Hello from Surf City! Summer fishing is here, and that means an angler could have a good catching day, or a bad catching day. Of course, even bad catching days are good fishing days. What could be better than a day with your feet in the sand, sun in your eyes, and a fishing rod in your hand? There have been a good variety of fish caught, but none in huge numbers. The best angling continues to be on the inside, in the flats and tidal creeks along the ICW. Red drum are hanging out around docks on a falling tide, and along grass lines during rising tides. Live bait is working best, but the reds can be fooled with a jig and grub, Mirro Lures, small spinner baits, and even topwater lures. Speckled trout are in the deep holes in the back of the creeks where the water is a bit cooler. Get some live shrimp for the best action and the biggest specks. The flounder bite continues to improve, with some 18 to 20 inch fish being caught on live bait in deep holes near the ICW. Black drum and sheeps head are being caught around the swing bridge and the high rise bridge. In the surf, when the wind is not blowing so hard, flounder (some keepers) are biting live bait and Berkley Gulp Saltwater baits. Smaller undersized flounder are biting cut shrimp. Sea mullets, spot, black drum, and pompano are biting cut shrimp, with big pompano caught on sand fleas. The fleas are readily available on the beach now. Spend a few minutes digging and catch these big pompano, black drum, and puppy drum. Small snapper blues are also around, mostly on bottom rigs and cut bait. Some larger blues are coming off the piers with gotcha plugs. Spanish are rare, but a few are being caught. The king bite is here today, and gone tomorrow. About normal for summer.
So while fishing is not fast and furious like fall fishing can be, the persistent angler can catch enough for a good fish fry.
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Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny and Donna
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