Hernando Beach fishing and scalloping on fire!

As we move through the next month, anglers can rely on a few inshore patterns when planning a fishing, scalloping, or boating trip. The trout bite will be great in 6 - 10 ft of water, the scallops are thick off Hernando Beach, and there is a good chance of thunderstorms in the late afternoon. Trout fishing off Hernando has been on fire and should stay consistent throughout summer. We are getting good numbers of quality trout in 6 - 10 ft of water on our trips. Anglers will catch some shorties with the keeper slot size, but be ready for the occasional BIG gator trout to join in the fun. The red fish bite is good as long as you are on the water and fishing before day break. The red fish are here and feeding early in the skinny water, but as soon as the day starts to heat up the bite really slows. Top water or live pin fish are great tactics to use early in the day. The scallop numbers continue to improve with every passing week. Look for the best numbers to be off Northern Hernando in 5 - 7 ft of water. Target grassy bottom and be ready to bounce around to different spots until you locate these tasty bi-valves. I try to plan my trips around a low tide because it makes for easier scalloping, but the low tides will be late in the afternoon this weekend and that means possible thunderstorms. Remember to deploy your diver down flags and don't bring home more than your limit because there is a good chance "the Man" will be waiting at the dock to check your catch. Good luck out there and tight lines! Capt. Keith Tomlinson Bulldog Fishin Charters www.bulldogfishin.com (352)238-3581