Other than safety your next concern should be bait. When fishing at night I almost always use live bait. Pilchards are my bait of choice due to their ability to swim naturally when hooked with a light wire 1/0 or 2/0 hook. You can normally find pilchards in areas adjacent to creeks or canals with good tidal flow. Once I find an area that might hold pilchards I will deploy Capt. Mark’s 100% Sardine Chum. This chum is great for attracting them into cast net range. Pilchards are fragile baits and will survive best in recirculating livewell systems. If pilchards are unavailable, I will use live finger mullet or shrimp instead.

Once you have your bait it’s time to head to the fishing grounds. The most productive areas are mangrove lined creeks and canals. A good night fishing spot can be a place where you see fish during the day who are reluctant to bite or an area that has good flow of water which carries the bait in and out with the tide. Snook like ambush spots were there is a tree or other obstacle that breaks the flow and they can wait for the bait to get swept by in the current.
My biggest secret at night is to use a Hydro Glow fish light. I anchored about 30 feet from the shoreline and deployed the Hydro Glow in between the boat and the mangroves. It doesn’t take long for the snook to show up in the shadow line of the light along the mangroves. Don’t be surprised if you catch tarpon and some nice snapper mixed in with the snook If you are interested in additional information about the Hydro Glow, you can visit their website at www.hydroglow.com.

Offshore Report

Offshore fishing has been red hot. The mahi-mahi bite is as good as it gets. Schoolie sized dolphin in the 3 to 5 pound range with an occasional 8 to 12 pounder mixed in has been normal. These fish have been scattered in varying depths of the upper keys. There has been some big Dolphin up to 60 lbs. mixed in along the weedlines. Only a few wahoo have been caught recently since their population has dwindled due to their annual migration.
The billfish are showing up out in the Gulf Stream as well. The occasional blue marlin has really surprised some dolphin fisherman so far this summer as well as quite a few late season sailfish. For the evening fisherman calmer sea conditions will provide some great swordfish action. Don’t forget the annual grey snapper spawn around the full moon. You can catch these fish on cut ballyhoo plugs or fillets as well as live pilchard. Catch’ em up!
You can contact Capt. George Clark Sr. or Capt. George Clark Jr. at www.rodeocharters.com or (305)522-5530
and (300)852-3829.