Biting right now — August

Cold fronts push water temps down and stack redfish and trout into the deeper potholes and mangrove edges out of the wind. Pompano and bluefish are thick on the sandbars and troughs, and that is where we spend most of the trip. Snook and snapper are still sluggish this time of year, so we do not target them hard.

Water holds in that same cool 60s range and the pattern from January carries over. Pompano and bluefish stay stacked on the flats and bars, redfish and trout keep working the backcountry, and lady fish give us steady action between bites on the main targets. Tarpon and jacks are still shut down, no point chasing them yet.

Warming water flips the switch across the board. Redfish, trout, and lady fish hit their peak on the grass flats and edges, pompano stay strong on the bars, and snook and mangrove snapper wake up around the mangroves and docks. Tarpon and jacks are just starting to show, still slow, but worth a look on the way to better bites.

Redfish and speckled trout are stacked on the grass flats and this is the month we target them hardest. Snook are staging around the passes and mangrove points, and lady fish and jacks keep rods bent between bites. Pompano are still working the sandy troughs off the beaches, and bluefish show up in the same water.

This is when tarpon and snook take over. We run the passes and beaches early for rolling tarpon, then work docks and mangrove shorelines for snook and mangrove snapper through the day. Redfish and trout are still good on the flats but they take a back seat once the tarpon show.

Tarpon and snook stay locked in through June and we build most trips around them, running the beaches and passes early before the heat pushes fish deeper. Mangrove snapper and jacks fill out the day on structure and current lines. Pompano and bluefish have moved out of the sound and we do not chase them this month.

Water in the Sound sits warm and the snook stack up on the passes and mangrove edges early and late. Tarpon roll on the flats and in the deeper cuts through the morning, and jacks and ladyfish keep rods bent when the bigger fish go quiet. Redfish and trout are slow right now and we do not chase them hard this month.

This is the hottest water of the year and the fish that like it are firing. Snook, mangrove snapper, and jacks hold tight to structure and the mangrove shorelines, and we fish early to beat the afternoon heat and the storms that build most days. Tarpon are still around and worth a look but they have eased off the peak. Redfish and trout stay slow through August.

September turns things around. Redfish and trout come back on the grass flats and around the oyster bars, and snook, mangrove snapper, and jacks are still going strong. Tarpon fishing stays good on the last of the summer push, and pompano and flounder start to show up enough to target as a change of pace on a longer trip.

Water is still warm and the reds push onto the flats around the mangrove points on the higher tides. Trout stack up over grass in three to five feet, and lady fish keep rods bent between bites on the main event. We run mixed-bag trips this month and let the fish tell us where to spend the afternoon.

Cooler water pulls redfish and trout tight into the sound's deeper grass flats, and this is one of the best all-around months we fish all year. Pompano and flounder show up strong on the sand and hard bottom edges, so we split time between the flats and structure. Tarpon are done for the season and we do not target them now.

Water cools further and pompano, flounder, and bluefish take over as the main targets around the passes and deeper flats. Redfish are still catchable and trout hold up in the warmer backcountry creeks, but snook and jacks slow way down with the cold fronts. We fish shorter windows on the better tide days and adjust around weather.