The only negative thing I can see for fishing in July is the heat has the water temperature higher than normal even though we always experience the water temperature getting higher in July and August which means fish will be lazy in their feeding habits. The good thing about July fishing is we need to catch a lot more of those big red snapper during the first ten days and we can now start bringing home those large gag grouper that we have been throwing back. Even though we cannot bring home an amberjack until the first of August, that doesn’t mean they’re not going to jump on your grouper bait. Just be careful and try to release them in good shape if the porpoise have not already worked them over.
Inshore fishing is still coming on strong. The speckled trout seem to be just getting larger every day and the red fish are still here but are getting lazy in their feeding habits earlier than usual. There are still plenty of sand trout in the bay, just check around the range markers or buoys until you find them. All in all July should be a very good month for inshore and offshore fishing. We just need to be aware of our weather pattern on the Gulf so that you don’t get caught in a bad storm. Don’t forget to file a float plan, and let somebody know when you are going to return.