Well, with summer in full swing in the ten thousand islands. We are enjoying some days on the water with a lot less boat traffic. Some people ask me how I feel about the mosquitoes and I say this is what it brings! Less boats! But if you’re willing to put up with a little discomfort you can certainly catch some good fish! We have been catching some decent Snook lately. It seems I do better with the artificial lures this time of year because the fish are spread out. Being able to cast down along a shoreline can pay off big!

Of course lately there have been tons of Permit running down the coast. These fish are not too hard to see when it is calm out. They can be taken on live bait, Jigs, and on the fly rod. They are loads of fun and actually eat very well. As with any of you fishing in the summer it pays to start early and be ready to outrun any afternoon storms. Although it has been very mild so far. Keep your eyes open and you may see big Jack Crevalle, Tripletail, Black Drum, and even a few Cobia while looking for the Permit.

The winds are still kicking up in the afternoons but we have had some beautiful mornings lately. It sure is a nice change. Enjoy the summer while it lasts! The warmer water temps make some of the fishing tougher like for Seatrout. Since there are no grasses for them to take cover in, it gets hotter than they care for. These fish will move into deeper water and somewhere slightly cooler. Redfish have been very scarce here lately and even when you find them they are a little spooky. It seems when you find the Reds that there are almost always some big Sharks working the area. I always told my buddy Ray that I thought the big Sharks were attracted to the schools of Reds. It seemed like we always had Sharks come up after only catching a couple of fish. Then just yesterday I had a young guy hook a nice big Redfish and a 10 ft. Lemon Shark was on him almost immediately. We let the fish run but it still looked like the Shark got him. It makes me sick to see this happen. We definitely have a Shark problem.

There are still plenty of Tarpon around for those guys still chasing them. The bigger Mullet have moved in and the big Tarpon are loving it. It is fun to see them shower those big Mullet! They will be here all summer and we are catching them in all sizes. These big fish will also get eaten by the big Sharks. I am always on the lookout while fishing and when I see the big Sharks move in, I leave. But sometimes they come out of nowhere and ruin your day. I recently had a client hook, fight and land a big Tarpon in the 150 lb. range and at the very end a giant Shark bit this Tarpon in half. Very disturbing. We felt sorry for the fish, but this is the reality in the summer months.

Get out and enjoy this weather. Stay hydrated and keep a lookout for the lightning storms! Be safe and enjoy your summer! Capt. Mike Merritt

Capt. Mike Merritt
Guide
(561) 252-4324
SnookFishing1@juno.com