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Venice Inlet and the Gulf of Mexico
Capt. Dave Pinkham
July 16, 2007
Venice - Saltwater Fishing Report
July Gulf Forecast
Looking ahead into the month of July local anglers should anticipate some great action on the Gulf. As the air and water temperatures continue to rise the fishing activity will heat up as well.
This time of year weather can play a major role in what anglers are able to accomplish out on the Gulf. As long as I can remember the month of July means afternoon thunderstorms, so to help avoid getting caught in inclement weather I recommend getting an early start for those long offshore runs.
Since we’re talking about weather keep in mind that tropical type weather systems are always a concern this time of year which means any boat owner that intends to fish offshore needs to be in tune with the most up to date weather reports, as well as monitor these reports throughout the day. If there is a current report of shifting weather and or you begin to observe building clouds that may indicate possible severe weather, consider heading in closer or calling it a day, there will always be other days to fish.
Now that the Gulf is considerably warmer the short bottom inside of 50-foot deep will not produce as many keeper grouper as in the cooler months of the year. With this in consideration, anglers looking for keeper grouper will need to plan on a full day fishing trip. Of course there are plenty of other kinds of fish that you can target on the shorter trips.
Following is a brief Gulf fishing forecast for the month of July. Keep in mind that summer fishing action can be outstanding on the right days.
- Spanish mackerel should be in close to the beaches throughout the summer months which allows easy access to this great fishery to just about everyone. One of my favorite ways to catch them is to net up some live shiners for bait and head out on the Gulf for some action. Anchoring the boat and free-lining the live bait on the surface works best. If action is slow or non-existent try chumming with some of the live shiners. If still no mackerel try moving to another area. Just a short move can sometimes make all the difference in the world. Keep an eye peeled for mackerel feeding on small baitfish at the surface. Trolling silver spoons behind planning boards is a great way to search for new fishing grounds. Mackerel love to hang over hard bottom or in tide rips which often will hold the baitfish they feed on.
- Little tunnie are a great sport fish and summer is the time to catch them. Tunnie will often show up just about anywhere and feed readily on live baits and will often hit cut bait as well. Another good way to get a quick hookup with a tunnie is to find them feeding at the surface and drive the boat within casting range. Cast a small spoon or sliver jig into the feeding fish and reel as fast as possible.
-Dolphin or Mahi are another fun fish to target in the warmer months and as hot as this summer is starting out I’m thinking it will be a good one for dolphin. The deeper trips out past 20 or 30 miles will be where the mahi are found. Once you get out there be on the lookout for large bunches of sargassum grass or any other flotsam. One way to fish for dolphin is to pull up along side the grass and sight cast to fish as they swim just below the surface. Try live using free-lined bait when fishing this way. Often the larger dolphin will be feeding down deeper below the smaller fish. You can also try deep trolling along the edges of the weed lines. This will often produce the bigger fish.
-Trigger fish are some of the best eating fish you could imagine and now is a good time to catch them. I think the best locations to find them are around rock piles, ledges, and the artificial reefs. Because trigger fish have small mouths rig down on terminal tackle accordingly. Best baits are shrimp, shiners, and squid.
-Snappers such as mangrove, lane, yellow tail, mutton, and American red are all real possibilities on the Gulf all summer long. Generally they will be located over hard bottom, ledges, springs, and wrecks. Snapper can be somewhat finicky at times so it can be wise to use as light as gear as possible. For leaders consider using fluorocarbon monofiliment as it is less visible to the fish. Night fishing over wrecks in the periods around the full moon when conditions are right can be very productive. I prefer natural baits such as crabs, shrimp, live shiners, and squid.
-Gag Grouper are caught on the Gulf all year long although in the summer months they can be more difficult to locate then their cousin the red grouper. Gags usually hang out closer to structure such as wrecks and ledges. Live baits will often entice gags to turn on especially in the heat of the day. Good stiff stand up tackle works best here.
-Red Grouper are one on the surest ways to put slabs on the table in the hot summer months. Look for the larger reds out past 70-foot deep. One way to locate them is by drift fishing over hard bottom. When you do locate a bite of red grouper throw your marker jug. Now you can re-drift the same area or anchor the boat over the marked spot. Red grouper are known to eat just about any kind of bait. A good method I've found to use when drift fishing is to tip a 4-oz jig with squid and just bounce it up and down on the bottom as you drift along.
-Cobia generally will scatter all over the Gulf in the summer months. In the past I’ve caught them while sight fishing the weed lines for mahi. Cobia are known for their fighting ability as well as their good eating quality. It’s always wise to have a good casting rod set aside in case a cobia shows up swimming under the boat.
-Sail Fish are usually caught on this coast in the warmer months of the year. To locate them with any consistency you will need to start at least 40 miles out. As when fishing for dolphin look for weed lines and surface activity.
As you see there is a lot of variety this time of the year. Once again I'd like to caution you to keep a close eye on the weather. These thunderstorms can build quickly. Also please remember to handle the fish to be released carefully and be courteous to other anglers too.
If you're not out fishing, you're wishing you were. Get out and go fishin, cuz it's good fer ya!
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