The Tampa Bay Times
Although the summer temperatures are still high, rains have cooled the water slightly, stimulating a good bite especially from trout. Several grass flats in my area are thriving with trout. Soft plastics have been working well, but a livewell full of sardines will get the action going for sure. Chumming an area with a few baits can help guide you to the right part of the flat where the fish are hanging out. Watch for aggressive boils as the trout pop the surface of the water chasing bait. You’ll also find ladyfish, jacks and mackerel attacking the same way. I’ve been focusing on grass flats with depths from 4 to 8 feet. Snook are still cooperating but moving slowly towards the backcountry after their summer spawn. There are fewer congregating in the numbers they were, although there are a lot of single fish still hanging around near the passes. The beaches are still producing some redfish in the same areas where we were catching snook. Redfish in general are starting to appear more in the back country areas along the mangroves and schooling on the flats. Higher tides that contain cooler waters have been the best. Low tides during midday are difficult to catch fish as they are a lethargic. Target the flats and oyster bars early morning for the best results. Mangrove snapper are a good alternative within 2 to 5 miles of shore when the action is slow inside. Bait is very plentiful so chumming with heavy amounts of cut bait will draw snapper off of the rock pile. Freelining a cut bait into the chum line will work best.
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