It’s Hot Out There!
Yes, yes it is smoking hot! Fry an egg on the top of your head hot, 2 inches from the sun kinda hot! A great tip to beat the heat - fish early and fish late.
The snapper bite on the reef is outstanding, throw in some grouper and a mixed bag of other fish and that’s a good half day. If you’re out by 7am you can be back by 11:30, just before the hottest part of the day sets in and be poolside enjoying a cold drink.
Another option is to mix it up a bit, Reef and wreck fish early and snorkel or lobster in the middle or later part of the day. That’s right it’s lobster season, the tasty crustacean, Panulirus Argus awaits a warm bath. I do a lot of combo trips this time of the year and it does feel good to get in the water and cool down.
There are still a few tarpon around the area bridges as well as the nearshore flats and channels. This is an early morning sunrise or late evening sunset type of trip. Definitely a good way to beat the heat.
Offshore fishing is another terrific way to keep it cool. Whether it’s working a weed line or run and gun fishing at least there’s a breeze.
Once you’re out there, here are tome great tools for keeping it cool.
- Keep chilled towels in your cooler.
- Stay hydrated.
- Water, water and more water. Gatorade is a great thirst quencher but dilute it with water so your body will absorb it better.
- Sunscreen and light long sleeve shirts also help. The sun down here is no joke, it will turn a plastic water bottle in the back of my truck into a pile of dust in a matter of weeks. Protect your skin, it’s the smart thing to do.
Lobster season opens August 6th and that’s when I stop night fishing on the reef. While night fishing for snapper and grouper is a great way to stay cool, navigating through all the lobster trap buoys at night can be trying and I don’t want to cut off any traps with my propellers.
Wreck fishing is really good this time of year as well and with a variety of wrecks to fish in the Marathon and Key Colony Beach area you can work a spot until you get hot and then run to another one allowing everyone to cool off!
No matter what you choose to do a Florida Keys guide can tailor a trip that’s right for you. The Keys are home to some of the greatest captains in the world. Hit the docks, make some phone calls. Talk to the captains and crew they’ll be happy to help you put together an adventure just for you.
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