Summer offers an infinite variety of offshore fishing opportunities. Everything from sea bass on the reefs to blue marlin in the Gulf Stream is biting. Many of the bluewater fish that occur 50 miles offshore in the early spring may move to within 15 miles of the coast. Summer also offers the angler the best weather of the year, sometimes with four or five consecutive days of flat, calm conditions.

Summer fishing has its drawbacks, though. The steamy hot days of July and August send many of the fish that normally inhabit the surface to deeper waters. Summer heat also polarizes much of the feeding activity into the early morning and late afternoon and evening. During the hot part of the day, the wise fisherman sets his baits deep to catch the same fish that were on the surface in the morning.