September 1, 2020
The Tampa Bay area will be alive with activity this month, with better action for all species as the sunlight becomes less intense and Fall tries to beat down summer. Best results may shift anglers from the beach areas to the docklights and mangrove shorelines. Many fish will visit the troughs and beach swashes to feed but will also spread into other areas. The docklights at night gives anglers an option to avoid the heat but locate the fish. Redfish and trout will be under the docks. New hatches of baitfish during the previous months will attract a variety of species. Mackerel, ladyfish, jacks, snapper, flounder and speckled trout will be located around the baitfish schools in the deeper waters. Hovering birds tip off the location of feeding fish. Throw them the 3-inch 12 Fathom mullet with 30-pound fluorocarbon leader. Move the lures slowly to get the trout and flounder and faster to connect with mackerel, ladyfish and jacks. Pompano can be caught in this scenario as well, bouncing the Silly Willy jig (yellow) with a pink teaser, down on the bottom creating puffs of sand. They are here in great numbers and provide a great battle.
Redfish will start to gather up in much larger numbers this month with larger redfish moving inshore as well. That makes them easier to find as they “push” water as they move through an area. They will eat the 12 Fathom lures and other natural baits placed in their path. Not what they used to be, there are more to tangle with than there have been in seven years.
Flounder action should improve. Keeping baits and lures “on the breaks”, where rocks meet sand, grass meets sand or up against craggy structure will lead to hookups! Larger sand patches in the middle of deeper grassflats will also hold some very big flounder this month. They have lagged behind for a number of years but at some point should return in numbers. When will it happen?
Pompano, second year in a row, just not strong. Why is that? Poachers? Natural variations? 2017 and 2018 the pompano action was great. Last year and this year: Not.
Silver trout were missing for nine months. Very strange. But they are back and in the last ten days, improved size. The ones we harvested, full of eggs, the future of silver trout looks bright. Most people just don’t take advantage of it. It they did, I’d be selling more pompano teasers. The pompano jig and teaser is the way to do it. Whiting have been in the silver trout hole good for two weeks. The silver teaser is best for the whiting. I tied 100 of those for anyone who wants to jig whiting.
August, often busy with tropical weather. What will we get this year? September is peak time and it is here. Usually a slow time for charters, how much high wind and stormy weather is coming?
Neil Taylor
“Instructional Kayak Fishing”
www.strikethreekayakfishing.com
(Cell) 727-692-6345
LivelyBaits@aol.com
- The Neil Blog… - July 26, 2023
- The Catfish - July 26, 2023
- update - July 22, 2023
