It’s the time of year when water temperatures allow pelagics like wahoo, dolphin, and tuna to show up right on the beach… so to speak. I live in North Carolina, and every year there are stud wahoo caught “right on the beach.” Here is “right on the beach, ” the 20- to 25-mile area off the beach. For some folks in Florida, “right on the beach” might be that first sea buoy right out of the inlet.
In late summer, we have a monolithic water temperature from the Gulf Stream to the beach in the mid-80s. That allows wahoo to follow huge schools of bait wherever they go. We call this the beginning of the end, the end of summer. The cigar minnows and sardines come nearshore, and the wahoo follow them as far as they are comfortable with the water depth, usually not much less than 75 or 80 feet. They eat whatever they want, including live menhaden or cigs pulled around by king mackerel fishermen.
We call it the beginning to the end of summer, but it’s also the beginning of a wonderful time of year for me, fall and winter. The cigs and sardines come in. The pelagics follow them for a month until the water cools in mid-September. Then the magic happens. When cooling water runs off the wahoo, the gags appear in numbers. It’s all a stunning dance. Let us enjoy every step along the way.
I keep talking about the nearshore activity of the cigs and sardines, but the offshore schools are also getting bigger now, and this draws the attention of everything from pelagics to bottom fish. All the grouper and big snappers shadow these schools wherever they go. That is why it’s so important to “find the bait.” Cigs and sardines are not the only things I’m looking for offshore. I like to find a big stack of beeliners. Wherever you see a big pile of beeliners, bottom dollar, there are grouper and big snapper directly under them and wahoo and kings around them.
August is also a month to consider spending the night offshore. Yes, late afternoon thunderstorms pop up, but overall weather patterns are consistent, and you can fish for days, back to back. Leave in the early afternoon, get where you are going, and get acclimated to the setting sun. Anchor up on a pretty piece of bottom and bait, and turn on the lights. It’s a “National Geographic moment,” the minnows and squid come towards the light, so you can quickly load up the livewell before the daylight bite starts.
I will close with this: We lost a fishing pioneer and legend last month with Mark Sosin’s passing. Our thoughts, prayers, and celebrations go out to his family.
SALTWATER TACKLE YOU MAY WANT TO TRY:
7/0 and 11/0 J-Hook Chin Weights: Target fish include Tuna, Wahoo, Mahi or Common Dolphin, King Mackerel, Wahoo, and more. Easy to rig!
4 oz. Crab Decoy Jig: Target fish for Striped Bass, nearshore Drum, Snook, Grouper, west coast bottom fish, and more.
4 oz. Tuna Squid Decoy Jig: From the eastern, western, Alaskan, and gulf coasts, target fish include: Tuna, Dolphin, Wahoo, Fluke, Flounder, Striped Bass, Seabass, Amberjack (east coast), Yellow Tail (west coast), California White Sea Bass (west coast), Grouper, Snapper, Halibut, Ling cod, and all Alaskan bottom fish.
8 oz. - 12 oz. 10/0 Squid Decoy Jig: Catch BIG Grouper, Amberjack, Giant Stripers, and more.
