AUGUST 2019 Fishing Report and SEPTEMBER Forecast

AUGUST 2019 Fishing Report and SEPTEMBER Forecast

Sea Hag AUGUST Report

Fishing and scalloping took a brief back seat mid-month to a persistent front that brought over 20 inches of rain to the Steinhatchee area. There was massive flooding, with over 100 homes suffering major damage. The scalloping was going pretty well before the rains, but at this point we’re still waiting to see if the water will clear. After the storm, with so much fresh water in close to shore, trout moved well out to deeper water, while redfish, which are a little more tolerant stayed in their usual haunts and began the fall schooling process. And we had a big IFA Pro Redfish tour event near the end of the month, with almost 100 boats. Nineteen finished in the money as the fishing was pretty tough. Although we didn’t fish the tournament, Capt. Tommy Thompson and I went out to explore during the day and found several schools of redfish. Congrats to Captains Scott Peters and Chase Norwood who finished in the money with their respective partners.  Here are some pics from this past month.

Fishing Forecast For September

There are still ten days in September to scallop. At this point we’re waiting to see what Hurricane Dorian will do as it’s heading toward Florida, but hopefully it will avoid our area and allow the water to clear and return to normal. Inshore, redfish are around and beginning to school. They don’t avoid fresh water, so they are in their usual places near shorelines, but look for schools a little further out in 3 feet of water. On slick days, watch carefully, because the schools are there. The water is in the best shape further away from the river, past Rocky Creek to the south and Dallus Creek to the north. Trout are biding their time in deeper cooler water over grass flats in 6 to 10 feet of water. You’ll need to run out at least a mile or more to find the right conditions. Huge catches of sand trout have been made, and drifting in the right water until you locate schools is the best way to find both species of trout. Fish slowly on the bottom with Gulp-tipped jigs. I think we can count on the fishing improving rapidly with cooler temperatures near the end of the month, gearing up for a great month in October.

For those of you that would like to help out the Steinhatchee flood victims, you can donate at this link:  

https://www.gofundme.com/f/steinhatchee-sower-of-the-seed-food-bank-supplies?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_lico%2Bupdate&fbclid=IwAR2s6VsKl-Zgw2YDHmxdffrczKnwAMuoJQ6qXmZyFXbM8Vw9-Si8FdRaBc4

There will also be a CCA Trash Tournament on September 21^st, a great chance to help clean things up after the floods.

Capt. Kyle Skipper, www.m1fishing.com (352) 317-1654