Well July is already nearly over it’s hard to believe! We’ve had some decent overall fishing the last month. Tarpon hasn’t been quite what we normally like to see, but I’ve been mixing it up a little more on some trips. The snook bite has been good for the most part, and a few of those larger specimens around too when the conditions are right. Tripletail have been around as well which are fun for those looking for a challenge of sight fishing. I haven’t done a lot of it myself but I know the bonefish bite has been pretty good too fishing the local flats of Islamorada (and of course in a boat like mine that would be stake-up fishing, not poling/sight fishing). So all in all it’s been a good overall time to be down here. As we get into August and September I think you can expect more of the same, and hopefully less crowds after the lobster season stuff is over in the first week of August. Some challenges we’ve had on occasion are getting bait – they haven’t had a steady supply of shrimp so we’re left to our own to get that. Mullet have been hit & miss which is what I use for tarpon, and some days to get them you have to bypass other bait opportunities. Pilchards have been around but a lot of little guys. So some days you kind of have to pick what you want to target (tarpon vs. other stuff), and go after that bait first and fish accordingly.
Anyways I’m fairly busy through the end of this month, then we’re going away again in early August. But I’ll be around and available through later August and September. And I also have Capt. Bean running my other boat and he’s been doing pretty well in the backcountry too. So give me a shout if you are looking to get out fishing. We have some awesome lodging options at Bud n’ Mary’s Marina that are very affordable – cool new houseboats right on the Atlantic ocean!
Capt. Rick Stanczyk
Instagram: @richardstanczyk
Facebook: Islamorada Tarpon Fishing
YouTube: Bud n’ Mary’s Marina
