The strategy for August is to fish when you can, couple of things to avoid, is the heat and afternoon thundershowers.  If you can only get out in the afternoon there is plenty of fish to target as the sun sets and night falls.  Some of the best Tarpon and Snook fishing happen on the afternoons outgoing tides.  The live bait remains plentiful, be ready with the larger mesh to catch the larger baits and avoid the smaller newly hatched bait getting gilled. Or throw a smaller mesh if all you find is the smaller baits, when it comes to catching fish, any bait is better than no bait. 

  For flats fishing, be sure to adjust the size of hook you are tying on according to the size of bait, I go from the smallest being a #1, the largest #2/O.  Be careful of not loading your live well too full or you will kill most of what you netted.  You can always net some more throughout the day if you are using a lot of bait. 

  Snook fishing will continue to test the best this summer.  Any Snook left after this winter have been stressed out with heat and pressure from anglers and have most likely learned a few new tricks.  Changing up tackle and approach will be what separates a catching trip from a boat ride.  Try free lined and corked baits when fishing in currents along edges, cuts and troughs.  If whatever you are doing isn’t working, leaving is a good option and coming back at a different part of the tide will often improve results. 

  Tarpon will continue to draw anglers out to Egmont Key, Passage Key and Tampa Bay. There are a number of areas and techniques often overlooked by new and experienced anglers and a lot can be learned from observation.  A long handle dip net is a must when trying to scoop up crabs being flushed out on the tide.  Some anglers will tell you there is only one kind of Tarpon bait.  Regardless of what you are told, find bait that works for you.  In reality I believe whatever baits are most prevalent, that is what is going to work the best at the time.

  Grass flats will always be a great provider of some action, as long as the water is moving.  Looking at fixed objects in the water, buoys, bridges or channel markers will show water bending around if the tide is moving.  When drifting across flats, have an anchor ready to deploy, this technique will help you cover ground in unknown areas, and when the rod bends, lower the anchor.  Be sure to allow time for your bait to reach the tips of grass, especially when fishing deeper grass.  Using a cork with a 2 foot leader in 6 feet of grass will not be as productive as a free lined bait drifting deeper.

  Spanish Mackerel will continue to fray up and cut off our hooks, if you have this happen, don’t go up in leader, first tie on an extra long shank hook.  I don’t use the wire leader unless necessary due to the reduction of fish caught.  The wire is far more visible that monofilament of fluorocarbon leader and will spook more larger and discerning fish.