Happy Hour

Get in on some great late day action!

Sounds like somebody got out of bed in the wee hours of the morning to beat the crowd to the fishing grounds. On the contrary, we’re talking about six o’clock in the late afternoon. All the full day charter boats are back at the dock and most recreational anglers are still counting down the days ‘til the weekend. This group of guys on the other hand got off work at 4:00pm and decided to head out for an afternoon of hot action.

They called the marina ahead of time so their boat could be taken off the rack and prepped for their late afternoon arrival. After grabbing a few bags of ice and a number of odds and ends, they fired up the twin outboards and headed out at just about the same time that most people are leaving their desk jobs.

So many anglers think of fishing as only an early morning, all day affair but nothing could be further from the truth. From Monday through Thursday once the clock strikes 6:00 pm, the ocean is often void of all other boats. The decreased boat traffic coupled with the cooling afternoon temperatures are synonymous with more action. During the late afternoon and early evening hours fishermen have an opportunity to get in on some great action without ever having to take off work or lose any sleep.

This particular group was drifting with live baits along the edge of the reef and watched as the sun was sinking to the west. They easily caught bait at one of the popular bait spots without ever having to deal with the juggling crowds found there first thing in the morning. As a back up option, they could have also called a charter boat or commercial fisherman who would have been happy to sell them his left over bait.

Between 4:00 pm. and dark, the many species that you are accustomed to catching throughout the day, will usually go on a feeding frenzy. They intend on having full stomachs to start the night off right. These fish include sailfish, blackfins, bonito, grouper, amberjacks, dolphin and even african pompano. In just a few short hours of afternoon fishing our anglers have a great shot of catching more fish than if they were there from 7 to 4.

Since our group did get a late afternoon start, they could very well choose to fish well into the dark. Their approach will slightly change but the action can still be red hot. Drifting over artificial reefs in 90 to 300 feet under the cover of darkness with double hook bottom rigs may produce a limit of snapper and other tasty bottom dwellers for the frying pan. Baits presented at mid-level such as the common 3 hook ballyhoo or sardine rig used on many drift boats will produce plenty of kingfish as well as the possible tuna or cobia. Just as the 10 or 11:00 evening news is running, our anglers may even get bit by a big bug called “the monster snapper syndrome”.

They may hit up a deep water wreck and find themselves baiting their biggest hooks with live lobsters in search of huge cubera snapper in the honest 35 to 100 lb. range. These fish are big, mean and powerful and deserve your respect. Put away the outfits you were using while drifting live baits and get out the big guns. 2 - speed 50’s spooled with 50 to 80 lb. test on stout stand up rods is the only way to go here. The first few feet will be an all out tug of war and more often than not, the cubera wins!

Have no boat, have no fear. You can join the rankings of hundreds of anglers leaving work and boarding “party or drift boats”. Every evening throughout the summer these boats search for gray (AKA mangroves) and yellowtail snapper. Mangroves are the junior light weight versions of the hard fighting cubera and also put up a heck of a fight. Regardless if on one of the many drift boats or on your own boat, you’ll be anchoring over one of the many natural or artificial reefs that line both coasts of Florida. Your rig needs to consist of enough lead to keep your bait on the bottom.

For your best chances of success, your offering should be the freshest fish possible, whether it is a pilchard, sardine, mullet or even a grunt. Let your bait lie very still on the bottom, ignore all the little pecking and tiny taps. Leave no slack in your line and set the hook only when a powerful fish rushes off with your bait. Use plenty of drag on at least 30 lb. gear as these guys can be extremely powerful with their broad tails. While bottom fishing in the dark, you will want to be chumming. Your slick will also attract a regular supply of baitfish and some nice yellowtails. Try floating a bait or two back into the slick with little or no weight, you will be pleasantly surprised with the results.

With an even greater adventure in mind, our anglers who are through fishing the reef, may decide to head a bit further offshore in search of the glorified king of the deep, the almighty swordfish. Remember, we’re fishing in the state where modern night time swordfishing originated. All it takes are a few 50 to 80 lb. class outfits, some light sticks or battery operated lights, a couple of 16 to 32 ounce sinkers and a handful of rigged squid. Speaking of which, I personally have had successful sword trips when I was back at the dock by 9:30 in the evening. One particular trip in February comes to mind when we hit the dock at nine something with a 300 pounder.

On several other occasions we’ve caught smaller fish and we’re back before 10:00pm. We do ask that anyone heading out late in the afternoon or staying for the night use the same common sense as they would for all other offshore expeditions. Check the weather, make sure the VHF radio is working; all the safety gear is in order and file a float plan. Keep in mind that afternoon weather is unpredictable. Keep a close eye on the sky as the humidity built up during the day can develop severe thunderstorms.

Most of these thunder boomers pass fairly quickly but often contain strong winds, ferocious lightning and torrential downpours. Bouncing around 5 to 15 miles offshore in the middle of one of these storms isn’t exactly the best place to be and often makes you feel like a sitting duck. Luckily for us, not all is lost. During the late afternoon and early evening hours south Florida also offers a tremendous inshore fishery. For starters, snook are thought of by many to be strictly nocturnal feeders. That is true and they do feed heavily once the sun is on the other side of the world. But under the right conditions snook will also jump to life in the late afternoon hours once the boat traffic is at a minimum. They can be found along inlets, under bridges and docks and also at waterway intersections where the current creates a well formed rip. To pin point packs of fish try slow trolling diving plugs in likely areas.

In short order, you should be able to establish ambush points. Once located, snook will pounce on jigs, plugs, plastics and natural baits with regularity. Keep in mind that although you may catch a snook on the surface from time to time, they are primarily bottom feeders. Present your bait near the bottom and keep it there for the best action. Snook are also notorious for eating jigs as they fall and flutter through the water column, so pay close attention right from the start. There are also a number of great locations where you can do great some great early evening snook fishing without even having a boat.

For that matter, there are a lot of nocturnally active species that can be caught from shore. Delicious mangrove snapper will frequently eat lures and baits intended for snook. They especially enjoy live shrimp and fresh cut chunks. If primarily targeting mangroves, try a fresh pilchard or herring with the head and tail cut off and fished on the bottom. The key to success here is that your bait is fresh. Most snapper holes will hold bait, that’s why the snapper are there in the first place. If you can, catch your own supply before fishing. Bridges are great snapper spots as well as piers, causeway catwalks and even seawalls. Fish these spots in the middle of a Saturday afternoon and you may never get a bite. Try 10:00 pm on a Tuesday night and the action could be nonstop. Big mangrove snapper also inhabit Government Cut during the winter. Drifting the main channel with a 1 ounce “Hook-up” spiced with a big live shrimp has accounted for plenty of keepers. You couldn’t do this with heavy boat traffic.

In between late day mangrove bites the lookdowns will keep you busy. Lookdowns are those super thin odd shaped mirrors you find swimming in the current around the lights and shadow lines of bridges and docks. Along with munching on your snapper baits, they’ll eat flies, small jigs, shrimp and tiny baitfish drifted by in the current. If you’re looking for a tasty fish sandwich, filet and skin a big lookdown, sauté it in a garlic butter sauce and serve it on thin toast. It’s the best!

Fishing from the surf during the evening can also result in consistent action. Surf fishing is a ton of fun and is an excellent option especially if you only have a couple of hours to kill. As summer turns to fall, fish like snowbirds, head south along the beach for the winter. Fishing from the sand with fresh cut chunk baits can produce excellent numbers of bluefish all night long. Surf fishing with a small whole crab or a couple of sand fleas may even produce a permit nearing 50 lbs.

Casting jigs or small plugs along the surf line will also frequently produce huge ladyfish. These aren’t much on the table, but they do put up a great fight on light tackle. Just outside the surf line, tarpon from 20 to 200 lbs. may be found crashing mullet or sucking up shrimp. I mean how can anyone talk of after hours fishing without dwelling on tarpon?

I personally have specialized in evening tarpon fishing for years. I guide both novice and professional anglers on 4 hour trips nearly every evening from December through June. In the summer and fall tarpon fishing can also be excellent. Tarpon set up a line of defense to make sure no baitfish or shrimp get through the shadow lines. Bridges and inlets from Jacksonville to Key West and up the other side of the State will all hold fish. The way tarpon feel about the situation is pretty clear. If it appears to be food and is drifting under a bridge or along a jetty, it must be destroyed! It might be a fly or a DOA shrimp, makes no difference. If it swims with the current toward the bridge, it’s dinner! If world renowned game fish are your thing, then we have a surprise for you. Bonefish, that’s right the grey ghost of the flats, are great after work targets to consider. Many anglers are aware that bonefish, with a rising tide, often work their way up onto skinny flats late in the afternoon to search for crustaceans.

They wave their tails in the air to help fly fishermen keep track of their every movement. The sad thing is that most anglers often call it quits when the sun goes down. In fact, they should stay put. With the bright lights of the big cities today, tailing fish, whether it be bones or reds can be hunted at night. Position your boat, or even better, wade if you’re on hard bottom, so that you are aimed at the light source. The tailing fish will be easy to see on flat calm nights. The lack of shadows and back lighting will make it easy to sneak into casting range. As you can see there are multitudes of fishing opportunities which you can enjoy after work. I hope this article will help get you on the right track and out on the water. Always play it safe. If you’re going out in a boat, check your running lights and all your safety gear and file a float plan. If fishing from shore or the beach, head out with a buddy. Be creative and try new things and new areas. Before you know it, Happy Hour will have a new meaning!