This is an article that I would have written in mid-August when the “dog days” of summer normally set in. This season has been marked by two “anomalies”: a drought for the whole season and unusually hot temperatures that began spiking in June.
Both have had a negative effect on the highly anticipated tarpon season and promise to be an issue for anglers fishing inshore waters for the balance of the summer season. Captain Justin Moore is one of the area’s most respected guides. As a student of the intricacies of local fishing, he understands the bottom-up factors that created one of the worst tarpon seasons he’s seen in his 27 years of fishing the area waters.
According to Moore, the lack of rain and the hotter than normal temperatures led to less of the zooplankton and phytoplankton that pilchards and other baitfish feed on – and less shrimp and crabs, all of which form a large part of a tarpon’s diet.
Now that fish schools have broken up and spawning is on the downswing, bait fishermen have largely abandoned the hunt. July is a month traditionally favored by fly anglers who find tarpon more receptive after the spawn and less pressured from the crush of June anglers. Stay tuned for what fortunes these conditions might have in store for them, but most anglers will turn their sights to inshore species like redfish, trout and snook.
Anglers fishing inshore and nearshore waters until they cool in the fall will need to tailor their fishing to the conditions to have a better chance at success.
When water temperatures get in the high 80s and low 90s, fish change their patterns. Fish are no different than humans when it comes to finding their comfort zone. It’s a time to get out early, fish high water, slow down the retrieve and look for fish in deeper and cooler waters.
It’s not that cut and dried, of course, so pay attention to the interplay of factors that might create that zone which can mean just a small difference in temperature. Attention to detail can make the difference in fishing success anytime, especially now.
