I usually spend a good portion of my summers fishing in Cape Cod, Montana or other areas that offer a cool alternative to steamy Florida. Unfortunately, COVID 19 has Kept me home this summer and I now remember why i leave. While fish are to be caught, Fast action is usually limited to an hour or two around dawn and dusk or along the beaches and passes connecting the gulf with inshore bays. Although, even if the bite were an all day affair, its just too darn hot to stay on the water more than a couple of hours at a time.
If you Just have to get out, or like me, have a Fishing addiction, I'd suggest you fish the gulf passes and inlets on a moving tide and throw bucktail or leadhead jigs rigged with soft plastics that are heavy enough to get your lure to the bottom. Cast down current and Let the jig hit the bottom before you begin a Retrieve that has your lure bouncing along the bottom with the current. Snook, Trout and reds and a variety of other fish, including sharks are all likely targets.
Mangrove shorelines, with adjacent grass flats and deeper water nearby will hold snook and reds around dawn and dusk and preferably around the higher tide phases. Topwater baits can be effective as well as leadhead jigs rigged with plastic paddle tail or jerk baits.
