By Jimmy Tomazinis
mail@floridanewsline.com
When I sit down after throwing the net a few times and I can feel the sweat running down my legs, I can tell it’s officially uncomfortably hot. It definitely makes you appreciate the days you can get enough bait with just a couple throws. That being said, if you can stand the heat there’s fish to be had.
Shrimp started off a little slow this year and we even got skunked throwing for them on June 1. They showed up in reasonable numbers shortly after and of a better size, so I’m glad they’re here.
What I have been catching a lot of with the net are comb jellies. These little ctenophores are just one sign that our stretch of the river is saltier than normal. All I can say is make sure you rinse and flush your equipment right now.
As I expected the stripers have been biting really well on the bridges along with a few redfish. I’m glad they’re adjusting to the salinity levels because they can save a slow day of fishing more often than not.
I also need to make mention of the yellowmouth trout bite going on. It’s been a few years without them showing up in their usual numbers, but this year might make up for that. They are being caught on channel edges and deeper shell beds. Before shrimp season started, they were eating store bought shrimp really well, but I’d imagine some river shrimp would make the bite even better. This is a great fish to target with the kids since they can bring a lot of consistent action and you can literally drop baits over the side of the boat. If we get some sizable croakers in the mix that would be something special.
The usual suspects in redfish, flounder, and sheepshead can be caught around docks on our river shrimp. The redfish and flounder will also take artificials, but why not please all of them and put a shrimp down?
I haven’t heard anything about tarpon other than sightings here and there. They really are like a silver ghost for me because I’ve yet to see one myself. A big murky river is a great place to hide I guess.
I’m sure I missed a few things, but most importantly stay hydrated out there. Tight lines.
