Hey folks! I’m back with a fishing update, or should I say lack thereof (but Chris has a good one below). I’ve been away at a family reunion and then busy on a fossil hunt for my son’s 8th birthday up in SC. As a result, I haven’t been able to hit the waters lately, and my fishing report is pretty much empty.
But fear not, because there’s some exciting fishing-related news on the horizon! The Flagler Sportfishing Club is putting together a Local Fishing Expo happening this Saturday, August 12th, from 9 am to 1 pm, at the Palm Coast VFW. This event is all about learning and mingling with local pros and vendors. They’re offering mini clinics on a wide range of fishing styles, from Surf Fishing to Freshwater, and they’re even covering unique topics like flounder gigging and artificial bait rigging and retrieval.
The best part? It won’t cost you a dime if you’re a Club Member, and if you’re not, it’s only $5 (which you can get back if you decide to join the club during the event). I’ll be there myself, eager to catch up with fellow fishing enthusiasts. So, if you’re experiencing fishing withdrawals like me, make sure to swing by, say hello, and share your latest fishing stories. Can’t wait to see you all there!
Chris from Skinny Water Lures mentioned the night bite has been going off, due to the very hot days. Trout and snook have been abundant, targeting dock lights at night on the ICW. Focus using a paddle tail with very little to no weight. No weight allows these paddle tails to stay under the light and in that striking zone longer. If there’s a current try to use the lightest weight as possible. Good numbers of tarpon are also being found around these lights.
Remember if you’re targeting these areas around docks to beef up your leader line. Make sure you have a leader that will withstand the abrasion from dock pilings. One key factor to dock fishing is to try and get those fish out from underneath the dock as quick as possible. Preventing those fish from wrapping your line around or cutting it off from the pilings.
You can find numerous different types of fish hanging around these lights at night. The dock lights will attract bait fish. The bait fish will school up under these lights allowing the predatory fish to target these areas to ambush the bait fish. Most of the time the predatory fish will be waiting in the shadows waiting to ambush the bait fish as they cross underneath the lights.
Also make several cast two to three feet into the shadows. A lot of times these fish will circle around traveling from dock to dock. Waiting in the shadows to ambush bait fish.
Early morning top water has still continued to produce great numbers of trout, snook and redfish. Target oyster bars, deep drop offs on high tide. Low tide target those deep drop offs around the oyster bars and pinch points. Redfish have been hanging around the oyster bars feeding on crustaceans.
A good amount of flounder are being found around the Matanzas inlet area. Find areas with moving water, bouncing a curly tail grub on the bottom will have them fired up.
Remember it’s hot, wear sunscreen, hydrate and stay safe.
Capt. Adam Morley
