Fishing Report – July 20th, 2023

Here is the July 20th fishing report. My reports are published in the Tampa Bay Times every 4th and 20th of the month! Thank you for reading, and I look forward to getting you all out on the water soon! Capt. Brian.

High midday temperatures are forcing many anglers to fish in the early morning or late evening. When it’s really hot I always try to change up the routine and fish for more cooperative species such as mangrove, snapper, and trout especially when snook and redfish are not cooperating.

On recent trips, we have gone between 5 and 8 miles offshore and caught a variety of fish, including red grouper, gag, grouper, mangrove snapper, lane snapper and several grunts. Cut pieces of squid and small sardines that have been cast netted are working good for the offshore species. Snook are around the passes and in some of the troughs along the beaches however, they’ve been pretty lethargic this week. Chumming heavily has been getting a few to pop the surface but most are finicky. Redfish are schooling a bit on the higher tides and willing to eat cut pinfish, mullet, ladyfish or sardines. I don’t catch many redfish on live bait this time of year. Their habitat is typically in warmer water near the mangroves and they are more likely to pick up a cut piece rather than chase live bait. Hot summer months require a lot of adaptation to the conditions.

If you can only go during the middle of the day, hydration is extremely important. Even hydrating the day before if you know you’ll be out during the heat on the following day. Remember, the fish get hot too. Sometimes you will find fish that are unwilling to eat until cooler temperatures set in during early morning hours or late evening when the sun is going down.

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