One of the beautiful things about fishing with Native Sportfishing in the waters of Florida is the variety of available species. Often we land 10+ species on a trip including several kinds of sharks. Many days we know exactly what fish we will encounter which is referred to as “targeted species”. However, some areas and techniques throw that out the window. Instead we embrace the mystery of whatever bites next. Recent trips have proven this with some spots producing grouper, sharks (3 or 4 different types), mackerel, snook, snapper, tarpon, Goliath grouper, etc.
With this type of strategy we must be ready for whatever comes. That means having several different classes of rod/reel setups to handle anything from a 1 pound mangrove snapper all the way up to a 500 pound Goliath. While we do not always bring true Goliath size tackle, they can be caught on 30 pound gear if played out longer much like we do with tarpon. I always make sure we have a wide range of leader and hook sizes to match whatever is biting.
Don’t fight the Temps
The heat of summer can be mitigated by spending some of the midday hours in the shade of one of our area bridges. Four large bridges span across Tampa Bay and they are all fish magnets. When the shade line is predictably overhead it is much cooler and fishy to spend some time fishing deep for big fish. Recently we have caught spinner sharks, hammerheads, bulls, lemons, shovel nose and sandbar sharks in these areas. These sharks feed aggressively through the heat of the day. Sharks are not bothered at all by the water temps approaching 90 degrees!
The next 2 months will be hot both the air and water and the bite. Huge Goliath grouper, Tarpon, and sharks will wear out our anglers on a daily basis. So if you are looking for something big or maybe you are interesting in the physical challenge, step up to the plate and book a summertime trip. The pictures will last a lifetime.
Capt. Kyle
