JULY 2026 Backwater Fishing Report

Florida's Summer Fishing Season Is Heating Up

Summertime, and the living’s easy! The bite is hotter than the temperatures, with snook, flounder, black drum and redfish keeping the lines tight.

My comedian friends Kim Congdon, Uncle Lazer and Dulce Mac came to Florida for The Tropical Depression Tour, sponsored by Morgan & Morgan. We ripped lips hard back in March and had to go back for more because this crew loves to fish.

My buddy Dave loaded up his Bossman, and off we went. Using live shrimp and Henn lures, it was three days of drag-pulling magic.

Dulce scored a solid black drum, Kimmy had a few strong hits and reeled in her drum as well, and Uncle Lazer caught a serious sunburn.

As for me, I had one of the best inshore snook fishing days of my life using the “shrinnow” by Henn. I ended up landing seven toads and breaking off on seven more. It was much needed, as my last few months have brought more losses than wins.

Moving ahead into the dead of summer, look for those big snooks and reds to be aggressive and hungry.

Cast Em… Hook Em… And Catch Em

Photos by: PATRICK “TUPAT” EICHSTAEDT | @THEREALTUPAT

Best Days to Fish: July 1, 6-7, 11-16, 20-22, 28-31

JULY 2026 TIDE CHART