TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | JULY 2018 35
THE
Fish
Captain
Nick Shreves
Whisperer
July Fishing Forecast
INSHORE
Shrimp are moving into the creeks and the fish are responding. The
Flounder, Speckled Sea Trout, and Redfish are all feeding. Tarpon will
make an appearance as well. Live bait and artificial baits are both
producing. This time of year there is nothing like being on your drop with
the sun rising on a calm day, pitching a top water plug, and watching the
fish explode on your bait.
PIER FISHING
Fishing has only gotten better and now that the warm waters are here,
the number of species has only increased. I have seen Mullet swimming
in the surf and this time of year the schools of Menhaden will be here.
Warm waters with lots of bait equals lots of predators. So look for Jack
Crevalle, Spanish Mackerel, and for the lucky few, maybe even a Tarpon.
For these species, live bait near the schools of bait is a choice and
always try to match the hatch. Speckled Sea Trout, Redfish, Black Drum,
Whiting, Bluefish, and Pompano should all be around as well.
NEAR SHORE
There are a lot of options when it comes to the nearshore fishery. King
Mackerel, Cobia, Spadefish, Spanish Mackerel, Barracuda, Black Sea
Bass, Triggerfish, Tarpon and sharks are all fish that can be targeted on
a daily basis. With the warmer waters, somedays you can even luck out
and find a stray Mahi or Wahoo coming to the nearshore areas. Everything
will be fallowing the bait fish. Watch for the schools of Greenies and you
can have a fishing bonanza. It won’t take you long to find out if the
fish are near. For those not wanting to travel far, the Tarpon, Spanish
Mackerel and sharks will be all over the beaches of the barrier islands.
Fish the schools of Menhaden or Mullet. For the Tarpon I like to fish
three live baits, one on top free-lined, one on the bottom and then one
right in the middle. Tarpon can be real spooky and it’s always best to be
quiet when getting close to a school of them. Once hooked, these fish
go ballistic. They will put on an airshow like no other fish out there. This
helps them escape, so be prepared to lose a few.
OFF SHORE
Finding a temperature break, weed line, birds, flying fish or a current
rip is going to be the way to success. The fish can be really scattered
this time of year, as they are all hungry and looking for a meal. If you
are equipped to high speed troll, it is a good way to cover ground and
find fish at the same time. High speed trolling takes specialized gear,
so make sure you have everything before you head out and give it a
try. The bottom fishing is fantastic this time of year. Grouper, Vermillion
Snapper, Triggerfish, Amberjack, Black Sea Bass and many other porgies
and grunts will keep you busy all day long. Every year we get a short
window for Red Snapper that we all look forward to this time. Let’s all
hope we get a few days in the near future.
Thank you all for your time. If you would like to join me on your
own fishing excursion, call me at Big Fish Charters (912) 230-4625.
Check us out for recent reports on Facebook at www.facebook.
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