July Indian River Fishing

July Indian River fishing is literally "hot" if you get out on the water early.

Seasonal temperatures are always a factor in how successful your fishing trips will be, but during the summer months of July and August, the water temperatures become a critical factor.

The key to catching fish during the month of July is to find cooler waters for each species you are targeting.

The trick to find cooler waters is to fish early in the mornings before temperatures climb to levels that are uncomfortable for both fishermen and the fish.

Your best bet for the next couple of months is to start fishing before the sun comes up, and quit before high noon when July temperatures shut down the bite for most species and make fishing on the river unbearable.

The exception to this rule is tarpon, ladyfish and freshwater peacock bass that are found farther south in the canals of Dade County.

Redfish can tolerate water temperatures from 52 to 90 plus degrees but prefer temperatures in the 70 to 85 degree range. The water temperature must typically be at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit for the spawn to occur.

During the early morning hours you'll find redfish in our area foraging for food in clean shallow water flats and just off the edges of the sandbars.

The optimum temperature range for spotted sea trout is 59 to 80 degrees.

Water temperatures of 68ºF seem to trigger spawning activity, which continues as the water temperatures increase. For female "gator" sea trout, peak spawning activity takes place when temperatures are between 77ºF and 86ºF.

Spotted sea trout will be feeding in the clean deeper grass beds near the potholes alongside ladyfish and small jacks early in the mornings and move into deeper waters as water temperatures increase.

Snook prefer water temperatures in the 72 to100 degree range with an optimum around 76 to 78 degrees.   

Snook are very sensitive to water temperatures and prefer feeding near tidal flows and moving water where they can more easily ambush their prey.

 Right now you can find spawning Snook along some of the beaches in our area.

The rocky beaches around Patrick AFB are a particularly good place to target summer snook with a large live finger mullet.

And finally tarpon.

Tarpon prefer water temperatures of 72 to 82°F. Below 60°F degrees tarpon become inactive and lethargic.

During the summer months big tarpon in the 100 plus pound category roam the beaches throughout central Florida.

You can catch them just off the beach from small craft,  kayaks and in many areas, in the surf.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that the fishing is lousy when you sleep in and don't get out on the water until around noon.

For most species, that's just about the time to start "packing it in" and heading for home.

Remember that if you want to start catching instead of just fishing "the early bird catches the worm" .

Indian River fishing in July is tailored for insomniac fisherman .

Till next time,

Tight Lines and a Happy Independence Day to you all.

Smokey Evening On The Indian River

It was definitely a smokey evening on the Indian River today.

As I was driving home from Highlands, N.C. today, I heard on a 690 AM radio station out of Jacksonville a report that there were currently 3,500 wildfires burning in the state of Florida.

From Savannah, Ga. all the way to Titusville, Fl. there was smoke in the air that in some places made driving pretty hazardous.


Despite the smoke, my wife and I decided to get out and scout the north Indian River around the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge to see if anything was happening.

I didn't get home until late, so we didn't get to the river until about 7:00 p.m.

There was a lot of smoke in the air, the wind was blowing and there was a storm brewing but despite these conditions we tried our best to catch a redfish or two.

We saw only one other vehicle in the preserve and he didn't look like he was going fishing.

Karen and I only had time to stop at a couple of our favorite locations and we made the best of it.

Karen fished dead shrimp and I tried fishing several artificial lures with no success.

I tried a gold Johnson spoon, Chug Bug, a D.O.A.TerrorEye and finally a white Creme swimbait that I found in the center console of my truck.

Although Karen had a couple of hits that she thought were sea trout; I didn't get so much as a tap until just before dusk.

I was blind casting the white Creme paddle tail swimbait all around the Indian River side of the road and finally hooked a redfish about 5 feet from the bank.

I thought I had a snag when the redfish hit, but when I saw the beautiful blue hue on it's fins I immediately knew what I had on.

The fish was about 26" long but wasn't hooked well. It spit the lure out almost immediately and took off into the deeper part of the river.

I continued casting around the spot hoping for another bite, neither Karen nor I had another hit for the rest of the evening.

Since it was getting dark and starting to rain, we decided to pack it in and head for home.

Although it was a smokey evening on the Indian River this evening, I hope the rain clears up the smoke enough to get in some decent fishing tomorrow.

Till then, Tight Lines!