4th of July Fishing - Summer Can Be Fire

Full Moon Mayhem: Mackerel, Sharks, and Slot Redfish

This summer, the full moon landed on the 4th, and I was thankful to have the day off. Even better, we had a late high tide — a perfect setup for an eventful day on the water.

After making a quick stop at South Shore Bait & Tackle, we headed to our private launch and were on the water by 8:30 a.m. A light four-mile-per-hour east wind greeted us, and the bay had that calm, glassy look that gets your expectations up quickly.

We ran to a nearby marker to load the livewell and anchor up for mackerel. A couple of throws with the ten-foot cast net and we were in business. Fresh threadfins were flipping in the well, and it didn’t take long for the tide to begin pushing in.

Mackerel Action Turns into Shark Chaos

As the current built, we deployed tournament chum and rigged up long-shank 1/0 Mustad hooks — the perfect setup for those toothy critters. Once the water started moving, the feeding frenzy began. Spanish mackerel were slashing through the chum slick, and we quickly boxed about a dozen.

Then things escalated.

A five-foot blacktip shark followed the mile-long chum slick straight to the boat. We were secretly hoping for a cobia, but we’ll take what shows up. Although we weren’t rigged with proper shark leaders, we knew if we could get a solid hook set, we were in for a battle.

The shark crushed Vince’s drifting threadfin, and the fight was on.

For twenty minutes, drag screamed while the shark bulldogged around the boat. After grabbing some great video footage and enjoying the adrenaline rush, we finally broke him off boat-side. Sometimes that’s part of the game — live to fight another day.

With plenty of mackerel in the well and our heart rates elevated, we decided to make a move inshore.

Redfish Mayhem on the Incoming Tide

I had been studying satellite imagery for a few weeks and marked several “fishy” areas I wanted to investigate. It paid off.

The first two stops produced ten redfish — all solid slot fish between 18 and 28 inches. They were keyed in on fresh-cut threadfins, so we gave them exactly what they wanted.

Five of the seven spots we fished produced quality fish. The tide continued pushing, and the redfish fed steadily for hours. It was one of those rare stretches where you barely had time to bait another hook before someone else was tight.

At one point, I started thinking about targeting snook — the striped Mongol that often lurks nearby. I tossed out a few live chummers and sent a lively threadfin down with a 1/0 Owner Super Mutu. Every attempt to slip a bait past the redfish resulted in… another redfish.

That’s not a bad problem to have.

A Classic Summer Grind

Boat traffic was heavy, the sun was relentless, and the heat reminded us that summer fishing requires stamina. But when the fish cooperate like that, none of it matters.

From mackerel blitzes to shark chaos to steady redfish action, it was the kind of day that reminds you why you plan around tides and moon phases. The full moon brought life to the bay, and we were fortunate enough to be there for it.

Incredible fishing.
Controlled chaos.
A day well spent on Tampa Bay.