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NE FL July Surf Fishing Report
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It’s July in Florida—and we are really feeling the heat! Seaweed has lifted over most of our area, which has been great. But in its wake, we have the intense heat that comes in the summer months. Summer also brings vacationers and children enjoying the beach, which can be frustrating for us anglers.
It seems as though most people coming to the beach don’t really care that you were set up first in a spot—they will plop themselves right down wherever they want and swim, surf, paddleboard, or bodyboard directly in front of your lines. As tempting as it might be to get upset, I’ll ask you to show them a little grace and realize they want to have a good time as much as you do.
If it’s busy when I’m finding my spot, I try to communicate with people nearby to make sure it’s okay to put a line out if my poles will be really close to where they are set up. Most people are fine with it and will appreciate that you took the time to ask them. Plus, I have found that they like watching you fish (especially if you are catching). Keep in mind that the current can carry people far from where they entered the water—and most people are not really paying close attention to where they are drifting. I typically will try to let them know that there are sharp hooks and sinkers in the water and ask them to watch out and stay safe. That is usually enough to get them moving back to where they came from without causing a problem.
As for surf fishing in July, the larger pompano have migrated north to the Carolinas, but there is an opportunity to get on some really fun fish like snook, tarpon, Spanish mackerel, big ladyfish, bigger sharks, red drum, and kingfish (where deeper waters can be reached from shore or casting from the sandbar). So let’s get into July’s surf-fishing forecast report!
Bait
If you’re not really a live bait person, July is a great time to try using live bait, especially because you can save some money and find your own! Sandfleas have come back and are thicker than I’ve seen them in over a year. We were using them recently and getting some nice whiting with them.
During these warmer summer months, there is an abundance of croaker, spotfish, and small whiting that can be caught and used for bait. Bring an extra bubbler and put it on the side of a 5-gallon bucket (not the same one you are using to bleed out fish) to keep some fish alive for live bait. Keep in mind that if you put too many in the bucket at once, they won’t be able to survive. Four to seven smaller fish should be okay for a few hours with a bubbler on and keeping the bucket in a shaded area so the water doesn’t get too hot.
Bring your cast net and try throwing it in the wash as the waves come in. You’ll be surprised by the smaller baitfish that you can gather that way. Just be sure to identify fish like pompano or smaller snook that need to be returned to the water to grow up.
Shrimp will always work in the surf, and they are best used live or fresh dead. Sometimes the bait shops will bag up what they call “fresh dead” shrimp, but look for signs that they might be a little too far gone: orange brains or pink “cooked” coloring means that they are already going bad. Remember that fish like fresh food, just like you do!
I always keep several options of Fishbites with me, and the pink shrimp is still killing it! Now that the sun is coming up earlier, it’s hard to find a tackle shop that is open before the sun comes up, which makes it hard to get fresh bait AND get on the sunrise bite (yes, that is a very real thing!). Having a synthetic bait with you can get you out on the beach before sunup. If you need to get shrimp the day before, make sure to keep them in a cool place overnight (NOT your garage or car) and check the batteries in the bubbler.
Weather and Water Temps
Right now the temps are hovering around 80 degrees, meaning a lot of the fish we were catching have headed to cooler or deeper waters. And it will only get hotter, topping out between 83-85 degrees by the end of the month. It’s a good idea to study different species of fish in the surf and what water temperatures are ideal for them so you know what to target.
We are officially in hurricane season now, and we have already had a few named storms. So be careful and watch the forecasts. When the next storm is developing, stay on top of where it is headed and stay safe. But if you can safely fish before or after the storm hits you can get on some great surf-fishing action.
Tis the season for pop-up thunderstorms, so pay attention to the radar and be watching for sudden storm clouds developing. You can usually feel a shift in the wind or air temperature as the storm is coming your way. As hard as it is to pack it up when the fish are biting, it’s better to get back to your car before it hits than to be either fishing or pushing your cart in while its storming. Trust me—I know this from experience!
July Strategy
Summer can be fun for the kids and new anglers with an abundance of whiting, spotfish, and croaker in the surf. Ladyfish can be caught too, and though they may not be good to eat, they are really fun to fight and make excellent bait for desired species such as redfish, snook, sharks, and seatrout. Just be aware that the catfish also love to eat it and might steal it away!
My best advice this month is to try different techniques. If you are like me and you mostly use set rigs, try bringing a shorter rod that can handle throwing a one to a one-and-a-half-ounce lure. This weight will help you get that lure out near the sandbar, then reel it quickly in for those fish that love to chase their bait. Or use a curly-tail soft plastic on a ½ ounce jighead and bounce it on the bottom if you’re on a beach with a deeper first trough to possibly catch a flounder.
Take one of those croaker or sportfish you’ve caught and hook it up on a Carolina rig or fish finder rig, letting it swim in that first trough. Have an array of options for this fun summer beach fishing!
Make sure that you are not baiting for fish larger than you can handle. You’ll always run the risk of a big shark or bull drum cutting off your line, but if you are using a big shark rig, don’t use a small rod and reel that can’t handle the fight of a larger shark or big predator fish. They can spool you in seconds and then they are roaming the ocean with 150 yards of line attached to them, which they could potentially get wrapped around them and kill them.
My last tip is to be aware of your surroundings and stay safe—especially you ladies. On a recent trip we finished up fishing as the sun was going down, and coming back to our cars we quickly realized that it was not a place we would ever want to be alone in the evening. That parking lot got sketchy once the sun started dropping. So fish with other women or people you trust and stay safe!
If these reports have been helpful, I would love to hear from you. Find Fishin’ Girl on Youtube, Facebook, or Instagram, and leave a comment to let me know what you’ve been catching. Tight lines!
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