It’s been a tough week for Big Bend coastal anglers and the weekend prospects don’t look a whole lot better. Regular thunderstorms have dumped a lot of tannin-stained fresh water into the bay and the water temperatures are still hotter than a sauna. Elevated winds and more showers are expected Saturday and Sunday. But with August almost over, there’s definitely good inshore fishing on the radar as the daylight hours start to shorten.
Like it’s been much of the summer, the trout bite has been mostly relegated to the backcountry tidal creeks or depths approaching 10 feet. Early morning hours have consistently been more productive. If floating grass isn’t too thick, a topwater plug will generate interest. For the depths, try a 1/2-ounce DOA shrimp, Sureketch tout or Z-Man shad. Gold patterns typically work well in murky water, with pearl another option.
Redfish are much more tolerant of the heat and brackish water, but they haven’t been on fire lately, either. An Aqua Dream weedless 3/8-ounce spoon is the perfect search bait to locate cooperative reds. Cast around the edges of oyster bars, flooded grassy shorelines and creek mouths to entice red drum.
The flounder action should start picking up soon as the flatties begin staging before cooler weather moves them offshore. DOA CAL shad tails in Stark Naked or Mole with a 1/8-ounce jig head bounced off the bottom will produce these tasty scrappers. Sand troughs, creek mouths and drop-offs around oysters will concentrate the fish. If you catch one, fan-cast the area as others are likely in the vicinity.
There’s a little over one month to go in the CCA Florida STAR tournament and no tagged reds have been caught by registered anglers. At least one was boated in our area, but the angler had failed to sign up, losing out on his/her choice of a boat/outboard/trailer package. The tournament ends October 4. To sign up and be eligible, visit www.ccaflstar.com
Weaker tides are forecast for the weekend, with the lows well before dawn and highs cresting around the lunch hour. Incoming water will be less than 1.5 feet. The best solunar period is predicted for 11 am to 1 pm as the moon is down.
Good luck if you go and keep an eye out for lightning and thunderstorms.
Copyright 2020, Capt. Dave Lear. All rights reserved.