OK, so it’s August and the kids are going back to school while the fish get a mid week break. After school activities, fishing will be done after school hours or on weekends. For the retired people or vacationers, this gives them Monday through Friday to get out there and do some catching.  Looking at the inshore possibilities this time of year in Southwest Florida, it will be a great time to accomplish your inshore slam / or grand slam. This consists of catching a snook, red, trout, for your inshore slam. To get your grand slam you need to add a tarpon. All of these species are available this time of year. You can target snook, reds, and trout all around the harbor using live baits. Live baits you can harvest with a cast net or sabiki rig. The best way to spot these bait fish is to look on the surface of the water where you normally fish. Look for nervous waters like it is raining on the water or where there are birds, pelicans or small birds like terns and seagulls crashing the waters feeding on the bait fish. Where you find these baits is a great area to fish in the close shallows, grass flats and nearby structure. For those that would rather go offshore, bring some of those live baits out to some of the natural ledges where you can catch some  snapper. Mangrove, lane and yellowtail will feed on those baits inshore. I usually like to anchor up where I want to fish, close to the edge of the structure or ledge. Starting with frozen baits to get the bite going - like squid, shrimp, and spanish sardines - until the bite slows. Then it is the time to break out the live ones and send them down to trade up for keeper size fish. If you use shrimp, you may have a hog-fish take the bite because these guys like hard bottom ledges. The only thing you need to be worried about would be the goliath grouper. They will chase your catch off the bottom and snag them if you take too long bringing them to the boat. They are a problem mostly on artificial reefs or bigger ledges that will support them. So, if you would like to come along with Capt. Bart Marx on a Florida fishing adventure just for you, call me at 941-979-6517 or e-mail captbart@alphaomegacharters.com Always remember, singing drags and tight lines make me smile. <*(((((>{

We always watch the 4th of July fireworks from the boat on the Peace River with guests and this year Mark and Lorie Dahlkemper joined us - it was an awesome and safe trip. The following week I went to Lake Aurora Christian Camp in Lake Wales, FL to teach fishing to K- 3rd grade students. We had a great time as they caught bass, blue gill, and turtles. Some of our other trips during the month we were blessed with, there were lots of reds and snapper caught. We also caught snook, jacks and catfish. My niece, Shelby and her boyfriend came to town from Tennessee and I took them out for a fun day of fishing. We started at Port Charlotte Beach and traveled down Charlotte Harbor, around Cape Haze and ended up in Placida to catch bait. We started our journey back toward the dock and stopped in several different places but there we no hungry fish in the area. We did catch a catfish and a Redfish. I promised my sister that I would send fish back to Tennessee with Shelby, so being raised in Punta Gorda and Charlotte Harbor, I was brought up on fried mullet and mullet gizzards. So I threw the cast net to harvest some nice mullet. We spent one and a half hours doing this we ended up with a dozen mullet and a dozen salt water sand bream. This was enough to send to my sister Gwen. Later that month, I needed to get focused on my next trip which was to Homestead, FL for the two day sportsman season for lobster. I switched the boat over from fishing to lobstering, taking all the fishing tackle out and putting dive stuff in bags with masks, snorkels and fins. We loaded the boat with stuff, ice, drinks, lunch - the important things. We had bags with dry clothes and over night bags. We pulled out of the driveway at 6 AM for a 200 mile ride to the ramp in Homestead. We arrived and backed the boat into the ramp at 10 AM and were on the water of Biscayne Bay crossing to the Atlantic Ocean side of Elliott Key where we prepared to do the lobster thing, using a Brownie air compressor. Two of the guests were able to go under for a time. When it was time to move and try a new spot, I pulled the rope out of the Honda, so that was the end of that for that day. We just snorkeled for the rest of the day. After that we had a great meal at Mario's Cuban Restaurant in Homestead and relaxed for the night. We fixed the pull role that evening and the next day we went to some other areas searching for lobster. We had a great time, and no, we did not get our limit of lobster but we found some of the nicest coral heads and soft corals I have seen any where in the Caribbean and Florida. It is awesome to be able to go and enjoy creation at its finest. There are lots of people that have never seen these underwater habitats that are just across the state. If any one reading this would like to go fishing or siteseeing with Capt. Bart Marx, give me a call 941-979-6517 or e-mail me at captbart@alphaomegacharters.com  Always remember singing drags and tight lines make me smile. <*(((((>{