Hello fellow anglers!
Captain Adam Morley here, president of the Flagler Sportfishing Club and owner of Genung’s Fish Camp. I’m excited to share with you the latest fishing reports for around our area.
The fishing has been great lately, with plenty of redfish, trout, and snook biting on top water baits along the grass lines, oyster bars, and other ambush points.
The redfish bite has been particularly strong, with plenty of slot-sized fish in the 18-27 inch range being caught including this 25” Red caught by my son Elon on a top water. We’ve been having a lot of success using top water lures with a “walk-the-dog” action/retrieval pattern as well as soft plastic baits rigged weedless on weighted hooks. Some of the best spots for redfish have been around oyster bars and deeper holes in the grass flats.
Trout fishing has also been good, with a few gator trout being caught. We’ve had the most luck using top water baits such as the Kiss My Fish “Creeper”, Heddon Super Spooks and MirrOlure Top Dogs. The best areas for trout have been around the grass flats and creek mouths.
Finally, the snook bite has been a bit more hit or miss, but docks lights with larger live shrimp have been the ticket for those with the occasional fish on top water in deeper cuts and canals.
We also got a report from Chris with Skinny Water Lures, he said due to the recent rain and the onset of summer, the tides have been very high, and the water is warming up, causing Redfish to shift their diet from crustaceans to baitfish. To catch them, try using a swim bait-style lure. Topwater baits work well during the early morning and evening, especially around pinch points. We recommend the High Bridge and Long Creek areas, where Redfish are active on both incoming and outgoing tides around oyster bars.
On low tide, the Reds can be found in the deeper channels off the oyster bars, while on high tide, they will ambush lures over the top of the bars. Spotted Sea Trout are also being caught in the same areas, in the deeper holes with moving water. Paddle tails or twitch bait style lures work well for catching them.
And in the surf we got this report from Berry with BS Surf Fishing Charters, The pompano bite is still going strong from Hutchinson Island down to North Carolina. If you’re looking to catch them, try to find areas with clean water and use ghost shrimp, fleas, or crab knuckles as bait. Multiple scents and colors of fishbites have also been effective in catching plenty of fish. Whiting are also present, with some measuring up to 17 inches.
This week, the water conditions have been fantastic – the best I’ve seen in a long time. However, the winds and storms coming in over the weekend may dirty up the water a bit. That being said, we can expect it to clean up again by late next week when the winds shift back to the north and east. Additionally, there are blue fish and jacks in the surf, and lady fish (also known as “poor man tarpon”) are starting to appear.
If you’re targeting trout, they can be found around the piers on fish finder or knock-it rigs. Recently, flea fishbites have been working well for me, especially when paired with the BS rig and sand flea floats.
Overall, the fishing in the area has been excellent lately, with plenty of opportunities to catch some nice fish. As always, make sure to follow all local fishing regulations and practice catch-and-release whenever possible to ensure the health of our fish populations.
Tight lines and good luck on the water! We’ll catch you back here next week for the Fishin’ Friday Report with Captain Adam Morley.