So far this summer, there has been a lot whitebait all up and down the beaches, there has been no red tide, and the fishing action has been awesome! Generally during this time of the year, the longer the charter the farther we go. This gives us the opportunity to fish in deeper water and we catch bigger fish, especially when it comes to grouper.

The following a short rundown of what fish you can expect to catch this month:

Spanish mackerel are plentiful right now offshore. They are scattered all over the place with no real heavy concentrations of them at any single location. The key to catching the Spanish this summer has been to castnet up a bunch of whitebait and chum the mackerel to the boat.

Dolphin (mahi) move up the coast within easy reach this time of year. Your best bet will be to start looking for them no closer than 20 miles offshore. Be on the lookout for large bunches of sargassum seaweed or any other flotsam. One way I fish for them is to pull up alongside the vegetation and sight-cast to fish as they swim just below the surface. I prefer live free-lined bait when fishing this way. You can also troll along the weedlines. Trolling will often produce the big fish.

When you’re sight fishing the weedlines, there is also the possibility of snagging a cobia. Known for their fighting ability as well as good eating quality, this would be a great way to start your day.

Mangrove, lane, yellowtail, mutton and red snapper are all available. The best fishing holes will be hard bottom, ledges, springs and wrecks. Snapper can be somewhat finicky at times, so it’s wise to use the lightest gear possible. For leader material, consider using fluorocarbon monofilament as it is less visible to the fish. Night fishing over wrecks in the periods around the full moon when conditions are right can be very productive. I prefer natural baits such as crabs, shrimp, live shiners and squid.

Gag grouper are often more difficult to locate this time of year then their cousin the red grouper. Gags will tend to hang closer to structure such as wrecks, and ledges. I like to anchor just upcurrent or directly over where I think the fish are. Live baits will often entice gags to turn on, especially in the heat of the day. Good stiff standup tackle works best here.

Fat red grouper can be the best way to put meat on the table in the hot months. Look for the larger reds out past 70 feet deep. Try drift fishing over hard bottom. When you get a bite, throw your marker jug. Now you can re-drift the same area, or anchor down. Reds are known to eat just about any kind of bait. A good bait I’ve found to use when drift fishing is a 4-ounce jig tipped with squid.

The next four months is the peak time of the year for catching sharks in the Gulf. Generally they will just show up sniffing around the boat when you’re anchored down fishing with cut baits.

Remember, if you’re too busy to go fishing you’re just too busy. Get out and go fishin, cuz it’s good fer ya!