By late July and certainly by August, it may seem like Africa is firing artillery in the forms of hurricanes and tropical storms at the Caribbean islands, as well as the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts. Last year’s hyper-active season, plus forecasts that warn of a long cycle of escalating numbers of tropical cyclones for the next 20 years, leave us all feeling like targets. Fishing is the best way to fire back after a barrage, and if coastal anglers want to shake off cabana fever quickly they need a better grasp on post-storm fishing.

Hurricane Claudette hit Matagorda, Texas in July of 2003.

Though winds subside quickly after a hurricane passes, marshes and lagoons will likely be flooded for days or weeks afterward. And in extreme cases, as Florida anglers recently learned, fishing spots can be changed physically, too. Plus, wind-blown debris can become navigational hazards. Whether caused by tidal surge or freshwater runoff from inland streams, prime fishing areas become plagued by dirty water and floating debris. Although each storm is different, they all mess up fishing.

Perhaps the water is so fresh certain species move closer to the coast. Perhaps the fish hunker down right where they are, or move to the nearest deep water and fast for a couple of days until water color, water temperature, depth and salinity regime move back toward normal.

Or maybe they move toward recently flooded shorelines where more fertile feeding grounds have been temporarily created. Or do they feed on newly available food sources and are no longer willing to eat what I had become accustomed to offering them? Most of us can readily adapt to relatively minor changes in the ecosystems, but the sudden and drastic changes brought about by tropical storms throw me for a loop. Since experts say that tropical storms and full-blown hurricanes will increasingly become eventualities, not potentialities, I decided to pick the brains of a few anglers who have had a little more post-storm fishing experience then they may care to.

Capt. Brian Clancy, of Eldora Charters, is one of the top guides on Mosquito Lagoon in east central Florida, an area hit hard by three hurricanes in August and September of 2004. He is on the water approximately 250 days a year and believes fish initially remain in the immediate area after a tropical storm passes.

“Our water quickly becomes off-colored and rises several inches due to runoff, making it difficult to locate redfish and trout, but they are still there,” says Capt. Clancy. A gold, single-hook spoon is his favorite lure for post-storm fishing. It is among the top “search lures” that an angler can use.

“I mainly blind-cast in the dirty water. A spoon allows me to cast a long distance, and because it has a weedguard, I can fish it slowly, close to the bottom.” Clancy emphasizes that fishing deeper than normal in the water column is the key. Salt water is denser, so the salinity levels most estuarine gamefish prefer are found close to the bottom.

Culverts are hotspots while storm runoff flows. Fish gather to pick off baitfish that either feed there, or those that are flushed out of inland waters.

“We usually fish only a few inches below the surface for redfish and trout that are clearly visible in barely a foot of water. But when the water over the flats is generally deeper and discolored, I reach for a lure that will get down to the fish.” He added, “Plus, a wobbling spoon puts out a lot of flash and vibration. This helps fish find your lure in the stained water.”

Since high wind, and to a lesser degree, floodwater, deposit a lot of debris (tree limbs, dock lumber and more) in coastal waters, a spoon with a weedguard is a must. In addition to weedless spoons, Clancy also depends on frozen and fresh cut bait immediately after a tropical storm.

“I like to pinch off the flipper of a live shrimp, or cut a finger-sized mullet in half and put a little scent into the water. If I can’t see and cast to fish, then at least I can attract them and catch them this way. I use a 2/0 stainless steel circle hook with natural bait. This hook is a little heavy and it gets the bait down to the bottom where it needs to be.”

Clancy went on to point out that in his area, he has observed that reds soon move to new feeding grounds when the water is high due to runoff.