The Gulf Stream is running close off Palm Beach, which keeps the offshore run short and the mahi within reach. It has been a get-out-early week — glassy conditions before 9 a.m., a building east breeze after, and storms by mid-afternoon.
What’s Hitting
Mahi are the primary target, scattered on weedlines and under bird activity from 200 feet on out. Most are schoolies with the occasional gaffer. Blackfin tuna are eating in the pre-dawn dark on the deeper structure. Mangrove snapper are stacked on the reef in 40 to 70 feet and feeding well at night. Mutton snapper are still active off the full moon. Kingfish are around in modest numbers, and the bonito are thick enough to be a nuisance.
Where to Find Them
Work the color change and any weedline you find, particularly where the current sets a defined edge. Blackfin are on the deep structure off Palm Beach Inlet before sunrise. Mangrove snapper are on the second reef line and the artificial wrecks in 50 to 70 feet, best after dark. Muttons are on the reef edges at first light. Inside, tarpon and snook are working the inlet and the Lake Worth bridges at night, snook catch-and-release through August.
Tides & Conditions
Tides off the July 29 full moon are running strong early in the week. Seas 2 to 3 feet in the morning, building to 3 to 4 with the afternoon breeze. Surface temps near 86. The north-setting current has been strong — plan drifts accordingly. Storms arrive from the west most afternoons.
Tackle & Tactics
For mahi, a spinning setup with 30-pound fluoro and a bucktail or bare hook for pitching live bait; keep a hooked fish in the water to hold the school. Blackfin want small live baits or a vertical jig. Reef snapper at night are a light knocker rig, 20-pound fluoro, small hook, and cut sardine or live shrimp in a chum slick. Muttons take a long 40-pound fluoro leader and a whole ballyhoo on the bottom.
Local Intel This Week
The Riviera Beach Municipal Marina ramp at Phil Foster Park and the Currie Park ramp in West Palm Beach are the main public launches. Phil Foster Park is also solid land-based access for snapper and jacks at night. Fish are concentrating offshore on the weedlines and on the reef edges. Snapper, grouper, and snook all carry different seasons and limits — check current FWC and NOAA regulations and seasons before keeping any fish.
This Week’s Tip
Do not run straight to a number offshore. Idle the color change for ten minutes and watch the birds — frigate birds working a single spot will out-produce any GPS mark you have this time of year.