By the time you read this I will be in the same hot box you all have been tolerating for a week. The mountains and fishing were calling, on the hottest week coincidentally. Now I have to find some hot sand to fish near some cool water to soak. There are plenty of tacos swimming around the surf: kingfish, spot and croaker. Always little sand perch and some cusk eels. Summer bluefish are biting too, along with skates, rays and sharks as usual. We use Fishbites to avoid the scavengers. We still catch some but not as many if we were using cut bait. My pockets get gross after carrying cut bait around all day. Fishbites is so much cleaner.

Some nice fish are being caught offshore. Hit up the charters for trip availability. The White Marlin Open starts next week. It will be a little crowded on the water this weekend with arriving boats and anglers out fishing. It’s always fun to watch the boats leave the inlet in the early morning hours.

Some night fishing at the Indian River Inlet with sand fleas for schooling striped bass is fun this time of year. Use a four aught circle hook, put a flea or two on the hook and toss in a few fleas to seed the water. The fish get all excited. Toss in your fleas on that hook, no weight needed, and just wait for the hit. Reel in your fish and repeat. It’s like feeding seagulls potato chips, same reaction.

Freshwater fishing has been great. I prefer the top water evening action in the shade. This time of year, we all prefer the shade.

I’ve been fly fishing in the north, paddling around somewhere in Connecticut above the Farmington River headwaters and Riverton, Connecticut. I have not hit the river to fly fish, I have been floating on the lake catching panfish and bass. Once you are here it is really hard to leave. The dock is 20 feet from the house, and I don’t need a fishing license on private property. This is one of my favorite places on Earth. The actual name isn’t important; we call it the lake. It is loaded with pickerel, small- and largemouth bass, yellow perch, a variety of bluegills, and bullhead catfish. There is a lot of food out there. The bears visit every morning for a swim.

When I am not fly fishing the lake, I am tossing these Fishbites Fight Club paddle tails, green, and using the Fishbites jig heads. The bait stays on that jig head, never needs resetting even after 50 bass and four pickerel. The bait looks worn out like bad bass thumb, but the paddle is still flipping. I left it on the line for an hour or so. I usually toss it back in the bag with the jig on. It shrank up a bit, I tossed it in the water, it softened up, and fish are still hammering it. I don’t even know the fish count on one of these now. I’ve lost two to big fish snapoffs. I’m going back out after this for my last day of fishing.

Maryland DNR states: “Looking for a new fishing spot? The Public Access Angler’s Map shows several hundred places you can fish. Filter results by the species you want to target, boat ramp access, and more.”

You all have a great weekend. Stay hydrated, it is nasty out there. Traffic is a little wild this time of year. Take your time, you will get there.