Early morning bite was decent despite challenging conditions. Water temps hit 90 degrees in the river. Highlights included a 20" trout and a snook in a dock string, as well as a redfish on the edge of a grass flat. Bait activity was low.

I’ve been having a blast targeting big snook on the flats and tarpon in deeper water, mostly using artificial lures. It’s a challenge, but the rewards are well worth it. My fishing schedule has been a mix of morning and night trips, and I’ve found that larger snook and reds tend to congregate on flats with abundant baitfish. Keep an eye out for diving birds and spooky baitfish schools – these are usually good indicators of predator activity. Topwaters and paddle tails have been my go to lures, with 5″ topwaters and 3″ paddle tails producing the best results. When targeting tarpon, I’ve been focusing on areas with steep dropoffs, such as the ICW and dredged out areas around docks. While I haven’t gotten any tarpon to hit topwater yet, they’ve been loving the small paddle tail worked slow and steady. My favorite lures have been the Heddon Chug N Spook and Z-Man MinnowZ, particularly in Hot Snakes color. Tight lines!

I’ve been having a blast targeting big snook on the flats and tarpon in deeper water, mostly using artificial lures. It’s a challenge, but the rewards are well worth it. My fishing schedule has been a mix of morning and night trips, and I’ve found that larger snook and reds tend to congregate on flats with abundant baitfish. Keep an eye out for diving birds and spooky baitfish schools – these are usually good indicators of predator activity. Topwaters and paddle tails have been my go to lures, with 5″ topwaters and 3″ paddle tails producing the best results. When targeting tarpon, I’ve been focusing on areas with steep dropoffs, such as the ICW and dredged out areas around docks. While I haven’t gotten any tarpon to hit topwater yet, they’ve been loving the small paddle tail worked slow and steady. My favorite lures have been the Heddon Chug N Spook and Z-Man MinnowZ, particularly in Hot Snakes color. Tight lines!