   Mangrove snapper will be invading the inshore waters piling up on bridge pilings, rubble, wrecks and under docks.   Nighttime snapper fishing should be exceptional when the tides are moving briskly.

Rounding out the action, there will be decent deeper water action for flounder and speckled trout. Stay in areas with deeper grass and sand with substantial current.    Lures and baits kept down near the bottom will get eaten and with the heat of August, the slower you move it, the better your results.   Silver trout are still here if you know where to find them.   Whiting, same thing.   Deep basins are the key.

To up your total on species, hit rocky bottom areas and add in seabass, sheepshead and a variety of other species that could be there.

Kayak Fishing Skool for August, a new location:  A great situation.     August 24^th.   Efficiency in Kayak Fishing

Daily Updates, join Strike Three Kayak Fishing on Facebook. 

In the Southwest “Suncoast” area of Florida, Steve Gibson says:  I anticipate very good beach snook action as look was
the weather cooperates. August normally is the peak month for this
exciting activity. Large fish have been pretty common throughout the
summer. In Sarasota Bay, look for decent action on spotted seatrout,
snook, ladyfish and mangrove snapper. In local lakes and rivers,
expect good bass, bluegill, channel catfish and shellcracker action.

Florida East Coast:  Fish early for sea trout and redfish using topwater plugs on the surrounding flats at the Inlet. Look for bait pods and cast just past and around bringing your lure through. Brute black drum are always a possibility to run into.   Trout will be found nearby following these baits, usually in deeper water.  We hope that algae blooms don’t become a big problem again, this, the hottest time of year.

In the Big Bend of Florida’s Panhandle,    The guys are reporting great action throughout the region for trout, redfish and flounder.   Kingfish, cobia and pompano are also options for the kayak anglers.   By kayak, interesting options both offshore and inshore.    .   Call Rob or Brad to talk over the opportunities around Wakulla and Panama City.      To see Rob’s operation, check out:  http://www.tnthideaway.com/ .   If you are going to be in Panama City, stop in and see Brad and his staff at Sunjammers:  http://sunjammers.com/

In Northeast Florida:

August should be a lot of a continuation of last month which is trout and redfish and of course some really big flounder.  Most of the fish have been active morning and evening but the midday action around the passes will be pretty decent.      We have some people who do very well “shrimping” this time of year.     Dip nets are an option but the people who connect big use castnets.

In the greater South Florida area:

The Everglades, Flamingo anglers are enjoying some great action but come back a pint low if they do not remember the correct supplies.    Get a bug suit and load up on repellent, we’ve got great action down here.    Tarpon are a great bet.      Around the rest of the region, you can pick your species and go for it.    Beware of stormy weather on extreme trips.   Kayak anglers have faced some perilous situations, something that is best to avoid.    Join up with a friend if you want to do something like this but be ready to weather the storms.      Drink lots of water, enjoy what August has in store.

The tip of the month:

Repeat from August 2014 (a “Kayak Fishing Skool” theme)  Do NOT place items on the roof of your vehicle.   The proper place is “in your car or in your kayak” and no other points between.   One capmel.com follower can tell you his story.     Two weeks after he lost his dry bag (he drove off with it on his roof leaving Fort Desoto) I saw something interesting along I275 and pulled over.     The item:  A dry bag with two items.    A pretty substantial amount of money and a cell phone.     The cell phone battery was dead but I noticed that it used the same charger I use for my own.   So when I charged up the phone and turned it on I was able to find this man’s wife’s number and called it.   The dry bag and its contents returned, he was thrilled to recovery his property.    If you set things down on the ground, the roof of your car or anywhere else than in your vehicle, one distraction and you may lose it.

Need help learning how to kayak fish?   Hire one of our guides on staff for your region and take advantage of their knowledge and sharpen your own skills!  Instructional kayak fishing trips are an investment in your fishing future.    Let one of our guides bring your skills to the next level.

Get out and into the action but as always: Be careful out there!

Neil Taylor, www.capmel.com site administrator