 |
Take Me to Your Leader
Capt. Russ Walker
July 19, 2018
Cape Coral - Saltwater Fishing Report
Take me to your Leader
It's mid-summer July in Florida and it's plenty warm. Water temperatures in the Gulf were at 88.8 degrees yesterday and the fish have been hard to find. Not one Speckled Sea Trout and very few other game species were found to be prospective during last week's charters. Could it be from the Red Tide influence? Could it be due to inundation of the estuaries by the green slime algae making its way south? Not sure but…
I go through this year after year and I always come back to the same thing. Usually the magic number is at a depth of 5 to 5.5 feet where the sea grass ceases to grow due to light deprivation. During the cooler months of the year, many predator and game species are found at this depth. It sets up the perfect opportunity for tidal and storm surge to erode the edges of the grass flats. I refer to these edges as the super highways of the inter-coastal waters. I.E. Channel Breaks due to the fact that they are next to the areas where the water dives down into the deeper waters. (Others may call it STRUCTURE) Predator fish swim up and down this break, jumping up on the flat attacking and eating prey then diving back to the safety of the deeper channel water.
Normally, I set my Leaders under the bobbers for 4 feet and catch tons of fish with this approach. 5' of water depth, 4 foot leader and the bait lands right in front of them.Why then is it not working now?
I made an observation. Normally there is a 1 degree drop in water temperature for every 3 feet of depth. It is my opinion that a large majority of the local game fish species are seeking deeper cooler waters and will not be found at the normal magic 5-foot water depths. Guess it's not rocket science after all.
Today, I set all my leaders to 6 feet and we'll see where this takes us. I think they will be found safe and sound, healthy in the deeper cooler waters. Perhaps it will take me to even deeper depths, we shall see. I'll let you know.
Now for a reel personal question. HOW LONG IS YOUR LEADER? 😊
Captain Russ Walker, Tide Walker Charters…Every Trip is an Adventure.
Target Species:
Pompano, Trout, Mackerel
More Fishing Reports:
|
|
|
|
