Greetings from Tru Luvin Fishing and Hagan Coastal Outfitters. This blog provides you with a front row seat to what we are seeing on the water from our kayaks, as we chase inshore saltwater species, primarily using artificial lures. We will include occasional bonus reports from fishing trips around the state. We want to keep you informed of what is biting, what lures are working for us and what gear has been helping us get on the fish.
Overall Fishing Report
The dog days of summer are officially upon us. That does not necessarily mean the fish have not been biting, but we are entrenched in the heat of the Florida summer. So, let’s take a few lines to examine some basic summer kayak safety tips.
Advisories for extreme heat and intense thunderstorms are now daily realities that a kayak angler must pay attention to when planning for fishing trips. It is usually best to focus on either early morning or late day trips to avoid peak mid-day temperatures. Keep in mind that pop-up thunderstorms can happen during those late day trips so make sure you check the weather radar before you head out.
If you are new to kayaking or fishing, be leery of taking trips in extreme heat that may be especially challenging from a physical standpoint. This would include launching at locations that may require a lengthy paddle to get to targeted fishing locations or may necessitate traveling against strong tidal conditions. Also be careful this time of year about tidal roadside launches that you may not be familiar with. These locations may have extended dry periods at low tide where you can’t get back to shore. You don’t want to get stuck on the water if you are feeling overheated or if a pop-up thunderstorm is emerging.
Safety concerns aside, fishing continued to be strong through July. We focused primarily on the North Jacksonville creek systems because the bite there remained consistent despite the hot weather and water conditions. We continued to see bait schools of Shrimp and Mullet in the creeks. Finding those nervous schools where the bait showed signs of fleeing from predatory fish keyed us into the areas where we focused. Reading the water like this and matching our lure presentations to the size of the bait in our surroundings helped us to remain successful. Let’s take a closer look at the details.
Tactics that are Working
We focused primarily on launching just prior to sunrise during July to both minimize heat exposure and maximize our opportunities to throw top water plugs to Trout and Redfish. Success was found with both species but we found our results skewing more toward Redfish than Trout as the waters heated up in July. Continuing last month’s theme of tactical flexibility, we also threw top water plugs during full sunlight hours with success when the right conditions appeared. This month’s effective selections included top water lures such as the Heddon Super Spook Jr. and the Rapala Skitter Walk.
We also found that the four inch Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ did a really nice job mimicking the current size of the Mullet schools in the creeks. Dom used the “Beer Run” color primarily while Ron used the “Slam Shady” color and the results included overslot Reds for both of us with Dom landing a beautiful thirty-two-inch fish. We both also picked up Flounder on these lures this month where they continue to be found in our creeks. Trout were caught as well on the DieZel MinnowZ but in smaller numbers in July as compared with June.
Lessons Learned
This month’s lesson that we learned on the water is to expect the unexpected. Early this month we were focusing on Redfish in a North Jacksonville creek. Ron was using a Z-Man GOAT lure fishing slowly in the shallows next to an oyster bar with a drop off to deeper water. A massive hit on the lure was first thought to be a big Redfish. Then the unmistakable top fins of an estimated 50-pound Tarpon emerged as the fish pulled line from the reel as it headed for open water. The fish was fought through several acrobatic jumps on very light tackle and ultimately threw the hook on one last jump and head shake. This was a fantastic fight and a fun lesson to learn.
Tackle & Equipment
We noted earlier that Dom and Ron were both catching big Reds during July on the Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ. We were using the four-inch size that closely matched the size of the Mullet in our bait schools. This is a soft plastic lure with great tail action and durability. They also come in five- and seven-inch sizes along with a three-inch version just called MinnowZ. This size range really gives an angler the ability to match what they are seeing size wise in their local waters. The color sections and variety are extensive and really allow you to dial in matching the hatch of baitfish in any area. These soft plastics pair perfectly with Z-Man branded Trout Eye jigs for the shorter versions and Redfish Eye jigs for the longer versions.
ICAST 2025
Tru Luvin Fishing and Hagan Coastal Outfitters teamed up to attend the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades in Orlando in July. This is the premier worldwide fishing industry annual showcase that includes an on-the-water demonstration day and a massive expo hall full of the newest, latest and greatest fishing gear. We met with many old and new partners and looked at all the cutting-edge products that will be hitting the market soon. A few that caught our eye included the Best In Show award-winning FluxJet jet powered kayak, some great new products from Dry Pocket and new lure offerings from Z-Man. A few of their new lures include the Thick Trick, smaller sizes of the Prawn StarZ and an unweighted loose body version of the Prawn StarZ that you can rig any way you choose. We hope to bring you more information on these products, and others we saw, in the coming months.
Submitted by Domenic Paniccia and Ron Lendvay