If you could only target one gamefish species right now, what would it be? That’s the question we put to five top skippers from Rhode Island to California to find out how top pros target their favorite gamefish species over the next two months. See what these experts will be out chasing this time of year.
Quicklook: Best Places to Fish in August and September
Best for the Northeast: Bluefin Tuna
Best for the Mid-Atlantic: Redfish
Best for the Southeast: King Mackerel
Best for the Gulf of Mexico: Tarpon
Best for the West Coast: Bluefin Tuna
Bluefin Tuna
Diane Rome Peebles
Northeast: Rhode Island Bluefin Tuna Fishing
August is tuna time in these waters. Capt. Max Dispoto out of Point Judith can’t get enough of the feisty school-size bluefins roaming the ocean in packs. The 50- to 200-pound tuna “are among the most aggressive fish in the ocean,” Dispoto says, making jigging and popping for them an adrenaline rush.
While they’re typically 20 to 60 miles out, that’s still within reach for many anglers. Dispoto looks for “wherever the life is” on the Atlantic: humpback whales, minkes, porpoises and seabirds indicate where the bait is, and that’s where he finds tuna. Being on them early in the morning offers the best action.
Don’t hesitate to make long casts with a noisy popper, even if the tuna aren’t showing on top. Often surface commotion will get their attention. Dispoto, a Shimano pro staffer, favors the Ocean Bomb Dip 170 in anchovy.
Redfish
Diane Rome Peebles
Mid-Atlantic: Chesapeake Bull Red Drum Fishing
Chesapeake Bay’s hit list includes seatrout, stripers, mackerel, bluefish and cobia, says Capt. Pete Dahlberg, who fishes out of Solomons, Maryland. “The stars of the show in August are giant bull redfish. They pull like freight trains,” he says. Best of all, the chance to land a giant red has increased greatly over the last decade.
Dahlberg says it’s a challenge to find them because they meander around miles of territory, hunting menhaden. He finds them via his Humminbird side-imaging unit, via slicks smelling of baitfish or, best of all, “a massive school of giants smashing the surface over an area the size of a football field!”
They tend to be in the area from Buoy 76 on the bay south into Virginia waters, often along the sharp drop-offs of shipping-channel edges. Given the size of these fish, it is best to leave the light tackle at home.
King Mackerel
Diane Rome Peebles
Southeast: Charleston King Mackerel Fishing
If it’s August, it’s time to pursue king mackerel off Charleston, says veteran skipper Capt. Robert Olsen. That’s the species most on his mind in late summer, when tuna and mahi have moved out. Olsen fishes them in 50 to 100 feet, where the kings run in the 10- to 25-pound range. For smoker-size kings, he suggests fishing either closer to the beach or farther out around the ledge (the 30-fathom curve). With the Atlantic slope off South Carolina so gentle, figure a 50-mile run to the ledge, Olsen says.
“We never had many 40-pound kings here until a few years ago,” he says, “when a guy first found ‘em at the ledge.” In recent years, the number of big smokers has been increasing.
Tarpon
Diane Rome Peebles
Gulf of Mexico: Texas Tarpon Fishing
In the calm seas and influx of blue water that August brings, Capt. Brian Barrera, out of South Padre Island, says, “Lots of people here choose to lay down the light tackle and pick up bigger gear to chase tarpon.” Barrera acknowledges that “chasing giant migratory tarpon is my true passion.”
To find them, Barrera focuses on inlets, jetties, channels and bridges in South Padre waters. As for the tide, “movement [versus slack water] helps, but that doesn’t dictate whether we go or not,” he says.
He’ll fish up to 65-pound braid for the big boys, with live mullet, pinfish or ribbonfish (aka cutlassfish).
West Coast: California Bluefin Tuna Fishing
“Bluefins are such elegant and diverse fish, and great fun to target here in the summer,” says San Diego-based Capt. Brandon Nelson. Off Southern California in August, this single species shows up offshore in many different situations. They can appear anywhere from 5 to 130 miles offshore, often favoring both local and offshore banks. The size of fish encountered and their behavior dictate several approaches: kite-fishing, high-speed trolling, casting to foaming fish, and traditional stop-and-go live-baiting.
“On the larger fish—100 to 300 pounds—we like the kite,” Nelson says. “Aerial kite bites are some of the best offshore visuals.”
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