Shore Thing Fishing Report, 7/17/2024

July 17, 2024

Conditions continue to improve, with more bait and cleaner water coming in. Whether you fish offshore, nearshore, or inshore – the fish are waiting for you.

​- by Sonny Schindler, Shore Thing Fishing Charters

The Gilley crew from Georgia with a quadruple on the puppy drums. Caught near Ansley, MS.

The water has gotten cleaner, the bait has gotten thicker, and the fishing has gotten even better. We have had boats running every day fishing nearshore, inshore, and offshore. The oppressive heat and the pop-up storms have been our biggest hurdle lately. We are bringing plenty of fluids and keeping a very close eye on the radar.
 

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Evan Nelson from Birmingham, AL, with a fine tripletail he caught south of Bay St. Louis that he opted to tag and release.

 
As far as the fishing goes, it has been very good just about everywhere. We are seeing a fantastic bite on the redfish and puppy drum on the nearshore reefs. Dead shrimp has worked fine, but if you can get your hands on some live shrimp, that’s even better. The barrier islands and the Louisiana marsh have been very good on the school trout and the big white trout.

Deck hand Mitchell Thompson and the Covington boys with a nice cobia they caught south of the barrier islands.

 
Since a big wave of shrimp has pushed through, we are just chasing diving birds. When we find jumping shrimp and diving birds, fishing has been pretty easy. You either use your trolling motor to get near them or let the wind drift you close to them. From there, we are launching soft plastics into the ruckus. You will have to deal with some catfish, so be sure and bring a good flipper or some long pliers.

Coco Kuhner from Pass Christian with a double on the white trout from the Louisiana Marsh.

 
The crowds on the water were about as big as you will ever see. Please be courteous to other boaters and anglers. Give people plenty of space or, better yet, go exploring for a new area to fish. I assure you, the fishing has been pretty darn good just about everywhere, so learning a new area is always a good thing to try at this time of year.
 
While you are running around, be sure to keep an eye out for those wonderful tripletails. We have seen a few this past week, and I imagine there are more on the way.
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