Redfish and snook come on strong in August

Pete Walocko of Michigan caught the 28-inch snook on his first cast.

Just as predicted, redfish were the fish of the month  for Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing.

We totaled 62 reds during August, a majority of which ranged from 25 to 30 inches. We had two days during which we landed 10 redfish.

Top bait was the MirrOlure Little John on a 1/16-ounce jig head.

Most of the action took place on the shallow flats of Buttonwood Harbor off Sarasota Bay. The light jig head allows us to fish the shallow grass without constantly hanging up.

In addition, we caught redfish on MirrOlure She Dogs and MirrOlure MirrOdines.

Vinny Caruso of Sarasota fished three times and totaled several redfish and spotted seatrout. His best red, which came on a Sebile Stick Shad, went 26 inches. He also caught reds on a chrome Zara Spook.

Vinny and I tested Bishop Harbor and southern Tampa Bay on one outing, but had to dodge thunderstorms. We only managed a few seatrout.

Pete Walocko of Michigan fished one of those rare days when the redfish weren’t cooperating. But he was fortunate enough to catch a 28-inch snook (released) on a Little John and jig head. He also caught a number of seatrout on the same lure.

We’re finding most of the redfish in and around mullet schools. The more mullet, the better.

We’re also starting to get into some nice flounder on jigs fished along grass edges. Flounder action is expected to heat up and peak in November. We anticipate a good number of flounder to 24 inches.

Although the peak season for large spotted seatrout has passed, we’re still getting some quality fish. In fact, we landed a pair of 4-pound trout on one trip. The top lure for big trout is the MirrOdine, a suspending plug that the fish just can’t seem to resist.

We’re getting more snook than usual on the Buttonwood flats. The action isn’t great, but it’s better than it has been since the red tide of 2006.

We fished Little Sarasota Bay one day on a whim and did very well. We landed seven redfish to 25 inches, four snook to 23 and 15 trout to 18. The reds were all caught on Little Johns.

There are some large schools of oversized redfish on the flats – if you can find them. Best areas include Buttonwood Harbor and southern Tampa Bay.

Snook continue to please around lighted docks at night. A good plan is to start fishing a couple of hours before daylight. We get in a little snook fishing, then hit the bay for reds, trout and other species. On occasion, it’s possible to take a Slam (a red, trout and snook) around the dock lights.

Beach snook fishing has been disappointing with high winds, red algae and stirred up surf. That seems to have dissipated and we could experience a late-season flurry of snook action in the surf.

I have ordered my new fleet of kayaks. I’m getting three Native Watercraft Ultimates and a Native Watercraft Slayer 14.5. The Slayer is a new design that is expected to hit the market in October.

I have three Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5s for sale. I’m asking $750 for my personal boat. It has a bow spray skirt, paddle holder and anchor trolley. The other two are $700 and only have anchor trolleys.

If you’re interested, please let me know as soon as possible. I am offering them to clients and friends first. Then, I will list them publically.

We anticipate good redfish action this month. In addition, we expect snook, spotted seatrout, bluefish and maybe pompano to cooperate.

The fishing has been very good. Contact me if you’d like to fish.

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

941-284-3406