Tarpon are not the only heavyweight gamefish available. Cobia are also players this month. Mexico Beach sees large numbers of fish gathering around the many inshore wrecks and reefs. Three new reefs that are worth trying are the Baxter, Willie Krause and Bainbridge, which are all within seven miles of shore. The buoy line that runs from St. Joe and the many markers in the area are also good for cobia as well as kingfish. The cobia are drawn to the structure while the kings are drawn to the schools of baitfish. Large amberjack can also be caught around many of the same wrecks and reefs that attract cobia. A live baitfish is a great way to locate any of these gamefish.

Grouper should also be included in the mix of possibilities when fishing live bait around natural or man-made structure.

Most of the Alphabet towers offshore of Apalachicola offer several heavyweight gamefish. Amberjack, grouper, kingfish and large barracuda frequent these deepwater electronic bombing practice sites. There are many of these towers in the Gulf but the closest is the “O” tower which is approximately 20 miles from Apalachicola.

Speckled trout fishing will be in full swing most anywhere there are healthy turtlegrass flats. St. Marks is famous for its grassflats and trout fishing. When the water temperature rises and the baitfish are on both the East and West flats, the fishing should be hot. Most of the small and medium-sized trout are caught on the flats while the bigger gators are often caught around the creek mouths, oyster bars or rock formations. Live shrimp fished under a popping cork remains the premier trout bait. Of course, shiner tails, rubber-tailed jigs, plugs, flyrod poppers and streamers will take a large share of the fish. The Aucilla River, Econfina, Spring Creek, Goose Island, Apalachicola Bay and St. Joe Bay all mean speckled trout, redfish, and Spanish mackerel to inshore anglers this month.

Freshwater bass fishing is stellar in June on most any freshwater lake or river in this region. Panfishing is also good this month for anglers looking for bedding bream while casting under overhanging trees on the local rivers.

Best Bet: NORTHWEST

St. Joe Bay has to be one of the best places to fish in all of Florida. The crystal-clear water, miles of shallow grassflats and the huge speckled trout are hard to improve on. June can be a great time to get in the water and wade fish for large trout. Anglers will wade the same flats that attract hordes of scallopers next month. These flats are relatively quiet this time of the year; the water temperature is ideal for wading and the water is clear enough to see the bottom.

Most waders wear tennis shoes or other wading shoes and pull an inner tube or Styrofoam float with an ice chest for fish, drinks and lunch. Polarized glasses are essential for seeing fish. Many of the bigger trout lurk around edges of the white sand patches in the grass. Topwater plugs seem to attract the larger speckled trout. Expect some of the biggest ones to weigh over eight pounds. Some anglers prefer subsurface plugs, jigs or flyrod streamers. Of course live shiners and shrimp are always effective although bait fishing is a much slower way to cover a large area. Early morning and late afternoon seem to be the most productive times to fish but trout can be caught throughout the day. There’s access to the bay from the state park at Eagle Harbor or from the shallow end of the bay near fish camps such as Presnell’s.

FS