With Florida’s hottest months approaching, many anglers who work on the water or outdoors in general, are looking for other options that allow them to stay out of the UV rays for personal recreation. In order to accomplish this, we change a few tactics, and load up the gear as the sun gets low. We grab a few lights and set out to fish in the darkness.
Fishing docks and bridges has always been a long time favorite of mine. Structure provides a shelter for several species like the Snook. They like to hide out in the pilings providing a challenge for the angler. In addition to the fish, every structure in the saltwater attracts oysters and barnacles that attach directly to pilings. The sharp shells of these creatures can slice through braided line like it was butter. Considering all of these obstacles, plan your rod/reel/line combo accordingly. You have to have a rod stout enough to turn a fish that is headed toward the pilings, a reel that will hold heavy braid and at least a 30# leader. I sometimes beef my leader up to 40# when I know serious fish are home. Always be ready to palm the spool as a last resort to turn the fish’s head away from structure.
An important consideration, when planning a trip, is taking advantage of fishing the fastest part of a moving tide. This time of year can be great with bigger tides in the evening and into the night. If you can catch a full moon tide, it’s the best chance of the month for the most productive bite at night. The full moons in the first week of June and July hold huge outgoing tides. The new moons that fall on the 19th day of June and July also move the largest concentration of water for the month. Another thing I look for when paddling down a canal system that is littered with hundreds of docks is lights. Lights on the dock, or underwater, can set one group of pilings apart from all the others. I often observe bait schools drawn in by the overhung, or underwater illumination. Bends, or “bottlenecks”, in canals or rivers where the tide runs more quickly are also good areas to fish. 
Another area that I will be targeting very soon is the beach. The fish are currently making their move from rivers systems out into open waters. Many sightings of good fish have already been reported right off the beach. When fishing in the daytime, big shadows sitting in the troughs is what you are looking for and those fish provide great practice for sight fishing. At night, fishing the moving water where fish lay in wait for a bait to be funneled through with the tide is another technique that I like. An old fisherman once told me “Work your bait with the tide”. This approach makes your lure look like another piece of bait sweeping away in the tide. Now that you know where to find fish and the best time to fish, you only need to know what to fish with. I will try to share some baits that have been the most productive for me. With all of the whitebait around, if you can catch it and keep it alive, I am sure you can spark a feeding frenzy. I am often on land, or in a kayak, so I prefer the ease of artificial baits. First and foremost, the thrashing of a Rapala X-rap, or a Yo-zuri is a top choice. The rattling and either the slow suspending, or slow floating motion after you jerk the bait around, is irresistible to fish.
In certain situations floating sea grass will now allow two treble hooks to slash through the water in the proper motion, so switching to a bait with a single hook where grass can be twitched free is necessary.
A DOA Bait Buster is a second favorite of mine. These blend right in with finger mullet, and most bites come from a solid fish. Other large, light colored jerk baits have been showing results when rigged on a heavier jig head of least 1/4oz in size. This gives that jerk-bait a more erratic action that a Snook will zero in on.
