Venice Inlet and the Gulf of Mexico
Capt. Dave Pinkham
August 10, 2003
Venice - Saltwater Fishing Report
August offshore gulf fishing forecast
It’s that sizzling time of year again. The month of August ushers in with it long hot days and warm sultry nights. Sounds sort of like an advertisement for some deserted island in the south pacific doesn’t it? Actually after living along the west coast of Florida most of my life, I’ve come to love this time of the year.
Sure, it gets hot! But it never seems quite as hot when you’re out on the gulf fishing. One key factor to beating the heat is getting out on the water early. Catching a sunrise as you cruise offshore toward you’re first fishing hole is always one of my favorite times of the day.
The Gulf of Mexico offers anglers plenty of different species of fish to target this time of the year. Following is a list of some of the most sought after fish that can be caught during the month of August.
Spanish mackerel should still be plentiful from just off the beaches on out to deeper water. These are easy fish to catch and when prepared fresh are excellent to eat. Trolling silver spoons just off the beaches or through surface action is pretty much a sure thing when targeting mackerels.
King mackerel make their major runs though this area in the spring and fall. Despite this fact, there will still be some big kingfish caught all though the summer months. Most of these “smokers” will fall for live free-lined baits. One method we use to “luck” into kings this time of year is by keeping a couple of lines out the back with live free-swimming baits. It’s a good idea to use several inches of piano wire above the hook on these rigs to avoid cutoffs.
Permit are still a good prospect this time of the year. On the slick calm days I’ve actually run across schools of them swimming at the surface. What alerted me to the permit school were their fins and backs cutting the oil slick surface of the water. A better way to locate them is by fishing over structure such as offshore shipwrecks, and the artificial reefs. Best baits seem to be live crabs and or jumbo shrimp. It’s always a good idea to keep artificial ones in your tackle arsenal just in case you get caught short-handed.
Shark! The word itself causes fear in both beach swimmers and surfers. For gulf anglers, August is a great time to hook into one. There are many different sizes and species of sharks swimming around offshore this time of the year. Generally, if we start getting cut-offs while bottom fishing it’s some sort of toothy critter such as a shark, or king mackerel. When this starts happening we just re-rig with wire. Usually the culprit will be a 3 to 5 foot lemon or black tip shark.
Gag grouper are a favorite along Florida’s west coast. This time of year the largest percentage of the bigger “keeper size” fish will be caught 25 to 50 miles offshore. Anchoring the boat down over hard rocky bottom is probably the best way to catch them. Heavy weight rod and reel combo’s baited and dropped to the bottom is the normal method for gag grouper fishing. A wide variety of natural baits can be used. Some of the preferred baits would be baitfish such as pinfish, grunts, threadfin, menhaden, frozen cut baits, octopus, squid, crabs, and shrimp.
Red grouper should be excellent over the next month or so. Seems like the hotter it gets, the more they like it. As with the gags, the best red grouper fishing most likely will happen out past 25 miles so plan on a full day of fishing if you want to hook up with the big ones. Just about any bait will work, and the smellier the better. Drift fishing with weighted rigs down on the bottom over likely looking fish shows could provide some of the best bites of the summer.
Mangrove snapper fishing should continue to be good through the month. Good places to find them will be rock ledges, ship wrecks, and the artificial reefs. Those spots that produce a few big ones during the day could provide a boxful under the light of a full moon. Best baits will include live bait fish, cut bait such as sardines and squid as well as shrimp.
Mahi mahi should make a good showing this month. Keep an eye out for weed lines and or jumping fish. Live bait fish cast alongside this floating sea grass will often draw hungry fish out from under the shadows.
Fishing action out on the gulf during the summer months can be very productive. On the deeper trips be sure to watch for blue water species of fish such as yellow fin tuna, wahoo, sails, and marlin.
Remember, if you’re too busy to go fishing you’re just too busy. Get out and go fishin, cuz it's good fer ya!
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