Summer Fishing Grab Bag

August in the Panhandle is definitely the classic dog days, no doubt about it. Most of us already have all the suntan we want, and getting out in the sun anytime between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. is an act of valor unless you're spending most of your time in the water.

Coastal fish are affected, to be sure, but not as negatively as you might guess. And some, like tarpon and redfish, just plain seem to like it. Here's a look at what's likely to be biting this month in area waters:

Tarpon action

Tarpon don't even think about showing up off area beaches until water temperature rises to at least 75 degrees, and it never gets too warm for this tropical species to bite.

Redfish run

Adult redfish head into the passes and deeper sections of Panhandle bays starting in late August to spawn, and this continues well into October. There are also plenty of juvenile reds, under 30 inches long, that spend the whole summer inshore.

The adult fish tend to hang around the passes and the shoulders of the flats, as well as near the bridges that span the bays. Live finger mullet, pinfish or cut crab fished on bottom is the ticket for these fish, which sometimes exceed 20 pounds. They sometimes gang up in open water to attack menhaden schools, with this action marked by white water and diving gulls. (Note they're all oversized and must be released immediately.)

The smaller reds, many of legal size between 18 and 27 inches, are often in shallower water cruising with the trout. In fact, in some areas, they prowl flats just 12 to 18 inches deep, and make good targets for sight fishing by fly rod anglers. These fish are extremely spooky and are best pursued by wade fishing or out of a kayak, but they provide great sport when you can find them. (If you're not handy with a fly rod, an unweighted live shrimp fished on 10-pound-test braid with spinning tackle will do the job.)

Trout early, late

Santa Rosa Sound has grass flats 2 to 4 feet deep on both the north and south edges in many sections; drift these with a live shrimp under a popping cork on strong tide flows and you'll soon find where the trout are holding.

In Choctawhatchee Sound, the waters nearest Destin Inlet have the clearest water and the most grass as well as the strongest tide flows, and are often the best bet for summer trout. Some old pros fish the area where the black back-bay water transitions to the clearer water coming from the inlet for best action.

East Bay and West Bay are both good trout areas all summer, with the fish concentrated around grass flats at 2 to 5 feet.

In all these areas, many anglers like to put a live finger mullet or small pinfish out the back of the boat under a popping cork, and cast from the bow as they drift or ease along on the trolling motor. A quarter-ounce plastic-tailed jig or a DOA plastic shrimp is usually the best bet among artificials. They can be hopped along bottom, or fished under a popping cork. At dawn and dusk, topwaters like the Rapala Skitterwalk and the Zara Spook draw some exciting strikes in water less than 3 feet deep, and these tend to be larger trout, with 4 to 5 pounders a possibility.

Trout tend to gang up in certain areas, and where you find one you may find 20 or more ready to bite — the schooler trout 12 to 15 inches long are usually in 4 to 6 foot depths, sometimes more if there's rocky cover or structure available. Just remember, in this relatively shallow water, it's easy to spook an entire school by running the outboard over them — keep as quiet as possible and move the boat slowly with the trolling motor only when necessary.

On reefs

The nearshore reefs scattered of Panhandle beaches are also good late summer targets because a bit of everything hangs out there, feeding on the baitfish that the structure attracts as they wait for cooler weather to trigger the annual migration back south.

The easy way to fish these reefs (they're shown on all nautical charts) is to anchor uptide, put out a couple mesh bags of chopped chum, and then fish live cigar minnows, menhaden or hardtails back in the chum stream, with one bait near the surface, one down about 10 feet, one near bottom.

Though spring is supposed to be cobia time our area, there are plenty of cobia still hanging around these structures all summer long. There are also loads of king mackerel and Spanish. If you really want a cobia, use 50-pound-test fluorocarbon leader--the kings and Spanish will steal a few hooks, but you won't fool many cobia at this time of year with wire.

The controversial red snapper season is also open both in state waters, to 9 nautical miles offshore, and in federal waters more than 9 NM offshore, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Sept. 4, including Monday, Sept. 4. The snapper are best caught on smaller live baits, fresh cut bait or live shrimp. Remember, circle hooks are required to fish for all reef species.