Salt Water Sportsman – August 2019

SEPTEMBER 2019 SALTWATERSPORTSMAN.COM 75

Snook:Most snook are done spawning in Florida, but many remain

in passes and inlets, where drifting with live bait pays off. Use your fi sh

fi nder to mark schooling fi sh, then drift over them for best results. Plenty

of fi sh still patrol the beaches as well, making sight-fi shing effective.

In Belize, linesiders ambush bait at the mouths of coastal rivers and

adjacent mangrove lagoons this time of year.

Bonefi sh:The midday heat slows the action this time of year, but

bonefi shing on the fl ats of the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos remains

excellent early and late in the day. Expect oceanside shallows to be most

productive, especially during a morning rising tide, which fl oods the fl ats

with cooler water. Look for bones in channels, creeks and the outskirts of

the same fl ats midday.

Tarpon:The big spring migration in Florida has come to an end, but a

few stragglers and residents offer reliable action along both coasts. FYI:

Now is when the fi sh turn their attention to ladyfi sh, mullet and other

large forage. So think big, whether you opt for fi shing live bait or casting

artifi cials. Pods of tarpon keep cruising Belizean fl ats and congregating in

deep holes and shorelines.

Permit:The inside shallows of northern Belize, coral fl ats of the

outer atolls, its 20-mile stretch of shoals (dubbed Permit Alley), and the

southern grass fl ats of Punta Gorda hold plenty of permit this time of

year. In Mexico’s Yucatan, some lodges close for hurricane season, but a

few remain open, offering lots of big, hungry permit with minimal fi shing

pressure when weather allows.

Red Drum:Reds remain widespread in Louisiana marshes, but many

8- to 15-pound specimens form sizable schools—in preparation for spawn-

ing—and begin their move toward open water. Meanwhile, bulls weighing

20 pounds and up fatten up on pogies around outer points and shoals. In

Florida, nature also urges reds to aggregate and feed ravenously. Look for

schooling big fi sh in grassy bays, suspended in depths of 4 to 8 feet.

Striped Bass:With baitfi sh schools abundant in Massachusetts

waters, there will be no shortage of fi sh busting in popular haunts such

as Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket Sound, South Cape Beach and Buzzards

Bay. Long Island Sound still offers solid striper action, though increasingly

sporadic. However, the beaches from Water Island to Montauk often

remain red-hot into October.

Swordfi sh:Calm seas in South Florida during late summer make

drifting for broadbills as comfortable as it gets, even in the Keys, where

boats go as far as 45 miles to fi nd the right depth. Now is a good time to

try for swords in the Northeast. Boats out of Montauk and Shinnecock

usually fi nd some in Welker Canyon, or to the south, from Hendrickson to

Washington Canyon.

King Mackerel:Kingfi shing goes off the hook in the western Gulf of

Mexico. Both the Texas and Louisiana oil and gas platforms offer smokers

in the 30- to 50-pound range. Expect some behind anchored shrimp boats,

and just outside the passes, where baitfi sh will be prevalent and easy for

the taking. Live-baiting remains the top choice, however plugs catch their

share too.

Bluefi sh:Sensing the change of season is not far off, chopper blues feed

on whatever forage they come across in Northeast waters, both inshore

and off. With schools of baitfi sh still abundant in Massachusetts and New

York, reliable hotspots, such as Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket Sound, Cape

Cod Bay, Napeague and Gardiners bays, and the Long Island beaches all

pay dividends.

Dolphin:Dorado are on the move along Panama’s Pacifi c coast. Large

specimens, some 50-pounders, are common outside Parita and Humboldt

bays, as well as the Panama Gulf. Boats making bait fi nd schoolies close

to the rocks. In North Carolina, the fl eets out of Oregon Inlet and Hatteras

fi nd schoolie and slammer dolphin this time of year while trolling for tuna

or billfi sh.

Florida

Bahamas

Florida

Belize

Louisiana

Massachusetts

Florida

Texas

Massachusetts

Panama

Belize

Turks and

Caicos

Belize

Mexico

Florida

New York

New York

Louisiana

New York

North

Carolina

Species 1st Choice 2nd Choice Comments

BEST WORLDWIDE FISHING: SEPTEMBER 2019