AS SEEN IN THE JULY/AUGUST 2008 ISSUE 

July/August Northwest Fishing Forecast (Panhandle):

By: Captain John Rivers - Mega-Bite Inshore Charters

Apply some sunscreen and fuel up your boat baby because summer has arrived! Not only is it hot outside, but the action on the water has been on fire! July and August are exceptionally hot months, and what’s a better way to start the morning than having a fat trout crash your top-water plug? In the summer months, hitting the flats early on can be extremely productive – you just have to watch the tides and fish either early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

When fishing the shallows, Rapala’s Twitching Rap in white/red or chartreuse/red is an extremely productive offering. Some people say that top-water color patterns don’t make a difference; I beg to differ. It’s just like fishing soft-body jerk baits – when it’s overcast or you’re fishing muddy water, go dark! A proven soft-body bait that I like to throw is a five-inch Berkley Gulp Jerk Shad in the chartreuse or root beer pattern. Next on the list of deadly fakes is the Exude Saltwater RT Slug in the golden bream pattern. In past seasons, this lure has accounted for countless fish in the box.

Along the Panhandle from Pensacola to Port Saint Joe, look out for schooling Spanish mackerel busting large concentrations of bait in the upper bays and just off area beaches. I suggest you toss out a small Gotcha plug or a ½ oz. SPRO bucktail. Although these fish have extremely sharp dentures, a mono leader will attract more strikes than wire. I prefer to use 40lb. Berkley fluorocarbon when fishing for Spanish mackerel and although I do lose quite a few fish from cut-offs, my hook-up ratio increases dramatically.

Closer to Apalachicola, the tarpon run will be in full swing off the beaches and in the bays. Scan the waters for flipping pogies and rolling fish, however, it’s the fish below the rollers that will readily inhale your offering. Free-lining a pogy or dead-sticking a bait on the bottom will usually provide great tarpon action! If artificials are your forte, try throwing a Mann’s Tide Walker or Bomber in the menhaden pattern. Tarpon are one of Florida’s greatest game fish, so remember to be careful with your trophy and be sure to properly revive these prize-fighters for a healthy release.

Moving just off the beaches near Panama City, Destin and Pensacola, large schools of jack crevalle can be found cruising up and down the sandbars looking for a quick and easy meal. Usually, when you spot a school of jacks, it’s a large school with 30 to 100 fish, so multiple hook-ups are always a possibility. I suggest using a medium-heavy action rod rigged with 30lb. SpiderWire Ultra Braid, a 40lb. test shock leader and your favorite top-water plug. Work your offering-of-choice fast and furious and be prepared for a workout because these fish pull super hard.

Just a little further off the beaches, drag-screaming king mackerel are waiting for skilled anglers to show up with tasty offerings. These fish are fast and aggressive, and can be loads of fun on light-tackle outfits. A typical kingfish setup consists of a three-foot section of single-strand wire, a J-hook in the nose of the bait, and a treble-hook rigged as a stinger. This rig is mainly used when free-lining frisky live bait, however, you can also add a skirt for additional flash to entice strikes while slow-trolling.

Heading even further offshore, keep a keen eye out for weedlines and floating debris. While trolling, a fantastic lure to deploy is a six or nine-ounce Tormenter jet in blue/white or black/red. And if time permits, don’t pass up a little sinker-bouncing on many of the wrecks along the Panhandle. During the summer months, you're sure to put a handful of snapper and a few tasty grouper in the box, and you just find yourself doing battle with a back-breaking amberjack. Remember that it's not always about loading the ice chest, but the time spent enjoying the summer months on the water with friends and family. Keep only what you’re going to eat and release the rest for future generations.

Good Luck & Tight lines

Mega-Bite Inshore Charters
Capt. John Rivers
850-341-9816
Email: megabite@bellsouth.net
Website: http://www.megabiteinshore.com/

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