Best bet
Paul Ripa of Rippys Bait and Tackle in North Miami Beach reported that the Newport Fishing Pier is now open and pier anglers are catching scattered bluefish and sharks. A few schools of tarpon also have taken up residency at the pier. On the reefs offshore of Miami mangrove snapper are spawning at night.
Miami Dade/Broward
Captain Quinton Dieterle from the charter boat Cutting Edge out of Key Biscayne reported a nice blue-water edge moved in on the reef and lots of bonitos and a few schoolie dolphins could be had along that edge. … Captain Paul Roydhouse of FishingHeadquarters.com out of Fort Lauderdale reported mangrove and mutton snapper fishing has been very good on the reefs, especially at night. Live pinfish and cut bait is getting the snapper bites.
Keys
During the Islamorada 50th Tarpon Fly Fishing Tournament 25 anglers fished five days in a row to try and win the 2013 Gold Cup. When all was said and done, angler Ron Halstead from Texas and captain Brian Helms teamed up to land three weight fish that were released unharmed plus six other tarpon that were released for a total of 4,503 points to take the Grand Champion honors. … Captain Bill Hauck of the party boat Sea King out of Marathon reported that the nighttime mangrove snapper season has started and, since the full moon, large numbers are eating cut baits and live pilchards fished on the bottom in 50 to 100 feet of water.
Treasure Coast
Captain Kevin Drennan of Slammer Guide Service out of Stuart reported offshore fishing has resulted in a mix bag all month. Dolphins have been mostly hit and miss with some days producing big numbers of schoolie dolphins. Sailfish are being caught and released in areas where bait pods have been holding, especially in depths from 60 to 120 feet of water. Cobias have been schooled up along the Bull Shark Barge and the Sand Pile. North of St. Lucie Inlet kingfish have been eating live threadfin herring in 50 to 60 feet of water. Lots of bonitos are being caught in 80 feet of water and on the bottom small black sea bass, trigger fish; vermillion, lane snappers, bluerunners and almoco jacks also are available.
Florida Bay
Locals Dennis and Vicky Horn fished out of Flamingo in Florida Bay with 4-pound line with tipped and plain jigs and caught more than 70 fish. Included in their catch was snook to 26 inches, tarpon, and sea trout to 6 pounds, redfish to 8 pounds, tripletail, and mangrove snappers. … Captain Jason Sullivan of Rising Tide Charters reported finding and catching lots of tailing redfish and snook on the shallow flats outside of the Flamingo boat ramp. All of the fish ate top water artificial lures. … Natalie Block, 9, from Plantation, fished with her father, Mark, and brother Andrew in Florida Bay with captain Alan Sherman of Get Em Sportfishing Charters and caught and released her first snook on a live pinfish fished under a Cajun Thunder float.
Southwest Coast
Captain Lisa Williams of SeaGone Fishing Charters out of Marco Island reported that due to lots of afternoon thunderstorms and high temperatures, the mornings have been the best time to fish the waters of the Ten Thousand Islands. Snappers are moving into the deeper water of the passes and eating shrimp on a light weight. Plenty of snook can be found around the passes and points for catch and release. Flounder, sea trout and sheepshead are in good supply and can be caught over the grass flats using live shrimp under a float.
Freshwater
Captain Michael Shellen of Shellen Guide Service out of Buckhead Ridge reported loads of largemouth bass are holding on the east side of the Lake Okeechobee. Many of these are first-year fish, but there are some large bass mixed in with small bass. Spinner baits have been working early in the day and then flukes and soft plastics fished slow and near the bottom are getting the strikes late in the day. … Joe Schillace of Weston fished the C-30 canal with fishing guide Alan Zaremba and caught 52 largemouth bass and 15 peacock bass to 3 pounds using Gambler ribbon tailed worms, Flappin Shads and Mirror Props.
Capt. Alan Sherman
Super Bowl standout Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens will host the 2013 UM Sports Hall of Fame Celebrity Dolphin Tournament on Friday and Saturday in Islamorada. Headquarters is the Postcard Inn at Holiday Isle. Other football celebrities include: Warren Sapp, Ted Hendricks, Jim Kelly, Brett Romberg, Gary Dunn, Damione Lewis, and Randall Hill. For more information, visit www.canesfish.com or call tournament director K.C. Jones at 305-925-3660. 1372309220
Paul Ripa of Rippys Bait and Tackle in North Miami Beach reported that the Newport Fishing Pier is now open and pier anglers are catching scattered bluefish and sharks. A few schools of tarpon also have taken up residency at the pier. On the reefs offshore of Miami mangrove snapper are spawning at night. 1372309221
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