August is one of my favorite times to get on the water

August is one of my favorite times to get on the water in south Florida. For me it marks the start of lobster season! These tasty crustaceans can be found up and down the Southern Florida coast hiding in any knock and cranny, so break out the snorkel gear. Bully netting is another way of catching your limit of lobster without battling the summer heat. This requires some specialized equipment, including underwater lights that are capable to light the ocean floor as you look for the lobster crawling in the night hours.
Lobster season also marks the spawn of Cubera Snapper. These monsters can be targeted on the deep rock piles and wrecks along our coast. Make sure you have the right kind of tackle for these hard pulling snapper, the standard tackle we use include a 50 class stand up outfit full of fresh 50-80 lb test line. These fish like to really get going on the full moon in August and will remain through September. Tackle also includes 100 lb mono with a mustad 8/0 and I prefer to use a large treble hook stinger on the end of the rig. The bait of choice for Cubera are whole live lobster! Fresh yellowtail will work if you just can not part with the lobster. On our charters we like to drift over the wrecks and rock piles while watching the depth finder very closely. Cubera will congregate so thick you machine will make a solid red color. Make sure to locate the school and mark the depth of water they are congregating in. Once you mark these fish you can double back down current and set your line to the correct depth and put the bait right on there noses. It is important to keep that drag tight and keeping a firm grip because these fish can pull! It is also important to remember these fish are spawning so please keep conversation in mind when targeting these beautiful fish and practice catch and release.